“What are you really?” Applejack asked, raising her eyebrow as she scrutinized Bruce.
“I am a human, a species that dominates my entire home world.” Bruce replied.
“A hooman?” Pinkie asked, confused.
“Human.” Bruce corrected before turning to Twilight. “To answer your question, something indeed did happen to me when I was at a very young age. I normally would not share this with anyone since it’s very personal, but if you really want to know...”
“Yes! We would love to hear your story!” Twilight said eagerly. “We want to know how it all started...how you became Batman.”
Bruce deeply sighed as he thought it over.
“I’m not even sure if they’re ready to hear it all. Would these ponies even understand me, sympathize with me, and comfort me? Have they had the same experience of losing loved ones before? But regardless, I at least expect them to understand. So here goes nothing.” Bruce thought.
“Well, it all started when I was eight years old; at that time, my whole childhood and life were changed forever...when the following happened...” he began.
FLASHBACK SCENE IN GOTHAM
Bruce was starting to feel uncomfortable at the sight of the actors dressed as bats performing at the theater. He was seated alongside his parents, Thomas and Martha Wayne. The more Bruce watched them, the more he got scared; a nightmare kept flashing in his eyes of seeing bats which he saw before in that dry well fly by in a frightening manner. He looked up to his father and begged to leave the theater.
Noticing the fear in his son’s eyes, he nodded and took his family out of the theater. They left through the back door of the building. Martha was concerned about Bruce once they exited the door. “What’s wrong, Bruce?” she asked.
“No, no, it was me.” Thomas lied. “I just needed some fresh air.” He didn’t want to worry his wife with the thought of something troubling in their son’s mind. “A little bit of opera goes a long way. Right, Bruce?” he said, winking at him. Bruce made a tiny nervous smile in response.
“Come on. Let’s go.” Thomas directed his family.
As they were about to walk through a trash-infected alleyway, a man approached them with a strange object in his hand. Once he got close, he held up a gun directly at Thomas and Martha. “Wallets, jewelry. Come on, fast!” he demanded. Thomas stood right in front of his wife and their son to protect them while holding his hands up.
“That’s fine.” he said.
“Fast!” the gunman demanded again.
“Take it easy. Take it easy.” Thomas calmly said. He realized that the best way to get out of the dangerous situation was to comply with his demands calmly while not posing any threat. Martha held Bruce tightly in her arms to keep him safe.
“Here you go.” Thomas said, surrendering his wallet to the robber. However, right before he could take it, Thomas dropped it on ground. “It’s fine. It’s fine.” he said, trying to ease the tension of the robber’s hostility. The man bent down to grab the wallet from the ground while still keeping his eyes and his gun on him to make sure he didn’t make any sudden movements for an attack or an escape. “Just take it and go.” Thomas said.
“I said jewelry!” The robber repeated. He then suddenly pointed his weapon at Thomas’s wife for her necklace. Thomas instinctively jumped in front of her to protect her from him.
“Hey!” he shouted before the gun fired on him, receiving a bullet to his chest. He fell on the wet ground mortally wounded. Martha screamed in terror while shouting his name. The robber then grabbed her necklace and tore it off before he gunned her down as well. He cast one look at Bruce before quickly running off. Bruce was stunned at everything that happened in one night; he couldn’t believe it with his eyes. He looked down at his mother who was lying dead on the ground. He then turned to see his dying father casting a look of sympathy and courage to him.
“Bruce. It’s okay.” he comforted him who was about to burst into tears. Thomas then whispered his last words which Bruce would never forget and would also develop him later on in life. “Don’t be afraid.” He closed his eyes and died before Bruce’s eyes. Bruce quietly sobbed as he had lost his precious parents whom he loved dearly. Never had he thought that he would lose them at a young age. He no longer had a parent to look after him, care for him, nurture him, and protect him from the cruel city and cruel world. He was sitting there all alone...wondering helplessly as to what his future would look like. From the looks of it, it appeared grim and dark.
At the police station, young Bruce was sitting on one of the chairs. At that moment, a young officer walked in front of him with Thomas’s cost in his hand. He bent down to Bruce’s level with a sympathetic smile on his face. “Is this your father’s?” he asked. When Bruce didn’t reply, Gordon decided to comfort him by clothing him with his father’s coat. “There you go.” he said. “It’s okay. It’s okay.” he softly and comfortingly assured him as he soothed him with his hand on his cheek.
A moment later, Commissioner Loeb entered the room. “Gordon.” he called. Gordon left the room after giving another look of sympathy to Bruce. Loeb then also smiled comfortingly to Bruce. “Hey. Good news: we got him, son.” he reported. Bruce was relieved to hear that his parents’ killer has been arrested and jailed for his heinous crime. However, he was still unhappy. He felt guilt arousing in his soul as he contemplated the scene that happened to him. He thought that if he had done something about it, his parents would still be alive. He couldn’t bear the thought of being partially responsible for his parents’ death. With that in heart, it caused him greater sorrow.
A funeral took place a couple days later. All of the Waynes’ friends and supporters returned from the cemetery after Bruce’s parents were buried. “You’re in excellent hands. We’ll be watching the empire.” one of the people said to Bruce. “When you grow up, it’ll be waiting for you.” After he left, the family butler Alfred took Bruce inside their home, Wayne Manor.
Bruce was alone in his room, succumbing to his depressed thoughts. “I thought I might prepare a little supper.” Alfred said as he entered the bedroom. Bruce gave no reply or acknowledgement. Seeing his saddened state, Alfred thought he needed some alone time to recover. “Very well.” he said as he was about to leave.
“Alfred?” Bruce called.
“Yes, Master Bruce?” Alfred asked.
“It was my fault, Alfred!” Bruce blamed himself as he began to sob. “I made them leave the theater! If I hadn’t gotten scared...”
“No, no, no, no, it was nothing that you did.” Alfred comforted. “It was him and him alone. Do you understand?”
“I miss them, Alfred. I miss them so much.” Bruce embraced his butler while crying. Alfred embraced him back soothingly.
“So do I, Master Bruce. So do I.” Alfred said.
FLASHBACK ENDED
“That’s how it happened. Little did I know that this very path and experience would lead me to be the Batman, the Dark Knight.” Bruce finished. The Mane Six had tears on their eyes as they listened to his tragic story, especially Scootaloo, Applejack, and Apple Bloom. He somehow reminded them of their parents when they were younger. The Apples lost their parents while growing up whereas Scootaloo’s parents hadn’t really visited her at all in Ponyville or kept in touch with her. That experience made her depressed and doubtful if they really care about her. So Batman’s story hit close to home in someway.
“That...(sniff)...is so horrible! I’m so sorry, Bruce. (Sniff) That must have been so...(sniff)...traumatic.” Scootaloo sobbed.
“Ah feel ya, Bats. Ma family and Ah lost our parents when Big Mac and Ah were foals while Apple Bloom was a little baby. Worst time of our lives. So we feel ya, big guy.” Applejack said.
“I’m sorry to hear that, Applejack. Losing a parent is not something to get over, especially for me. I realized how cruel my world is through a hard and painful way, but I took that pain and fear and made them the very weapons to cast upon those who inflict these things upon innocent people.” Bruce said.
“Whoa. But isn’t that like...revenge? That can never bring back the ones whom you lost, Batman.” Fluttershy said.
“Revenge is not the same as justice. While I agree with you, Fluttershy, justice must be given in the same way in which criminals try to hurt people. Except that there is one line of distinction that separates me from my enemies: never taking a life.” Bruce said.
“Really? You don’t kill criminals? You just beat them to a pulp until they surrender?” Rainbow asked.
“I am not an executioner. I will continue to fight criminals in the same manner in which I’ve been doing for many months, but I will never take a life, not even that of a villain. Otherwise, I would be no better than them.” Bruce stated. Twilight and Scootaloo smiled at that sentiment.
“Wow! That’s amazing, Bruce. That is what I call a noble hero. I am glad that you follow that approach. Because it would serve you no benefit by becoming a murderous psychopath if you allowed that horrid incident to becloud your reasoning. You’re a very strong person. I can see that.” said Twilight. Scootaloo nodded in agreement.
“Thank you, Twilight. I appreciate it.” Bruce smiled.
“Here! I made cupcakes with chocolate icing with your bat symbol on top just for you!” Pinkie said as she gave a plate full of them. Bruce was warmed by the sympathy and affection they displayed toward them. Perhaps these ponies aren’t that bad after all.
“So they do understand. I honestly wasn’t expecting Pinkie Pie to be that supportive and sympathetic. I think those ponies will start to grow on me.” he thought.