Chapter Four: Uneasy Alliance
"Help me!" screamed the high-pitched voice across Gotham City.
From his position atop a gargoyle, Batman fired his grapple gun, latching it onto a neighboring rooftop and pulling himself down from his perch. He followed the echoing screams of the girl, running across roofs and leaping between buildings, until he came to a stop on a small apartment complex. He looked at the table in front of him, along with the speaker hooked up to a smartphone that was currently broadcasting the screams.
"Help me! Help—" The voice suddenly died out as Batman switched off the speaker.
"You know," he began, his tone unamused, "I don't appreciate being led on a wild goose chase."
"Sorry. We weren't sure how to get in touch with you."
Batman turned around to find exactly the sight he expected: the seven young women from the opera house, all standing before him in their balaclava masks. He folded his arms, and the annoyed frown didn't leave his face. One of the girls, the one who seemed to be the leader, held out the tracer.
"I believe this is yours," she said. Batman took the tracer.
"You might as well take those off," he continued. "I saw you in the hotel. I know what you all look like."
With a nervous smile, Sunset Shimmer pulled her mask off, allowing her fiery hair to fall onto her shoulders. The others followed suit, and Rarity took the opportunity to pull out a comb.
"Those dreadful things wreak havoc on my gorgeous hair!" she complained. "I don't see why we had to—"
"Rarity!" Applejack hissed. "Priorities!"
"Oh, right. I apologize."
Rainbow had possibly the widest smile she'd ever had on her face as she stared at the Dark Knight. Fluttershy put a cautionary hand on her shoulder, hoping that would remind her not to fangirl all over Batman.
Sunset took the initiative, stepping forward with her hands held up, as if to convey her intentions."My name is Sunset Shimmer," she began. "This is Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Twilight Sparkle." She pointed to each girl as she named them. "Look, I know what went down at the opera house wasn't optimal, but I swear, we're not your enemies, Batman."
Batman felt a small amount of weight lift off his shoulders. At least he wouldn't have to fight these girls, assuming they weren't lying. He had no way of knowing for certain.
"We came here looking for those weapons," Sunset continued. "We tracked them from Canterlot City, and we want to keep them from falling into the wrong hands. We want to eliminate them."
"How did you manage that?" asked Batman, genuinely curious. "Those weapons defy the laws of science. So do your powers. How do they work?"
"Well..." Sunset trailed off, awkwardly pressing her index fingers together. "This is gonna require a lot of backstory. See, it all started in a place called Equestria..."
One long explanation later...
Batman's jaw looked like it was going to hit the floor as Sunset finished up her story. The others had pitched in occasionally, supplying small details.
"...and that's pretty much it," Sunset finished. "Any questions?"
Batman had to physically press his jaws back together. "So, let me get this straight," he began. "You're actually a unicorn from an alternate dimension, where humans don't exist, and yet magic is an everyday commodity. You came here through a magic mirror, and your powers come from those pendants around your necks. Oh, and those weapons were created due to magic leaking into our world from this Equestria."
"Spot on," replied Applejack. "Look, I know we sound completely insane, but we ain't."
Batman sighed, rubbing his eyes with both hands. "Why couldn't I just deal with regular gangsters and criminals? Why does it always have to be something so convoluted?"
Twilight blinked. "You believe us?"
"I've fought an international terrorist who's over six-hundred years old," replied Batman. "This really isn't that much of a stretch for me."
In truth, he saw no other option but to believe their story. If it was just one person, he could pass it off as a delusional fantasy. However, this was a group of seven, and the chances of them all coming up with and agreeing on the same thing were just too small.
He was jolted out of his thoughts when Rainbow zoomed up to him. "Really?!" she asked, as she shoved her face into his, her eyes glowing. "What was he like?! Did you kick his butt?! Is he in Arkham now?! What—"
Rainbow was swiftly enveloped in Twilight's telekinetic aura and yanked back to the group. "Rainbow, I know you have trouble keeping your inner fangirl down," said the bespectacled girl, "but I don't think he appreciates it."
Rainbow groaned. "Do you girls have to ruin every chance I get to meet one of my idols?" she demanded. "This is probably the only time in my life I'll ever be this close to him!"
Batman frowned a little. If he were honest, he'd say that Rainbow's reaction threw him for a bit of a loop. Most people he met were either terrified or suspicious of him. Pure, unapologetic awe was new. If she knew more about him, and what he had to go through every night, she might not see him as such a role model.
"Back on topic," Sunset continued, "those weapons can't be allowed into the underworld. If you just destroy them, the magic gets loose, and it could flow into another object, or even a person. Trust me, you do not want to see that. We have a device that can suck the magic out of those weapons so we can release it back into Equestria."
"So what's your point?" asked Batman.
"I was thinking...er..." Sunset scratched her cheek, stumbling over her words.
"She was thinking we'd do a super hero team up!" interrupted Pinkie, as she thrust one fist into the air. "That way, you get the bad guys, and we can get rid of the magic!"
Sunset groaned. "Sure, Pinkie, just rip open that band-aid," she muttered under her breath.
Batman frowned even more. "Are you sure about that?" he asked. "I mean, you're just kids. You're not prepared for what's out there in Gotham. Why don't you just wait for me to retrieve the weapons, and then you can extract that magic, and—"
"Are you crazy?!" demanded Rainbow Dash. "There's no way we're passing up the chance to team up with you! Besides, we've got awesome super powers! Nothing can stop us!"
"What our friend is trying to say, darling," said Rarity, "is that we can take care of ourselves. We are all eighteen years old, and we can help you against those magical weapons. There's no need to be concerned over our safety."
Batman sighed. It was clear these girls weren't going to take no for an answer. His heart felt heavy again, wondering how this kept happening. First, Dick had insisted on becoming Robin when he was just a child, and sure, with Batman's training, he was capable, but he didn't even have that luxury with these girls. Even with their super powers, and the adventures they'd already claimed they'd been on, they could always make mistakes, and underestimate their opponents. How could he keep an eye on all seven of them?
On the other hand, he'd seen what those weapons could do. Robin was out of town, and Batman could easily slip up if someone used them against him. But did the chance of his death really justify using children to help him fight? Even if they were over eighteen, that didn't mean it was okay. He debated the idea in his head for what felt like hours.
"Look," he began, "if we're going to work together, we need to establish some ground rules. First, you need to follow my orders exactly. One slip up, and we're done. Second, you stay out of the line of fire. That's my job, not yours. I won't have the deaths of a bunch of kids on my conscience. Is that clear?"
"We're all eighteen," Fluttershy squeaked, but nobody heard her.
Sunset gulped. She had certainly expected Batman to be opposed to their team up, but this was something the group hadn't prepared for. Even if Batman was willing to let them help, he was keeping them on pretty tight leashes. He did raise good points, too. Sure, Sunset and the others had been in dangerous situations before, but those adventures hadn't involved them getting shot at by people who genuinely wanted them dead. Still, the magic weapons were their responsibility, and they couldn't afford to step back and place Batman's life in danger.
"Deal," she said, reaching forward with one hand. Batman took her hand and shook it, and Sunset had to suppress a cringe at the strength of his grip.
"Now," Batman continued, "we need to track down those weapons. Have you figured out how to do that yet?"
"I have," responded Twilight. "My laptop contains the device that we used to trace the magic to this city. Took my months to make it, but it works."
"Good," Batman replied. "Then our first job should be to—"
He was cut off again, this time by his eyes wandering towards the sky. Above them, a giant, yellow spotlight had started to shine, complete with the image of a bat inside it. Batman sighed to himself yet again. If the police were summoning him now, something had to be going on.
The signal hadn't escaped the notice of the Rainbooms as well. Pinkie blinked as she stared up at it.
"That seems to be an inefficient way of calling you," she said. "Couldn't they just text you?"
"You're missing the point of a secret identity," replied Batman. He reached into his utility belt and pulled out a small earpiece. "Listen, I have to take care of this, but I don't want you interacting with the police. I'll contact you on this when I'm ready. You concentrate on tracking down those weapons." He tossed the earpiece to Sunset Shimmer, who barely managed to catch it.
Sunset looked down at the device. It looked like the ones Twilight had built for the group, only considerably more expensive. There wasn't a bat logo anywhere on it, but she supposed that made more sense. She made a mental note to keep it away from Twilight, who'd probably dismantle it at the first opportunity. The others crowded around her.
"Well, at least you trust us with some of your technology," remarked Fluttershy.
"Thanks, I guess," said Sunset. She looked back up. "How long do you think..." She trailed off, as Batman was gone.
Rainbow could barely contain her squeeing. "I've heard about that!" she exclaimed, jumping up and down for joy. "That's so awesome! Maybe next time, I can try to catch him in the act, and—"
Applejack put a hand over her friend's mouth. "Let it go, Rainbow," said the farmer. "Just let it go."
Commissioner Gordon stood next to the lit Bat-Signal, as the wind blew the tips of his trench coat around. Tonight was quickly growing into another disaster. Detective Montoya had relayed everything that had happened at the opera house to him, and while the police had made a huge batch of arrests, those who'd organized the auction had escaped with the weapons they were selling. Not to mention the group of masked individuals who'd interrupted the auction in the first place. Nobody had heard from Batman since then, and Gordon had come across a troubling development.
"Have there been any changes to the situation, Jim?" asked Batman, as he stepped out of the darkness. Gordon nearly jumped where he stood, but he calmed down quickly. He was used to it by this point, after all.
"Batman. Yes, we've discovered something...troubling," he replied. "We found the truck that Zachery Pierce and Samuel Breach used to flee the opera house, along with them. There was nothing in the truck, but those two had to be admitted to the Gotham City Hospital. They couldn't stop laughing." He took his glasses off and rubbed his eyes. "You don't have to be a detective to know what that means."
"Joker," Batman growled in agreement, clenching both fists beneath his cape.
"Yes," replied Gordon. "They're both recovering now, but even with the antidote, they're in no condition to tell us anything. It's probably safe to assume that Joker has those weapons now."
"I agree," replied Batman. "Where were they when you found them? Maybe we'll get lucky and Joker left some sort of clue I can use to track him down."
"The old auto junkyard down on Eagle Street. They were probably planning to hide the truck there before blowing town. What about those masked people at the opera house? Do you have any leads on them?"
Batman hesitated. He hated lying to Commissioner Gordon about anything (except for his secret identity, of course), considering all the aid the man had given him over the years. Still, the Rainbooms were merely trying to help. They didn't deserve to get into legal trouble just because of what they were doing. He had no justification to reveal them to the police.
"No leads yet," he replied after about a second. "I thought I had something I could use to track them down, but it turned out to be a dud."
Gordon nodded. "Anything else we should know about?" he asked.
"One thing." Batman opened a pouch in his utility belt, pulling out the tiny device he'd take from the opera house. "This was on the other thug that Sam and Zack hired to help secure the auction. It resembles the mind control chips Joker stole from the Mad Hatter and used to control those comedians."
"That explains how Joker knew about the weapons," said Gordon. "And both Joker and Mad Hatter are on the loose right now. You think they might be working together?"
"I wouldn't rule it out," Batman replied. "Sure, Jervis is probably angry at Joker for what he did last time, but money can overcome a lot of grudges."
"I agree." Suddenly, the sound of a door opening took Gordon's attention, and he turned to see Harvey Bullock emerging onto the roof.
"Hey, Commish!" said Bullock. "Is the Bat here yet? I wanna ask him somethin'."
"Yes, Lieutenant, he's right—" Gordon turned back, only to find Batman completely gone. "Never mind." He sighed to himself. "Is he ever going to stop doing that?"
"This. Is. AWESOME!" squealed Rainbow as Applejack drove the Rainbooms' tour bus down the street. "We're teaming up with Batman! THE Batman! This is the greatest night of my life!"
"I'm glad you feel that way," groaned Fluttershy. "Because to me, this night would be the best with some sleep."
Indeed, the Rainbooms had been up well past the time when they'd normally go to bed. Sure, they'd pulled some all-nighters at Canterlot High, but this was the next level. Using their powers tended to burn a lot of energy, and most of them had been running around and jumping as well, without a moment to breathe. Batman might be used to this kind of thing, but they certainly were not. Applejack had the most experience staying up late to work on the farm, so they trusted she wouldn't crash the bus, at least.
"I'm not sure I would call this situation 'awesome', Rainbow," said Rarity. "Even if we are working together, I get the sense he doesn't exactly trust us."
"Same here," said Sunset. "Personally, I don't blame him. We're an unknown element. Even if he's really battled six-hundred year old terrorists before, he's never encountered Equestrian magic. Not to mention that we are pretty young."
"I just wish he wouldn't talk down to us!" complained Twilight. "We're capable! We've fought evil before, and we can do it here in Gotham like we did in Canterlot! We tracked those weapons here all by ourselves! That's gotta count for something!"
"Speaking of tracking the weapons, any luck on that program, Twi?" asked Applejack. "We've been driving around for nearly half an hour. Have you picked up the signal?"
Twilight pressed a few keys on her laptop. "No luck so far, Applejack. Maybe we should try the other side of the city."
Before anyone could reply, the earpiece they'd been given by Batman began to beep. Pinkie scooped up the device and pressed the glowing red button on it.
"Hiya, Mister Batman!" she proclaimed. "How's your night going?"
"A word of advice," said the super hero on the other end. "Don't use my name when I call you. You never know who might be listening."
Sunset shrugged. "He's got a point," she mouthed.
"Anyway," continued Batman, "have you had any luck tracing the magic?"
"We've been driving around running the scanner, but so far, we've turned up squat!" replied Pinkie, her annoyance palpable in her voice. "What about you?"
"There's been a development. I need you to meet me at the auto junkyard on Eagle Street. We have a crime scene to investigate. Bring your masks, and gloves."
"Okie-dokie-lokie!" said Pinkie. "Can I bring my party cannon? Hello?" Batman had hung up.
"Not one for casual conversation, is he?" asked Twilight, already pulling up the GPS on her computer.
"I guess not," replied Rainbow. "Still, at least he trusts us not to contaminate evidence. That's progress!"
"Not much. Alright, Applejack, you need to turn right at the next corner..."
With a swing of his leg and a kick of his polished shoe, the Joker booted the double doors open, before standing in the portal and throwing both arms outwards.
"Honey, I'm home!" he announced.
"Get over yourself, clown," came a British voice from the corner. "Besides, in case you've forgotten, Harley isn't here."
Joker's constant smile dropped a little. "Oh, come off it, Crane!" he snapped back. "You have absolutely no humor in that black heart of yours!"
Scarecrow leaned forward in his seat, his arms folded. "As I explained to you when we formed this alliance," he responded, "humor is just a coping mechanism to escape from fear."
Another British voice spoke up from down the hallway. "Fear isn't everything, my overly obsessed friend." The Mad Hatter stepped into the light. "After all, none of us truly fear the Bat, now do we?"
A few small taps brought everyone's attention to the Penguin in his place at the table. He lifted his umbrella from off the floor. "If you boorish buffoons are finished," he said, "I believe Joker has some news for us?"
"Yeah!" came the voice of Killer Croc. "Get on with it already!"
Joker rolled his eyes. "You people are no fun," he complained. "At least if Harley were here, someone would laugh at my jokes." Still, he continued his march towards the table, and dumped the three objects onto the table.
"We're not getting any information out of our mole," said Mad Hatter, "considering he's in police custody. So what can you tell us?"
"Well, they seem to be the real deal," commented Joker. He indicated the gloves. "When one of those idiots tried to punch me with these, he went clear through a car." He then relayed the rest of the weapon details that Zack had told him at the junkyard. "If these are all real, we've got some serious firepower on our hands!"
"Not firepower we can entrust to henchmen," replied Scarecrow. "Though I suppose that's why you're here, Mr. Tetch." Mad Hatter grunted.
"I don't get it," complained Croc, picking up the handgun. "This thing ain't even loaded! How is it gonna—"
Joker snatched the weapon out of the scaled hands. "Be careful, you raging simpleton!" he yelled. "We may not know how it works, but we don't need you blowing us all up, either!"
"Okay, okay, fine."
"And yet our recent moves pose a risk," chimed in Penguin. "Batman will know that you, at least, are involved now, Joker. He'll be hunting you."
"Oh, don't be such a downer, Pengers," replied Joker. "Besides, isn't that why we all teamed up to begin with? So we could finally wipe out Batman and divide this city up for ourselves?"
"You're both correct," said Mad Hatter. "We must prepare. If that meddlesome Dark Knight is really on our tails already, we need to be ready."
"So what do we do?" asked Croc.
"If you're all done interrupting me," said Joker, his smile growing to its widest, "I have some suggestions."
