Batman never acted without a plan. He never acted out of instinct and never allowed himself reckless abandon in place of logic. Every action had a reaction, and as a man without super strength, speed, or stamina, he had to ensure the consequence was always in his favor.

He had tools for every scenario he could possibly imagine. A grappling hook to escape and reach large heights, batarangs to stun foes or cause distractions, a signal jammer for overwriting alarms, super coolant to slow accelerated opponents or scenarios, and a few dozen more objects were around his belt or in his suit.

So when the Dark Knight saw the liquid monster jump into the metal husk at the far end of the room, turn the lights on like a switch in a machine, and forcing it to rise from the ground, Batman knew that he needed a plan.

“Fluttershy,” Batman spoke in a low voice, filled with no less authority than any other time he was preparing to issue an order. He assumed the pegasus was at least bending her ears towards him. “We stand little chance against this thing inside here. If it were to swing wildly, we’d be nothing but ragdolls.” The spinning of their mechanical monster’s drill-arm was the only thing breaking the silence.

“When I say now, we are going to both run for the exit as quickly as we can. Outside, we have a chance. In here, we’re as good as dead.” He could feel the mare shiver at the word, terrified beyond her wits. It was fortunate, in a morbid sort of way, that Batman was used to these scenarios.

“On one….” He clenched his fists tightly, twisting his heels against the ground beneath the water. “Two…” He heard the pegasus’s feathers ruffle, either from shaking or preparation- both were good. “Three…” He heard whimpering from the mare now. Not unexpected, but still worrisome. He would console her later.

“Now!”

That was when Bubbles charged.

Batman wasted no time in grabbing an electrified batarang, holding it in the palm of his wrist, swiping his cape over Fluttershy next to him. The pegasus let out a gasp and froze, but did nothing more. A long crash resounded through the room, shaking the brick walls and forcing the water to ripple through vibration alone.  He glanced over the edge of his cape to see the results of the attack.

The first thing to meet his eyes was the surnamed Mr. Bubbles holding its drill outwards, arm at maximum extension. The next thing he noticed was the oversized mechanical bird holding the beast against the ground effortlessly. Batman immediately realized three things from that sight.

First, the bird was strong. Second, the bird was fast. Thirdly, he had very little to combat either of their problems.

“Mr. Bubbles!” Fluttershy found her voice with a terrified cry. It earned the immediate attention of the bird, now so obviously the Songbird. Its yellow sockets shone towards them, leaving only the red aura of the monstrous pinned diving suit to reflect against it. Batman was quick to throw an arm around the shaking pegasus.

A moment later, a high shriek devoured the air.

It was enough to force Batman to cover his ears. Fluttershy did much the same beneath him, her ears folding against her head as her shoulders hunched.

“The beast has a cry that renders a knight to his knees.” Ganondorf made the observation with a coy grin. The vision came to him from another circle of purple mist, swirling upon a podium fashioned from gleaming crystals. The light that came from it made his already red hair look downright bloody.

“And it appears that even their Goron of metal is no match for it.” His golden eyes focused on the pinned behemoth, insignificant next to the monolith that held it down. A dark chuckle rose from his lips.

His eyes turned away from his apparition, looking at the work he had done thus far in the room of crystals and rock. The sword of magic and alchemy he had made stood in the ground, hilt above tip. It glowed with an ethereal light, a haunting glow that would make an adult shiver and a child whimper. It was like staring at the Triforce for the Demon Thief.

“Still, it will be a pleasing sight to watch a man of good be trumped by the unstoppable.” Even though he was gowned in black, Ganondorf could not help but see green drawn across the Batman.

It didn’t take a genius to know what the bird’s cry meant. It was the same sound, the same shrill shriek, any predator gave before it jumped at its prey.

It was a war cry, and Batman was not prepared for battle. Not with this Songbird, at least.

With trained agility and dexterity, Batman threw his arm around the Pegasus, lifting the shivering creature from the water and holding her against his chest. In the same motion, he arched his arm outwards, pushing away the curtain of his cape and letting his electric batarang fly.

There wasn’t much on the metal beast to aim for -- at least not for any lasting damage -- but there was more than one open crevice that could easily stun it. Batman aimed for just that. Specifically, he sought out a node seated just between the Songbird’s helmet and shoulder guard. It was just above the arm that wasn’t holding down their drill-wielding ally.

When it hit home, the result was instantaneous.

Another high scream split the air apart, this one far less menacing and far more pained. The creature lurched backwards, letting go of Mr. Bubbles to reach for the annoying object. It was a move Batman calculated it would make, and he was only too glad to see he was right.

The low, loud groan that came from the once-pinned suit was matched with the grinding noise of a spinning drill. Its red lights reflected heavily on the mechanical bird, pointing the large, rotating tool at the creature. The Songbird paid it no mind, still trying to free itself of the electrified batarang sending painful jolts through it’s armor.

A normal combatant or novice thief would have waited to watch what occurred next, curiosity overwhelming them. Batman was neither normal nor a novice in any respect. The moment he saw his decoy working, he turned towards the door. A terrified Fluttershy now clinging to his body.

He activated his sonar vision with a swipe of his cowl, again shifting the halls into a grid of lined blue. Unlike before, where he had walked with trepidation, now he stormed down the corridors.

They had to leave as soon as possible.

No sooner had he turned the corner from the room than a resounding crash echoed down the halls. It was a deafening boom, and one that made Fluttershy squeak in his grasp. He didn’t falter. however, and he didn’t stop. Not until they were safe could he even think of doing that.

The sounds of battle continued behind them as he turned another corner, the last before a door to the outside presented itself to him. The halls around them were shaking violently, light particles of dust falling from the heavy crashes. Batman raised his gloves to his lids more than once, wiping away the particles disturbing his vision.

The Dark Knight practically slid as he made the final turn, door to the outside finally reaching his vision. Another crash echoed from behind him, but this one had consequence. Large sections of the hall began to fall down, splashing the water and grinding against one another.

The tomb was caving in.

With a marathon-like sprint, Batman took off down the hall, holding the frightened Pegasus as close to himself as he could. A section of the ceiling fell in front of him, causing him to jump over it, only for a part of the wall to fall away. His free hand pushed it aside as he continued to barrel forwards.

With every crash and boom that echoed from behind, another piece of the concrete wall gave way, creating another loud crack. There was literally destruction all around him, so Batman couldn’t, and wouldn’t, stop. Not until he and Fluttershy were out.

The exit was only paces in front of him- only a few more strides. Tucking his head downwards and pulling his arm around the Pegasus, he sprinted with what little of his stamina he had left. He all but jumped out of the crumbling hall.

His body rolled across the sand, the first clear sign he had that he was out of the water-logged and now collapsing structure. He was quick to turn and stare at the building, his sonar-vision returning to normal once more. The torches that lined the high ceilings and walls of the greater cavern gave all the illumination he needed.

It gave the collapsing tomb a haunting glow.

Mutely, Batman watched as the tall structure began to cave in on itself. The high top crumbling away as the walls beneath it gave in. The thundering cracks and booms of shattering clay and concrete echoed around the chamber entire, each accompanied with a spray of dust from the ruins.

Batman wisely walked backwards as the destruction continued, unsure as to how far it would spread. He raised his cape upwards, Fluttershy still clinging to him. It guarded his breath from any dust the destruction caused, but more importantly, any light debris that would be shot outwards.

The likelihood of such destruction became more and more likely as the tomb continued to tumble, the grand cavern they were in shaking at the destruction as well. The torches flickered from their holds in the wall, a few dousing themselves.

But Batman kept his eyes focused on the falling structure.

He watched as each wall gave way, in turn allowing a larger and larger section of the ceiling to topple downward. They resounded like a thunderstorm, echoing across the cavern with a noise that would put armies to shame.

He couldn’t hear the sounds of battle, not over the structure’s collapse. He could not hear the spin of a drill nor the high shriek of the bird. He couldn’t even tell if the two combatants in there were still alive. And he would not know until rubble and dust had settled.

Thankfully, the rubble did slow to a stop, the absence of thunderous booms growing longer in length, their sounds dulled, their echoes quiet. It shrank from overwhelming to hardly noticeable. Batman lowered his cape, releasing a tense Fluttershy to the ground at his side, content that there was no longer any threat of debris. Only the dust remained in the air.

It clouded around the fallen tomb, leaving only a dark outline of its remains. The torches above shined a low light through the brown fog, one that made the sight no less ominous than the first time they had entered.

Dark shadows hung over the rubble, silhouetted by the torches around the cavern. Batman didn’t fear any sight of man, but he was cautious. Such a thing put him aside from reckless. However, while he was focused on the sights of the now fallen structure, he heard something else now too. Once it reached his magnified hearing, he was only too sure it began when the tomb started to fall, but the clattering rocks deafened it.

Fluttershy was beside him, crying.

Her cheeks were wet and eyes red, her hooves raised pitifully to cover herself. Her pink mane had since fallen further over her features, hiding nearly everything from sight.

Batman was not one for condolences or chatter, but he knew better than to let a wounded heart lay. Casting one more look towards the ruin, he turned and knelt towards the small pegasus. There was no question as to why she was crying.

“M-Mister B….” She whimpered out, lips puffing as her eyelids flickered. Her wings drooped with her head, lamely attempting to hide her sorrow-filled gaze. Her entire body shook with restrained sobs.

There was little he could say. There was rarely anything that could be said. Now was no different. It was highly unlikely the beast that had warmed the pony so quickly was still alive. If not the metallic bird, then the tons of stone dropping on it would have been enough. An unpleasant reality, but one that Batman never shied away from.

Instead of words then, he placed his gloved hand on the pony’s head.

Fluttershy let out a small gasp, nearly a whimper with how small her voice was. Her tear stained gaze looked up at him, through the white of his lens and the black of his cowl. Despite the fear the sight brought to so many men back in his home, the yellow mare saw only sincerity in the gaze.

For a bit longer than a moment, Batman held that gaze with Fluttershy, doing all that he could to show the mare that he cared. Words meant nothing where action could suffice.

“Is… I-Is he… he?” She didn’t finish her question through her broken speech and half spoken words. As he would in almost any other situation, Batman chose silence. Consequences came through action and inaction. Inaction was proper now. Fluttershy had no doubt as to what that meant.

Her sobs turned into low whines, her shoulders hunching to shield her broken heart. It was not rare for Batman to see such a sight, it was only rare for him to see the relationship from beginning to end.

The cavern was silent as Fluttershy mourned, and Batman was as still as the ruined stone. There was nothing to be said, nothing to be uttered, only the small motion of understanding that he had already done. For now, there was only time. And in the time of absence, one needed to listen for what to do next.

It was that focus on the silence that allowed Batman to hear a guttery groan.

No sooner did the faint echo of the sound reach his hearing then did the sound of rushing air follow. The two together only meant one thing.

Batman grabbed the mourning pegasus in a quick grasp, jumping to his side as the mare squeaked in surprise. He was flipping sideways, forcing his cape backwards to give him sight of the ruins. While they were still clear, covered in dark dust and shadows, there was something else far more important that he could see.

A large object flying towards them.

It landed with a deafening boom, cracking the ground where they were only milliseconds before. Batman gave the air a hard stare before looking at the fallen object. It took him only a fraction of the time to dodge for him to register what the thing was.

The drill on its arm was gone, the lights of its helm off, the metal of its suit splintered, and the rumble of its voice vacant.

The corpse of Mr. Bubbles was laid out in front of them.

“It’s not a bad way to get a reaction,” Azula mused as she watched an expression of horror wash over the small pegasus. It gave her a warm feeling through her. “It’s just… too easy, juvenile even.” Her golden eyes focused on the dark suited man holding the mare, his eyes covered behind a film of white, his lips in a tight line.

“He’s seen this before.” The Flame Princess mused as she rocked her fingers on the granite balcony. “Given his expertise thus far, it isn’t surprising. Still, it is also interesting to see someone who is… unaffected by death.”

The man turned away from the corpse, glaring with unseen eyes towards the ruins, towards the dust cloud that now billowed upwards. The pony by his side, however, couldn’t avert her terrified gaze from the metal corpse. The flow of tears from the mare only seemed to increase with every passing second.

Azula could only watch the pegasus mutely cry on the screen, only able to imagine the pained wails she was making. The fire princess’s golden gaze found the sight nothing less than warming. Entertaining. However, the Batman next to her was everything that she wasn’t.

He was still as stone, gaze unwavering and focus sure. It was a look Azula recognized almost immediately. It was the gaze of a warrior who had seen the abyss.

It was her own gaze.

“Though that may be the wrong word.” Her smile sharpened as her brows knit, a darkened mirth running through her mind. “He just knows how to channel what he feels.”

As soon as he recognized the corpse, there was only possibility of where it came from. And the possibility only had one conclusion. That conclusion meant there was about to be something coming from the rubble.

And with a small focus of his gaze across the shadow-strewn destruction, he saw it. Like an Angel of Death over a blood-soaked battlefield, it stood above the fallen stone, silhouetted by the brown dust and red flames.

Its wings were extended, but ripped and broken. Its arms were outstretched, but shaking with fatigue. Its lights were focused directly upon them, very likely the only undamaged component of the beast.

Like lights at the end of the tunnel, they bore through the dust and shadows, gleaming an ominous red that bathed the room. It was doubtlessly an image many a man would have seen in their nightmares, probably even more on their last hour. Such a sight would have made more common men shake in fear.

It’s a good thing he was no common man.

“Mr. Bubbles!” The shriek from the pegasus in his grasp nearly sucked his attention away, but he knew such a shout was inevitable. He could not avoid looking away from the creature that so clearly wished to harm them. “Mr. Bubbles! Get up! Ple-“ Batman grabbed her muzzle quickly yet lightly.

“Fluttershy,” he spoke in the same commanding voice as before. “I need you to listen to me carefully. The Songbird is preparing to attack us, the same way that it attacked Mr. B.” He could feel the mare shaking against him. She was not struggling to be free; rather, she was trying to huddle closer to him. Her instincts were good, desiring contact over isolation. But as cruel as it may be, the fact of the matter is that now was not the time.

“I want you stay close your friend.” Fluttershy froze in his grasp, as he knew she would. It was not a request someone would often make. “If you do that, you’ll be safer than with me.”

Batman couldn’t see it, but he felt it. The pegasus was staring up at him, either out of confusion or fear. He hoped for the former, but he knew it was the latter. She had too kind of a heart to not be afraid for someone else’s life, be it man, pony, or beast. He’s already seen that.

“I’ll be fine.” His tone was one of fact. There was no need for promise, not from him. He would never say something unless he meant it. But Fluttershy didn’t know that.

It was a risk, a very large and unneeded risk, but Fluttershy was not his partner and this was not his city. There were risks here he could take, and precautions he had to heed.

He knelt to one knee, letting the pegasus tentatively step onto the ground. He removed his hand from the mare’s muzzle, and a low whine followed. It was soft and quiet, much like the pegasus herself, but it had no less emotion than a child’s broken wail. Batman fixed his gaze on Fluttershy’s wet gaze, keeping his hearing focused elsewhere.

He moved his hand to her shoulder. “I promise I’ll be back. I will keep you safe.”

Whether it be by his voice, his words, or just being who he was, Batman saw the resolve click behind the wet gaze of the pegasus. Her head trembled as she nodded, sniffling as she did so. She was shameless about her emotions, a trait most kind souls shared.

A kind soul in a dark place. It was for reasons like this that he wore his cape and cowl. He needed no motivation to fight the beast, but seeing the canary coated mare gaze at him, believe in him, it did something, something most heroes wished they could experience every day or night.

It made Batman proud.

The pegasus hurried away from him, towards the fallen beast. She was the most audible thing in the room, a case that he was not only sure was rare, but one that would not last for much longer.

The Songbird had since hunched over, its lights dipping as its back rose. The wings at its sides were next to useless, torn the way they were. But it did give it a perceived sense of size, one making its already gigantic form larger. It was a tactic many of large stature knew, by either instinct or observation. Unfolded arms, extended wings, or a cape pulled outwards. They all had the same effect.

But even Batman had to admit. The screech the creature made was more than show.

It blared forth with a horrible cry, bouncing off the cavern walls and making the loose stone rumble. What dust and debris that did not fall from the structure’s collapse decided then to descend.

It was the same time Batman chose to strike

BEGIN

The moment Batman began to run forwards, his hand swept over his cowl, bringing up the schematics he had scanned some hours before in the plan room. They were old, decayed, and had hardly enough information on them to be called anything more than drawings.

But they did have details about this beast, this rampaging monster. And any details the Dark Knight knew were potential weapons. There was no one on his Earth or any other that could compete with him for using information as a tool.

By his second stride, he had already thrown two electrified batarangs forwards, aiming for opposite shoulders on the beast. With its form hunched forwards, they were clear targets. Just another clue that this Songbird fought more with brawn than brains. He was fine with that.

It was in the third bound forwards that he tapped the commands to gauntlets, electrifying the hard surface of the pads, the rubber beneath them keeping himself protected and cushioned.

By his fifth stride he was already at the base of the rubble, and his batarangs had since connected with their respective targets. Just like before, more pained cries erupted from the Songbird, sending downward, twisting in agony. The large claws at the ends of its hands reached for its shoulders, attempting to pry away the electrified metal.

However, just as the Dark Knight had anticipated, every flexion of one arm only dug the metal in deeper. Its cries became more annoyed than pained. It was fine for him, as long as the beast was distracted.

He jumped across the fallen stone, deftly moving from one broken chunk to the next. His footing was sure on each landing, each pounce as strong as the last. Electricity arched through his gloves, oversaturating the material with valence electrons.

With one last powerful leap, Batman launched himself straight for the screeching Songbird. The lights of its widened eyes followed him, bathing his dark form in an angry red glow. He raised his arm back, reaching forwards with the other. The massive bird attempted once more to reach for him, but was rewarded with only more stinging pain through its arms.

The Dark Knight grabbed hold of one of the creature’s disk-like eyes, watching as electricity from his gloves flowed off. They did little to affect, however, the leather mask around the monster’s beak-like face refusing his electricity. That didn’t matter to Batman.

The Songbird’s eyes were definitely good enough targets.

Without wasting a moment, Batman began to hammer at one of the creature’s eyes, watching as the glass around the lens started to crack under his onslaught. Blue sparks flew with every hit, flashing with every blow he dealt.

The bird wailed in protest as the onslaught continued. Batman had no mind to let up. The light began to flicker, the red flood lamp dimming with each crack that webbed outwards upon the glass.

Then finally, with one more great blow, the eye caved inwards.

The pain was enough to the Songbird.

It wrenched its arms upwards, splintering the metal that had dug into its shoulders. Its massive claws grabbed at the Batman, hoping to crush the much smaller man without hesitation. The Dark Knight, however, was faster.

No sooner did he shatter the lens of the Songbird then did Batman pull himself up and over the creature’s head. He scrambled down its back, rolling between the space in its wings and jumping off with practiced precision.

In mid-fall, he reached into his belt with his now discharged gloves, pulling forth his more than familiar batclaw. With only a single glance, he shot the grappling projection to the ceiling, rewarded quickly with a taut line.

He was pulled into the air an instant later, the cavernous ceiling rushing towards him. The shrieking of the Songbird nearly roared beneath him, shaking the torches that he was swiftly approaching. Only a few meters away, he performed a deft flip, letting the soles of his armored boots land on the sharp stalactites.

Batman looked down from his perched position, watching the Songbird crying in either pain or rage. Either were fine for the Dark Knight.

‘Its wings are too heavily damaged from before.’ His mind’s eye concluded as he watched the useless appendages flop around. ‘That takes away was likely supposed to be its aerial advantage. However, it still is far superior in strength and size. If I’m caught even once by those claws, it’ll be difficult to get back out.’

Batman’s attention turned briefly to the corpse that was the brief guardian of Fluttershy, said pegasus leaning against the metal husk. Though the lights of the Songbird swam over them many times, it never made move for them. Its gaze always returned to him, high up on the ceiling.

‘It either does not recognize them as a threat, or does not care for the dead. Either way, it is alright so long as Fluttershy stays close to the diving suit.’ The bird screeched up at him again, surely out of anger this time. As good as it was to know he had a platform of escape, he would solve little without action.

Striking the eyes was his best option for now. If the creature was blinded, it would make it far easier to deal with. For now, his tactic had removed half the monster’s vision, leaving his right side exposed. If he were to stay out of the monsters vision, it would be able to stop his attacks. However, none of that mattered once he made contact. You didn’t need to see something on you to swat it.

Batman released the grapple of his claw, letting his body begin to fall towards the cavern floor. The quickly began to whip past him, a sensation he was more than familiar with. He couldn’t hope to avoid the creature forever in the air. He had to make due on the ground, where shadows liked to lay.

His cape extended outwards only meters from the floor, ceasing his fall almost instantaneously. The red light was over him in a moment.

The Songbird let out another ear-splitting screech as it charged at him, the tons of stone of the fallen tomb nearly nothing to the behemoth. The creature wasted no time, so neither would he.

With practiced reach and a flick of his wrist, several smoke bombs exploded around him, filling a good portion of the ruins and air with light-impenetrable clouds. The Songbird paid it little mind, continuing to charge forwards.

Like dull booms of thunder, its feet shattered the stone as it moved into the smoke. Its claws struck out blindly, hoping to graze the now-invisible foe. The smoke billowed and moved with its heavy swings, but never did anything solid meet the creature’s grasp.

Batman was no longer there.

The creature let out a high growl, head twisting forwards and back, left and right, as it searched for the man in black. It saw nothing. Nothing but shadows and shades of red, all over concrete rubble and decay.

It turned back again, stomping into the ruins as it searched. The Songbird’s eyes looked almost sporadically through the rubble, from empty gaps of space to larger sections of fallen walls. It swung at a high pillar, claw connecting with the solid concrete.

The stone fell away with a cascade of booming collisions, sending debris and clouds of dust into the air. The bird screeched again in protest, but to any who could listen, it was more clearly a cry of annoyance than pain.

It had lost its target- lost sight of the sight-taker.

Yet Batman had not lost sight of Songbird.

He hunched low within the rubble, watching the bird with a silence that only came from years of training and decades of practice. His breathing was hardly a whisper, his footfalls making less noise than that. His gaze was a sword, sharp and focused. His mind was his tool, measuring every angle the Songbird looked at.

It would gaze at one area for longer than a moment, for an amount of time that would appear to be an opening, but then it would whirl again, spinning as if on a top until it was focused on something else. Batman was familiar with the tactic, though recognized its amateur performance.

A partial opening, a façade. Most would strike in that moment, leave whatever cover they had hidden in, but the time would not be enough. The creature would whirl, it would see the prey, and it would strike. If Batman had his timing off, he would be as dead as the rubble around him.

His gaze followed the creature, but saw only air moving through its tubing. Steam, judging by its apparent high pressure. A power source, maybe, but unlikely for its head, more likely for its now useless wings, perhaps to increase its once-capable flight.

No, this creature was not like Bane. It was more akin to Killer Croc, a feral animal with little more than instincts as a guide. Batman only wished he knew what those instincts were. Without data or time to observe, he could only guess. He hated guessing.

He twisted himself over more rubble, maneuvering his hunched form to a small section of rock, kneeling behind it. He saw the red light sweep over where he once was; stopping when it was focused on the boulder he took for cover. For a breath longer than a moment, it hovered there, judging it. Then it twisted away. Batman moved again.

He had taken his second step toward his next cover, a fallen, slanted pillar about twenty feet ahead. The red light immediately washed over him.

He stilled, not out of fear, but instinct. His cape was black, lain upon rocks covered in dust. Even with the flood light focused on him, he appeared little more than a shadow. It was a guise that had worked on many a foe, and this beast of instinct would be little different, so long as he stayed still.

As expected, there were no loud cries of battle nor hisses of rage. Only the same cyclic breathing that came from the massive bird, searching for its prey. Its light over the Batman did not move, but neither did it grow in intensity. It was not approaching, but neither was it moving away.

Batman kept his breath still, his every muscle like stone. Even the most minute of twitches would set off the Songbird. It was something he was certain of. Fortunately, it was the same situation with a frightened thug. A misplaced whisper would cause them to empty their weapons at whatever they saw.

As he had hoped, the red of the light slowly flowed off of him, searching for him in a vacant corner. He moved quickly and immediately, not risking exposure. His every footstep was placed on solid ground, not even the pebbles in the ruins shifting beneath his boots.

Batman stilled again only when he was against the slanted pillar. He reached into his belt, grabbing at some unused plastic explosives.

It was a highly volatile substance, one of the few tools in his arsenal that was potentially lethal. Thankfully, he was confident few others were better-trained in its handling.

His fingers pulled at the material, stretching it against his palm. Blocks made high force but low area explosives. Spread out, it covered more ground. Perfect for a distraction, just right for possibly dislodging one of the Songbird’s claws. He would need to have a block of it as well.

The best chance he had was to distract the Songbird, have it focus on something to reduce its sporadic searching. He needed it to hold still. Then Batman could plant the distraction charge before the heavy one. Should he be caught, he needed an escape that did not endanger his own ability to fight.

With the tips of his fingers, plastic remaining carefully tucked in his palm, he slipped and threw one of his regular batarangs, hearing as it whistled through the air. The Songbird clearly heard it as well, screeching as its red eye searched for the sound. When the thin metal clattered upon the stone, the next reaction was an instantaneous as it was expected.

The beast let out another primal screech, pounding across the rubble towards the object. Batman watched as silently as the shadows he imitated as the creature pounced with a surprising gait. Were his eyes closed, the Dark Knight would have sworn the tomb was collapsing again.

Rubble and dust blew from where the Songbird landed, much akin to a bomb going off. Batman moved quickly, jumping and leaping over the fallen rubble without a sound. It took only a few leaps until he was beside the Songbird, so close to a creature that could overpower him in a moment’s notice. It was for that reason that he couldn’t hesitate a second longer.

He quickly jabbed the block of material into the creature’s lower leg, wedging it between two thick chords. The action caused both of the consequences Batman was counting on.

The block stuck, wedged tightly against the joint of the Songbird. Also, the Songbird felt the attack, swinging while he turned.

Batman rolled low as the back of the massive bird’s claw flew over his head, pulling the air like a current. As soon as his feet came back to the rubble, he jumped high, reaching up for an object he only predicted would appear. His prediction was right.

The gauntlets of the Dark Knight latched onto the large beak of the Songbird once more. This time, however, there were batarangs to keep the creature’s claws away. Batman counted on them.

With another great tug, he pulled himself up and over the dead eye of the Songbird, extending out his opposite hand. The bird screeched in protest of the Batman’s presence, pulling its head up as if to throw the man off. Just another action the Dark Knight predicted.

With the extra momentum of the swing, he was able to raise his free hand, the one he had lain with thin plastic. As his body swung up and over, he deftly slammed the hand down on the bird’s opposite eye, further blinding the monolith’s already-limited vision. Batman was forgotten as its blindness took precedence.

Its claws grabbed at its helm, scratching at the floodlights that were its eyes. Every scrape and scratch along the thick glass was accompanied by an annoyed wail, its broken wings whipping through the air as it twisted and turned. It took only a well-timed jump from the Dark Knight to escape the flailing creature, landing with a roll away from the rubble. He turned back towards the Songbird, raising the detonator as he did so.

It was hard to say if the explosion would kill the creature, but it would certainly blind it. More than likely, the glass flying into the center of the creature’s cranium would easily result in enough mental trauma to render the fight over.

He thumbed the switch ready to end this.

“Don’t…”

Batman felt a cold fury rush through him.

His cowl whipped, looking towards the voice to see just what he expected. Fluttershy was staring up at him, tear-filled eyes beneath her matted pink mane. Her lips were pouted upwards, holding back unvoiced sobs, wings outwards at her side.

“Don’t hurt him… please.”

“You do realize it has only tried to kill us since it woke up. More than likely, it’s the same creature that controlled the water before.” Batman turned his gaze back at the struggling behemoth. It wouldn’t be long until it had torn the plastic from its eye. It would only be a short check until it rid the block from beneath its leg then.

“But he’s in pain!” Batman was sure the retort was meant to be a shout, but with the meek pegasus’s nature, it was more of a high whine. He had seen school children sound more threatening.

“Having a tomb of concrete fall on you can do that.” The comment, however, only made the pegasus shake her head, sending her hair into a wild twist.

“No!” She spoke again forcefully. “He… This whole time… he’s been crying for her.” That got Batman’s attention.

Making one last note of the still struggling bird, now slamming through pillars of concrete like wads of paper, he looked at Fluttershy, his gaze far from the once understanding one he offered her earlier.

“Who do you mean by, ‘her’?”

“I… I-I don’t know.” The timid response came. But it was followed swiftly by the pegasus’s more reaffirming words. “But I understand him! He’s… He’s been crying for her the whole time. He wasn’t looking for, um… you or me. He was… oh my, um, looking for someone else.”

“How can you understand it?” Batman was quick to ask. Time was of the essence. “My decryption software has been able to understand nothing but angry screeches.”

That was when Fluttershy surprised the Dark Knight for a third time.

“Let me talk to him.” Her tone held no room for discussion.

“No.” The Dark Knight was adamant. Fluttershy, however, was equally determined.

“You have to!” She pleaded. “He’s not bad, he’s… he’s just lost and confused! That’s how we were!”

“He killed your friend and is likely trying to kill whomever he’s looking for.” Batman turned his cowl back towards the bird, sure that the creature was only moments away from peeling the plastic from his gaze. He was right. There were few moments left to spare.

The Songbird was already staring him down, enough of the rubber explosive removed to give it an idea of what it was seeing. Batman was only fortunate it was still attempting to remove the rest of his tool. When it was done, however, he would have to act.

“Th-That doesn’t matter!” Fluttershy still argued against him. “He doesn’t know any better. We can’t hurt him for that, it’s not right.”

“I am not going to risk your safety for the sake of talking to it.” Batman voice was as cold as the ground beneath them. “We’ll debate later.”

He raised the detonator again, flipping over the safety lever and exposing the red trigger beneath. His thumb hovered over it, waiting for the right moment to press it. The creature’s claw needed to be over his eye; it was the only way to have the thin explosive blow the glass inward.

“Please… don’t…” This time, Batman ignored the pegasus’s words.

The Songbird reached for its eye once more, grabbing the entire lid with its massive appendage. For a moment, it appeared that it was going to shed the flood lamp, removing the glass and all that was between the open air and what lay beneath. That would have meant removing the plastic as well.

Fortunately, in order for the Songbird to do so, it had to put the flat of its claw against the glass. While only torches lighted the room, the red of the eye completely blacked out, Batman knew now it was his chance.

“Don’t!”

Batman pressed the detonator.

END

A dull boom echoed across the room.

“Whoa-ho-ho-ho-ho-HO!”

Handsome Jack raised his free hand to his mouth as he stared at the screen, grinning like a madman and pointing like a child. His hand wrenched away to reveal an open-lipped and wide-jawed grin. His feet stomped on the ground in sheer excitement.

“Is something wrong father?” The mechanical voice of Angel droned behind the masked man. Jack didn’t respond for a full moment, still trying to get the air into his lungs.

It returned with a giant breath, only to be let out moments later in a string of laughter.

He bent forwards gripping his sides as he fought to keep his gaze on the television. It was too much for him, his sides nearly doubled in pain but gaze glued to one of the best things he seen on TV yet.

“Oh my GOD.” He finally let out, whipping his hand over his forehead. “I knew the dude was supposed to be a dark knight and whatever but jeez! Can you think of a more brutal way to kill someone then having glass shoot into their brain? Didn’t think so!”

Jack flopped back into his chair, letting the euphoria of the sight continue to flow over him. He stared at the screen, wide eyes watching as the broken Songbird stood atop the rubble, unmoving and unlit.

Then, as if a breath of wind flew threw, the creature fell over.

Handsome Jack did as well, laughing all the while.

“I must say, that is more… vicious than I imagined him capable of,” Azula noted with her chin pinched lightly. “No weapons of lethal capabilities, a vast majority of the tools designed for distractions alone, and nay but his wit being superior.”

The princess of flames watched with eyes of gold as Batman folded his cape about his form, hiding all but eyes to be seen. Mystery was another characteristic the knight enjoyed to adorn himself with, or so Azula’s detailed eyes could see. She found it nothing but pleasing to her pallet.

“If only he was easy to convince of obvious matters,” the princess noted with a soft sigh. “He would be a man I could call equal to some of the strongest of benders, a true symbol of strength.”

Her sharp grin honed itself as she spoke her next words.

“I’ll have to settle for killing that symbol instead.”

Batman was not pleased with himself.

He did what was necessary, he always did, he always had to. He had stopped madmen, repressed armored thugs, and thwarted some of the cruelest of plans lain out by humanity. Whatever he did, he always did what was necessary, no matter how he felt in the end. He only had one rule, and so long as that rule was followed, he cared little for all else.

He may not have killed a human, but he did kill, even if it was a beast. But he did so at the protest of the pegasus he was protecting. No, he didn’t feel proud of himself.

Fluttershy crying did not help.

“W-Why…”

Her tearful words did not help either.

In the end, there was little he could say. Batman’s cowl drifted from the pegasus to the fallen beast. It was already half-buried among the rubble, its wings laid out and claws fallen to its sides. It could not easily be seen, but Batman, for once, had no intention of investigating it.

There was little he could learn by doing so, and even less he wanted the pegasus to see. At the moment, his goal was not to arm himself, but to shield Fluttershy. To do so, they had to leave.

He approached the sobbing pegasus carefully, already fully aware how threatening he was to the timid mare. He was by no means a threat, in fact the opposite, but Fluttershy could see him as little else but a monster, after seeing what he had done. What he was capable of.

“Are you ready?” His voice was not as cold as before, but it would be a far cry to be called warm.

Fluttershy sniffled up at him, lowering herself to the ground as he towered over him. It was fear, one of the easiest emotions for him to trace. He had seen it many times in many different people. He didn’t mind seeing it in the eyes or bodies of those he protected. But neither did he like it.

The pegasus didn’t speak. Instead, she slowly raised herself upwards, standing at about as much attention as a sleep deprived child. Her mane dragged across the ground with her head lowered, wings not bothering to hug her sides. She only offered a stray wet eye to the Dark Knight, only enough to know where he was.

Batman was wrong before. She didn’t fear him, not fully. She feared a lot of things, as her timid nature easily revealed. She likely feared him even before they had ventured into the tomb.

Batman turned away from Fluttershy, walking a wide arc around the rubble as he searched the walls for an escape. The further they were from the remains of the Songbird, the better. The pegasus followed him without hesitation.

No, Fluttershy wasn’t afraid of Batman. She disliked him.

For some reason, that seemed even worse. Next Chapter: Fortune, Folly, and Consequences Estimated time remaining: 53 Minutes