Father of the Night

Chapters

Misty Justice.
Dark Knight, Dark Town.
Eureka.
Secret Meeting.
Perp Sweating.
Statement of Intent.
Retrieval.
Public Figure
One Good Day.
Examination.
Fancy Dinner Party.
Caper.
Relations.
Expansion.
Night in.
Proposal.
Company.
Chance Run-In.
Bad Moon Rising
Catching Fire.
House Call.
Gathering Force.
Right and Wrong.
Tricks of the Trade.
Orange Handed.
Promotions.
Connecting the Dots.
The Prodigal Son Returns.
Closing Night.
Epilogue.
Supply Run.
Learning Experience.
Historical Accuracy.

Misty Justice.

Hoof hitting wood rouses you from your restful sleep as the sun creeps through the window.

Nnnggg...he was hitting the dummies again.

You sit up in the bed and peek out the window. Bruce was under the trees in the back yard wailing on a circle of practice dummies. He spins on his fore hoof and circle kicks the head of one of the dummies clear off into the woods.

You grumble and climb out of bed. Stretching your legs you go to the window and crack it open.

"Breakfast! Get inside!"

Bruce glances at you over his shoulder at you before trotting into the woods.

"You better be getting that head..."

You lean back inside and start cooking breakfast. Bruce was one of the few ponies you had ever met who willingly ate meat. He was mildly apprehensive, but changed his mind the second you told him that they built muscle mass.

A few minutes later and you have bacon, eggs, and prench toast out on the table, just in time for Bruce to walk in and sit up at the table before beginning to scarf down his food.

You sit yourself down at the table and look the caped child over.

"Still wearing the costume, I see."

His eyes snap up at you. "I must practice in my suit."

"Okay..."

He continues to glare at you. "I must get used to the weight."

You cock an eyebrow.

"For when I go out." he says.

Oh no.

"I'm not letting you go out to bash in pickpockets heads, Bruce."

His eyes narrow. "You will not be able to stop me."

Oh...this again.

You reach into the cabinet behind you and grab a spray bottle. You place it down on the table and angle the nozzle towards Bruce.

His eyes widen but his glare intensifies.

"If you think that is going t-"

Psssssssst.

Bruce tenses as he's doused in the disciplinary liquid, he fortunately finished is food. You expect him to leap over the table at you, if not for the spray than for denying him going out, instead he just sits there and simmers.

"That will not work forever." he grimaces.

"Then I'll have to come up with a new solution, won't I?"

Bruce hops off his chair and walks into a closet at the edge of the hall, slamming the door behind him. That closet served as his work space, it was practically the only place he spent time.

Leaving your day remarkably open. And therefore remarkably dull.

You spent your day laying on the couch watching TV.

As usual.

The closet Bruce had locked himself in was still in your sight, and you were keeping a close eye on it. The TV had been boring you for some time, you had had a pillow over your face as it ran in the background for however long.

You almost drifted off to sleep before a knocking came from the door.

"Nnnnnggg..."

The knocks continue.

"NNUUUUUUUUUHHHH."

The knocks now intensify, instantly alerting you to who it is.

"Don't wanna!"

"Anonymous, y'all get out here and open the door!" the pony behind the door says.

Fucking...dammit.

You grumble and roll off the couch. Your feet drag along the carpet as you make your way to and eventually throw open the door.

The orange pony under the Stetson cocks an eyebrow up at you. "What is it AJ?" you grumble.

Applejack has been a friend for ages now, the side effect of you working on the farm when you first came here.

That was a bit before Bruce got sent to you.

AJ walks inside a bit after you step aside. "Just comin' round to see how y'all are doin'. Applebloom said ya came by the stall yesterday."

She glances down the hallway to the closet Bruce was in. "How is he?" she asks with concern.

You sigh. "He's normal, for him. He locks himself in that closet for hours on end and doesn't come out till night."

Applejack sighs and turns back to you. "I thought so. Anon, ya ever think about getting that boy a' yours out and about with kids his own age?"

Whoa, "boy a' yours"?

"What'd you call him?"

AJ cocks an eyebrow. "Aint that the term you use for adopted kids?"

It breaks your what happened to Bruce, it really did, but just because you took him in didn't make him your kid...

You reel back a bit. "Adopted? AJ, he's my ward, not my son."

"Anonymous!" she hisses.

You meet AJ's glare. "What?"

She jerks her head back to the closet. "He can probably hear you."

You look back to the work closet. "He probably doesn't care."

AJ sighs. "Now just because the two of ya have your...problems don't mean that he doesn't care."

She walks out the door. "Maybe think about that some, Anon. Y'all might be surprised."

After AJ left, you did some housework, patching up the hole Bruce made in the ceiling last night and sweeping up whatever was left of the mess. By late afternoon, your work was done, nothing was on TV, and Bruce was still in his closet. You decide to take a walk around town to clear your head a bit.

Your feet eventually lead you to the library, home of your friend and local know-it-all Twilight.

"Can't hurt..."

You knock on the door and take a few steps inside. "Twi? You in here?"

Your favorite Purplesmart lifts her snout out of the book she was reading and greets you with a smile.

"Hey there Anon, what brings you around?"

You shrug and walk up to her. "Just getting out of the house a bit, ended up walking past here."

Twilight closes her book. "How is he?"

Twi and AJ were the only ones in town besides you who were aware of Bruce's...activities. You had come to them when it started for advice on how to handle it.

So far nothing.

"He's...Bruce."

Twilight frowns. "Still in his closet?"

"Yup."

She sighs. "I don't suppose you've brought up the subject of going to school yet."

"When I did he went off on a tangent about mathematics and Equestrian history."

"...And?" Twilight asks.

"And I checked later and he was right, I doubt he thinks he'll learn anything at school."

Twilight's face grows worried. "I hope he doesn't hurt himself..."

"More worried about other people."

"He needs...something to focus on."

"He seems focused on fighting as is."

You and Twilight are silent for a few minutes.

"So what are you reading?" you ask.

Twilight looks back at her book. "A history of both Griffins and Diamond Dogs, I'm hoping to get a leg up on the Razorclaws and the Diggers."

The 'Claws and Diggers were two clans of Griffins and Diamond Dogs who had been harassing each other in the badlands to the south of town, it's been spilling into the edges of town recently.

"Well...I'll leave you to it then. See ya later, Twi."

Twilight heads back to her book and starts reading again. "Bye, Anon!"

You exit the library and walk back home. The sun was setting on one horizon while the moon rose from the other.

You creep in the front door of the house and glance over it.

Lights off. Stove off. Closet door open.

Bruce gone.

...Oh shit.

Dark Knight, Dark Town.

The moon is out and so are you.

Finally you can escape that closet and return to the world you knew You dash along the rooftops of Ponyville and leap across the alleys, any that you couldn't leap across you used your new grappling device to bridge. The residents of Ponyville, all the honest citizens, slept at this hour.

As they should.

This town and its people needed a protector from bad things, and they would get one in the form of you.

You would protect EVERYONE.

You had kept your ear to the door for the majority of the time you were in your closet, waiting for your keeper to leave. You had spent hours listening to the television from the living room play until Miss Applejack arrived.

They said you needed to see other children and "focus". They didn't understand that what you NEEDED was to be working.

Shortly thereafter, your keeper left.

A quick gathering of your things and you were able to sneak out and begin your patrol.

"Help! Somepony help!" a shrill voice cries.

And not a moment too soon!

The cry for help came from the west, an alley behind Carousel Boutique before the stream. You leap off the roof you were on and grapple the tip of the Boutique, using your momentum to swing around and into the alley.

You appraise the situation instantly. Three stallions were cornering a couple at the end of the alley, the Cakes, you think their name was.

Mr. Cake is standing between the muggers and his wife. "N-now step back you three! We gave you what you demanded now l-leave us alone!"

The aggressors glance at each other. "Now what kind of enterprising businessmen would we be if we didn't press our advanta-"

The man gets no further before you slam into the back of his head and slide along with him on the ground.

Before his partners can react, you level your grapple at ones hooves and fire. The cord wraps around the appendage and snaps taunt as you pull, dragging him along the ground and letting you break his snout. The last ones eyes go wide as you leap over the prone forms of the others and tackle him to the ground. He fights you for a moment before he joins his friends in unconsciousness.

You rise up off the ground and look around.

This alley was not dissimilar to the...other one...The stone street. The narrow spaces. The discovery of a couple and the following unmoving bodies on the ground...

You glance back at the Cake's. "It's safe now, return to your home."

They continue to cower near the rear of the alley, seemingly looking past you. You follow their terrified gaze over your shoulder.

There were six Royal Equestrian Guards at the mouth of the alley.

Your eyes narrow as your thoughts race.

Standard squad. Six strong, mix of two members of each pony subspecies. All male between the ages of 26 and 34.

They continue to stare you down. "We're going to need you to come with us, son."

Go with them. Be taken in.

"No."

Their leader takes a few steps towards you. "This isn't open for debate, son."

You back away a bit. "No, it is not. I will not warn you to leave me be again."

The guard sighs and takes a few steps towards you. "Let's take him in, guys."

You warned them...

You leap up into the air and dive at the guards. These guards were members of Ponyville's small cadre.

You knew every member of that cadre.

Lightning Bristle: Hoofball star in school, injury from twisted knee results in easier breaks. You twist the offending limb and fill the alley with a snap before going on to the next.

Thunder Flicker: Served with distinction during the Changeling invasion, was cast in slime and lost some lung capacity for it. Advised course of action: Double buck to the chest.

You jump from guard to guard exploiting the weaknesses you read about.

Deaf on one side.

Metal pins on the right rear leg.

An inability to guard ones neck.

In minutes the criminals are joined by the guards as the Cakes continue to cower at the end of the alley.

"Wh-who are you." Mister Cake whimpers.

You look back at him. "I am The Night.

As your night went on, more and more of the guards came out onto the streets, probably in search of their comrades. They had done an excellent job of scaring off any other criminals. They could actually make a difference if they would simply be out in the force at all times.

As there were no criminals and they were responding to a downed squad, they focused all their attentions on the one thing out of the ordinary.

You.

You run and grapple along the roofs of the town heading south, the Ponyville Guard closing behind you. They had an airship in the air with floodlights searching for you as you ran. You can't fight them, not in these numbers.

You need to get away.

Anypony watching that scene would notice the masked vigilante leaping off the roof into a nearby alley.

They would notice the guards whipping around the corner and peering down the same alley. And they would notice the guards standing dumbfounded when they found nothing.

The guards mill around for a good hour before dispersing looking for you. They never bothered to look underneath leftover stalls in the market.

Once you're sure they're all gone, you drop to the ground and roll out

You should be able to sneak your way back to th-

"Was wondering where you were."

You spin around and drop into a fighting stance.

The unicorn behind you in the street remains stoic. "You can relax, I'm not here to fight. I wouldn't want to hurt you, anyway."

You look him over and realize that he's correct; he would hurt you.

"Shining Armor: Captain of the Canterlot Guard and husband of Princess Mi Amore Cadenza of the Crystal Empire."

He tilts his head to the side. "You're well informed."

You don't relax. "Information is power."

The guard captain continues to stare you down. "I want to know how and why you hurt an entire squadron of my guards."

"They were attempting to arrest me."

"You attacked those other ponies."

"Who were attempting to hurt the Cakes."

His glare intensifies. "So you took the law into your own hands."

"Yes."

"That's the job of the guards."

"They're not doing it well enough."

His face flashes to legitimate anger for the first time. "You appoint yourself better than my guards, hurt them, and then waste their time and resources chasing you all over town."

"There are no criminals out due to your presence here, that is what matters."

You slowly start backing away from the captain, keeping your eyes on him as you do.

He remains where he is. "You know I'll have to try and stop you."

You back into an alley and let the echo carry your last words to him.

"I know you'll try."

Eureka.

The bacon in the pan sizzles and pops as you cook it on the stove.

You could use it after last ni-AH! You grip your arm and massage the elbow a bit, harder to do in your sling.

After the food is done cooking, you sit at the table munching on it. Mmm...chewy bacon was clearly the best.

Three knocks come at the door, requiring you to moan and groan and shuffle to open the door. A purple unicorn stands on the opposite side.

"Hey Twi."

"Hey Ano-" Twilight starts before she glances at your arm and the house behind you. Her wides eyes take in the sight.

The living room was destroyed. Tables were flipped, there were dings and scratches in the wall, curtains were torn. Twilight finally settles on your wrapped arm in the sling. "What...happened here, Anon!?"

You rub the back of your head. "Bruce came home after last night and it...didn't go too well."

Came home with half the Canterlot Guard out looking for him. You had been less than pleased.

"Well what happened to your arm!?" Twilight shouts.

You wave it around a bit.

"Dislocated elbow."

"...HOW!?" she shouts.

"It got bent over the back of the couch."

Twilight stays silent but gives you a rather alarmed face.

"I told you it didn't go well."

Twilight sighs and hangs her head in defeat before sniffing at the air. "Anon? Why does it smell like-"

"Pee?"

Twilight nods.

"I had to use the spray bottle.

You and Twi take to the town, hoping the fresh air would do you some good. The royal guards are still around, patrolling the streets and the sky and posted on every corner.

You lean down to Twi. "Awful lot of guards..."

"Well after last night, who can blame them?" she grumbles.

You wince. "You know about that, huh?"

Twilight rolls her eyes. "Even -IF- I missed the commotion there was last night, imagine my surprise when MY BROTHER came to my house in the early morning asking if I could shed some light onto "the mysterious young colt in the costume"."

You wince once more. "And...what'd you tell him?

Twilight sighs. "That I didn't have any information."

You let out the breath you were holding in. "Thanks Twi...I'm getting to the end of my rope here."

Bruce just...kept going out and doing what he did. No good he could be doing could outweigh the guards he was hurting.

"I know Bruce needs to do something beyond...THIS, but I just have no way of making that happen."

Twilight glances up to you. "Have you considered my idea about sending him to school?"

You shove your hands in your pockets and look down at the grass. "I did, but...I'm kinda scared as to what would happen if he saw a bully or something."

Twilight's face falls as far as yours does. "Sad to say, but guards are better than little kids."

You and Twi both let out a groan over your situation as you come up on the library. "Wanna come in and we can smack our heads on the wall, Anon?" she asks.

You kick at a rock on the ground. "No thanks, Twi. I think I'm just gonna walk a bit more."

Twilight nods and walks into the library as you make your way towards the orchard.

-Music-

You stroll along the fence at Sweet Apple Acres and step inside the main gate. Heading down the main path towards the farmhouse you stop your friend and ex-boss lugging a few barrels of apples back to the barn.

"Need some help there AJ?"

AJ shoots a smile your way. "Sure thing, Anon. I can always use an extra pair of hooves during harvest season."

You chuckle as you walk over and grab one of the barrels. "Hands AJ, hands."

You help AJ carry those barrels and a few more she roped you into carrying to the barn and help her lock up.

Along the way you explained the talk you had with Twilight.

"I heard all the ruckus last night, I was worried that y'all were in the middle of it." she relents.

"You know us...but he came back in one piece."

AJ blows a strand of hair out of her face. "T'weren't him I was worried about, part. T'were the guards he hurt."

"Yeah...I talked to Twilight about it."

"And what'd she'd say?"

You lean against the barn wall. "Same as I'm gonna guess you're about to, that he needs to find some sort of focus."

AJ sits next to you on the ground. "Got that right, does the little fella have any other family you can bring in to talk to him?"

You sigh. "No, his only family were his parents..."

At least, biologically they were, there were a few family friends but you don't think they could help here.

"I'm all he really has here, AJ. I'm supposed to help him but...I just don't know how."

"That's...quite the predicament, Anon."

Yeah. Got that right.

On your way back home, you walk by Sugarcube Corner. The Cakes were outside watching their twins play in the grass. Pound leaps over Pumpkin and tackles her to the ground, wrestling up a storm of dust as their parents watch.

You pass by a patrolling guard and save to them.

"Well Hello there, Anonymous." "Hi there, Anon." they both say.

"Hello Mister Cake, Miss Cake."

"How are you today?" Mister Cake asks.

"Oh, you know, watching the boy and hanging on for dear life."

The couple share a short chortle. "Yes, we know how raising a young one can be." Mrs. Cake says.

"Just be glad you don't have to change diapers!" her husband answers.

You chuckle and look at the roughhousing brother and sister. "Is this...normal?"

Mr. Cake nods. "Oh yes, it's always good for the little ones to expend their excess energy."

Hmmm...

"Yeah, I know what that's like."

Mrs. Cake looks to you. "How is little Bruce doing?"

You glance around at the increased guard presence and remember that the Cakes don't know about Bruce's hoof in this. "He's...adapting to life here. Getting out when he can, playing with his toys, usual kid stuff."

They both smile. "Good to hear! So sad what happened to his parents..."

You watch the Cake twins burn themselves out before you about face and walk home.

"Nice talking to you two."

Once you got home you collapse on the couch and flip on the TV. Bruce went out again, just walking past you on the couch through the destroyed living room. You would have tried to stop him normally, but your arm canceled those plans.

You knew Bruce was TRYING to do good, if his own personal brand, but he was still an angry little kid. If things kept up, he was going to hurt himself. But at the same time, you couldn't get him to STOP doing what he did now or risk him developing more problems.

Bruce's combat therapy or whatever you wanted to call it is how he copes with what happened to his parents but it was your job to take care of him. If things kept going the way they were, the last member of the Mane family would end up in jail or worse.

Everyone you talked to today had points...you needed to help Bruce focus and expend his energy in a constructive manner, something that could both help him and help the town.

The news flicks on, an aged reporter stares into the camera. "More news from the outskirts of Ponyville today as both the Razorclaws and the Diggers harassed farmers at the edge of town, wounding several and stealing thousands of bits in property."

"Bleh."

You change the channel from that crap and to an old movie instead. You knew this one, it was Gangs of Manehatten.

As you watch, you notice something in the movie: The gangs were turning on each other. As the gangs clashed, their numbers were thinned and the police took back control...

...That gives you an idea.

Secret Meeting.

The sun in your eyes and the sound of hoof meeting wood outside rouses you from your sleep. You rub the sleep from your eyes as you rise up and swing your legs out over the floor.

Today was the day you got to work...

You hop off the bed and head out to the kitchen, trying to sneak past any windows Bruce might see you out of as you went.

Stealth was paramount in this.

It had been a week since your...revelation about what to do with Bruce and you had been planning ever since. Bruce was your responsibility and he needed a focus. So you were going to GIVE him one.

You grilled your morning bacon as you ran through your plan for the day. The best spot was to the Southwest of town...right by the mountain lake...

The door opening behind you makes you jump out of your skin and turn to see a pair of black pointy ears bobbing behind the counter as Bruce trots up to the table in his suit.

"...Bruce."

"Keeper." he says tersely.

...Right.

You dish out yours and his food and begin to chow down.

Bruce's eyes are drawn to a pair of equally sized brown wrapped packages sitting on the kitchen counter.

"What are those?" he asks.

"None of your concern."

Bruce shoots you a glare underneath the cowl, he didn't like not knowing stuff.

"What? I have a life outside of you."

Barely.

You could see Bruce's eyes narrowing, you decide the best course of action is to bite this in the ass.

"It's just a few deliveries to some people, Bruce. Derpy was swamped today and I said I'd give her a hand."

His eyes go back to their normal state as he believes you.

You look at your watch: 9:30. "Gotta make tracks, don't hurt yourself."

You get up from the table and grab the packages before stepping outside the house.

You walk through Ponyville with your packages tucked securely under your arm and make for the edge of town. Once you were outside the town limits, it was a straight shot to your destination. You see Twilight ahead of you as you walk, she catches sight out of the corner of her eye and stops to greet you.

"Hey there Anon." she says before spotting the packages you were carrying. "Special deliveries?"

"Something like that." you say.

You and Twi walk down the road together when a thought crosses you mind. About how Twilight was the smartest mare in Ponyville.

"Hey Twilight...what do you know about The Diggers?"

Twilight arches an eyebrow. "That's a bit of an odd question."

"Just curious."

"Well..." Twilight starts. "The Diggers are a gang of Diamond Dogs who live in the mines a bit south of here. They LOVE high quality gems and other metals, I believe they trade them with someone? But I'm unsure."

Interesting.

"What else?"

"Their boss is someone named "The Dogfather", he pulled together some smaller packs a long time ago and collected them into what the Diggers are today." she says.

Right...

"Any other stuff?"

Twilight walks on. "The Dogfather apparently has a daughter he's breeding to take over the gang for him. From what Shining Armor has told me, it's not going too well."

The first half of that you knew.

"How come?"

"Apparently the other Dog's don't respect her."

Hmmm...You pick up the pace and walk ahead of Twilight.

"Thanks Twi!" you call back.

As you make your way ever closer to the edge of town you come across your home away from home: The Apple Orchard. And you spot the orchard's caretaker out by the edge fixing a fence.

"Hey AJ...what happened?"

AJ hammers a nail into the fence with her mouth and drops the tool to the ground. "Darn Razorclaws went and wrecked my fence on some dumb race last night, heard the ruckus and came out to find the fence wrecked and those troublemakers flyin' off back to their mountain."

Well that won't do.

You set your packages down and help AJ straighten the fence post she's hammering in.

"Thanks." she says.

"No problem. So you know it was the 'Claws?"

"Aint no other band a' Griffins I know of who hang 'round these parts." she says. "And I see 'em flying down the Everfree Forest every so often, too."

"What do they do out there?"

AJ's face contorts. "Hunt. They hunt the animals in there and scrounge up any magical artifacts they can find in them old castles out there."

"What in Equestria do the 'Claw's need with magical artifacts?"

AJ maneuvers another fence post into the ground. "Anon, if there's one thing I learned in my life, it's that there's ALWAYS a market."

"Yeah...I guess so."

"I swear, it's that Thane's son up there."

You know of him...

"He leads the raids, huh?"

AJ nods. "You got it, takes his raiders down into the Forest and hurts all the animals who aint done nothin' too him all so he can take the hides, then goes off and rob those old castles blind! Why, that stuff belongs in a museum, not some Griffin hoard."

"Got that right."

You help AJ secure the last post and pick up your packages.

"Later AJ." you say before making towards the edge of town.

You follow the long country trail down South until you're right at the edges of the Everfree. You hike your way through the relatively less dense forest and make your way to the clearing ahead. As the trees part, you catch sight of a beautiful waterfall spilling into a small lake at the foot of the nearby mountain.

Perfect for the plan.

To the South of you were the Digger's mines, where every Dog within a hundred miles gathered. To the North on the mountaintop you could just make out the makeshift lair the Claw's set up. Equidistant between the two...and the perfect spot for the son and daughter to meet.

They were the lynchpin in all this.

You find a nice spot near the edge of the water and set both packages down. A quick mark on each, a Dog paw and a Griffin talon, help designate which is for which.

Not that it really mattered.

You run to the other side of the lake and take refuge in the bushes.

"And now we wait..." you say.

You sit with your back against the rock wall for a few hours watching the sun move slowly across the sky. There were many times when you just wanted to turn in and go home, you didn't even know if the two idiots were gonna get here.

But you stuck with it.

You had to, for the boy.

As the moon began to creep up into the sky, you hear the beating of wings from above. You crouch down low and peer out of the bottom of the bush towards where you left the packages. An armored hybrid of a lion and a bird with a wide wingspan touches down at the far end of the grove.

"Hello?" he calls out. "Why was I told to come here?" he asks.

A rustling of bushes some thirty feet from you reveals a Diamond Dog in a suit top with a bow in her hair. "You tell me." she says.

The two of them take a few tentative steps towards one another.

The griffins feathers ruffle. "My name is Brokk and I lead the Razorclaw Raiders, I will not be spoken to like that."

The Diamond Dog chuckles low. "And I am Alexandria, next in line to lead the Southpaw Diggers."

The two of them close in on each other near your packages.

"And why are you here, Alexandria?"

"I was instructed by an anonymous letter to come here yesterday, you wouldn't have anything to do with that, would you Featherhead?"

Brokk scoffs. "I was given the same letter, I don't know what you're getting a-

Brokk's eyes drift down to the two packages separating them. "Now what is this?" he asks as he picks up the talon one.

Alexandria grabs her matching package and they both tear it open.

The gifts they now hold in their hands are identical: A bottle of Concordia Red each.

Very expensive, here's hoping Bruce doesn't mind.

Alexandria scoffs. "Did you set this up, Feathers?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Brokk answers.

She waves the bottle of wine in his face. "Is that why I'm meeting you here alone with a handful of expensive wine~?"

"I could ask you the same thing." he says.

Alexandria chuckles and sits down on the ground, popping the cork off her bottle. "Well, sit and drink with me O' Brokk of the Razorclaw Raiders."

Brokk's eyes dart around a bit before he too sits on the ground and starts drinking his wine.

The two of them sit and drink for a couple hours, talking about various exploits from their criminal families.

Laughter is had and the two become fast friends.

"I better see you again, Brokk." Alexandria says after they've finished their wine and are preparing to leave.

"Oh you will, Miss Alexandria. A dog who knows the proper way to have a good time? Why it's unheard of."

Alexandria punches Brokk in the arm and turns to walk out of the grove. Brokk spreads his great wings and takes to the skies, albeit a little shakily. Once they're both gone, you push yourself out of the bushes and watch them leave.

They'd go home, see each other more, and bring the gangs closer together.

"Just as planned..."

Perp Sweating.

Control your breathing. Close your eyes. Block out all the sounds. That was what Master Ib'Xian would say to you every you trained with him.

You were putting his training to good use today as you hung upside down. Below you Diamond Dogs ran to and fro performing various operations to keep the mine running, all while giving the figures in the center of the room a wide berth. In the past weeks the Diggers and Razorclaws had been suspiciously quiet and self contained.

That worried you.

After leaving home and sneaking into the mine, you found the target you were after. The Dogfather and his daughter Alexandria.

You strain your ears to listen in on their conversation.

"Ya ant been around for any of the things I wanted ya here for! And all'a the guards say they see you leavin' at all hours a' the day and night!" he roars.

The daughter spins around to face him with fire in her eyes. "I'm a big girl now, daddy! I can make my own choices!"

"Make yer own mistakes is more like it! Yer throwin' yer life away!"

"My life to throw away!" she shouts.

"Interesting..." you mutter.

You lower yourself down your rope to get a better listen.

The Dogfather grabs his daughter by the arm. "You little run! I give you everything and dis is how you treat me!"

Alexandria yanks her arm out of her father's grip. "You're nothing. Just an old dog with no new tricks."

Alexandria turns her back on her father and walks down the tunnel leading out, the Dogs still in the room standing in awed silence.

"Curious..." you whisper.

Where was she going? You'd have to find out...

You shimmy your way up your line and start the process of escaping the cave.

The next night you go on another stake out, this time to the top of the nearby mountain. Infiltrating the Razorclaw's camp was significantly harder than the Diggers for one reason.

Rifles.

The Griffins had always been the most advanced race on the planet. No magic and a kingdom to rival Equestria's in power had made them run full tilt down the path to industrialization. One of their inventions was a rifle that put any bows or crossbows in Equestria to shame.

You had to infiltrate under the cover of a cloudy night right up the side of the mountain. Your grapple was getting a workout tonight...

Once you evaded their sentries, you crawled along underneath their temporary structures and slowly made you wait to the Thane's tent. The 'Claws were more paranoid than the Diggers, they had patrons out at all times watching both the skies and the edge of the camp for any intruders, forcing you to stick to the shadows you knew best.

You hid out back of the Thane's tent, identified by the ceremonial brass hanging from the entrance and the guards posted out front and listened to the two voices inside.

"You've been neglecting your duties." a stern voice says.

That'd be Thane Weisshaupt.

"My duties are beneath me, you and I both that."

And that'd be his son Brokk.

The shattering of something wooden makes its way to you.

"There are two ways we make our bits, arms trade and artifacts, you spending time with that bitch of yours cuts our profits in half."

He said "bitch". The connection was obvious.

Something brakes.

"That bitch has more good ideas in her tail than you have in your entire body. Her and I are going to make a new gang...a better gang." Brokk answers.

You hear someone leave the tent and say "A gang better than any you've ever seen."

A better gang...That could be problematic.

You have to investigate.

You tail Brokk as he flies down the mountain and along the countryside, in time reaching a small grove in the direction of the Diamond Dog mine. He lands and you peer through the trees, spotting a female Diamond Dog waiting near the water's edge.

A meeting then.

You creep through the bushes as the two of them meet and talk.

"How'd your old man take it?" Alexandria asks.

"About as well as you'd think." Brokk answers.

Alexandria sighs. "Adults..."

"Got that right..."

Brokk sits down next to Alexandria and there is a tearing of paper.

"You ever wonder where these keep coming from?" Alexandria says.

"Heh, I don't complain."

You position yourself in a bush directly behind the two of them and lay prone.

Brokk elbows Alexandria after he swigs some of his wine. "Hey, thought of some more ideas."

The mobster's daughter takes the wine and sips it. "Oh?"

"Yep. I thought about where we were gonna be based out of."

Alexandria rolls her eyes. "Oh here we go."

Brokk jumps to his feet. "I say we build a giant flying fortress! We can roam all over Equestria taking what we want! Even the dragons won't be a match for us!"

Alexandria chuckles. "Got any ideas where you'll get the money to MAKE that, Loverboy?"

Brokk grabs the wine bottle and downs more of it. "That's where you come in, babe."

Alexandria elbows Brokk. "Ass."

The two of them talk back and forth for a few minutes about plans for their new gang.

At their feet you spot the shards of paper they must have torn. You snap your hoof out and snatch up the paper before they notice.

The paper has various claw marks and other markings on it, but you couldn't be sure.

Hmm...

You needed help here...

Ponyville was some distance away and the night was not young enough which forced you to run full tilt so you could still capture these two. Your lungs burned and your joints ached but still you ran faster and faster.

Nothing would stop you from bringing them in.

But you couldn't do it alone, you would need backup. And the only person who could provide that backup was Shining Armor.

You climb the town hall building towards the loft at the top where the Guard Captain was staying and slip your way inside after getting the window unlocked. He was in bed at this hour, his midsection rising and falling in steady rhythm under the blankets.

"Shining Armor."

His eyes snap open and he leaps out of bed with the practiced movements of a lifetime guard.

"Who's there!?" he shouts.

You step out of the shadows and make your presence known. "I need your help."

His stance softens a bit. "You...what are you doing here?"

You toss the package paper on the ground in front of him.

"I got that from a secret meeting between the son and daughter of the leaders of the Razorclaw's and the Diggers respectively. They are planning to secede from their father's gangs and form their own, one they claim will be "better" than the current one."

His eyes widen and drift to the paper.

"The implications of that do not evade you."

Shining Armor shakes his head. "How can I trust you? You've assaulted dozens of my guards since you began operating here and probably would have done the same to me if I were less inclined to work with you."

You hang your head, he had you there. Assaulting guards was not what you had intended to do when you started off, they were just in your way.

But that...still wasn't right.

"Look, you can think of me however you please. But the danger posed by these two is real and present, one we cannot ignore."

Shining Armor looks down at the discarded paper and levitates it up. "I know this paper...it's from the post office here in town. You said you found it at the scene?"

"I did, but that can be handled later."

No need to get distracted.

Shining Armor eyes you intently. "What do you want?"

You glance out the window to the tents the Royal Canterlot Guards were staying at.

"I want your help arresting them."

Twenty minutes after Shining Armor roused his guards from their slumber they were geared up and running back down south to the grove. The guards had shown some apprehension to running to battle with the one who had wounded so many of their comrades, but a few words from Captain Armor had set them straight.

"If his information is correct then we don't have time for animosity. I trust him here and that's all you need to know." he had said.

And now the bakers dozen of you were waiting outside the grove. You close your eyes and concentrate, straining to pick up the faint voices and laughter from inside it.

"I hear them, they're still here."

Captain Armor nods his head. "Alright, let's spread out and get ready to move in."

"Keep your men out until I can get in."

Armor looks down at you. "You're sure you'll be alright, kid?"

You nod. "I was fine against your guards."

Armor's ears fall flat. "Alright! The kid is gonna go in there and see what he can do, we'll stay out here until he gets back. Clear?" he asks.

The guards recite a staccato of "Yes sir's" and clear your path.

As you walk into the woods surrounding the grove, you hear them talk. "We letting a kid do us in now?" "Isn't that the kid who put B-squad in the hospital."

You tune them out.

The trees near the edge of the grove are easy enough to climb, and their canopy's are thick with large branches.

You make your way along the branches as Brokk and Alexandria talk.

"I'm telling ya babe, the two of us are gonna go down in history."

Alexandria chuckles but remains silent.

Hmm...This called for intimidation.

-Brokk PoV-

Tonight was great. You were with your girl in the best place around, happily drunk and planning for the future. A future full of taking what you wanted, terrorizing those stupid ponies, and blowing anyone who wanted to stop you out of the sky.

You had the vision, she had the plans to make it happen, you were the perfect pair.

"You know..."

You scooch a bit closer to her.

"We have all this time..."

Alexandria chuckles. "Getting more ideas, Brokk-Head?"

Heh...you had warmed up to that pet name.

"Mmmmmaaaaaaybe~"

"Hehe, well then perhaps I can take your wing a-"

Alex is stopped from doing whatever great thing she had planned by a series of loud CRACK's and the grove exploding into smoke.

You and Alex push yourself to your feet and wave your arms about and cough. The smoke clears in time and reveals a figure standing to the side of you both, It's ears reaching up high above It's head and It's cape settling around It's form.

He stared at you with icy blue eyes from a place where you could have sworn there was a stump a moment ago.

"Alexandria of the Diggers, Brokk of the Razorclaws, I'm here to take you in." it growls in a voice that sounded like what Alexandria described her gangs digging devices as.

Wh-what the hell?

You find your legs shaking as you and Alexandria stumble to your feet.

"Who the hell are you!?" you shout.

It's eye-slits narrow. "I am The Night."

Alexandria and you exchange a nervous look.

"You can either come peacefully or violently. Your call." It says.

You narrow your eyes and charge It. "Like that's an option!" you shout.

You leap into the air and dive at It only to be stopped as two tiny little legs rear out from It's cape and strike you in the chest.

Hard.

Harder than you've ever felt.

You land on the ground in shock in a heap from having all the air driven from your lungs as Alexandria barks at the intruder and charges It herself.

It flips out a small metal device that shoots a hook with a line tired to it out at her. It wraps around her legs and, with a hard tug of the line, she stumbles into the same pile you were in.

The figure jumps down from something, suddenly becoming much shorter, and begins wrapping you in the cord from the device.

The thundering of hooves comes through the trees as at least a dozen Royal Guards spring out from them and level spears at you and Alexandria.

The figure turns and looks down at you, he couldn't have been more than a kid...

"The violent way it is then." he says.

-Bruce PoV-

You escort Brokk and Alexandria back to town with the royal guard, the guards whispering about the takedown the entire time. The sun rises slowly over the horizon as you enter into the town and walk to the jail.

Brokk and Alexandria are rather livid themselves. "YOU'RE DEAD, KID! YOU'RE BUCKIN' DEAD!" he shouts. "Wait until my father hears about this..." she seethes.

You walk past them and open the door to the penitentiary.

"I'm sure."

The guards escort the still screaming convicts inside as their Captain approaches you.

He eyes the jail and then eyes you. "We...helped each other tonight."

You move your cape back over your shoulders. "That we did."

His eyes remain stern. "You're still not going to stop, are you?"

You shake your head. "There is still work to do, the package they had is still unaccounted for."

Shining Armor nods slightly. "Listen. I don't agree with what you do. Neither on a professional or a moral level."

Great...

"But...you do good work. You found these two and got them into custody, something that would have taken us considerably longer."

He stands at his full and more imposing height. "If you're not going to stop...I want you to run things this big by me, understand? I want to be kept in the loop."

Is he suggesting...a partnership?

"I'll...consider it."

Shining Armor sighs. "That's all I'll take at this hour. Goodnight...Batmane." he says as he trots off.

You take his lead and go back to your own home. Curiously, you see your keeper Anonymous walking out the door as you do.

"Keeper." you say.

Anonymous whirls around and faces you. "Bruce? Are you...just getting home?"

You nod. "I worked with the royal guard to arrest the son and daughter of the leaders of the Razorclaw's and Diggers. They are in custody now."

You push past Anonymous and walk inside the house.

"I have been out all night and am rather tired, I believe I shall rest a bit."

You shut the door behind you and head to the bed.

If you weren't so exhausted, you'd have heard a faint "Oh shit." on the other side of the door.

Statement of Intent.

Ponyville. Day 7 of the siege.

Well, not so much a siege as being stuck between a rock and a hard place.

The Diggers and the Razorclaw's were in full swing now, each pouring thugs and raiders out of their hideouts to attempt to wipe the other off the map in a bloody gang war. All because the children of their leaders, their future leaders, had their reign cut short by getting arrested.

And they were arrested because of what YOU did.

You had only meant for Bruce to investigate them, not arrest them himself! And what was he doing working with the guard after he attacked them?

Dammit...all of this was getting out of hand. If this went where you thought it would, Bruce would end up dead or worse and the town would be trampled.

Dammit...DAMMIT!

You skulk through the town brainstorming and find yourself walking to the library absentmindedly. Oh well...maybe Twi would have an answer. Twilight stands in the middle of a circle of chalkboards with an approximation of town drawn on it. The table behind her had a map of the area with figures to represent the gangs laid out on it.
"...Keeping busy, Twi?"

Twilight scribbles some notes on the board and moves a figure. "Little busy right now Anon, what is it?

You whistle and head over to Twi.

"What uh...what are you doing?"

Twilight positions a few figurines around. "I'm helping the guards by monitoring all the gangs movements and letting them know."

You lean over the map. "How bad is it?"

Twilight sighs and puts her chalk down. "It's not good, Anon...they keep pouring out of their hideouts and fighting in the woods, the guards are stretched thin just keeping the situation as contained as this."

You lean down over the map. "Where are they all coming from?"

Twilight points at the maps. "The Diggers have their tunnels and the Razorclaw's have their wings, they've been getting over and under the blockade the guard's put up."

You sigh. "What about reinforcements?"

Twilight shakes her head. "Official word from Canterlot is that "this situation has not developed enough to warrant a full response." And with the Princesses in Saddle Arabia, I think we're on our own."

Faaaaaantastic...

"They're gonna take Ponyville at this rate..."

Twilight goes back to her blackboards. "Not if we stop them."

You wish you could see it her way, you really do, but all you could see was the town getting ransacked all because of you. Leaving Twilight to work, you slide your hands in your pockets and make for the door, intent on fixing this mess you made.

You left Ponyville shortly after meeting Twilight, heading south towards the fighting. Not into the fighting of course, you weren't that big an idiot. You kept West and made your way to the mountain the Razorclaw's claimed once you got within sight.

You could feel their snipers aiming those rifles down at you as you climbed up the mountain path with your white flag in hand.

The Razorclaw fortress was protected by a large gate built into their walls. Troopers had to fly out to man it when they saw you coming due to the amount of time it had been since the gate was last manned. No use in gates when you can all fly.

You stop at the gate and look up at the griffin peering over the edge.

"I need to see the Thane."

He scoffs. "I doubt that, ape."

"I have information regarding your little war with The Diggers."

The griffin's eyes widen and he retreats back to chatter with his fellows.

After a few moments you can hear one of them shout "Get this gate open!"

Heh. That got 'em.

You walk through the gate and inspect the makeshift tents and domiciles that the Razor's had set up.

Griffin culture was by nature rather pragmatic as made evident by the sheer number of forges and martial gear you saw.

Two griffins land in front of you and bar you from moving any further. "The Thane is this way, ape." they spit.

You nod your head and signal for them to lead on.

You're ushered inside a large tent at the rear of the compound by your escorts. He sat in a gold plated throne next with what you assume to be his mate off to one side, two younger griffins standing with her.

The Thane's eyes flicker over you and take in your alien form. As he does that, you do the same. He's big, one of the larger griffins you've seen, and the scars on his face each seem to tell a tale. This Thane had earned his place and had quickly evolved his skills to the point where he could keep it.

"Speak." he says.

You clear your throat and collect your thoughts. "Hello Thane, I won't mince words. I heard about what happened to your son, my sympathies, by the way."

He narrows his eyes and snorts at you.

"I don't need to tell you that this wasn't supposed to happened. Your son and Miss Alexandria getting arrested was...not good."

The Thane taps his fingers on his throne. "The way you speak...it's like you know something I do not."

Shitfuck. You idiot.

You pick yourself up from your mental stumble quickly enough.

"It...just makes sense. The longer you two stay simmering at each other, the less fighting, the less Batmane out and about stopping you."

The Thane snaps the arm of his throne off with a growl. "The Bat...a single child who did more damage to this clan than any before him..."

The Thane climbs out of his chair and looks over his amassed hoard. "He disrupts my operations...lures my son away from his duties...and then works with that BITCH TO GET HIM ARRESTED!"

...He still thought Bruce was behind this. That kept you safe for the time being.

The Thane stomps over to you and shoves his beak in your face. "That boy...attacked my family, my business, and my honor. I will not rest until his head is affixed on top of my throne."

He turns around and resumes his position on the chair in question. "Get out of my stronghold, ape, before I have my men consider you the newest thing to hunt."

You hauled it out of the Razorclaw's stronghold and followed the path in the opposite direct.

Towards the Digger's mine.

Getting inside was just as simple as getting inside the Razor's place, probably because you used the same line. Dog's being a bit more simple and pack driven probably had something to do with it too. You're led by a particularly hulking guard dog to a carved out cavern at the edge of the mine.

Sitting in a table inside are about seven dogs, with The Dogfather sitting at the tables head. Conversation is already flowing as you walk in.

"-ust don't see how you could have let a freelancer get THIS far out of paw, Cornelius. You should have known that when you brought him in."

"The guy's a freak, a total freak!" The Dog takes a swig of his drink. "Eight a' my boys...wasted like that..."

You are directed around them and shoved next to The Dogfather's seat.

He, like the Thane, looked you over and seemed unimpressed. "N' what's this monkey doin' here?"

The guard shoves you forward.

With a grunt, you face the mobster. "Had some info on your war with The Razorclaw's."

The Dogfather chuckles as he pours himself another drink. "Hehe...we got that situation taken care of." You arch an eyebrow while the rest of the Dog's chuckle. "Got packs from around the world coming in...gonna pick that stronghold off the map."

That sounded bad...

"That'd bring down the Royal guards faster than you could spit."

"And we'd be gone just as fast, kid." he says as he swirls his drink.

The Dogfather looks around to the other members of the table. "Our successor, my daughter, got turned in becuase'a that idiot kid. I don't care how many guards I bring in, aint nobody disrespects tha top Dog."

The rest of the Dogs nod with him.

Sheeeiiiit... Sounds like he has an iron grip on this place.

The Dogfather grins at you. "You got in and out of the Razorclaw Stronghold, eh?"

You nod.

"Uh...yeah."

He chuckles. "Them Griffins and their honor...A good thing we aint got that, huh?"

You're struck on the back of the head by the dog behind you before he can even finish. On the ground, you hear the Dogfather speak again. "Shoulda stayed home, pup."

That's when the far wall exploded.

-Music-

You hear a bit from down on the floor through the ringing of your ears and the others in the room coughing and shouting.

"What in Tartarus is goin' on!?"

"The lights! What happened to the lights!?

From your unique perspective, you hear the sound of hooves.

"Ladies, gentlemen...you've eaten well."

Your breath hitches, your heart skips a beat, you almost pee your pants. You know that voice.

While no one is looking, you scramble underneath the table, you couldn't let him see you here.

The fire from the explosion cast harsh shadows over the room, but one seemingly winged one blotted out all others.

None spoke but him. "You have eaten Equestrias wealth, it's resources, it's spirit. You will do so no longer."

Something jumps up on the table.

"You and the Razorclaw's are a blight upon this world, and soon you will be no longer."

Hoofsteps fall rack out through the room.

"I am not without mercy. Any who wish to leave, to get out of this bloody and terrible business are free to. I will not peruse them."

Even under here you can see the Dogs looking at each other. All save Dogfather who is rooted firmly facing the intruder.

"But...starting at sunrise tomorrow..."

Something small and metallic hits the table as the light from the fire goes out and casts the room into absolute blackness.

"None of you are safe."

As soon as the room is pitch black, the screams start.

You hear the door kicked open and the guards outside beaten around and take that chance. You roll out from under the table and high tail it out of the meeting room, leaving the members inside, the Diamond Dogs, and the mine behind you in a cloud of dust before you slowed down.

You run from the mine all the way to Ponyville, your muscles burning and your breath hitching the entire way, but that wasn't even a blip on your radar. Bruce was getting himself involved in more ways than just beating up their thugs, he was directly attacking them.

These gangs were going hard and you didn't want him hurt, but that was looking more and more likely.

You reach your house and stumble your way into the house, going through and extended falling motion until you hit the couch. You had been up all damn night...the sun was just starting to rise... The exhaustion you felt in addition that blow to the head compounded with the all nighters had worn you the hell out.

You barely register falling asleep until someone opens the door some time later.

"Yeahbuhwha?"

Bruce trots into the house and pulls off his cowl with a triumphant look on his face. His hair has a bit matted and his eyes were sunk.

"...Rough night?"

"I infiltrated the Digger's mine and believe I succeeded in scaring a few of them off, with luck the rest will follow suit." He trots in front of the couch. "Yes Keeper, today was a good day for justice."

You let your head fall onto the couch.

"Congratulations."

He's caught up in himself. "Yes, today wa-" Bruce's eyes are drawn to your shirt sleeve.

He leans down and plucks a long grey hair from you. "Is this...Diamond Dog hair? he asks.

...Fuck. Play it off.

"Uh...no?"

He's examining it closely now. "It's too long and ridged to be human hair..."

"Didn't look that long..."

SHIT. WHY DID YOU SAY THAT.

Bruce's eyes widen. "How do you know how long their hair is!?"

"Bruce!"

He jumps backwards onto the living room table. "There were seven Dog's when I went there tonight, this is the same coloration as a guard dog I found! Why was he in there, Keeper!?"

"Bruce, this all a misunderstan-"

Bruce is eyeing your head. "Where did you get this wound!!?"

"Bruce, if you would jus-"

Bruce pulls his cowl down. "You WERE there! Why? What are you doing? What's going on!?"

You run a hand through your hair.

"Should have stopped at the packages..." you mutter.

Bruce's eyes were wide before, but now they take up most of his head. "...You. The packages that lured them there...the writing, too neat for a pony, the same packaging as the Ponyville post office..."

You can see him making the connections in his head. "You...were working with them..."

He begins to back away.

"Bruce..."

"My own keeper...was..." Bruce backs away further before turning around and running into the bedroom.

You hear the door lock click right as your head hits the couch not out of exhaustion, but grief.

Retrieval.

You groan as the light from the morning sun seems to pierce your eyelids and draw you out of your sleep. Peeling yourself off the couch and out of the puddle of spit underneath you, you rub your face and look around the living room.

...Exactly the same as the last time you saw it, and with no Bruce in it.

"Balls...still taking it badly..."

You climb off the couch and shuffle over to the stove to make breakfast.

Hmmm...if you wanted to make it up to him, you'd have to start small. Eggs and bacon for breakfast it is. You crack the eggs over the pan and go on auto-pilot.

Last night was...not a good night for you two. You knew it wasn't the best choice of action to do what you did, but it was the only one you could really do and it worked out in the end. Still...seeing that confusion and anger in his eyes, mixed with the first scent of fear you got from him...that was new.

You dish the food out onto a plate and set it on the table.

"Bruce! Breakfast!"

...No response.

"Up and at 'em, Bat-boy!"

Still nothing.

You grumble and move from the table to the bedroom door. To your mild surprise, the door is locked. You bang twice on the door.

"Bruce, come out, you need to eat."

No sound comes from the room, you were starting to get worried.

"I'm coming in there."

Okay Anon, just like you remember: Kick hard and lean into it, strike right near the handle.

Your foot strikes the door three times before it give and you can get inside the room. The bed is empty, the window open, and a poster for Goatham city was laying next to the dresser Bruce used.

"...Oh dicks."

You scarfed down your food and ran out of the house, catching the first train to Goatham. Unfortunately, Goatham was almost a full days ride from Ponyville.

You spent the entire ride worrying.

He'd probably snuck out the second he closed the door last night, wanting to just return back to his old life. You could see his desires...going back to a life that made sense instead of all this, but you were still worried.

Goatham City was the armpit of Equestria, a place nestled in the Bridle Shores where most of the goats leaving Roe Island ended up and a big bag of crime and corruption. No way were you letting Bruce stay here, and he already had a lead on you.

"Next stop: Goatham City. Coatham City." the loudspeaker says.

You climb to your feet and wait for the train to make a stop at the station.

Stepping out, you notice the big difference between Goatham and the rest of Equestria: The Sky. Even at night in the rest of the kingdom, you could see the sky. But here all you could see is an impenetrable layer of clouds and smog.

You hike up your coat and walk down the road with a picture of Bruce in hand. A few shops along the way are your first stops, you hold out the picture and ask each and every pony inside if they've seen him and where. Every one of them gave you nothing.

Exasperated and a bit annoyed, you left the latest store you were in and stomped down the street.

Dammit, where could he be?

You really hope he wasn't going after guards or something again...not after just getting out of that.

You take a deep breath.

"Think like Bruce..."

Think like a detective.

After a few moments of that, you remember that there is only one place he could be.

-Music-

Putting any degree of thought into where Bruce could be lead you into the center of Old Town, the part of Goatham that had been standing since the city was founded.

You pushed past the old guard barriers and walked down the alley behind the movie theater. It was dark save for a single street lamp still buzzing with electricity that illuminated a bench underneath it.

A bench with a costumed child sitting in it.

You step out of the shadows. "Hey..."

Bruce says nothing but shuffles away from you a bit. Damn...

"I saw you ran away...can we talk?"

You expect him to snap or try and break your arm or something, but instead he just cleared a space on the bench next to him.

You take your seat without a word and wring your hands.

"Let me just start by saying sorry...I didn't mean for it to get out of hand like that."

"...Then what did you mean to happen?" Bruce asks.

You sigh.

"I...wanted you to be able to focus. You have so much potential to do so many things for so many people but you were wasting it on assaulting guards because they were in your way. I wanted you to be able to go up against something that could give you an outlet instead of letting all this anger consume you."

"Something would have come up...it would have happened naturally."

You shake your head. "By then it'd be too late, and it wouldn't be enough."

Bruce looks away from you.

"You needed someone willing to stir the pot for you, Bruce. You needed something to latch on to."

"I need someone who would come all this way to get me more." Bruce says before clamping his hooves over his mouth.

You look over and chuckle before scratching the top of his head, he doesn't resist you.

Bruce looks down at himself. "Did...it work?" he asks.

"Do you still feel angry all the time?"

Bruce shakes his head.

"Then it worked...doing this was able to get all the anger out in the right way."

You look down and see a new Bruce then. Not an angry kid or a paragon of justice, just a tiny little colt who looks up at you and asks "Can we go home now, Mister Anonymous?"

You scoop him up and put him on your shoulder, he was heavier than most in that suit.

"Yeah...let's go home, Bruce."

The ride back to Ponyville was just as long as the ride from, and you get back in the early morning.

The two of you stumble into the house and lock up, both ready to turn in.

"I believe I shall retire...goodnight, Mister Anonymous." Bruce says as he shuffles to the bedroom and ditches his costume along the way.

"G'night Bruce."

You rub your face and sit down at the table. A bit of cold cereal would make a decent midnight snack. You start eating and think about the night.

It...felt good to finally do something that was far in the "right" category that helped him out, and it felt good to have him accept that help. If he was gonna remain your ward for a while, you'd have to learn to like each other.

As you think, you notice a warm orange glow from outside.

"Huh?"

Someone having a campfire?

You pull back the curtains over the sink to reveal just what you thought: A fire. Directly on the outside of the house.

"WHOA SHIT!"

HOUSE! ON FIRE!

You run to the front door to get the fire brigade, it's by sheer luck that you look out the window first.

Outside are almost two dozen members of what looks like the Diggers and Razorclaw's.

Fuck!

One of them lights a bottle on fire and tosses it at the house, you can hear the explosion and feel the heat radiate through the roof as the windows blow out.

"FUCK!"

You run back to the rear of the house.

"Bruce! BRUCE GET OUT HERE!"

The fire behind you was spreading fast, what the hell kind of cocktails were those?!

Bruce comes galloping out of the bedroom and stares wide eyed at the house. "What is this!?"

"Claw's and Diggers outside! They torched the house!"

"HOW DID THE-"

Bruce is cut off by the sound of parts of the roof falling down through the ceiling.

"Gah! Dammit!" he shouts.

You crouch down low to avoid the smoke and start hacking up a lung to get what you breathed in out.

All the while, the house fell down around you.

The heat was unbearable and your lungs felt like they weighed a tone and a half, you couldn't move.

"Bruce! *cough* Get out of here!"

"No! Come on, we have to escape!" he says grabbing you.

You shake him off. "Get! Now! While they're distracted!"

Bruce could escape, you couldn't, that made the course of action clear as day. More of the house continued to fall and the flames grew closer.

You hear Bruce shout "Idiot human!" and grab you by the back of your shirt.

You're dragged along the floor of the collapsing house and thrown into the closet at the end of the hall where you always used to find Bruce.

The boy looks over the house one last time before jumping in himself and slamming the door shut.

You keep coughing over the sounds of your house collapsing around you.

And then you black out.

Public Figure

You cough a few times and crack your eyes open, sunlight seeping into them from an open window.

Wait...sunlight? You were alive?

You remember some goons from the Diggers and Razorclaw's coming by last night...then they torched the house. Oh god, that heat. You thought you were gonna keel over right then and there before Bruce shoved you into that closet.

Wait, Bruce. You had to make sure he was safe.

You roll off of whatever mat you were sleeping on an tr-OHSHIT!

A moment of sheer terror passes as you tumble through the air and land in a pile of hay. You pull yourself out of the pile to find Big Macintosh staring down at you.

So. Sweet Apple Acres then.

You spit the hay from your mouth. "Hey Mac."

"Anonymous." he says in his standard tone of voice.

You climb to your feet. "Your sister around?"

He moves aside to show the barn house behind him. "Eeeyup."

"Thanks.

You make for the house and cough up the last of the smoke and hay from your throat as you walk. You open the door to the house and step inside to find Twilight, Applejack and Bruce sitting around the kitchen table.

"Mister Anonymous!" Bruce exclaims first.

"Anon!" the girls follow in unison.

A mass of purple and tan from two ponies slams into you and almost knock you down. The third climbs up onto the table.

You lean down and hug Twilight and AJ.

"Hey guys..."

AJ clocks you upside the head. "Darnit Anon! Y'all had us worried sick!"

You rub the back of your head where the hoof contacted. "Well it's not like I WANTED my house on fire! How did we even get here?"

Twilight speaks up. "Applejack and I saw the house go up late last night. Once the fire was out, we came in and found Bruce trying to drag you out of the rubble."

You glance at Bruce who gives a nod in affirmation.

"We got you out before the fire department or the guards arrived and took you both here." she finishes.

"...Why?"

AJ scoffs. "Well it aint like we can just let them find out who The Batmane is, right?"

Oh...wow.

"You guys..."

You give them a tighter hug which they return. It was nice to have friends like these two that you could count on, as well as not being the only one to have to keep the secret.

Bruce clears his throat. "While it is...nice to see all this, we were talking about something important?"

Twilight nods. "Right. We were talking about the gangs."

"What about 'em?"

"The Razorclaws and the Diggers are both setting the stage for a large confrontation in the fields at the edge of town, their largest to date." Bruce says.

Right...

"That's bad..."

Twilight grumbles. "It gets better. Their leaders are apparently going out too and the winner will get control of whatever's left of his rival's gang."

AJ hangs her head. "They're gonna swallow up the town whole at this rate..."

Damn...

The three of you hang your heads a bit.

"Not. They will not."

The three of you look up to the boy on the table.

"Why not, Bruce?"

Bruce looks out the window to the direction of the Razorclaw's mountain fortress. "Because I've got a plan."

Day turned to night and Bruce informed you of each of your parts in his plan. The three of you ran around informing who needed to be informed and setting things up.

Now you stand at the gates of the Razorclaw's stronghold on the eve of the planned attack. Bruce stands next to you in his full getup.

"You didn't have to come along." he says.

"I didn't go all the way to Goatham to get you only to have you die in this pit."

Bruce is silent as the gates begin to open before utter a quick "Thank you."

The two of you are lead through the camp similarly to how you were before and ushered into the Thane's tent. He was getting strapped further into his armor by aides that he waved away before turning to you brandishing his axe in your direction. "You two are lucky I don't have you slain where you stand for what you've done to me..."

You're about to speak up when Bruce raises a hoof and walks forward. "And why is that, Thane?"

He snorts. "Because unlike you two or some of the freelancers my idiot advisors told me to hire, I have honor."

"Then I will hope that you will continue to abide by that honor." Bruce says.

The Thane arches an eyebrow.

"I challenge you to single combat." Bruce says.

You take a step forward. "Batmane, that's insa-"

He holds up a hoof. "It is the only way."

The thane looks down at the pointy eared vigilante and laughs a large laugh. "You? Want to fight ME!?" he says.

He starts walking around the tent, some sounds come from outside it but he doesn't seem to notice.

"Boy, I am the leader of the Razorclaw's! The most feared band of mercenaries from here to Gryphus. It was I who raided Thatchholm in the dead of night and got away, I who held the eighth legion at bay with a band of only twenty, and I who destroyed the Southern Raiding Fleet without firing a shot."

He slams a claw on his armor. "Do you see this, boy? Every scratch, scrape, and dent is a story of a different battle. I have perfected my style of fighting over the long years and have bested all her stand before me."

The Thane leans down to look in Bruce's eyes. "What in Equestria do you think will enable you to defeat me?"

You see Bruce's eyebrow arch. "I'm not trying to defeat you, I'm trying to stall you."

The Thane rears back and laughs again. "Stall me!? What for?"

The sounds outside die down and the Thane's wings are bound in a magenta glow. He squawks and tries to break free, but the same glow wraps around his legs and pulls him to the ground. In a few moments he is in a contained magical sphere on the floor.

Through the tent flap comes a white unicorn in purple combat armor, his horn aglow with the same magic that now bound the Thane.

"Thane Weisshaupt. I am Captain Shining Armor of the Canterlot Royal Guard and I hereby place you under arrest."

The Thane struggles in the sphere and glares daggers at Bruce. "You impudent brat! You lied to me!"

Bruce remains still. "Your hubris was your weakness. I knew that if I challenged you, it would give Captain Armor and his guards time to take care of the rest of your gang."

Weisshaupt snarls. "Honorless litt-BWAK!"

Shining Armor tightens the sphere a bit more and lifts it into the air. "Enough out of you."

As the Captain takes the Thane out, you and Bruce follow. The other members of the Razorclaw's are rounded up by the rest of the royal guard.

"I still can't believe they came..." you say.

"The evidence warranted a response. They could not ignore it anymore." Bruce says.

As the two of you head to the exit, you look out over the landscape and spot the town. That had hundreds of dots pouring into it from the nearby mines.

"Bruce!" you shout pointing your finger.

"Damn! They started early!"

Bruce leaps off the cliff edge and slides on his hooves down to the bottom towards Ponyville.

-Music-

You run after Bruce as best you can, but the little bugger is a league apart from you in terms of fitness. It wasn't long before you fell behind. The outskirts of Ponyville are punctuated by the occasional beaten and bruised Diamond Dog laying unceremoniously on the ground along the way.

You run towards the center of town when you notice the number of beaten Dog's increasing in that area. Running was a bad idea, because you shoot around a corner and end up behind a wall of Diamond Dogs.

You silence your shout of surprise before it comes out and dart behind a wall, peeking out when you're sure it's safe.

In the center of Town Square, the Dogfather stood with a stolen guard axe. What looked like his entire gang and a collection of civilians stand in a circle around him as he shouts to the town.

"Alright kid, c'mon out and we'll make this quick, eh!?"

A shadow behind him jumps around and draws his attention to where it once was. You follow it with your eye until it leaps from the roof of a building and lands behind the Dogfather.

"Alright." Bruce says. "Show me."

Dogfather wastes no time in pointing to Bruce. "Get 'im!".

The town square remains silent as what must be a hundred Diamond Dogs don't move an inch.

Dogfather seems to not like that one bit. "What's wrong with you mutts!? This kid took Alexandria! Tear him apart!"

Bruce takes a few steps towards the Dogfather. "They won't."

Dogfather wheels around and looks at Bruce.

"They're obeying their pack nature, something that's been drilled into their brains since day one." he says.

Dogfather backs a step away as Bruce talks. "The biggest Dog runs the pack. And they just saw someone issue a challenge."

Bruce pauses. "They won't move a muscle until either you or I are lying on the ground bleeding."

Dogfather snorts once and lunges at Bruce. "Fine then!"

Bruce jumps to the side still being chased by the Dogfather.

"Let's see just how good you are, kid!" he shouts.

Bruce and the Dogfather exchange blows. You're surprised to see how high Bruce jumps when he kicks him in the jaw or how well he recovers when thrown.

Bruce delivers two quick blows to the head and wraps his forelegs around the Dogfather's neck, dragging him to the ground. Bruce rolls into the landing and gets to his feet in a flash. He lunges at the Dogfather's head but stops midair when he grabs him. The Dogfather takes advantage of Bruce's one greatest weakness: His weight. Bruce goes sailing into a wooden stall which shatters on impact and collapses.

You wince.

The Dog climbs to his feet and wipes his mouth. "Hehe...you're pretty good, kid."

Bruce throws the wooden planks that made up the stall out of the way as the Dogfather draws a cut down version of the Razorclaw's rifles from his jacket.

"But you aint me." he says.

A trio of loud metallic BANG'S ring out through the square as the Dogfather fires his handgun. Bruce ducks and dodges and weaves through the fire...but is a second too late on the third shot.

He clutches his shoulder and spins through the air before landing in a heap.

No!

"Ha!"

The Dogfather runs over and points the gun square down at Bruce's head. "You know what happens when you play with fire, kid..." he gloats.

Bruce clutches his shoulder and looks up at the gangster and his gun. "Yes...we get burned!"

Bruce kicks the gun and twists it to the side, causing it to fire into the ground. The Dogfather screams bloody murder as Bruce twists the gun upwards and jams the still hot barrel into his chin. He scoops Bruce up and tosses him hard and far into the nearby fountain.

"DAMN KIDS! THINK THEY CAN BEAT ME!" he shouts as he runs over.

The Dogfather grabs Bruce and slams him into the bottom of the fountain under the water.

"No..." you mutter.

Every muscle in your body screams at you to run over and get him off Bruce, get him off before he kills him, but these damn Dog's are making that impossible.

The Dogfather continues to stand in the fountain shouting. "YA THINK YOU CAN JUST GET AWAY WITH TAKIN' MY LITTLE GIRL FROM ME!? I'M GONNA KILL YOU AND THEN BURN DOWN THIS WHOLE STINKIN' TOWN YOU BAT EARED FREAK!"

You can't take it anymore. You break cover and nudge and push your way through the crowd, one thought racing through your head the entire time.

Get to him.

You break through the line of Dogs and Ponies just in time to see a small silver cylinder break through the water next to the Dogfather.

The cylinder shoots up into the air and wraps around a tree before its cable goes taut and it pulls Bru-Batmane out from under water.

He releases the line and drops on the Dogfather, both his hooves coming down hard on the back of his head and sending him down into the water Batmane was just in.

"You don't get it, mutt. This isn't a fountain." he growls

He grabs one of the Dogfather's legs. "It's a pound."

A sickening snapping sound you are all too familiar with echoes through the town square coupled with the pained yelp of a now ex-crime lord.

"And I'm the Dog Catcher."

Bruce climbs out of the fountain with the still whimpering Dogfather in it and walks still dripping to the middle of the square.

"Listen up!" he shouts.

When did his voice sound like THAT? It was normally a growl or flat and emotionless, not loud and commanding.

"Let this be a lesson to you! To anyone who dares try and hurt the people of this town!"

Every Dog and Pony in the town was enraptured by the child who had just defeated a mobster.

"This town and it's inhabitants are under my guard! At all times! If you try to harm them..." he points to the Dogfather. "This is what will happen!"

"Do not kill! Do not steal! Do only what you would have done to you to others! These are tenants that anyone from any walk of life can embrace! If you do not, you will answer to me!"

A pony at the edge of the circle, a mint green mare named Lyra poked her head out. "Wh-who are you?"

Batmane eyes the collected mass of Dogs and Ponies, his eye slits narrowing.

"I am vengeance!"

"I am The Night!"

Bruce rears up onto his hind legs and tosses a trio of smoke bombs into the air. Once they hit the ground, a voice loud enough for the entire town to hear rings out.

"I! AM! BATMANE!"

You leave the town square pretty fast after that scene. The Dog's were scared out of their wits after someone defeated their leader. Last you saw they were running back to the mines with their tails between their legs.

You found Bruce leaning against a barrel in an alleyway a block or so from the square. His shoulder looked bad so you scooped him up and ran the two of you back to Twilight's house.

Twilight wraps Bruce's wounded shoulder in bandages as he rests his head in your lap.

"Tired, Bruce?"

He rubs his face. "Yes, Mister Anonymous...defeating two gangs in under twenty four hours is rather taxing."

You pet his mane. "You did great, Bruce..."

Twilight nods and cuts the bandage off. "You sure did. You saved the entire town!"

Bruce smiles a weary smile. "It was the right thing to do."

Twilight levitates a box over to the two of you. "We salvaged this from the wreckage of your house...I'm sorry there wasn't more." she says with a downtrodden face.

You look inside the box. Inside was a baby blue blanket, a spray bottle, and some assorted other items.

"Heh. Thanks Twi, this is more than enough."

You nudge Bruce. "You want James?"

The boy is barely awake but answers a weak. "Yes please..."

You take the blanket out of the box and wrap Bruce up in it before laying him down on the bed. He dozes off the second his head hits the pillow.

You chuckle and look up at Twilight.

"Thanks for letting us stay here, Twi."

She smiles. "Anything for Ponyville's little hero."

You pet Bruce's head as Twilight trots upstairs and turns out the lights. The two of you would need a new place to live soon...you could open up the block on Bruce's money...

But that was a thought for tomorrow.

You lay down and put Bruce on your chest, hugging him close as you yourself drift off.

One Good Day.

...Your chest feels light. That's not normal. Still asleep, you paw at yourself and try to feel for the little body sleeping on top of you. Finding nothing, you open your eyes and look down.

Bruce is not there.

"Nnnggg... gettin' real tired of your shit, boy..."

You roll over and push yourself off the small bed Twilight was letting the two of you use. You'd have to thank her for her hospitality after you found Bruce. The sun seeps in through the curtains as you walk out of your tiny little guest room and into the main living space. Twilight, Spike and Bruce were all sitting around a table eating breakfast

"Mmgggnn...what are you three doing up so early?"

"It's not early, Anon." Twilight chides.

You look at the clock: 8am That was early now.

The transition from farmhand to caretaker has completely demolished your circadian rhythm.

You trod over to the table and take a seat next to Bruce. You take a peek at the paper he's doodling on as your pour your breakfast.

"What'cha workin' on?"

"...A project." he says.

...Right.

You dig into your cereal and chat with Twilight. "Thanks again for letting us stay here, Twi. We both appreciate it."

Bruce looks up from his paper. "Yes, thank you very much Twilight and Spike."

Twilight waves a hoof. "It was nothing you two, what kind of friend would I be if I left the two of you to dry after what happened?"

"Still a better one than we deserve."

"Nonsense." she says as she grabs the cereal box. She tries to pour herself some, but only a few flakes come out.

Twilight looks inside the box and grimaces. "Looks like I'm going to have to stock for two more mouths while you're here."

"I can go get food." you and Bruce say in unison.

Twilight giggles as you and Bruce look at each other. "I think that's a wonderful idea, boys. It will give you both a chance to bond."

Yeah...Bond.

You and Bruce leave Twilight's with a list of groceries and walk down the road. Bruce is limping a bit from the hit to the shoulder he took, but he shows no outward signs of pain beyond that.

Strong little nutjob...

Still, he was your ward and you should probably get to know more about him beyond "likes to hit people".

...But what the hell do you ask THIS kid about?

"So...got any favorite movies?"

Bruce looks up at you and cocks an eyebrow. "My parents and I were getting out from seeing a particularly rousing adventure film the night of their murder."

JEEZY PEATS.

This kid didn't hesitate to go to the bad topics.

"Right...so how about music?" you ask.

"My father and I would occasionally listen to jazz together."

"Jazz man, huh? So what, like Neigh Charles? Old Man Jazzy-teeth?"

"Those and more. Sundays were the days we would listen together."

"...Must have been nice."

Bruce casts his head down a bit. "It truly was..."

Aaaaand there goes that happy thought. Brilliant Anon, you are the best guardian ever.

You're about to say sorry when Bruce hits you with a curve ball. "Mister Anonymous, what was your world like?"

Your mind trips over itself at that question and you find yourself answering on instinct.

"It was...a lot like here. I had a family like most people, I went to school and had my friends. Everything was fairly normal until I came here."

"What were your mother and father like?"

You think back to memories of mom and pops over all the years, trying to think of the words you could use to describe them. "They were...my parents, you know? I wouldn't be who I am today without them."

Bruce sighs and limps ahead a bit. "Yes, I know..."

BEST. GUARDIAN. EVER.

You and Bruce come up on Miss Cheerilee's school just as the kids are starting to be let inside. Applebloom and her friends chat with each other and that little Diamond Whats-its and her putrid cunt of a friend stand off to the side. Bruce stands off to the side of the path and watches the kids run around with obvious interest. His eyes dart from pony to pony as he absorbs all the information on them he can get.

It's then that it hits you. Bruce is freaky and weird.

"Uh...Bruce? Did you go to school back in Goatham?"

Bruce continues to stare but answers you. "My parents did not trust the schools in Goatham. I was home schooled by a variety of tutors."

Well...that explains a lot.

"What about while you were abroad?"

"I traveled the world and learned from what masters I could, they were all very adept in their teachings."

"And...did you meet any friends out there? Any other kids?"

"I believe that the youngest other trainee I met was a young adult who had come to learn the way of the Iron Hoof."

"So...you've NEVER had any kid friends your own age?"

Bruce shakes his head and points to that Diamond girl. "I remember that filly from several of the social gatherings my parents took me to. I believe she is the daughter of Filthy Rich, yes?"

"I think so, yes..."

Damn....one friend and not a great one at that."

"A singular friend isn't going to help you grow, Bruce...Did you maybe want to go to school with the rest of the kids?"

Bruce's eyes widen momentarily and he continues to look at the kids.

"That...could be fine, I suppose."

After grabbing the food Twi needed, you make a stop at the bank. And you regret it.

"Look, I told you six times, the boy's parents were killed and he is the heir to the fortune, but -I- am his legal guardian so I need the funds accessible, do you understand that?"

The teller looks at you from behind the glass. "I'm going to need to talk to my supervisor."

"Please do." you say through gritted teeth.

With the supervisor came the questions. Yes you were aware at how large a sum of money this was, no you were not aware at the spike in robberies, yes you are aware that you are not even a pony.

On and on and on that goes until you FINALLY get the funds unlocked and accessible.

"You will be able to withdrawal from any of our branches at any time, Mister Anonymous." the supervisor says.

You rub your face. "Yes...thank you."

Bruce sits outside on a bench with his hind legs dangling off the edge and his back straight.

"Uh...what's with the new sitting style?" you ask.

"I saw a mare sitting like this in the park and decided to try it for myself."

"A-huh...how's it compare?"

Bruce scrunches his face. "It is inferior."

"I get by."

You sit down on the bench next to Bruce. "Got your funds cleared finally, we can get them whenever we need it."

"That is good." Bruce says nodding.

"...We're gonna need a place to live, can't impose on Twilight forever."

"Agreed. I had some ideas..."

Bruce produces a scrap of paper, the same scrap of paper he had been doodling on at breakfast. He must have been carrying it the whole day. The paper contains a drawn picture of a large house sitting on top of a hill, a cave was located underneath the house and there were bats flying around in it.

"Ambitious."

"It was modeled after my old house."

You nod. "Gonna have to find a place to put it."

Bruce and you left the bank and started scouting around the outskirts of Ponyville. This house was going to be big and you would both need the space. The privacy would be nice too.

You had both checked a few places, but they weren't up to snuff.

The few you checked were either not big enough, too far from town, or REALLY close to Fluttershy's. Bruce had similar luck. The only places that seemed big enough were out of town.

You both finally reach a large hill overlooking the town, from here you could see Twilight's home and the boutique, even your old burnt down house if you squint.

Bruce strikes the ground with his hoof. "The earth here is solid and strong, it will be able to hold a house with ease."

"So this location is up to par."

Bruce looks either direction and scans the landscape. "It is."

"OH THANK GOD." You fall back and lean against a rock to rest.

Bruce chuckles and walks up to you. "Weary Mister Anonymous?"

"You can take it out of a guy, kid."

Bruce smiles and sits down next to you. "A good location for the house, Mister Anonymous."

"A good day then."

Bruce looks out over the land below as the sun begins to set. "Yes...today was a good day."

Examination.

It's Saturday, one of those lazy Saturday's where Bruce doesn't have school and you can just laze around and do nothing. Which is exactly what you were doing.

You and Bruce were each in a seat inside the library perusing a book. Bruce's book read "Chaos Theory and Discord: A Treatise of Seemingly Random Events. Volume I of X"

You were reading Daring Do and the Lost Temple. The part where she punched the bad guys was your favorite.

Next to you, Bruce grimaces and shifts his weight.

"Still hurt?" you ask.

"A bit." he answers.

You glance down at the newly wrapped bandage on his shoulder, replaced after school yesterday when Bruce complained about some soreness. Twilight and you had wasted no time in setting up a doctor's appointment for him, one that was supposed to happen later today.

"Ohh, where is it!?"

Too bad Twilight can't go with you.

The purple unicorn runs this way and that around the library levitating books and scientific apparatus' around trying to clean up.

"Twi, is this really that big a deal? You see the Princesses often enough that I'm pretty sure they trust you."

Twilight stops dead in her tracks and stares at you wide eyed. "But that's just it! I've had everything perfect every other time they've visited that there's no way I can NOT have it perfect this time!"

"...A-huh."

Twilight doesn't respond and instead levitates spike out of his bed to fold the blanket into a neat and perfect square.

"Right..."

You look up at the clock.

"Well Twilight, me and Bruce are gonna head to the doctor's now, we'll see you later, alright?"

"YeahokaywhateverAnon!" Twilight shouts, having dashed upstairs when you weren't looking.

"You ready, Bruce?"

Bruce places his bookmark in that massive text he had and limps over to the door. "I'm ready, let's go."

-Music-

Ponyville General was off to one side of the town on a hilltop of its own. You and Bruce were currently waiting in the front while they call the names of other ponies who got their before you. They each had their degree of maladies. Bloody nose, leg in cast, head in toilet.

At least things stayed interesting.

Bruce sits next to you cradling his wounded arm and occasionally wincing.

"Is it that bad?"

"I think I slept on it last night..."

"Can't help with the two of us crammed into Twilight's spare bed."

"The additional space when we have our own house will be enjoyable, yes."

"Y'all could always stay somewhere else if your accommodations are that cramped." a voice near the door says.

You both look up to see Applejack and Applebloom trotting towards you.

"Hey AJ, Hey Bloom."

"Hello Miss Applejack, hello Applebloom." Bruce parrots with a curt nod to the two of them.

You lean forward in your chair a bit. "So what brings you two here today?"

"Applebloom here's got a dentist appointment." AJ says.

"A got a loose toof!" Applebloom beams before wiggling said tooth.

You whistle. "That's a big one, I bet the Tooth Wizard is gonna leave you a mess of bits for that one."

Applebloom smiles a big if slightly broken smile and prances around.

"So what're you two here for?" AJ asks.

You both look down at Bruce's shoulder. "An old wound's been causing our little friend here some distress so we thought we should get it looked at."

AJ's face grows a tad more serious. "S'it from..."that night"?"

You nod. "Well, I hope everything's alright. The less reminders we got of that night the better, eh?"

Heh. Got that right, AJ."

A pony white as snow walks out from behind the desk. "Mister Anonymous? Bruce Mane? The doctor will see you now."

"Okay, now lift your leg as high as you can here." the doctor asks. Bruce's face contorts to obvious discomfort and then pain afterwards as he gets his trembling hoof as high as he can before letting it fall.

The doctor examines Bruce's leg once more. "Hmmmm..."

"Well, the shoulder seems to be healing, the stiffness seems to be from keeping it at an odd angle."

You REALLY need to get him his own room.

"But an injury this severe is extremely rare in children your age, how did you get it?"

Bruce and you share a momentary glance. "I was playing on the swings and fell, I hit a rock."

A few tense moments pass as the doctor takes those words in.

Don't catch on. Don't catch on. Don't catch on. Don't catch o-

"Sharp rock." he says.

He didn't catch on.

The doctor writes down some things on a slip of paper. "I'm prescribing some medication to help with the pain. The shoulder itself should heal in time if you just go easy on it."

The both of you sigh in relief.

"Thanks doctor, it's nice to have some peace of mind."

"Yes, thank you." Bruce says.

The doctor gives you the prescription and heads to the door. "I just need to check little Bruce's files and then we can wrap this up."

"Of course."

As the door shuts you let out another sigh. "I was SURE he wasn't gonna buy that story."

"A sufficiently sharp rock would look the same as a bullet." Bruce says.

"It scares me a bit that you know that."

"Well I know a lot of scary things."

...Somehow more scary.

The doctor walks back into the room with an annoyed face.

"Doc?"

"I'm sorry Mister Anonymous, but we may be here a while longer." he says.

Oh shit.

"Is something wrong?"

"It seems we do not have Bruce's medical records on file from Goatham General, we'll need to perform a physical on him to remake the file."

Okay...physical. That didn't sound so bad.

Fuck was this bad. Not for Bruce, he was taking all these pointless bloody tests with remarkable stride. There were just SO MANY.

He had been measured, weight, had his ears checked, his reflexes, the put him on a treadmill, they saw how long he could hold his breath, they tested his memory and only NOW were they finishing the eye exam.

"Okay, now read the bottom line."

"I.S.H.Y.G.D.D.T." Bruce says.

The doctor smiles and writes the final result down. "Well there it is, Mister Mane, a perfect twenty on your vision exam."

Bruce leans back from the machine and hops out of the chair.

"In all my years working here I have never met a little boy as healthy as you are, why is that?"

Fuck, another question. You were about to answer but Bruce beat you to it.

Bruce rubs the back of his head. "After my parents died I...exercised a lot. To help cope."

Huh. Well, not technically a lie. The doctor releases you both out to the lobby where you see some familiar faces.

"Well hello again Apple Girls, how'd the appointment go?"

Applebloom turns around a smiles at you to show off the hole in her lower jaw line before going back to her lollipop.

"Heh. Nice job."

Applejack smiles down at Bruce. "And how'd yours go, partner?"

Bruce gestures to the bag of pain medication you're holding. "Things are looking up."

"Well that's IS good news." AJ says.

You head to the door and hold it for AJ and her sister. "We were gonna head back to the library, you two want to join us?"

The girls exchange a look and nod.

"I reckon we can pop on by."

"So then he dies and it turns out that the afterlife is just like the pub he used to go to."

AJ contorts her face. "Now that sounds like the silliest way to end a story I ever heard."

"You got that right..."

You open the door to the library an-WHAO! A book flies past your head fast enough to take it off as a single piece of the miniature maelstrom in the center of the room.

Twilight stands in the eye of this storm in front of a chalkboard drawing a town map and muttering. "Okay, so if we send them down Mane street and cut across here then we can reach the hotel 2.6543 seconds sooner than the other way, HAHA!"

"...Help."

The four of you look down and see Spike hiding under a basket with a pot on his head. "She's going preparation crazy again, you guys have to help!"

A...huh...

"Twi?"

The books and papers stop in their tracks and Twilight twists her neck around at you. "ANON! BRUCE! APPLEJACK! GREAT! I NEED YOUR HELP FOR TOMORROW!"

The four of you stare for a bit and you lean over to AJ.

"See, this is why I need my own place." you whisper.

You lead AJ and the kids in and drag Twilight away from her blackboard. You also throw on some tea.

Twilight rubs her temples and sips at her tea. "Okay...okay. I'm relaxed now...All I have to do is...plan the rest of the visit tomorrow."

Twilight stares ahead and groans into her seat.

Applejack pats her shoulder and smiles. "Now Twi, what'd you all teach me that one harvest season? Ya don't have to do everything yourself, ya know."

Bruce nods. "Miss Applejack is right, Twilight. We are here if you need us."

Twilight sighs a heavy sigh. "Well...alright. The Princesses are coming here tomorrow and I..."

Twilight begins to ramble off a list of things she has to prepare for tomorrow's visit, the other four of you tossing ideas into the pile to help her out.

Brainstorming leads to a nice quiet night with friends in preparation for the chaos of tomorrow.

At least the tea was good.

Fancy Dinner Party.

-Music-

Blasted tie...

Was it over under over or under over under?

"Can't...stupid muthe-"

You look down and see Bruce straightening his own tie.

"...Truker. Mothertrucker, Bruce."

"Of course, sir."

Had to look your best, the Princesses were in town. Twilight had been freighting and fidgeting since yesterday and it had only gotten worse since AJ left.

But now here you were at the big night, dressed to impress and looking fine if you do say so yourself. Sugarcube Corner seemed an...odd choice until you remembered that there weren't a terrible number of swanky hotels in Ponyville like there were in Canterlot, Sugarcube was the best short notice could buy.

Still, a nice party for the townsfolk and any hangers on who could be arsed to come this way would be a nice way to spend the evening. You and Bruce exit your room and join Spike in the main library. He's dolled up in a suit and hat of his own as he taps his foot impatiently.

"Hey Spike...she fretting again?"

Spike rolls his eyes. "Yeah, only for the hundredth time today."

"Twi!" you call upstairs. "I'm sure you look fine! Now get down here or we'll be late!"

An audible yelp echoes downstairs followed by a blur of purple and pink.

"I'm here! What time is it!? Are we late!?" Twilight shouts.

"Twi! Twi!"

You put your hands on her shoulders and stop her from leaping out of her skin.

"Calm down...lemme get a good look atcha."

You glance over Twilight. From her combed mane to her brushed fur...to her wide eyed stare... "Twi, you look exactly the same as you normally do."

"I...couldn't decide?"

You look at your watch. "It'll have to do, come on."

You open the door and meet AJ on the other side.

"Hey Partner, y'all ready?" she asks.

"As ready as we'll ever be, lead the way, AJ."

-Music-

The street that Sugarcube Corner was on was packed to the brim with ponies.

"Huh...must be some block party for everyone who couldn't fit inside the building.

Fortunately, knowing the Princess's student got you past most of them. Twilight just had to take the lead and the four of you were ushered inside. If the town was located outside, the movers and shakers were on the inside. You saw Wonderbolts, famous DJ's, entrepreneurs and politicians all packed inside the little bakery.

The four of you squeeze your way past the guards at the front door and wade into the party. Noise from all sides assaults you as the movers and shakers of Equestria chat about whatever topics are "in" these days. A familiar orange mane sticks out among the sea of posh and serves as your beacon through it all.

"Carrot!"

The mane whips around to your direction. "Anon! Over here! In the kitchen!"

You push the others through the crowd and into the kitchen where Mr. Cake is waiting.

"Thanks Carrot..." you say panting. "That was...a bit more than we're used to."

Bruce brushes some dust off his tie. "Reminds me of Canterlot..."

"Sorry gang." Carrot says. "We weren't expecting this turn out ourselves, it's always so much more calm when one of the Princesses arrives for a visit."

Twilight brushes her mane back. "It's normally not BOTH Princesses, Carrot."

You nod "They do tend to take half of Canterlot with them wherever they go..."

AJ looks out into the party. "Shoot, I doubt even Sweet Apple Acres could hold all'a these Canterlot ponies."

Below you, Bruce slicks his slightly disheveled hair back and trots to the door. "Well...let's not dally any longer."

"You sure you want to go out there?"

Bruce smirks back at you. "What's the worst that could happen?" he says as he steps out the door.

You feel terrible for laughing when he freezes solid after someone shouts "BRUCIE!"

Bruce doesn't move a centimeter as a filly gallops over to him from across the room and wraps her hooves around his neck. "Oh I'm so glad to see you again, Brucie! I was just talking to some of the riff raff that were here over in the corner."

Bruce blinks a few times and peels the filly off of him. "...Diamond Tiara, wasn't it? What are you doing here?"

Tiara flips her striped mane back and smiles. "Daddy came to make a showing and talk to his business partners here, he dragged ME along because he hates me and wants to torture me."

Bruce cocks his head to the side. "I'm...sure that your father brought you here for good reason?"

"Only to bore me to death!" Diamond Tiara shouts as she stomps her hoof on the ground. "Save me Brucie! Take me somewhere and tell me interesting things!"

Bruce's cheeks become a rather impressive shade of scarlet as he stammers out a response. "I- Bu- I don't thin- That would no-"

You kneel down and put your hand on Bruce's shoulder.

"Miss Tiara, while I'm sure Bruce would love to tell you...interesting things, I think he and Twilight were planning to talk a bit, can he offer you a rain check?"

As Diamond Tiara's eyes drift over to you, her sardonic smile only falls into a scowl. "And who are you supposed to be?" she asks.

You and Bruce exchange a glance.

"I'm...Anonymous? Bruce is my ward."

Diamond Tiara huffs and puffs out her cheeks. "I think Brucie is more than capable of deciding that!"

You shuffle Bruce along out of the way. "Maybe when he's 18."

With Bruce and Twilight off doing their own thing, you and AJ were free to wander around and talk shop. "Oh come on AJ, a motorized plow would do you guys some good at the farm."

Applejack shakes her head. "And put my own kin outa work? What's Big Macintosh supposed to do if'n we get a plow that runs on it's own?"

You shrug. "NOT get hurt every week and have to take it easy?"

Seriously, that was all you heard about Mac sometimes.

Applejack huffs in response.

The two of you glance around the packed sweets shop and take in all the guests in attendance, the both of you no doubt thinking how out of place a farmhand and an alien looked.

"You know..." You take a swig of your glass. "I'm only here because of who I'm bringing, I can't say that being able to be here is a part of my life that Bruce has improved."

AJ giggles at that.

"So where are the Princesses, anyway? I haven't seen flank or fur of them."

"Probl'y somewheres private, they gotta collect themselves before greeting everyp0ny, I'd imagine."

"Hmm. Real prim and proper, eh?"

AJ shrugs a bit. "Celestia's the head a' stuff most of the time, she's the Princess everypony sees out and about, you'd be hard pressed to find a soul in Equestria who don't like her."

"A-huh...and Luna?"

"Princess Luna's been...distant since she came back from the moon, what I hear. Spendin' all her time in the palace and occasionally shoutin' at ponies."

You cock an eyebrow. "Where do you hear all this stuff?"

"National Apple Seller's meetin'." was your response.

A tugging on your pant leg draws your attention downward. Bruce stands there looking up at you. "Mister Anonymous, the Princesses wish to see all of us."

The five of you, yourself, Bruce, AJ, Twilight and Spike are ushered upstairs into a private room by some royal guards. Inside the room you saw the twin celestial Princesses sitting at tables brushing their manes or placing raiment upon their necks.

The guard who lead you hear clears his through. "Your Highnesse's, Twilight Sparkle and friends." he says with a bow.

Celestia and Luna turn your way and smile. "Hello Twilight." Celestia says.

Twilight gallops over to her teacher and the two exchange a hug before coming over to the rest of you. "Princesses, this is Anonymous the Human and Bruce."

Bruce bows down low in reverence to the monarch. "Hello. My name is Bruce Mane. I am nine. It is an honor to meet you, your highnesses."

Celestia titters. "As much the gentlecolt as your father, Mister Mane. Rise."

Bruce rises, but you're still on that first part.

"You knew Thomas Mane?" you ask.

Celestia nods as Bruce speaks up. "My father was the biggest philanthropist in Goatham city, his charity balls attracted quite a crowed sometimes." Bruce smiles a bit. "You look just as I remember you Princess Celestia, Princess Luna."

Luna smiles down at the boy. "And you have grown much in size since we last remember seeing you, Master Mane. T'was just yesterday it seems that you were a third your current size."

Bruce shuffles uncomfortably in remark to his increased muscle mass. "Uh yes...I went on a...fitness crusade after my parents passed..."

Celestia and Luna hang their heads. "News of that event reached us even in Canterlot, you have our deepest sympathies, Mister Mane."

Bruce hangs his head and you swear a flicker of pain crosses his face. "It's...in the past now."

Celestia picks her head up. Well, we have a party to see to, yes?" She levitates a box with a crown logo on the side over to her. "We should not keep them waiting, let us simply put on our crowns and-"

Everyone in the room gasps in shock as Celestia opens the box and finds it empty of two crowns. All that was in their now was a slip of paper with ":3" scribbled on it.

Caper.

Most parties on Earth followed a formula. You'd arrive and meet with people, chat about current events, eat and drink and be merry. Grand theft was usually only reserved for the BIG parties.

But then again, two Princesses in attendance counted as "big" in this town, so some excitement was bound to happen. And happen it did.

Twilight hadn't wasted a moment going from calm and collected to full panic-mode. "The crowns are missing!" She begins to dart around the room lifting objects and looking in every miniscule corner. "Crowns? Crowns? Come out crowns! If I were a crown, where would I be?"

You walk over to Twilight. "Twi. Twi? Stop. Please."

Luna and Celestia stare wide eyed at the empty chest. "H-how could this have happened!?" Luna shouts.

The moon princess knocks the crate onto the ground and rifles through it.

"The Princesses can't be seen without their crowns! What' are we going to do!?" Twilight shouts.

Luna examines the silk lining of the chest. "I'm more concerned with the MONUMENTAL breach in our security...the guards should be embarrassed."

The two guards outside the door shift uncomfortably as Celestia examines where the crowns were. "No need to be so harsh, sister. I'm sure the guards did their best."

She levitates the box up, causing the piece of paper inside to fall out, and looks it over. "How could they have stolen our crowns while they were still in the room with us...?"

Bruce trots up to the Princess eyeing the crate. "May I examine that, your highness?"

The Princess cocks an eyebrow but lowers the chest nonetheless. Bruce peers over the lock in front of it and brushes his hoof along it's brass coating.

"Hhhrrm..."

"Bruce?" you ask.

"There are scrapings and scratches on this lock...whomever picked it..." Bruce's eyes follow along the wall to a hatch built in. "They would have had to exit out the laundry chute..."

Bruce turns back to you. "Mister Anonymous, I'm going to need you to come with me." he says already walking to the door.

"What? Why?"

"We need to get my things from home."

Bruce leads you through the Ponyville streets at fast pace, making a beeline for Twilight's house. He bursts through the door and heads directly for your room.

"Bruce, what are you-"

You're cut off from the sounds fluttering cloth and clacking locks before the door opens to a dressed Batmane behind it.

"Oh...we're doing this tonight?"

"We need to help find the crowns, Mister Anonymous."

You sigh and run your hand through your hair. "Yeah...I guess so. What do you need me for, though?"

He adjusts his mask as he heads to the door. "Another perspective, more eyes looking at the problem. You may see things I do not."

"Don't see how..." you say following him out.

"You'll never know until you try, sir."

Bruce and you run back to Sugarcube Corner and duck around back. You hang back as Bruce opens a basement window and jumps inside. The sounds of rooting around echo out of the open window before Bruce hops back out.

"I checked the chute but...I can't find any evidence...not a single clue as to who could have taken this or how." he says.

Well shit.

"So what now?"

"Do you have any insights you see?" he asks.

You glance around. You are in the space behind Sugarcube Corner that served as it's utilities hub. There's the window that Bruce just hopped out of, but not much else. A smoke stack for the furnace or something ran up the back of the building and the water heater was next to it.

"I...can't say. You'd think that somepony else would have seen them if they came out this way."

Bruce strokes his chin. "Hrmm...you may be on to something."

"Huh?"

Bruce paces around. "If someone were to steal the crowns and attempt to leave...they would have been seen by one of the crowd. It makes more sense to stash the crowns away somewhere safe and act natural to avoid suspicion..."

You bite. "What's "natural" here?"

He gestures inside. "Being at the party. The entire town is here and anyone leaving before the main event would draw attention."

You nod. "So you think whoever this is, they're still inside?"

"I do. And I need your help to flush them out."

Whoawaitwhat?

"Me?"

He nods. "You. I will remain outside and try to catch them leaving, but I need you to actually -make- them leave for me to do that."

"And...how am I supposed to do that?"

Bruce pulls out his grapple. "I'm unsure, Mister Anonymous. But I have faith that you will succeed. You're track record in these things is most admirable." he says before shooting off onto the roof.

You sneak inside and look over the room. The party was in full swing now, ponies were talking, eating, drinking and enjoying themselves, all the while unaware of the crisis upstairs.

Surprisingly, you saw both AJ and Twi standing near the snacks table mingling. Twilight looked like she was about to leap out of her skin while AJ seemed to be trying to keep her calm.

You nudge your way over to them. "Guys. I need your help."

Twilight dances on her hooves. "We -all- need help, Anon! We have no leads on the crowns and the Princesses are talking about CANCELLING their appearance!"

"Uh...is that bad?"

It sounded like it'd handle pretty much all the problems, they had to have spares back at the castle.

"YES IT'D BE BAD!" she shouts, attracting attention from those around her.

"Okay! Okay!"

AJ comes between the two of you and holds out her hooves. "Now both of ya calm down!"

AJ and Twi look to you. "Now what's this ya need help with, Anon?"

You glance from side to side and kneel down to their level. "A certain someone in a cape and cowl thinks that the perp who stole the crowns is at this party...he needs us to make them rabbit." you whisper.

AJ furrows her brow. "How're we gonna get 'em to run when we don't even know who they are?"

"Uhh..."

Come on, think. How do you scare off a criminal?

You look around the main room at everyone in attendance. Politicians, DJ-P0N3, Guards...

...DJ's and guards.

"Hang on, I have an idea..."

You sneak off from the girls and head over to where the saddlebags are kept. You kneel down and start searching.

"Saddlebag..saddlebag...if I were a famous DJ, what would my saddlebag look like?"

You eventually find your prize in the form of a small saddlebag with a music note on the side. Before you cram your hand in this mares purse, you risk a cautionary glance both ways.

Luckily for you, everyone is too wrapped to notice you. You reach inside and feel around the contents, wanting to wrap this up fast.

"Come on, come on you stupi-"

Your hand curls around something cube shaped and a bit slippery.

"Paydirt."

You look over your shoulder and spot a trio of guards idling by the counter. You wind up and toss the cube over to them. It lands at their feet and one of them breaks away from his conversation to look at it.

"Is that...salt? he asks.

-Bruce PoV-

You sit crouched on the top of a building across the street from Sugarcube Corner. From your perch, you saw Anonymous throw the salt at the guards, arousing their suspicion. As you expect he thought, they jumped at the opportunity to do their jobs and began searching the party guests for any more of the illicit substance.

A few select party goers exit the building and trot down the road, their evenings no doubt shaken by the guards searching them. A shame, the Princesses visiting was an occasion to be seen.

From the corner of your eye, you catch the faintest hint of movement darting into the alleyway. You snap your head in that direction and catch sight of a shadowy figure disappearing into the shadows.

The thief!

"Stop!" you shout.
-Music-

You jump off your perch and run along the rooftops after them. Leaping across streets and swinging around corners.

If you were lucky, you could cut them off by the boutique.

The thief is good, however. They lead you from Sugarcube to Town Hall, through Mane Street, and past the sofa store. "Stop running!" you call as the two of you bolt down an alley.

Whomever they were, they look back at you over their rucksack as they run with red tinted goggles and grins. The two of you enter the square where the boutique is located, the thief catching their second wind and sprinting towards the nearby stream to escape.

Blast it!

You pull out your grapple and aim for a tree branch sitting over the water's edge, firing off and snagging it. At the same time, the thief hops on a rock and sails over the water. You sail past the tree branch and dig into your belt for your bolos and tossing them at the thief. The bolos intercept bandit and knock them into the water with a loud "OOF!" followed by a splash.

You land on the opposite side of the bank and trot to the edge.

The thief writhes in the shallow waters against the bolo trying to escape. "Is this -really- your first thing you do when you meet a girl?" they ask.

Ah.

Well.

At least her gender is determined.

You look her over. About your size and probably close to your age, black sneaking suit, red tinted goggles, pointed ears sticking up from the side of her mask.

"Interesting look."

"I could say the same about you." she says.

You walk over and haul the rucksack out of the water. The straps come undone easily enough and you peak inside. Both of the royal crowns rested comfortably inside, a little damper than usual, but otherwise unharmed.

You fasten up the sack and turn back to your quarry. "A rather audacious plan, stealing the royal crowns."

"I pride myself on my willingness to go where others won't." she says with a titter.

"...Quite."

You throw the rucksack over your shoulder and secure it. "So who are you? I need to know who's parents the guards should be calling when they come to get you."

She shifts in her bindings. "What kind of manners are those? Asking a ladies name without first offering your own?" she scoffs.

You narrow your eyes and grit your teeth. "Batmane."

The filly rolls her eyes. "Of course, how silly of me for not getting that in the first place."

You did not like this girl.

"You're mocking me."

"You got that right, handsome."

Waitwhat. What did she sa-

Handso-

"Uuhhhhhhhhhh..."

The girl lets out a throaty chuckle and looks at you. "Well, "Batmane", you can call me..." her eyes drift over you. "Catfilly. Yes, let's go with that."

You take a step back. "Uuuuuhhhhh..."

She glances down at her bindings. "You gonna get me out of here, Batsy?"

You turn your head and clear your throat. Blasted...flirtatious girl.

"You uh...got into the royal chest, you can get out of those on your own."'

You leap over the creek and run back to Sugarcube Corner before she can respond.

-Anon PoV-

It had been a bit since you threw the salt. The guards had searched pretty much everyone at the party and taken that DJ off to the lockup. Not that it'd matter, celebrities got caught with this stuff all the time and got off.

You went up with Twilight and Applejack back to the Princesses room, Twilight needed to be taken out of gen pop before she had a panic attack. Right now you were talking to Princess Luna while Celestia grilled the head guard on duty about his impromptu drug raid.

"And...these two gangs just decided to burn down your house?" Luna asks.

"Uh...yeah?"

"With...no provocation?"

Shit.

"Nnnnever seen 'em before in my life."

You try to get a read on her face, anything that could help you dodge this.

...She seems unconvinced, fuck.

The window behind Luna, the one that was closest to the crown jewels chest, slides open and saves your hide. A black rucksack is thrown in through the window and lands in the middle of the room. Everyone turns and gasps as the twin crowns come rolling out.

"The thief!" Luna shouts.

The moon princess rushes over to the window and sticks her head out, you, Twilight and AJ right behind her.

Against the pale moonlight washing over the town, the three of you catch sight of a figure leaping from the rooftops with its cape billowing behind it.

Good...he caught the thief.

"Who...is that, Twilight Sparkle?" Luna asks.

Twilight's eyes dart back and forth. "Uhh...that's the Batmane, Princess! He was the one who saved the town from the gang war...ehehehe."

Luna apparently isn't paying attention to Twilight' and just continues to stare out the window. "Interesting..."

The Princesses fixed themselves up and make their appearance shortly after the crowns were returned. Despite the earlier "festivities" of the night, the arrival of their monarchs injected new life and energy into the party, the party which looked to not be stopping any time soon.

As you mingled downstairs, a certain colt seemed to materialize next to you by the punch table.

"Well hey there buddy, nice night?"

Bruce sits on his rear and stares straight out into the crowed. "It was...eventful."

"Nice save with the crowns, did the thief give you too much trouble?"

Bruce shakes his head. "She did not."

You arch an eyebrow. "She" huh?"

Bruce nods, still staring ahead. "A filly, it seems. Apparently my age. She calls herself "Catfilly"."

Damn...a single kid fighting crime was one thing, but now they were committing them?

"Think you'll be seeing her again?"

Bruce's gaze casts downward. "I...wouldn't be surprised."

It's silent between the two of you for a bit.

"So...who is this filly? Do I know her?"

"Uhhmm...I don't think so, I didn't get a name."

"And you didn't think to bring your new friend to this nice party..." you tease taking a swig of your drink.

"She uh...wasn't able to come."

"Oh? Why's that?"

"She was...tied up with something." he says shyly.

Relations.

Today was the day. You and Bruce stand outside the house while the construction supervisor. He reads off a clipboard as his workers finalize the inspections of the new house. Well...house was a poor choice of words. This place was positively a manor.

"Okay, so we gotcher lightning rods on the roof to avoid direct strikes, solar panels to getcher power, and tha backyard's getting fenced in this weekend, eh?" he says.

You tear your gaze away from the beautiful house and meet the foreman.

"Sounds about right."

"Right den." he says.

He presents you with a clipboard and paper and says "Sign here and tha place is all yours, bub."

You scribble off your signature and wave the foreman off. "See ya later, Mister 'Nonymous." he says.

"Huh...Mister..."

"Is something wrong, Mister Anonymous?" Bruce asks at your feet.

"Huh? No. Just...never been a "Mister" before."

He arches his eyebrow.

You roll your eyes. "I mean besides you, smart-aleck."

Bruce and you look over the exterior of the house. The columns and steep roofs ,the gargoyles on the roof and the thick windows, and the lightning rods on the top with wires flowing out of them.

"Not really getting the aesthetic here..."

"It's reminiscent of early Goatham City architecture. I asked that the builders reproduce it as closely as possible."

"Mhmm...and why'd you do that?"

Bruce rises off his rear. "My father was a fan of it, he used it in the home we used to have in Goatham."

Oh. Parent stuff.

"Right...well, far be it from me to knock his sense of style."

Bruce grabs his saddlebags and tosses them onto his back before trotting into the manor. "Right then, shall we check out the house?"

You toss your own rucksack over your shoulder and follow after him. "Lead the way, Master Mane."

You and Bruce walk through the manor inspecting each room along the way. The mahogany floors settling after their construction.

"Lotta rooms here..."

"Indeed." Bruce says. "Plenty of possibly uses."

You nod. "Too bad they're all empty..."

You shut the door to the desolate room and re-join Bruce in the hallway.

Hmmm... there were dozens of rooms in this house and hardly any furniture. The only places that WERE furnished were the master bedroom and the kitchen.

Guess a few guest rooms couldn't hurt...maybe a study and a living room, a dining room in case you ever had company and...

"Hey, Bruce...how'd you like a room? Like, a normal kid's room."

Bruce stops mid trot and looks up at you. "I have slept in your bed since I came into your wardship."

"Yeah but...well, you gotta be normal sometime, right?"

Bruce tilts his head to the side. "I assumed there was simply a reason that you deemed it necessary for us to remain in the same bed."

Well, yeah, it was to keep him from sneaking out all the damn time. But it's not like you can tell him that.

"Well...times change?"

Bruce blinks a few times before walking up to you and wrapping one of his legs around yours and squeezing.

"Thank you sir." he says before letting go and walking away.

Uh...right. Was that a hug?

You clear your throat. "Right...well, pick a room and we can get some furniture delivered."

"Of course, perhaps I can ask uncle and tante."

"Who?"

"Oh. I invited some...friends to come see our new home."

Huh?

"Who?"

A knock comes from the front door as the two of you reach the center staircase.

"Shall we find out, Mister Anonymous?"

You and Bruce skip down the stairs and get to the door.

You pull it open and are greeted with two white unicorns, one with pink hair and the other with blue and a FANTASTIC mustache. "Hello Old bean!" he says.

"Uh...hi. Who the fu-hell are you?"

He throws off an exaggerated bow as you let him in. "My name is Fancypants and this is my wife M-"

An aquamarine blue shoots past both you and Fancypants shouting "Tante Fleur!"

Bruce skids to a halt and embraces the long and slender mare with a hug that frankly shocks you in its sincerity.

"Tante Fleur" returns the hug, all the while cooing to Bruce. "Bonjour mon petit garçon, comment avez-vous été dans cette petite ville?"

"Je vais bien. Mon gardien n'est pas aussi terrible que ... j'ai peut-être décrite auparavant et je vais maintenant à l'école publique. J'ai déjà quelques amis." he answers.

You and Fancypants watch the interaction.

"Uh...is this normal?"

"Oh yes, I do say so. Whenever Bruce and my Fleur are in the room together, it seems that they can't help but speak in Prench." he says.

"A-huh...Well, Mister Fancypants, I'm Anonymous."

You extend a hand, one that Fancypants meets with a hoof and shakes. "Good to meet you, my boy. And good to see that little Bruce is in good hands."

"Voulez-vous voir ma maison, ma tante?" Bruce asks.

Fleur giggles. "J'aimerais beaucoup aiment, ma chère."

With that the two of them scamper off into the wing opposite the one you just came out of, leaving you and Fancypants alone in the foyer.

"Huh...well."

Fancypants floats his monocle out and polishes it with a cloth. "Anonymous old chap, I'd like a word if you don't mind."

"Uh...sure?"

Fancypants replaces his monocle and trots past you. "Walk and talk, chum."

Fancypants leads you into the library on the first floor.

Well, the sort-of-library. It had shelves, but no books lined them, and no tables nor chairs were laid out to allow you to read. In time, the library would be filled with books from Bruce's Goatham estate.

"Ah, this seems like a nice place." Fancypants says, his hoofs knocking against the hardwood floors.

You step into the room behind him. "Uh...yeah, why did you want to talk to me and why in here?"

Fancypants turns to face you with a smile. It was an odd smile, the kind that told you that you were being interrogated but put you at ease. "I just wanted to get to know the chap who's watching over Bruce." he says.

You rub the back of your head and sigh. "You know, when Bruce said he invited some friends over, you weren't who I had in mind."

Fancypants lowers his head a bit, but his smile never falters. "Friends" eh?...That sounds like something he would say."

"I'm...sorry?"

Fancypants releases a slightly pained chuckle. "I've known that boy for...well, all his life, really. His father, Thomas, and I were the best of friends during our school days together."

"And..."

His face falls. "And I was called after what happened a few years ago...Fleur and I stayed at the house for a few days to watch over little Bruce."

You shift uncomfortably. "Do you...know what happened after those days?"

Fancypant's face hardens. "Only that Bruce disappeared for some time and that now there is apparently news broadcasts of a costumed colt with a surprisingly similar color scheme and build who's been running around righting wrongs in this town."

...Great.

You and Fancypants leave the library and make your way through the house. You looked through the wing they were in but found no sign of either the boy or the Prenchmare.

Giggling from around back clued you both into their location.

You follow the giggling to the less-than-finished garden and find Bruce balancing on his forehooves and Fleur clapping at the sight.

"Wow...impressive."

"It's an acquired skill." Bruce says before dismounting.

"Oh? And where did you "acquire" it, my boy?" Fancypants asks.

"The Taprian Circus, sir."

Fancypants ruffles Bruce's hair. "Good show, lad."

You sit down next to them. "So, did you guys have a good time?"

Fleur nods. "Qui, he showed me the home and the room it offered and then brought me out here to show off his tricks."

You glance at Bruce. "Yeah...he's got a lot of those."

Turning back to Fancypants and Fleur, you think of something. "Wait, Fancypants, if you and Fleur knew Bruce since he was young, why did he get sent to me out here? Wouldn't you be the best choice for a home?"

Fancypants smiles and watches the boy. "We thought the country air might settle him down."

You roll your eyes. That CLEARLY worked out.

Expansion.

Curtains in Equestria seem to have the same weakness as the ones on Earth, they can't block the sun when you need it. The rays of light seep through the thick curtains and rouse you awake.

"Stupid sun goddess..." you mutter as you rise up.

You scratch at your oddly light chest in your hazy state and look down to find that you're alone. Oh right...Bruce has his own room now.

Still a bit weird, not feeling the familiar weight on you when you sleep.

"Ah well..."

You swing your feet over the edge of the bed and hop up, grabbing your robe on your way out. The house is...eerily silent as you walk out of the master bedroom and past Bruce's.

"Bruce? Are you in there?" you ask knocking twice.

No answer comes from behind the door.

"Hmm...must be abusing trees again."

Fluttershy would have your head if she ever found out.

You leave Bruce's door and head downstairs into the kitchen. You reach into the fridge and start cooking some bacon. "New house, new kitchen, new food, same old job."

Not that you could complain, you knew what you got into here. You set the food on the table and sit.

"Bruce! Wherever you are, come get your food!"

Bruce does come out. Of the pantry.

He swings open the door and nonchalantly hops up to the table.

"Uh...miss your old closet?"

Bruce nibbles on his bacon a bit, good to see he was developing a taste for it. "I think it'd be easier to tell all three of you at the same time, Mister Anonymous."

You cock an eyebrow.

"Three of who?"

Bruce picks up his plate and takes it back into the pantry. "All will be made clear in time, sir. I've got a bit more work to do."

The door shuts and leaves you alone.

...What just happened?

After that...non-routine breakfast, you decide to continue with your day. You eat, clean up after yourself, and then hop in the shower.

Still, you're wondering why he was in the pantry of all places.

At your old house, Bruce would hold himself up in the closet at the end of the hall for hours at a time. You peeked in there once and found a toolbox and a makeshift workbench covered in metal screws and bolts. You assumed that was where he drummed up all of his Bat-things.

Still, you were confused.

If he was still doing that, then there are better places in the house to do it, bigger places that could hold more stuff to make it easier to build.

So why a pantry of all things?

After your shower, you brush your teeth. Gotta set a good example for the kid.

"Why a pantry?" you mutter, the toothbrush distorting your words.

Your thoughts are cut short as you hear a faint "ding-dong" from the foyer.

SHIT.

"Coming! Hold on!"

You dash out of the bathroom, hair still dripping a bit, and throw on some clothes as fast as you can before running down to the door.

"Comingcomingcomingcomingcoming!"

You practically tear off the door. If it's social services again you swe-

"Hey Anon!"

"Howdy there, Partner!"

Ohit'sjustthem.

"Hey girls...what are you doing here?"

Applejack and Twilight both canter into the house and look around.

"Oh, WOW! Look at the size of this place!"

"Mighty fine house you got here, Anon."

"Thanks AJ. And Twi, you should check out the library."

Twilight's eyes light up at the mention of a library and you swear you can see her dancing on her hooves.

"But I'll ask again...why are you two here?"

"I invited them." a voice from behind you says.

You turn around to see Bruce standing by the open pantry in the kitchen.

"Please, follow me." he says before trotting into the pantry.

The tree of you follow Bruce into the pantry and find that the pantry does not in fact hold your spices and food stuffs, but has a stairwell in the back of it.

"So...you've been busy."

"I have." Bruce says.

Twilight and Applejack are tailgating you as they walk down the stairs. "Uh...kinda spooky down here, aint it, Bruce?" AJ asks.

"Fear not, Miss Applejack. It does not last much longer."

"Bruce, what in the hell does that-"

The four of you exit the stairwell and find yourself in a cave. No...not a cave, a positive cavern. One dozens of feet high and equally wide. Stalactites hang from the ceiling and metal platforms are constructed around the stalagmites jutting up from above.

"...mean." you finish.

Applejack and Twilight have equally shocked expressions on their faces. "Bruce...what IS all this?" Twilight asks.

Bruce trots over to a worktable. "This is my...well, I don't really have a name yet. But this is where The Batmane will be basing himself out of from now on. I've had tunnels dug from here to secluded spots in the woods where I can leave without being seen, as well as brought in some tools to increase my efforts."

You're still taking in this place. "How did..you get all this in here without me knowing?"

"I brought it in through the tunnels." Bruce says.

"...Tunnels?"

Your eye is caught by some movement from the space below the metal platforms. You head to the railing and peer into the darkness, making out bipedal shapes milling about down there.

Bipedal shapes with fur.

"Are those-"

"Diamond Dogs!?" AJ finishes for you.

Bruce nods curtly. "It seems they were without direction after Dogfather was imprisoned. I attempted to..repurpose them."

The three of you share equally unconvinced looks. "Can you trust them?" Twilight asks.

Bruce trots over to a corner of the cavern. "No less than I trust any pony contractor with this location. Now come over here, I've something else to show you."

The three of you follow over to a small room sequestered off to the side. Bruce throws some switches and the sound of machinery whirring fills the cave.

"Please wait here." he says before stepping into the room and shutting the door.

You, AJ and Twilight continue to look around the hidden grotto.

"I...still can't figure out how he managed to get all this dug out." Twilight exclaims.

"I could fit the entire barn, AND the farmhouse, AND maybe a grain silo in here..." AJ says.

From behind the doors comes a voice. "The Diamond Dogs are very efficient tunnelers."

You call back to the room. "I just impressed you did it quietly enough that no one heard you."

"A lesson in -ngggh- discretion was needed."

You turn around.

"Bruce?"

He sounded like he was struggling with...you don't know, something.

"It's alright, sir!"

The door opens and out walks The Batmane. But not the one you knew.

Bruce's old suit was a collection of clothes and fabrics, the cape being a done up curtain and the belt a stolen toolbelt.

This was... He stands taller now, a few inches, and his shoulders seem broader. The armor as a hole is sleeker, thicker, and seemed to be build for him and him alone.

"So...how does it sit?" he asks.

AJ trots forward with a smile and circles around him. "Well shoot, pretty cunning, I think."

Bruce smiles underneath the cowl. "Thank you, Miss Applejack. I felt that the suit needed to be upgraded."

"How'd you pull that off?"

Bruce stands up a bit straighter and gestures to a pile of boxes. "I have begun to accumulate various stock from my father's company. If The Batmane is to expand, I'll need new gear."

"Let me guess, you-"

"Snuck it in through the tunnels, yes."

Great. If this superhero thing didn't work out, you now know your ward would make a great little moonshiner.

The four of you head back upstairs into the house proper, Bruce still in his suit.

"You...planning to walk around like that all day?"

Bruce nods. "I have to get used to the weight of it if I'm to go out tonight."

Your face drops like a rock. "Bruce...do you really want to put more strain on your shoulder?"

You could understand that night the crowns were stolen, but this was different. There was no crime in progress, it was a patrol.

A long all night patrol with lots of swinging from rooftops and the occasional fistfight.

"I...don't know."

Applejack puts a hoof on Bruce's shoulder. "Ya sure you want to go putting yourself through that, sugarcube? Nopony will blame you if you take it easy..."

Bruce nods but removes AJ's hoof. "Your concern is warming, truly...but I can't give up on my crusade after one injury, especially not with this new gear. My shoulder healed long ago, I am as ready as ever."

Twilight nods on the other side of Bruce. "There's no one here who knows Bruce's limits like himself, I trust him."

She smiles down at the boy. "I'm sure you'll be great tonight."

He smiles back. "Thank you, Twilight."

Yeah...You hope so.

Night in.

"And so these two city slickers thought they could just roll into town and thought their fancy machine could replace the old fashioned way me and mine had goin' for years." AJ finishes.

You sip your drink.

"Well damn...I hope you guys got rid of them."

AJ smirks. "Wouldn'ta had a farm for you to work on when you got here if that weren't the case."

You chuckle. "Got me there."

Bruce perks up from the other side of the table. "I do hope that those two did not color your opinion on us "city slickers" too negatively, Miss Applejack."

AJ smiles and ruffles Bruce's mane, or at least tries to through the cowl. You think you actually see a smile underneath there. "Can't let a few bad apples spoil the whole bunch, Bruce."

This had been how the entire day was since Bruce showed you guys his new cave and his suit.

Twilight had gone home a few hours ago muttering something about a vital friendship report and the three of you knew better than to stand in her way when she was like THAT.

Out of the window, you see the sun take its final jump down over the horizon, sending the kingdom into twilight. At the same time, the clock nearby strikes seven and fills the house with its hollow bongs.

You can see Bruce's smile fade and his face visibly harden. "I have to go." he says as he jumps out of his chair and makes for the pantry door.

"Bruce, wait."

Bruce pauses momentarily at the pantry door and looks back at you.

You walk over and kneel down to his level. "Look, don't push it too hard tonight, alright? Be careful and don't let yourself get any -more- hurt."

AJ chimes in behind you. "Anonymous's right, Bruce. Don't go endin' up like Big Macintosh and get yourself laid out for weeks because ya keep pushing yourself."

Bruce's eyes dart between the two of you. "I...will. Thank you for the...concern."

He then faces forward again and heads down the stairs.

You sit in the stairwell as Bruce quickly moves through his little grotto and collects his gear. Within moments he's out the back door and into the night, leaving you along in the eerily empty cavern.

"Better be careful out there, boy..."

You get up off the step and return upstairs. When you do, you find AJ standing on a chair peeking out the window facing the town.

"Heh...Catch sight of him?"

AJ yelps and practically falls off the chair before catching herself on the kitchen counter. "Just...watchin' out for 'im."

You walk over and help AJ off the chair. "Thanks. We appreciate it."

AJ looks up at you with concern. "Y'all worried about him?"

What the hell kind of question is that?

"Of course I'm worried. I'm always worried when he does...this stuff. I just try not to let anyone see it."

AJ cocks an eyebrow. "That can't be good for ya, how come?"

You sigh. "Because he's out there most nights risking life and limb for people he doesn't know. So when he comes home, he needs people who -believe- in him, 100%.

AJ nods. "Easier to do what ya do if you're sure that those ya care about think you can do it, huh?"

You wordlessly nod.

"Well...do ya think he can do it? Can he do what he does and still be safe?"

You sigh again "Bruce is...very talented."

The room stays uncomfortably silent for a bit.

"I'll ah...leave ya to it then, Anon." AJ says hopping out of her seat.

"You don't have to go." you say.

Huh?

"Huh?" AJ says.

You clear your throat.

What in-

"You could...yeah, stay, I guess."

AJ looks around the spacious house. "Uh...what'd we do?"

You shrug for lack of any better ideas.

"TV?"

-Music-

AJ and you watch the images on the screen.

"I just cannot understand why these boys are so intent on gettin' themselves hurt like this."

You watch as one stallion falls off an outhouse that he had been standing on while his friends drive model airplanes into him.

"I really don't know but...I find myself hypnotized by it."

AJ tilts her head to the side and watches the spectacle of idiocy. "Me...too. That's just the darndest thing."

"I know, right?"

"They have television like this back where you came from, Anon?" she asks.

You stroke your chin and think back to all the TV you watched before you came here. "There...may be some parallels."

She snags a chip from the bag and plops it in the dip you cooked up. "Y'all do this with Bruce?"

You sigh and lean back against the couch. "No...Bruce is usually too off in his own little world for stuff like this."

It...worried you a bit, to be so distant from the boy you're supposed to be taking care of.

"Well shoot, that won't do. How come the two of ya don't?"

You meet Applejack's gaze with your own tired one. This was a question you asked yourself a few times. "I'm there when he needs me, AJ. But...whenever I try to do something like that with Bruce, I'm always afraid that I'm, like, wasting his time. Either that or that he just flat out won't let me in."

AJ chuckles through her full mouth. "Reminds me of me when I was a little filly."

You cock an eyebrow. "Oh? The mare who cares so much about her friends and family not letting people in?"

She socks you in the shoulder with those strong hooves of hers and laughs. "Now it aint like that! I was just...well..."

"Well what?" you ask rubbing your now throbbing shoulder.

AJ sighs. "Maybe it's easier if I just 'splain it all from the start."

You flick off the TV and give AJ your full attention.

"Now, see, I wasn't the most, how should we say, "social" filly with my kin. When Ma and Pa passed on I was out in those fields every day from dawn till dusk."

"So absolutely nothing's changed, is what you're saying."

AJ socks you in the shoulder again and gets you laughing, luckily you see a smirk on her face. "Now c'mon! I'm tryin' ta spin a tale here!"

You hold up your hands. "Okay, okay, keep going."

AJ settles in again, eyeing you with a grin. "Anyway. I wanted ta prove my worth to the family, show that I could help Big Macintosh and Granny Smith pick up the slack, ya know?"

You nod.

"Big Brother'd try to help me, but I remember I'd always tell him I could do it M'self. Hooo boy, you shoulda heard how I'd hoot and hollar."

"I can imagine, you never were very lady like."

"Dern straight. One day, I remember, I was out working this one tree for what felt like FOREVER and not makin' a lick of progress. But...well, Big Macintosh came along and helped me get all the apples outa that tree, then helped me get the rest down."

You sip your water. "A riveting tale of supply and demand, AJ."

She rolls her eyes at you. "What I'm gettin' at here Anon, is that ya don't have to try and be a part of what Bruce does fer fun if ya don't know what it is, just be there for him when he has trouble with somethin and it'll all work out."

It was your turn to roll your eyes. "Alright, just gotta find something he has trouble with..."

Whatever that might be.

Time passes and you and AJ partake in more television about the mentally impaired. The hours melt away under the onslaught of hilarious bone crushing injuries that you just can't look away from.

After a while, you brought up that AJ had spent the entire night here.

"Well it'd be rude a' me to just eat your food and then leave, Anon." was her joking response.

After the show ended, the two of you find yourself embroiled in another debate.

"So, wait, run that by me again." AJ says.

"Alright, so an astronaut is basically a person who was specially trained to ride a rocket ship into space and walk around and do science and stuff."

"They got any magic?"

"No."

"Okay, and what was the other one?"

"Well, cavemen were basically pre-evolved versions of humans. They were big and dumb and had to hunt like animals."

AJ mulls it over in her head a bit. "I'd say the caveman would win. If'n he had to hunt for his whole life he'd be more adept ta fightin' than the astrowhatever."

You nod and sip your drink. "Yeah, I'd have to agree with you there."

AJ's eyes drift up to the clock on the wall and expand. "Ah shoot! Is that the time? I gotta get back to the farm and get some shut eye or else I'm gonna be powerful tired tomorrow.

You nod and rise from your seat. "Yeah, gotcha."

You still remembered a bit of your farmhand days.

AJ steps out onto the front porch and turns around. "Thanks for lettin' me stay, Anon! Had a great time."

"You too, AJ. Have a good one."

She doesn't say anything, but she waves to you on her way down the path. You close the door and sit down at your favorite spot on the couch.

Now...what did superheroes need help with?

Proposal.

Good. God. You love this bed.

You tried to, for the most part, -not- spend Bruce's family's money on stupid shit. No exotic imports, no frivolous spending, nothing that would waste undue funds that were rightfully Bruce's when he came of age.

But by all that was holy, did you not regret buying this bed for a second.

It contoured to your body in juuuuust the right way to make it almost possible for you to ignore the hoof prodding between your shoulder blades.

"Nnnnnggggggggg..."

"Mister Anonymous."

You know that voice...You roll over and open one eye. Bruce is standing on the bed next to you with his mane combed, his face washed, and his tie and lapel pressed and dressed.

"...What is it, Bruce?"

"I merely wanted to inform you that I will not require you to pick me up after school today."

You rub your face. "Is Big Mac taking you to school and picking you up today?"

Bruce shakes his head. "I will be going into town after school today, I do not need to be walked home."

He hops off the bed and makes for the door.

"Wait." you say rising up halfway.

"Hmm?"

"I'll...go with you, yeah."

Bruce looks back at you with a small grimace. "You...don't have to do that, sir."

"No, no it's fine."

He turns and takes a small step towards you. "Is there any reason you want to come along?"

You don't think so good this early... "You're...my ward and I'm supposed to help you, that's why."

Bruce turns and slowly trots out of the room. "If...that's what you want, Mister Anonymous."

Yeah...that was what you wanted.

Your head crashes down to the pillow and your eyes snap shut. Right after you sleep in...

Afternoon in Ponyville was as it always was. Ponies were going about their lives in peace, visiting friends, doing jobs, spending time with family.

You follow the path through town and come up on Miss Cheerilee's school right as the bells start chiming and the students are released. You take your place on the fence next to Big Mac and the other waiting guardians. Mac and you share your customary silent nod to one another as you wait for the kids.

Bruce, the girls, and some grey pegasus colt you didn't recognize all walk out of the schoolhouse talking amongst themselves. It made you happy to see Bruce able to actually hold a conversation with kids his own age without seeming like an immense weirdo.

He still -was- a weirdo, but it was good to see he could hide it.

Bruce and the other kids meet you and Mac at the fence.

"Mister Anonymous. This is Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Rumble. You know Applebloom."

You nod to each of them in succession. "Scoots, Sweets, Rumbler, Bloomer."

The girls giggle at their nicknames, Rumble remains stoic.

From a nearby tree with her father, a pink filly yells "Blankflank and Freak Brigade!"

Bruce grimaces as his friends look a bit downtrodden.

"Hmm...Diamond Doof, right?"

Applebloom snickers as her and her friends walk over to Big Macintosh. Rumble flies off to meet another grey pegasus.

"Take care of 'em, eh Mac?"

"Eeeyup." he says, as always.

The girls wave goodbye to Bruce and he turns and walks into the town.

"So what are we doing here?" you ask following.

"I've business in town."

A-huh, you gathered.

"What kind of business?"

Bruce picks up his pace a bit. "I'm going to put money in it. Now come along, we shouldn't dawdle."

Bruce and you walk through the town after school. You hang back a bit and let him lead the way. He knew where he was going.

Imagine your surprise when you come up on the town hall and Bruce walks up the stairs.

"What in the world are we doing -here-?" you ask.

"I've asked to meet with the mayor."

That takes a second to process in your mind. "The MAYOR?"

He nods. "Is...that a problem?"

Shit.

You rub the back of your head. "Uh, no, just...aren't you a little young?"

He shrugs his shoulders. "They accepted my request. I assumed they know my age." With that he trots inside and leaves the door open for you to follow.

And follow him you do. Through the lobby and up the stairs to the mayoral office.

Off to one side of the room, a familiar guard captain sits hunched over a desk filling out paperwork.

"Captain Shining Armor." Bruce says.

Armor peels himself away from his papers for a moment and looks Bruce over. "Hrmm...you must be the kid that garnered so much attention from the mayor. She's in there." he says gesturing to the door.

Bruce nods and walks towards the door.

"Is...he coming along too?"

"Who? Me?" you ask pointing to yourself.

Bruce looks to Shining Armor. "Anonymous is my guardian. I need him to make what I'm attempting to do here official."

Wait, huh? Did he plan this?

Shining Armor rolls his eyes and magics the door open.

Bruce and you both walk into a circular office with a desk in the middle. Behind the desk sits a tan mare with a grey mane reading over a booklet.

She looks up from her desk at the two of you entering. "Ah, Mister Mane, Mister...Anonymous."

Sometimes not having a last name sucked.

"Please take a seat." she says.

The two of you do as the mayor trots out from behind her desk. "I'll admit, Mister Mane, I'm not accustomed to getting petitioners of your...stature." she leans on her desk. "Your name carries weight even here."

Bruce nods. "Then I'll be brief, Miss Mayor. I want to put money into this town and make it a safer place, one where we don't need some sort of costumed vigilante outside the law running around hunting down thugs."

Nice misdirection, sport.

"Mhmm..." says the mayor. "And how might you accomplish that, Mister Mane?"

Bruce reaches into his saddlebags and produces a small binder. "In here is my proposal to increase the guard presence in Ponyville as well as add another set of train lines from here to Canterlot where the guards are more sequestered."

The mayor arches her eyebrow.

"Ponyville is in a transitory state. We are large enough to have more organized and plentiful crime, but not large enough to warrant an increased police force on our own. My hope is that increasing traffic from here to Canterlot will do that for us."

The mayor hops off her desk and trots to the window overlooking the town.

"An increase of train activity would allow faster trade between Canterlot, the capitol and a major trade and industrial center, and our town. The monetary gains we would reap from that trade as well as an increase in tourism and through traffic on the lines would be substantial." Bruce continues.

The mayor holds up a hoof but continues to look out the window. "You reasoning makes sense, Mister Mane. But I for one relish our town's more domestic and homey feeling and I know for a fact many others do as well. Your proposition will eliminate that feeling."

You rub the back of your head and try to shut the hell up, you have no idea how this works.

Bruce doesn't trip. "Advancement does not equate industrialization. With proper control over zoning rights, you can still maintain your small town feeling while still reaping the benefits of being a growing city."

The mayor stares out the window for a few minutes more before turning around and walking back to her desk. "You make a compelling case, Mister Mane. Leave your proposal here and I'll look into it."

Bruce bows his head and hops out of his chair. "Thank you Madame Mayor. I wish you a good day."

The two of you exit out of town hall and start down the road home. You let out a whistle as you walk.

"Damn, Bruce. I'm impressed."

"Hmm? What about?" he asks.

"In there, you put on quite a show in there."

"Show?"

"You convinced a politician to hear and possibly accept a proposal from a nine year old, that's rather impressive."

Bruce winces as the two of you near the town boarder. "I'm...not a very good example of a normal nine year old, sir."

As the two of you are about to cross a bridge out of town, Bruce stops in his tracks and holds up a hoof.

"Halt." he says.

You practically trip over him and look around. "Uh...Bruce?"

He stands there with his eyes closed and his ears twitching in both directions, taking in the sounds of the outskirts of town.

"I hear...crying." With that, Bruce turns around and runs back into town, ducking into the open door of a house on the side.

"Hey! Get back here! That's someone's house!"

You run after Bruce into the house expecting to get an earful from whomever lived there only to find the house empty.

Huh...that's weird.

You catch sight of Bruce's tail disappearing around a corner upstairs and give chase. As you run, you do indeed hear the sound of someone crying, a young girl by the looks of it.

You get to the top of the stairs and run into the room the sounds were coming from. Bruce has hopped onto the bed of a little unicorn filly, blonde mane and a purple-ish coat. She was sobbing uncontrollably into her pillow.

"Uhh...Bruce, do you know this girl?"

Bruce nods and lowers his head. "Dinky...? I saw you weren't at school today, is something wrong?"

Dinky pulls away from her pillow and nods. "I-I looked everywhere...She wasn't here this morning or this afternoon..."

You scratch your head. "Uh...Who's not here, Dinky?"

She winces and looks up to you both with teary eyes. "I can't find my mommy." she says.

...Ah crap.

Company.

The moon hangs high in the sky by the time you and Bruce get back home with your new guest. You'd done an extensive search around Dinky's house looking for any signs to where her mom went. Dinky was young, she could have just gone out to the store and run a little late.

Unfortunately, Dinky also seemed to be incredibly clever.

No sign note left, no sigh of a struggle, not even a note from a boyfriend or something that would call her away. And it's not like you could have just LEFT her there. So back to the house with you she went.

You carry Dinky through the house towards the kitchen. "Let's get some food in your belly, huh? My mom always said that helps."

Dinky shuffles her hooves as you set her down and remains quiet.

"If nothing else it may help us come up with more ideas, Dinky." Bruce says climbing up into a seat next to her.

You open the pantry and take a look around. What do little fillies like? Probably the same things little colts like. Too bad your little colt was a total weirdo.

Cereal? No, it's late. Porridge? Who the hell eats that? Apples?...That'd do. And it gives you an idea.

You grab a few apples from the fruit basket and set them out in front of Dinky.

"Do you need them cut up, Dinky?"

She shakes her head and speaks in a voice barely above a whisper. "It's fine...I-I like the skin." Dinky reaches out and bites into the fruit. "Mom was a bit jumpy around knives anyway..."

"Right...Bruce? Entertain her for just a minute."

"Mister Anonymous what a-" Bruce starts.

But you've already booked it to the phone.

Manetech was Equestrias primary technological juggernaut before the murder of Bruce's parents. And as his current guardian, you had some perks when it came to getting new toys.

Phones were a new invention in Equestria, very few had them. So you used your newfound pull to get one installed in your house as well as AJ's barn and Twi's library.

You would need it.

You press a few buttons and listen to the ring. It wasn't that late...you should be interrupting anything.

Someone on the other end picks up and says "Hello?"

"AJ! Hey, listen, it's me Anon. Can I get your help on som-"

"What? Anon I can barely hear ya, speak up!"

Huh?

"AJ I'm talking normally."

"No ya aint! I can't hear a word yer sayin'!"

Now that you think about it, AJ's voice sounds quiet too, almost like it's too far from the-Dammit.

You sigh. "Applejack, you have the phone upside down."

Silence followed by fiddling around comes through your end before Applejack says "Oh. I knew that."

"Sure you did, Hayseed. I need your help."

You can practically hear AJ's eyebrow cock from here. "Now what could ya need help with at this hour of the night?"

"There's like..." You lean out from where you are and look back at the kids, Bruce and Dinky seem to be talking. "There's this kid here...a new one. A little unicorn named Dinky who says her mom is missing."

"And what do you need me for?"

"Because I can't take care of kids!"

"Anon, ya had a little colt living with you for months." AJ says deadpan.

"Bruce is...a really shitty example of a normal kid."

"Anonymous!"

"What!? He is..."

"That aint nice t'all! Now you get on in there and help that little girl or so help me!"

You rub your head. "Yeah yeah...so I guess help from you is a no?"

"-click-"

Guess so.

You head back over to the kids and catch the tail end of their conversation.

"She fell from the sky, you say?" Bruce asks.

Dinky nods. "But that's just what the man from Appleoosa told me. I don't ha- I mean- He might have been lying..." she stumbles out.

You come up behind Bruce and take a seat next to the both of them at the counter.

"Hey guys...what are you talking about?"

Bruce turns to look at you. "Oh just...rumors Dinky had heard."

You look to the filly. "Any good ones?"

She just shakes her head "Just one about a sky pony and a hammer..."

"Right...well I was on the phone with Applejack and invited her to come over and help but she's a bit...occupied right now."

That's one way to say "You got shot the fuck down, son."

Dinky munches her apple. "I met Miss Applejack in the market a few times...she's nice." she says quietly.

Poor little bugger's probably still scared.

"Yeah...she is...And so are we. You can stay here as long as you need to, okay Dinky?"

Bruce nods. "And we will help you find your mother."

Dinky looks at you both. "How are you gonna do that?"

You and Bruce exchange a glance. "We have our ways." he says.

Dinky looks at the two of you and then her apple before squeaking out a quite "Promise?".

You both nod.

Dinky gets a small smile. "Thanks Bruce, M-mister Anon."

You tap the table twice. "But we can't do that on an empty stomach!"

You head over to the pantry and root around some more. "You guys haven't lived until you've had peanut butter and apple slices..."

Gotta help the girl. Gotta be a good guardian. Gotta show up AJ.

Dinky rests on your shoulder after her snack as you carry her through the halls.

"How did you know that would put her to sleep, sir?" Bruce asks.

"There isn't a being alive who can resist peanut butter apples and warm milk, Bruce."

Not to mention that you could see the stresses of the day catching up with her.

You open the door to the guest room and head over to the bed. "Can you check to make sure the window is shut?" you ask.

Bruce runs over to the window and wriggles under the curtains, his little tail wagging back and forth. "It is secure."

"Good. We don't want her catching a cold."

You lay Dinky down and pull the blankets over her, dropping them when she begins to rouse from her slumber.

"Nnnnggg..." The little filly pushes herself up and rubs her eyes with her hoof before looking at you. "Mister Anonymous...? I must have fallen asleep...I'm sorry."

You pet her mane. "Dinky, there's no need to say sorry. You've had a busy day and we understand, right Bruce?"

Bruce nods. "You will need your rest if we are to look for your mother."

Dinky curls up a bit. "Can we start looking soon?"

Bruce nods. "You and I will start looking tomorrow right after school, we'll search high and low for her."

Dinky smiles. "Thanks Bruce."

Surprisingly, Bruce smiles back. "It's my pleasure."

You kneel down to her eye level. "Now, Dinky, this is important. Do you know -anything- about before your mom went missing?"

Dinky shakes her head. "She just said she was going to deliver some letters and then wasn't there to pick me up after school..."

You nod. "Do you have any other family?"

Dinky ponders. "My big sister goes to university in Fillydelphia, but that's about it."

Hmm...not much in the way of leads.

You start to notice her eyelids drooping again and nudge Bruce. "We'll leave you to your rest, Dinky. We're both right down the hall if you need us." you say with a smile.

"Yes, do not hesitate."

You and Bruce turn and walk out the door.

"Goodnight you two...and thank you." Dinky says.

You nod back to her and shut the door.

Once the door is shut, you turn to Bruce. "Please tell me you have some ideas." you whisper.

Bruce trots down the hall and rubs his chin.

"Not a great deal at this juncture..."

Brilliant...

"So what do we do?"

Bruce looks back at you. "We"?"

You rub your hand on the back of your head. "I don't like sad kids, call it a weakness."

Bruce stares at you for a few seconds. "Quite."

You follow next to Bruce as the two of you walk back downstairs from the guest rooms.

"Guess we'll have company for a little while..."

"Hopefully not too long..." Bruce says.

You nod. "Any help you need from me, just ask."

Bruce nods as well. "Appreciated, mister Anonymous. I'll keep you in mind if I need your...talents."

"I'll also let Mac know he's gonna be escorting another kid to school for a few days."

"I will keep an eye on Dinky at school and help her search afterwards, all will be well."

Right...well that was as planned shaped as anything.

"It's getting late, I'm gonna turn in. You should think about it too."

Bruce hops up and heads to his secret door. "I will retire after I've done some research...perhaps some clues to Dinky's mother will reveal themselves if I investigate the mail routes."

You get up and walk upstairs. "Good luck, Bruce."

Dinky is snoring softly when you poke your head in to check on her, that puts you at ease.

You crawl into your own bed and turn out the light, resting your head against the pillow.

"Tch."

This house was gonna become a boarding house if you're not careful.

Chance Run-In.

Hmmm... Wheat Bites or Sugar Lumps? You hold the two boxes in your hands and read the nutrition labels. Wheat Bites had less sugar but the Lumps had a prize inside...

High in fructose vs kinda shit taste...

Would Dinky even want the toy? Would she even be here long enough for it to matter?

You shake your head and look at both boxes again.

"Fuck it."

Into the kart they go as you toss them over your shoulder and continue down the aisle. Not like you didn't have the money to spend.

You continue down the aisle gathering any food you were short on at the house. Sugar, flour, grapes and ham. Dinky being over last night had exacerbated your already short food stores . You and Bruce ate like...well, horses.

You pause to grab some extra supplies from the front. A phone book, a map, and some extra toilet paper. Two to help find Dinky's mom and the other to make sure everything would work out if you couldn't.

You head up to the register and see a familiar mare standing behind the counter. "Hello again, sir!"

"Hey there."

You fiddle with your coin purse as she rings your items up. "How's your little one?" you hear.

You look up and arch your eyebrow, she shakes your boxes of cereal.

"No one buys this much cereal if they don't have mouths to feed."

Nodding slowly, you put some bits on the counter. "Rambunctious, and they're always hungry."

"They"?" she asks.

"Yeah, we have another one living with us right now."

The service-mare swipes the bits and puts your food in bags for you. "Well I hope they keep eating good!"

You nod and walk away. "Yeah, thank you."

Well she was a lot nicer than the last ti-

Over your shoulder you hear a hushed "Can't believe they still let him keep foals."

Ah...there it was. God, fuck teenagers.

You push your cart through Ponyville's streets towards your place on the hill. Mac had taken Dinky and Bruce to school and with the two of them out searching, you were completely out of things to do today once you got back. You were taking your time walking home to think of things to do.

So far all you had was "Alphabetize the library. Again."

And that would suck royally.

You're walking along so lost in thought that you don't notice the stall in front of you until it's too late.

"GAHFU-"

You run your cart into the wooden stand and knock a few of the contents of it into the ground and knocking the wind out of your gut.

Oh shit. You pull yourself off the cart and get down to pick up the wears.

"I'm really sorry about this, I wasn't looking where I was going a-"

It's only then that you get the first apple in your hand and know what stall you hit.

You sigh.

"Daydreamin' again?" a voice asks.

"Maybe."

"How many times does that make it this month?"

You stand. "...Three."

"And was it about them water skippers y'all told me about?"

"First off they're called Jet Ski's and second off, they're awesome."

You put the apple back on the stall and look at AJ.

"Look, sorry, I wasn't paying attention, okay? I had my mind on what I'm doing when I get back home."

AJ follows you as you get back behind your cart. "Whoa now, don't you got two little kids to watch? Why aint they keepin' you busy all night?"

Damn cart. You yank it clear of the stall and get back on the path. "Nah. They're out looking for...someone. It's just me tonight."

AJ trots alongside you and calls back. "Big Macintosh! Applebloom! Keep sellin' them pies! I got something I gotta take care of!"

You look down at her. "Something"?"

"I figure I owe ya for last night and I also know how you get when yer bored. C'mon now."

With that AJ trots ahead of you down the path to your house.

You turn your key in the lock and jiggle the handle a bit before letting you and AJ into the house. Fucking locksmiths, can't make a human sized lock to save their lives.

"Welcome back to Casa De Anon."

AJ raises her eyebrow. "I'm sorry?"

You shake your head and push your cart inside. "Nothing AJ, just something from back on my home."

The two of you enter into the kitchen and you start putting away the food.

"...Huh." AJ says walking around.

"Whassup?"

"Just noticin' how...empty this house of yours is with just you in it."

You nod. "Yeah, there's more activity here with a kid. Wait till they both come back, we might move our way into 1/8th of what I might even call "bumping"."

Applejack turns and looks at you. "Say what?"

Nobody gets your jokes...

"Nothing AJ. So what are you gonna do now that you're making to up to me and coming over after I handled the situation last night?"

She walks back over to you. "That's what I wanna know, Anon. Do y'all really know how to handle this situation?"

You put the cereal away and look at her. "I mean...maybe? I don't really know right now, AJ. But I didn't really know when Bruce came here and look how that turned out."

"A buncha Diamond Dogs invaded the town and y'all got beaten up, if I remember." she says sternly.

A long silence fills the room. "...Yeah but it's not like I -invited- them..."

AJ rolls her eyes. "Ya got an answer fer everything...don'tcha?"

Well...shit.

"Hey...sorry, I guess. This is just how I cope with things."

"Cope?"

You nod a bit more frantically than you should. "Uh, DUH? I can barely handle one kid, no matter how weird he is! Two is out of my pay-grade!"

AJ smirks. "Now didn't ya say the same thing when I asked you to carry two apple buckets back to the barn when ya used to work for me?"

"Yeah, and it was out of my pay grade then too. Seriously, you should consider paying your hands more."

After the groceries are stowed away, you and AJ decide to relax on the back porch with some drinks.

You sip your water as AJ nurses her mug of cider and look over the back yard at the setting sun.

Applejack fidgets next to you. "They ought to be gettin' back soon, right?"

"He goes out in the dead of night, AJ. Sunset shouldn't be too hard for him."

AJ looks over the yard. "I'm givin' them fifteen minutes before I go out looking."

Shit, you'd give him ten. It -was- a school night.

"I'll be right there with ya."

You take another swig of your drink and notice Applejack looking at you. "What?"

"The Anon I know used to drink so much he mighta put Big Macintosh under the table, when'd he move to water over cider?"

You raise your bottle. "Got sniped by Equestrian Social Services to have to take care of a little boy, and I don't want to piss off the inspector when they come around by having a liquor cabinet."

AJ chuckles. "Nice ta see somethin' makes ya act responsible."

"Hey, I was always on time at the farm."

"'Cept for when you overslept." AJ says flatly.

"That only happened once and you know it."

From behind you both, the sound of the front door opening and closing gets your attention.

"Shit, that them?"

And with three minutes to spare.

"C'mon! Let's hustle!" Applejack says hopping out of her seat.

You toss your drink and follow her into the foyer, Bruce and Dinky are hanging up their things looking kinda beat.

"Hey kids, how'd it go?" you ask.

"Are y'all alright?"

Bruce's ears swivel and he looks up. "Oh. Hello Miss Applejack. What are you doing here?"

"Uhh...had some spare time and Anonymous here invited me over for a drink." she says.

"Wait, hang on, you followed m-"

You're cut off as AJ sets her hoof down on the front of your shoe.

GAAAAAAAHCHEEKYBITCH.

Bruce and Dinky approach. "Well, you are of course welcome to stay for as long as you need."

You ignore the splitting pain in your foot and head into the kitchen. "So how was the search? Did you guys find anything?"

Dinky, surprisingly smiling, answers you. "Yeah! The post office said my mom got sent to deliver a package in Canterlot!

"That's awesome, Dinky!" you exclaim.

AJ joins you with a "Real good news!"

Bruce nods. "Yes, all we have to do is narrow it down to WHERE she was sent and we can begin searching."

"Are you gonna go tonight?"

Bruce shrugs. "Time -is- of the essence..."

"Because I was gonna make pot roast."

His eyes go wider. "But...leaving unfed and un-rested would be bad, right?"

You chuckle and nod. "You got that right."

Boy couldn't resist pot roast.

Bad Moon Rising

You sit in your seat on the train and stare out the window at the passing countryside. Celestia's sun hangs low in the sky and if you look out the other side of the train, you can see Luna's moon rising over the horizon giving way to the night.

You did your best work then.

Your companion next to you turns to look at you. "Are you sure we'll find her, Bruce?"

You turn to look Dinky in the eyes, you can see the worry in them. "The clue we gathered the other day pointed to Canterlot as our best bet, Dinky. We must have faith that out investigation will either turn up a clue about your mother's whereabouts or her herself."

Dinky sighs and looks around the train car. "All by ourselves?"

You sigh.. "I know it can be scary your first time...out. But we will travel together and ensure we do not become separated. Also remember that my uncle and tante are there, they will assist us."

"How?" she asks.

You look out the window over Canterlot as your train enters into the mountainous tunnels. "They have lived in Canterlot for many years and will know things of the city we do not."

Dinky gets up and looks out the window with you. "Are you sure your dad will be okay with us being out?"

That gives you pause for a brief moment. "...Mister Anonymous does not mind me being out, and I will keep you safe while we are."

The loudspeaker at the front of the car crackles to life. "Canterlot station. Next stop: Canterlot station."

You hop down and throw your saddlebags over your back.

"Come on, we should...get ready."

You had a job to do.

Dinky and you step off the train onto the platform in Canterlot. The train station was, like many other things, build into the side of the suspended city and gave way to a sheer vertical drop at the edge before the tracks went back onto the mountain.

You hear Dinky shudder next to you.

"Do you suffer from Acrophobia?" you ask turning to her.

Dinky cocks her eyebrow. "What's that?"

"A fear of heights."

Dinky looks back out over the sheer drop down below. "No, just...it's a long way down."

You lead Dinky away. "Then...perhaps it is best to avoid such things."

You weren't used to how normal kids reacted...better to play it safe.

From the other side of the station, you hear a familiar voice. "Bruce my boy!" You crane your head and catch sight of a pair of unicorns, both white, one with a blue mane and the other with pink.

"Come along, this way."

You and Dinky trot over to the two of them.

"Hello Mister Fancypants, Tante Fleur."

Their faces shift ever so slightly, sinking a bit, but you do not know why.

"Thank you both for offering to help us."

"Yeah, thanks a lot Mister and Missus Pants."

Mister Fancypants chuckles and pats Dinky. "No need to thank us, my dear! Why anything we can do to help you or Bruce find your dear mother is just gravy to us!"

Tante Fleur leans down. "Do either of you know exactly where you shall begin looking?" she asks in her accented voice.

She was not using her native tongue, she must be concerned.

"The mail superior gave us records indicating that the package was meant for the wharfs, we shall begin searching there."

Fancypants nods. "If-WHEN you find her, come to our home. You can all stay there until you are ready to leave in the morning."

You bow. "Thank you Mister Fancypants, that is very kind of you."

His face hardens into a smile. "You're...very welcome my boy."

-Music-

You and Dinky leave the station and make way for the wharfs. A pair of small children walking alone through the Canterlot city streets at night.

You turned a few heads, but none of them thought to try and stop you. In time, the two of you arrive at the wharfs. Airships of various sizes and shapes lift off and dock at the various moors to either be loaded up with cargo or unloaded.

You look to Dinky. "We should ask around to learn if anyone has seen her. Do you still have your picture?"

Dinky nods and floats a piece of paper with a crayon drawing of a wall eyed grey mare on it smiling.

"Do you think this'll be enough?" she asks.

...It wasn't the best as far as these things went.

"It's a start." you say.

The two of you begin asking around, stopping anyone who seemed to know their way around the area and asking if they had seen the mare in the drawing. The more helpful among them were only able to tell you that mail in Canterlot was delegated to many, many couriers, and that finding one who was from out of town would be impossible.

The less than helpful offered less than that.

You once look over and catch Dinky with her head down low and her face contorted into a frown.

"We will find her, Dinky." you say.

"But everyone we've talked to hasn't had anything that could help..." she relents.

"Then we have yet to talk to enough people."

You spot a large dock supervisor that you do not remember talking to. "Come on, he might help."

The supervisor looks down at the two of you as you approach. "Hey, who let these kids in here? This is a work site! Go on home, you's two."

"In a moment, sir."

Dinky levitates the drawing up for him to see.

"Have you seen the mare in this picture?"

You didn't expect much, Dinky seemed to expect less, but it was still important to try for her sa-

"She the one who has a problem flyin' inta walls?"

Dinky immediately perks up. "Mom has eye problems! Yeah!"

The supervisor's face shifts a bit. "Yeah, I seen her. Over on the far side of the wharf though, near that crab shack the tourists go to."

Dinky looks at you. "Come on, Bruce! This could be it!" she says before running past you.

"Dinky! Wait up!" You run after her as the supervisor quickly shuffles into his office.

You chase after Dinky all along the wharf until you reach the location the supervisor said. Joe's Shack O' Crabs was over your right shoulder.

The two of you walk through the near deserted boardwalk straining your eyes in the dim light of the street lamps, trying to find anything out of the ordinary.

"There! Look!" Dinky exclaims.

You follow her hoof and catch sight of a grey pegasus with a blonde mane laying limp on a far off bench. Straining further, you could see her stir with movement.

Dinky sees it too, it seems, as she runs past you towards the bench shouting "MOM!"

The mare's head rockets up at the sound of Dinky's voice and looks around, she bounds off the bench and rushes to Dinky.

"Sweety!" she shouts.

The two of them meet and embrace in the middle of the path, Dinky nuzzling into her mother's neck as she holds onto her tightly.

You feel a slight pang in your chest...but banish it quickly as you catch up with them.

"I was so worried, muffin. Are you alright? Have you eaten?" she asks.

Dinky giggles. "I'm fine, mom! I've been staying with Bruce and Mister Anonymous the last few days, he helped me find you!"

The mare looks at you with mismatched eyes. "This little boy...?"

You offer a curt bow. "Hello. My name is Bruce Mane. I am nine."

She smiles and nods back. "Hello Bruce Mane, my name is Derpy Hooves."

Derpy Hooves, then.

"Miss Hooves, may I ask what happened? Why you dissapeared?"

Miss Hooves' face drops as she pets Dinky's mane. "I-I just got told to deliver a package to a warehouse here...when I knocked on the door, this gross green gas started to come out from under the welcome mat and I fell asleep! I only woke up when I heard Dinky calling me..."

Your own face falls now.

"Ma'am...that was days ago."

Derpy's ears perk up. "I'm not even hungry!"

What could whoever did this have wanted...?

Miss Hooves looks around. "Hey, has anyone seen my mailbag?"

You look around and don't spot the mailbag. What you do spot is a bit of graffiti on a nearby warehouse wall in angry red.

You take a few steps closer and examine it.

"That was on the warehouse I was gassed at!" Miss Hooves says.

"Really?" you ask.

She nods.

That was curious...

You look again. "Οι πυρκαγιές εξαπλώνεται." it says.

You scratch your chin. "Blast...I can't place this, it's not in a language I know."

The sounds of great flapping wings draws your attention skyward just in time to see a blotch of midnight blue streak over the inky blackness and touchdown nearby with the slight "clink!" of crystal horseshoes.

The deep azure alicorn folds her wings back in and looks to you in particular.

"Perhaps we can assist." she says.

Dinky, Miss Hooves, and you all stand in silent, open mouthed shock at your new arrival.

"Princess Luna!?" Miss Hooves exclaims.

"What are you doing here!?" Dinky asks.

"How did you even -find- us here?"

The monarch chuckles and gestures to the moon high above. "Why we say you come in, of course. The moon sees all that there is to see at night, and we see all it does." She smiles down at you. "Tis a gift!"

That...makes sense. You guess. Magic always eluded you.

You clear your throat. "Yes...well. Uhm...you said you could offer insight?"

Princess Luna's face hardens promptly. "Yes. Over the past several months, there have been repots of ponies being abducted. Always in the dead of night in large cities and always with the same methods Miss Hooves described. Tis nothing the local guards could not handle, but it caught our attention just the same..."

Dinky cocks an eyebrow. "Why would a Princess worry about that kinda stuff?"

Princess Luna looks back at her. "We take the safety of our subjects -very- seriously, Little Dinky."

You point to the tag. "And you believe this could mean something?"

Luna looks to it and squints her eyes in concentration. "I believe so...yes. In my many years, I have learned many tongues. This seems to be ancient Minian from the south..."

She scans over the tag several times before sighing in frustration. "I am sorry, little one, it is using a dialect I am not clear on. The only word I can make out is "fire"."

You rub your chin again. Fire...

"Well...it is more than we had a moment ago..."

This was worth perusing, you would look into it once you got home.

But for now...

"Miss Hooves, Dinky, let us return to Mister Fancypant's home, it has been a long night for many of us."

The two of them nod as you offer a quick yet deep bow to the Princess. "Your Highness, we thank you very much for your assistance."

Princess Luna returns with her own small bow. "Freely given, Mister Mane."

You trot past her to follow the others.

Oh, and Mister Mane?" The Princess says.

You turn and look to her, she is already hovering in the air. "Tis nice to see you out of your cape, we always found them to be so garish." she says before rocketing off into the sky.

She-

Wha-

WHAT.

You stand there dumbstruck for a moment before Dinky calls you from down the path.

Shaking your head you run to catch up with them, your mind still mulling over what you just heard. That...could complicate things.

-Epilogue-

You walk through the dank caverns in the near total darkness. The liked it like this, said it let them move more freely and made them have to listen better.

And these times were all about listening.

You had hightailed it into here after you called up the boys once those kids showed you that drawing. Just like Boss said.

You'd been found out, someone had come looking, best to let them have what they wanted and leave. A bit touch and go for a bit there, but it had all worked out.

You finally come across a more lit cavern with a lake at the bottom. Canterlot had a few underground reservoirs that fed into the waterfalls cascading from the side of the city.

Workers weaved around you as they saw to their various tasks in this miniature beehive of activity. Meanwhile, you made a straight beeline for the Boss.

You find him sitting in his big stone half-chair/half-throne with his back to you, just as always.

"There's a problem." you say.

"Hmm?" he says in a low rumble.

"Someone came lookin' for one of the marks that we grabbed, only this time a PRINCESS showed up with 'em! They're gonna find somethin' out for sure.

Muscles creak as the Boss rises out of his chair, his horns almost scraping the ceiling. Two workers nearby look up from the pilfered mail bag and letters they were sifting through with you, but go back to work.

"If they come knocking, they'll get a rocking."

"You sure that'll work? We aint too big, boss."

He folds his hands behind his back. "There isn't time to mess around, get those cells working underground."

You nod. "I'll let the boys know to speed the time table up."

With that you turn and walk out of his chambers.

On your way out, you hear him mutter "Οι πυρκαγιές εξαπλώνεται." loud enough for it to echo over the entire chamber.

Catching Fire.

You sit in the shadows waiting. Word travels fast in Equestria and therefore so must you.

Your followers and you have vacated your hideout in Canterlot, too many prying eyes. It was a mistake to go there in the first place, arrogant. And your mission brokered no mistakes.

"When can they expect us?" you hiss out.

One of your followers looks at a watch. "We move in three hours, sir."

You nod. Three hours.

Three hours was all you had to wait until this nation of tyrants would know your name.

Three hours until you would change everything.

Jesus Christ, three hours.

You turn to Bruce. "By all that is holy, tell me we're almost there."

Bruce turns form looking out the window. "We will arrive shortly, Mister Anonymous, be patient."

You roll your eyes and grumble as the mare next to you chuckles. "C'mon now, Anon. I walked all the way ta Manehatten when I was just a filly and yer sayin' ya can't handle one little train ride?"

You rub your eyes. "I'm not the biggest fan of travel, AJ."

"Not even fer this big fancy shindig?"

"Not even for all the charitable parties in the world."

"You came to get me all the way in Goatham, Mister Anonymous."

Shit, he had you there.

Quick, lie.

"Yeah, well, couldn't leave you there all alone..."

I said lie, asshole.

Bruce continues to slowly wag his tail as he looks out the window of the speeding train.

"You came here once, Miss Applejack?" he asks.

AJ nods and looks out with him. "Yup! Back before I got my cutie mark. I stayed with my Aunt and Uncle Orange and tried to be a city-girl but...just wasn't in the cards."

Bruce looks up at her. "Do you regret it?"

AJ grins. "Nah. They're my kin an' they always will be, but I don't got what it takes to live in the big city. Learned a lot though."

"Does it smell like piss?"

AJ tilts her head. "More like gas."

Of course.

"Who goes to these big parties, anyway?"

"They're mostly regional. A bit too small for the Princesses, but many socialites from across the kingdom arrive." Bruce says.

"And they ALWAYS show up?"

"My father had many friends, sir."

AJ rubs her chin. "Come to think about it, I reckon I remember hearing that feller Filthy Rich mentioning he had to go to this as well."

Bruce shrinks a bit. "Yes...I am aware that Mister Rich and his...daughter will be there."

Shit...

What's eating him?

The second, the literal SECOND you're off that stupid train, the three of you are shuffled into a cab and driven from one side of the city to the other by a midget donkey cab driver and thrown out into the lobby of some swanky hotel and told to go to the top floor.

"Manehattan hospitality" AJ calls it.

The doors to the party open to reveal it already in full swing. Ponies and the occasional griffin or zebra mingle around the room talking business or gossip or what have you. A table of delicacies is laid out on one end while a four string ensemble plays on the other.

"And here I am in a rented tux..."

"I told you that we should get Miss Rarity to prepare you several." Bruce says.

"How would we have had it done before we had to leave?"

"The idea is to have it ready BEFORE you need it."

"How was I supposed to know that I'd spill juice on my tuxedo?"

"Cuz ya eat like a starvin' duck, Anon." AJ says.

"Food is a rare and precious commodity when you arrive here with only the clothes on your back."

The three of you walk in and immediately hear "Over hear, old bean!" He had a sixth sense, you swear.

You put on your smile and turn. "Fancy!"

"Tante!" Bruce exclaims.

You lead your little group over to Fancypants and his wife in the corner.

Hooves and hands are shaken and hearts are warmed as honorary aunt and nephew hug in the middle of the floor.

"I say, riveting party! Old Thomas knew how to organize a soiree, I tell you."

Applejack looks around, the blues in her dress contrasting with her coat. "Ya got that right, Mr. Pants. I aint never seen so much class in one room before! 'Cept at the Gala."

Fancypants chuckles. "My dear it is made all the better by your being here." he wiggles an eyebrow. "Êtes-vous courtiser cette jeune fille, Anonymous?"

You and AJ glance at each other.

"What? I heard my name."

"Mr. Pants, I don't understand you when you talk all fancy, s'there any way you could use a more common tongue?"

Fleur giggles behind him and bats his haunch. "Be kind, dear! It is a party, after all."

Fancy laughs once more and steps back. "Of course dear, you're right."

Uh...right. Whatever.

You glance down, Bruce's eyes are scanning across the room.

"See something, little buddy?"

He blinks and snaps himself away from whatever trance he was in. "Huh? Oh. I'm sorry, I was worlds away."

"I do believe I shall attempt to "mingle" with those in attendance, as my father would have done." he says adjusting his tie.

You nod. "Don't get yourself hurt."

You were moving now, cloaked in the shadow of the city. It was imperative you stay hidden, stay out of sight until the time was just right. A proper entrance, one that conveyed strength, could make or break you.

One of your soldiers, a Diamond Dog, comes down the tunnel ahead of you. "We are directly underneath the tower, sir. "

"How long until we can get inside?"

He scratches his chest. "It will take us a bit to get the gate open, but from there we are free to move as we wish."

You wave him and the others behind you onto the gate, which they immediately start cutting into.

"Οι πυρκαγιές εξαπλώνεται."

-Back at the party-

-Bruce PoV

You rub your chin in contemplation at this stallion's words.

"You have merit, Mister Saxon, but I do not believe a career in politics is in the cards for me."

The blue stallion smirks and rests a hoof on your shoulder. "Come find me in a few years." he says before trotting off.

Hmm...

What a nice man. A bit strange, however.

You pick your drink, a glass of freshly squeeze grape juice, up off the floor and walk through the room.

Many of these faces you recognized, at least slightly. Back when these events were hosted by your parents, you never really ventured away from them. But these people were expecting you, expecting a Mane to appear. You would not disappoint. Neither them nor your parents spirits.

As you make your rounds, you see a face that is not blurred by the haze of memory, one you see almost daily, in fact.

"Diamond Tiara?"

The pink filly turns to look at you, her coat contrasting off her jet black dress. "Oh, it's you. I should have figured YOU'D be here."

She looks you up and down. "I thought we were supposed to dress up, not just wear what we wear every day."

You find yourself puffing your cheeks. "It's important to dress appropriately!"

She rolls her eyes and sips her milk.

"...Why all the black? You did not seem the type to dress in such dour colors."

"Uhg. If you -MUST- know...a boy made me decide to wear it?"

"A boy?"

"Yes, I...met a boy who dressed in a lot of black."

...

"A boy?"

She scoffs. "Yes Bruce, a BOY. One of those things that are the opposite of girls."

You scowl.

"I know what a boy is, Diamond Tiara. I -am- one."

"That's up for debate." she mumbles.

You decide you do not like this girl much.

"Have I met this boy? Does he go to school with us?"

"Uhg. No Bruce, he does not. I met him in town."

"Doing what?"

"None of your business!" she snaps.

"I am simply asking!"

She puffs her own cheeks and sets her glass down, leaning towards you. "I met him after he caught me stealing something in the middle of the night so THERE!"

...What.

That was incredibly familiar.

You lean back and recollect yourself. You have to play this innocent. "You...steal things?"

Diamond Tiara looks away from you. "Well, business is not exactly "booming" right now for Daddy, Mister Billionare."

Oh...Right. Stealing for her family...

Admirable, if misguided.

"...How can you afford to come to this event if business is not going well?"

Diamond Tiara picks up her glass and trots away.

"We were INVITED, Bruce. Stop being nosey!"

...Invited?

-Anon PoV-

"So it JUST feels like a necklace?"

Applejack sips her drink. "Ah don't know what you think it WOULD feel like, Anon."

"Well I don't -know-, what's an Element of Harmony SUPPOSED to feel like? It's a big bad magical artifact, you'd think you'd feel, I dunno, more honest wearing it."

"You saying I'm not honest?"

"Applebloom still believes in Santa Claus."

AJ blushes and looks away. "Aint nothin' wrong with that..."

"Because as we know, Applejack believed in Santa until she was...?"

AJ grumbles.

"Didn't catch that."

"...Fourteen." she says with a sigh.

You chuckle and swirl your own drink.

AJ looks out over the crowd and back to herself. "Ah fell so dern out of place here..."

You look over.

"You look good in the dress, you're fine here."

AJ giggles and shakes her head. "Nah, I didn't fit in here years ago and I sure don't right now. Not like you do."

You cock an eyebrow. "Me? What'd I do?"

"Ya came here as just another rough-and-tumble farm hand, worked the fields from dawn till dusk and lived in a barn on my land."

"I also drank you under the table, but go on."

AJ rolls her eyes. "But as soon as ya got him in your life, ya picked yourself up and threw yourself into this life." She bops you in the arm. "Just goes to show how much ya care for the youngin'."

You down your drink.

"Aaaahh, he's a good kid. Weird, but good. And I kinda have to, right? I'm all he's really got in the world...hell, he's pretty much all I have too."

AJ sips her drink. "He aint ALL you have, Anon."

"Now what could you mean by that, A-"

Whatever she meant would have to wait as a kart full of food is pushed through the door and slams into the windows across the room.

-Music-

Guests and party goers shout in surprise. Wondering who could be interrupting their party in such a violent way.

They quickly get their answer.

Through the broken doors enter ponies in long coats. And not just ponies, zebras and griffins too. ... A lot of them now that you think about it.

They take up positions in the room and corral the guests away from the door, and you soon figure out why.

He's huge. He defies huge. Whenever you think of "huge" in the future, you'll think of this guy. He squeezes through the door one muscled arm at a time until he's all the way through and standing tall, his horns almost scraping the ceiling. He's wearing a heavy coat that reaches to the ankles of his cloven hooves, on his face sat a grotesque mask that echoed his labored breathing into the silent room.

He throws off an exaggerated bow before speaking, his voice coming with a low hiss that does nothing to mask the power behind it. "Mares and Gentlecolts..." he begins. "You may call me...Will."

"You are Equestria's elite, those in power, the movers and shakers of your flawed society." He starts to walk around the room, you can hear and FEEL the floor straining underneath his weight. "It is through YOUR actions that the Princesses in Canterlot are able to maintain their rule, maintain their dominance over the OTHER races of this planet! The Zebras, the Griffins, the Minotaur. For YEARS your kind has maintained absolute control over the power in this world by controlling the sun and the moon itself."

Will grabs a nearby table and flips it over, it lands ten feet down the room. "We are here to properly illustrate exactly what that control accounts for."

"Now hold on just a minute!" a voice calls.

From out of the parameter of zebras and griffins strides Fancypants, his nose held high and determination in his eyes.

"You dare come into this, a philanthropic party, and preach of your oppression? I see clothed and equipped soldiers led by a leader who seems to be wearing a rather impressive mask."

Fancy jabs a hoof towards Will. "You sir are a mockery to every upstanding pony, griffin, and minotaur who TRULY suffers! The ones for whom these philanthropic deeds are for in the first place!"

For a moment, an emotion flashes in Will's yellow eyes. Outrage.

He doesn't show it, however. The hulking minotaur walks over in front of Fancypants and places two fingers on his horn, lifting him into the air as if he were a toy.

Fleur gasps behind you as Fancypants winces and struggles in Will's grip.

"Unicorn..." Will rumbles. "The higher caste..."

With the smallest flick of his wrist, Will tosses Fancypants across the room and into a refreshment table, bouncing off it and rolling behind.

"MON DIEU!" Fleur exclaims, running over to him.

"Right there with you, Fenchy!" you say following.

Fancypants is laying on a heap on the floor, his chest rising in a stead pattern but a small trail of blood streaming from his nose.

Fleur mutters as many prayers as she knows in her native tongue and you just glare at Will. "Where is his flaunted magic now, I wonder?" he says before turning back to the crowd.

AJ stands between Will and the crow, she must have maneuvered herself over there when the trouble started. She keeps her head low and glares daggers at Will, herding the rest of the guests away from him.

You notice that one little blue guest is missing.

Will towers above the guests again, making more than a few of them quake with fear. "A fire is spreading, and from the ashes of the old world, we will create a shining future. One where we are not forced to carve out our lives under your hooves."

A loud roaring sound comes from the doorway that Will and his men came through. Two metal karts, the same ones that heralded Wills entry into the room, come rocketing through the door spouting fire from their backsides and leaving clouds of smoke in their wake.

The karts slam into two of Will's thugs and slam them against the far wall. From the smoke shoots a claw on a cable that grabs one of the griffins by the talon and drags him into it.

You hear a squawk of surprise that's cut off with a loud "CRACK!" and then silence.

From out of the smoke came the blue colt who had disappeared. But as The Batmane, not Bruce Mane, his suit seeming to absorb the light cast by the lamps and his cape coalescing around him. "Hooves may be good, but I find myself partial to two hundred pounds of food being thrown in this case."

Batmane walks out of the smoke and stares down the minotaur. "...Will. The unbreakable Will of the people. Very poetic." he says.

Will looks the boy who just took out three of his men over. "Ah, and you would be The Batmane. I've heard the tales about you from the news...as well as firsthand accounts.

He brings his big meaty hands together in a slow rhythmic clapping. "I admire the way you broke the gangs oppressing that town, Batmane. Very impressive."

"Hmm. I try to make a point of my fans not being psychotic thugs." Batmane says.

"I'm not a fan, I am simply giving the respect my adversary is due." Will retorts.

Batmane's eyes narrow. "If you know what I did in Ponyville, then you know that you won't win. You are no gang."

Will fills the room with calm and bone chilling laughter with that mask of his. "Aaahh...no, I am not the two gangs you defeated."

Will rolls his shoulders and lets his coat fall off him, revealing his MASSIVE muscles that made up his entire upper torso. "But you are not unbeatable, boy."

Bruce widens his stances and lowers his head.

"Your are proud after your past victories." Will says. "Victories bought due to your enemies underestimating you, you should not rely on that."

Bruce remains silent and scrapes his hoof along the ground.

Will waves his hand and his men pounce.

Your stomach drops for just a moment before more roaring comes from the hallway and three more food karts rocket in.

Batmane flips over the oncoming karts, the trio of Dogs that were attacking him are not so lucky and go smashing into the wall behind them.

"Preparedness is far more reliable anyway." Bruce says as he lands.

The second Bruce is back on the ground, he whips his grapple out and fires at Will, it wraps around his shoulder and pulls Bruce towards the minotaur.

The hulking monster rolls with the pull and narrowly dodges two hooves to the face.

"You rely on surprise and speed to defeat your opponents, you'll find those are less than effective here." he taunts.

Bruce lands on a table and jumps off back towards Will, this time going at his feet. "And you are top-heavy." he says, firing his grapple into the wall and diving between Will's legs before pulling the line taut.

What would fell a normal foe barely deters Will as he catches the line and simply pulls a chunk of the wall out.

"Clever!" he cries, bringing up his fist.

Bruce narrowly dodges the punch and rolls away, Will chuckling. "Using your terrain to your advantage. An amateur, if effective, tactic."

Bruce rights himself and reaches into his belt, unleashing a flurry of those little ninja star things at Will.

The minotaur raises his arms in front of his face and slowly stomps forward. "Such careless waste of resources! Truly a champion of the elite"

Among the flurry of projectiles, one happens to embed itself in Will's arm, he doesn't even blink.

Until it beeps.

Will's eyes go wide as electricity arcs over his body from the black projectile, causing Will to convulse and filling the room with the smell of burning hair.

"RRRAAAAGH!" Will shouts, tearing the shuriken from his arm and crushing it. "A trick! Cowards weapons!"

A line shoots past Will's head. "An effective distraction!" Bruce shouts as his grapple pulls him towards Will's head, his hoof cocked back with a sparking brass-knuckle device on it.

That would normally be the end of it.

That SHOULD have been the end of it.

But it wasn't.

As Bruce near, Will swerved his head out of the way, letting Bruce sail past him. On his way past, Will reached his hand up and grabbed Bruce's cape.

He wrenched his arm back and swung Bruce into the air. "Fool me once, shame on you." Will says.

He spins Bruce around by the cape over his head before releasing him.

Towards the window twenty stories high.

"Fool me twice, shame on me."

Bruce impacts the window with a sound you couldn't describe. Whether it was the sound of the glass cracking and breaking or his bones snapping against the three solid inches of the stuff, you couldn't say.

All that matter was that he blew through it with no inclination of slowing down.

"OH GOD, NO!"

Your legs start moving without you telling them to, faster than you thought they could towards the window.

You snag Bruce's grapple along the way, still stuck in the wall behind Will, and leap out the broken window.

"ANONYMOUS!" you hear AJ shout. " Sacrebleu!" Fleur mirrors.

The building had a slight curve to it before giving way to a straight drop-off that Bruce was now rolling down. You slide behind him doing everything you could to pick up speed.

Gotta save him, just gotta.

You stretch yourself out as the line from the grapple uncoils behind you and you reach your hand out to reach Bruce before he falls off the sheer drop.

"BRUCE! COME ON LITTLE BUDDY, HELP ME HERE!"

He doesn't respond. Fuckberries.

The drop-off was fast approaching, you had to hurry.

You strain the muscles in your arm to stretch yourself even further than you had before, all the while hoping that the line behind you wouldn't give out.

All you could think about was his body bouncing off the hard concret below an-

NO. NOT THINKING ABOUT THAT. STRETCH YOURSELF BEFORE YOU WRECK YOURSELF, FOOL.

Almost... He was inches away from both your hand and the ledge now.

Almost...

A lucky bump in the roof slows Bruce down just enough for you to grab him by the hoof and pull him close.

"GOTCHA!"

Now you just had to worry about that ledge.

"SHITSHITSHIT."

You feel your legs start to slip off and almost crap your pants as you hit the stop trigger on the grapple. It lets out a horrifying KERCHUNK as the line catches and leaves you dangling about ten feet from the ledge.

Okay...

You look down at Bruce and wish you hadn't. His face was torn up from the shards of glass, several large one sticking out of him, his breathing was labored and shallow and blood trickled from his nose and a bit from his mouth.

"Oh god...hold on buddy, we'll fix you right up."

Please let him be able to be fixed.

Now you had to figure out how you get back up dangling he-

The whole building seems to shake from up above. You hazard a glance and see Will standing near the window, stomping on the line to get it to break.

"OH THAT MOTHERFUCKER."

Shit shit uhh...

You didn't just jump out a window to die here. A glance to the lets you see a window washer's platform hanging some distance away.

It'll have to do!

You prop your legs on the side of the building and run until your momentum declines, then you run the other way to build up more.

That game of extreme pendulum continued three times, all the while with Tons-of-Fun up there trying to kill you.

At last you swallow what could be your last breath and let go of the grapple.

"FUUUUUUUUCK!"

The two of you sail through the air and clatter to the ground of the platform, you brace yourself as it shudders and shakes under the force.

Up above, a loud SNAP heralds the line going limp and the grapple falling down below. You follow it as it falls and see flashing blue and red lights at the base of the tower. The local guards.

You look back up at Will and glare as much hate into the guy who hurt Bruce as you could, and to his credit, he just stands there and glares as much hate back at the man who saved his enemy.

And then he grabs his coat and walks away, probably intent on evading the guards.

As soon as he's out of sight, you collapse onto your ass and cradle the broken colt in your arm as the day comes crashing down on you.

All the while, you only have one thought.

"We'll fix you up...I promise..."

Here's hoping you can keep that promise.

House Call.

-Music-

The room you're sitting in is dark and you've got no inclination to change it right now. It was a dark time.

Somewhat poetic, really.

After what had happened at the party, you did the only thing you could. You grabbed AJ and Bruce and ran back to Ponyville, back to where you were the safest. Not a hard thing to do when the son of an obscenely wealthy socialite appears hurt after a terrorist attack.

They patched him up in the hospital here, they had WANTED to do it there but you had screamed up a storm and "convinced" them to move him.

You did not want Bruce in the same city as that maniac.

Even with the story you concocted, there was a chance he could find him.

You couldn't take that chance...

And so here you sit in your big empty house in Ponyville, with the one other living soul in it barely even doing that and laying motionless on the bed.

His face is bandaged and he remains silent as the grave and almost as still, save for the slight rhythmic rise and fall of his chest.

Under his bandages, his eyes remain shut. His eyes were NEVER shut when he slept, that worries you.

From downstairs you hear the opening and closing of the front door. That'd be the doctor the hospital sent leaving after saying that they had done all they could to help Bruce and what he needed now was time.

So more waiting was in order. Perfect.

As you look over the boy, your boy, in the bed, you see him for what he really is. He was smart, he was strong, he was swift...but he was oh so fragile.

He could be broken, and it was very hard putting him all back together.

Time passes and you remain in your chair by the bedside. The only sounds in the room being the steady beeping of the EKG machine.

For the moment.

From downstairs, you hear the front door open and shut. Meaning that the doctor didn't lock it on his way out.

"Fuuuuuuuck."

You rise from your chair and walk out of the room. Your muscles and joints popping and snapping in protest from the hours of inactivity. You walk through the hall and make your way to the central staircase that overlooks the front door.

"Look, whoever you are, it's really not a good time right no-"

Your words die in your mouth when you see the familiar colored ponies standing in your foyer.

"Anonymous...ya look like ya haven't slept since ya got back." Applejack says

"That's because I haven't, AJ."

Next to her, Twilight takes a step forward. "How is he...?"

You sigh. "Not awake, so not god enough. Come on." You wave for them to follow you and walk back into the room.

Bruce was still laying there just as you'd left him.

"There he is..."

Applejack covers her face with her hat. "It...didn't look that bad on the way back."

You walk over and resume your post by the bed again. "Yeah...I thought that too..."

Twilight looks Bruce over before taking a step towards you. "Did the doctors give any idea as to when he'll wake up?"

You shake your head, Twilight hangs hers. "...None at all?"

"Twilight!" Applejack hisses.

Twilight winces and takes a step back. "I'm sorry, I can't imagine what you're going through."

You cock an eyebrow and look at them. "Girls...? What's going on?"

They glance at each other for a split second before answering "Nothing." in tandem.

Okay, that's weird.

"Giiiiirls..."

"Anonymous, relax."

"Why are you being so damn dodgy?"

"Calm down, partner."

"What's going on?"

"We just need to-"

"What do you guys want?"

Suddenly a new voice. "Twilight Sparkle? Applejack? Art thou ready for us?"

...Oh shit.

You hear the faint "clink clink clink" of crystalline horseshoes grow ever closer from inside your dark room.

Oh shit.

When it gets almost on top of you, the wearer of those horseshoes walks into the room in all her navy blue glory.

Shit shit.

"...Princess Luna." you say in greeting.

"Anonymous." she says with a curt nod.

Fuuuuuuck your life.

Luna trots up closer to you. "We sent a missive to Twilight Sparkle requesting an audience with you both."

"...You could have CALLED."

"We thought a friendly face in these...trying times would be of some comfort to you." she says.

Luna looks over both you and the prone colt on the bed. If she felt any emotion behind those icy blue eyes of hers, she didn't show it.

"How did this happen?"

Shit. Time to lie. To the Princess.

"Well..." You stand up. "As you know from the news, the event was attacked by some radicals lead by a minotaur. The Batmane showed up and fought him, but his goons were still around. One of them must have roughed up Bruce before they left..."

You glance to Bruce and then back to Luna.

Shiiiit.

The monarch remains stone faced as ever, not revealing a hint of emotion. The lie had to work, she wasn't there, she couldn't know.

"We do not believe you."

SHIT.

"Hahaha, what?"

Fuckfuckfuck.

Luna walks over to the bed and looks down at Bruce, her face finally flickering just a bit.

"Upon the night of the altercation, it was a full moon."

She turns to you. "As you may or may not be aware, Anonymous, we see all that the moon sees. And we saw The Batmane flung through the window by the one called "Will"."

"Ahuh..."

"And the wounds that young Mister Mane seems to have suffered match the wounds The Batmane would have suffered from being thrown through a window."

SSHHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT.

Luna trots away from the bed. "We have been curious in this...vigilante since the royal crowns were stolen out from under us some time ago. We believe them to have been returned by this Batmane."

She glances at both you and Applejack and Twilight. "Since that day, we have looked into this matter on our own time. And we seem to have discovered that the Batmane and his activities seem to focus around the three of you."

Shit.

"We would like to know why."

Twilight looks like she's about to pass out, AJ looks away. That honest streak was coming back to bite you here.

"Uh...it's really just a coincidence, Princess."

From Luna's less than thrilled expression, you assume she's unconvinced. "Once is a coincidence, Anonymous. Twice, a trend. Three times? That is a pattern."

Fuck.

Now you look away, unable to meet her gaze until you could think up another new lie.

Luna wasn't having any of that, it seems. "We ORDER you to tell us."

Shit...that was it.

"We-"

Nothing else escapes you, however. The moaning and writhing body on the bed next to you distracts you.

Holyshit.

You do what surely none in Equestria have done in ages and turn away from the angry moon princess.

"BRUCE!"

Twilight and Applejack gallop up next to you, Princess Luna taking a few steps back.

Bruce moans and groans under his bandages, pawing at his face. Behind them, you see his eyes open and adjust to the room.

"Where...am I?" he asks.

Ohthankgod...

"You're...you're home, Bruce. We took you home. Are you alright?"

He winces and leans back. "My face is itchy. I am...sore beyond belief...But I am alive...thank you Anonymous."

You nod. "Don't mention it."

He's alive...

Bruce looks past you and spots the Moon Princess, his eyes widening. "Oh. Hello Princess Luna. What are you doing here?"

Luna grunts. "Losing my patience, Mister Mane. We have come here to learn about the Batmane and we want to know right now."

The cold authority in her voice shakes you, it's all you can do to avoid blurting it out right here. Bruce leans back and looks to the three of you, taking in your faces before turning back to Luna.

"What do you know already?"

Luna trots forward, her head held high. "We know that it was most probably Batmane who retrieved our crown for us, we know that Batmane is frequently seen in close proximity to Applejack, Twilight Sparkle, and Anonymous here, and we know that the wounds you have suffered match those one would suffer if thrown through a window as Batmane was."

Bruce hangs his head ever so slightly. "...Princess, if you were to obtain that information, what would you do with it? What do you want?"

Luna's eyes narrow and seem to glow from within. "We want the monster who would come into OUR kingdom and assault OUR people gone."

A long moment passes, one that ends with Bruce lifting his head back up and looking Luna in the eye.

"I believe I can cooperate, then."

Gathering Force.

The midday sun hangs high in the sky as you walk out the back door of the house. You could hear him out there, the steady THWACK THWACK THWACK of the trees. He had been a little blur of motion ever since he was able to get out of bed.

You sigh explosively. "Dammit kid..."

You walk down the cobblestone steps and onto the small path near the back garden. After a few dozen steps, you walk off the path and head into the treeline, all the while following the sound of someone striking the trees.

And that someone you did find.

Bruce strikes his hooves off one of the trees and spins through the air before connecting on another, his hoof lashing out and throwing his shuriken into a third tree. His cape flutters to the ground and settles behind him as he lands.

"Anonymous." he says as he rises.

"Want some lunch, Bruce?"

He shakes his head. "I need to get better, I can't do that inside."

"Better?" You gesture to the trees. "You seem pretty on the ball to me."

Bruce lowers his cowl and you wince a bit.

The trip through the window had cut up his face. Medicine and magic did what they could, but some of the scars had yet to fade off his prepubescent face.

"I need to be better..."

You rub your eyes and lean on a tree. "You also need to EAT, boy. Keep your strength up if you're going to train."

Bruce grumbles and turns his head.

"Bruce..." You take a few steps over to him and put your hand on his shoulder. "Do you know what overtraining is? It's when you work yourself so hard that it takes its toll on your body and you eventually hurt yourself."

Bruce shrugs your hand off. "I know what overtraining is...but..."

"But...?"

He turns to you, his eyes narrowed."But Will is twice your size and several times mine, and all of that is muscle. I...need to beat that somehow."

You sit down next to him. "Bruce, Will is a MINOTAUR, they're -all- all muscle. You can't match him in strength alone."

Bruce violently jerks away from you and whirls around, looking at you with furious eyes. "Then HOW, Anonymous?! How am I to match the strongest there is!?"

You back away. "I don't know! Out maneuver him!"

"How!?" he pleads.

"Because you're better than him!"

Bruce doesn't say anything, just exhales through his nostrils.

"He...he only has followers, people who flock to him. You have FRIENDS, Bruce. People who want to help you because of who you are instead of what you may be saying."

He cocks an eyebrow.

"Will...he lies and spreads honeyed words to gather people. You're better than that, SMARTER than that.

Bruce bites his lip and looks away a bit.

"That's your strength, Bruce. Not your muscles, but your mind and your friends."

Bruce sighs and meets your eyes. "Let's...go get lunch, sir."

You and Bruce walk inside into the kitchen and you start cutting up some apples for him.\ Behind you, you hear Bruce hop up to the table and switch on the television. You also heard everything the TV said, though you wish you didn't.

"-eports coming in that the mysterious figure known only as "The Will" is moving through west Equestria and gathering a staggering amount of support."

Oh hell...

You turn to look at the TV, out of the corner of your eye you see Bruce tense up.

The newscaster continues. "Will, seen here in this footage of him battling the equally mysterious "Batmane" in Manehattan recently, claims to be the voice and indeed "will" of the people of the world outside of Equestria. A people he claims have been oppressed by our own kingdom's control over a majority of the magic in the world. Both Marehiem and Dream Valley have both publicly stated that they will allow The Will to pass through their city freely, wanting no trouble. We have here Professor Bill Ni-"

Bruce clicks off the TV and exhales. "...How can people stand up against something if entire cities are bowing to him?" Bruce sighs. "If either Princess publicly denounces Will, they will appear to be tyrants and play right into Will's hands..." Bruce taps his hoof to his forehead. "If Will is to be stopped, the people must stop him..."

He taps his head a few more times before his eyes snap open wide. "...The people must stop him." Bruce hops out of his chair and pulls his cowl up. "I have to go prepare, Mister Anonymous!" he shouts as he bounds for his pantry.

"Bruce, wait!"

He pauses and looks at you. You toss the now peeled apple to him.

"Keep your strength up, eh?"

He grins and nods. "Yes sir."

You are Captain Shining Armor and it's late at night. Around midnight, to be exact. And here you were standing on the roof of city hall like a moron because someone on the radio told you to.

It had come in a little after lunch. You were working at your desk when the frequency on your radio shifted to static. The static didn't last long, however, as a voice came over it.

"Meet me on the city hall roof at midnight, come alone." it had said before fading.

You generally didn't heed the orders of mysterious voices on your radio, but whoever this was somehow tuned in to the reserved channel for the town guard.

That alone had you curious.

The clock tower behind you moved and struck twelve, sending a dozen bongs out across the town. In between the chimes, you could hear a faint "Pchoooo."

You turn to track the noise and find a black figure filling your vision as it descends from the sky.

"GAH!"

You swerve to the side and let the little black ball roll along the ground and right himself.

Those long pointy ears...you recognized them.

"...Batmane."

"Captain Armor." he answers.

The tiny vigilante turns and faces you, his blue eyes staring into yours.

"Reports from Manehattan put you as out of commission after your encounter with Will."

He brushes his shoulder. "Rumors of my demise have been greatly exaggerated."

Ha. Cheeky kid.

You nod.

"This situation with Will is one I want to discuss with you, Captain. That's why I called you here."

You sigh and look out over the town. "I have a feeling I know what this is about...and as much as I want to help, I don't have any jurisdiction out west."

Batmane takes a few steps towards you. "But you can get things done, move them forward." He hops up on a railing next to you. "I need you to come with me, Captain Armor."

You climb up the stairs after Batmane and onto the roof of the hospital. From the hill you can see all over the town, even to Mane Manor on the other side of it.

"...Why are we here?"

"We're waiting for someone." Batmane answers.

"Wait no longer." comes from behind you.

You whirl around and spark your horn to life, pointing it at the shadows.

Out from the darkness walks a face you remember from the wanted posters. Pink coated with ears of her own and orange tinged goggles.

"Catfilly!" You trot over to her. "Am I to believe that Batmane brought me here just for you?"

You'd been after here for a while, but Batmane stops you.

"She is with me, Captain Armor."

The criminal grins. "Yes, I'm with him, Captain~"

You swear you see Batmane roll his eyes under his cowl as he takes a step towards you both.

"I have called you both here to ask you both for assistance." Batmane says.

"-What- could you possibly need me and the boy scout over here for?" Catfilly asks.

"I am going to take down The Will. But I can't do it alone. I need both of your help."

"Hang on, hang on. Why does -she- want Will taken down?" You ask, pointing to the criminal.

The filly scowls at you. "You're not the only one he's effecting. The heightened state of awareness he brings makes traveling around...difficult."

"Catfilly understands the gravity of this situation, Captain Armor. I promise that." Batmane says, attempting to assuage you.

You'll let him...but only this once.

"And how are the three of us supposed to take Will and his followers down?"

Batmane paces back and forth. "The four of us, but that will come later."

Four?

"I will need Catfilly to steal something from Will, something important and incriminating." he says.

The girl mulls that over. "I believe I can do that."

"Good." Batmane answers. "Captain Armor."

"Yes?"

"I will need you to use your pull, to gather as many guards who will stand against Will as you can so that we can show him that he is NOT the will of ALL the people."

Hmm...

"Take a stand against him..."

"Yes."

You nod. "I may know some guys."

Batmane nods. "I will be in touch for when and where we must meet. But for now-"

He stands near the edge of the roof. "Let us begin."

With that he falls backwards and shoots off into the night.

Alright...time to make some calls.

Right and Wrong.

-Music-

The road to the hospital was empty save the two of you. Applejack silently walks next to you with the same dour expression you wear. No one in particular was really wanting to do this sort of visit...not with the circumstances.

It's been a few weeks since the whole thing with Will came crashing down. A few weeks since you saw the faces of everyone in town as their favorite librarian was rushed beaten and broken into the hospital and hooked up to Celestia knows how many machines...

The doctor's had nothing but bad news...

Whatever had happened had severed some of the nerves in Twilight's spinal column. She had been hit with such unrelenting force that her back had snapped into the odd angle she came in at. She wouldn't move her hind legs again.

That news hit everyone the hardest...especially Shining Armor. No one had seen the Guard Captain save for his daily visits to the hospital in over a week, rumor has it he was staying in the Crystal Kingdom.

And Bruce... He didn't take it well.

"You know..." you say as you both walk.

AJ turns to you.

"He should, like, be here, shouldn't he?"

She sighs. "Ya gotta let ponies grieve their own way...what works fer somepony may not work fer somepony else. And ya know he prolly blames himself."

You shake your head. "No "prolly" about it, AJ."

You enter the hospital and don't even bother stopping at reception, you know where you're going.

On arrival to the room, you're greeted with a surprising sight. Shining Armor not only lives but is leaving the room.

"Shini-!"

He doesn't stop, or turn, or even respond. He just walks down the hall and in a flash teleports away.

You and Applejack stand in shock. "I didn't know he could do that..."

"Me neither..."

"Well he's been practicing, obviously." a tired voice says form inside the room. "Now are you guys going to come in or do I have to get up?"

You and AJ each take a deep breath and walk into the hospital room.

Twilight is laying in the bed at the end of the room, her mane was an absolute mess and she had deep bags under her bloodshot eyes.

"Hey Sugarcube, how ya holdin' up?"

Twilight sniffs and rubs her eyes with her hoof. "Shining Armor spent the beginning of the day with me..."

"Oh yeah? How was he?">

Anything to lighten this mood.

Twilight looks down at her hind legs covered by the blanket. "He...listened while I coped with this."

Whoops. Nevermind. This mood was pitch dark. At least it explained the eyes...

You and AJ walk to opposite sides of Twilight and both give her a hug, one she weakly returns.

"Everything'll be alright, Twi..." she says.

"I should never have taken my eyes off you."

Twilight releases a deep sigh and pats your hand with her hoof. "It's...alright, Anon. It was the mob's fault...not yours..."

Somehow you remain unconvinced.

Twilight looks around. "Just the two of you?"

It's your turn to sigh as you pull away. "Bruce is...out."

Twilight nods. "Ahh..."

"Little feller's been "out" pretty much every day since we got back." AJ grumbles.

"That...makes sense." Twilight says.

Whoa. What?

"How?"

Twilight looks up at you. "Why did Bruce start going "out" in the first place?"

That was obvious. "Because of what happened to his parents."

"So why would it be any different if somepony else got hurt and he couldn't help?"

You open your mouth to answer but shut it just as fast. That...yeah, that made some sense...at least to him.

A ruckus arises from outside the room, the sounds of a mass of hooves clipping and clopping along the floor.

"There a tour group or somethi-"

You're interrupted by an alabaster alicorn bursting into the room with a gaggle of doctors behind her.

Twilight!"

OHSHIT.

You think you feel yourself void your bowels. By which you mean, void your body of your bowels.

That's a sane response when the immortal ruler of the nation bursts into the room, you think. You can only wonder what the appropriate response for what Twilight is going through is.

Celestia gallops up to Twilight and slides between her and Applejack before beginning to talk at a mile a minute. "Twilight! Are you okay? I came as fast as I could. What happened? Are they taking good care of you? Do you need anything? Does your family know? What were you THINKING?! Why didn't you ask for my help? Why-"

Twilight puts a hoof on her mentor's shoulder. "Princess."

The Princess clamps her mouth shut and looks at Twilight with big magenta eyes. "...I was worried."

Twilight smiles despite herself. "I know, it's alright."

Applejack cautiously trots out from behind the Princess and joins you. "Did you know she was commin'!?" she whispers.

"How the hell would I know that!?"

Your whispering catches the ear of the sun goddess, she looks up to you two. "Oh, I'm terribly sorry, I heard about Twilight and came here and just...it was like tunnel vision." Celestia bows. "I hope you can forgive my rudeness."

You and AJ glance at each other. It wasn't every day you were apologized to by a goddess.

"Uhhh...tha's just fine, Princess."

"Yeah...no worries?"

Celestia turns back to Twilight and frowns. "Such a grand destiny ahead of you...destroyed by this wanton act of cruelty..."

Huh? Destiny?

"Celestia?"

She shakes her head and frowns. "It's nothing, Anonymous...nothing at all."

Celestia trots over to the front of the bed and levitates Twilight's medical charts. Her frown only grows deeper.

"Princess...?

She chuckles and wipes a tear from her eye. "Severed spinal nerves...paralysis from the waist down..." Twilight's face falls as Celestia nuzzles her. "It's alright, my faithful student. We'll think of...something..."

Twilight smiles a bit.

"Twi...can you...tell us what happened?"

Twilight's face falls. "Well...after we separated I went into a warehouse to try and stay safe...but then this green gas flowed in, it was heavier than air and well...I'm not the tallest pony." she says with a shy grin.

Twilight adjusts herself in the bed as she tries to remember. "I remember that the gas made me really tired and I hit the ground...then I heard somepony walking towards me with...some metal thing dragging behind them. ...Whoever it was hit me in the back and I blacked out."

...What the -hell-?

The night goes on and you and AJ decide to stay until you absolutely can't.

Celestia leaves after a little while, but you two aren't alone for long. Pinkie Pie brought along Rainbow Dash and Rarity and Fluttershy brought Angel Bunny to cheer Twilight up.

All in all, a good time is had. At least considering the circumstances.

Now you and AJ are walking home late at night.

"So how good is the food at that hospital?"

AJ arches an eyebrow. "Why? You thinkin' of checkin' in?"

"No no, I just want to know that Twi will be eating right."

Applejack shrugs. "When Rainbow Dash was holed up in there with her bum wing, she said the food was alright. May have to bring some home town cookin' fer Twi, though...help her get back out there faster."

You smirk.

"That's our AJ, watching out for everyone."

Applejack sighs and shakes her head. "'Cept the time when it mattered most to my friend."

You reach out and pat her back. "Don't blame yourself..."

She brings her head back up and her brow furrows. "The one thing I wanna know is...who was that pony Twi says gassed her? And where'd he go?"

The two of you round the corner into Sweet Apple Acres.

"...I don't know, AJ. I wasn't there...even if I probably should have been."

AJ walks up the stairs to her house still asking questions. "But how'd he get away?"

You shrug. "The city was in chaos, AJ. One pony could slip away in that easy."

Applejack hangs her head. "'Taint right..."

You sigh. "No...no it's not. But it's life." You turn on your heel and walk away, heading home yourself.

"Thanks for visiting with me AJ. Don't worry yourself too much..."

-Much later-

Ponyville had recently suffered a loss. One of its proudest citizens, the Element of Magic, Princess Celestia's favored student, had been crippled. And the town grieved for her.

But for every tragedy, there would be those who would take advantage of that.

And tonight would have been one of those nights, were it not for one.

It moved through the streets, it's cape fluttering in the wind behind it. It would come across those who would harm others and it would punish them.

One such low-life, one who tried to prey on the Cakes, met it. But as they say, for every loss, there is something else you gain.

It wasted no time in pinning it to the wall and hammering it with its fists. Again and again hoof met face, teeth flying off once or twice. It suffered a few bruises, but those were a problem for tomorrow.

And when the assailant finally curled up in submission, it wordlessly turned and went back into the night, stopping only to mutter one word to both the criminal and the startled Cakes.

"Beware."

Tricks of the Trade.

Night time in Ponyville. You liked night time, especially these days.

It let you...work out your frustrations.

That was the plan tonight as you and Night's Wings tailed a pair of perps.

"Keep on them. Go left."

She flies ahead and angles herself to properly heard them into the adjacent street.

You run ahead and leap over chimney's and roofs to get into the street before them. You fire your grapple into the wall at -just- the right height, listening to the first "TWANG" before-

*TWAAAAAANG*

The perps run neck first into the line and spin head over hooves, landing on a heap on the ground.

"Huzzah! Excellent work, Batmane!"

You ignore her for now.

"Take them."

The two of you pounce on the thugs and enter into a brief, one sided, and "Huzzah!" filled melee.

Your new recruit was...excitable.

The melee ends with the two ponies on the ground, one moaning and groaning at a few wounds and the other nursing several broken bones off near a lamp.

"Most riveting!"

You turn and look at her. "...Yes. Help me restrain them."

You and Night's Wings grab some rope and tie off the two thugs to the street lamp, the one whimpering as you came closer.

Shining Armor could handle the rest.

"Well! That about WRAPS things up, wouldn't you say, Batmane?"

You look at her through dull eyes. "Night's Wings, meet me on that roof."

You pull out your grapple and shoot off onto said roof.

Time for a chat...

You land and roll on the roof, a slight giggling coming from behind you.

"You find something funny?" you ask, rising.

Luna lands gently on the roof and sits. "'Tis just amusing to see a child such as yourself go from combating those ruffians to rolling about on the floor."

You narrow your eyes a bit. That would slide...this time. Onto business...

"We need to have words..."

Luna smiles a bit. "Certainly, Batmane..."

That was something she was always wonderful at, using codenames in the field.

But...

"Your..."pep" for lack of a better term down there is a bit odd."

She cocks an eyebrow. "Your brutality is a bit odd, from what we have seen."

Hmph.

"I have no idea what you are talking about."

Her eyes narrow behind her mask. "You have always been driven, Batmane...but never cruel. I have never seen a report stating that you hurt somepony more than was needed, not like down there." she says tilting her head towards the street you just came from. "Why?"

You flare your nostrils.

"I don't have to answer to you."

A twinge of righteous anger sparks in Luna's eyes and she stomps her hoof on the roof below her. "NOW Mister Mane."

For an instant, you forget everything you learned abroad, you forget that gnawing anger in the pit of your gut, you forget that this mare came to you to learn to do what you did and that you were technically her superior in that regard.

No none of that mattered right now because the Princess was mad at you. And as with all young Equestrians, especially of high birth, you had had it ingrained into your head that that was never a good idea.

"NUUUH! Fine! Fine! I'm frustrated!"

"Frustrated at WHAT, child?"

You try to stop it, but the confession just flows. "I'm frustrated that I wasn't able to help Twilight and that now there is another vigilante in the town!"

Luna takes a step back. "Why...would that bother you?"

You snort. "Because...this is MY burden, I'm supposed to protect this place."

Luna frowns. Not out of sadness, but frustration."Batmane that is simply not going to work."

"Wha-?" you start.

Luna puts her hoof on your shoulder and smiles. "This is -our- town to protect. You do not and should not have to bear this burden on your own..."

That comment...it makes you feel warm inside

"Not come along! Let us go learn more about this Mare Do Well!" Luna cries before taking off from the roof.

WaitWHAT.

"Wait up!"

You quickly grapple after her into the night.

After a few blocks of weaving between buildings and running on roofs, Luna touches down on one near the stream running through town.

You land and trot up next to her.

"Are you mad!? Separating on patrol is one thing, but announcing our intentions to the entire town?"

"Oh hush, Batmane. Come here!"

You grumble and walk up next to Luna, you'd humor her this time...

She reaches into the dirt collected on the top of the roof and begins tracing her hoof through it. In a few short moments, a crude map of Ponyville is drawn out with several X's on it.

"What is this?"

"This is where all of the incidents of this Mare-Do-Well have occurred!" she pokes at the map. "As you can see, they are all on the West side of town here!"

Sure enough, all the events seemed to be clustered around the towns Western half, with the Quill and Sofa store in the middle.

"I think this store is where the Mare-Do Well begins each night!"

You stroke your chin. "That's...actually incredibly clever, Night's Wing. How did you come up with that?"

She titters. "We are a big fan of mystery novels."

Oh. Well that made sense.

"Well then...let us make haste for the quill and sofa store?"

She smiles. "Huzzaaaaaah!" she whispers.

You can't help but smirk. "Better, thank you."

After the two of you arrived at the quill store, you begun the stakeout. Stakeouts were a natural part of detective work, you had to try and catch the perp in the act

And a natural part of stakeouts was waiting.

But that didn't mean you liked it.

Luna didn't either if her off-key singing was any key. "thirty-five bottles of cider on the wall...thirty-five bottles of cider..."

"Night's Wing."

She blinks. "Hmm?"

"What number did you start on?"

"Five hundred, Batmane."

You feel your eye twitch despite your efforts. "Perhaps give it a rest."

She chuckles a bit and winces. "Hehe...yes...we are sorry."

Oh thank Celestia...

The two of you continue to sit in your cover.

"...How do we know they will show up?" Luna asks.

You blink.

"I don't. But we'll be here until they do."

"Batmane?"

"What?"

"What does the Mare Do Well look like?"

Ah. A good question. "Well, she is clearly a mare based on the features I can see under her mask. She wears a deep lavender cape/suit combo and hat with elements of deep maroon in it."

"And her hat is large and covers most of her head?"

"Precisely."

"Well then I think she sees us."

"WHAT?"

You hop to your feet and peer down the edge of the building next to Luna. On the ground, in the street light, looking up at you, was the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well.

A few tense and awkward moments pass between the three of you before she bolts down the street.

"After her!"

-Music-

You and Luna jump down from the roof of the Quills and Sofa's store and run after Mare-Do-Well.

"Go left!"

Luna banks off to the left side and makes for the rooftops, using her wings to achieve the lift she needs. You stay on the ground and keep on Mare-Do-Well, trying your best to keep pace.

It wasn't easy. She was a fully grown adult by the look of things and while you were a tad larger than most foals, you had yet to even get your cutie mark. Your small little legs could only propel you so fast.

Luna, however, did not have that problem. Nor did she have a problem showing it. She pulled ahead of Mare-Do-Well, unfurling her wings out to steady herself and gain the maximum thrust she could get and stabilize herself.

She pulls ahead of Mare-Do-Well and jumps down where the street lets out. Mare-Do-Well banks to the right.

"Let's go!"

Luna catches up behind you as you chase after Mare-Do-Well as she runs into a nearby warehouse.

"She'll have nowhere to run, now!" Luna says.

You weave through the doors and enter into a large distillery. Large metal cookers and vats lined the sides of the room and barrels were stacked near the back.

Barrels your prey was fast running towards.

"Halt!"

For some unknown reason, she actually listens and skids to a halt right by a barrel.

You and Luna rush towards her and stop some ten feet away, dropping into combat stances. Moments pass with none of you making a move.

"...Why are you here?"

Silence is your answer.

"Who sent you?"

You see her peek towards the barrels.

"...Who -are- you?"

Still nothing.

You step forward and stomp. "Answer m-"

You get no further before Mare-Do-Well rears back and kicks the support leg out from one of the barrel stands.

The barrels come crashing down to the floor and spill their golden liquid on the ground, sending a rushing wave towards you and Luna.

"UP!"

You throw your grapple and aim while Luna flutters up ahead of you to the rafters.

Below you, Mare-Do-Well rides the wave of cider out the door and into the street outside before running off down it.

You sigh.

This was going to be a pain...

Behind you you hear someone smacking her lips. "Mmmm! This brew is delectable!"

You sigh again.

Dammit Luna...

Orange Handed.

"Chop chop chop watchin' carrot bits drop."

That was the mantra you sung to yourself as you chopped said carrot bits. It was lunchtime in the house and that meant that you needed to feed the boy.

Lord knows he wouldn't do it himself when he was like this.

You look to the pantry door that leads down to his little Cave and grimace. Normal boys would spend their Saturdays out playing ball or fishing or other things you saw on daytime tv, not in a makeshift crime-lab.

But, then again, you didn't have a normal boy.

You collect the veggies in a bowl and open the pantry, heading down the carved steps.

"Bruce? Lunch is on."

"Down here, Anonymous." you hear as you walk into the Cave proper.

You make your way down and hear a bit of Bruce talking. "I have company coming, we can talk more about this shrunken city of yours later."

What?

As you enter the cave, you're greeted by the quadruple heads of a hydra.

"GAH!"

You stumble back and practically drop the bowl.

"It's animatronic." Bruce says.

On cue, the mechanical hydra shifts it's heads and releases a metallic hiss.

You grip your chest. "Where the FU-HELL did you get that?"

Bruce continues to work at his little crime lab in the corner. "Luna and I...procured it after the break-in at the national history museum in Canterlot last week."

You cock an eyebrow.

"You -stole- it?"

"Liberated, sir. It was stolen and was to be put up for scrap anyway."

You join him at the table. "Liberated."

"I could say "trophy" if it makes you feel better." he says, working.

In Bruce's hooves rests a tiny shard of wood.

"What's that?" you ask setting down his lunch.

"A shard of wood from the latest encounter with the Mare Do Well. I'm hoping to glean a clue from it."

You look over Bruce's various microscopes and magnifiers, identifiers and inspectors, all strewn across the table as he went over the wood.

...You lean down and sniff it.

"It's wood."

You sniff again.

"Slightly cider flavored wood."

Bruce's face contorts to one of annoyance. "Yes, thank you sir, for both the deductive insight and the food, would it be too much to ask for some privacy now?"

Tch. Rich kids.

You frown. "Party pooper, no cake for you."

He wants to be that way? Fine. You don't need him. You walk back upstairs with hands in pockets and scowl on face and sit down on your couch.

"...Hmm."

...Well now what?

Your social life was already on life support before getting a ward dealt the death blow. These days you mostly stuck around the house, looked after Bruce, cleaned, or talked with AJ or Twi about life.

These days your secret keepers were the only ones you could really talk to. You remember that a Princess is now included in those numbers.

That's kind of awesome.

And a good start.

You head to the kitchen and dial AJ, she might be free. The dial tone rings...

And rings...

And...rings...

...And you're reminded that Equestria may have phones, but no answering machines.

"Shit."

You hang up and go fall face first on the couch.

So bored. Can't focus. Need life.

But the only other pony you could really talk to these days was in the hospital an-

...Wellll...

Visiting hours -were- later on weekends...

Turns out going to the hospital was a great idea, you were having a fun time with Twilight.

"Hmm...Starswirl the Bearded."

"Was actually a HUMUNGOUS jerk, he would delegate everything to the magi under him and just slack off all day." Twilight says.

"Whaaaaat? But all the stories make him out to be awesome!"

Twilight winks. "And all the stories get little colts and fillies to want to study magic."

"Oh that's clever."

"Scarily so."

The two of you share a laugh by the water's edge.

You had found Twilight wigging out in her room when you arrived, she had finished her physical therapy today and was waiting on Spike to deliver another shipment of books to read.

That in mind, you took pity on her and wheeled her out to the nearby lake for some fresh air. Or at least to get her in a position where she can tell scandalous stories about ancient ponies.

But it was good to see her smiling again...

"Hah. You're good at that, Twi. A Shame Bruce will need another historian now..."

Twilight cocks an eyebrow. "Why's that, Anonymous?"

You rub the back of your head.

"Well- I mean- You got...crippled helping hi-...us, Twi. We can't ask you to come back into that life after that..."

Twilight adjusts herself in her wheelchair. "Well then it's a good thing you don't have to ask."

Whoa. Wait.

"What?"

Twilight looks over the lake and smiles a wry smile. "I may not be all I was before...but I'm much more than just my body or my spine, I've still got the most available knowledge on Equestrian history and that's apparently what you and Bruce need sometimes."

She looks at you and smiles. "And he -does- help, you saw what he did in Fillydelphia."

You nod slowly, still sore over losing Twi in the first place.

"So I'm going to help any way I can, even if it's from this chair..."

You smile and follow her gaze over the lake. You spot a mother duck leading her ducklings across the water.

"Hey Twi..."

"Hmm?"

"Tell me a story about Clover the Clever."

You can practically HEAR Twilight roll her eyes. "Where do I even START?"

You drop Twi off once Spike shows up. Which means Twi makes you wheel her back to her room and ditches you the minute Spike shows up with the books.

That's fine, you can't say no to crippled girls. Not content to just wait around at home some more, you walk about.

The sun has set long ago by the time you find yourself near Sweet Apple Acres.

Hmm...been a while since you saw Mac.

You amble past the gate and head towards the barn house. You can see the giant mass of red and muscles locking up as you get closer.

"Hey Macintosh."

He pokes his head up and smiles. "Hey there, Anonymous."

The two of you shake hand and hoof as is your custom.

"So were you guys out all day? I called but didn't get an answer."

Mac cocks an eyebrow. "We've been here all day. In fact, Applejack's done been inside the house since early this mornin'.

That's unlike her. "What? Why?"

Mac shrugs. "She came home from somewhere when I was just gettin' up to work. She went inside and fell into her bed and I aint rightly seen her since."

Tch. Apple farmers.

"Can I go find her?"

Mac nods and turns back to his work.

You make your way to the front door, stepping lightly as to avoid waking Applebloom up and look in the window. By some stroke of luck, you catch sight of a blonde tail vanishing upstairs.

"What are you up to...?"

You creep past the door and tiptoe through the Apple Clan's home. You'd spent a lot of time here when you had first arrived in Equestria and you KNOW how creaky these floorboards are.

Inch by inch you move towards the stairs, stepping on the rug to muffle your footsteps. As you sneak up the stairs, you can hear someone moving fabric around coming from where you know is AJ's room.

What? Did Rarity make an outfit or something?

You reach the top of the steps and turn the doorknob.

You can see AJ inside, half in and half out of her closet as she moves things around inside. You need to see more.

The door creaks ever so silently as you lean further in, but AJ can't hear over the sound of her own racket. You poke your head in and peer into the closet, squinting to see what you can.

In the back of the closet rests a costume you know. The dark purple color, the wide brimmed hat, the mask, the cape.

You'd seen it on wanted posters both around town and in Bruce's cave.

And it brings to mind only one thing.

"What. The. FUCK?"

AJ jumps a foot and a half and wheels around. "Anonymous! What in the hay are you doing sneaking around into a girls room like that!?"" she shouts.

"AJ! What in the HELL are you doing with THAT! YOU'RE the Mare-Do-Well!?" you shout as you step inside.

Applejack may as well be watching a tennis match with the back and forth she does. "I-it's nothin'! And don't shout! You'll wake Applebloom!"

Oh AJ, shittiest liar in the world.

You close the door behind you.

"AJ what the hell?"

"Now hold on."

"What is this?"

"Wait a minute-"

"Does your family know?"

"Now would ya-"

"Oh my god, does GRANNY know?"

She'd kill her.

Applejack just glares at you. "Can I talk now?"

"Can you tell me why you're risking your life like this?"

"Can you tell me why -Bruce- does it?"

You just stare right back at her. Of course you could.

"Uh, because he's WEIRD?"

Well meaning, just weird as hell.

AJ furrows her brow a bit.

"Not to mention that he SOMEHOW knows what he's doing, I trust that he can come back home every night."

"That don't make it right, Anon." she says.

"No, but it makes it tolerable."

Barely.

Applejack stomps her hoof. "He's nine years old! No older n' Applebloom! He shouldn't -have- to do this kinda stuff!" She hangs her head a bit. "I saw him...when he got hurt by that Will guy, and I saw him hurt before that too!" Applejack shakes her head. "Aint nothin' on this earth that's worth a foal gettin' hurt...not when us grown-ups are there to protect 'em."

The two of you stand there for a bit and you see AJ's big sister shine through like the sun.

"Yeah, well...you getting hurt isn't an alternative either."

Her eyes meet yours. "You matter to too many people, not just us but your family too. And Bruce takes those risks so NO ONE else has to, foal or adult."

"But he still needs HELP, Anonymous."

You shake your head.

"Bruce has help, he's got alicorns and genius unicorn scholars to help him, and the guard captain in his wing. What he -needs- is people who can help take care of him, teach him how to be normal so he has some -balance- in his life."

AJ looks down at the floor, her eyes darting back and forth.

"That's what you're good at, AJ. Stability. Applebloom's probably the nicest kid I know and she's got you to thank for that."

AJ looks back at her costume hanging in the closet, a twinge of regret in her eyes. Her eyes with...big circles underneath them...

You sigh. "Look AJ, you're tired...why don't you get some rest?"

The fire returns to her eyes. "I can take it."

Oh no. Dad mode on.

You look down your nose.

"Applejack."

"Ah'm fine!"

"AJ."

"I don't need to sleep yet!"

You're both quiet for a minute before you point at the bed. "Climb."

Applejack just looks at you before she kicks her closet door shut and hangs up her hat, climbing into bed.

You sit back against the wall.

"Not leaving until you're dead asleep."

Applejack looks at you and then her bed. "I'm never gonna hear the end of it if you stand there all night...climb in."

Uhh...

You find your feet moving on their own and you sit on top of the blankets next to AJ.

"You don't...need a bedtime story, do you?"

Promotions.

The three of you sit at the kitchen table together. Well, less together, more "you vs him." You and AJ sit on one end of the table, Bruce on the other. The boy is staring down his snout at you, slowly tapping his hooves together in contemplation about what he had just heard.

"So...when you say "I was the Mare-Do-Well..." he begins.

Applejack clears her throat. "I mean that I dressed up and tried to fight crime, yes."

His eyes narrow, making you and AJ pokerface as hard as you both are able. "And you knew about this?"

"Uh...I just found out recently, yeah."

Bruce sighs. "...Why did you wait until NOW to tell me?"

AJ sighs. "Because yer only nine years old, Bruce. And nine year olds shouldn't have ta do what you do."

Huh. That was the same thing she told you.

"Well you getting hurt is not an acceptable alternative to that, Miss Applejack." Bruce retorts.

Wait. That was the same thing YOU said.

You must be rubbing off on him...

Applejack closes her eyes and nods. "Yeah...it wasn't my brightest idea, took Anonymous here to get it through my head."

You ruffle her mane a bit. "It won't happen again Bruce, don't worry about it."

Bruce sighs, rubs his own mane, and taps his hoof against the table. "Alright, yes, I don't have the energy to deal with this on top of everything else."

Whoa. Guardian Mode: Engaged.

"Something on your mind, buddy?"

The tapping stops. "You could say that..." Bruce says.

You look down at AJ.

"Hey, let's go out to dinner, huh? Get your mind off whatever it is."

He sighs again. "If you think it will help..."

-Music-

Bruce sits across the table from you yet again, only this time with a more confused face than one of stern acceptance. All around the three of you, annoying waiters and equally annoying mascots dance and prance around. Behind you a band was "tearing it up" as the manager said.

Such was the way of things at Uncle Moe's Family Feedbag. You make a mental note to have Uncle Moe arrested if you can.

Bruce eyes a particularly large rat mascot with wary eyes as it dances around a nearby table with a screaming toddler.

"Heh...sorry."

He snaps up and turns his head to you. "Sir?"

"It was the only one around."

His face softens a tad. "No, it's fine it's...charming."

AJ digs into her platter of hay fries and shake next to you. "'Least the food's good!"

She had that right, it almost passed for real food.

"So how's things, Bruce?" AJ asks. "Make any new friends?"

Bruce shuffles a bit. "I've made some...pen-pals, yes. They live all over the kingdom."

"Well shoot! That sounds mighty fine. Where do they live?"

"Oh, one on a farm, the other...near the beach, one on an island, another in the desert." he says idly stabbing at his meal.

"Wow. They're all over the place, huh?"

Bruce nods. "Yes...a rather odd band I've come into contact with."

"You gonna meet up?"

He shrugs. "Maybe one day...if it's needed."

"Well how's school? Y'all learning new and interesting things?"

Bruce doesn't respond how you imagine he would. Instead he sighs harshly and sets his fork down, just staring at his plate.

...Uh oh.

"...Bruce?"

"Buddy?"

"It's nothing." he says.

Bullshit.

"Horse apples."

"Anonymous! Language!"

Damn older sister instinct...

You turn back to Bruce. "What's up, boy?"

He sighs explosively. "We have to do a paper at school...on our parents and what they do..."

Oh...Yeah...

AJ and you lower your heads. Damn. That was...heavier than you expected.

"Write about...who they were." You lift your head and look at the boy "Not as who everyone else saw them as, but what -you- saw your parents as."

AJ nods. "Yeah! Ya gotta have some fond memories of yer mom and pop from around the house, away from all them prying city eyes."

Bruce continues to stare at his food, but nods a bit. "I remember when mother took me trick-or-treating for Nightmare Night..."

"Yeah? What about your pops?"

Bruce smiles a tiny bit. "I remember...father helping me with my tutoring...he was the one who taught me physics, for every action there was an equal and opposite reaction."

You nod in agreement.

"See? You have a lot of stuff you can write about."

Bruce nods once then looks up and smiles. "It seems I do indeed. Thank you Anonymous, Applejack."

The two of you smile as you all dig back into your food.

"...This hay is a bit undercooked."

"Why did you ask for -cooked- hay?"

"It makes it go down easier."

Bruce sighs and AJ rolls her eyes.

"Sir, you are one of the oddest individuals I've met, and I dress up as a bat."

Gee thanks, boy.

Dinner passes and the three of you walk home. You twist the key in the lock and head inside, shaking off the day.

"I swear, if those mascots sang another song, I was going to SCREAM."

"You were gonna scream? And here I was plannin' ta buck him into the salad bar." AJ grumbles.

"You overreact a lot."

"'Taint overreactin' THERE."

Bruce shuffles in quietly after the two of you. "...I liked it."

You both eye him.

"It wasn't -that- bad."

"I heard worse."

The three of you share a laugh until AJ yawns.

"Sheeeeooot...I'm bushed, too early of a day today."

Bruce puts his hooves together and bows to AJ. "Thank you, Miss Applejack. I always enjoy seeing you."

She ruffles his mane. "Y'all be good, Bruce."

"Have a nice walk home, ma'am."

Heywait.

"You know..."

AJ looks up at you.

"You don't...like, HAVE to go home tonight, especially if you're tired."

She cocks an eyebrow but grins. "Y'all inviting me to spend the night at your place, Anonymous?"

Time for the patented Anon charm.

"Sure. I may only have one bed that I also sleep in, but it's big enough for several people at a time. Believe me, I checked."

You throw in a wink.

That hangs in the air for a second before you and AJ share a deep laugh.

"Always a kidder."

"Who say's I'm kidding~?"

"Anyone who MET ya."

"You only have me there because it's so obvious."

A light chuckling draws your attention down. "You two never fail to make me laugh." Bruce says.

You laugh yourself "I'll take what I can get."

Bruce trots upstairs and waves to the two of you. "I need to go get started on my report now. goodnight Miss Applejack...goodnight dad."

You twist your head so fast there's a sonic boom, but Bruce is gone by the time you do.

That...that was...

Hehe...

You turn back to AJ all smiles. "Hear that...?"

Connecting the Dots.

-Sound-

You and the rest of the parents wait outside near the schoolhouse fence as the kids walk out.

Heh...parent, you're a parent now.

Finally ready to join the ranks of the other dead-eyed wonders out here. Luckily you didn't have a nine to five.

Bruce comes trotting out of the schoolhouse with his friends, all of them laughing and giggling to one another.

He spots you, waves goodbye, and comes up.

"Hi Dad."

"Hey sport."

It felt good that he did that.

"Ready to go home?"

He walks out through the gate past you. "Actually, I need to see Twilight about something."

Eh?

"What?"

He continues to trot along, leaving you no choice but to follow him. "Just business."

What?

"Business?"

He stops and looks back at you with those stern eyes you've seen underneath a cowl. "Business."

Ah. Cape business.

"Riiiiight...I getcha."

Bruce turns back and continues walking.

"What kind of business." you ask.

"Just going over a few things."

The two of you head through town, past the fair site and town hall, around the bakery, and to Twilight's library. The windows are open on the warm summer day and you can hear Twilight calling out for Spike to help her with this or that.

"Just going over a few things?"

Bruce nods.

Well at least it'd be quick...

You are not a clever man. Here you had figured that a simple meeting about "business" between these two would last a few minutes at most. What you had forgotten to factor in was that this was a meeting between Bruce and Twilight and was therefore already going to run long.

At least that was the thought you had had an hour or so ago.

"Are you two anywhere close to done yet?" you ask.

Bruce and Twilight turn and look at you from the other end of the room. "We'll be done when we're done, sir."

"You can't rush this, Anon."

You groan and slide your hand down your face. You just HAD to get the smart one, Anon...

Twilight wheels herself up to a screen projection of the Kingdom and points stuff out to Bruce. It had been a long and hard road, but Twilight had regained a surprising level of mobility. Even now she's gotten remarkably skilled at using her magic to drive her wheelchair around the library.

Bruce joins Twilight up at the screen and they chat.

"These robberies just make no sense...all these items are totally unrelated!" she says.

Bruce scratches his chin. "And all of them happened in different cities, not even ones connected by railway at that."

"If this is a part of some puzzle, it's lost on me." Twilight says.

"But it -does- need to be looked into, I'll go out tonight and spend the next few days checking up on these leads."

Whoa now.

"Is that a good idea?" you ask.

Bruce and Twilight look back at you.

"You just got out of school, Bruce. Is it really a good idea to be gearing up for a night out already?"

You were hoping he'd listen but-

"These crimes are recent, dad. We need to hurry or the trail will go cold and we'll be left with nothing."

There was that word again...

"I don't like this, Bruce...it feels too different and since the last "different" thing sent you out a window..."

Bruce nods. "I'll pack a parachute this time."

Was that a joke? You hope not, otherwise he needed a LOT of work.

-Late that night-

"One lump or two?"

"Two if'n ya got it."

You drop the cubes into the tea and head back out into the living room as the TV cycles through the Equestrian National News.

"I didn't know you liked sweets so much, Miss Applejack." you tease.

AJ huffs and sips her drink. "Not like I'm Pinkie Pie or nuthin', two lumps is enough."

You chuckle and sip your own. "Thanks for coming over tonight, AJ. Waiting is the hardest part."

"Specially alone, I reckon."

You nod. "You reckon right..."

You glance up at the clock. It's 2:30 in the damn morning.

"He should be back by now..." you mutter with a sigh.

AJ pats your leg. "C'mon now, the trains are probably just runnin' a little late."

"Hope you're right, A-"

A heavy door opening cuts you off, the sound of booted hooves following it.

"Bruce!?"

He comes trotting out from the kitchen, still in his suit and looking as grim as ever. Still, your heart calms down the second you see him safe.

"Hey buddy...how'd it go?"

He just grumbles in response and goes into the fridge.

"That bad, huh?"

He sighs and closes the door, coming over to the two of you and removing his cowl. "I just...don't get it."

"Don't get what, sugarcube?"

"These crimes." he says hopping up onto the couch. "They're all...just so random. Ponies stealing things that make no sense being stolen."

"Well what'd they steal?"

Bruce rubs his forehead. "Several cubic tons of water from Manehatten, sugar from the fields around Trottingham, and the entire supply of musical instruments from Stalliongrad."

You let that run through your head for a minute.

"What." you and AJ say in unison.

"I know!" Bruce shouts frustrated.

Yeesh.

You reach over and pat him on the back. "Hey now...it's alright Bruce, you'll get it."

"It might not come fast or easy, but yer gonna get it!" AJ says.

"You're clever and you've got the best help out there, there's no way you can't."

Bruce is silent for a while before he sighs and nods.

You and Applejack smile at each other, you'd been practicing the whole "Hand off motivational speech" thing.

"Besides, it's not like there's a rush to figure it out."

You had met Celestia before. And while most "gods" you could consider meeting seemed like dicks to you, you can honestly say that Celestia was one of the nicest people you'd ever met.

But boy did she like proving you wrong.

No sooner had the words left your mouth than the newscast that had been about some sports team fuzzed over with static and changed to a warehouse with dozens of tanks of water, hundreds of stacks of sugar, and a huge pile of musical instruments on it.

"Helloooooooo Equestria~."

-Music -

The voice sounded like a sick old Manticore, throaty and strained.

The three of you all pay rapt attention as the camera slowly pans across each of the items and the person manning it speaks.

"Now...I know you've had some, er, "problems" in the last few months. That Big Bad Bull and those little gangs to the south...and, I think I know why that is."

"The Batmane..." he rumbles.

Bruce bristles besides you.

"You see, The Batmane thought this world needed...a new -kind- of hero to defend all those little ponies out in it from all the...NASTIES it had to offer. D-don't we have Princesses and Elements for that?"

You hazard a glance over and see Bruce glaring directly at the screen.

"And that's...where -I- come in...See, I'm here up in Goatham City with all this...crap. You may ask "Well, why Goatham? It's not Canterlot, or Manehattan or anywhere like that." and you're right, it's not...but it -is- close to the biggest Parasprite nest this side of the Kingdom... and-" the voice gasps" -would you LOOK at all this stuff that could attract all of them?"

Dude...

"And, if The Batmane...should happen to be listening?"

You look at Bruce as the cameraman freezes.

"...Bring an umbrella."

The camera gets thrown away and begins to static over, leaving you, Bruce, AJ, and probably all of Equestria to just here one thing.

"AAAAAAAAAHEHEHAHAHAHOHOHOHOHOHOHOOHHAHAHEHAHWAHWAHWHAHAHAHAHAHEHHEEHAHAHAHHOHOOHOHOHAHAHAHAHAHAHOOHOOHAHWHWHWHAHAHAAHAAAAAAAA!"

The Prodigal Son Returns.

You caught the first train out of Ponyville after the broadcast.

Miss Applejack wanted to come but dad more or less forbade it. You agreed with him, this was not the place for someone inexperienced.

This was...a whole new game of hoofball.

The benefits of money was a private train car, the benefits of being right after a national declaration of terrorism was that you now had more or less a private train. You and dad sit alone in the car.

"...You didn't have to come."

"I wanted to."

"What you said to Miss Applejack applies to you as well, this is not a place for the inexperienced."

"I can handle myself." he says, hefting a crowbar he had procured.

You're silent for a bit.

"I...don't want you getting hurt, like Twilight was..." You bristle a bit, just a bit and not as much as you did when you first moved in, when he reaches over and puts his hand on your shoulder.

"And I'd be a terrible dad if I let you go out on your own and get hurt."

You let yourself have that moment, leaning into his hand as he scratches your ears.

"Right...well, Night's Wing will be meeting us at Goatham, as will Shining Armor."

"Do we have any way to call for help if we need it?"

You dig into your belt and pull out some slips of paper and a box of matches.

"Twilight gave me these, they're enchanted matches that replicate the dragonfire Spike uses to send letters to Princess Celestia. I can use them to send messages to Twilight."

Anonymous nods. "Good, let's not be caught with our pants down again."

The train rounds a hill and lets you see the high-rise buildings and black clouds above Goatham. Spotlights from below shine up and illuminate the clouds like miniature suns.

"Think we can do this, buddy?"

"...We have to, sir."

Otherwise Goatham might not be there anymore.

The train arrives at Goatham quickly and you and Anonymous run out of the station to the bridge. Goatham was a city that was divided into two boroughs, there was the mainland old city and the new city that sat on an island in the bay. Many bridges connected the two halves of the city and that was where the guard had stationed themselves.

You immediately seek out the one who lead them.

"Captain Armor."

He turns and looks down to you. "Batmane, I figured you'd show up here."

"I go where I'm needed."

Not to mention this was more than a bit personal.

Shining Armor looks up at Anonymous. "Why's he here?"

"Are you going to turn down help right now?"

Shining Armor chews that over. "Fair point."

"What's the situation?"

Armor grimaces and points a hoof high into the sky. "That cloud's all that's keeping the Parasprites that voice on the television spoke about from descending onto the city."

What!?

"They're here already!?"

He shakes his head. "Two explosions went off before you got here, they were high-rise water towers that had sugar dumped into them, they flooded the areas of the city below them."

You stroke your chin. "And the sugar water called the Parasprites..."

"If two towers brought the numbers my pegusi have told me, a third will make that cloud matter as much as a piece of tissue paper."

He turns back to you. "We have to get ahead of this, Batmane."

"And that we shall, Captain." comes a voice.

Descending from the late night sky comes a pony on blue wings in a black costume. Shining Armor and the rest of the assembled guard stare in slack jawed awe at the pony they knew they knew, but were smart enough not to mention by name right now.

"Night's Wing, I'm glad you could make it."

"We couldn't stay away after that broadcast, Batmane."

You nod and reach into your belt, pulling out a scrap of paper and writing the situation on it along with "Tactical advisement?". You strike a match and send the embers flying away and in a few minutes they recollect into a scroll.

You unfurl and read it. "The city will be in panic, you need to funnel all the citizens off the island and to safety."

You nod your silent agreement to your unseen partner and stow your things.

"Night's Wing, the citizens will be rioting."

Indeed you could hear them from here.

"I need you to funnel as many of them as you can out over the bridges to safety. Captain, can you handle them all?"

"We can damn sure try." he says.

Night's Wing nods her agreement. "You may count on us."

Anonymous walks up next to you. "What do we do?"

You look over the city.

"You and I must investigate and find ensure that no more bombs go off, let's go."

And with that you both wordlessly run into the city.

You and Anonymous make your way into the city. You pass the market streets and banks, the businesses and shops, even past the new Mane Enterprises building. Along the way you encounter a few fleeing and panicking citizens, you steer them towards the bridges. Soon you both enter into the older section of the new city, the parts build right after construction began.

The very familiar parts.

You both walk slowly through the deserted streets built in ages past during the cities golden age To your right is...a movie theatre.

You hear Anonymous stop. "Is tha-"

"Yes."

"...If you want to go another way."

"This is the fastest way to the docks and they're the most likely target, it makes sense."

You can feel yourself slipping back into your old way of thinking. The cold and closed off mindset that you used to ensure you wouldn't get hurt.

Anonymous looks it over. "Looks abandoned..."

"It was closed some years ago."

He turns around and looks down a familiar alley at the familiar bench sitting in it.

"Right down there..." he mutters.

You haven't moved. Anonymous looks down at you and frowns. "Come on...let's keep going."

"Yes, let's."

The two of you take a few steps when a loudspeaker cues up. "Hello? Hello!? Is this on?"

You know that voice. You and Anonymous wheel around to try and catch sight of the instantly recognizable voice from the television broadcast.

"Show yourself!"

"No!" it shouts.

You scrunch your face. You don't know why you thought that'd work.

"Are you watching us?" Anonymous says.

"Maybe." answers the voice.

"Who are you!?"

"Yuk yuk yuk yuk yuk yuk." His throaty laughter echoes through the entire street. "Just a humble little home grown Goathamite jokester...But please-"

The doors to the old theatre slowly creak open. "Don't let my word be all you go off of."

You and Anonymous both exchange a glance. And then you start to walk towards the entrance.

-Music-

You and Anonymous head through the front door of the theatre.

The years had taken their toll on the building. The wallpaper was peeling and the ceiling had paint chips hanging like bats from it. Dust coated every single surface from the front desk to the floors. You couldn't blame someone for thinking this place dead and abandoned save for the active loudspeakers.

"Come one, come all, to the First Goatham Theatre! Tonight's showing; Goatham City's Last Night!" it says.

"This Jokester guy is starting to annoy me." Anonymous whispers.

"Just power through...it's what I'm doing."

The two of you continue to creep through the hallway. "You know this is a trap, right?"

"Obviously."

"What do you think it'll be?"

You ponder.

"An ambush would be simple..."

You hear Anonymous stumble a bit and the slight "twing" of something taut releasing its pressure

"Oh shi-"

The sign above the ticket stand sparks and dethatches as gravity takes hold of it and it swings towards you both.

"Down!"

Anonymous dives flat on the ground, you jump off to the side. A bit too slowly, however. The corner of the sign catches you in the waist hard.

"HLORF!"

"Br-Batmane!" Anonymous shouts.

You land in a heap and rub the impact spot. "I'm fine..."

You do, however, notice something off. Your belt is missing.

As you look around and spot it, reaching a hoof to retrieve it, you hear another click.

"Oh no..."

The ground beneath you shudders and shakes before it swings open and plunges you and Anonymous together into a pit.

You both land in a heap and pull yourselves up.

"Really guy? The old pitfall cliché?" Anonymous asks.

"Oh I haven't -started-." the Jokester says.

Another shuddering and the walls on either side of the pit begin to close in.

"Craaaaaap."

Dad needed to learn to keep his big mouth shut.

"This wasn't an ambush..."

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA! YOU "FELL" FOR IT!"

This wasn't good.

"Batmane, the walls!" Anonymous shouts.

"I see them."

The pit was a good ten feet deep, too high to leap out of for both of you.

Alright, you need a plan. You reach into your belt fo-

Your belt is up above, along with your grapple.

...Crap.

"Batmane!?"

"No grapple!"

"OH HOW WILL THEY GET OUT OF -THIS- ONE!?"

Anonymous' brow furrows. "I'll SHOW you, funnyman!"

He runs to the closing wall, crowbar in hand, and kicks off of it. He strains his arms far and with a resounding "CLANG!", gets the hook of the crowbar onto the lip of the floor above.

"Give me your hoof!"

You gallop up to him and leap into the air, your hoof locking into his hand.

"Alright I ha-WHOA!"

Anonymous swings his arm forward and releases you at the apex, sending you flying out of the hole and back into the lobby above.

As you run back, you hear the sound of sneakers hitting the concrete you were laying on.

You reach the hole and stick your hoof back in.

"Alright, now you!"

"Go."

What?

"...What?"

Anonymous looks up at you the same way he used to when he didn't want you going out. "You heard me, go. The entire city is at risk and all their lives mean more than just mine."

The walls continue to slowly close, there's not enough for two Anonymous' now.

He wants you to leave...Leave and save the city, save all the people in it... And leave him to...

"No..."

"What?"

Anonymous is closing his eyes and turning sideways just to fit now. You grit your teeth and grab the crowbar, raising it over your head .You also pray to Celestia this works.

"NO!"

You jam the crowbar, straight end first, into the space behind the closing wall. Sparks fly and the room is filled with the terrible noise of gears trying to eat something metal whole. But you hold it steady and jam it in deeper until the walls sputter, pause, and finally stop. Smoke bellowing from behind them.

You wipe your eyes and head back over to the hole where Anonymous is staring up at you in wide eyed shock.

You take advantage of him not saying anything.

"Now give me your damn hand and get your flank up here!"

After a few minutes, you haul Anonymous out of the hole and go pick up your belt. Anonymous sits panting for a bit as you slide the belt on.

"...You should have left me."

That lights a fire in your stomach, one you have to pat down for fear of shouting. "No."

"I'm sorry?"

You trot over to him, staring right into his eyes as you do.

"I said no. Never. I will never leave someone who needs my help, least of all you."

He sighs and looks away. "Batma-"

"No."

You poke him in the chest with your hoof.

"-You- never left -me-. Even when it was in everyone's best interest. You have been by my side helping me since day one, despite how hard I made it sometimes."

You swallow the nerves you'd felt tickling the back of your throat.

"It was because of -you- that I stopped being so...angry at everything. You who forced me to be better than just what I was and let me find the path to doing so instead of just making me do it your way, I can't repay that with all the bits in the world."

He remains silent and looks into your eyes.

"Thanks, dad."

The Jokester comes over the loudspeaker grumbling. "Ohh....that is so SWEET. Like a fairytale storybook..."

Doors at the end of the hall open into the viewing hall.

"Come in! Come in...we have so MUCH we can talk about..."

Anonymous looks at you and grabs a piece of lumber in lieu of his crowbar. "Are you ready?"

You nod. "I am. Let's finish this."

Closing Night.

-Music-

You and Anonymous make your way further into the theatre, music beginning as you do as if some part of the show, an eerie and airy piece that speaks of someone utterly disconnected from what they're doing. You pass through the theatre isles, the gas lamps on the walls dim and casting harsh shadows through the entire room. From stage left, a stallion in a trashy purple suit clumsily dances out. His green hair sways and flows as he practically trips over his own hooves, his make-up caked face wincing ever so slightly each time he does.

He stops in the center of the stage and opens his eyes.

"Goooooood evening, gantlecolts."

You and Anonymous tense up.

"Relax boys, you are at a theatre after all! Honestly, how can you be so tense and stressed at someplace like this?"

You find your patience growing thin.

"Where's the bomb?"

This man, this Jokester's, face droops away from his constant smile.

He sighs. "Why are you always SO serious? You really could stand to lighten up a little, you'd be AMAZED what it can do for the soul...Bruce."

You and surely Anonymous choke on the very air you're breathing.

"WHAT." Anonymous says.

Jokester chuckles a long and wistful chuckle. "You don't have to be a detective to figure that one out, boy. People SAW you that night you came back to Goatham for your wittle cwy, and what OTHER child around your age with a connection to Goatham and the money to do this little pajama charade you've got going on is around?"

You stomp a hoof on the ground. "That changes NOTHING. Where is the bomb?"

Jokester shakes his head. "So dissapointing..." He reaches behind the curtain and you hear the sound of a switch being thrown. The curtains withdrawal to reveal the projection screen just as the projector behind you fires up.

And shows the image of a collection of water barrels and bags of sugar next to a single small device with a red blinking light.

"The roof, to answer your question. Buuut..."

Jokester pulls down the neck of his jacket to show a small crystal necklace around it. "This little beauty is wired to the bomb. If my heart stops, the bomb goes off."

That hangs in the room for a moment as Jokester smiles.

"So what will it be, hero?"

"I assure you that your heart stopping will not be an issue." you growl.

Jokester pulls his collar up and smiles at you. "Oh I can imagine..."

He steps down from the stage and trots along the front row. "It makes sense when you look closely at it...a young boy who lost his parents and wanted revenge. And how -do- kiddies react to that kind of thing?"

His ever present smile grows wider. "Not the way adults do, that's for sure."

"You see, and ADULT who lost everything like that would react violently, cover himself in skulls and start doing away with ponies left and right. POW! POW!" he throws punches in the air for effect.

Your scowl only deepens.

"But you...hehehe, oh YOU...Kids see the world so -black and white-...so rigidly defined, and holding so STRONGLY to those morals the pony's tales teach you. You can't kill anyone, that's what BAD PEOPLE do, isn't it?" he chuckles.

You're about to speak, but Anonymous gets ahead of you.

"Yeah? And what about you? Why -do- any of this, what purpose does it serve? I could understand if you were trying to dispose the Princesses or get revenge or SOMETHING so long as you had a point to you." Anonymous points at you. "Say it's naive all you want, but at least he's doing this for a reason, and better to be a naive fool than a cancerous mole."

The smile Jokester wore, previously a staple of his face, now fell into a deep frown. "Nobody asked you, monkey-man."

Anonymous points to you with his board. "If you deal with him, you deal with me."

Jokester dashes over to a switch on the wall. "How about I deal with the both of you?"

He flips the switch and the lights along the wall grow brighter and brighter until with a staccato rapport, they burst in rhythm, plunging the entire theatre into darkness.

-Music-

The minute the lights go out, you hear the sound of clopping hooves and someone kicks you back into a chair.

"Gah!"

"Bru-DOOF!" Anonymous shouts before he gets smacked.

Over the speakers in the room comes familiar big band style jazz music, turned so loud that you could swear the rafters were shaking.

"Damn...where is he!?" Anonymous shouts.

"I can't see him!"

...Oh hear for that matter.

The son of a bitch, he planned this.

Someone grabs your head and tosses you off into the darkness and onto the floor as their laughter barely breaks through the music.

"Oh don't TELL me the Bat can't see in the dark!"

You right yourself and throw some projectiles into where you thought the voice was coming from.

"OH! SO CLOSE! Tell me, were ya that close when your little purple friend got crippled!"

Oh no he didn't.

"SHUT UP!"

"AHAHAHAHAHAHA! THERE'S SOME EMOTION! I'll let you in on a secret, she showed a -LOT- of emotion when I hit her with that fire extinguisher!" he shouts.

HE WHAT.

"BASTARD!" you hear Anonymous yell.

The sounds of a struggle make it to you over the music.

"Oh don't sound so SHOCKED! Monkey-man! You know how it is! Those gangs, The Diggers and Razorclaw's! You should have HEARD the stories they told about you!"

How long had this pony been around!?

You get up and try to run to the sound of the fighting.

"Anonymous!"

"But!-*grunt* One thing I learned!-"

"Gwah!" Anonymous shouts.

"If you want to end something fast-"

The emergency lights flick on and bathe the room in a Tartarian glow.

And reveal Jokester with a knife to Anonymous's neck over by the switches.

"You go for the THROAT."

Upon seeing that stallion with Anonymous in a headlock, you practically leap over all the theatre seats in between you two.

"AP AP AP!" Jokester shouts, inching the knife closer.

You stay still as a statue, but you can't say you like it.

"That's a good boy...stay RIGHT there..."

Anonymous glares out of the corner of his eye at the stallion. "I'm gonna pound you into goo..."

"Oh I doubt that, Mister Hero. Not with -him- here." he says gesturing to you. "And you, little man. You have a choice to make."

You tilt your head.

"Haaahehehahaha...see, I'm going to give you an option. You can either use those little wonder-toys of yours there-" He points at your belt. "To act out one of, oh I'll guess 30 ways you know could kill me right here, right now."

"Thirty-seven."

"How impressive...now, back to my point. You can kill me and save your "daddy" here..."

"Or?"

He brandishes the knife again. "Or I open him up like a steak dinner and then surrender to you."

Your scowl deepens. "You want me to trade one life for another..."

"I want you to admit that even though you try to do the right thing, you STILL act for yourself first." he chides.

"And be as ugly as you are?"

"Sticks and stoooones, Bruce."

You reach into your belt and pull out a curved projectile, one that beeps and has a red light on it.

Anonymous' eyes widen. "Bruce, no."

"Why what's that one do?"

"Explode."

Jokester's eyes go as wide as his grin. "Theeeeere you go...Welcome to being a grown-up! You know it's about time you learned that lesson, you've been in denial for ages."

He locks eyes on you. "You may pretend that you want to be normal with your house and your friends and your school but we all know what gets you out of bed in the morning. The plans and the plots and the costumes and the fighting, that's the real you now, isn't it? THAT's where you feel at home, Bruce." He smiles again. "Or is Bruce dead? Maybe he died with his parents and "The Batmane" is who I'm talking to."

That...makes you hesitate. You think his words over hard as the world seems to slow down around you. Everything had been different since your parents had died, that was true...you traveled the world, learned to fight, and took on this new life.

BOTH lives.

Since you met Anonymous...things had gotten better, despite what you may have thought. You considered different ways of living that actually -worked- and made you less angry about things.

"I may not be normal."

You look Jokester in the eye.

"But that's the difference between me and you. What made me like this is something I've acknowledged, and I put my energy into helping people. Early on I stumbled, and I fell, but with the help of my friends and my new family, I. Got. Better. And that's something I can tell is long past you."

The clown glowers at you.

"I learn my lessons well, Jokester, every one of them. Including an old one; That for every action comes an equal reaction."

You take aim at your target, set the timer, and throw the projectile. It cuts through the air and goes wide around Jokester and Anonymous, the two of them following its trajectory with their eyes.

This was a gamble...an almost literal coin toss.

"DOWN!" you shout.

Anonymous reacts swiftly and elbows Jokester in the stomach, diving out of the way as the distraction you threw and the pain take his attention just for a moment.

The timer expires and the projectile explodes. Normally it wouldn't be that large, but you luckily factored one thing.

The gas lamps.

The gas had been pouring into the room since Jokester broke them, filling the room with the flammable vapor. The same vapor that was now turning your little bang into a loud BOOM, the corce carrying the ignited gas towards Jokester's shocked face.

"GAH! DAMN!" he shouts.

You bound over the chairs and tackle Jokester to the ground.

"THAT'S IT! IT'S OVER!"

"AAHAHAHAAHEHEAHAHAHAHH..." he guffaws with the occasional cough.

The right side of Jokester's face has been charred by the explosion, looking now like burnt meat and smoking.

"AAAHHAHEHAHAHAHEHAH! HAHAEHEHAHEHAHA! OOOHHH THAT'S IT!" he shouts as he pounds his hoof on the ground. "That's it...so smart...that's my boy..."

What?

"What did you say?"

"Just like I taught you...so smart..."

...Wait...

You lick your hoof and wipe it on the non-burnt half of his face, wiping away the caked on makeup, your eyes widening at the color of the fur underneath.

Blue, sky blue to be precise. The same as yours.

It's only then that you look closer, at the blue tone of his eyes, the black roots of his dyed green hair, the tone of his voice and the position of his features.

The odds of that being coincidence are...well even -you- couldn't do the math.

You stand over him in absolute shock.

"...Thomas Mane."

-Music-

He sighs and looks up at you from his near burnt shut eye. "That night...in the alley, Bruce...The police said two ponies died but...there was only one."

"...Mom."

He focuses on you, a clear liquid leaking out of his burnt eye. "I-I thought you were dead..."

Your father was alive...your birth father...

"Father what...happened to you!?"

He half chuckles but it ends as more of a cough. "Your mother...you...I thought you were both dead a-and...I tried to find help but I woke up in a hospital and saw the news and I-..."

The coughing becomes more sad and pathetic now...the tears flow more freely from his eyes. "I just wanted to smile again, Bruce..."

"But...all this..."

"We all have bad days once in a while, Bruce."

"Yeah...we do." someone behind you says as you feel the sensation of someone going into your belt.

Anonymous walks around in front of you and takes your father's hoof, holding it near a radiator and cuffing him to it with your cuffs.

You don't even feel like moving...you can't.

This is...

Anonymous picks you up and cradles you.

"I don't know what you thought that turned you into...this, but you're under arrest and the police's problem now."

You nuzzle into his chest, it was safe here, it always had been.

"And we...need to go."

You feel yourself start to move towards the door.

"Anonymous..." your father says.

You stop.

"...Take care of him."

After a short pause, dad says "I always will."

And then you leave the scene.

-Anon PoV-

-Music-

You don't know how long you've been walking, a while. The entire time Bruce hasn't moved from his place in your chest. As you cross the bridge with the other Goatham citizens, you see Shining Armor and Night's Wing.

"Anonymous!"

"Batmane!"

The both run up to you.

"He's fine. Just...he's fine."

"What happened in there?" Armor asks.

You walk past them, still holding Bruce close.

"The last bomb is in the theatre near the old part of the city, it's on the roof. There's a stallion inside who has a bad wound to his face, he's incredibly dangerous but needs medical attention. He's also got a magic deadman's switch on his neck that will trigger the bomb if his heart stops."

"Where are you going...?" Night's Wing asks.

You look back at them. "Somewhere quiet. This isn't the place for a young boy."

Shining Armor nods and looks to Nightwing. "Come on, we have a city to see to."

He turns and rounds up some guards before running down the bridge, Night's Wing following him after casting a concerned look you way.

You head to a park nearby the train station you came in at and find a bench to sit on.

Bruce rests on your lap as you slowly pet his head through the cowl.

"It's alright..."

Bruce jumps up from your lap and wraps his hooves around your neck in a hug. You hesitate for just a moment and then return the gesture.

"Dad, I-"

"It's alright, buddy..."

He chokes something back. "Just...thank you...so much. For everything you've done."

"-I- did?" You pet him some more. "You saved the city, Bruce...and I'm proud of you."

So, so proud of your boy.

Epilogue.

Yup, still a problem. You adjust your seating for the thousandth time this train ride.

"Oh come on..."

"You alright, 'Nonymous?" Applejack asks from the seat across from you.

"I'm -fine- AJ, it's just that these bloody seats -still- aren't designed for bipeds." you grumble.

AJ chuckles. "Well the ride to Canterlot's almost over."

"It's been two and a half hours."

"Almost over."

You grumble and roll your eyes, settling on Bruce looking out the window on the other side of the isle. It'd been a few months since that business in Goatham with Bruce's biological father. In that time the world had been turned on its head with questions. How could this maniac get that stuff? What were the guards doing? Won't someone think of the children? That sort of thing.

Every night Bruce came home with another ridiculous tale about someone or something he had to deal with that night and you probably wouldn't believe him if you hadn't Jokester with your own eyes.

It seemed the crazies were coming out of the woodwork now. It was all kinda weird.

"What is all this, Bruce?"

He turns to you. "I was summoned."

What?

"Why?"

"I don't know."

You groan and roll your eyes. "I'll need a decent dinner after this headache, I know it."

"You gonna show me one o' them fancy Canterlot dinin' halls you promised me?" AJ asks with a smirk.

You shrug. "Yeah, probably."

You -did- promise and it'd make a nice date.

Once the train gets to the station, you're quickly moved from t to a waiting carriage that makes a beeline for the royal palace.

You're ushered into a room with many ponies and others inside all milling about. You see stallions, mares, a few Diamond Dogs, two gryphons, a Minotaur in the corner with a small filly on his head, even a seapony in a large sphere filled with water. All of them were moving around a large table where both Princesses sat at the end.

"Uh...Bruce?"

He trots past you towards the table. "Please wait here, sir. This won't take long."

You look at AJ and the two of you just sort of...slink down against the wall.

Princess Celestia taps her hoof on the table. "Excuse me? May I call everypony over?"

The ponies and other races gather around the table as Celestia clears her throat.

-Music-

Celestia begins. "We live in trying and chaotic times. As many of you are aware, the City of Goatham city recently came under attack but was saved by the masked vigilante known as The Batmane."

She turns her head to Bruce. "Who is with us here today."

Those gathered remark in predictable ways to hearing that a child is a vigilante, Celestia silences them with a raised hoof.

"What that event marked is the dawn of an era where the old ways will not work. Since the event in Goatham, odd crimes and threats to peace and harmony have risen drastically."

The pair of gryphons grunt. "Asgard was almost burnt to the ground by a lava monster."

The assembled nod, the Diamond Dogs doing so enthusiastically. "Lantern Pack have to deal with angry spirit of Tirek at Midnight Castle!"

"Changelings in the desert." one mare spoke.

"Crab people!" exclaimed the seapony.

"Something tried to eat the sun." said one pony with a coif in his mane.

Celestia nods. "This world and the safety of its peoples are too important to leave to just one of us, and we cannot just leave each other to our own devices either."

She gestures to those gathered. "With that in mind, I call for a union. Let us all act in league with one another to preserve the harmony and that we all hold so dear and mete out justice to those who would threaten it."

The gryphons stand. "The Hawks stand with you." Diamond Dogs after them. "We help!" One mare lifts a hammer "Here here!" The filly and Minotaur nod in tandem.

Bruce stands. "You will have my aid."

Celestia smiles and looks to her sister. "Then let's get down to business."

You and AJ both shared an astonished look. Neither of you could properly place exactly what was happening.

But you knew it was gonna change the world.

-End

Supply Run.

The Ponyville grocery store. The cereal aisle.

You glance between the two boxes on the shelf. Hmm...Heybites? Or Sugar Oats? They both taste terribly to you, but he seemed to like them.

You compare and contrast the two for the ninetieth time.

"Screw it."

You take a single bit from your pocket and send it spinning through the air The coin flips and rotates in slow motion before you snatch it from in front of your face. You open the palm of your hand: Heads.

Sugar oats it is.

You grab the cereal and throw it in your cart before heading to the counter. The mare behind it, a young pretty thing, looks you over. You'd been here a few months or so, everyone in the town more or less knew you. Still, you were always expecting some bigotry. It was who you were. Luckily, the girl just begins to ring up your items.

You follow her gaze down to the items she is ringing up.

Cereal. A first aid kit. A spray bottle.

"Got a little one at home?" she asks.

She makes a small face when she rings up the bolt cutters.

"Something like that."

You toss the bits on the counter and grab your things.

"Uh...have a nice day mister."

"Yeah, thanks..."

You walk through the center of town with your groceries in your bag. Your home was at one end of the town, far enough away that it'd be hard for him to get out. Still, you feel like you wouldn't be there for long. The trust fund came in, and you were the single person who could do something with it.

You were TRYING to keep him...restrained but it wasn't working out too well. He just kept GETTING OUT.

You walk past a familiar apple stall in the square. "Hey there Anon!" a young voice calls. Applebloom waves from behind the stand as you stop in front.

"How're you doing, Bloom?"

Bloom's thousand-watt smile lights up. "Just helpin' big sis out at the stand today, we got a real nice collection of apples today!"

You lean on the stall and look the crop over. The setting sun catches the deep and rich reds, the smooth greens and the striking golds, each of them catching your eye.

Apples had been more or less you go to food of choice since coming here, you had even worked on Sweet Apple Acres a bit before you took on your ward.

"Can I get two of everything?"

Blooms smiles wide and scrambles around to gather your order into a plastic bag.

"That'll be ten bits!" she exclaims with her hoof out.

You drop twelve bits into her hoof, you could spare the money these days.

"Because I like you."

You grab your bag and walk back down the road.

"See ya later, Anon!"

"Bye Bloom!"

That Applebloom...nice kid. Why couldn't they all be like that?

Night time in Ponyville. You hated night time.

Night time was when he started acting nuts. Well, more nuts than usual.

You were Anonymous and you were so stressed you were sure you had an ulcer. In the short weeks that you had taken in your ward, he had turned your relatively peaceful life into a living hell.

Waking you up every morning with the sound of martial training. Stealing your things to take to god knows where. Contradicting you at almost every turn and requiring you to place tripline bells around the house just to keep track of him.

That kid could sneak into Canterlot castle and walk out with the crown jewels without making a peep.

Above you came the sound of tiny hooves on wood. Shit, he was in the walls again.

You got up off your chair and poked the ceiling with a broom.

"Boy! Get out of there! It's not safe!"

Muffled yells were your only response followed by the pitter patter scampering elsewhere.

Oh no he didn't.

You follow along his path and bang the broom behind him. "Bruce! By all that is holy get out of th-"

You were cut off by the sound of crumbling wood and drywall falling in front of you. You instinctively jump back and wait for the dust to clear, as it does, you make out a figure.

He wore a cowl that ended in two sharp points, a skintight suit over his body and a long flowing cape that hung to the floor. His light blue coat and permanent scowl met your gaze as he hung upside down wrapped in wires. Before you hung your ward, sole heir to one of the biggest fortunes in Equestria.

Bruce Mane.

Or as he preferred to be called; Batmane.

You met the child's scowl with your own.

"Bruce."

"Keeper." he spits.

"Why are you in the ceiling?"

He yanks himself down and falls to the floor.

"I needed the copper wires." he says as he rights himself.

You drag your palm down your face "Why in the world do you need copper wiring, Bruce?"

"I am making a grapping device, I need wires to work with that."

"Of course you are..."

He'd been like this since he got here, constantly working towards some brand of "justice" you couldn't quantify.

He seemed content to spend the entire day training before you had confronted him about it.

"Well, get to bed. You start school tomorrow."

Bruce shoots you a glare. "Those infants will be learning nothing I need to know." You reach down and pick him up by the scruff of his neck, holding him far enough out that he couldn't get to you.

It was practically the only thing you could do to keep him at bay.

"You need to learn how to interact with people your own age, and you CERTIANLY need to learn how to act with ponies you don't intend to bash over the head."

He struggles in your grasp. "I do not bash! I strike!"

"Whatever..."

You carry the boy into your room and rip the suit off, Bruce fighting you at literally every step. You eventually get it off him and climb into bed, pulling Bruce close and not letting go.

He struggles for a moment before settling his icy blue eyes on you. "I'll get out of this when you sleep." he says.

"And the bells will wake me up."

Bruce ALMOST puffs up his cheeks and closes his eyes in seeming defeat.

You sigh.

It had been like this every night he had been here. You'd fight over something, words or punches would be thrown, you'd bind him to the bed and do it all again the next day. Literally the only time he had ever been civil for the entire night was when he caught you watching some old cartoons from earth and said "I will watch these with you."

Poor kid...

You knew all of this was because of what happened to his parents, all the anger and determination. Bruce could be a royal prick sometimes, but it still broke your heart.

The gentle sound of snoring from your chest told you that Bruce was either asleep or faking it. Ah well...can't solve all his problems in one night.

You close your eyes and drift off to sleep, your vigilante child wrapped in a blanket he called Jim breathing steadily on your chest.

Learning Experience.

You sat at Twilight's table silently munching on your gorilla brand cereal while you read the newspaper.

"Hmm. A symposium on localized magical anomalies?"

Twilight nods. "Mhmm! There were a few events of localized animation in the royal library and it made the city news, it wasn't long after that that they threw the whole thing together."

Magic was always something interesting to you, you were lucky to have such an expert here with you.

"Facinating."

Mister Anonymous shuffles out of the room you shared. "Hey Bruce..." he says barely awake.

"Hello sir."

He sits down at the table and starts eating. "Excited about your first day at school?" You swallow your food and answer without looking up.

"It should be a nice new experience."

You close your eyes for e moment and calm your heart rate. It was alright...you could do this. It was just meeting new ponies, right? You've done that. You did that a bit in Goatham back in the day. Twilight smiles. "I'm sure Miss Cheerilee will be happy to have a smart colt like you in her class."

You force a laugh. "Hehe, yes..."

Breakfast proceeds without incident and Anonymous goes into your room to change.

"You ready to go, Bruce?" he asks as he comes out.

You adjust your tie and lapel in the mirror one last time.

"Yes, I believe so."

Spike chuckles "Aren't you a bit overdressed, Bruce?"

Anonymous walks over to the door and cracks it open. "C'mon Spike, you know all the girls are crazy for sharp dressed men."

You throw your saddlebags on and walk over to Anonymous. "Hopefully not too crazy, I've schooling to do."

The schoolhouse was standard affair. A single building with a bell tower at the top of a small hill. Other children, fillies and colts alike run around out front and play while the adult you figure to be your new teacher Miss Cheerilee watches from the doorway.

"I'll pick you up after school, alright Bruce?" Anonymous says.

"Understood."

You amble over to group of children and stand at the outskirts of their group.

...How are you supposed to do this?

You look to each of their faces, each engrossed in their private conversation, and there you were the outsider trying to step in. Well...the direct method works.

You clear your throat as loud as you can, drawing the attention of everyone on the lawn. They all stop their conversations and turn to stare at you, all wondering what the large boy with the tie wants.

"Hello, everypony." you say with a wave. "My name is Bruce Mane. I am nine. I am going to be in your class from now on."

They all continue to stare, a few exchange glances.

Yes...well...

"That is all! Carry on."

You about face and walk over to a nearby bush where you sit down.

"That could have gone better, yes."

You sit by yourself contemplating how that went for a few minutes before three fillies approach you, one that you know.

"Hey there, Bruce!" the one in the lead says with her familiar drawl.

"Hello Applebloom."

You look to her two compatriots: A white unicorn with a candy colored mane and an orange pegasus with a purple mane.

"Who are these two?"

The unicorn steps forward "I'm Sweetie Belle and this is Scootaloo." Scootaloo throws off a wave. "Are you new in town?" she asks.

"Uhhhh..."

You glance between the three girls and think about your time out at night.

"Yyyyes...I'm new-ish."

Applebloom gives you a small wink. Good, she would not say a word. Scootaloo eyes your neck.

"Uhm....yes?"

"What's with the tie?" she asks.

Your eyes shoot between your tie and Scootaloo.

"Uh...I wished to be presentable?"

The girls all exchange looks like you just told them that Celestia didn't move the sun.

"Uhg, back off losers." comes a voice.

The four of you turn your heads and see a pair of fillies coming towards you, one pink and the other a muted grey.

"Not that I would expect those blank flanks to know how to talk to someone." the grey one says.

"Uhh..." You tilt your head to the side. "Hello?"

The pink one comes closer. "Bruce Mane...Bruce Mane...I remember the Mane's from some of the parties daddy took me to. You were the boy off in the corner, weren't you?"

Father's parties...you remember them. The constant forest of people that they were. Luckily, there weren't that many other children there.

"Yes, Miss...Tiara?"

Her grin widens. "Glad you remember me."

Well, half remember.

The bell at the top of the school chimes three times and Miss Cheerilee begins waving the other children in.

"Well...time to go."

"And can anyone tell me the year of the collapse of Eternity's Bridge?" Miss Cheerilee asks.

You raise your hoof high over your head.

"Yes Bruce?" she asks.

"584 BL."

"Very good, Bruce! Your first day is proving to be very good indeed."

You lower your hoof and continue to pay attention to your lesson. Miss Cheerilee continues to lecture about the ancient architects of Stableside. You take the time to look around the room at the others. Your possible new friends, the fillies who called themselves the Cutie Mark Crusaders sat near the front of the class while those other fillies, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon you found out, sat off to the side.

Cheerilee turns back. "Now, can anyone tell me where Eternity's Bridge connects to in Cervidas?"

You raise your hand, but a grey colt in the center of the room beats you to it.

"Yes Rumble?"

"Seaddle." he answers.

"Very good! It seems we have two bright little boys here today."

Cheerilee goes back to teaching and Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon turn around and sneer at Rumble.

"Look at the smartest little Blank Flank around!" Diamond Tiara whispers.

Rumble sighs and casts his gaze downward.

"Hmph..."

Recess came after your history lesson. You first stood a bit dumbfounded at first at all the possibilities, but luckily Applebloom came up to you and asked if you wanted to play hide and seek.

You were now sequestered in your element, hiding under the school itself after you found a loose plank that you removed. The shadows underneath the schoolhouse conceal you just as well the night itself does.

Here you were hidden. Here none could find you. Here you would win hide and s-

"Found you Bruce!"

"YAHGRABLGRABL!"

"Hahahaha! Scared you good, didn't I?" she laughs.

"Y-yes, Scootaloo."

She stares at you for a few seconds. "You gonna come down?"

You let go of the pipe you were gripping and drop to the ground. "Yes, my apologies."

Scootaloo chuckles. "It's no problem."

"How did you find me? I thought that place would serve me well."

"Heh. Somepony always hides under the school."

You stop and blink a few times. "Oh."

On your way back to Applebloom and the others, you hear something. "Are you so smart because you're trying to get your cutie mark, Rumble? I don't think it's working."

Over your shoulder Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon following a frustrated looking Rumble around cackling. You watch as they follow him making jabs and as Rumble is forced into nonresistance.

That...shouldn't happen.

You turn back to your friends and utter a quick "Pardon me, girls." before marching over there.

Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon continue to laugh as you get closer. "I'm not really sure what's more pathetic, the fact that he's this old and -doesn't- have his cutie mark or the fact that he's trying so hard to be a little know-it-all egghead."

Silver Spoon chuckles as you step between the girls and Rumble. "Still better than his worthless brother and his "featherfl-"

"Stop."

The two girls don't finish their sentences and glance at each other, then to you.

"I want you to stop."

Diamond Tiara scoffs. "You think just because you're new and rich you can boss us around?"

Silver Spoon glances behind you. "You know how it goes Diamond Tiara, these blank flanks have to stick up for each other."

"Stop."

"Not just too blank flanks! Two know-it-all's too!"

"I said stop!"

"Can you think of anything MORE pathetic than not having your cutie mark at their ag-"

"STOP."

The two fillies mouths snap shut, their eyes go wide, the jabs stop. That voice worked against muggers, it would work against these two.

"I'll not stand idly by while two girls of at best questionable moral upbringing mock somep0ny else for simply being less lucky than they were. Rumble's intelligence should not be stifled, it should be nurtured."

You take a few steps towards them "The lack of or presence of a cutie mark does not indicate maturity or superiority, as you both have shown."

You return to Rumble and lead him by his shoulder to the others. "And we do not have to take it."

School releases you at exactly 3:00 pm. You bid farewell to the Crusaders and Rumble as you walk outside and see Mister Anonymous standing by a tree.

"Hey squirt. Have a good day?" he asks.

You walk with him and talk at the same time.

"It was...eventful. I made some new friends, possibly some new enemies."

"Sounds eventful, yeah. I saw you talking to Bloom on your way out."

"Yes, I met her friends. She was kind enough not to reveal any of the more exciting aspects of my life to them."

"Well that was nice of her."

"That it was, yes."

You glance up onto the nearby hill where construction equipment is massing. "Work's getting started, won't be too long now." Anonymous says.

You nod. "That it won't."

Anonymous lets you into Twilight's library and follows you into your room.

"So how bout it Bruce, is school the same as fighting crime?" she asks.

You remove your tie and lapel as you think back to what you did on the playground, how easily stepping to Rumble's aid against those girls came to you. "It's...close enough."

Historical Accuracy.

You lick your hoof and turn the page of your book and read on.

"In ancient times, the island dwelling Minotaur's warred with the people of the Borean Tundra. The Minotaur's natural strength and size did them well on the arctic fields, but their forces stalled at the Battle of Erymanthus due to the labyrinthine city the Boars had grown used to."

Hmmm...

"Facinating."

Anonymous turns to you on the couch. "What's up, Bruce?"

Huh?

You look up at him. "Oh, nothing sir. Just something in my book."

He leans forward and looks at the title of your book with a small frown. "You've been pretty single-minded about this, buddy."

You sigh and close your book, rubbing your temple with one hoof.

"I-."I should just sit here and do nothing while Will rolls across the countryside. I will not rest until Will has been defeated. I just...can't."

Anonymous sighs and rubs the top of your mane. It feels good when he does that. "I hope you know what you're doing, Bruce..."

"...I truly hope so si-"

The television Anonymous was watching flashes to a shaken news anchor. "Good Evening mares and gantlecolts, we're here to bring you a breaking story." she begins.

An image of the westernmost part of the kingdom appears. "New reports indicate that the figure known only as "Will" has made his way around the Everfree Forrest and has reached Fillydelphia."

"Oh no..." Anonymous says.

You stand up and knock your book over.

"Will's followers, never leaving their leader's side, have massed in the city in an attempt to force a surrender."

Fillydelphia...yes, that could work...

"What happened next was a standoff that is currently entering into hour four. We go now live to the sce-"

You stomp on the remote and jump off the couch.

"Mister Anonymous, I need you to get the phone for me and help me call the needed people. I am heading to Fillydelphia."

Anonymous does not grab the phone, he grabs his coat and throws it on. "Yeah, well, hang on. I'm coming with you..."

You dress in your suit and make the calls.

From across the town of Ponyville, your allies come together and heed your instructions. At the train station, a Mane Industries train is loaded up and headed towards Fillydelphia, a rush order being placed just an hour ago.

There, the five of you open a freight car and hobble in, right as the train begins to cast off. Huddled around you was everyone you would need to defeat Will and more.

Well, almost everyone.

Shining Armor and The Catfilly were on one side of the car glaring at one another while Anonymous and curiously Twilight were sequestered on the other.

You clear your throat. "Let's go over the plan one more time."

Everyone joins you, Anonymous and Twilight standing as best they can while Catfilly lounges on a box and Shining Armor looks at Twilight with concern. "I'm not exactly comfortable with bringing my kid sister along on this, Batmane."

Twilight lightly stomps her hoof. "I'm not a filly anymore, Armor! And I'm and Element of Harmony now!"

Catfilly rolls her eyes. "That still doesn't explain what you bring to this little party."

Twilight narrows her eyes. "I can't sit by and just do nothing while somepony needs my help, I have to try and help any way I can."

She rolls her eyes again and looks to you.

Meanwhile, you're looking to Anonymous. "Are you sure you want to do this? I understand you wanted to...calm down after your previous activities."

Anonymous shakes his head. Normally this would be when he'd embrace you, but he dares not with outsiders here. "I didn't save you from that fall to not see things through."

You nod your thanks and roll a map of Fillydelphia out.

You point a hoof down at somewhere on the western part of the city. "Will and his followers are camping here. In an old junk yard at the cities edge where they have room.

You look to Catfilly.

"I need you to break away once we get to the city and infiltrate the camp. Get into Will's tent and find what we talked about. He'll have it near where he sleeps if I'm guessing correctly."

She nods in agreement.

"Good. Captain Armor?"

He trots forward. "Yeah?"

"I need you to gather the guard of this city, along with any other souls who will join our cause and meet me-" You point at a site in the center of town. "Here."

Armor strokes his chin. "You're asking me to gather a lot of people on short notice..."

You nod. "Yes, I am, but it's vital to this plan that we gather as many people as we can. We have to show Will that he can be stood up to, that he does not speak for us all."

Shining Armor nods slowly. "I'll do everything I can..."

Good...

You look to Anonymous and Twilight. "I trust the two of you...very much. I know you'll be able to defend yourselves, but stay safe. Understand?"

Anonymous nods. "We'll do our part."

You roll the map back up and stow it.

"Then let us begin..."

-Music-

The moment the train pulled into the station, the five of you separated. Now you wait on the roof of a building overlooking the square below.

The sound of someone landing behind you draws your attention to Catfilly, holding a folder under her leg.

"Did you run into any trouble?"

"Nothing I couldn't handle." She looks down at square. Shining Armor was below milling about in an ENOUIRMOUS crowd of people. Guards and citizens he had rallied to the cause of standing up to Will.

Speaking of the Minotaur, on the horizon you see a second mass walking closer to you. Will and his followers.

You rise to your hooves and trot to the edge of the roof.

"Wait."

You look back, Catfilly hands you the folder. "Are you sure you can handle this? I saw what he did to you last time and..." she trails off.

Catfilly looks out over the crowd gathered here. "You don't owe them anything..."

You turn from her and look back over the crowd of ponies. Ponies who's lives and livelihoods hung on Will's fate.

"It's not about owing anyone anything..." you look back to her. "It's about doing the right thing."

You turn back and leap off the building, gliding down and landing on a bus in the intersection. All eyes behind Shining Armor turn to you as a booming voice resonates from the other direction.

"Batmane! I'm surprised you could join us after the tumble you had taken." Will shouts.

You look at him over your shoulder. "You'll find that I am harder to kill than that."

"Indeed." He looks over the crowd behind you. "I see you brought Captain Armor here, a Prince. Tell me, are you attempting to make my crusade easier by bringing forth examples of the divide of the people in this kingdom?"

You hold up the manila folder up for all to see. "Shining Armor is here because he stands against you and everything you are, Will. As will these others."

He cross his arms. "These documents will prove that?"

"You should know, they're yours."

Even from here, you can see Will cock an eyebrow.

You don't bother telling him, he'll soon know. You remove the papers from the folder and turn to the crowd behind you, but not before giving them a quick once over.

Perfect...

"Ponies of Fillydelphia! Will is NOT what he claims to be! He does not represent the will of the people, only his own! On this paper is correspondence between Will and his various other cells! Procured by...an anonymous source."

You hear the uneasy shuffling of heavy hooves behind you.

You clear your throat.

"The march on Fillydelphia will be costly."

"It is of no consequence, they will serve their purpose."

"Injured followers will not reflect positively on us..."

"After we take Fillydelphia, we will not need worry about our reflection."

The square is so silent you could hear a pin drop.

Will stands flabbergasted, the ponies gathered by Shining Armor glaring at him, even some who stood at his side sharing their face after what they had heard.

You toss the missives fluttering down to the ground. "All bearing Will's seal and handwriting, Will doesn't care what happens to any of you."

A few of the ponies come forward to look at the papers.

"He's right!" "I recognize the handwriting from my autograph!" "Will was going to roll right over us!"

Those are just a few of the cries that escape the angry din below you.

You turn back to Will. He's hunched over and his pupils are black pinpricks against a golden background as he stands among his faltering followers.

"Μια φωτιά εξαπλώνεται."

Will arches back and roars. "BREAK MY MOVEMENT, I BREAK YOUR SPINE! GET THEM!"

You drop into a fighting stance as Will lumbers forward and his more fervent followers trail behind him. Shining Armor drops to the same stance.

"Here they come!" he cries to those behind you.

However, as Will and those loyal to him get closer, flashes of lightning and rolls of thunder shoot down from the heavens.

With a voice. "HOLD, MISGUIDED SOULS! LET YOUR SALVATION DESCEND ON THE NIGHT'S WINGS!"

Will makes the mistake of averting his eyes towards your new compatriot and away from you. You capitalize.

Will's head flies back as you zip buy and sock him in the jaw.

"You've slowed, Will. The last time we met, you would have countered that."

The minotaur rubs his dented mask and you inspect your brass hoof. Not dented. Good.

You spin around and toss shuriken at Will, aiming for the mask.

"HOW DID YOU-ARGH!" he shouts as he brings his massive arms up and the stars embed themselves inside.

"Are you asking about my ally? She volunteered."

The sounds of righteous laughter as somepony dives into the oncoming hoard and sends them flying with magical might unseen by any other rises above the chaotic din.

You'd have to try and ween out the second person gloating, however...

"Do you KNOW who that is!?" Will shouts.

"I do not believe she picked a code-name yet..."

"RRAAAGH!" Will charges you, horns down. You back-flip and come down as he passes, kicking off the back of his head and landing behind him.

"You know, Will. I finally got what you've been selling."

Will shouts again and swings the back of his hand at you. You fire your grapple gun around it, toss it into a mail box, and watch as it retracts and pulls the mailbox into Will, knocking him down.

"This was never about the "will of the people"."

You bring your hooves back and forth on his face, denting his mask even further.

"It was about your own monomaniacal insanity, just like all the rest."

"RRRAAAAAGH!" he shouts, lashing out again as a white vapor leaks from his mask.

You duck and roll away.

"King Sombra was more of a threat than you, at least he was within grasp of what he wanted."

Will's eyes seem to bug out of his head and he tosses the mailbox over your head straight at the crowd, snapping the line.

"Incoming!"

The box is enveloped in a blue aura and tossed back at Will, the minotaur shrugs it off. You hear someone land behind you.

"We need to take this elsewhere. Go to plan B."

"Agreed." she says.

You turn and run full tilt down the street he rampaging bull behind you.

-Will PoV-

You'll catch them. You'll catch the Batmane and his ally-who-couldn't-be.

The two of them run ahead of you as you barrel through carriages and anything else in your way, tossing them like the nothings they were.

Abruptly, the two of them dart down an alley. You lean to the side and chase after them.

To your surprise, you find an open cellar door of all things. The sound of hoofbeats echo from inside it.

...Underground.

Like it would even matter.

You push that nagging thought aside and run down the open door.

All you could do as you run was think. Months of planning, almost a year, done away by the meddling of a child in a cape playing at Zorrin.

That irritated you more than a bit.

Your heavy hooves ring out in the narrow hallway as you approach the light at the end to- You skit to a halt as you almost hit a large steel wall. An equally large steel door drops from above, cutting off your exit.

"Fish-" a voice starts.

"-in a barrel." another finishes.

"COME OUT!" you bellow.

A slight snickering and the sound of hooves on metal catches your ear. You turn and give chase to it down the metallic hall you were in and skid around the corner.

Stretching out as far as the eye could see along this path was branching ones, some you could see branching out even further.

...No.

"Welcome, Will-"

-"To the ancient Fillydelphian Labyrinth."

Get out. Get out. Have to get out.

You run back where you came from and start pounding on the metal. You and tight enclosed space did not do well together and you hated getting lost more.

"I am afriad-" "-That will not work." the voices mock.

Silence, before a faint "pchoooo" whizzes by your head.

"No."

You turn to the sound and are greeted to a roof to the eyes, sending you reeling back. Clutching your face you stumble down the dreaded maze.

"This maze was once the shining attraction of Fillydelphia's fair. However it had to be closed after too many got lost in its depths."

Lost.

The second voice chimes in. "They say thine ghostly selves still haunt this place. Passing on to the netherworld after getting lost in these walls."

Lost until you DIE.

"It is likely you will join them...unless you surrender and come with us."

...

"RRRAAAAHHHHGGGGG!"

You recede in your mind back away from the darkness and the silence and the walls. You have to get out.

Now.

You start punching a wall as hard as you can, feeling your bones rattle and your skin ache as you do. Suddenly, the sound again, the feeling of your legs not moving joining it.

"Those walls are three feet of solid steel, even you cannot break them."

You feel some sort of rope slap into your neck and drag you back while your feet slip forward. As your head hits the steel floor, something runs towards you and bounces off your face.

You feel your nose crack.

"RAAAAGH! LET ME OUT OF THIS PLACE! LETMEOUTLETMEOUT!"

You climb up and run down the corridor. You can't tell where you are or aren't anymore. The entire time, they mock you.

"Come now, children can do mazes." proceeds a kick to the gut.

"Mayhaps this one is not as smart as they?" comes before a twisted arm and a trip to the floor again.

"A sorry tale..." is followed by three razor sharp objects hitting your lower calf.

They're wrong, you're NOT stupid. You know who this is. But there was one thing you could not wrap your head around.

"I SAW YOU FALL!"

All is silent before a click echoes through the walls. Followed by a beeping that grows ever faster.

"I got back up."

The wall you are crouching near explodes at the bottom, drowning everything else out with the sound of wrenching metal as it crashes on top of you and your mask is ripped from your face.

It presses you against the ground and a heavy green gas in through the cracks. You feel your eyelids growing heavy.

No...you can't...fail...

The last thing you hear before you pass out is two pairs of hooves coming closer to you.

-Bruce PoV-

The unconscious Will drops to the ground outside of the Labyrinth's back entrance, still groaning and a trickle of blood coming from a cut in his head.

You look him over...he looks smaller.

"Was I really defeated by -him-?"

"Thrown through the window most readily." your companion says,

"Hard to believe..."

"Now now, young one. If this adventure has taught you anything, tis to not take your enemies too lightly."

You nod. She spoke the truth.

From far away, you hear the sounds of police sirens rise above the din of the riot for the first time in a long time.

"They're mopping up, you should go. There are not enough of your kind for your presence to go unnoticed in the calm."

"Very well." she says. "But we shall patrol again soon, yes?"

"Yes."

She titters. "Until then, Batmane."

What can only be describe as shadow folding over shadow booms from behind you as you leave the alley.

Will would not be getting up for some time. You stick to the back-roads and run to the rally point before you see a familiar biped.

"Anonymous!"

He turns to you, his eyes wide and pupils small. "Br-Batmane! Come with me, right the hell now!"

"What is it, what happened!?"

"Just come on!"

Anonymous runs down the street and you quickly catch up.

Your paces even out and he begins to talk. "We need to find Armor RIGHT NOW!"

"Anonymous, what HAPPENED?!"

"It-it happened fast! Twilight and me were together for a long while but everything went to shit once the fighting started, we got separated!"

"WHAT. HAPPANED?!"

He opens his mouth, but is interrupted by a scream nearby. "TWILY!"

"Armor!" you both shout in unison.

You run to the point of the voice and screech to a halt at the rear of the alley. The ambulance lights illuminate the scene dramatically.

You don't know what happened. You didn't know that Shining Armor could make such a scared face. You didn't know that Anonymous could get ill as he clutched his mouth. You don't know why Twilight is being loaded -into- the ambulance.

But you know that the back of the average pony is not supposed to bend in that direction.