I am Wade Wilson, a man in his late thirties, leading a double life. I am an archetypal businessman by
day, and a masked vigilante by night. I have been in this line of work for 13 years, serving justice from
the shadows, fuelled by pain, sorrow, rage.
You might think this is just another batman story, but it's not. In fact, unlike bruce wayne, I had and still
have a complete family, enjoyed family warmth and a happy childhood. I was blessed, born with a silver
spoon in my mouth, provided with both material and sentimental wealth. Always a spoilt, rich kid, without a care
in the world, I did not know pain. It was as if my parents had kept me inside a castle, where it was perfect,
surrounded by looming walls keeping the dark reality, that was just on the other side of those walls, out.
However, my life changed when I turned 13. Besides taking over the family business that has been
passed down 6 generations, I was given another purpose, a purpose more purposeful. Ever since my
thirteenth birthday, I started having sporadic hallucinations, of the loss of loved ones. At times I would see
a boy seeing his parents die in front of him, killed by gun shots, at times I would see innocent people get
beat up by gangs. It was as if on that fateful day, I was cursed with the ability to feel some of the pain of
thousands... the pain of a mother losing her child to a homicidal psychopath... the pain of loss.
In middle school, I secluded myself from everyone else, always wearing a blank expression on my
face. My parents were worried for me and tried to communicate with me, but failed. The once,
happy-go-lucky boy, whom my understanding parents could read like a book, had become a totally
different person, because of that curse. What I was going through was insane, sometimes I would have
seizures, writhing on the floor, teeth gnashing, varicose veins appearing at my temples, head convulsing.
It was during those times that i felt the pain of those poor souls at the greatest extent, I could feel
everything... I could feel their desires for vengeance...
I remember reading a comic book "BATMAN: The world of Flashpoint" a different reality where
Bruce died instead of his parents. From here, I learnt that the pain of loss can drive one along two paths,
either vengeance or insanity. The death of Bruce turned Thomas Wayne into the Batman, Martha Wayne,
however, the Joker. The pain in my heart outweighed the chaos in my head, instead of being consumed by
the pain, I consumed it and used it as my power. When I was younger, I read a lot of comic books, gradually
developing an innate sense of heroism, which was unleashed by the hallucinations.
I trained rigorously everyday, striving for peak physical condition, and picked up various martial art
styles, of which, Jeet Kune Do was my fav. All this was possible, as all that was required was time and fortune,
which I had abundance of. I knew I needed split personalities so that no one would ever figure out my
irrational ambition. In the presence of the my parents, my schoolmates, everyone else, I wore a mask,
Wade Wilson, a nerdy, straight-laced, eccentric student, and underneath that mask, was a vengeful spirit with
no name. I never took off that mask, unless I was alone.
In the year 2013, when I was 16, I started hearing about bronies, fans of the show
"My Little Pony: Friendship is magic". Every Monday, there would be a morning reading session.
On one Monday morning, I came across an article on them, I came across them many times on the internet too.
Those multi-colored wonders I used to shun as a kid seemed rather appealing to me then, I got curious…
During the march holidays, I searched for a random episode, and got "Apple family reunion". During the whole
episode, I was enticed, completely under its spell, I felt like I was in a dream... I... was... happy... I
loved every bit of it! The ponies were all friggin adorable! Like when Applebloom asked Twily to stay for
brunch in episode one… aaarrrrgghhhh…. I also heard many bronies could not stand the intro, as it was
the girliest part of the show however, I absolutely loved it! Like how Twilight was obsessed with studying
about magic and nothing else, I was obsessed about my ambition… I used to wonder what friendship could
be… until MLP FIM shared its magic with me... Equestria..... a perfect world, THE perfect world, the perfect
opposite of the ugly reality I see everyday. That day and the following day were the two most magical days of
my cursed life, the only days when I won't hear eerie cries of help in my head.
I watched all 65 episodes in those two days... I... simply... just could not stop at one, I did not want
that feeling... that magical feeling of living in a dream... to be short-lived, however, it was impossible. After
those two days, another person was born deep inside me, a weak and helpless little girl, crying everyday,
wishing for a perfect world... wishing for Equestria. Every time I am reminded by the fact that Equestria
can only be a dream, never a reality, depression hits me hard.
So, I grew up, took over the family business... With the fortune I possessed, I built the
equipment to aid me in my escapades. I donned a plain, black suit, with night-vision goggles, which was
equipped with a heat-signature tracker, with a silver utility belt. I don’t have an alias for myself, but I am fine
with what they call me…The shadow… It was befitting…a dark guardian looming over all that is evil… I am
quite impressed with myself, never thought I would survive this long, three years… Enough time for me to
have seen much… The cycle of pain and hatred will never stop…
I now stand on the pinnacle of the tallest skyscraper in the city, viewing the city below… Rhetorically, I
asked, “How does the city look from up here?”
“It looks dirty…”
