The criminal henchman, reeking of his own sweat, caught red-handed with his burlap bag of ill-gotten swag, stammered at the black apparition that had waylaid his getaway:
"W-w-who are you?!?"
"I'm... Batpony!"
As far as I am aware, comic book artist Bob Kane never supplied a backstory for his iconic Bat-Man character, who starts off as a violent, angry punch-'em-up vigilante dressed in a cowl, cape, and tights. It wasn't until the 1980's, when in an effort to reinvigorate the Batman franchise after the campy 1960's-era television series, that Bruce Wayne, the heir to a massive industrial fortune, made the bizarre transformation from helpless orphan to indomitable winged crime fighter. We see more detail of this event through the Christopher Nolan Batman Trilogy films.
Even so, the re-boot missed several key events that shaped the life of the junior Wayne scion. Several sources agree that Bruce Wayne wanted to fight crime partly because of the philanthropic work of his parents, but also to relieve the trauma of their violent deaths. In addition, Bruce decided on the form of a bat for his superhero costume because of a timely exposure to bats. However, the connection between the timid bat and the indestructible crime fighter was still missing. Put simply, the world's bat population may be known for a lot of things: flying, biting, and making guano, but they are not known for their unwavering sense of justice and moral outrage.
Enter Batpony, Bruce Wayne's beloved Shetland Miniature Horse. Batpony was too short to appear in most comic book frames, so he is often overlooked by fans, even experts. Even if you step-search through the Batman movies, you will certainly see that Batpony's legs are so tiny that he never appears in a single shot. Even so, he is there. Like a very stubby bat in the night, Batpony would do whatever it took to care for and protect his young master, Bruce. Hopelessly devoted, single-minded in his demeanor, and possessed of only a very slow canter, Batpony nevertheless took up the fight against malignant crime that was choking out the bright future of Gotham City.
Batpony, from below the edge of the bottom of the frame, tackled with legendary arch-villains such as The Snake, Shorty Shortheimer, Pronewoman, and the treacherous Wagonrider Gang, a collection of villains who terrorized the very knees of Gotham from the very low vantage of their souped-up Radio Flyers.
Only when Bruce was finally old enough, strong enough, and most importantly, tall enough to take on the mantle of protecting Gotham City could dear Batpony retire in total secrecy to 1936 Sullivan Place, New Troy, Metropolis USA.
Oh, bugger, I gave that one away, didn't I? Sorry, Batpony! Don't hurt me!
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