Bruce stood in the mild rain, holding his umbrella up over himself and his unicorn daughter. They stared together at the monument they had come to see. Stepping forward carefully, Rarity put her hoof to the inscription.
Here lies Thomas and Martha Wayne
Loving Parents, Devoted Friends, Community Leaders
Taken Before Their Time
Rarity blinked back moisture in her eyes as she stared at the grave, stepping back carefully. Bruce kneeled down beside her, resting his hand on her back before turning to address the grave.
"Mother, Father," he said softly. "I'm sorry it's been so long since I last visited. You know how painful it is for me to come here, and...I've lost myself in my work ever since...since." His eyes glanced briefly towards another gravestone nearby, smaller and more recently constructed than this monument. "But someone wanted to meet you both.
"This is Rarity...my daughter."
Rarity swallowed, glancing up at the imposing grave. "...Grandmother...Grandfather..." She steeled herself. "I...I'm pretty sure I'm not what you would have ever expected as a grandchild. I'm not entirely sure I'm what you would want, either. But...I hope you can bring yourselves to love me as much as Father does."
Bruce carefully stroked her neck under her mane, pleased and proud of the maturity that speech showed.
Rarity glanced closer at the dates carved into the stone. Her eyes showed she was making rapid calculations, and she suddenly gasped. "Father...you couldn't have been more than ten!"
"...I was eight..." Rarity whimpered and shivered in response to his statement. Bruce was easily able to see the connection her mind was making; only three years older than she was now. Given his own health issues, it was all too easy for her to imagine losing him soon. Leaning forward, he stroked her cheek. "Don't worry. I'm not feeling any signs of incipient mortality."
Rarity managed a small smile, and her shivers slowed. "How did you handle it? Who...who took care of you?"
Smiling softly, Bruce stood up and led her to the smaller grave he had glanced at before. She read the inscription there.
Alfred Pennyworth
Loyal Servant
Loving Caretaker
Trusted Confidant
Devoted Friend
"Hello, Alfred," Bruce said to the grave. "I'm sorry I haven't been to visit since the funeral." He chuckled. "I can still hear you scolding me for my inconsideration there...and for not bringing Rarity here for you to meet sooner, and for not waiting longer before letting her meet you." He kneeled down beside Rarity. "Rarity, this is Alfred Pennyworth. He worked as a butler and majordomo to my parents before their death, and then he became my caretaker and guardian as I grew up before taking on the same roles he served for my parents to me. He was a good friend, and saw me through many dark parts of my life."
Rarity looked up at the grave. The newer stone seemed warmer somehow than that of the other grave. Where the Wayne's tombstone seemed etched with sadness, grief, and pain...this one seemed suffused with contentment, passion, and gentle regret. Looking up at it, she could have sworn she felt warm arms around her, helping her to her hooves as a gentle voice lightly chided her for her recklessness. Blinking, she realized that, somehow, she was picking up some lingering energy of Bruce's interactions with the well loved friend who rested here. She smiled softly as her gaze traced down the stone, over the image of an elderly British gentleman - still brimming with vim and vigor - etched into the stone over the inscription.
Under the inscription, however, something caught her eye. "What does this mean?" she asked, putting her hoof to the etchings.
Bruce smiled, both surprised and proud. Most people who saw the coded inscription there would assume it was merely decoration, never realizing the message it contained. It took a very keen eye to spot the pattern in the carvings that was more than decorative. "It's a special dedication I left him," he replied. "It means, 'The Hero Gotham needed'."
Rarity blinked in confusion. "What does that mean, Father?"
He smiled softly. "It's a long story." As Rarity playfully measured the length of her ears, he chuckled. "Alright, I'll tell you...but not here. Some I'll need to tell you somewhere else, and some will have to wait until we get home."
"Alright," Rarity agreed. "Shall we go?"
Nodding, Bruce led the way out of the graveyard.
Their first stop was a small alley behind a theater in downtown Gotham. Despite how much the city had changed over the past nearly four decades, this place remained unchanged...almost as though the city itself refused to allow this place to alter from how it been that fateful day, almost 57 years before to the day. The day the fate of the very city had changed.
"What is this place?" Rarity asked, glancing around. "It's so dark and dreary...and dirty!" She let off a disgusted snort as she shook dirt off her hoof.
"Colloquially, this place is called Crime Alley," Bruce explained. "57 years ago, my parents and I were watching a performance in this very theater when I became frightened of some of the performance, and begged to leave. Stepping out into this alley on our way back to our car, we were confronted by a mugger with a gun. My father tried to protect us.
"It was here I watched that man shoot my parents dead."
Rarity fell completely silent, all thoughts of the filth of the place banished by the realization of its significance. "...Father?" she asked worriedly.
Bruce nodded. "You asked why I was filled with such rage and pain, needing the martial arts to forge it into a weapon I could wield, instead of being wielded by it? This is the reason."
Rarity stared out at the alley, feeling the weight of history and pain. "What did you do?" she asked softly.
He gently scooped her up. "For that part of the story," he said softly, "we'll talk in the comfort of home."
Back at the manor, Bruce handed Rarity a cup of cocoa to warm her up after the rain. She took it in her telekinesis as she balanced it between her forehooves, laying back against Ace's barrel. As Bruce sat down, the faithful hound from a line of faithful hounds laid his head in his master's lap.
Bruce took a sip of his hot tea. "Comfortable?" he asked Rarity.
She nodded. "And ready to hear the rest of the story."
Bruce smiled. "Actually, I'm curious if you can figure out the rest of the story from what you already know of me and the city." He leaned back. "Show me how clever you can be."
Rarity gave a frowning pout, but she recognized the look on his face. Ever since he began training her in the martial arts - amongst other things - every so often they'd come to part of the lesson he wouldn't explain. Instead, he would instruct her to extrapolate, and figure it out on her own. As long as she made the attempt, right or wrong, she was rewarded. If she gave up, however, she didn't get dessert after dinner that night. No amount of wheedling, cajoling, or whining would move him on this...and, in fact, often lost her dessert anyway.
Sighing, she snuggled into Ace's side as she thought. "Well..." she began. "Having just witnessed your parents' murder...I imagine the rage inside you was directed at the one who'd killed them, and failing having him available for retribution, towards all criminals." Glancing towards his face, she saw the gentle, encouraging nod to go on. "However, you were a child, so you couldn't act on that right away. The martial arts taught you self control, and Alfred must have taught you responsibility."
"He did, that," Bruce agreed, giving her that confirmation.
Rarity smiled, certain she was on the right track now. "If by the time you reached adulthood you still needed the weapon you had forged your emotional turmoil into, then your parents' murderer wouldn't have been caught yet...which meant crime was a major problem in the city if the police hadn't solved the murder of a pair of wealthy industrial philanthropists after more than a decade. And that sense of responsibility would have led you to try and save Gotham - the community your parents had been working on saving - from the crime that had claimed your parents!"
Bruce resisted choking on a sip of tea through force of willpower alone. "How did you come to the conclusion that they were philanthropists, and that they were trying to save the city?"
Rarity smiled. "Account records of Wayne Enterprises dating back nearly 80 years showed honorable business practice dedicated to 'the best for all' rather than 'the best for us', and the inscription on their grave said 'Community Leaders'. They could only have been good people, dedicated to the people of Gotham."
Bruce's smile widened at this. "Very well reasoned. Go on."
She frowned thoughtfully. "But you couldn't do it as Bruce Wayne. That would leave you vulnerable to the same crime that claimed your parents, and would leave everyone you cared about as a weakness criminals could exploit." She gasped. "That's what the suits in the dark place are for, aren't they?" she burst out. "You wore them to fight crime!"
Setting his tea down, he slowly applauded Rarity's deductions. "Very well done, Rarity. Very well done. You have it all right. You'll make an excellent detective when you're older." As Rarity blushed at the praise, he picked up the tea. "That's right. Donning those suits, I fought crime. To put fear into the hearts of the criminal element...I became Batman...the hero Gotham deserved."
Rarity gasped out again. "Alfred knew!" she said accusingly. "He helped you be Batman, covering for you and keeping you in good condition! That's what that inscription on his grave meant!"
Smiling, Bruce shook his head. "While you're right about his role, that's not the meaning of the inscription." He took a sip of his tea. "After my parents died, and many other times throughout my life, Alfred saved me from myself. Saved me from being consumed by my rage, from being consumed by my need to save Gotham...from losing myself entirely to Batman, until I would become little more than the face that wore the mask. He saved me...so I could save Gotham."
Smiling softly, Rarity set down her empty cup and snuggled up to Bruce's leg. "Quite the legacy our family has," she said softly.
Nodding, Bruce gently stroked her mane. "Indeed."
Alfred Pennyworth is so badass that he even beat up Superman by himself
That, and he's an excellent troll
He really was the hero Gotham needed
a vary intriguing chapter with lost of good clues to the story to come.
5691247
I don't mind, and it's my story.
Now if it gets to three or more, then it's a problem.
Rarity, may or may not decide at this point to take up the legacy of The Bat, but both she and Bruce are going to realize the problems if she assumes the Mantle of the Bat as well (which were addressed in earlier posts. Bruce will still train her, as he already determined that she needs to be prepared to face potentially hostile forces from wherever his adopted daughter came from. But alongside that training will now run the undercurrent of how to address the issue of her hero identity. Public vs. Secret, pros, cons, and incidentals such as even if she operates publicly as Batmare in this world, would she want her identity to remain secret in the world she came from.
Also, as dimensional travel technology exists in the DC universe, once they know where Rarity's home dimension is, will she choose to be a citizen of both worlds, or will she decide to stay mostly in one, only returning to the other to aid when needed.
Rarity being Rarity, I don't see her being able to abandon either world, even if she does somehow convince her father to retire to Ponyville. Now that she's been introduced to her family's legacy, Gotham will have it's next defender.
Although I now have this crazy mental image of Rarity ending up being the one to train Terry McGuiness to be the next Batman...
Terry: "So... Where's the old man? I know Wayne's still alive because he still makes public appearances, but if he was the original Batman, why haven't I met him yet?"
Rarity: "Oh, he likes keeping busy as an honorary member of the Night Guard back in my home dimension. He says it does his heart good to be training a force he knows for certain isn't rife with corruption. Personally, I think he and Princess Luna hit it off because of their shared theme preferences."
Terry: "Bat this, bat that... yeah, I can see that happening."
Alfred Pennyworth: The Hero Gotham both needed and deserved. Also occasionally a backup Batman-but nobody needs to know that.
You... You made me cry...
Well done.
5691297
I now have this mental image of Luna giving Bruce a potion that restores his youthful strength and vigor but turns him into a stallion...and then Rarity Wayne gets a new 'Mom'.
5691374 I can see that... and it would be a good ship
And thus, project BatMare bloomed to fruition.
pinkie.mylittlefacewhen.com/media/f/img/mlfw1235_Discord_go_on.gif
5691374
It wouldn't even have to be Luna giving it to him. There's an existing Process in the setting of Batman Beyond that causes regular humans to become human/animal hybrids. Not completely illegal as apparently there is a legal process to go about having it done safely, but most users seeking to go through the process in Gotham seem to be the "too impatient to wait for the safe, legal way to change their lifestyle" type, or want to be hybrids with illegally enhanced attributes.
All Bruce Wayne has to do is use the legal process, stating his reasons as being to support his adopted daughter.
He should end up as an equestrian unicorn in the prime of his life if he does this, as the result if done correctly, is always physically healthy. I expect he'll be somewhat surprised to find the bat emblem appearing on his flanks (Batstallion? Batmane?)
Good lord... if he fought one of his major badguys as an Equestrian unicorn, Bruce might very well experience an apotheosis and become a male alicorn!
Luna: "We hath seen him first, Dear Sister! We shall be the one to court Dark Night!"
Celestia: "We could share?"
Luna: "What part of 'DIBS' dost thou not understand?"
Twilight: "Rarity... How did you end up getting adopted by a male alicorn on a world without intelligent ponies, let alone unicorns or pegasi?"
Rarity: "Nevermind that. If Princess Luna wants to date my father... well, my other father... I want to see her portfolio and a list of character references!"
5691470
As always, I love your alt-scripts.
Great chapter. Good amount of feels without getting too dramatic. More bonding between Bruce and Rarity also helps build the father-daughter dynamic that I've come to love in these crossover stories of yours. I'm really looking forward to seeing more of this, Tatsurou.
One thing I'd like to point out, however, is an odd formatting issue I'm seeing. In the section below -
It might just be happening to me, as I'm not able to recreate it despite copy+pasting it, but there appears to be larger spaces than normal in this section.
Edit: The spaces are around " " sized.
5648728 I'm just scrolling though, reading all the comments, and listening to Sweetie scream both normally and in reverse. It's just become a constant background whine.
5691501
It happens on some stories I read, too. It's the site formatting, making all lines end at the edges.
5691512 Ah, okay. I kind of figured it was something like that, but wasn't completely certain.
5691053 REALLY!? ALFRED BEAT UP SUPERMAN!?
5691470 totally happening
on another note from all the crossovers you have written this one is so far the most serious of all not a bad thing since it has batman on it and that alone is serious enough, frankly is hard to write good jokes with batman on it(ask the joker about that), followed by the technomare one frankly besides hulk cross-dressing as mary poppins and nick fury closet girly squees not much of it can be considered really funny, good fic but missing something, then come the sparkle in his eye funny really good comedy but since the whole universe on that one is gigantic comedy twilight actions can be considered normal i dare any reader to tell me they seem OOC twilight doing all kind of nonsense experiments and research without regard of her test subjects or work ethics just for the sake of "SCIENCE", then comes apple surprise now this one is real comedy with aj breaking the mood and making things go her way without a care for whoever is around. the part about even the tower demons judging dante harshly for making her cry was pure gold, then comes fortresshy just the perfect mix of slice of life, comedy and gore nothing else said, slaughter and laughter is very close to it some again a good mix of comedy and heavy gore. kratos telling her that what she does is normal is what makes it so good, and killing spree pinkie is not like most of us havent seen it happen on our imagination before. and finally sam max and trixie pure comedic madness
5691942 I believe it was in the Injustice comics. After watching Superman fight Bruce, Alfred stepped in after taking a special pill Bruce created (basically Superman level steroids). The following thrashing Superman received was exquisite.
5691470 Ah yes, the Splicing episode was awesome
5692876 ...
Butlers are badass. ALWAYS KNEW IT!
5691521 Yeah, it happens for both PC and mobile, more often for the latter. It's because of the (I believe it was called) Justified Spacing, to where it makes things look evenly spaced, even if some appear larger. If it looks larger but when you select it and only one space is moved, it's most likely Justified. Though there are some instances where it's actually more than one spacing and editors need to also watch out for that.
Batman and ponies? Thou hast mine attention, good poet.
Favorited and tracking.
5691053
His power level...
encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR-CJsBwTbXrG36YXOuZaxr2Kix6ZeXUiboKgtphPYrJSIPxx1plQ
Riddle me this... How do you teach a quadruped to pass as a biped? Easy... You consult a pedagogue.
I don't believe she can be batmare in Wayne's world...She is the only freaking pony. A bit obvious don't ya think?
Though, she can be badass on both economic/political area and martial art area while doing hero's works indirecttly by selecting worthy people. What I mean is while I can see she is being badass in the family bussiness and fighting (Lady of war & Kicking Ass in All Her Finery), I just can't see how she can have a secret identity...
5699942
That whole issue of "How can she be Batmare secretly when she's the only mare on Earth" is something that will actually be addressed in story...and also address a lot of similar issues regarding how DC comics and cartoons work.
5699963 Like a perfect disguise is a glass?
5699980
Things like that, yeah.
Bruce was the same age, if not older than Sweetie Belle when he lost his parents.
This reminds me, isn't there a fanfic were Bruce lost the use of his legs at the same time he lost his parents, and then took a role similar to professor X?
5738486
You're partially right on that regard.
Band broke his back (sort off) wnd Bruce had a hard time recovering and getting back to business, but after a many months of practice, therapy and encouragement, Batman was back, but weaker and more frail against damage to his legs
5703126 hmmm...
Batmare SweetieBelle?
5770757
Bane stands as the ONLY Batman villain that has come close to beating the Bat because of that. That alone makes him better than the Joker in many ways, though nearly everyone goes for the Joker. I don't. I've always preferred Bane, Mr. Freeze, and Catwoman over the damn clown. The reason is simple; take away his goofy gadgets, face paint, his homicidal tendencies, and his manic nature (which bites him in the ass in the end, every time), he's nothing special. That's not to say he isn't Batman's most dangerous villain, though; just that he's not my favorite.
I, wow, the feels man.
Sherlock Holmes would be most impressed.
Aye.
Well, the hero that gotham NEEDED. not necessarily the one they deserved right then.
5691470 that and the fact that ponies in Equestria (if Granny smith, having been around for the founding of Ponyville) would have to have, like, ten times the lifespan of IRL ponies.
That or Granny Smith is a Highlander or something.
pre03.deviantart.net/2bd1/th/pre/f/2014/052/c/5/highlander_granny_smith_by_mlp_silver_quill-d77hldy.jpg
Comma, anyone?
Most people who saw the coded inscription there would assume it was merely decoration, never realizing the message it contained.
5691455 I still think Discord is behind the pony tossing. He get's bored, sends a pony to a nonpony universe, and watches the adventures and possible chaos.
Sorry, but i'm finding it hard to connect the character portrayed in this story as Bruce Wayne. Even exposed to an MLP character, he seems a little too expressive and emotional in general compared to the elderly Bruce Wayne we all known, whether from Batman Beyond of The Dark Knight Returns parts 1 and 2.
Not to mention, if the idea is that he eventually has Rarity don the cap and coul... how will it not be obvious she's Batmare? She's the only unicorn on the whole planet. if Batmare's a unicorn and she's a unicorn, i'm pretty sure EVERYONE will be able to put the pieces together pretty easily.
For now, i'm afraid this is going in my Meh bookshelf.
6873967
I dunno, you'd be surprised at the positive effects ponies (and PWNYs in particular) can have on people.
Well, concerning Rarity's secret identity, I imagine it's sort of like how no one realizes that Clark Kent is Superman with glasses: civilians are clueless.
6873967 Autumn this is years before the Beyond Bruce Wanye so Rarity has already change things with him.
6873967 That and she's a UNICORN. I'm sure she'll be able to cast a spell to keep people from figuring out that the two are one and the same.
Batman is above 57? 65?
5691942
Injustice comic.