Spider-Pip: Originsby ZombieBrony22ChaptersPipPinkamena Diane Pie and RarityDarknessBattleSparkleMidnightBreakdownDouble DateSymbioticEvaluationUnder Their SpellRevelationHallway FightComing Clean...Dazzling First Day (Edited)ChrysalisWelcome to the ShowPipSwinging around the city is simply indescribable... just move with your heart, I guess-- swing there, jump off of that, zip onto this... it was just second nature to me. I clung to an antenna, tuned into the police scanner in my pack and put on my headphones, listening to the now-muffled sounds of the city. The bright LED billboards, the horns on the cars, the people chatting down in the streets... it all felt like a world away up there. The radio crackled to life and I averted my attention back to it, where I managed to hear this. “Please report, we have shots fired, repeat we have shots fired—any officers near Mansley, please advise.” I lowered my mask and packed the radio back up, leaving my bag on that roof. “10-4.” I smiled as I webbed on to a lower building and I leaped into the swing, feeling the rush of adrenaline and the crashing wind blow against me. I made it to the crime scene and saw a group of thugs in fine suits and using SMGs opening fire on police. Kingpin’s crew, no doubt... I swung onto one of the toppled vans and chose my targets, putting on my American accent to hide my identity. “Alright! Which one of you wants it first?!” I called out. The thugs all turned and jumped back a tad once seeing me. “Spider-Man!” One of the thugs called out as he opened fire. Smiling under my mask, I cartwheeled past the shots, hand standing for a moment as I webbed his gun and pulled from him. I looked to see four others with weapons and used my arm to launch me into the air as I webbed their guns away and landed on my feet, ready to fight. I shot a web at one of them, trapping his hand onto an upturned car. Three of them began to charge at me and so I adapted for the number of enemies—I jumped off the wall and kicked one of them back, elbowed another in the head, and punched the last one in the face, knocking them all out. I saw one more peek out from the other side of the car and I zipped on top of it, looking down on the thug. “Hello, there.” I said as I webbed him to the wall. “I... I don’t know nothin’!” The thug called out. “Oh, good—then you know something.” I teased his double-negative. I flipped off of the car and leaned back next to the webbed criminal. “Come on, Spidey... lemme go, dude—I'll get the word out, Spider-Man’s lookin’ for Kingpin’s new lieutenant, I can do that no prob’--” “So, you know who I’m after? I guess Sombra let you know I’d ask already? Well, I do want you to get the word out... but I also think you know something...” I told him. “Look, we’ve never seen her face, she’s always done business over the phone—she's real secretive, but I’ll get the word out, I promise!” “Great... Just wait for that webbing to dissolve—you've got two hours!” I said as I knocked him out and webbed away as the police siren entered my ears. As I swung off, however, I felt a small sting in my back as I began feeling light-headed... I fell from my web and everything started going dark as I landed on the back of an 18-wheeler... I woke with a start as I realized that I wasn’t home and that I was wrapped in steel chains. I looked around and saw a large penthouse and I realized where I was... “Sombra.” I sarcastically called out. The dark-haired crime lord turned around to face me and walked forwards, his hands behind his back. “Hello, Spider-Man... it’s been a while since we’ve done business.” He joked. “Ha... you stealing my jokes, now?” I asked him. Sombra moved his hands to reveal a blade and held it to my throat. “You’ve snuffed out my deals in the Lower Districts... and now you’re moving up to Mansley? Come on, man... where else is there for me to make money from, now?” I tried moving my hands, but the chains held... “How about a legitimate business, for starters?” He let out a hearty laugh and moved the blade away. “Alright... how about I make a deal: You ignore my next deal, and I just might give you a slice?” He offered. He must’ve been an idiot if he thought I was going to take that deal. “I’m sorry, Al Capone—but I can never look the other way, you know this.” I told him. “Oh, come on—it's just a small robbery of some hospital somewhere...” Hospital? “Which one?” I quickly asked him—not bothering to wait. “It doesn’t matter—it's just someplace for vegetables and cripples. Those people are more dead than alive--” I immediately ripped through the chains, grabbed his throat, and slammed him down to the ground, not bothering to react to the other armed guards drawing their weapons behind me. “You listen, and you listen good—if you rob Saint Starswirl’s, or any other hospital for that matter, and I’ll use my webbing as a goddamn noose, you hear me?!” My yelling caught him off-guard for a split second as my accent slipped. Sombra let out a choked chuckle. “You never killed anyone... but I’ll leave it alone, I guess. Besides, can’t risk face now that the mayor chair’s gonna be empty.” I released his throat and swung away as the guards began opening fire. By the time I swung home, it was dark—past my curfew... My mother’s going to kill me. I snuck through my window and hoped to sneak into bed, until... “You’re late.” I turned to see my mother outside my door flick the light switch on. “I... got caught in traffic.” I said, not wanting to get too into-detail with my mother. “Fair enough. Crime never sleeps, right?” She tried to joke. I chuckled a tad and slowly shut my door so I could change. “You know, Aunt Celestia’s coming up tomorrow, you should stay here.” My mother called out. “I wish I could, but I can’t... like you said—crime never sleeps.” I recalled as I changed into some form of nightwear. “Fair enough... just please try to be back on time—the less Aunt Celestia knows, the better.” She groaned. I looked onto my wall to see my certificate to Oscorp Sciences hanging, with the words “Welcome to the Future”, signed by Abucus Cinch written on it. I sighed and laid on my bed, drifting off after a hard day’s work, school and super-heroing and all... Pinkamena Diane Pie and RarityToday was the day... it hadn’t been long, but the Rainbooms really had some leeway on the local law... Pinkamena was to be released from the mental ward today. We were all on-edge, and I wasn’t here for a good part of the year. But from what I heard from students, Pinkamena did something big—something that actually got her arrested... I don’t know what’s worse: the fact that she’s killed some students and still never got busted, or the fact that I had to face her that day... The first thing I noticed when I entered the school was that no-one was hanging around—they were all in the safety of their classes—even those new ‘Dazzling’ girls who Flash showed around. As I made it to my class, Rainbow sped out in front of me, setting her hands on my shoulders. “Hey.” She said. “Hello.” I tagged along, ready to fight back. She didn’t say a word as she sped away, carrying me to the front door, where Fluttershy and Applejack were, along with a shadow outside the door and out-of-view. “Congrats, Pipsqueak—you're Pinkamena’s rehabilitation test, by orders of Sunset Shimmer, herself...” Rainbow smirked. “Test? What, that ward didn’t do its bloody job?” I mocked. Rainbow stayed silent for a moment before smirking again. “Nope. Just be lucky Sunset doesn’t come to deal with you personally. You know how that always goes, right?” That statement made my blood boil and my fists clench—not that I had the time nor the will to do anything about it. I heard her giggling before I saw her—if anything, that ward made her worse—her formerly puffed hair was now straight and running down to her back, she had black lipstick running up her cheeks, and a killer’s look in her eyes... Maybe it’s a good thing I packed my web-shooters. Pinkamena glanced around before glaring right at me, my senses beginning to tingle as I prepared myself to fight the pink-obsessed lunatic. “Go on, Pinkamena... do what you think is best.” Rainbow told her. From the background, I think I heard Rarity softly gasp as Applejack released Pinkamena. Rainbow then walked over to the others and sped off with them, leaving me and the maniac. Sure enough, the first thing she did was charge me and pin me to the ground, resting her thumbs next to my eyes... My Spider-Sense was tingling rapidly, unable to stop. “I remember you... you were small and cute back then, but... now look at you!” Pinkamena was like a rabid dog if you let go of the leash—she's an absolute lunatic and the Rainbooms use her to make students... disappear. “So big and strong... I wonder how long it’d take to... y’know what? I think I’ll just shut up and kill you, now...” Pinkamena smiled widely as she set her thumbs onto my eyes... And I shot a web to the wall and pulled away from her, sticking to the wall and jumping off, lining up my hit to knock her out cold. After Pinkamena was knocked out, I put my web-shooters back in my bag and carried Pinkamena to the nurse’s office, ready to come up with a cover story, until... “I know a place... she can rest there, and we can talk, there... Spider-Man.” Rarity smirked behind me. I went pale and my blood ran cold as I remembered that Rarity never left... “Don’t worry... your secret’s safe with me. Now come on, before your crazy aunt comes after us.” Rarity teased—something she did often. I went to pick up Pinkamena and follow, trying to be as discreet as possible. Thankfully, the halls were empty, since classes had started, and as I followed, no-one batted an eye at me carrying for all they knew a lifeless corpse. Rarity made a hard left and I followed, leading to the janitors’ closet... “Here? Are you so sure that this is the best place to--” I was wrong as the door opened and it was a moderately sized room with gadgets and glass displays of costumes that must’ve been made by Rarity on the walls... “She knows this place, she’ll rest up here.” She told me. I set her on the bed on the side and as I went to leave, Rarity set her hand on my shoulder. “So... you’re Spider-Man?” She asked. I sighed and nodded, knowing that denying it was useless by now. “Huh... I never would’ve guessed that it was you in the city, playing hero... but I see it...” Rarity then moved her hands down to my waist, trying to pull me in closer, but I kept her at arms-length. “...You swinging around out there, making the city yours... kind of like me with something else, if I recall...” Rarity teased, again. I sighed and moved her away. “I know that you miss those days... and to be honest, part of me does, too... but that part of me, I stopped listenin' to the moment I became Spider-Man. Those feelin’s I had for you are gone, Rarity. Move on, as I did.” I told her as I went to leave again. I went to open the door when Rarity dug into her pocket. “Well, let me at least give you this—in case Rainbow Dash comes creeping again.” Rarity called out, holding out a folded picture. I unfolded it to see a rather... unique photo of Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. “...Oh...” I replied. “Yes... turns out little Fluttershy has some secrets of her own...” “But... I thought she and Sunset were datin'...” I said as I folded the photo back up, swearing to never look upon it again. “As I said, little Fluttershy’s got her secrets.” Rarity smirked... They all have a rather uncomfortable habit of smirking so sinisterly. I simply nodded her farewell and shut the door behind me as I left, not wanting to stay there another minute with my ex... I went out into the hallway and I saw the new student turning the corner, the one with the cheeto-puff-like hair. Of course, I saw her a second too late as I managed to bump into her and knock everything out of her hands. “Oh! I’m so sorry, I didn’t see where I was goin'.” I quickly spewed out as I helped the... cheeto-girl get her books back together. “No, it’s okay... I wasn’t really looking either.” She picked up her stuff and stopped once she saw my face. “Oh, you’re Flash’s friend, right?” She asked me. “Yeah, my name’s Pip.” I held out my hand. “Adagio Dazzle.” She set her things in one hand and shook mine. We went our separate ways as the bell finally rang, dismissing the period that I completely missed... Author's Note Got bored last night and made some fanart, thanks to bases made by SelenaEde DarknessI’m pretty sure I hit my head on my nightstand as I woke with a sharp pain on the top of my head... I sighed before realizing that it was the weekend, and I breathed a sigh of relief... Until I looked out my window to see my bus drive right past my house... “FffU--” After forcing myself into a nice pair of clothes and jogging to catch the bus at a red light, I managed to make it to school on time, and sure enough, today wasn’t gonna be a good day... I walked in to see every student separated and standing straight, some wearing faces of terror and panic... I looked up to see her... The hot cluster of Hot Topic and slight Blood-Cult vibes with bacon hair stood several feet away from me, wearing her leather jacket with “Sunset” patched on the back, her tight black T-shirt with rips in the torso area, and torn all-black leggings that didn’t really leave much to the imagination... “Hello, Flash... it's been a while.” She said, dragging her voice out. “Sunset.” I bluntly answered, wanting to catch my class on time for once. Behind her was Pinkamena, freshly released from the mental ward, and Applejack, ready to hold the maniac back. “The rest of you are good to go, but Flash stays.” She ordered. Every other student and possibly one teacher all took their que and fled to the other hallway or some classroom, leaving me and the gothic ringleader... my ex-girlfriend... “So, how’ve you been? How’s the apartment?” Sunset asked me. Yes, she paid for my apartment—I'm sure she still blackmails my landlord, despite me paying him rent... “Good-- there was a leak in the ceiling, but we got that fixed.” I said. I knew better than to lie. We may have been lovers once, but that time was long gone... we were only frenemies now. “That’s good... girls, will you leave us?” Sunset asked. They didn’t answer, but Sunset neglected them for the moment, stepping closer to me, me doing the same. “I miss you... you know that, right?” She almost-whispered. I went closer, feeling temptation whisper in my ear, only for me to silence it and focus on whatever trick Sunset had up her sleeve. “I know you do.” I added, refusing to give her the satisfaction of hearing that I missed her, too... We stopped once we were a foot away from each other—most other people would turn to jelly in this scenario, but I’ve grown used to it... this game of ours has become more than her trying to get her ex back... and more of us just teasing each other with our relationship—treating it like a weapon to smite each other with-- I’m doing it again, am I? Getting too caught up in my situation and savoring it all... It’s a habit. “You know what I miss, don’t you?” She whispered, almost so silent that I couldn’t hear it. I sighed and took one more step, completely breaking the distance between us. “You know I do.” I whispered back, almost more elegant than she could ever pull off, almost instinctively wrapping my arm around her back... A few gasps resonated from the back and Sunset turned to see Applejack and Pinkamena in complete disarray. “Girls! You both have 3 seconds to get out of my sight before I flay you both alive! One! Two!” Sunset counted. The girls bolted in separate directions, desperate for their lives. Sunset turned back to me, completely ignoring that outburst and wrapping her arms around me, pulling herself in. “I know you miss me, too... I can see it... you want your baby girl back...” She whispered, setting her hand on my head, more than likely reading my mind... Yeah, she does that. We were almost an inch away from each other... I knew that I shouldn’t be doing what I was doing, but at that moment, I didn’t care... our lips were about to meet... But then I stopped, slightly moving away. “Nice try, Sunset... I’ll admit, you almost had me... but you know more than anyone that we’re done.” I chuckled, unwrapping my arm and moving away from her. Sunset only smiled, and even laughed a bit... never a good sign. “Oh, Flash... you’re too easy.” Sunset taunted, setting her hand on my shoulder and flipping me around to see my locker rigged by Pinkamena. “Oh, son of a--” I muttered. “Have fun, lover boy!” Sunset cackled as she walked off... Showing Aria behind her, her eyes as big as saucers. “What... just happened?” She asked. My heart dropped as I realized that she played me like a guitar—she expected me to tempt her, she’s grown used to that game by now. “I’ll explain later, but for now just stand back—I have no idea what Pinkamena put in my locker.” I warned her. I went to my locker, putting in my combination and standing over to the side... slowly, slowly opening the door... BEEP! The school bell caused me to jump, opening my locker all-the-way to reveal a jack-in-the-box containing a pie... “A pie? That’s it?” Aria asked. I took the tinniest of samples and tasted it, recalling the taste instantly. “Ghost pepper infused whipped cream... with a hint of vanilla. Tasty yet so damn spicy.” I said, grabbing the pie and throwing It away. “God... if that hit someone’s face... They’d do that?” Aria asked. “They always do it... and much worse. Now, come on... we’re gonna be late.” Later that day, I managed to sneak past Rainbow and Fluttershy extorting a kid, wanting his money for them leaving him alone... I almost stepped in, but Adagio did it for me, and went to her locker later on to find a rather interesting picture gallery... I didn’t know what was in it, but it was enough to silence Adagio until lunch... where I ran into Pip again, chilling at a table with a few other kids his age... and the Dazzlings. “Oi! Flash, how’re you doin’!” Pip asked me. “Eh, I’ve been better... how about you?” I asked. “Nothin’ changed but the weather, y’know?” He asked me. “Damn right, I do.” I laughed, taking a seat... I had nowhere else to sit, so why not check in on an old friend? “Ah, Flash, meet Derpy, Button Mash, you’ve met Adagio, Aria, and Sonata...” My heart dropped again when I saw Aria glance at me like I was an old painting on a mansion wall. I screwed up and we both knew it. “Flash? You alright, mate?” He asked me. I shifted my focus back to reality and nodded. “Yeah... sorry, just... thinking.” I told him. He must’ve known something was up, but he had no time to explain it as Sunset walked past our table, Adagio scowling at her while she kept her attention on Pip, looking at him... almost like the way she looked at me... only worse, somehow. “What was that about?” I asked him. Pip turned back to me as his phone went off. “I have no bloody idea.” He told me, looking at his phone and staring at it, almost like it offended him. “That sick, cruel, no-good...” Pip got up and bolted for the door, leaving us in complete confusion. Just as if the day couldn’t get any weirder, Adagio sat up and jumped onto the table as everyone got settled. And began to sing. “Aaah-aah-aah, aaah-aaah.... aaah-aah-aah, aaah-aaah..." She sang, so elegantly... Aria and Sonata jumped up and joined her, singing the same melody. BattleA day had passed since the Dazzling’s little performance, as most people described it... if people weren’t smitten with them before, they definitely are now. The police scanner was barely activated and if it was, the police answered it, meaning that there would be no point in me going out there for about four hours today... I decided to pay my aunt Celestia a visit, but Mom stopped me, wanting to tell me something. “So... following the Dazzling’s little song in the cafeteria, I decided on merging the Fall Formal and the Battle of the Bands—mixing it up for a change.” She told me. Great... “Now there’s only one thing the Rainbooms can win this year, instead of two...” I accidentally mumbled. She didn’t like that, and I sensed it. Well, not with my powers, but... you know what I mean. “Hey. This year’s going to be different... they aren’t going to take this away from the people this time...” She told me. “How? Auntie Celestia admires them, and the students are too scared to fight back. Things won’t change, mum... it’s just gonna be like this until they graduate.” I told her. Mom sighed, seeing my point. “Well, I’m going to try, regardless. The Dazzlings seem ambitious enough, all they need is the proper support.” Mom said, with confidence. She had no idea what they were truly capable of—she just knew that they were a problem and she needed the evidence to have them expelled, or hopefully arrested... “I know you have history with the Rainbooms... they took you under their wing, right?” Mom asked me, unintendedly bringing up bad memories. I sighed, wishing that I went out and looked for criminals to beat up and web up instead. “Yeah. Sunset took me under her wing and the others... I grew on them. Most of ‘em tought me somethin’ that I use as Spider-Man—Rainbow taught me how to free-run, Applejack taught me how to threaten the right people and how to use an accent, Fluttershy taught me how to fight, and Rarity taught me... how... to... sew.” I quickly covered. I mean... she did, but she mostly taught me... other activities. If you catch my drift. “Really? How to sew?” My mom saw right through it. “Yeah... how do you think I made that suit?” I asked her. She went to say something, but stopped and nodded, seeing my point. “Fair enough.” She replied. A knock on the door ended our conversation and Mom opened it to see Flash. “Oh, Flash! How are you?” She asked him. “I’m doing fine, Ms. Luna. Is Pip here? I was hoping we could hang out for a bit.” He said. “He sure is. Please, come in.” She offered. Flash came inside and took off his shoes, glancing at me at the table, fiddling around with an app I was trying to develop for my Spider Suit. An in-suit AI would be cool, but it’s a lot of work for a voice to talk to... “Hey, man.” Flash told me, taking a seat. “How’re you doin’, bruv’?” I asked, hoping he didn’t know what ‘bruv’ meant. “I’m doin’ good...” Damn... he’s done his research. “Except for, y’know, everything with Sunset and her little buddies.” Flash said, my mom listening in. “All I need is hard evidence, and they’re gone.” She said with determination. We sat in silence until Flash remembered something. “Hey, so... I’ve been doing research on Oscorp, I was thinking on getting a job there--” “Don’t. Just don’t-- there’re better places that give you better wages and have better employers. Please, just trust me.” I warned him. Flash’s look of surprise said everything that I needed to know. If anything, I was saving him from that horrid place... it looks all nice and posh on the outside, but once you get inside, it’s rotten to the core. “...Noted. Anyway, I had a friend who worked there and she sent me this out-of-the-blue last night.” Flash held out blueprints that made me turn pale. The blueprints for my Spider-Man mask that me and... “Who’s this friend, Flash?” I desperately asked. “Does it matter? Look at this! This is Spider-Man's mask, Pip—and your name was on the document. Curse the need of Oscorp identification to save files. “Listen to me, Flash: We can talk about this later, but first, I need you to tell me who sent you this document.” I pleaded him. After looking into my eyes and possibly seeing my desperation, he cracked. “Okay... her name is--” A bright flash out of the corner of my eye cut me off... I turned to see that the high-school statue had seemingly been flashed by something... and a cloaked was on the ground, holding a bag in their arms. “What is it?” He asked me. I tried to see who it was, but the fact that it was dark and the person was cloaked kept me from seeing much of anything. “I don’t know... heat lightning, maybe? It’s been real warm the last few days, that could’ve been it...” I tried to reason, but even I didn’t believe it. The light from the statue faded, and everything seemed to simmer down, Luna coming back inside and breathing a sigh of relief. “Good news... it doesn’t seem to be a break-in. Bad news, you should stay for the night, Flash. It’s not really safe out there—let me give your parents a call--” Mom stopped and gasped slightly, Flash somberly glanced at the floor and then turned to her. “It’s alright... I’m sure you're not used to cases like mine.” He said, almost cracking a smile. Mom sighed and left us be... and I had no idea what just happened. “Okay... wanna play some GameStation or somethin’?” I asked, trying to change the subject. “...Yeah. I could use that, actually.” Flash smiled slightly. I never really talked about my parents... did I? I have no clue what they’d think of me, now—especially after what I did with Sunset... and for her. Would they be disgusted with me for my past sins, or would they be proud that I’m trying to “redeem myself”, as the school counselor put it. If they even knew the things that she made me do... and the ones that I enjoyed... There’d be no question about redemption. I parked in the student parking lot after staying at Pip’s for the night and began walking into school when I saw Celestia storming to me, her face red with anger. Here we go, already... “Flash Sentry, I want you to actually tell me where your delinquent acts end!” She shouted. Okay, so I stopped doing these “delinquent acts” since Sunset and I broke up, but would Celestia let me live that down? Luna opened the door as Celestia kept on ranting and gently pulled her away. “Sister, back off! He’s innocent, in this.” Celestia scoffed—a sound I barely hear her use on her sister. “Where was he last night? Do you even know?” Celestia asked her. “Yes-- he came over to talk to Pip, but when that flash came around, I saw a hooded figure on the premises, so I chose that it’d be best if Flash stayed for the night. He was in my kitchen when that light hit.” Luna defended me. “This juvinile, ‘talking’ to Pip? How do you know that he’s not recruiting him, or some--” Luna stepped between us, her presence resonating with rage. Celestia's scared face said everything I needed to know about Luna’s anger. “Never... make such a suggestion about any my students-- least of all my son-- ever again, is that understood? I am his parent, not you. Now, what are you carelessly screaming at one of my students about, sister?” I felt the sting in that comment, so much so that Celestia’s destroyed face didn’t put a smile on my face, like normal. “I... the Formal Battle of the Bands Crown went missing...” She calmly responded, staring her sister in the eye but showing a hint of embarrassment. “The crown... is right in my--” Luna looked in Celestia’s hand and saw another one of the crowns... a professionally made one compared to one made of plastic and possibly aluminum. “Did the district send this one? There can’t be two of the same crown by coincidence...” Celestia wondered. Luna took a moment to think, glancing at the two crowns in her hands. “We’ll take them both—if no-one from the district claims it by the end of the Fall Battle, we use it.” Luna gestured to the professionally made one. Celestia then turned to me, that look slightly returning in her eyes. “I’m... sorry for accusing you. Your track record, and all...” Celestia muttered. I nodded and that chat ended, me walking to my class, Luna and Celestia returning to their office. I turned to see Rarity bolt off as she saw me... I did the logical thing and ran after her—she knew something, and I needed to find out what. The hallways were crammed from students moving from one class to another or to their lockers or just to the bathroom I stuck behind, waiting until she was alone... but out of the corner of my eye, I saw Pip catch up to her, going through the crowd faster than me. I managed to break through the crowd in order to catch up faster. I found Pip simply talking to Rarity, pressing her for answers, but never raising his voice. “What’s so important about that crown, Rarity? Why do your friends want it so badly?” I heard him ask. “It’s... it’s something Sunset brought with her... something from her home.” She said, trying to look around desperately. “From her... home?” Pip asked, completely clueless... I knew what she meant—Sunset talked to me about her home... “Equestria? That crown’s from Equestria?” I asked, stepping out of the shadows. Rarity turned to me, her pupils dilated, and nodded ever-so-slightly. “She said that she was going to finish what she started... whatever that meant. She came back... different, furious—she hit Fluttershy, for God’s sakes! Whatever she did... it changed her. And she’s not going to stop until she gets what she wants... and none of us know what that is, anymore.” Rarity whispered. “Then why help her? Why not just run?” Pip asked her. Rarity sighed and held her necklace. “Sunset calls these... Geodes—they give us our powers. Before we met her, we were just low-tier... but now, we’re something else. These powers... they’ve changed us, they made us different, made us... worse.” Rarity said, still holding her “Geode”. Pip seemed to understand what she meant, and took a seat, gesturing her to take a seat by him. Not understanding his motive, she sat. “That power... do you like it?” He asked. She nodded, still misty-eyed from before. “Do you want to lose it?” He asked her again. She shook her head. “So, you accept the power, and you can’t handle the responsibility?” She stopped, clueless. “Okay... what does that mean?” She asked. Pip sighed and leaned forward, ready to add his input. “Someone... very close to me once said that if you have the power to do or stop something... then you have the responsibility to. You and I... we have the power, now it’s time to take on the responsibility.” Pip stated, mystifying even me, who had an idea as to what he meant. Wait... if I was right, then my formerly scrawny, short friend who had no strength or “power” before, was Spider-Man... Huh. “I... think I see what you mean. But they’re my friends, Pip... they just took a bad deal that they can’t get out of.” I scoffed, much to Pip’s offense. “So... let me get this straight: You went from some low-level bullies to making all of our lives a living hell because you took a ‘bad deal’?” I asked, my anger showing. Rarity stood up, her anger forming an aura. “You, of all people, should know exactly what that feels like!” Rarity shouted. I sighed, knowing that she was right... but at the same time... “So, you think you and the others can redeem yourselves? If I can’t, why can you?” I asked, letting out my own anger. Their faces said it all—they were shocked at what I just insinuated. “Flash, you only--” “My record is stained with what I did. I can’t take any of it back... so why should you be able to when you’ve done far worse than me?” I asked. Pip stood up, ready to break us up. “I’m not saying they can... I’m saying they should try... so should you.” Rarity paced off from us, ending the conversation. Silence kicked in as Pip turned to me, still shocked from what I had said. “She has a point, man... I don’t know what she meant by you knowing how she feels... but trust me, she’s wrong.” I blocked him out, heading out before my eyes began to water again. I’ve already let out a tear too many. SparkleA week had passed since my enrollment at Oscorp, and needless to say, things were going pretty well. Oscorp has absorbed a private academy called Crystal Prep, so that was where Twilight and I, along with most of the students, were staying. As Twilight and I grew to know each other, I began to like her more and more... She wasn’t like Rarity—and I was thankful for that. With her it was like I was just being used... but with Twilight I just feel... something different. I don’t know what it is, but I’m not fighting it. I was sitting in my dorm room as I winced when my hand swelled up again, I went to the bathroom to apply the ointment and as I went to put it back, the bottle stuck to my hand... again. I sighed and rolled my eyes as I tried to relax, prompting the bottle to drop where I left it. There was a knock on my door and I went out to answer it, expecting some Oscorp member. “Hey, Pip.” Twilight said, having a simple smile on her face. “Oh, hey, Twi.” I said, trying desperately to pamper up my hair a tiny bit—I had bad bed-hair... Twilight noticed and giggled oh-so-cutely. “Don’t worry about it... trust me, bed-head sucks.” Twilight said, adjusting her glasses. “Yeah... so, what’s up? Wanna come in?” I mentally slapped myself for asking something that stupid. “Well, any other time, I’d love to, but my mom wanted me to come get you—we're partnering up, Pip!” She said in a flash of excitement. My excitement almost leveled hers, but we instantly high-fived. “That’s great—what're we working on?” I asked, eager to know. Twilight pulled out the handbook and handed me a copy. I opened the first page and my heart stopped. “Prosthetics... Twi—this is your dream, isn’t it?” I asked her. “Well, yeah, but didn’t you want to work on genetics?” She asked me. I did—I wanted to look into that spider that bit me a few weeks ago, but I suppose that wasn’t happening, now. “Yeah, but that’s fine—this is your field, I’m sure we’ll do great, together.” I smiled. She smiled back and as we went to leave, I realized that I wasn’t wearing shoes... “Heh... be right back.” I awkwardly smiled. I turned to go back when I bumped into Abucus Cinch—CEO of Oscorp, and Twilight’s mother... In short, I screwed up—big-time. “Oh! Ms. Cinch, I’m so sorry, I didn’t--” “No, don’t worry about it... accidents always happen.” Cinch said, wearing a fake smile on her face as it faded when she glanced at her daughter. “That’s what you’re wearing to the lab?” Cinch asked, pointing out her tattered lab coat. Twilight looked at her uniform and frowned slightly. “It obeys Oscorp standards, I don’t see anything wrong with it.” I stood up for her. I don’t know what her homelife is like, but I can’t imagine it’s too good... Cinch turned to me and simply hummed and left us. Twilight’s smile didn’t return and I moved over to her. “You look great, Twi. Like a scientist.” I said, hoping that’d work. Sure enough, I saw her smile start to return. “More like a mad scientist.” She chuckled. “No, that’s me-- no shoes, nasty bed-head... all I’m missing is an evil laugh.” I pretended to do an evil laugh, and Twilight was close to snorting as I headed back into my room to put on some shoes and attempt to comb my hair. Twilight and I were in the most intense argument in our friendship—following a series of strange events... “I’m telling you, Pip—there's no way for someone to run on walls.” She said, with a testing smile. “I swear to you—one night I was walkin’ down the road, and I saw a man leap off a building, land onto a wall, and run up it... I swear on my mother’s grave.” I said, holding up my hands. We shared a laugh as we glanced at our project—a prototype prosthetic arm that was to be tested on an army veteran by the end of the month... I never caught his name, but I think it was ‘something’ Castle... “It’s lookin’ great—for a prototype...” I said, slowly moving my hand closer to Twilight. “Yeah... it’s a work in progress, but...” It was like she saw me move my hand and she didn’t move away... I touched her hand and held it, and she returned the gesture. She then rested her head on my shoulder, looking at the arm being controlled by a few scientists. I then rested my head on hers—just savoring the moment, until... “I hope you two have progress for me if you’re just sitting around, all handsy!” I heard her voice say. Twilight pulled away from me and quickly turned around, almost presenting herself to her own mother. “Yes-- the arm made tremendous progress today, the pressure bug was resolved, as well as the--” Twilight was cut off by Cinch taking the controller and moving the joysticks, springing the arm to life. “Hmm... how about the balance bug—has that one been sorted out?” She asked, still moving the arm. “That bug’s taking time, but we’ll get it before the end of the month.” I said. Cinch remained silent and moved the arm even more, refusing to praise our progress. “Keep going, you two—flirt later, off-campus.” Cinch said, leaving us without even turning her head. We stayed silent as Twilight simply sighed, seemingly depressed. “I swear, it’s like that woman never smiles.” I said, chuckling slightly. Twilight didn’t say a word, desperate to snuff the bug out. “Hey, Twi—you're doin’ great with this... really. To be honest, you’re carrying me through this whole thing.” I chuckled. “Yeah, that’s because of that side project you’re working on when you think I’m not looking.” She managed to let out a slight giggle as she went over the notes and schematics, most likely searching for anything on the arm. “We’ve lowered the weight, we reprogrammed the whole damn thing in less than a month... What’s it going to take to fry this bug?” She asked herself. I sighed and glanced at the arm again, still marveled at how we managed to create this and Cinch won’t even applaud us for that... not like she does everyone else. “Twi, we’ve looked through this blueprint almost a hundred times—I don’t think it’s the problem... maybe it’s somethin’ with the person wearin’ it...” I added under my breath. “It won’t matter if my mother doesn’t accept it... please, just work with me, here... please?” Twilight asked, her voice dry and cracking. I then remembered we haven’t really drinken anything all day, and the water machine was outside the room. “I’ll get us some water, if you want.” I said, waiting for her response. “Please.” She whispered. I went out into the hall and started the machine as Cinch entered through an adjacent room to ours. “Hello, Pip.” She said, dryly. I swallowed my anger and turned to her, bearing the best fake-real smile I can manage. “Hi, Ms. Cinch. I’m just gettin' us drinks.” I said, holding up our cups. She hummed and just stood there, as if forming a response. We remained silent as I filled the two cups, feeling her study me... possibly because of my heighten senses... I was about to open the door and leave the situation, when... “Do you like my daughter?” She asked. I stopped and turned to her, sighing as I did so. “I do.” I said. “Then understand me when I tell you that the last thing my daughter needs is a distraction. She’s so close to becoming what I want her to be—I can’t lose that to anyone... least of all to some boy.” Cinch scowled. I felt my blood begin to boil as I wanted to tell Cinch everything I felt, but I knew better, and swallowed it once more. “I’ll consider it.” I added, expecting Cinch to show some kind of anger, but she simply chuckled instead... a sound I never want to hear again. “I don’t know. Maybe you’ll grow on me—you're funny.” She smiled just like them... We went our separate ways and I saw Twilight tinkering away when I tapped her shoulder, giving her the drink I got her. “Thanks, Pip.” She said as she took a sip. “You’re welcome, Twi.” I smiled. I can tell that my smile made her smile—something I’ll have to keep in mind. “So, where’re we at? Same place—nowhere?” I asked. “Actually, I made a fascinating note—the motor inside the elbow was adding a few extra pounds... it’ll be a stretch, but we can patch that up by the end of the month... this is it, we’re so close...” Twilight said. I smiled, hoping that Cinch can finally give her daughter the recognition she deserves, I couldn’t care less about Cinch’s approval of me... Just as long as Twi keeps that cute smile on her face. This was it... the moment has come—we managed to sniff out that bug and we were about to test the arm with a retired vet. Twi was smiling ear-to-ear in nervousness and slightly rambling. “Do you think that was the last bug? How about the color, what if he doesn’t like it? Oh, God—did we add that software patch?!” Twi asked, in a panic. “Twilight, that patch was two days ago, we downloaded it as soon as it came out.” I said, setting a hand on her shoulder. Twilight sighed... and slightly moaned as she scooted closer to me, allowing me to instinctively give her a short but intense shoulder massage. “You’re good... I’m guessing you’ve done this before.” She said, letting me hunt down knot after knot. "Yeah—my ex was a stylist and whenever she got worn out...” I didn’t finish as I rubbed out one large knot in the nape of her neck. Twilight’s head turned when I brought up Rarity—our relationship ending was one of the reasons I signed up for this class... “It’s a long story.” I chuckled, getting one last knot before moving to her neck area. “Relax... I’m sure he’s going to love it. If not, we’ll just run more tests... it’s going to be okay. I promise.” I said, working my massage to the nape of her neck. Twi smiled and moved her head back, looking at me as she pecked my forehead. “Thank you... for everything.” She said with a smile on her face. I smiled as I slowly went for the kiss... Only for the vet to enter. “Oh! Sorry, am I interrupting something?” He asked. We instantly pulled apart, looking at the vet and at the clock. “No, no, it’s just... we kinda lost track of time. Please, come in.” I said to him. The vet seemed nice enough, he walked in and took a seat, glancing at the arm. “Wow... this one certainly looks better than my last one.” He said. Twi seemed to take that as a compliment, while I took it as a good sign. “Well, let’s make sure these looks aren’t deceiving.” I said, setting the arm up for him. The arm was in place, and the vet began to move it, working it beautifully. “Wow...” I whispered, the vet having a smile on his face. “This is incredible...” The vet went to reach the empty mug... Only to shatter it. “Oh, shoot! I, uh... I’m sorry, I kinda, uh...” The vet mumbled. “Oh, it’s fine—just another bug to work out... but, as of the feeling, what do you think?” I asked. Twilight seemed mortified, but I managed to calm her just enough not to have a breakdown by addressing it as a bug. “The arm’s incredible—I can almost feel it there, like it’s real... It’s certainly better than those other Oscorp prosthetics... God, prosthetics are not their specialty...” The vet chuckled. A small silence as the vet switched the arm off and removed it. “...with a few updates, this is a product I’d most certainly buy.” The vet smiled as he left the room. Twi and I turned to each other, and proceeded to cheer once the doors were shut. “See? What did I say—just a few more bugs to fry, and it’s perfect!” I said, trying to settle Twilight, who was jumping up and down with glee. “We did it! We actually did it! Just a few more bugs, and... and...” Twilight stared into my eyes as we stopped... I smiled and scooted closer to her... and she gently set her arm around my back... And... The door swung open, and Cinch’s heels furiously clicked into the room, ready to tear us apart. “’A few more bugs’?! Twilight, I gave you two a deadline--” We never released each other... “Cinch, I can explain, we--” “I knew it... I told you that day that... this was going to hold you back!” Cinch said in a rage, walking over and shoving us away from each other, pushing me to the ground. “Cinch, we’re so close—surely, we can--” Cinch went in a blind rage—she grabbed the arm, our two months of work... And swung it at the table, causing nuts and bolts to fly away from it. “No! Stop it!” Twilight was in tears, on the ground trying to get up. I went to charge, but a scientist grabbed me, restraining me. “No, don’t! Trust me, she won’t listen during one of her episodes...” The scientist said to me. “Cinch, just stop!” I screamed, my voice barely heard over Twilight’s sobs. She let out the last swing that destroyed the arm, scattered bits of machinery littering the floor. “No... You two are done, you will go back to Canterlot, and Twilight, I expect a perfected model by the end of the month.” Cinch went to walk away. Twi was still in tears, gathering the pieces of her creation... the look on her face—the pain and anger... I can never let her feel that again. “Wait! What if we make you somethin’ better?! The two of us!” I asked her. She stopped and turned around. “What did you have in mind?” She asked. I stopped a second, trying to come up with a plan, until I had it. “We’ve spent all this time and money trying to replace what was missing... what if we improve on it? Make it better? Give us a few weeks, and we’ll make something incredible... somethin’ that vet or even you would love?” I offered. Cinch stopped and pondered on it until she made up her mind. “Oscorps top scientists will be with you... constant surveillance and a 2-foot restraining order at all times on campus... all times. Do this for me, and I’ll consider revamping those rules. Are we clear, Pip?” She asked me. I barely swallowed my anger as I looked over to Twilight. “We’ll need to be able to work together, Cinch... 5-inch restraining order, hands-to-selves. Then we have a deal.” I said. Cinch stopped and sighed, nodding. “This better be incredible, you two.” Cinch walked away, leaving her heart-broken daughter. I went over to her and pulled her in for a quick hug—a hug that she used more force in. “It’s gone, Pip... it’s... it’s all gone!” She sobbed. “I know, Twi... I know... but we’re going to do better. We’re going to make something better... Together.” I told her, holding the hug with almost as much force as she used on me. And we did make something... Something horrible. It had been a week since Cinch destroyed our project... Twilight’s changed since then—she's been taking risks, both with herself and on the new project. Our idea is mechanical arms that can stretch out and can handle high temperatures, something for factory users or those working near volcanoes... More body-breaking labor, more expensive metals... Twi wants this to be perfect and she’s taking every possible risk to do so. That wasn’t her... and I knew it. A digital model was complete and we watched the model in action, all the motors moving, the arms clinking and clanking... “Beautiful...” Twilight whispered. We’ve become distant ever since Cinch brought down the hammer on us... the other scientists never reported anything to Cinch, they never liked her, anyway. We’ve come to the point where I wonder if that day was really us or just some reaction to that success. The bell rung, dismissing us. I went to leave, but Twilight was still hard at work. “Twi? We can go now.” I said, trying to get her attention. Twilight didn’t even stop to address me. “You can go, Pip... but I have to keep working.” She said. I faced my choices—walk away and leave her alone, or stay and try to help. My choice was the simplest one. I turned back around and reviewed the model, looking for any faults or errors. “The right arm seems a little clunkier... that might just be the build.” I said, clicking on it to change the model. For the first time in about a week, Twilight showed a crack of a smile. “...I never thanked you.” Twilight said, stopping her typing of code for a moment. I stopped as well, turning to her. “For what?” I asked her. Twilight looked around—the door was shut, and we were alone. “For being here... even after I pushed you away.” She said, moving closer to me. I sighed and set my hand on her shoulder. “Twi... you know that I want this, and I know that you do, too... But not here... not when you mom can come in any second and drop the hammer on us.” I said. Twilight sighed, seeing my point. “Okay... how about this?” Twilight asked, handing me a ticket. I held it and saw that it was for a movie showing out in town. “Twi... I’d love to go out with you.” I chuckled, holding her for a quick hug. She seemed to savor it as much as I did, resting her head between my shoulder and my neck. “Don’t be late.” She whispered in my ear, kissing my neck before pulling away. As she went to shut off the lab and leave the room, she had a slight sway to her hips... My jaw was dropped to the floor as I realized that the showing was at 6 and it was 4:30. I began to leave as well as my phone rang. I pulled it out and saw that it was from ‘Tavy. “Hey, sis.” I said, answering the phone while walking back to my dorm. “Hey, bruv. How’s Oscorp treatin’ ya?” She asked, her voice tired and worn out. “It’s complicated...” I said, recalling the fresh memories of Twilight’s change in personality... “Oh? How’s the luv life, then?” ‘Tavia asked. “Oh, ha-ha... it’s a work in progress.” I said, awkwardly smiling to myself. That got her attention... she gasped slightly and I heard her microphone move around. “MUM! PIP’S GOT A NEW GIRL!” I heard her scream out. “No, no, no, no! Octavia Melody, don’t you dare!” I said, stopping my movement try and text mom. MidnightTwilight and I were finally out of Oscorp and out in the town, thanks to Cinch allowing us to, in her words, get all of our tension out... Any reason works, I suppose. We made it to the street of the theater when I was tempted to ask Twilight something personal... “So, Twi...” I started. “Y-yeah?” Twilight asked, turning slightly to face me. “I’ve been meanin’ to ask you somethin’-- and if you don’t wanna answer, that’s fine.” I said, nervous to ask. “Oh, come on—I can take it.” She said, with more of a pep in her step. I sighed, turned to her, and grabbed her hand. “Are you... bipolar?” I awkwardly asked. Twilight then understood why I was so hesitant to ask. “Yes... I am. B-Bipolar 2, to be specific. My mother has schizophrenia, that’s why she had that episode with that arm last night...” She said, looking down slightly. That made sense—I stayed up late doing research on Bipolar Disorder to see if my theory lined up, and needless to say, it did—schizophrenia came up from the symptoms I searched and that lined up with Cinch. “Geez... okay, that kind of makes sense now...” I said. “Yeah... you should see her on her bad days.” She said, tugging on her shoulder, wincing slightly. That caught my attention—if Cinch laid a hand on her... “Did she... hurt you?” I asked her. Twilight saw that I noticed her shoulder and sighed, revealing a bandaged wound that went up her shoulder and down to her tricep. “Yeah... she had an episode again—a bad one.” She recalled. I refused to let go of her hand. “If you want a place to stay... just let me know, okay?” I said, assuring her. Twilight chuckled and set her hand on top of ours... “Pip... It’s alright—she and I usually have it under control, but we weren’t able take our meds this morning... as soon as we take them, we’ll be back to normal. Just put up with us for one night, okay?” She asked me. I chuckled and pulled her in for a peck on her forehead. “You say that like puttin’ up with you is a bad thing.” I smiled. Twilight seemed to enjoy that as she rested the front of her head on my chest. “Careful... you know the symptoms of Bipolar, right?” She asked, her voice slightly muffled. “Yeah... I do.” I said. Twilight then did a cute nuzzle. “Is that a challenge?” She whispered, looking up at me with adorable eyes... I then moved my hand and ran it through her hair. “Possibly.” I whispered back. The then remembered that we were going to miss the movie with all of our PDA and kept walking, never releasing our hands... If I was dreaming, I never wanted to wake up. Yeah, Rarity was never really like that—she was more aggressive than anything else, and to tell the truth, part of me missed her—the aggressiveness. I’ll tell you this—there was no guessing with Rarity, no beating around the bush. If she wanted something, she was going to get it... I told that part of me to shut up when we entered the theater, paid for our tickets (after a fight on who paid), and took our seats, in the far back... I know what you’re thinking and I assure you it didn’t happen. Twilight scooted over to me and rested her head on my chest, only for me to wrap an arm around her waist for the entire movie. Not that the movie was bad, but I was more focused on Twilight. We were walking back to the Oscorp building, laughing and talking about random things... “Wait, wait! So, Principal Luna used to be a... heavy metal performer?” Twilight asked, probably trying to picture it. “You bet—Nightmare Moon, she was called... she has some wild stories from those days, most of ‘em I don’t even know.” I chuckled. Twilight then stopped for a moment, holding my hand to pull me back. I sighed and wrapped one arm around her and used my other to caress her face. “I had fun, today.” Twilight said, setting one hand on my chest. “Yeah... I did, too.” I said, rubbing my thumb down her cheek. At that moment, there wasn’t a street, no cars down then roads, no buildings around us... No Rarity, no Sunset, no Cinch... Just us. We slowly leaned in and our lips met. The kiss was short as Twilight pulled away, me doing the same. “I love you, Pip.” Twilight said with a tear in her eye. I pulled her in for a hug and kissed her cheek. “I love you, too... come on, we should head on back there.” I said, kissing her head. We continued heading home, Oscorp’s skyscraper in the distance. Twilight’s phone rang and she pulled it out to see a text from her mother and I, being nosey, decided to take a peak. I take it all of your tension is gone? The text read. We looked up at each other and Twilight then smirked, texting back. Just enough for now. She pulled me in for another kiss that I returned. Twilight then pulled away suddenly, looking around for... somewhere. Her phone rang again, and she pulled it out to read. In your spare time, there’s an Oscorp-owned hotel down the street adjacent to you. Tell them I sent you, and they’ll give you a room. But for tonight just settle with what you have. By the time I finished reading that text, I felt how red I had become. I looked back at Twilight and saw that she was red, too... “Well... we’ll have to keep that in mind for next time.” Twilight pulled me in for a quick kiss as we both headed back home. With the project so close, and now, us... what can go wrong from here? Two weeks had passed since Twilight and I started dating... and this was it. The project was finished, and now all we had to do was test them. Twilight volunteered as a test subject, something that I was against, until she said that it was their creation, and Twilight had faith in it. Cinch had no idea what we made—she wanted it to be a surprise... “So, do you think she’ll like it?” I asked her. Twilight scoffed as she put on some finishing touches, mainly in the form of LED’s at the bottom claws, which were also made to serve as ‘legs’, capable of lifting its user off the ground. “I think she’s going to love it.” Twilight said confidently. Cinch entered the room and glanced at our project, emotionless... until... “What... is that?” She asked. All that confidence that Twilight had that night and throughout the entire project... gone. “It’s uh... it’s meant for... enduring high temperatures, the manual labor field...” She started, the rest was lost in mumbles. “This... is science-fiction, not the future of this company. But... because I admittingly agreed to this... I will see this project out until it’s end. So, where is the volunteer?” Cinch asked, looking around. “I am the volunteer.” Twilight said, setting up the neural link. Cinch then seemed concerned, if not intrigued. I went over to her, desperate to make sure she was okay with the volunteer. “Are you sure about this, Twi? I don’t doubt our project, it’s just...” I started, sighing. Twilight set her hand on my shoulder. “It’s alright, Pip—it's like my mom says: The only future is the one you create.” Twilight said, attaching the arms to her back through a belt-like harness. The device securing the link whirred to life as Twilight suddenly stopped—it was almost like she was possessed. “Twi? Twi, you alright?” I asked, trying to get her attention. “It’s... incredible.” She whispered, suddenly being lifted off of the ground. The arms began extending, carrying Twilight’s weight without fail... She then lifted one arm off of the ground, using her mind to open and close the claws. “Wow...” Cinch whispered, somewhat impressed. Twilight then looked at a ball on the table, part of the testing equipment. “Throw that to me.” She said, calm and collected. I obeyed and picked up the ball, tossing it at Twilight. The arm caught it and she then pulled up another one to begin juggling it, other scientists whispering and chit-chatting while she did so. Cinch still wasn’t too sold yet, so I had an idea. “Okay... let’s try walking.” I said, backing up slightly, hoping Twilight would follow me. Sure enough, Twilight moved one arm and brought it down, doing the same until she developed a basic form of motion. Cinch was now back to somewhat impressed... and then I had an idea. “Try climbing!” I said, now moving along with Twilight. Twilight then jumped up and landed on the other arms, doing pull-ups, laughing with shock and pride. The other scientists gasped when Twilight managed to remain on the wall by activating the claws’ electro-magnets in the pincers—where the LED’S were. “This is incredible!” She said, now using the arms to move up the ceiling, launching two out, jumping off with them, and landing on all four, almost like a graceful gallop. Cinch now began to enjoy the sight. “Manual labor, construction, otherwise dangerous conditions... now meaningless... these arms could be the future of Oscorp’s labor field!” Cinch realized. Suddenly, the computer began blaring. I ran over to see what the screen read... “Oh, my God... Twilight! Come back, now!” I said, desperately typing away. Twilight landed and moved over to me, now reading the screen. “What’s going on, what’s wrong?” She asked. I then pushed a switch, deactivating the neural linking device. “No! Put it back on!” Twilight said, now going back to the ground. Cinch then came over. “Why did you shut it off?! Those arms were... I-incredible!” She said—almost like it hurt to admit-- then reading the screen with us. “The neural link is blocking Twilight’s motor neurons-- it could have other negative effects on her brain. But we did it...” I said, now remembering the last time there was a glitch in our system... I half expected her to go on another rampage, demolishing the new arms like she did that prosthetic... “Okay... and? All that’d need is a few more tweaks. You guys-- great job on this, and Twilight... for the first time since you were 10, I can gladly say that I’m... I’m proud of you.” She said, almost like it meant nothing, but at that moment, Twilight’s eyes lit up. “And Pip... I tolerate you.” She added, walking away and shutting the door behind her. Twilight instantly turned to me, the former smiling from grin to ear. “Pip... come here and kiss me right now before I do it for you.” She said. I didn’t need any other excuse and I ran over and did exactly what she said, savoring every second of her excited, happy nature. While our last kiss was short and equally motivated, this one was overwhelmed by Twilight’s ambition, and as I tried to match it, Twilight then pulled away, leaving a small trail between us. “We’ve done it, Pip... Now it’s time to improve.” Twilight said, wiping her mouth, taking and reactivating the link, reattaching the arms and activating them. “Whoa, whoa—Twi, take a minute. Those arms aren’t safe yet—just a few more tests, and--” Twilight then slammed a claw down, putting a crack in the floor. “We have done enough testing! Did you hear what she said, Pip? My mom is proud of me... for the first time in my life, I’m not a failure!” She said, rising with her claws while monologuing. “Twi, you were never a failure, just... please, give us just a few more days to perfect them, and they’re all yours... I promise.” I said, hoping to get through to her. Twilight stopped and seemingly made a decision. She sighed and disabled the mental link, removing the chest harness. “We’re close, Twilight... we’re almost there.” I said, setting my hand on her shoulder. Twilight nodded and then set the linking device down, glancing at it for a moment. “Yes... we’re so, very close.” Twilight said. Twilight set her hand atop mine and pulled me in again for a quicker kiss. As she pulled away and left the room to the bell, I turned and opened a smaller compartment, revealing my side project... Strong liquid rope that becomes like tensile rubber once introduced to oxygen, and a mask that allows me to scan my environment, almost more so than my heightened senses can. I smiled and put them in my pack, not wanting to leave them there any longer. Later that night, I was back in my dorm, going over the events in the last few days—Cinch's violent rage suddenly replaced with optimism, Twilight’s personality change, and our success of the arms... I reflected on it all until I grew too tired to think, and as I began nodding off... The sudden sensation of being kissed woke me right up. I opened my eyes in shock but once I saw Twilight, I sighed and returned it, finally matching her excitement. She pulled away and looked at me, caressing my face with her hand. “Are you even going to ask how I got up here?” She asked. I knew how—I saw my window open and I could’ve sworn that I heard whirring in my dorm... “I know how... but that can wait ‘till tomorrow. Now, I assume you aren’t here to talk...” I said, setting my hand on her waist. Twilight glanced down and smiled, reaching into her pocket and tossing something at my chest. I knew what it was—almost too well. “I checked in at that hotel, and he gave me that. Sure, I could’ve brought you there, but...” Twilight moved up to my ear, ready to whisper. “I wanted you where you felt safest. Because I wanted to feel safe, too.” She said, nibbling on my ear. I grunted slightly and pulled Twilight in for another kiss—this one much more intimate than any of the others, our tongues finally thrown into the mix. A short fight for dominance, that I won, was cut short by Twilight’s impatience. She pulled away and whispered more than a few sweet nothings in my ear, and as I took control, pinning her to the bed, there was a violent knock on the door. “Hide.” I told her, getting up to answer it. When I opened the door, Cinch let herself in, pushing on the door, knocking me to the ground. “Where is she?” Were the first words out of her mouth. I got up and decided to play dumb. “I don't know, why—what happened?” I asked her. Cinch was clearly having another “episode”, because she began searching the room with a form of manic rage. “I know she’s here... she checked in at the hotel, then went somewhere to find you...” She mumbled, going into another side of the room. I looked around as well, finding the lavender-haired girl cowering under my bed. “Twilight Catrina Sparkle! Where are you?! Get out here right now!” Cinch screamed at the top of her lungs, undoubtedly waking the entire floor, if not the entire building. I began backing away to try and hide Twilight, but Cinch noticed me by the bed and shoved me away, right next to my backpack... As Cinch violently flipped the bed over and grabbed her daughter by the hair, I reached in and grabbed my ‘webbing’, ready to shoot it through the small wrist device I made. “Twilight Sparkle... I thought I raised you better than this!” Cinch broke my window and held Twilight out of it, worrying me so bad that I put on the shooter and pointed it at her. “Let go of her!” My screams fell on deaf ears. Twilight struggled to reach her neck, where the neural device was clearly located, but Cinch grabbed her and held her by the hair to face the outside. “Look out there, Twilight! Want to know what I see? Failures—drugs, starvation, murder, rape... all of them because of wastes of valuable oxygen that do not deserve to walk this dying Earth! It’s up to people like us, Twilight, to restore perfection to this rotting world!” Cinch proclaimed, almost monologuing. Twilight turned to me, trying to whisper for help, but Cinch then violently pulled on Twilight’s hair, taking a few strands out. “I will not lose my daughter to some ruffian who wants to ruin everything I worked so hard for!"Cinch pushed Twilight to the wall, turning to me with a murderous rage. I didn’t hesitate to shoot a glob of my webbing onto Twilight’s neural link, which was met by a yellow glow under the thick webbing. As Cinch grabbed my collar, a claw took Cinch’s hand, which stunned her as we both turned to see Twilight with the arms again, setting another claw around Cinch’s torso, trapping her. “All those years... of me putting up with your insanity... tell me—what do you feel? Scared? Helpless?” Twilight tightened her grip on Cinch, causing her to gasp in agony. I hesitated to put down my shooter, but I did. “That is only a smidge of what I felt, every day, waiting for you to become some animal at the drop of a dime... but no more!” Twilight, went to throw her out the window, but multiple sirens broke the silence. “Abacus Cinch! Come to the window, and drop any weapons you have!” The megaphone ordered. Twilight went ice-cold as she released Cinch, who now ran over to the window. “She tried to kill me!” She screamed out. My blood began going boiling hot as I clenched my fists in pure rage that she’d accuse her own daughter of trying to kill her. “Hey, mom... how’s the view?” The megaphone asked. Shocked silence filled the room—since when did Twilight have a brother? “Shining...” She whispered, turning to see Cinch’s stunned face. “Now, we’ve been called in because of reports that their principal broke into a student’s dorm and was, in their words, ‘screaming like a maniac’. My boys will be at the room and less than 3 minutes—when they get there, put your hands behind your head and walk out slowly.” Shining ordered. Cinch turned to me and roared, grabbing my collar and shoving me to the window. “Shining Armor, I would like you to meet your sister’s soon-to-be ex-boyfriend!” Cinch threw me out of the window, sending me plummeting down. I, of course, shot out a web and pulled myself back to the building, much to the shock of everyone down in the open field. I then began crawling back up, hearing screaming and some scuffle up in my room... I reached the window to see my room completely destroyed, and Twilight tearing her way through the halls, her arms swinging rapidly. The whole time, her vocabulary was limited to one sentence, and she screamed out that sentence again and again... “You killed him!“ I almost made it inside as Cinch’s body flung past me, falling to the ground below. Shock wasn’t able to set in as I jumped off the building, shot a web at Cinch, and clung to the wall, all before we got close to the ground. Cinch looked up at me and I nodded to her, and let her go, softening her fall as the police put handcuffs on her. I went back upstairs to consult Twilight, who was still having a meltdown, flailing the mechanical arms through room after room, screaming violently. By the time I got to her, the entire floor was open—walls separating the dorm rooms were now rubble as Twilight stopped her havoc to loudly sob as the police arrived. They went to talk to her when I stopped them, walking up to her. “Twi... Twi, look at me—I'm okay.” I said, trying to catch her attention. She looked up to me and turned, her face covered in rubble that her tears were now cleaning. “Pip... I... I...” She started, unable to finish as she ran into my arms. “I know, Twi... I know.” I held her as I disabled her neural link and removed her arms, them clanging to the ground, Shining not too far behind. “Twily!” He called out, running over to her. Twi looked up and ran to her bigger brother, holding him in a death-hug. “Is she... did I kill her?” She asks in horror. Shining looked up to me, still slightly bewildered by what he saw. “No... we caught her.” He said, nodding to me. I knew that meant he’d keep my secret and I nodded back, thanking him for doing so. I looked out the window and saw that the police car Cinch was put in had driven off, giving me a sigh of relief. But then I turned to see the destruction that Twilight caused, and the fact that she tried to kill her mother... The ordeal was far from over—if anything it had only begun. BreakdownAnother attempted software update... another failure. A few days had passed since Cinch was arrested and another CEO of Oscorp was still nowhere to be found. A few other scientists, including myself, were trying to fix the neural linking device from interfering with basic brain function, but all it did was lower the other symptoms nowhere near the source of the problem. “I just don’t understand how this whole thing truly works... it’s meant to communicate with the user’s brain waves, not break through them...” One of the few scientists admired. “I don’t know either... Twilight was the mastermind behind all this—maybe I can go see if she can help in any way.” I offered, wanting to talk to her, anyway. Another one of the scientists turned to me, ready to add his input. “With all this time we’ve devoted to this thing... I’m starting to think that the link isn’t the problem... maybe it’s the mental state of the user.” He suggested. I stayed silent, unable to respond. “I know it’s hard to hear... but maybe Twilight’s just too unstable. Or maybe she just needs help—therapy, medical aid... maybe it’s that easy, maybe not. You can go talk to her, we’ll see if my hypothesis is wrong.” He said, going back to the several computers wired to the small yellow device... I headed out the door, shutting it behind me as I almost bumped into one of Oscorp’s board members. “Oh! Sorry about that—I have a strange habit of bumping into people...” I recalled. The board member looked up at me, chuckling while wiping his lab coat clean. “Oh, it’s fine—I was praying you weren’t Cinch, until I remembered what happened...” He said, his nametag visible to me, reading out ‘Norman Osborn’. “I assume you’re Norman Osborn?” I asked, holding out my hand. Norman shook my hand, with a small, prideful smile on his face. “That’s me, and I assume you’re the infamous Pip.” He said. I chuckled, nodding while I did so. “I guess I am.” Norman's smile soon faded, and I knew what he was going to talk about. “I remember all the times Cinch had those meltdowns of hers... she was clearly unfit to raise a daughter, let alone run a company.” He said, looking down at the floor. “Yeah... now it’s about trying to make sure Twilight doesn’t wind up the same way.” I said, leaving to go after her. Twilight was being kept in a local hospital, her doctors leaving her room with looks of awe and bewilderment as I entered the waiting room. “Excuse me, Mr. Pip!” One of the doctors called out to me. I turned to them, ready to hear what they had to say. “I take it you’re here to talk to Twilight?” He asked me. I nodded and the doctor then set his hand on my shoulder and led me along, faster than normal. “So, this device that activated those mechanical arms? They are seeming to have other effects on the brain—more medical effects.” My heart dropped as I realized that our attempt to help her may have just made her worse... “What kind of effects?” I asked, seeing her room number, only to be pulled into an adjacent room. The doctors then went through a filing cabinet, pulling out Twilight’s file record. “Normally, we wouldn’t share this with you, but since you’re the only other guardian aside from Shining Armor... three weeks ago, Twilight was here on a check-up with her neurologist, and these were her brain scan results.” The doctor set the paper on the table, and it matched what came up when I searched for bi-polar symptoms. “Okay... so what are they like, now?” I asked. The doctor then pulled out another file, setting it next to the other, that one dated today. “Her brain waves are completely normal... Twilight Sparkle is medically cured of her bi-polar disorder.” Her words hit me like a drum—our invention that was meant to be used for labor just fixed Twilight’s brain... “C-can I speak to her, please? I want to get some information on how the device we used works, she’s the one who invented it.” I said, almost ignoring what we just discovered. “Of course, you know her number, already.” The second doctor told me. I did, and I left to find the room door with Shining close behind me. “So, you heard the news?” He asked me. “About Twilight being cured? Yeah, I heard... but now I’m worried about her trauma—she saw me get thrown out a bloody window.” I reminded him. “Yes, but that gizmo of yours has potential... and I’m not just talking about the neural... linking... thing.” Shining said, unsure what to call it. “Yeah-- we gotta make a name for it, but later.” I said, opening the door to see Twilight lying in bed, looking up at the ceiling. She turned to us once the door opened and shut, and she began getting tearful once she saw me. “I... thought you were...” I didn’t hesitate to run over and hug her—or as much as I could, since she was in the medical bed. “I know, Twi... I know.” I said, kissing her cheek as I pulled away. Shining took a seat, Twilight turning to him. “How’ve you been, Twily?” He asked. Twilight chuckled—a sound I wasn’t used to hearing. “Not too good... how about you?” She asked him. Shining didn’t respond as he sighed and leaned in. “Dad’s on his way—he's been talking to Cinch about becoming your legal guardian...” He said. I turned to Twilight, who simply leaned back. “Now? He had all this time and he chooses now to talk to me, after I almost killed my mother when she threw my boyfriend out a window?” She asked, with a slight anger in her tone. My heart skipped a beat when she said that word—I knew that I had to be there for her, now more than ever... but all that did was verify my idea that I wasn’t going anywhere, not that I had any complaints. Shining sighed again. “I know it looks bad, Twily, but he didn’t stand a chance against Cinch. But now that she’s gone, he wants to take you in again. Come home with us, Twilight—you'll love Velvet, she’s itching to meet her step-daughter.” Shining said, rubbing his hair at the last part. Twilight didn’t respond, at least not emotionally... “All I want right now is my creation back... then we’ll talk. Speaking of which, how is it coming along, Pip?” She asked, turning to me, almost no emotion in her voice or even on her face... I leaned forward, slightly unnerved from Twilight’s suddenly calm stature. “We’re starting to believe that the neural link isn’t the problem... maybe, it was... your brain that messed with it.” I offered, my words hurting myself. Twilight gasped softly, but then went neutral. “That... makes sense—the doctors told me that my brain waves are coming up as normal, now... perhaps it was the link that both fixed my brain and gave me that high emotional outburst.” Twilight said, recalling the events of the days prior. I chuckled, knowing what she was referring to... “Shining, can you give us the room for a minute, please?” I asked him. Shining hesitantly nodded and went outside, where someone outside set their hand on his shoulder. “Hey, Cady...” He said as the door shut. I turned to Twilight, who was somewhat wide-eyed. “What is it?” I asked her. “Cady was my babysitter, when our parents were still together... hmm.” She hummed, turning back to me. We stayed silent, the suspense killing me. After a moment, I moved my chair closer and took Twilight’s hand. “What would’ve happened if Cinch didn’t bombard that room?” I asked her. Twilight looked at me and chuckled, turning over to me and looking me in the eyes. “I think you know what would’ve happened.” She said, smiling. I smiled back, my face feeling hot as I pulled her in for a quick kiss. Once we pulled away, Twilight set her hand on the back of my head and pulled me back in, ignoring the fact that we were probably on camera. “Pip... I know about Rarity.” She said once we pulled away. The giddy feeling that I felt from kissing her faded as well as my face cooling as I looked back at her. “I was a student at CHS a while back... I was there long enough to see the Rainbooms, and hear rumors about Rarity’s new boy-toy... a small, weak British boy with a brown birthmark over his eye... and the son of the principal—perfect for blackmail.” She took her hand and caressed my birth mark, wiping a shameful tear away as she did. “You knew? All this time, and you never said anything?” I asked her. Twilight sighed and rolled back, facing the ceiling again. “What was it like? Being hers?” She asked. I looked up at her before I looked away, twitching slightly in my seat. “It was, uh... educational, to say the least. Needless to say, I can proudly say that I’m not into whatever she was into.” I laughed. Twilight laughed along slightly, seemingly not done with her point. “How about with Sunset? And Rainbow Dash? They all had roles to play, right? Just not sexual?” She asked. I let out a short chuckle and looked up at her again. “Yeah, they did—you don’t just learn how to fight or free-run from the internet.” I laughed. Twilight chuckled along, our conversation ending by two people entering—Shining and who I assumed was ‘Cady’. “Hey, kiddo.” ‘Cady’ said, taking a seat. Twilight seemed to get emotional, turning to her. “Hey, Cadence.” She tearfully said. Shining sat next to her, a small smile on his face. “I can’t imagine what living with Cinch was like... but Dad wants to start things over again. He lives in the Canterot District, so you two will see each other...” Shining listed many benefits that I’d listen to, but Twilight seemed somewhat interested. “You don’t have to be what she made you, Twilight... that’s over now.” Cadence said, leaning in. Twilight clearly didn’t like that remark, and her grip on my hand tightening was all I needed to prove that. “What she made me? We made those arms—I made those arms... from scratch! I fixed myself-- I proved my mother wrong... we can change—become greater than what we are...” She started. Shining glanced at me, who was still holding Twilight’s hand when she pulled it away from me and turned to her brother. “...and you’re giving me a chance to settle? I don’t want to stop now—I can’t stop now. I don’t want your help, and I don’t want reminders of what life was like before Mom and Dad split up. All I want right now... is my creation, and a lab to improve it in.” Back at Oscorp, I was helping one of the scientists load the arms up for Twilight—she was to leave the hospital later tonight. “We bought out an abandoned warehouse a few miles from here—it was intact and structurally sound, and our boys are already on their way to set up a basic laboratory.” Part of me was against the idea of Twilight keeping the arms, but then again, everyone needs a hobby... and I was about to have one of my own, a shopping bag containing a long-sleeved white shirt in my moped and more of my web-fluid, along with the schematics for them, in my pack. “I’m sure she’ll love it. And don’t worry, I’m absolutely certain that Twilight will be fine... just give her a little time.” The scientist picked up the neural link and as we went to pack it... It detonated, causing a small gasp from the scientist whose hand was starting to bleed. “Jesus!” The scientist shouted out, holding his hand. I ran over and analyzed the link, only to see that it wasn’t the link at all... it was a dud. “It’s a fake...” I said as I heard mechanical whirring behind me. I turned to see that the arms have come to life, smacking a scientist to the wall with one swipe, and beginning to walk with the other two, leaving fine imprints in the ground. I instantly put on my... Web... shooters? Yeah—web shooters. I shot a web out and pulled on my arm, pulling me to the wall where I dug into my backpack and put on my mask—it immediately located the arms scaling the hospital building and I shot a web at a nearby water tower... And I froze, realizing what I was about to do... I never truly tested the strength of this webbing, so for all I knew, it could snap as soon as I was in the air... I looked down and saw that cops were already at the scene, shining lights on the arms... I looked down for a moment and almost fainted, but I clenched the webbing I shot out and backed up, ready for a leap. I ran until I was at the ledge, and I jumped, my heart stopping as I fell, and suddenly stopped and began swinging forward, slowly building up momentum. I saw a light shine on me which I ignored, realizing that the arms were closing in on Twilight’s room... prompting me to release the web, now soaring in the air, and shooting a web at the building, pulling in and landing on the wall. I shot two webs up and backed away, ready to take the arms by surprise—but as I zipped upwards, one arm turned to me and opened its claws, grabbing me and tossing me into the window, where I turned and saw a very familiar... pink fanatic. “Spiders! Spiders bad!” Pinkamena screamed out as I leapt out the window and webbed the claw that grabbed me, hoping it’d pull me up trying to take the webbing off. However, it gently carried me to the window where the arms had stopped and I looked in to see Twilight, off of her bed and wearing her lab coat. “I’m sorry, Pip... but you wouldn’t understand.” Twilight made a gesture with her fingertip and the arms threw me through the glass window, sharp burns on my arms and legs from shards of glass. I tried to get up, but the blood spilling out of me somehow caused me to slip, where Twilight was reunited with her mechanical arms from Twilight backing into them and the chest harness tightening around her. “Stay out of our way, Pip!” Twilight said as she scaled the building, causing me to run against the shattered glass, looking up hopelessly as Twilight reached the roof and jumped into the night. I had enough. By the time the sun came up, I had quit Oscorp and made it to the bus, nothing being left from Twilight’s breakdown the week prior. I was on the bus back home when I looked down at my phone and saw that Pinkamena was soon to be released from the psychiatric ward she was staying following an accident that put her in that hospital last night. I sighed and looked through my contacts, seeing that Rarity was still on my favorites tab... I almost called her... my thumb was hovering over the call button for a reason that I still couldn’t fathom. Everything I just went through, trying to help Twilight and the whole ‘spider-bite’ crisis... just to give it all up and go back to being a boy-toy? Screw that. I looked into my bag to see the mask looking back at me, almost like it was calling to me. And I answered it swiftly, deleting Rarity’s number and pocketing my phone. I then turned my attention out the window to see the city skyline begin to leave my view and the small suburbs outside the city enter it, like the darkness and the horror of the city switching for the craziness and the small-time of the small towns... save for CHS, that was a whole other ball-game, with super-powered bullies and drama that was almost like a soap opera... that was my home, it is my home. And I’m going to defend it. The bus came to a stop and I got off to see my mother on the stop, backed away and looking down at the floor... I knew almost instantly that something was wrong. I left the bus along with the other passengers and I approached my mother, expecting ‘Tavi to come back from the bathroom, or say that she had to walk... But no. I came up and saw my mother in tears. “Mum? What’s wrong?” I asked her. She didn’t say a word—I then looked around to see if Octavia was close by, but she wasn’t anywhere to be seen... “Where’s ‘Tavi? She stopped callin’ me a few days ago...” I said, starting to fear the worst. She looked up at me and held me in a death-hug, something that caught me off-guard. “Pip... something happened.” She silently sobbed, unable to say anything else. From one hospital for a loved one to another hospital for another loved one... “Witnesses say that she just passed out... but further research has found that she has very little brain activity. Doctors almost declared brain-death if it weren’t for the fact that her brain responded when Ms. Luna informed her. We’ve never seen this before, it’s almost as if she’s a prisoner of her own body...” The doctor marveled as he stood with a clipboard. My fists clenched as the potential witnesses began piling up in my head—did Twilight do this? Did she break out just to hunt her down and use that brain-device on her? No—Twilight wouldn’t... But I knew someone who would, and had the means to do so. The doctor nodded to my mother and he left the room, causing her to walk over to me. “Do you have any proof that Sunset did this? Even if it’s just words, anything at all?” She asked me, desperate to do something, but restrained due to the lack of evidence. I shook my head, my anger getting to me. “I swear... the second that I find proof, that... that snivelling, blackmailing bitch and her little friends are out—straight to Captain Armor to deal with as his jurisdiction allows...” She whispered. I sighed and turned to her. “Mom, I can’t help you with evidence, but I can help you...” I said, ready to tell her about that spider bite. She looked up to me, and I sat back up, unable to look at Octavia’s condition for another minute. “Remember when we went to Oscorp for that shadowing trip? Well, I was at an exhibit for a DNA splicing project with spiders... one of them broke out, and... bit me.” I said, showing my hand. Mom’s eyes widened and she was obviously about to scold me for not informing her, but then I put up my hands. “If it was gonna kill me, it’d be in effect by the time we got back to the car.” I defended myself. “Well, still—you can’t just hide something like this from me! What if you got sick, or--” She stopped when she saw Octavia move, and I turned to see her blink and go back to being blank... “It’s like she’s fighting it... ‘Tavi, can you hear me?” I asked her, setting my hand on hers. She didn’t respond, save for her eyes closing, so I sighed and turned back to Mom. “Yeah... I kept it from you. Because a day later, I’m tall, my body’s in shape, my reflexes are lightning fast, I can... sense my environment—like how many people are in a room, what’s happening where... and I can crawl on walls.” I told her. If that didn’t prove my case, me jumping and sticking to the ceiling when we got home did the trick—and also caused her to pour hot coffee all over the kitchen floor... “Okay-- so, you have these... powers. I’ve also heard rumors about the Sunset’s friends having abilities, is this true, as well?” She asked. I instantly looked at the floor and nodded. “Every one of them—save for Pinkamena, who’s just insane on her own.” I said, recalling all of the terror she caused. She clearly didn’t handle that well—she took a seat by the door and I took one as well. “So... allow me to grasp the weight of the situation: You, my son, can climb walls, ‘sense’ your environment, and have high reflexes, and the six students who made my school a living hell for students and faculty for the last three years and gotten away with it due to no paper trail and connections in local government also have abilities?” She asked, visibly unable to process what she was saying. I nodded and she simply rubbed the bridge of her nose. “I leave you at Oscorp for three months, three months... Come on—Octavia needs rest and now so do I...” She sighed. And like that... my story ends. At least the origins of it... Now we can move forward to how it develops... Author's Note Hello, readers! Here to make a quick announcement that along with these chapters will often be quick "sketches" of characters, mostly consisting of bases made by the incredibly talented SelenaEde. For today, this is Sombra as the infamous Kingpin, somewhat inspired by Netflix's Daredevil (#SaveDaredevil) Double DateA knock on my apartment door interrupted my mope session as I went over to open it slightly, only to see my landlord, Mr. Cake, on the other side... “R-rent?” He simply asked, somewhat nervous as he spoke. I chuckled and opened the door, opening my wallet to go through my monthly fee. “How’s life, Mr. Cake?” I asked him. He hesitated before responding to me, he also somewhat jumped back when I asked. “G-good. The store got a bit vandalized last night, we’re suspecting those CMC’s, but... due to their family ties...” He began backing up again as I handed him his money. I knew why he was so nervous—Sunset kept hassling him despite me actually paying him, so everything I pay him either goes to Sunset for “protection” or to repairing the store. “I’ll see if I can come down and pitch in a bit later... Look, if Sunset’s giving you a hard time, I can always talk to her. It’s not like she’ll hurt me or anything.” I said. “No. No, I can’t ask you to do that.” He said, pocketing the annual rent money and went to leave. “Why? Why do you put up with her when I could just talk to her?” I asked him. He stopped and turned to me, his eyes bearing a form of emptiness I’ve only seen in a few students and at least one teacher at CHS... a lack of hope that was beginning to spread to everyone around me, slowly pulling me down with it. “Because deep down, you want to.” He said. He shut my door as I went to the living room, slouching on the sofa while turning on the TV, enjoying the benefits of the weekend. My phone then went off to see a text from a blocked number. I clicked on it to see that it was from Sunset, possibly one of the many dirty pics she sent me ever since we broke up. I knew she was doing it to try and get me back, but part of me felt like she missed me and she actually wanted me back... but I knew her too well to assume otherwise. The first one, a pic of her in her bathroom, wearing an all-black bra that was two sizes too small with the text reading “Miss you xoxo” with her throwing a peace sign. Swipe. The second one, in her bedroom, facing a mirror with her arms crossed across her chest with the text reading “Do you miss your kit--” Swipe, with a hint of heat emitting from my face. The third caught me off-guard—it was a close up of her... personalities. The text saying “Lettin’ it all hang for u” I coldly deleted it, unwilling to keep anything she sent me on my phone... but now the image was grilled into my head, and with that a fluster of memories that I didn’t want to remember... And some that I couldn’t help but miss. I was on the verge of caving and scrolling further when the news story caught my attention. “...reports of a meteorite crash just outside of Canterlot has taken the astronomy world by storm, sources claiming it to be pieces of a larger comet while others state that it may be our first encounter with extraterrestrials. The meteor has been collected by Oscorp Industries due to claims of unsafe elements resonating from the space rock--” I sighed and changed the channel, hoping to find something to take my mind off of everything with Sunset. My search was answered by another knock on my door. I turned to see if it was Mr. Cake, only to see Pip on the other side. “Hey, dude.” He said, awkwardly waving as he came in. “What’s up?” I asked him. Pip didn’t answer as he came in and shut the door, looking around at my small but tidy apartment. “Nice place...” He awed. “Yeah-- Sunset and I bunked here for a few weeks when we dated... well, that didn’t turn out the way she wanted it to.” I recalled. We stayed silent as a commercial for Oscorp came on, in which Pip simply scoffed. “That company’s on thin ice as it is...” He muttered. Another comment on Oscorp... they weren’t my idol or anything, and I knew they had their long string of controversy, but those comments seemed personal... “Yeah, what is it with you and Oscorp, anyway?” I asked him, eager to know. Pip went to say something, but retracted it at the last second. “It’s a long story...” He sighed. We went back to awkward silence until I suddenly remembered about the mask I saw. “Oh, yeah—that mask I saw, with your name on the document? Spider-Man's mask?” I asked, hoping he’d remember. Pip simply sighed and turned to me. “Okay... so I know how stupid this sounds, but... are you... y’know... Spider-Man?” I asked him. He chuckled and got up from the couch, looking at the ceiling and... Flipping on to it. “Yeah... I guess you could say that I am.” He smiled, keeping one hand on the ceiling while straightening himself and dropping back down. I was flabbergasted... up to that point I was convinced that it was just some coincidence, or maybe Pip helped design Spider-Man's costume... but no—my best friend is Spider-Man... “...Flash? You there, buddy?” He asked, waving his hand in front of my face. “You’re Spider-Man...” I said, still in awe. “Yeah... I am.” He smiled. Our short but juicy conversation was interrupted by yet another knock on the door... “Let’s just have a party, why don’t we?” I grumbled as I opened the door to see... “Oh! Hey, Aria...” I said, still flustered from our run-in with Sunset earlier. “What’s up, Flash?” She asked, then looking in to see Pip. Pip looked back and I was sure I saw Adagio behind her, but I had no way of being sure. “Oh, that’s Pip, right? Adagio was talking about hi—Ow!” Aria got her shoulder bumped from behind, which told me that Adagio was behind Aria... “Oh, was she?” Pip asked in the background, with a sly smirk on his face. Aria chuckled while Adagio came out from behind, her hair now straightened out and running down to her back instead of her large bun. “There’s a small show going on downtown and we got two extra tickets since Sonata and her boyfriend cancelled out on us... wanna come with?” Adagio asked, occasionally looking up at Pip. If she was crushing on him, she did a poor job at hiding it, but I think Pip did a good job at picking up on it... “I’m down—let me just let my mom know.” He said, going to another room. Does Luna know he’s Spider-Man? I’ll have to ask him a bit later. So many questions were flooding through my mind but I decided to put them on hold so I wouldn’t burst out the fact that my best friend is a crime-fighting superhero... Okay, that was still too weird to admit. Aria and Flash were a row above us, leaving me and Adagio with a completely empty row, much to our surprise. “I guess no-one knows good entertainment, anymore...” Adagio sighed. “Yeah, I guess...” I said, looking behind me to see Flash and Aria both somewhat grumpy. “It’s like their resting face.” Adagio laughed. I chuckled along as the lights dimmed and the curtains rolled. The show was a local magician—I’m sure that I saw her in the halls once or twice—and needless to say, she was... somewhat adequate. Her tricks consisted of some of the simple things; pulling a rabbit out of a hat, some card tricks with volunteers, nothing too exciting. That was fine by me, since that give me and Adagio time to talk. “So... how long’s it been since you’ve been out with someone?” Adagio asked, her eyes darting at the show and then at me. I considered lying about it, but I knew that it wasn’t a smart idea. “What’s the date?” I asked her. “Hmm... I’m sure it’s October 4th...” She pondered. “Then about three weeks ago.” I said. Adagio let out a simple but complex hum as she went back to watching the show... that time the magician looked back at Flash and Aria, pointing a finger at them before gesturing them to come to her. “Oh, this should be good...” I said, sitting up in anticipation. The two went up on stage, facing a small table where they both were gestured to take a seat. “Of all the magic that I can do... love is possibly the strongest. It cannot be conjured, nor can it be forced-- it must be treated with tenderness and care. For my next trick... I will make these two simple show-goers... fall in love!” Some gasps and a few “oohs” were heard in the crowd, while Adagio and I glanced at each other. “Now... love, as I said, is a tricky spell to cast... but it can easily be done once you understand it. All you two have to do is... talk.” The magician tilted her head. Flash and Aria glanced at each other awkwardly before simply obeying. We couldn’t hear what they were saying, but it seemed very interesting. “As for those of you in the audience, I’d advise doing the same—I understand there are more than one pair of potential lovers here, tonight...” She said, turning back to Flash and Aria. Adagio and I simply sighed and started asking each other rapid fire questions. “So... how long have you been in Canterlot?” I asked her. “About a few weeks, now. How about you?” Adagio asked me. “Almost my whole life, my mom moved here with me and my... sister, when she and my dad split up.” I said, hesitating to mention my sister. Adagio seemed to notice and decided to steer away from it. “How do you like CHS?” I asked, almost knowing the answer. Adagio simply let out a groan. “It wouldn’t be so bad if it weren’t for the super-powered group of Heathers running it all.” She answered. I let out a short laugh—I never really thought of them like Heathers... “You said you got out of a relationship three weeks ago... what happened, if you don’t mind answering?” Adagio asked me. I hesitated, but eventually told her. “Her name was Twilight, and her mom was... well, different. She wanted her daughter to be the absolute best and pushed her until she broke. She almost killed her mother after she almost killed me, and I haven't seen her since.” I said, immensely watering down the story. Adagio simply let out a soft gasp as her next question was cut off by Aria and Flash’s laughter. We both turned to see them simply talking, having a good time with each other. “You see, folks? Love cannot be forced or neglected—it must be protected and allowed to grow.” She signaled the two to return to their seats, and they did—holding hands the whole time. Adagio and I simply glanced at each other, her seemingly understanding what I was going through. “My ex was a douche—his parents were worse. Trust me, they’d go down on him for anything, and I guess he let it out on me...” Adagio recoiled slightly. Needless to say, that angered me—no-one had the right to put their hands on anyone, especially the ones they’re supposed to love... Except I beat up bad people as a living, so... I’ll get back to you on that. “...Then, one day, he tried to attack me. I fought back, gave him a good cut on his eye... my sisters came around and we never looked back.” She said, glancing at her hand closest to me. I sighed and slowly leaned back, moving my hand as a result, almost asking for permission. “My first girlfriend was... a very interestin’ individual... She was obsessed with control, somethin’ that helped her fit in with the Rainbooms...” Adagio quickly turned to me. “Your ex is one of the Rainbooms?” She asked me. “Yep... Rarity.” I said, chuckling at the memory. Adagio then leaned forward, her hand millimeters away from mine. “So... you and Rarity dated? What was that like?” She asked. “Latex, latex, latex... that girl has a kink, and it is ugly.” I laughed. Adagio soon laughed along, her fingers resting on the back of my hand. My eyes looked back at Flash and Aria, who were now in a full make out session in the very back. “Wow... that was quick of her. Is your friend... like that? I don’t want Aria to be too forceful because trust me, she will be...” Adagio said, her hand completely resting on mine. I let out a hearty chuckle. “Trust me: There is no such thing as rushed or forceful with Flash Sentry...” I chuckled. Yeah, I knew what he was into— I have my ways of knowing and I'd rather not share them right now... “Oh, really? Well, they should get along nice, then.” Adagio giggled. “Eh, his neighbors might complain, though...” I chuckled along and turned my hand around, now properly holding her hand. “...and with that... The Great and Powerful... Trixie!” She did a little bow and the curtains rolled, ending the show. There were some claps and we glanced at each other. “I never got your number, did I?” She asked me. “No, I don’t believe you did.” I said, sadly pulling my hand away to give her my number. Flash and Aria practically abandoned us as we both looked at each other. “HIs parents won’t be home, will they?” She asked me, with a hint of fear. “Flash’s a... loner—Sunset gave him that apartment when they were dating.” I told her. Adagio simply let out a hum. “How about yours?” I asked her. She looked away and sighed. “We live alone, too, Pip.” She said. I immediately stopped talking, and as Adagio saved my number, she gave me a quick peck on my cheek. “I had fun, tonight. See you Monday, Pip.” She said in my ear. With that, the double date was over... and I loved it. SymbioticThe rising sun shone through my apartment building and almost blinded me as I slowly rose out of bed, still somewhat worn out from last night... Aria was something else—she was feisty and kinda kinky... She was just like me. I turned my head to see a piece of paper on my small nightstand, grabbing it and reading it out. Had fun last nite. Sry I couldn’t stay, had to get home b4 Sonata got home and complained. (She’s the worst) Apartment number’s 14, xoxo—AB. They lived in the apartment? How didn’t I know they lived in the same building as me? Well, at least I know, now. I went to the kitchen to make some breakfast—I had put the breakfast burrito in the microwave when I heard a knock on my door. Pip? My landlord? Aria? I went over to the door and opened it, only to see... “Hey, Flashie! How’s the life?” Sombra asked, walking into my apartment like he owned the place. Technically, he did... he owns the property, using Mr. Cake as a proxy landlord. “...Decent.” I said, knowing it’d be unwise not to answer. Sombra took a seat on my couch, kicking his dirty shoes off as he did. “Good! That’s... good.” Sombra said, turning on the T.V. The first report was on Spider-Man, and how he had shut down yet another one of the local trade rings. “That... that’s just bad business. I never approved of trafficking... it’s just so... bleh.” Sombra said, putting stress into the ‘bleh’. I was surprised to see him actually approve of Spider-Man. Weren’t they archrivals, or something? The mircowave dinged, and Sombra went over to it and opened it, pulling out the decently sized burrito. “Now, if Spider-Man worked for me... he’d have every chance to take as much of these guys out as he would want—and get paid for it! I’ll never understand these kids, nowadays—if you’re good at something, never do it for free.” Sombra said, taking a bite out of the still-hot burrito. I softly gasped as I realized a handful of things—One, Pip was in a war with my old boss. Two, Pip didn’t know he was my old boss. Three, if Sombra was here... he wanted something. “What do you want?” I asked, not wanting to draw everything out. Sombra chuckled, shaking his head as he set the burrito down. “You see—this is what I missed about you; you didn’t care what needed to get done, you just wanted to do it...” Sombra said. I grumbled as a response, Sombra picked up on it. “Oh, come on—don't be like that. I know some of your jobs went bad, but I promise—this one’s different.” He said, starting to build it up. “I don’t work for you anymore, Sombra—we had a deal.” I told him. “Yeah, I remember—but last I recall, you owed me a favor... just one.” Sombra smirked. I cursed under my breath, remembering that I promised Sombra one favor—any favor—in exchange for me no longer working for him when Sunset and I broke up... “Besides, it doesn’t even involve you, so to speak... that friend of yours, what’s his name—Pip?” My heart stopped and my blood ran cold... did Sombra know? “What about him?” I asked, putting on the bold facade. “He used to work at Oscorp—dated the CEO’s daughter for a month or two... that should be enough for him to know the way around so you can go on and grab something for me...” He said. I knew I wasn’t going to do it, and I think he knew it, too. “No.” I simply answered. Sombra’s prideful smirk faded in response to my denial. “I’m sorry... but did you just say no? To me?” Sombra growled, rising from the couch. I shuddered, but only for a moment. “Yeah... I did. So, are you gonna beat me to a pulp or are you gonna just kill me?” I asked him. Sombra chuckled, but he still kept his growling face... “No... not you—I'll simply go after everyone you’ve ever dared to love—I'll skin them all alive and leave pieces of them for the police to find, and I’ll put it all on you!” Sombra slammed his fist onto my table, putting an imprint on it. I backed away, eyeballing a knife on the counter. Sombra saw it and bolted over to it, grabbing a paper towel as he grabbed it, possibly to hide his fingerprints. “I’ll do it all with this knife... and when I’m done, I’ll hit your ex up, borrow some fingerprint samples, and... that’d be it for Flash Sentry.” Sombra set the knife down and tossed the paper towel into my garbage can, nailing the shot. “Or... you’ll do what I say.” Sombra threatened. If there was anything Sombra was good at... it’d be his framing—he knew how to make people look and feel guilty—as was why he was trusted by the Rainbooms to frame people for the more heinous crimes. “I could do that... or I could just throw myself out of that window as soon as you go out there. You can’t put all the blame on a dead man, now can you?” I asked him, moving closer to him out of anger. Sombra somewhat gasped and backed up slightly. “Yeah... you could do that... but what would Aria think?” Sombra asked. I hesitated as soon as he said her name. I couldn’t put all of that on her... I just couldn’t. “There we go... now, are you in, or not?" He asked. I caved, ready to just get that job over with. “Okay.... what needs to be done?” I asked, looking down at the floor. Sombra smiled, whistling as my door swung open and someone else entered, wearing a green jumpsuit and a metal belt around their waist, her face concealed by a large cloak “Doctor... lay it on him.” Sombra said, returning to the couch. The ‘Doctor’ removed her hood to reveal... “Twilight?” I whispered. Twilight Sparkle, an old student from CHS, removed her massive cloak to reveal four massive mechanical arms, two of them slamming into the ground while one lunged at me, grabbing me and lifting me along with Twilight. “First of all, my name... is Doctor Octopus. Second of all... hello, Flash. It’s been a while.” Twilght smiled, dropping me and lowering herself. Sombra turned over to see us and laughed. “You see? She’s what I love about youth—give them the desire and the means to do so, and they’d do anything.” He said, flipping through channel after channel. I turned to Twili—Doctor Octopus, who removed her metal belt, which was attatched to the massive arms, and walked around, somewhat limping as she did. “My mother’s dying. Her mind just couldn’t handle everything that had happened in the last few weeks... now, I assume you heard about that meteor crash from last night?” Twilight asked. I nodded, turning to see that Sombra wasn’t on the couch... “They found something on that meteor... a vessel, of sorts.” Twilight turned my attention back to her. Vessel? I didn’t remember hearing anything like that... “You mean... like, an alien vessel?” I asked. Twilight smiled as she nodded, her smile similar to the Rainbooms. “Bingo. Now, that vessel was taken to Oscorp, and it contained a form of... symbiotic alien, showing remarkable healing abilities... all you have to do, is break into Oscorp and fish it out. Does that sound fair to you?” She asked me. I almost laughed. “No. You have the mechanical arms, why can’t you just do it?” I asked her, hoping Sombra didn’t hear. Twilight began to laugh as she walked over to her arms, setting a pair of goggles over her eyes as she did. “Gladly... Sombra, we’re done here. Make it quick.” Twilght ordered, putting on her cloak as she left my apartment. I turned to see Sombra, and saw the barrel of a suppressed pistol facing me. “Look, if it’s any conciliation: I was never gonna kill your friends—that crap leaves a trail... but this? Goodbye, Flash Sentry. Rest well.” “L-look, tell Sombra he’ll have his money, just give us time!” The clerk said as his coworker was being beaten in the background. I sighed, holding my crowbar, swinging it slightly to intimidate him. “I don’t really care about time. Either give Sombra his money, or we’ll just break both of your kneecaps and take the money, anyway.” I threatened, growling in disgust over my own words. That did it—the clerk was digging through his register until he grabbed every dollar and cent out of it. “Okay, okay! Here! Here’s every dollar, j-just take it and go!” He said, his hands shaking as he set the clump of dollars and coins on the table. I smiled under my ski mask, nodding to the clerk as I signaled the others to stop their beating. “We’re done here... let’s go.” I said, ready to leave. We all turned to leave, proud of a job well done, until suddenly... “Screw you! Tell Kingpin to come deal with us himself!” “No, no—wait!” I cried out in vain as he charged at me. I woke with a start on my bed, feeling for a bullet wound to find nothing. I started breathing a sigh of relief and as I went to the kitchen... the stench hit me like a bullet. The first thing I saw was the blood—a big stain on the floor and a smaller one on the door, and the room was torn apart, the table flipped and broken, torn open bags of tater tots all over the floor, and my garbage bag was ravaged, almost like a racoon went through it... I looked into the bathroom and saw that it was mostly intact, save for the scent of vomit in the room... “What the hell happened to me last night?” I asked myself. I turned to see the bus drive off without me, but I wasn’t concerned about it. You should be. I was suddenly yanked into my tub, where I let out a short but loud yelp before my mouth was covered by something slimy... Listen—let's not make this more difficult than this needs to be. You are not dead, and you are not going crazy... I then felt... weird, like something was swimming around inside of me, but it was meant to be there... I must apologize for any troubles I had caused during the bonding process—you were very hysterical and I needed to find a way to calm you... “Wha... wait, you’re that alien?” I asked, completely confused. Yes... I am. All that did was feed my confusion more as a large, black, slimy tendril grew out of my chest, causing me to softly scream. The tendril formed eyes—all-white, pupil-less eyes, as a mouth soon formed, where it showed countless, sharp and jagged fangs. My name is Venom, and as far as I can tell, you are my host. Host? What’s that supposed to mean? It means that I need you to breathe in oxygen, and you need me because you were shot in your own apartment last night—I saved your life and with friends like that, I assume I will need to do it again. I couldn’t even begin to process what was happening as “Venom” went back into my body, causing me to slowly get out of my tub. “Okay... so if I was shot... and you healed me... then why did Sombra want me to get you out?” I asked, completely clueless. I don’t know... all I know is that the purple one got me out, with the metal arms... next thing I knew, I was bonding to you. Again, I must apologize for my feeding frenzy, it was just so... tempting. “Oh, so you did this?” I asked him, my anger starting to grow. No—we did this. Look, I understand your confusion, but all you need to know now is that we are bonded together, and co-existence is our only option. I realized that I was in no place to refuse, so I simply sighed, got out of the tub, and went to clean the apartment. “Did you have to tear through the tater tots? And did you eat out of the garbage?” I asked in disgust. Again, the bonding process is somewhat tricky, depending on the host’s adrenaline levels. And considering that you were seconds away from death when I healed you... I heaved and as the taste began to settle, I instantly went to brush my teeth. Look on the bright side: At least you’re still alive. “Yeah, but eating out of the garbage isn’t a good thing, either.” I said, brushing until my arm grew sore. As I spit and rinsed, I then realized that I was going to have to clean my apartment... You have fun with the mess... I’m going to find my way around. Oh, and I’d suggest getting something to eat soon—I recommend chocolate or fish. Well, this was going to be fun... better than being dead, I guess. EvaluationThe first round of the Fall Battle of the Bands was upon us—and I ended up joining the Dazzlings as their drummer. It was for a wide variety of reasons, not just to get closer to Adagio... I swear. But really, I wanted something else to do—like a hobby or activity other than swing around the city, fighting criminals. Also, I wanted to show everyone that the only way to fight the Rainbooms’ terror was to stand up and take its power away. The first round was later today, so while I went over the song we were going to show, I noticed that Flash wasn’t there... Not that he was in our band, but he was always at lunch with us—and he never stayed home thanks to Aunt Celestia watching his every move... “Hey, has anyone seen Flash?” I asked, mainly glancing over to Aria, who was staring into space with her hair done in two long pigtails and the largest grin I’ve ever seen on anyone... Adagio then turned to her, and Sonata did the same... “What? What’s everyone lookin’ at me for? He told me that he was sick in bed, and odds are it he has it, I have it...” She said. “You haven’t done your hair like that in a while... why the sudden change of heart?” Adagio raised her brow. Aria fell silent and she began turning red... very red. “M... maybe I like my hair this way.” She said, starting to fidget. I then raised a brow, ideas starting to form in my head—none of them safe for work. “So... you’re tellin’ me that you decided to do your hair like that simply because you like it like that? Not the fact that your new boyfriend’s into--” “Hey, don’t be like that—Flash is into what he’s into, there’s no stopping that. Just respect it and trust that he’ll find someone who fits him... like me.” Aria smirked. I chucked, knowing the real reason Aria put her hair like that... “Movin’ on from everyone else’s business, how about the showcase tomorrow? You guys ready for it?” I asked, hoping to change the subject before things got weird. The three chuckled. “Trust us, Pip—we're more than ready.” Adagio assured me. Sonata almost choked on her drink as she let out a quick gasp. “Oh! What’s the deal with you two? Are you two dating, or what?” She asked us. We quickly glanced at each other, me waiting for her to say something, and her probably waiting on me. “Well, I don’t see why we wouldn’t be—I enjoyed last night, and I can’t speak for her, but--” “I did, too. Yes, Sonata—we are dating.” Adagio told her, and possibly me as well. We kept chatting about more minute things until the bell rang, dismissing us to our next classes. In the hallway, I glanced over to see Apple Bloom rigging a locker with one of those infamous Ghost-Pepper infused pies of theirs... “May I help you?” I asked her. She turned to me, with a scowl on her face. “This doesn’t concern ya, Brit’.” She spat. I chuckled—Apple Bloom was always trying too hard to be like her older sister, so much so that she had forgotten who she was. “Oh, but it does.” I said, indicating that the locker was mine. Apple Bloom put the pieces together and quickly pulled the pie out. “Oh-- sorry, Pip—I didn’t know it was yours.” She bolted before I could say any more. I sighed, upset that I couldn’t tell Apple Bloom off and also curious as to why she had the same type of respect for me that the Rainbooms did, and opened my locker, grabbing my binder and shutting it. As I left, some student approached me... Rumble, his name was. “Hey, uh... Pip?” He asked. “Yeah?” I asked back, facing him. “I, uh... I found this in my locker and I didn’t know who else to talk to...” He handed me a slip of paper, a letter... from Rarity. The letter asked him to meet her in the weight room after school, and not to say a word to anyone... I knew what that letter meant, I received a similar one during my freshman year, when I first met Rarity... Rumble seemed very excited, but also slightly nervous—I knew that it was time to bring back bad memories... “Moved on already, Rarity? I don’t know if I’m proud or hurt... anyway, I can verify that this isn’t a danger, and if you don’t want to go, you don’t have to.” I assured him. “I know, but--” He started. “You want to.” I sighed, knowing full well what he wanted. “...Yeah-- I do.” He said. I didn’t say a word as I gave him the letter back, but I wasn’t finished just yet. “Rumble... I don’t know you too well, but I’ll tell you this from a former gimp to the new one—if you go through with this, you’ll be expected to do things—things that may not be too comfortable for you, things that may involve cattle prods or whips, and... other tools...” I said, recalling those times with Rarity. “But here’s the thing—whenever I didn’t want to do something, no matter how high and mighty Rarity acted, she listened to me. She knew when not to cross the line, and when to hold back. If you go through with this... ask yourself what your limit is, and never be afraid to tell her when things don’t feel comfortable—she gives you a safe-word for a reason...” I warned him as I walked away, realizing that I would be late for class. As Aria and I went up the stairs leading to Flash’s apartment, a few of his neighbors were rocking out to loud music. We reached his door and knocked on it, trying to block out the loud rock music. We stayed for a moment when he opened the door, blocking his ears. “I swear, they do this every day after school...” He loudly grumbled, clearly suffering more from the music than we were. Aria clearly had enough and went over to their door, loudly knocking on it. “Hey! Numbnuts! Turn the damn music down!” Aria screamed. Flash pulled me into his apartment and moved me away from the door—his kitchen was recently cleaned, but there was a visible stain on the ground, faded, but still there... “I need your help...” He told me. I had no idea what he meant until he backed away slightly. “It’s okay, Venom—he’s a friend.” He talked to himself... Before I could ask what he meant, a black tendril grew out of him and looped around, forming pupiless eyes and sharp teeth. “Uh... I...” I tried to speak, but the shock overwhelmed me. “Hello... Pip, is it? I am Venom.” The being introduced itself, hiding away once it sensed Aria entering the room in a huff. “I swear to Zeus, if I hear those numb-skulls' horrible taste in music again...” She mumbled to herself. Flash was seemingly having a conversation with Venom, shaking his head and nodding slightly. The whole thing seemed like he was talking to himself, but after seeing that creature in him... “Okay... how are you doing, Flash?” Aria asked, setting a hand on his shoulder. “Better now.” Flash smiled, pulling her in for a quick hug. “Oh, come on—I can take a little stomach bug.” Aria went for the kiss, but Flash quickly turned his head. Aria slightly giggled, and as I went to give the two some space, I noticed a dent in his wall... And a bullet trapped in it. I gasped as I quickly stood behind it, not wanting Aria to see. “Well, that was all—get better soon, okay?” She said, giving him another quick hug. “I’ll try, babe.” Flash laughed. She left the room, glaring at the neighbors as she did. The door shut and I quickly went to question him. “Why is there a bullet in your wall?!” I panicked, hoping Aria or his neighbors wouldn’t hear. “Okay, Pip—I can explain everything, but I don’t want you to panic, okay?” He asked me, taking a seat by the kitchen table and gesturing me to do the same. I took a seat, composing myself, and Venom emerged again, now resting on Flash’s shoulder. “I was at home last night, Aria left to check on her sister when Kingpin came to my apartment—he wanted me to do a job for him, and--” “Sombra...” My blood started to burn up as my fists tightened. “Yeah... he wanted me to get Venom for him from Oscorp, when... oh, God...” His eyes grew larger as he then gasped. “What’s the matter?” Venom asked. Flash sighed and leaned back, almost squishing Venom. “Twilight... she’s Sombra’s newest lieutenant.” He whispered. My blood went from boiling hot to frozen solid in a milisecond... Twilight was back in town? Working for Kingpin? “No... no, it couldn’t have been her...” I tried to think about who else it could’ve been. “Pip, it was her—she had mechanical arms, and she... she saved me...” Flash realized. Okay... so maybe the Twilight I knew wasn’t completely gone... “How did she save you?” I asked him. “She broke into Oscorp hours earlier and retrieved me. My guess is that she was going to let Sombra get arrested trying to take me... and then he paid you a visit, instead. That punk can never do the dirty work himself—that's why he’d fail as a host... he doesn’t have the stones to control me...” Venom muttered. “That makes sense—Twilight was a strategist, a planner... she’d want Sombra gone without making her look guilty.” I said, seeing some sense in Twilight’s plot. “But... why? Why would she want to get Kingpin arrested? He’d just buy his way out or get some mob lawyers...” Flash said. We both tried thinking about it, and we came up with nothing. “We’ll have to go back to it later. Now... what are you gonna do?” I asked him. Flash peered up at me, Venom doing the same. “What do you mean?” He asked. I leaned forward, glancing at the alien creature embedded into my friend... “Venom healed your wounds—what else can he do as far as abilities go?” I asked him. Venom then slithered back into Flash before beginning to envelop him, submerging him in black slime until he was covered from head to toe, his eyes going all white... “This is what we can do...” Venom replied as he then flipped onto the ceiling, clinging to it like me... I hummed and followed suite, flipping and clinging to the ceiling... “Okay... there’s a start. Now, we need to understand what you can do in order to make a proper evaluation...” I said to the two. Venom’s face peeled back, revealing Flash’s flabbergasted face. “Okay... this is amazing! What do you mean evaluation?” Flash went from excited to curious. I smiled and went back to the floor. “You can be like me, Flash—maybe even better.” I said... Was Flash what I was looking for? Could this duo take my place and protect the city? Very possibly... Flash seemed shocked as Venom unwrapped around Flash, letting him emerge again. “You really think so?” He asked me. I kept smiling and nodded. “I really do.” Author's Note Okay, taking a break from SelenaEde's bases, here is a very simple rendition of Flash Sentry. Under Their SpellYou didn’t know that you fell Now that you’re under their spell The tagline of our song for tonight—and it was amazing... “Wow... guys, this is incredible!” I said, holding the sheet of paper. Adagio smiled as she took the paper from my hands. “Why, thank you, Pip—but the performance needs to be just as good...” Adagio said. We were sitting in the band room, waiting for the last performers before us... needless to say, I was nervous—I never really did anything like this before, despite only doing drums... “Hey, Pip—you doin’ alright?” Aria asked, taking a seat next to me. I glanced up at her and nodded. “Yeah, I’m fine. It’s just... I never thought we’d have a chance against the Rainbooms... they’ve tormented all of us in their own special ways for almost three years, now... so many lives were ruined because of them—so many teachers fired, students expelled... mainly because of my aunt’s faith in The Rainbooms.” I let some anger into that last part... Aunt Celestia was only doing what she thought was right—but what happens when she realizes that all of those students she expelled were all innocent? Aria sighed and leaned back. “Yeah-- we haven’t been here too long and I can only imagine—especially with that Pinkamena one...” Aria shuddered at the idea of the pink psychopath. I went to say more, but a phone call interrupted me. From Flash. “I’ll be right back.” I said as I went to answer the phone. “Hello?” “Hey, Pip?” I asked him, up on a wall in an alley. “Yeah, what do you need?” He asked me. “Okay, so I found this guy—one of Sombra’s enforcers... I think we can take him.” I said, Venom enveloping me as I put the phone up to my ear. “Really? You think so?” He asked me. “Yeah-- it’s just him and as long as I keep Venom in check, the guy shouldn’t get too seriously hurt.” I said. Awww... You’re no fun. Hey, just be lucky I agreed to this whole idea. But come on—we need to face facts, how long until he gets out? How long until he gets his slimy hands on some mob lawyer? Or whatever that means... It doesn’t matter—we're only doing this just so we can get some practice, and Pip can actually make his relationship work. But what about ours-- I mean, yours? I stopped for a moment, now climbing up and leaping onto another rooftop, trying not to lose the enforcer. We’ll cross that bridge later, let’s just handle this for today... remember-- no killing or maiming, got it? I’d never do such a thing-- I swear... The enforcer entered a building when I landed on the roof facing it. Was... that sarcasm? No response as I then let Venom take the reels as he leaped into an open window and slid under some cover. “...and we need to talk about that eight-armed chick—Twilight Sparkle?” There are more of them here... handguns and rifles. Can we take them? ...Most certainly. I smiled under Venom’s mask as we then started to get closer. “We can worry about her another time—right now, we need to focus on Sunset Shimmer—she's still fuming from Sombra putting a bullet in her ex.” I froze, and that caught Venom’s attention, now staying in place, in the cover of darkness. “Yeah-- Sombra screwed up... big time. I heard from a higher-up that Sombra got blackmailed into doin’ it... what I do know is that Pinkamena’s trackin’ him down... I don’t wanna know what that freak’s gonna do to him.” Who’s Pinkamena? A psychopath who killed her family a few years ago. She kept on killing after that, usually a student a year, making it look like an accident. She got caught and was sent to a psych ward, but the Rainbooms got her out early... That sounds extremely unlikely and also somewhat illegal... Everything they do is illegal—now shush. Here’s our chance to get some info. “Okay-- so did they uncover a body?" Another enforcer asked. “No-- Sombra assigned Twilight to do it, but people in his apartment said he was up and about a few hours later...” This conversation is going nowhere, fast. “Okay-- we’ll have to talk at another location, with Spider-Man swinging around out there, we can only converse in one spot for so long... let’s talk in the car.” That was our que—we swung down and pulled one enforcer in with our tendril, webbing the door shut so the others couldn’t escape. The enforcer we pulled in was screaming at the sight of us as Venom formed an ugly mouth... Venom—we both agreed no killing! I know—this is just me having fun. We then threw the enforcer against the concrete wall, shooting another web to hold him in place... “Spider-Man!” One other enforcer cried, pulling out a handgun and getting a shot in— I then felt the bullet be stopped and Venom push it towards our wrist—before aiming it and hitting the enforcer in the knee, capping him and causing him to fall to the ground in pain. He’ll live. Oh, that was badass! Venom flashed a smile as his mouth concealed itself again and we leapt onto the last enforcer... “What the hell are you?!” We smiled as Venom unwrapped half of our face, showing me inside... “We... are Venom.” “...Flash?” We roared as we knocked the enforcer out with a simple punch to the face. “Outstanding! Truly remarkable!” Yeah... I gotta admit that was fun... Now, I gotta make a stop... Venom pulled away from me as we left the warehouse looked around for the destination... once I found it, I somberly started approaching it. Flim & Flam’s General Store. “...now that you’re under their spell...” Adagio concluded our showing with the lights cutting to black, the students clapping and cheering as I glanced at their necklaces... glowing bright red for a split second. The lights came back on where Mom was clapping hysterically while Aunt Celestia was skeptical. “Amazing performance from the Dazzlings! An absolute wonder to watch!” Mom said. As we took in the applause, Aunt Celestia let her voice be heard. “Despite an incredible performance, I believe that we should not allow mockeries of authority to be upheld in this school...” She said. Mom then turned to her, completely perplexed. “No offence, sister, but I didn’t hear that at all—the song seems to uphold fear as the enemy— not authority... and also, the lyrics captures the feeling of inspiration to stand up to terror, something very prominent with the rise of the Spider-Man vigilante...” “Exactly-- we need to encourage supporting authority—as in police, not a vigilante.” She always seemed a tad too supportive of what I do... The two went back and forth as Adagio turned to me, confused over how my mother knew so much about her song. “She was a rock star back in her day—Nightmare Moon, she was called...” Aria quickly gasped in shock... “What’s wrong?” I asked her. “You mother is the NIghtmare Moon? Mistress of the Night?!” She whispered. I chuckled, recalling all of those albums she showed me. “Yeah-- she retired soon after she got pregnant with my sis--” I stopped... Adagio noticed my hesitation and seemingly decided to ignore it for now... “And the winner, for the second round of the Fall Battle of the Bands... The Dazzlings!” Mom declared. The auditorium then erupted once more, applause filling our ears... Needless to say, I was caught off-guard, taking in the cheer, and hoping that Flash’s first patrol went well... And sighed, knowing that I had a stop to make afterwards. I went inside the ordinary store, looking around and found the ordinary clerk going through the freezer... Except, for me, this wasn’t an ordinary store, and that wasn’t an ordinary clerk... “Flam.” I called out. The tall store-owner jumped as he recognized my voice, pulling out a handgun. What the hell?! BREAK HIS LEGS! Venom started pulling my hand out, but I stopped him. “No! It’s alright... I’m not here to hurt you.” I told the two. Flam kept the gun held on me, his aim shaking... “What do you want? My brother already paid Sombra’s fee—and extra!” He screamed. Flash, what is he talking about? I didn’t answer as I slowly reached into my front pocket, pulling out a small check... “I took up a job at my landlord’s bakery—saved up for a few weeks... it’s everything Sombra ever charged for you... and a whole lot of extra.” I said, setting it on his counter. Flam then put down the gun, slowly and with hesitation... “...Why? You... you killed my brother!” Flam pulled it up again, and we were back at square one. I almost teared up at the mention of Flim... but I swallowed my tears and held my hands out. “If you wanna shoot me, just shoot me... but it won’t bring Flim back... as much as I wish it would...” Venom swirled around in nervousness, ready to strike whenever I let him... Flam began tearing up his finger then went around the trigger... If he shoots you, I can just heal you up again... just say the word and I’ll take the gun away from him. Flam held the gun for a few more moments, making me wonder if he was actually going to do it... And then he cries out, tossing the gun to the floor and crumbling. “Get out of my store... never come back, you hear me?” I sighed and nodded... “I’m sorry... for everything.” Flam went over to the counter, looking at the check before leaning into the table, his head covered by his arms. “I know you are... now go.” I didn’t wait as I left the store, tears starting to stream... Flash... what was that? “...Me making things right.” I said, starting to head home... Tonight could’ve been better, but we did some good overall—those enforcers were arrested and I managed to somewhat make things better with Flam... Yes... we did good tonight. Perhaps this hero thing isn’t as bad as I thought it would be... Yeah... I actually kinda like it... Now let’s go home. Come and see the Scorpion! Tonight at 9, watch the infamous fighter take down newcomer BLOB! The sign was coded in a unique pattern of numbers and random letters to avoid detection, but Fluttershy taught me all about deciphering them... I knocked on the warehouse door four times, indicating that I was welcomed there before. The door opened and I saw a massive body-guard who seemingly recognized my birthmark on my eye... “You got big...” He said. “I had a growth spurt...” I chuckled. The guard moved out of my way and I entered to see the stage lights and hearing the small crowds chanting out for the Scorpion. I looked past them and saw that indeed, Fluttershy was in the ring, choke-holding an enormous, rather fat man... I assumed that was the Blob from the poster, and she was indeed taking him down. The Blob resorted to tagging out, his face turning a deep shade of blue. “And the winner of this round, with 145 wins in a row... The Scorpion!” For the second time tonight, I heard a crowd erupt in applause. Fluttershy basked in her victory, throwing up her arms as her dark green tanktop moved up with her. The lights faded and I knew that meant Fluttershy was leaving... She put on her crocodile-skin jacket and quickly went out the back door and I followed, going out the front and quickly scaling the building, running onto the roof and spotting her head down an alley... I leapt out and shot a web on a roof near the alley, pulling myself in to launch me into the night air... I rolled onto the roof and jumped into the alley, landing on all-fours behind Fluttershy, rising up before I called out to her. “Fluttershy...” The underground fighter stopped and turned, facing me. “Pipsqueak... it’s been a while.” She smiled, readying a fighting stance. I chuckled and followed suit, ready to win... Fluttershy broke the distance between us with a jump-kick, but I jumped onto the wall, landing off as fast as I could. She turned and came at me again and I simply moved out of her way, causing her to become frustrated. “The same move won’t save you, Pip...” I chuckled and went on the offensive, going for a grapple which resulted in her grabbing my arm and pinning me to the wall, laughing while she did so... “Ah, I missed wrestling with you...” She smirked, uncomfortably close to me... If that were a year ago, I would’ve embraced the moment in open arms, not questioning the morals of my choices... But that wasn’t a year ago. I waited for her to let her guard down and I broke her pin. “Sorry, Fluttershy—but I’m seein’ somebody...” I told her, knowing she respected relationships... well, save for her own. Fluttershy’s smile faded as she leaned against the brick wall... “Hmm... I heard about the cheeto-puff. We know all about her, Pip, and let me be the one to tell you that she has quite the skeletons in her closet--” “I don’t care... I didn’t come here to talk about Adagio, I came here to talk about Sunset—more so that crown she’s obsessed with...” I interrupted her. Fluttershy was always confident—she never let anyone or anything scare her, especially not Sunset Shimmer... That discipline faded for a split second as I saw fear in her eyes... true fear. “I... don’t know what you’re talking about.” She said, crossing her arms. I sighed and leaned on the adjacent wall, ready to wait. “Rarity told me everything... Sunset went back to... whatever Equestriais, and came back with that crown, when she lost it, she hit you... and you let her. Whatever that crown is, it’s important, isn’t it?” I asked her... Fluttershy quickly charged at me, but not in a playful manner... She landed a stomach hit and caused me to lose my wind... I fell to the ground for a moment before grabbing a foot that went for a kick to my torso. I used it as leverage and pulled myself up, tripping Fluttershy to the ground and took a fighting stance, our way of showing that the fight was over... I had beat the Scorpion... and I had no time to admire that victory. “Flash is dead... There’s nothing left to hold Sunset back, now. If she gets her hands on that crown... it’ll be hell on Earth.” She promised me, staying on the ground as rain began to pour... I held out my hand and she took it, helping herself back up. “That... was a good match, Pip. Whatever happened to you during that trip... keep it up.” She told me. I smiled, knowing full-well that I wasn’t going to stop yet. “I intend to...” With that, we both went our separate ways, Fluttershy going out the alley one way and me the other. Author's Note Hello again! Possibly one of my favorite quick-draws goes to Venom... the sprite, as always, belongs to SelenaEde. RevelationA day had passed since my first patrol with Venom. As I walked down the school hallway, I managed to evade the Rainbooms, not wanting to make things awkward following them believing that I was dead. I reached my class and immediately realized that it was with Applejack. The cowgirl almost fell from her seat as soon as I entered the class. “Flash?!” She unintentionally shouted. Cheeriliee said nothing, possibly not wanting to start anything with the Rainbooms. “Surprise... I’m not dead.” I joked/told her. She did nothing but stare as I took my seat, and Aria leaned in. “What was that supposed to mean?” She asked. I couldn’t say anything as Cheerilee decided to start the class... We should be careful... as far as your ex knows, you’re dead. The last thing we need is for her to do something brash. Why? She won’t kill me, Venom. Now shush—I gotta concentrate. Class went on as normal, save for Venom telling me that Applejack was just staring at me, perplexed that I was still alive. When the bell rung, Applejack made a beeline for the door, probably to tell Sunset that I was still alive... and sure enough-- “He’s alive! Flash’s alive!” She screamed out into the hallways. I went out to see Sunset, who almost dropped her books at the sight at me. “Flash?!” She bolted at me, uncharacteristically holding me in a bear hug—a tight one. She then started to nuzzle me, which caused Venom to begin speaking to me. It’s almost as if she actually missed you... Sunset pulled away and wiped a tear from her eye... It seems real to me... I know when Sunset’s lying... “I swear, the moment I get my hands on Sombra... What happened? I was told that he shot you in the heart, how are you still...?” She set her hand on my head, trying to read my mind. Ah! She’s trying to read your mind?! I’m shutting her out! Sure enough, Sunset’s tearful face quickly changed to one of shock. “You... shut me out? But, how?” I backed away slightly and sighed. “It’s a long story...” I said. Sunset breathed a sigh of relief and nodded at me. “Stay safe, Flash... I mean it.” She said, heading off to class... That was... not normal. The emotions you have about her made it seem like she was an absolute monster, but... she seemed genuinely concerned. She got countless students expelled and kept the rest in line with her super-powered friends— and made me work for Sombra, when I-- I stopped, realizing that I never talked to anyone about what I did under Kingpin... not even Sunset. You stopped... what happened with Sombra before? Does it have anything to do with that store clerk last night? We’ll talk about it later, alright? Now, let’s just get this day over with. ...Fine. I managed to reach my next class before the bell rang, but my mind was entrapped in what I did... “Screw you! Tell Kingpin to come deal with us himself!” “No, no—wait!” I cried out in vain as he charged at me. I tried pulling out my knife to scare him... but it was too late. That or it was timed perfectly as he ran straight into the blade. “F... Flim! No!” The clerk cried out as his brother’s shocked gasps filled my ears... I began to panic as the blade stayed in him as he fell to the ground, gasping for air. “C... call an ambulance...” I started... They others just stood there, either in shock over what happened, or simply keeping quiet. “Hey! Call a damn ambulance!” I said, now with more voice. “No.” One of the thugs told me. Flim slowly stopped gasping... and I knew that he was dying... I started going to the back to grab a first aid kit, but one of the thugs stopped me. “We can’t let him go after this... that scar’s all the dirt he needs.” I growled and decked him, bolting to the back and grabbed a first aid kit. As I ran over and went to the victim, the other brother was now out trying to help me. “We don’t have long—he's lost a lot of blood as it is.” He said, taking off his sweater to use as a bandage. As I slowly pulled the blade out, I realized that we’d have to operate. “We can’t help him, but an ambulance can... You guys get out of here... let me handle this.” I said. The others reluctantly began leaving... but not before one last remark. “If Sombra hears this... he’ll handle this himself." I then sighed, staring emptily at the board... What happened after that? I almost jumped but kept my shock under control. You read my mind? No, when you remembered the incident, I saw it with you... now, what happened after you patched his brother up? I began fidgeting, which didn’t really look good. We got him to a hospital where Flim covered for me, said that I was just shopping when the thugs came in. We saved his life... but then some hitman was hired and took Flim out. Flam was next, but I promised Sombra a favor if he let him live... which explained why he went to my apartment with Twilight. Wow... that’s a lot to take in. I know. I’m a criminal, V... I got Flim killed, and I got off scot-free... I could feel Venom swirling around inside of me at that comment. You listen—you didn’t kill him... you had nothing to do with what happened that day. You were just trying to impress your girlfriend—something you shouldn’t have done, yes, but something you regret with a passion. I don’t know about human laws, but back in my homeworld, whenever one of our kind disobeyed our Knull, they had a chance to fall back under his fold... of course, I did not take that chance. Knull? I decided to ask him about that later. That doesn’t matter, Venom... Flim’s blood is on my hands. The bell was about to ring when Fluttershy marched past our classroom door. “...search every classroom—I want Flash found, now!” I hid to the sides, much to my teacher’s confusion, and waited until she was gone. I looked out and started coming up with a plan. We should head for a side door—they should be moderately clear. Yeah... maybe in the math hall, just stay quiet until I say. I kept on going until I glanced and saw Rainbow Dash with Aria in the infamous dim dead end... “...and after Fluttershy gets rid of the two of you, all that’s left to deal with is Sunset. After that... there’d be nothing stopping us from--” She glanced up at me and before Venom could react, she zoomed behind me and kicked me over to her, zooming back. “Well, now... looks like we got the two-for-one deal, tonight...” Fluttershy said from the corner. I looked up to see the wrestler with a creature in a cage... A scorpion. “Hold up, Flutters—we shouldn’t do this here—what if Sunset walks by?” Rainbow asked nervously. Fluttershy simply cackled and began opening the cage. “Then we’ll just accelerate our plans. Now move aside, love—don't wanna get you stung, too.” She smirked. “Let’s just wait until tonight! The second-to-last round, and if Sunset finds us, we can just do it there—that crown should be easy to find... all of that power, just for us...” Rainbow then went over to Fluttershy, putting her hands on her shoulders... Wait. “I thought you and Sunset were together!” I said. Good job, idiot—you just got yourself killed. Fluttershy laughed and moved Rainbow’s hands away. “Sunset? She’s just a power-hungry sociopath. Us? We have big plans for that crown—but first, you and those Dazzlings need to go.” Fluttershy then kicked Aria in the face, tempting me to just let Venom loose. “I swear to God, if you hurt her again, we will destroy you!” Even Rainbow laughed at that one. “Just try us... you were supposed to be dead already, but I suppose Sombra is as unreliable as he is easy to blackmail...” My eyes became as big as saucers when the truth hit me. “Y... you blackmailed Sombra to kill me?” I asked. Aria gasped and turned to me, the words just hitting her. “Yep. Honestly, you can’t rely on anyone these days—you have to do everything yourself... we’ll do it tonight, babe... but for now, knock these lovers out.” Rainbow bolted over and knocked us clean out, my vision instantly turning black. Hallway FightI tried calling Flash a third time, but it went straight to voicemail once again. “This doesn’t make any sense—he always answers my calls...” I said, pocketing my phone. Adagio was trying to call Aria, but the same result must’ve been happening to her. “Same with Aria, something must be wrong.” She said. “Well, we need Aria for the show, and Flash’s my friend—I’ll ask around, see if I can find them.” I went down the hall when I bumped into Bon-Bon, not-so-secretly lesbian who went up against us and lost last night. “Oh! I swear, me and bumping into people... here, let me help you--” Bon-Bon pulled me in close. “Flash and Aria need your help—they're locked in the band storage room and are being supervised.” She said, quickly getting up and leaving. I couldn’t even say a word as Adagio soon caught up with me. “Aria just texted me, she said she and Flash were fine... who was that?” She asked me. I looked at the text and it was almost too easy. “That isn’t Aria... get my mom, tell her to get to the band storage room—and hurry!” I said, bolting to the direction of the band room. I was almost defenseless, my web-shooters in my locker, but if what Bon-Bon told me was true, I didn’t have time to stop and get them... I had to hurry. As my vision returned to me, Venom was extruding from me, trying to look for a way out of wherever we were. “Wait, so you’re an alien being... bonded to Flash?” I heard Aria ask. “Yes-- Flash would be dead if it weren’t for me...” I heard Aria sigh as I got to my feet, now beginning to recognize where we were. “Flash!” Aria didn’t waste any time as she ran into my arms. As I held her, Venom turned to us, glancing at me. “We need to find a way out of here before the Rainbooms finish their song.” I rubbed my eyes as Aria moved away from me and I tried the easy solution—kicking the door open, but it failed and also made my leg sore. “That was the first thing I tried.” Aria told me. I grunted and turned to Venom, thinking that maybe the two of us could break through the door. “Last I heard, they have a guard posted outside—it'd be risky... for them” Venom flashed a toothy grin as he bonded to me once more. Aria was taken aback by our form—I then noticed that we came off as Spider-Man from a distance, Venom being a thin layer of himself around me. “Maybe we can try some armor sometime—like what they wear in the military... but that can wait until after.” I smiled as we charged at the door at full speed. The door came down with a resounding thud as we looked up to see Applejack watching us... “Holy-- What the hell is that?!” She charged up her strength and Venom unwrapped my face, showing me underneath... “Hey, AJ—how's your brother?” I asked as we began approaching the cowgirl. Applejack snarled as she charged at us, getting two hits in before upper-cutting us to the ceiling, only for us to stick to the wall, using the force to push us back to the ground, leaving in imprint in the concrete. “Finally-- somebody I don’t gotta hold back on.” Applejack smiled as she cracked her knuckles. I heard footsteps down the hallway and as I went to look, Applejack pulled us back in and slammed us against the wall. “Flash!” I heard Pip yell out. Applejack then began to laugh, pushing me into the wall as she signaled me to be quiet. “Are you sure they’re here?” Luna asked. All of our blood—Applejack's and mine—ran cold as we heard her voice... this was it—the moment Luna came in here and saw this scene, it was all over... Applejack knew that and so she tossed me onto the floor and smirked, slowly backing into the band room, shutting the door behind her... “Help! Help us!” She cried out. She cannot expect that to work—Aria's in there, she’d never play along. She’s going down and she knows it. I went out first, seeing Pip and Luna run down the hallway. “Flash! Adagio told me everything, I saw the footage from the band room and sent it to the authorities... We did it!” Luna said, proud that it was finally over. But as we celebrated, I was grabbed by the hair and slammed against the locker... By Celestia. “I’ve let incident after incident slide... but this?! This I cannot allow!” Celestia screamed, cracking me across the face, causing my vision to blur... “Celestia! What the hell are you doing?!” Mom asked, pulling her away from me. “Look in that band room—tell me you don’t see it!” Celestia screamed. I had no idea what had occurred—one moment my mother and I were running down the hall, ready to end the Rainbooms’ madness... to Celestia attacking Flash. Aria walked out, glaring at Applejack. “Tell them—tell them what happened! Tell my sister how wrong she is about that rapist!” Celestia asked Aria as Luna held her back. Aria growled as she turned to a smirking Applejack. “Flash... there’s something you should know.” Aria sighed. Applejack looked up and gasped as Celestia then hesitated for a moment. “Aria, can it wait? Just tell her what really happened before she tears my throat out... please.” I said. Aria shook her head, almost as if Applejack was making her say it... “Flash... that Equestria that Sunset told you about? I’m from it—my sisters and I are from it.” My blood ran cold as Applejack suddenly screamed and charged, kicking Aria into a locker. “’Ria!” Flash cried out, Venom starting to bond with him. “What the hell is that?!” Celestia asked, still stunned over Applejack’s sudden act of violence. The cowgirl then turned to us, slowly walking towards us... “I was supposed to wait until after Sunset gets the crown to kill y’all... but you had to keep pushin’, didn’t ya?” I realized that I had no web shooters as Applejack began to charge... At Mom. I ran over and blocked her, us now in a push-match while Fluttershy simply turned to Flash. I was beginning to lose the fight to AJ while Fluttershy pulled out a dagger which drew out a scream from Celestia. I began pushing back and then jumped and kicked off of Applejack, breaking the grapple and giving me some distance. “Mom, Celestia—run!” I said, not wanting them to get hurt. Sure enough, they started to run, but Applejack then grappled a locker nearby and started to rip it out of the wall as my attention turned to Flash, who was about to meet that dagger to his face. I jumped over and pulled Fluttershy of him, blocking an attempted stab as I then pinned her to the wall and turned to Flash. “Come on—web her up!” He quickly shot a few black webs onto the locker and we both turned as Applejack threw the locker... And nailed Aunt Celestia, a resounding crack coming from her back. “No!” Flash quickly pulled out a tendril and pulled her in, allowing me to knock her out cold with one punch. I quickly ran over to my aunt, who was now bleeding as she was entering shock. “I... I can’t feel my...” “Just hold on, Celestia, you’re gonna be fine—call the police!” Flash screamed out as I overlooked the aftermath of the fight... The other Rainbooms came in and Luna did something I never thought she would do... She pulled out a handgun and trained it on Sunset. “I already did, they’re on their way... All of you on your knees! Now!” I had no idea how to respond as the remaining four obeyed, most of them completely shocked, save for Rainbow, who tried zooming away, but I quickly lined up where she was going and quickly decked her, her flying against the locker, unconscious. “Luna, where the hell did you get that gun?” Flash asked as he and Luna restrained the other Rainbooms, ripping off their Geodes as he did. “An old friend...” She said as Shining came from around the corner, his holster empty. “Oh, my God... we finally got them...” He said as paramedics came from behind him to escort Celestia. I turned to see Bon-Bon, winking as she headed off from the scene, a shine coming from her shirt, almost like a badge... Coming CleanA few days had passed since the Rainbooms were arrested... Celestia was to be brought out of the hospital today, and no-one seemed to cheerful about it. The doctors said that she’d never walk again, and that she’d need to quit her job... if that were a week ago, I would’ve jumped for joy, but now... Pip and I went up to get her from her hospital room, Luna waiting outside in her car. As we walked through the hospital, I overheard a conversation that seemingly got to Pip. “...I’m sorry, Ma’am... but he’s just too far gone. We’ve ruled brain death three hours ago...” As the woman sobbed, I turned to Pip who instantly turned away. “She’s just down here...” He said, his voice cracking. We reached the room and entered to see Celestia laying on her bed, unattached from all of the wires and tubing. “Hey, Aunt Celestia...” Pip said, me holding the wheelchair. She turned and sighed, looking at me. “We’re going to have to talk once we get home... about a lot of things.” She said to me, so monotone she must’ve rehearsed it all night long. I nodded and Pip and I helped her into the chair, careful not to hurt her. Once she was in place, Pip took over for me, wheeling her to the elevator. As we went through the hallway, I turned to see a room with someone very familiar inside... “Sombra?” Sure enough, the Kingpin himself was held in the hospital room, cuffed to the bed and seemingly beaten to a pulp. I turned to the cop guarding the door who nodded, allowing me to enter. “Take her to the car, tell Luna I’ll be right out.” I told Pip, entering the room. Sombra turned to me and gasped, recognizing me. “H-how the hell... I... I shot you.” He weakly said. I chuckled and sat in the chair. “Turns out you should check who your friends are...” I said, leaning into the crime lord. Sombra growled and turned away, seemingly miserable. “Sunset betrayed me... set her lackeys on me! The minute I get outta here, I won’t stop until--” “Sunset Shimmer didn’t do this. It was Fluttershy, she wanted to get the crown from the Battle of the Bands... I think I know why.” Sunset used to rant about that crown’s power... almost like it would give her the power of a god. I knew that she must never get her hands on it, no matter what it took. Of course, I didn’t tell Sombra that, who looked at me, expecting an answer. “So, what happened to you?” I asked him. Sombra chuckled and shook his head. “Oh, this? Turns out Spidey isn’t the only hero in town, anymore...” He said, holding out a card with two D’s written on it in red... I glanced at it and hummed, never seeing anything like it before. “So, what’s this about? You come here to say goodbye?” He asked, pocketing the calling card. “...Yeah, actually.” I laughed. Sombra seemed confused and he glanced up at me. “Huh? Where’re you goin’?” He asked, almost like a young child... I leaned in and sighed, finally making my decision “I’m leaving Canterlot... some time tomorrow.” I told him. Sombra softly gasped as he glanced at the clock. “You... you can’t leave, man... this city needs a guy like you in it--” “No, it doesn’t. The Rainbooms need to burn out, Sombra... and I’m just a reminder of what they’ve done...” I said, looking down at the floor. Sombra then croaked, leaning back and sighing. “Kid... I know what happened that night got to you—but I did what I had to do, like always...” I then growled, feeling Venom influence my response. “You turned me into a murderer, Sombra! I won’t forgive you for that... and I won’t forgive myself for it.” I sighed, going to leave... Only to bump into Luna. “Flash, go wait in the car, please...” She told me, monotone and her eyes a tint of red. I, worried about her state, nodded and headed out, hearing an exchange of words as I did. “Hey, Sombra...” “...Hey, Lunie.” We had arrived at Luna’s house, Pip and I helping Celestia out of the car. “I suppose this is unnecessary— one of you being Spider-Man, the other... what’s your hero name?” Celestia awkwardly turned to me. “Venom.” I said, setting Celestia on the ground. “Venom... hope it wasn’t your choice.” Celestia chuckled. How dare she! Venom is a name that strikes fear into our enemies! Is it, though? Go back to swirling around, or something—let me handle this one. Venom didn’t respond, which I took as him listening, as the three of us headed inside, where Luna was taking a shot... “Sister, I told you to drop that habit...” Celestia said. Luna didn’t say a word—she just looked up at her sister with a fiery rage... “Pip, Flash—go to another room, please... Celestia and I need a minute.” She said, growling as she did... We went upstairs where we still heard Luna’s booming voice. “I warned you! I warned you right from the start, and did you listen?! No! You wanted to believe in them!” Celestia said a few words that we couldn’t hear, and Luna quickly answered her. “One of them is a goddamn serial killer, another is an underground cage fighter, another is an abnormally strong farmer, and one of them is a dominatrix who used my own son!” Pip almost jumped when he realized that she knew... What is a... dom-in-a-trix? The less you know, the better... “And you think that Flash is any better? Especially with what he’s into--” “How the hell do you know what one of our students is into?!” Luna cut her sister off with a great fury. “How do you?!” “Rarity is a whole other ball-game, and you know it! And you’re right—Flash Sentry did make mistakes... I checked his background alongside Shining Armor when he cleared them after he confessed... but unlike the Rainbooms, he’s trying to fix them! And what did you give him for it, other than a punch to the face?!” Celestia went silent as I ran my hand around the black eye Celestia gave me as an overreaction... “Okay-- I will admit that I went too far--” “Too far?! Celestia, you struck one of my students, I could have you arrested for that—! But I wanted you to hear about everything your precious students really did...” Pip and I were now laying on the floor, eager to hear more... “Rainbow Dash—vandal and shoplifter... Fluttershy—underground cage fighter, goes by ‘The Scorpion’... Applejack-- freakishly strong brute and part of the Apple Mob Family... Rarity, clothing designer and intense dominatrix... Pinkamena Diane Pie—killed her entire family in cold blood and killed one student every year ever since her freshman year... and Sunset Shimmer—yandere telepath from an alien planet. Do they sound like excellent students to you, sister?!” Celestia didn’t say a word as Pip and I turned to each other. “She knew all of that?” Pip whispered. “I mean... apparently.” I replied. We heard the wheelchair squeak as Celestia seemingly moved around. “How’s Octavia?” She asked. Pip instantly shook her head, knowing how big of a mistake she made. Sure enough, we didn’t need to lean in to hear Luna’s response. “How’s Octavia... HOW’S OCTAVIA?!” We jumped back as Luna’s voice only became louder, causing a dog to bark from outside... “OCTAVIA IS IN A HOSPITAL, BEING FED THROUGH A STRAW, PRACTICALLY DEAD! AND GUESS WHO PUT HER IN THAT COMA, CELESTIA!” Celestia didn’t need long to guess... “S-Sunset Shimmer...? She... she did this?” Luna seemed to calm down slightly as the yelling stopped. “Yes... Sunset Shimmer put my daughter in that coma, and I had to put up with her for the last three years... her mocking my daughter’s condition and using every one of my staff and students like puppets while I was forced to do nothing but watch! But no more... NO! MORE!” With that, we heard a door slam as we guessed that Luna left the house... Venom slithered out form my back and turned to me, his eyes wide with shock. “Damn... Remind me to never get on Luna’s bad side.” Pip sighed as he wiped a tear away. “I remember Octavia—she was a senior, top of her class... Until she disappeared last year...” I started. It hit me—Pip's reaction to the man in the hospital made so much more sense... “Oh, my God... Sunset put your sister in coma?” All Pip did was nod. “She was the last straw... First Twi, then her... I wasn’t gonna sit by any longer—not with these powers. I had to get involved, and I have no qualms about that. It’s like I said to Rarity—I had the power, giving me the responsibility.” Pip sighed. There must be a better way to phrase that. Seriously, V? That can wait for later... Later? But I thought we were leaving... I stopped, realizing that I had to break the news to Pip... “Yeah, uh, Pip...” I started. “Yeah, what’s up?” He asked, turning to me. I glanced at him and it all hit me... would running away really make things better? It certainly won’t bring Flim back... No, all I’d do was make things worse, with Pip fighting this war of his alone, Sunset left untethered... and worst of all, Sombra’s secrets being locked up for good... “...Nothing. Never mind.” I said, suddenly remembering that Celestia wanted to talk to me. Do you think now is a good time? She just got grilled by her own sister, now the innocent student she discarded for so long? Now’s the time, V—trust me. I went downstairs to see Celestia leaned against her chair, clenching her hair with her hands... “I... I never knew...” She started. I sighed and sat on the couch, catching her attention. “...Good, you’re here—let's have that talk while we still can...” Celestia moved her chair towards me. I sighed and glanced at her, clueless of what to say. Celestia did though, as she stopped and leaned inward. “All this time, and I never had a clue... so many students expelled, teachers fired... you all knew it all along, didn’t you?” She asked me. I nodded, and Celestia leaned back. “Not all of us knew—Pip and I knew because of our relationship with them... and that’s how Luna knows, and others just made the assumption... the only other ones who really know are the ones who suffered from them...” I told her. That only caused Celestia to curse under her breath. “I had no clue... all of this time and I never had a damn clue... I just wanted to do good, but all I did was empty our school for them.” She realized, resting her head on the back of her chair. I sighed and adjusted my seat. “You were just doing your job, none of us blame you for that...” I told her. “Not you, but people will—I have a feeling I’ll have a date with the judge real soon...” She sighed. I simply nodded, knowing that someone will have to sue sooner or later. “Well, when that happens, we’ll figure it out— all of us.” I told her She hummed and turned to me. “Really? After everything I did to you?” She asked. “Sticks and stones...” I said. Well, she DID punch you in the face... Venom... “Can I talk to him? Venom?” Celestia asked. I glanced up at her as Venom began emerging, making the decision for me. “Hello, Celestia.” Celestia softly gasped before wheeling closer to Venom, me leaning out of the way to make things less awkward. “This is... incredible.” She whispered, running a hand through Venom. “Careful-- that tickles!” Venom started squirming slightly. I heard the door reopen and Luna enter, rubbing her temples. “Celly, I’m sorry, I know that you had no idea--” She stopped when she saw Celestia running her hands though Venom... And stifled a laugh. "Cute.” She chuckled. That broke Celestia into laughter which prompted me to do the same. I looked over to see Pip trying to hold it back, but I knew exactly how to break it... I winked at him. That small gesture caused the remaining two to break into embarrassed laughter, Celestia still laughing, but oblivious to my cruel joke... It was at that moment that I realized that was my home... the only one that I had, and I probably wasn’t going to get one that was better. It was our job to protect it—Pip and I... and I’ll be damned if I didn’t do just that. ...Three months had passed since the Rainbooms were arrested and brought to the S.W.O.R.D-owned prison-- the Raft. A supermax-security prison located in the middle of the ocean, 5 miles off of the shoreline. Sunset Shimmer, now being called "The Goblin", was resting in her cell, her condition improving, with her skin turning a greenish-pale, and her wings covered by her prison-jumpsuit. She had set in a pair of ear-buds and was nodding her head to the beat of her song of choice... A loud knock on her cell door broke her concentration-- an act that caused her to angrilly growl. "Prisoner 26-654-2345354-- turn your head and face the wall." A loud guard's voice commanded. Sunset rolled her eyes and obeyed, resting her head against the wall, with dirty thoughts running through her head. The S.W.O.R.D officer in question entered her cell and set a pair of handcuffs over her and began leading her to the visit center... "A visitor? How interesting..." Sunset commented. Was it Flash? Ready to show his love for her? Pip, with the news that Octavia was finally dead? Sunset and the guard entered the room and as Sunset took her seat, the door on the other side of the bulletproof glass opened to reveal a woman with a fedora and a large trench-coat... "You have 5 minutes." The guard reminded her as he shut the door between them, standing outside the room... Strange-- they usually stay in the rooms... Sunset wondered to herself... The woman on the other side took no time as she removed her fedora to reveal a very familiar face... "Hello, Sunset Shimmer... I hope you remember me." Twilight Sparkle said, her hair wrapped in a bun and her glasses now tinted yellow... Sunset was appalled, ready to pounce at the glass but settled for leaning inwards... "I thought you were done with this retched planet... and that you didn't need glasses--" Sunset gasped as she started to back away from the now-smirking Twilight... "Good-- you do remember me." The other Twilight giggled. Sunset wanted to either fight or run, but she did neither, settling for gasping. "You... the other Twilight! I thought you were gone..." Sunset whispered. Twilight simply turned to the cameras and nodded to them, causing the cameras to turn off... "What...?" Sunset whispered, awestruck at this display of power. Twilight stood up from her seat and removed her trench-coat, revealing a green jumpsuit along with her four mechanical arms, now modified to stretch out longer than before... "First thing to keep in mind, Goblin-- Twilight Sparkle is dead... long live Doctor Octopus." Twilight laughed, setting her bottom-left claw on the glass, an act that Sunset returned by slowly setting her hand on her side... "This is..." Sunset started, at a loss for words. Twilight knew what to say as she moved the claw away and leaned right next to the glass, her breath starting to fog it up. "Incredible? Amazing? An act of intellectual genius that most other scientists would dream of proving? All of those and much more. But the worship can wait until later... but for right now..." Twilight started as the arms retracted to her back and she set the trench coat on over them, sitting back in the chair and Sunset doing the same. "...We need to talk about a little... extermination..." Twilight smiled-- a wicked smile that mirrored the many ones Sunset had given over the years... Save for the prideful ego in trade of the maniacal obsession... Author's Note ...Now, I'm done Dazzling First Day (Edited)“If a coin comes down heads, that means that the possibility of its coming down tails has collapsed. Until that moment the two possibilities were equal. But on another world, it does come down tails. And when that happens, the two worlds split apart.” Phillip Pullman, Golden Compass The alarm had a way of aggravating me. There I was, trying to sneak some sleep in at about 6:40 in the morning, and my bus comes at 7:25. Of course, my alarm didn't go off, meaning that I had about 15 minutes to get ready for school... So, you can see how I’d be in a bad mood already. Then, of course, all of my good clothes were in the laundry, meaning that I had to improvise... The result was me wearing tight jeans—like really tight jeans-- and a loose hoodie over a black T-shirt. Yeah, really sounded like a guy who has his life together... I suppose I might as well introduce myself... My name’s Flash Sentry, and my life so far had been one big dumpster fire. First, there was my ex... Sunset Shimmer—a true goblin if I’d ever seen one-- you’ll see why later... Then there were the five of her... friends? That doesn’t sound right but “lieutenants” sound too strong. Finally, there was me and my group of buddies. Most of them were either framed for crimes by the Rainbooms and expelled, or they smarted up and got up out of dodge. Well, it's one last year... how much worse could it be? How about we find out? I'd managed to make my bus and sit down without ripping these jeans when I saw a familiar face at the seat next to me, staring aimlessly out of the window. “Pipsqueak?” I called out. Pip— we all called him Pipsqueak, thanks to his small stature. He was one of my closest friends who was part of a career opportunity at Oscorp that didn’t work out so well, from what I’ve heard. He seemed to gain a bit of weight as well as muscle—he was no pipsqueak, that was for sure... “Oi! How’ve you been, Flash?” His British accent shone through as he turned to face me. “Eh. Same-old, same-old.” I replied. Pipsqueak’s voice seemed somewhat deeper than before, but he still seemed high-pitched with his chuckle. “Good to hear.” He smiled at me—his teeth strangely aligned... guess he didn’t need braces anymore. “Yeah... how was that college class?” I asked him. He stopped for a moment, glancing out the window. “Eh, it was alright—I just had to put up with the pain-in-the-neck CEO.” He told me. “Well, at least you didn’t have to put up with... them, over there...” I added. I stopped talking once I brought them up—my ex was kind of the boss of their crew, and so far, they’ve gone out of their way to make all of our lives a living hell. Mainly framing people for life-ruining acts, using their younger siblings for planting drugs, weapons, or even other... creative items in their lockers, one of them even made a few lucky students... disappear. The bus screeched to a stop and we had arrived... Canterlot High—a living nightmare. We left the bus and entered the building when a teacher asked me to see the principal... The Rainbooms did something already? That’s unlike them... As I walked toward the office, I heard exploding dye-packs be opened on freshmen, the scatter of hiding planted horrors in senior’s lockers, and the all-around dread of the new school year. I had reached the door labeled Principal Luna, and as I opened it, I expected the sounds of Vice-Principal Celestia demanding me to sit and explain myself again and Luna letting me go, but instead... I was met with three girls who I had never seen before—one had large orange hair, another had a long blue ponytail, and the last had purple pigtails arcing to her shoulders. Principal Luna was sitting in her chair, waiting for me—with a look of nervousness... “Hello, Mr. Sentry. How was your summer?” She asked me, almost ignoring the three new students. “Hey, Luna... it was good—I miss it...” This remark caused Luna to chuckle. “That’s good to hear... now, Mr. Sentry, I’d like you to meet Adagio Dazzle, Sonata Dusk, and Aria Blaze. You are to show these girls around campus today—they have all of your classes, so that should make things easier for you. Do you have any questions?” She asked me. Oh, I had a couple questions. “Can we talk alone for a moment? I just wanna ask some other questions.” Luna nodded and signaled the girls to wait out in the hall. As soon as they left and the door clicked shut, I leaned into the table. “Ms. Luna, please tell me you’re joking! It’s bad enough I have to look behind my own back, now I have three more to look after?! Luna, you can’t expect me to--” “First off, it’s Principal Luna to you, and second of all, I’m backed into a corner, here—Applejack volunteered to show them around, and you know how well that’d turn out. I panicked—it’s you or her, so please, please… I am begging you, back me up, here.” I, too, was backed into a corner and I made my decision... “So, this is our first class—don’t worry, Ms. Cheerliee is a great teacher, just learn to bear with her. We entered the room and sure enough, she was already all happy and cheerful—just like her namesake. “Good morning, students! It’s so good to be back with all of you. To start off today, I would like everyone to introduce themselves... starting with this row here.” She pointed over to the row on the far left, where Adagio was in the front seat. She stood and turned to face everyone else. “My name is Adagio Dazzle, me and my sisters are juniors, and we’re... new here.” Adagio said before sitting back down. I glanced around for a moment and saw that all of the guys were absolutely fixated on her... much to my annoyance. The last thing Canterlot needs is another diva. “Okay, next, please.” A few rows of students down and I saw Pipsqueak was up next. He rose up and cleared his throat before speaking. “My name’s Pip, I was here for the first half of my sophomore year, but I went to a vocational school for the second half... and here I am.” The juniors nodded and one of them even waved at “Pip” for him to wave back as he sat down. As the line of introductions continued, we finally reached Applejack in the far back (hey, that rhymed), who tipped her hat back and crossed her legs on top of the table in front of her. Her cowgirl boot/heel mix that her “friend” made for her. She was also wearing tight torn jeans and a deep red plaid shirt. She looked up and with her clothing combined with her eyeliner and her playful grimace portraying a truly sinister image, caused some of the freshmen to look away in fear. “...Ya’ll know who I am.” She smirked. There it was—the dread that we’ve all felt since my freshman year... since they arrived. The three new students then turned to me, and I simply sighed, waiting for someone to break the long silence. “Well we don’t.” Adagio boldly claimed. I was ready to chuck my laptop at her, hoping it would knock her out long enough for the Rainbooms to forget about her... Applejack moved her legs and leaned in, ready to lunge at whoever dared to mock her. “I’m sorry, can you run that by me again?” Applejack asked her, staring her down with a strong rage. Adagio didn’t falter—not even for a second as she leaned in as well. “I said that we don’t know who you are. We’re new, and I was hoping to know everyone’s name in my classes, but... oh, well.” Adagio shrugged her shoulders and turned back around, acting like nothing happened. Applejack simply chuckled and leaned back once again. “My name’s Applejack... and be careful who you talk to like that—others won’t take that sass so kindly around here.” No-one said a word—silence followed Applejack’s threat like a shadow. Cheerliee kept trying to start up the class again, but failed miserably. The class finally ended and the girls and I went to our next class... only to be stopped by an apple nailing a locker next to us—putting a large dent in it. We all turned to see Applejack holding another apple, tossing it in the air and picking it up. We went to head down the hall, but another one of the Rainbooms cut us off... “Starting already, Fluttershy? Seems a little early for your hairy little friends, don’t you think?” I asked. The pink-haired bully didn’t speak a word as she just smirked, starting to smile as the sound of electricity from down the hall, and I knew exactly what was coming. “Run!” The girls and I managed to avoid the rainbow-blur as the others began chasing us down, with the speedy one out of commission. The difference between us was staggering— the three new girls were running with looks of confusion and fear—as is expected. I, however, was running with a bold smile on my face—I enjoyed this, the thrill of the hunt, I guess you could call it—knowing that this is only the build-up to the big reveal... that excited me in a sick way, wanting to enjoy the run before the prey got cornered by its predators... I’ll stop. As we rushed for the other hallway, hoping to break away from the arachnid horde, we were greeted by Rarity, just standing in a dead end, and ran down the other hallway until we ran into another dead end-- the dead end, with the dim, sometimes-flickering lights... The rest of the Rainbooms were waiting for us... “H-hey, ladies! How’s.... how’s your summer?” I asked out of pure nervousness. “Life’s been peachy.” Rainbow Dash said, baring a similar sinister smile as she sped past us and next to the others. She then zoomed around and stood in front of Sonata, who tried to run in the other direction. Fluttershy then cracked her knuckles, intimidating Sonata enough to send her back to us. Rarity then used her powers to block us off—the diamond force-field catching the girls off-guard. Applejack then caught up with us, lunging next to Rainbow Dash, landing with the floor shaking slightly, soon followed by Fluttershy, who now used her powers to force some sort of small, rabid animal to emerge from her backpack... I never truly understood how she snuck all those animals and insects in... “So... where’s Pinkie?” I asked the girls, all of whom wore sinister smirks. “She’s still doing time... but she should be out real soon.” Fluttershy said, pulling the creature back. “Good to know. So, what’s this all about?” I asked them. Applejack stepped forward and signaled at Adagio. “This... is about teachin’ y'all who to respect 'round here.” She stated. “Girls, come on... it’s their first day, let them off the hook this one time.” I pleaded, knowing it was falling on deaf ears. They seemed to think about it for a second before smirking and beginning to walk towards us, causing us to move back to the dark, flickering light in the dead-end locker area... “Jus’ know that this ain’t personal, Flashy...” Applejack said, grabbing me by one hand and lifting me up into the air. Then, out of nowhere, the lights went off and we heard someone shoot out some kind of rope from his wrist and pull Applejack back, dropping me due to her being shot backwards. "Who did that?! Show yourself!" Applejack called. Everyone was struck in awe and simply watched the sight as I saw the silhouette of Pip for a split second-- adjusting some device on his arm, only for the lights to flicker, and for the device to go off again—this time launching a ball of goo on to Rarity’s hand keeping her from using her powers. “What the-- Get this off me!” Rarity screamed in horror, trying to pull it off, but finding it glued to her left hand. “Run!” A voice called out. Sure enough, we ran—we kept running until we were safe... Also, we managed to knock down Vice-Principal Celestia. “...Sister, this is what happens when we trust Flash Sentry to guide the new students around! Applejack volunteered, you should’ve let her go!” Celestia told her sister, while I was sitting outside of her office. “Celly, with all due respect, you know what they did to--” “I won’t allow myself to dive into rumors-- their records are clean!” There was a short pause, but I was certain that Luna shot Celestia a look. “O...kay, perhaps Ms. Pinkamena is a different story, but she’s being rehabilitated as we speak. You need to understand how much of a bad influence that... delinquent is-- he’s been charged with larceny, grand theft auto, and--” “I’m aware of his charges, sister, and they’ve all been dropped-- Captain Shining Armor told me as much.” Luna stated. “You don’t question how fast those charges were dropped? One day there, and the next day gone?” “And you don’t question how close the Rainbooms were to the case? They stuck to that case and many others just like it—you need to at least question that.” Luna begged her sister. There was a silence, and Celestia walked out of the door, but not before glaring at me and walking off. The Dazzlings were being shown around by some other student—Trixie, I think her name is. I’ve never met her, but I have friends who hang out with her, she sems nice enough. I took a moment to look the room over again—the pictures of Sunset winning three Fall Formals certainly stood out. Her first one was back when she was still pretending, all happy and honored... the second was ruder and more selfish, while the third was pure evil—diabolical, and insane. I wonder how she’s gonna look this year... Luna opened her door and signaled for me to come in. I closed the door behind us and took a seat, ready to hear light disciplining. “Flash... I know that things seem tough with the Rainbooms around, but you can’t let that stand in the way of what’s--.” “...Of what’s important, I know Lu—Ms. Luna, it’s just... I had to stand up for them, they got themselves in a corner and I couldn’t just stand there and let it happen. Besides, you made me look after them, I needed to deliver.” I explained myself. Luna took a moment and sighed, glancing over at a photo on her desk. “I know... I’ll write you a pass, you should get going. And please, watch where you’re running, this time.” Luna said, warranting a chuckle from me. “You got it.” It all seemed like yesterday—CHS almost functioned like compound, with all of the status quo and hierarchy drama. I, however, liked being on my own—no-one to keep me down or hold me back... But we all need an education, and I am not going back to Oscorp... Not after what happened with Twilight and Cinch. The school day slowly came to an end and I was left with my regular activities... Well, as regular as they can be, when you have the powers of a DNA-fused spider. The bus dropped me off by the city limits, where I looked around for an alley-way to change at. Sure enough, I found a decent one and ran in it, my suit in my backpack. I removed the white hoodie that was keeping me warm and put it in the bag, grabbing my suit first... Once the shirt was on and the mask was pulled down... I became Spider-Man. I shot out a web that stuck to a building wall and I used it to launch myself to the top of the building—a decent size and good enough to start my momentum. I went to one side and ran towards the other, picking my target to web-swing from. I found a nice crane and launched a web at it, grabbing my web before it detached. I leaped off of the roof and let myself swing into the city, anxious to find some form of crime to stop, someone to save... This is my home, and this is my part of the story... Allow me to tell it. ChrysalisI was sticking on the side of a building, listening to the scanners, thinking to myself... I’ve never seen Rarity so scared like she was earlier... what was so special about that crown? Why did Sunset want it? My thoughts were interrupted by a large semi going at least 80 down the city streets, prompting me to jump off of the wall, dive down into the city, and swing off, building up momentum until I was a few feet away, shooting out my webbing to stop the truck... I landed on a pole and pulled back as hard as I could, the weight and speed of the truck almost pulling me away. I managed to stop it and swung over to see who was inside... “Ah, if it isn’t one of my favorite goons... Snails.” I smiled under the mask. “Hey, Spidey! Look, about... all this--” I shot a web at his mouth, silencing him. “Alright, you stay right here, I gotta deal with all your friends, first.” I offered as I jumped off the truck and readied to fight... Only for Sombra to walk out, accompanied by two men with large machine guns. “Hey-- Spidey! How’s it goin’ in the deep city?” He asked, I went for some cocky remark when another truck honked its horn to the side of us... we both turned to see another crimelord—Chrysalis. “Hello Sombra... Spider-Man.” She said, less cheerful on my name. Sombra seemed flustered, and he slowly ordered his men to stand down. “Don’t think we’re all buddies, Sombra—you and your men have 15 seconds to get in that truck before my men and I mow you all down.” She ordered. Sombra didn’t waste any time as he ordered his men to fall back and drive off. Chrysalis then turned her attention to me, her two men with a minigun and a 50-caliber rifle turning to me as well. “So, you’re the infamous Spider-Man... It’s an honor to finally meet you.” Chrysalis held out her hand. “You’re a criminal and a mass murderer, give me a reason not to bring you in.” I said, my American accent holding strong. “Because I have a proposal for you--” “Sombra offered me one last night, I don’t make deals with anyone.” I bluntly stated. Chrysalis looked away and seemingly smirked, but I had no way of truly knowing. “Well, I’m not Sombra, so... have at him, no guns.” She ordered her men as she got into the truck and sped off. I noticed that the sun was getting lower and my aunt was coming over, tonight... “I’m so sorry, guys, but I’m gonna be late.” I said as I simply webbed the three thugs to the wall, swinging off to avoid the police. I was desperately speeding through the city, desperate to get back home before sundown, but as I swung, I saw a mugging—and I had to intervene. I zipped downwards and used the momentum to knock one of the muggers out right off the bat and shot a web at the other, sticking him to the wall. I turned to the woman, handed her the purse, and swung off, now even more desperate. I made the street before the sun fell and as I swung onto my last building... SCRAPE! I looked at my knee and saw blood dragging across the building... my suit must’ve gotten a tear by the knee at some point... “Son of a...” I cursed under my breath as I used my webbing as an impromptu bandage and swung into my window, almost ripping the suit off as I scurried to the bathroom to treat the wound. I heard the door open downstairs and my phone went off—it was my mother. Hey are you home? I took a second away from bandaging my knee to reply. Yeah. Got hurt, just a scrape, bandaging it now. I heard my aunt’s voice downstairs. “Hi, Luna.” I heard her say. “Hey, Celestia.” Mom replied. The two started talking as I managed to stop the bleeding and clean the wound off, bandaging it so my super-healing can kick in. “Hey, where’s Pip?” She asked, her voice getting louder. “Uh, he’ll be down in a minute, he just wanted to... get dressed.” Mom covered. By their volume, I could tell that they were by the stairs, and as I removed any evidence of blood, Celestia was upstairs, right by the bathroom door. “Pip? Are you up here?” Aunt Celestia asked. I managed to open the door before she entered my room, me grabbing a shirt and jeans I had stored in the bathroom just in case of something like that. “Hey, Aunt Celestia.” I said, grateful that I closed my door. She instantly turned around and hugged me, catching me off-guard since my Spider-Sense didn’t register her as a threat. “It’s so nice to see you! How was...” She went to ask, but stopped, most likely remembering. We were both silent as I decided to take the conversation downstairs, when Luna was sitting by the television, unable to believe what she was hearing. “...and our top story: Abacus Cinch, former CEO of Oscorp Industries, has fallen severely ill, according to our several sources, following the incident involving her daughter, Twilight Sparkle, near Oscorp Industries, as well as the first reported appearance of the threat and/or menace Spider-Man. More on this story, tonight at 8.” Cinch... sick? Meh. “God... I almost feel bad for her.” Mom said, changing the channel to some cluster of funny or cute videos. Celestia clicked her tongue and took a seat, me doing the same. “I never said I was sorry... Twilight was a good student, and I bet she would’ve made a brilliant scientist.” Celestia said. I chuckled, turning to her. “She was a brilliant scientist... that was where everything went wrong.” I said. “...Are you sure you don’t want to wait? That bite doesn’t seem to look any better.” My mom said, handing me my suitcase. “I’m certain, mom—it's better than it was, and I can’t wait any longer.” I said, eager for my college course at Oscorp Industries. The bus labelled “Oscorp” rolled up and as I went on, suitcase in hand, I looked around and saw a couple of students, but mostly no-one... I took a random seat where a girl with lavender hair and glasses was sitting, sketching in a notebook of some kind of schematics. I leaned in and saw that it was for prosthetic limbs... not too shabby for something made on a bumpy road. “Prosthetics... I didn’t know Oscorp had those.” I said, surprised. The girl turned to me, mostly in surprise that I spoke. “Oh... yeah—Oscorp's just starting the project, it’s a work in progress, but I think they can get it off the ground.” She said, a sheepish smile on her face. “That’s... honestly really cool, but I was more intrigued with Oscorp’s genetics—I was hoping to look into a certain experiment they did a few weeks ago—the one with the spiders?” I asked, hiding my bite from her. I saw her heart drop and then her eyes light up when I mentioned the spider-project. “Ah, that one—the splicing of different spiders’ DNA into one Super-Spider... it had potential, but never got off the ground. Besides, you can’t really choose anyway—us being simple students, and all...” The girl said, going back to her shy self from earlier. I sighed and scooted over to her seat, holding out my hand. “I’m Pip.” I said, with a small smile on my face. She looked and shook my hand. “I’m Twilight.” Welcome to the ShowThe day was here... after a week-break following the Rainbooms were arrested, the final showcase of the Battle of the Bands was here. The warm weather meant that we were all outside, in the football stadium, where we fashioned a makeshift concert stage. As we expected, Celestia was drowned in lawsuits from parents of children who were either arrested, ran away or... ended their lives, so she was facing trial in the near future and handed in her resignation yesterday... Rarity was still here, but mainly because she came clean—she gave the police everything she had on the others in exchange for not facing jail time... Community service, however... was free game. Mom set her to help construct the concert stage and repair the locker damage caused by Applejack... to start. I was certain Mom wasn’t going to let her slide any time soon... Adagio and I were having a conversation in the back about who and what she and her sisters were, while Aria ran off to talk to Flash. “Okay... so, let me get this straight—you and your sisters are... sirens?” I asked as I took a sip of my drink. She chuckled and nodded, holding her red necklace. “Yes... we were exiled by a rather xenophobic old uni... man, about... four, five hundred years ago?” She tried to recall. As if it were destiny, I spit the drink. “Five hundred years?! You and your sisters have just... lived through all of that time?” I asked. Her smile faded as she nodded. “My sisters and I have seen the worst in humanity... the centuries of war and conflict. But we’ve also seen the best of it, with all of the efforts to change and move on from them...” “I can only imagine—living through all of those years...” I said, clueless on what else to say. Adagio knew that I was lost and sat on the bench, inviting me to do the same. I first listened to the song that had just started, by Trixie and the Illusions, and knew that we had a bit of time. I took a seat and Adagio turned to me. “Oh, and before I forget... back during our first performance, you said you had a sister...” There it was—the moment I never wanted to happen... “Yeah... you want to know about her?” I asked her. Adagio nodded, but I could see in her eyes that she knew how bad it was. “If you don’t want to talk about it--” “She was the top of her class... she was a senior, a year above Flash and the Rainbooms. She and Sunset were always rivaling while I tried slippin’ through the cracks, which... didn’t really work. One day, when I was at Oscorp, Sunset finally snapped and...” My fists clenched and Adagio set her hand on my shoulder. “...Put her in a coma." I heard Adagio gasp as she pulled me in for a hug, one that I returned. “So... what do you think?” She asked me. I hesitated and let out a quick chuckle. “What do I think? My girlfriend is an immortal siren who’s from another world, my ex is a dominatrix, and until a week ago, my high school was bein' controlled by six super-powered femme fatales.” I said as I took her hand. Adagio flinched for a moment and she took my hand back, resting her head on my shoulder. “And my boyfriend is a former dominatrix’s pet who now spends his afternoons swinging around the city in a skin-tight white t-shirt with a spider on the front, avenging his comatose sister.” I let out a gasp and Adagio used my shock as an opportunity to pull me in for a kiss. The gesture caught me off-guard for a moment until I returned the favor, resting one hand on her cheek as our kiss continued through the competitors’ song, drowning them out... “You’re a champion, Pip... a true champion that has more nobility and integrity than I’ve seen in decades...” Adagio said, putting her head next to mine. “Guys!” Aria screamed out as she ran into the back... We quickly pulled away and turned to the other immortal siren... “Yeah, what is it?” I asked her. “We’re up next!” She said as she panted for breath, either running back or an intense make-out session with Flash... Probably both. We quickly pepped up a bit and went over our song one last time—and at that moment... we were on. I went to the side and started with the drums as the three came in, their voices stealing the show, their necklaces no longer glowing as they sang... “Welcome to the show....” I would’ve stopped drumming at the sound of her voice, but I knew better—I kept on, but not without being completely entranced by Adagio’s voice... “We’re here to let you know...” I kept on, watching the crowd feel the same trance as me... She wasn’t hypnotizing us, was she? Could she even do that? I glanced to see that the necklaces were still not glowing, so I assumed that it was just my love for her... “Our time is now... their time has ru-un out...” They already ran over the lyrics with me, but I still knew that the audience was going to love them... and for the most part, I was correct... “Feel the waves of fear... as they dis-a-pear...” “They’re reign ends tonight... it’s time to make things right, they will be ignored... deny them their reward.” I saw my mother... smiling with pride over the fact that the nightmare was finally over... and the Rainbooms were gone... “Now they’re gone... the new dawn... nothing can stop us no-ow...” Then, out of nowhere... a gunshot rang out. Screams of panic swept the field as the students fled to each side, revealing Sombra-- wearing a white leather jacket and a black buttoned shirt underneath, Chrysalis—wearing a dark green shirt with a bullet-proof vest atop it, and Sunset—wearing her leather jacket with a black tank top underneath... “Okay... now that I have your attention, let’s not make this harder than it needs to be! Just give me that damn piece of plastic so we can all go home!” Sombra said, one arm around Chrysalis and the other holding his pistol aimlessly. I turned to Adagio, who nodded, as I snuck backstage to grab my backpack... To grab my suit. He was here... Sombra was right down there, a black eye remaining from his severe beating from that other vigilante last week. “How the hell did you get everything back?!” I asked in rage. Sombra turned to me and chuckled. “Turns out I still got friends in this city, after all...” Sombra said as he pulled Chrysalis in, much to her un-amusement. Sunset then stepped forward, facing me. “I didn’t want this, Flash... I never wanted any of this for you. Join us—and I’ll give you the same gift I promised to give the Rainbooms...” Sure enough, the remaining four entered from the back of the field, Applejack still having one handcuff on her left hand and Fluttershy’s hair tangled and messy, and all of their Geodes gone—possibly in police lock-up... In denial, I stood in place, waiting for Sunset to get the hint. Once she understood, she growled at me before beginning to laugh. “This ends... tonight! Two and a half years of terror and picking the good ones off... all for this. Give me the crown, Luna... and maybe I’ll let you live.” Sunset said with a crazed smile on her face. Sunset was hysterical... it was like everything she held inside of her for all of those years—the madness, the impulsiveness? All broken through Sunset’s usual calm, sophisticated manner... That was the Sunset Shimmer I knew, and now all of Canterlot got to finally see the real her... Luna simply scowled at Sombra, not saying a word to Sunset. “So, this is the crowd you’re affiliating yourself with, Sombra? I must say... I’m disappointed.” She said. That was when Chrysalis spoke up. “Eh-- you’re just jealous that he--” Sombra quickly cleared his throat and intervened. “How about we focus on the mission for now? This personal thing with all of us can wait until later...” Sombra said, once again wrapping his arm around her. How do they all know each other? It seems like they have some history... Yeah... but for right now, be ready for anything... Sombra let out a chuckle as I saw Pip land on one of the bleachers behind the seven criminals... “I’m done talking, Lunie—give her the crown... or I’ll have no choice.” Sombra hesitated as he slowly aimed his gun on Luna, who wasn’t at all phased by it. I glanced at Pip and he leapt into action, shooting out a web and pulling the gun away from Sombra. “Hey, Kingpin! How about you watch where you point that thing? Guns are awfully dangerous in the wrong hands...” Pip said in a decent American accent as he stuck the landing on the damp field grass. “Spider-Man...” Sombra growled as he turned to his archenemy, and as Sombra began to charge, I saw Sunset make a beeline for the gun, that was dropped half-way across the field. Hold on! Venom then took control as we jumped to try and land in front of Sunset, but wound up a few feet away, something that Venom rectified by shooting out a tendril and pulling us forward, landing by the gun with Sunset’s hand just inches away from it. “It’s over, Sunset... Stand down.” Our voices said, fused together to create a terrifying threat. Sunset cackled as she ran for the gun—only for us to wrap a tendril around her neck and lift her up. “We are done talking... stand down, now.” “Oh, I bet you missed choking me as much as I did...” Sunset cackled as she bit into us, causing us to roar out in pain as we dropped her, allowing her to grab the gun and blindly fire. Pip fell to the ground from a shot to his shoulder, causing Luna to scream out in terror. “Okay! Take it—take the damn crown!” Luna threw it across the field as she and Adagio ran to Pip... Sunset then turned to me, drawing the smoking gun on me... “Stay there, Flashie... I still have plans for you...” Sunset giggled as she went over to the crown... The purple gem in the center began glowing as Sunset picked the crown up, her eyes going damp as she did... “All of these years of scrounging for whatever power I can take... and now I’ll have more than I can ever imagine!” Sunset pulled out the gem and held it to her head, the gem now pulling toward her... once she let go, the crown embedded itself into her forehead, sinking into her skull until it vanished... Sunset began cramping, the crown’s magic slowly growing inside of her. She then fell her knees, violently shaking and her limbs twisting as she screamed out in pain... Her back began to extend outwards, her skin and leather jacket tearing as fleshy wings tore out of her back, letting out one flap as they did which tore her leather jacket to shreds. The torn jacket and her black tank-top, both torn to shreds, were the only thing covering her, save for her pair of leggings, which were starting to tear and stretch as Sunset’s skin began to wither away, what remained, turned a dark shade of green with hints of grey throughout. Sunset’s eyes turned all-black with red pupils forming and her ears pointing outward... The final look was her teeth growing outwards and sharpening. Sunset slowly rose from the painful transformation, grunting like an injured animal, and looked herself over, before laughing wickedly as she glanced at her new form... She felt the leathery wings and cackled, letting out a flap and she began to hover above everyone at the field—including Sombra and Chrysalis, whose mouths were wide open and their eyes filled with terror... Pip rose up and saw the horrifying sight and turned to the other four, who were also petrified. “All of that time... all-lll of that time of waiting for that damned portal to open... it was all worth it!” Sunset let out a demonic cackle as the four Rainbooms began to back away... Sunset rotated to them, her wings still flapping as she held her hand out to Fluttershy, gesturing her to approach her. For the first time in almost three years... Fluttershy seemed scared—terrified at the monster in front of her... “Kneel...” Sunset simply said, turning her head up to the others, and then everyone else at the stadium. “I said... KNEEL!” Sunset roared, her now-purple hair bursting into flames. Fluttershy was the first to kneel, her legs shaking as she did, then Rainbow, then the others... Then Luna, then the other students and even a few parents at the field... “Years... for years I was Princess Luna’s favorite... but when that precious little prodigy came along and just so happened to sprout wings... I was pushed aside... like a leper... but now... It's my turn!” Sunset took a break from her monologue to laugh maniacally. “No, this isn’t what I want. No—this is only the beginning. The portal closes again in about 30 minutes, more than enough time for the four of you to adapt... if you’re strong enough, that is.” Sunset flashed a wicked smile as a dark ball of (presumably) magic formed in her hand. She then held the ball, causing it to turn darker and start sparking electricity as she pushed her hand out, bringing an energy blast at Rainbow Dash, whose body began turning a bright blue... “Rainbow Dash... you joined Fluttershy’s little mutiny attempt because she promised you power... Well, I gave you just that!” Rainbow begin seizing on the ground, powerful sparks of electricity shooting out as her eyes turned bright blue as well... Sunset then turned to Fluttershy, who was now shaking with terror. “Fluttershy... you little Scorpion... You broke my heart, betraying me like you did... so, I suppose I should break yours... but I was always a fan of irony...” Sunset blasted Fluttershy, causing her to fall to the ground as a large, scaled tail emerged from her back, a long blade-like stinger on the end of it... Her pupils then formed into slivers as she began hissing in pain from her transformation... Sunset growled as she turned to Applejack, who tried to run, but Sunset grabbed her by her head and pulled her upwards into the air... “And you... By killing the muscle, you will be the example!” Sunset set both of her hands on her head... And squeezed. Loud cracking was heard as Applejack’s limp body was tossed aside, her cracked skull oozing with blood... Now Pinkamena was left, who was starting to make nervous glances at me. “I... I can prove my loyalty!” She screamed as she charged at me... Venom shot a web at her, pushing her back as Sunset only shook her head. “Sorry, Pinkie... but I cannot allow weakness in my new army...” Sunset blasted Pinkamena with another ball of magic, causing her to writhe to the ground as Venom and I spotted the “web” attached to her begin to change from black... to red. Oh, no... What? What is it? “And you...” Sunset let out an inhuman roar flew down to me and swooped me off of my feet, Venom included. Sunset flew me high enough to see the city in the distance, all while keeping one hand around my throat, but not too hard that I couldn’t breathe... “Flashie-- look at me! I’m the most powerful being in this world and Equestria!” Sunset cackled. I felt Venom’s fear as I let out a gentle growl. “When we were together... I was yours...” Sunset moved her free hand around my waist and pulled me in, using the hand around her neck to caress my face. “Now, I have an offer for you...” Sunset pulled me in and I recoiled when I made contact with her green, flaking skin... “...Be mine. Rule both this world and Equestria by my side. We can have it all, Flash... nothing’s stopping us now.” I didn’t even hesitate as I let out a guttural growl, made deeper and stronger by Venom... “Sunset Shimmer...” I hissed as I leaned as close as I could... Sunset’s toothy smile faded as she saw my anger and hatred finally boiling over. “You are a goblin. For the last three years, you made our lives a living hell... but no more...” I said as Venom pushed us away from the before-mentioned goblin. As we plummeted to the ground, I looked around for something to swing on. Failing to find something, we continued to free-fall, until I felt a sudden tug on my back and I turned to see that Venom formed a parachute... “Is that even possible?!” I asked him. Best not to question it. As we landed, I saw that Pip was up, using his webbing as an impromptu bandage for his wound. I turned to Adagio, whose necklace was now glowing bright... “Aria, get Sonata out of here... Spider-Man and I will handle this.” She said as she began to glow... I felt Pip’s shock as Adagio began to float, slowly shifting into something else... a bright flash blocked our vision for a few moments and once we were able to see again... “You were right about one thing, Sunset... this ends tonight!” Adagio said, now sprouting wings out of her back and her eyes a light green... Sunset let out an angry roar as she readied small fire-bombs from her hands... “No, my little Siren... tonight, it begins!” Now Pip, Adagio, and I were charging at Sunset, ready for a fight. Once contact was made, Pip and I shot webs at her, trying to pull her to the ground, but Sunset simply pulled us up, causing us to lose our balance as Sunset began flying straight up, attempting to reach the atmosphere. “Going up?!” She cackled, us starting to feel the ill effects of the colder air around us. By the time Sunset let go of us, we were struggling for breath, now plummeting down to the field. Just as I felt that it was all over, we were pulled up and set down by the wall so we can recover. I peeked up to see Adagio, checking on Pip. “’Dagi, I’m fine—just worry about the demon-goblin-thing...” He said as he laid back, catching his breath. Adagio then turned to me while I was trying to get back up. “Stay with him—I got this!” She said as she turned to see Sunset starting to get closer. I tried to get up, but fell right back down. Sighing, I laid back and let Venom heal me, watching the battle of Siren and... Goblin. As Flash and I laid on the grass, we watched as Adagio fought Sunset, something out of a movie, with their moves and the whole fight being in the air... “It’s like Superman...” I whispered, Flash nodding at that. We stayed silent, watching the fight until I realized something. “Can Aria change, as well?” I asked Flash. He turned to me and shrugged his shoulders. “I have no idea—probably not, or she’d be here.” He said. We kept watching as Adagio was seemingly getting the upper hand... but once I was able to move my arms, I decided to pitch in, shooting webs at Sunset, pulling her down as Adagio went for one violent punch after another... “Damn-- they’re really going at it.”Venom said, emerging from Flash. I kept watching as I nodded, hoping that I’d be able to walk soon so I could help end the battle. I turned to see the other four, laying on the ground, same as us, Rainbow emitting smoke and several sparks, Fluttershy and Pinkie unconscious, and Applejack seemingly dead. “Okay-- we gotta get up.” I said as I started getting to my feet, stumbling at first, but standing straight by the end. Flash did the same, helped by Venom, who shot out tendrils and pushed him up. We took our breath as Flash suited up, Venom wrapping himself over Flash. “Okay, that suit looks badass.” I commented. Flash chuckled and Venom added a quick detail-- a white spider logo, its legs stretching across his chest. “Yours... needs work.” Venom said, zipping onto the spotlight. I followed, swinging to the other spotlight while everyone else watched from behind the bleachers. I landed on top and looked up to see that Sunset was holding Adagio by the throat, letting out a feral roar as she threw Adagio down. I quickly swung across and caught her, landing on the seats. Adagio looked up at me and chuckled, pulling the bottom or my mask off for a quick kiss—one that I returned. It lasted a second as she pulled away and smiled. “Go take her down.” She said. I didn’t need any more permission as Venom and I shot a web strand at Sunset, pulling her down to the ground and webbing her down. Once she was restrained, Mom came out, shaking her head in relief. “Sunset Shimmer... go to hell.” Sunset let out one last roar as Mom pulled out the gun and whipped her with it, knocking her out as she began to change back to normal... Save for her greenish skin and black eyes still remaining. The gem fell out of her head and I grabbed it, web-pulling the crown to me. “All of this... just for this damned crown?” I asked as I put the gem back on. I took a breath of relief as the battle was finally over... police were already on the scene, taking the Rainbooms away—save for Rarity, who was talking to one of the officers. “To be fair...” A familiar voice behind me started. I quickly turned around to see Twilight—her mechanical arms gone—wearing a cloak. “...that crown is very special where I’m from.” She said. I didn’t say a word as I pulled her in for a hug, not questioning the fact that her glasses were gone. “Twi! Where’ve you been? Where’s your brother?” I asked, looking around for him as Adagio landed behind us. “My broth—oh, no—I'm... not your Twilight.” She said as she set the crown on her head, wings sprouting from her back... I heard Sunset scream as I turned to see her being held back by two officers. “You! You took everything from me! Twilight Sparkle, you are dead! DEAD JUST LIKE OCTAVIA--” Shining came from behind and tased her, knocking her out as the officers started putting her in the van. I turned once again to see Bon-Bon, holding her badge in her hand. “I’m sorry, miss, but I’m going to have to ask you to leave.” Shining said before looking at her badge. The badge had a symbol of a sword, followed by the acronym S.W.O.R.D... “Shit...” Shining cursed under his breath. “Not so fast, Captain—these girls are no longer your issue...” She said as several vans came behind her, inside of them came armed men in military armor, all with heavy weaponry. At that point, I had no idea what was going on—another Twilight? Bon-Bon was a secret agent? And what the hell was S.W.O.R.D? “Ms. Bon-Bon, with all due respect, this is personal—these girls are responsible for the expulsion of dozens of Canterlot’s students and the leave of several teachers... this is a city issue, not--” “If you wish to file a complaint, feel free to send an e-mail. But for tonight, these girls can no longer be contained in a county jail... we have a place for people like them...” She said. I then decided to go ask what the hell was going on, but Bon-Bon tunred to me. “Spider-Man—I get that you’re confused... just know that we’re the good guys...” Bon-Bon said as her people started taking the Rainbooms on to their transports. She then turned to Twilight and bowed. “Your Highness... I’m honored to be the first human to make first contact.” She said as she held out her hand, allowing the other Twilight to shake it. Highness? “No need for the formalities—I just came here for the crown... but it looks like I was too late...” She looked at the crown and saw that the once-purple gem was now grey and dull... Twilight pocketed the crown and turned to Adagio, the former recognizing the latter. “And Adagio Dazzle—you did Equestria a favor tonight... I’ll bring the idea of undoing your exile to Princess Luna.” Adagio didn’t seem fazed, even when I went wide-eyed at the idea of my mother as a princess... “Thank you for the thought, Your Highness, and I’m certain my sisters may want to hear that—but as for me, I'm perfectly fine, here...” Adagio said as she walked over to me, taking my hand... Twilight nodded and she left for the portal, her time possibly running short. Bon-Bon then overlooked the scene, the Rainbooms now in their transport vans while several officers were loading Applejack on a stretcher. “How the hell is she still alive? She got her head crushed like a soda can, but she’s still breathing...” One of the armored agents said. “It’s possible that her brain wasn’t too badly damaged, but if we don’t set her skull back into place, the shards will penetrate her cranium.” A paramedic said, loading the patient onto an ambulance. Bon-Bon then held up her hand, clearing her throat to be better heard. “Alright, people—let's move out!” Bon-Bon hopped on the side of a van and tapped it, causing the driver to start moving, the group now driving into the night... With that... it was over. The Rainbooms were gone... Mom and the other students emerged from the bleachers, safe and sound, and my mom approached me... “So, I’m a princess in that world, and a principal here? Yeah, that makes sense.” She said as she held me in a bear-hug, one that I returned. Adagio chuckled as she joined in. I turned to Flash, who simply waved his hand. “Nah, you guys have your moment—I'm gonna look for Aria.” He said as he spotted her and ran toward her. Mom then got a phone call which broke the group hug—save for Adagio and I, us still having an arm around each other. I managed to catch the other Twilight one last time, slipping through the horse statue outside the school... the same place where that flash of light was a few nights ago... Once Twilight went through, I noticed that the moon was at the top of the sky and the statue seemed to lose its color, like it’s magic faded away... “...I understand, I’ll get there as soon as I can!” Mom hung up from the phone with a look of relief. “What is it?” I turned to her. Mom wiped a tear from her eye and smiled. “Octavia woke up... She’s awake!” I didn’t need any other reason to put on my mask, grab her, and start swinging to the hospital. “Go, I’ll meet you two there!” Adagio said, following suite in her Siren form. Once Adagio, my mom and I landed by the hospital, she quickly gave me her jacket to cover my suit and I pocketed my mask. We went inside and the clerk quickly recognized us, due to our numerous visits... “She’s in her room, just check in and go.” She said. My mom quickly scribbled her name and wrote the date before taking my hand and running through the doors, me taking Adagio’s. Mom almost kicked the door down and she turned to the bed, where Octavia was sitting upright and glanced at my mom and I. “You got tall...” She said to me. Mom and I didn’t say a word as we both ran over to her, giving her an embrace that she returned. The hug lasted at least a minute until we broke away, Octavia then turning her attention to Adagio. “I’m guessing you’re his girlfriend...” She said. Adagio chuckled and rubbed the back of her neck. “Yes... I am.” Adagio said as she walked over to us. I then noticed that Octavia saw my spider-emblem underneath the large jacket, but didn’t say anything about it... we simply nodded at each other, while the room’s television recapped the night’s events. “...and in a remarkable series of events, Spider-Man managed to make new friends tonight—one wearing black armor, and another... with wings. And if that wasn’t crazy enough, the infamous Rainbooms, now discovered to have been running a crime syndacate for the last two and a half years, were apprehended by the Stragetic Worldwide Operation of Rapid Defense—or S.W.O.R.D, for short. Witnesses even claim that Sunset Shimmer, who arrived at the scene alongside the infamous crimelord Kingpin, transformed into what can only be described as a... green goblin.” I didn’t care if the world knew about them... I just cared that it was finally over... and soon enough, the city might not need Spider-Man, anymore... Adagio took my hand, and I returned it, while my mom kept talking to Octavia... we then looked out the window at the rising sun, and we both chuckled to each other... It was time for a new beginning. Author's Note And with that, this little experiment is over-- at least for now. A tad rushed, but this is only an origin story... Also, here's (in my opinion) a pretty decent rendition of this universe's Green Goblin...
PipSwinging around the city is simply indescribable... just move with your heart, I guess-- swing there, jump off of that, zip onto this... it was just second nature to me. I clung to an antenna, tuned into the police scanner in my pack and put on my headphones, listening to the now-muffled sounds of the city. The bright LED billboards, the horns on the cars, the people chatting down in the streets... it all felt like a world away up there. The radio crackled to life and I averted my attention back to it, where I managed to hear this. “Please report, we have shots fired, repeat we have shots fired—any officers near Mansley, please advise.” I lowered my mask and packed the radio back up, leaving my bag on that roof. “10-4.” I smiled as I webbed on to a lower building and I leaped into the swing, feeling the rush of adrenaline and the crashing wind blow against me. I made it to the crime scene and saw a group of thugs in fine suits and using SMGs opening fire on police. Kingpin’s crew, no doubt... I swung onto one of the toppled vans and chose my targets, putting on my American accent to hide my identity. “Alright! Which one of you wants it first?!” I called out. The thugs all turned and jumped back a tad once seeing me. “Spider-Man!” One of the thugs called out as he opened fire. Smiling under my mask, I cartwheeled past the shots, hand standing for a moment as I webbed his gun and pulled from him. I looked to see four others with weapons and used my arm to launch me into the air as I webbed their guns away and landed on my feet, ready to fight. I shot a web at one of them, trapping his hand onto an upturned car. Three of them began to charge at me and so I adapted for the number of enemies—I jumped off the wall and kicked one of them back, elbowed another in the head, and punched the last one in the face, knocking them all out. I saw one more peek out from the other side of the car and I zipped on top of it, looking down on the thug. “Hello, there.” I said as I webbed him to the wall. “I... I don’t know nothin’!” The thug called out. “Oh, good—then you know something.” I teased his double-negative. I flipped off of the car and leaned back next to the webbed criminal. “Come on, Spidey... lemme go, dude—I'll get the word out, Spider-Man’s lookin’ for Kingpin’s new lieutenant, I can do that no prob’--” “So, you know who I’m after? I guess Sombra let you know I’d ask already? Well, I do want you to get the word out... but I also think you know something...” I told him. “Look, we’ve never seen her face, she’s always done business over the phone—she's real secretive, but I’ll get the word out, I promise!” “Great... Just wait for that webbing to dissolve—you've got two hours!” I said as I knocked him out and webbed away as the police siren entered my ears. As I swung off, however, I felt a small sting in my back as I began feeling light-headed... I fell from my web and everything started going dark as I landed on the back of an 18-wheeler... I woke with a start as I realized that I wasn’t home and that I was wrapped in steel chains. I looked around and saw a large penthouse and I realized where I was... “Sombra.” I sarcastically called out. The dark-haired crime lord turned around to face me and walked forwards, his hands behind his back. “Hello, Spider-Man... it’s been a while since we’ve done business.” He joked. “Ha... you stealing my jokes, now?” I asked him. Sombra moved his hands to reveal a blade and held it to my throat. “You’ve snuffed out my deals in the Lower Districts... and now you’re moving up to Mansley? Come on, man... where else is there for me to make money from, now?” I tried moving my hands, but the chains held... “How about a legitimate business, for starters?” He let out a hearty laugh and moved the blade away. “Alright... how about I make a deal: You ignore my next deal, and I just might give you a slice?” He offered. He must’ve been an idiot if he thought I was going to take that deal. “I’m sorry, Al Capone—but I can never look the other way, you know this.” I told him. “Oh, come on—it's just a small robbery of some hospital somewhere...” Hospital? “Which one?” I quickly asked him—not bothering to wait. “It doesn’t matter—it's just someplace for vegetables and cripples. Those people are more dead than alive--” I immediately ripped through the chains, grabbed his throat, and slammed him down to the ground, not bothering to react to the other armed guards drawing their weapons behind me. “You listen, and you listen good—if you rob Saint Starswirl’s, or any other hospital for that matter, and I’ll use my webbing as a goddamn noose, you hear me?!” My yelling caught him off-guard for a split second as my accent slipped. Sombra let out a choked chuckle. “You never killed anyone... but I’ll leave it alone, I guess. Besides, can’t risk face now that the mayor chair’s gonna be empty.” I released his throat and swung away as the guards began opening fire. By the time I swung home, it was dark—past my curfew... My mother’s going to kill me. I snuck through my window and hoped to sneak into bed, until... “You’re late.” I turned to see my mother outside my door flick the light switch on. “I... got caught in traffic.” I said, not wanting to get too into-detail with my mother. “Fair enough. Crime never sleeps, right?” She tried to joke. I chuckled a tad and slowly shut my door so I could change. “You know, Aunt Celestia’s coming up tomorrow, you should stay here.” My mother called out. “I wish I could, but I can’t... like you said—crime never sleeps.” I recalled as I changed into some form of nightwear. “Fair enough... just please try to be back on time—the less Aunt Celestia knows, the better.” She groaned. I looked onto my wall to see my certificate to Oscorp Sciences hanging, with the words “Welcome to the Future”, signed by Abucus Cinch written on it. I sighed and laid on my bed, drifting off after a hard day’s work, school and super-heroing and all...
Pinkamena Diane Pie and RarityToday was the day... it hadn’t been long, but the Rainbooms really had some leeway on the local law... Pinkamena was to be released from the mental ward today. We were all on-edge, and I wasn’t here for a good part of the year. But from what I heard from students, Pinkamena did something big—something that actually got her arrested... I don’t know what’s worse: the fact that she’s killed some students and still never got busted, or the fact that I had to face her that day... The first thing I noticed when I entered the school was that no-one was hanging around—they were all in the safety of their classes—even those new ‘Dazzling’ girls who Flash showed around. As I made it to my class, Rainbow sped out in front of me, setting her hands on my shoulders. “Hey.” She said. “Hello.” I tagged along, ready to fight back. She didn’t say a word as she sped away, carrying me to the front door, where Fluttershy and Applejack were, along with a shadow outside the door and out-of-view. “Congrats, Pipsqueak—you're Pinkamena’s rehabilitation test, by orders of Sunset Shimmer, herself...” Rainbow smirked. “Test? What, that ward didn’t do its bloody job?” I mocked. Rainbow stayed silent for a moment before smirking again. “Nope. Just be lucky Sunset doesn’t come to deal with you personally. You know how that always goes, right?” That statement made my blood boil and my fists clench—not that I had the time nor the will to do anything about it. I heard her giggling before I saw her—if anything, that ward made her worse—her formerly puffed hair was now straight and running down to her back, she had black lipstick running up her cheeks, and a killer’s look in her eyes... Maybe it’s a good thing I packed my web-shooters. Pinkamena glanced around before glaring right at me, my senses beginning to tingle as I prepared myself to fight the pink-obsessed lunatic. “Go on, Pinkamena... do what you think is best.” Rainbow told her. From the background, I think I heard Rarity softly gasp as Applejack released Pinkamena. Rainbow then walked over to the others and sped off with them, leaving me and the maniac. Sure enough, the first thing she did was charge me and pin me to the ground, resting her thumbs next to my eyes... My Spider-Sense was tingling rapidly, unable to stop. “I remember you... you were small and cute back then, but... now look at you!” Pinkamena was like a rabid dog if you let go of the leash—she's an absolute lunatic and the Rainbooms use her to make students... disappear. “So big and strong... I wonder how long it’d take to... y’know what? I think I’ll just shut up and kill you, now...” Pinkamena smiled widely as she set her thumbs onto my eyes... And I shot a web to the wall and pulled away from her, sticking to the wall and jumping off, lining up my hit to knock her out cold. After Pinkamena was knocked out, I put my web-shooters back in my bag and carried Pinkamena to the nurse’s office, ready to come up with a cover story, until... “I know a place... she can rest there, and we can talk, there... Spider-Man.” Rarity smirked behind me. I went pale and my blood ran cold as I remembered that Rarity never left... “Don’t worry... your secret’s safe with me. Now come on, before your crazy aunt comes after us.” Rarity teased—something she did often. I went to pick up Pinkamena and follow, trying to be as discreet as possible. Thankfully, the halls were empty, since classes had started, and as I followed, no-one batted an eye at me carrying for all they knew a lifeless corpse. Rarity made a hard left and I followed, leading to the janitors’ closet... “Here? Are you so sure that this is the best place to--” I was wrong as the door opened and it was a moderately sized room with gadgets and glass displays of costumes that must’ve been made by Rarity on the walls... “She knows this place, she’ll rest up here.” She told me. I set her on the bed on the side and as I went to leave, Rarity set her hand on my shoulder. “So... you’re Spider-Man?” She asked. I sighed and nodded, knowing that denying it was useless by now. “Huh... I never would’ve guessed that it was you in the city, playing hero... but I see it...” Rarity then moved her hands down to my waist, trying to pull me in closer, but I kept her at arms-length. “...You swinging around out there, making the city yours... kind of like me with something else, if I recall...” Rarity teased, again. I sighed and moved her away. “I know that you miss those days... and to be honest, part of me does, too... but that part of me, I stopped listenin' to the moment I became Spider-Man. Those feelin’s I had for you are gone, Rarity. Move on, as I did.” I told her as I went to leave again. I went to open the door when Rarity dug into her pocket. “Well, let me at least give you this—in case Rainbow Dash comes creeping again.” Rarity called out, holding out a folded picture. I unfolded it to see a rather... unique photo of Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. “...Oh...” I replied. “Yes... turns out little Fluttershy has some secrets of her own...” “But... I thought she and Sunset were datin'...” I said as I folded the photo back up, swearing to never look upon it again. “As I said, little Fluttershy’s got her secrets.” Rarity smirked... They all have a rather uncomfortable habit of smirking so sinisterly. I simply nodded her farewell and shut the door behind me as I left, not wanting to stay there another minute with my ex... I went out into the hallway and I saw the new student turning the corner, the one with the cheeto-puff-like hair. Of course, I saw her a second too late as I managed to bump into her and knock everything out of her hands. “Oh! I’m so sorry, I didn’t see where I was goin'.” I quickly spewed out as I helped the... cheeto-girl get her books back together. “No, it’s okay... I wasn’t really looking either.” She picked up her stuff and stopped once she saw my face. “Oh, you’re Flash’s friend, right?” She asked me. “Yeah, my name’s Pip.” I held out my hand. “Adagio Dazzle.” She set her things in one hand and shook mine. We went our separate ways as the bell finally rang, dismissing the period that I completely missed... Author's Note Got bored last night and made some fanart, thanks to bases made by SelenaEde
DarknessI’m pretty sure I hit my head on my nightstand as I woke with a sharp pain on the top of my head... I sighed before realizing that it was the weekend, and I breathed a sigh of relief... Until I looked out my window to see my bus drive right past my house... “FffU--” After forcing myself into a nice pair of clothes and jogging to catch the bus at a red light, I managed to make it to school on time, and sure enough, today wasn’t gonna be a good day... I walked in to see every student separated and standing straight, some wearing faces of terror and panic... I looked up to see her... The hot cluster of Hot Topic and slight Blood-Cult vibes with bacon hair stood several feet away from me, wearing her leather jacket with “Sunset” patched on the back, her tight black T-shirt with rips in the torso area, and torn all-black leggings that didn’t really leave much to the imagination... “Hello, Flash... it's been a while.” She said, dragging her voice out. “Sunset.” I bluntly answered, wanting to catch my class on time for once. Behind her was Pinkamena, freshly released from the mental ward, and Applejack, ready to hold the maniac back. “The rest of you are good to go, but Flash stays.” She ordered. Every other student and possibly one teacher all took their que and fled to the other hallway or some classroom, leaving me and the gothic ringleader... my ex-girlfriend... “So, how’ve you been? How’s the apartment?” Sunset asked me. Yes, she paid for my apartment—I'm sure she still blackmails my landlord, despite me paying him rent... “Good-- there was a leak in the ceiling, but we got that fixed.” I said. I knew better than to lie. We may have been lovers once, but that time was long gone... we were only frenemies now. “That’s good... girls, will you leave us?” Sunset asked. They didn’t answer, but Sunset neglected them for the moment, stepping closer to me, me doing the same. “I miss you... you know that, right?” She almost-whispered. I went closer, feeling temptation whisper in my ear, only for me to silence it and focus on whatever trick Sunset had up her sleeve. “I know you do.” I added, refusing to give her the satisfaction of hearing that I missed her, too... We stopped once we were a foot away from each other—most other people would turn to jelly in this scenario, but I’ve grown used to it... this game of ours has become more than her trying to get her ex back... and more of us just teasing each other with our relationship—treating it like a weapon to smite each other with-- I’m doing it again, am I? Getting too caught up in my situation and savoring it all... It’s a habit. “You know what I miss, don’t you?” She whispered, almost so silent that I couldn’t hear it. I sighed and took one more step, completely breaking the distance between us. “You know I do.” I whispered back, almost more elegant than she could ever pull off, almost instinctively wrapping my arm around her back... A few gasps resonated from the back and Sunset turned to see Applejack and Pinkamena in complete disarray. “Girls! You both have 3 seconds to get out of my sight before I flay you both alive! One! Two!” Sunset counted. The girls bolted in separate directions, desperate for their lives. Sunset turned back to me, completely ignoring that outburst and wrapping her arms around me, pulling herself in. “I know you miss me, too... I can see it... you want your baby girl back...” She whispered, setting her hand on my head, more than likely reading my mind... Yeah, she does that. We were almost an inch away from each other... I knew that I shouldn’t be doing what I was doing, but at that moment, I didn’t care... our lips were about to meet... But then I stopped, slightly moving away. “Nice try, Sunset... I’ll admit, you almost had me... but you know more than anyone that we’re done.” I chuckled, unwrapping my arm and moving away from her. Sunset only smiled, and even laughed a bit... never a good sign. “Oh, Flash... you’re too easy.” Sunset taunted, setting her hand on my shoulder and flipping me around to see my locker rigged by Pinkamena. “Oh, son of a--” I muttered. “Have fun, lover boy!” Sunset cackled as she walked off... Showing Aria behind her, her eyes as big as saucers. “What... just happened?” She asked. My heart dropped as I realized that she played me like a guitar—she expected me to tempt her, she’s grown used to that game by now. “I’ll explain later, but for now just stand back—I have no idea what Pinkamena put in my locker.” I warned her. I went to my locker, putting in my combination and standing over to the side... slowly, slowly opening the door... BEEP! The school bell caused me to jump, opening my locker all-the-way to reveal a jack-in-the-box containing a pie... “A pie? That’s it?” Aria asked. I took the tinniest of samples and tasted it, recalling the taste instantly. “Ghost pepper infused whipped cream... with a hint of vanilla. Tasty yet so damn spicy.” I said, grabbing the pie and throwing It away. “God... if that hit someone’s face... They’d do that?” Aria asked. “They always do it... and much worse. Now, come on... we’re gonna be late.” Later that day, I managed to sneak past Rainbow and Fluttershy extorting a kid, wanting his money for them leaving him alone... I almost stepped in, but Adagio did it for me, and went to her locker later on to find a rather interesting picture gallery... I didn’t know what was in it, but it was enough to silence Adagio until lunch... where I ran into Pip again, chilling at a table with a few other kids his age... and the Dazzlings. “Oi! Flash, how’re you doin’!” Pip asked me. “Eh, I’ve been better... how about you?” I asked. “Nothin’ changed but the weather, y’know?” He asked me. “Damn right, I do.” I laughed, taking a seat... I had nowhere else to sit, so why not check in on an old friend? “Ah, Flash, meet Derpy, Button Mash, you’ve met Adagio, Aria, and Sonata...” My heart dropped again when I saw Aria glance at me like I was an old painting on a mansion wall. I screwed up and we both knew it. “Flash? You alright, mate?” He asked me. I shifted my focus back to reality and nodded. “Yeah... sorry, just... thinking.” I told him. He must’ve known something was up, but he had no time to explain it as Sunset walked past our table, Adagio scowling at her while she kept her attention on Pip, looking at him... almost like the way she looked at me... only worse, somehow. “What was that about?” I asked him. Pip turned back to me as his phone went off. “I have no bloody idea.” He told me, looking at his phone and staring at it, almost like it offended him. “That sick, cruel, no-good...” Pip got up and bolted for the door, leaving us in complete confusion. Just as if the day couldn’t get any weirder, Adagio sat up and jumped onto the table as everyone got settled. And began to sing. “Aaah-aah-aah, aaah-aaah.... aaah-aah-aah, aaah-aaah..." She sang, so elegantly... Aria and Sonata jumped up and joined her, singing the same melody.
BattleA day had passed since the Dazzling’s little performance, as most people described it... if people weren’t smitten with them before, they definitely are now. The police scanner was barely activated and if it was, the police answered it, meaning that there would be no point in me going out there for about four hours today... I decided to pay my aunt Celestia a visit, but Mom stopped me, wanting to tell me something. “So... following the Dazzling’s little song in the cafeteria, I decided on merging the Fall Formal and the Battle of the Bands—mixing it up for a change.” She told me. Great... “Now there’s only one thing the Rainbooms can win this year, instead of two...” I accidentally mumbled. She didn’t like that, and I sensed it. Well, not with my powers, but... you know what I mean. “Hey. This year’s going to be different... they aren’t going to take this away from the people this time...” She told me. “How? Auntie Celestia admires them, and the students are too scared to fight back. Things won’t change, mum... it’s just gonna be like this until they graduate.” I told her. Mom sighed, seeing my point. “Well, I’m going to try, regardless. The Dazzlings seem ambitious enough, all they need is the proper support.” Mom said, with confidence. She had no idea what they were truly capable of—she just knew that they were a problem and she needed the evidence to have them expelled, or hopefully arrested... “I know you have history with the Rainbooms... they took you under their wing, right?” Mom asked me, unintendedly bringing up bad memories. I sighed, wishing that I went out and looked for criminals to beat up and web up instead. “Yeah. Sunset took me under her wing and the others... I grew on them. Most of ‘em tought me somethin’ that I use as Spider-Man—Rainbow taught me how to free-run, Applejack taught me how to threaten the right people and how to use an accent, Fluttershy taught me how to fight, and Rarity taught me... how... to... sew.” I quickly covered. I mean... she did, but she mostly taught me... other activities. If you catch my drift. “Really? How to sew?” My mom saw right through it. “Yeah... how do you think I made that suit?” I asked her. She went to say something, but stopped and nodded, seeing my point. “Fair enough.” She replied. A knock on the door ended our conversation and Mom opened it to see Flash. “Oh, Flash! How are you?” She asked him. “I’m doing fine, Ms. Luna. Is Pip here? I was hoping we could hang out for a bit.” He said. “He sure is. Please, come in.” She offered. Flash came inside and took off his shoes, glancing at me at the table, fiddling around with an app I was trying to develop for my Spider Suit. An in-suit AI would be cool, but it’s a lot of work for a voice to talk to... “Hey, man.” Flash told me, taking a seat. “How’re you doin’, bruv’?” I asked, hoping he didn’t know what ‘bruv’ meant. “I’m doin’ good...” Damn... he’s done his research. “Except for, y’know, everything with Sunset and her little buddies.” Flash said, my mom listening in. “All I need is hard evidence, and they’re gone.” She said with determination. We sat in silence until Flash remembered something. “Hey, so... I’ve been doing research on Oscorp, I was thinking on getting a job there--” “Don’t. Just don’t-- there’re better places that give you better wages and have better employers. Please, just trust me.” I warned him. Flash’s look of surprise said everything that I needed to know. If anything, I was saving him from that horrid place... it looks all nice and posh on the outside, but once you get inside, it’s rotten to the core. “...Noted. Anyway, I had a friend who worked there and she sent me this out-of-the-blue last night.” Flash held out blueprints that made me turn pale. The blueprints for my Spider-Man mask that me and... “Who’s this friend, Flash?” I desperately asked. “Does it matter? Look at this! This is Spider-Man's mask, Pip—and your name was on the document. Curse the need of Oscorp identification to save files. “Listen to me, Flash: We can talk about this later, but first, I need you to tell me who sent you this document.” I pleaded him. After looking into my eyes and possibly seeing my desperation, he cracked. “Okay... her name is--” A bright flash out of the corner of my eye cut me off... I turned to see that the high-school statue had seemingly been flashed by something... and a cloaked was on the ground, holding a bag in their arms. “What is it?” He asked me. I tried to see who it was, but the fact that it was dark and the person was cloaked kept me from seeing much of anything. “I don’t know... heat lightning, maybe? It’s been real warm the last few days, that could’ve been it...” I tried to reason, but even I didn’t believe it. The light from the statue faded, and everything seemed to simmer down, Luna coming back inside and breathing a sigh of relief. “Good news... it doesn’t seem to be a break-in. Bad news, you should stay for the night, Flash. It’s not really safe out there—let me give your parents a call--” Mom stopped and gasped slightly, Flash somberly glanced at the floor and then turned to her. “It’s alright... I’m sure you're not used to cases like mine.” He said, almost cracking a smile. Mom sighed and left us be... and I had no idea what just happened. “Okay... wanna play some GameStation or somethin’?” I asked, trying to change the subject. “...Yeah. I could use that, actually.” Flash smiled slightly. I never really talked about my parents... did I? I have no clue what they’d think of me, now—especially after what I did with Sunset... and for her. Would they be disgusted with me for my past sins, or would they be proud that I’m trying to “redeem myself”, as the school counselor put it. If they even knew the things that she made me do... and the ones that I enjoyed... There’d be no question about redemption. I parked in the student parking lot after staying at Pip’s for the night and began walking into school when I saw Celestia storming to me, her face red with anger. Here we go, already... “Flash Sentry, I want you to actually tell me where your delinquent acts end!” She shouted. Okay, so I stopped doing these “delinquent acts” since Sunset and I broke up, but would Celestia let me live that down? Luna opened the door as Celestia kept on ranting and gently pulled her away. “Sister, back off! He’s innocent, in this.” Celestia scoffed—a sound I barely hear her use on her sister. “Where was he last night? Do you even know?” Celestia asked her. “Yes-- he came over to talk to Pip, but when that flash came around, I saw a hooded figure on the premises, so I chose that it’d be best if Flash stayed for the night. He was in my kitchen when that light hit.” Luna defended me. “This juvinile, ‘talking’ to Pip? How do you know that he’s not recruiting him, or some--” Luna stepped between us, her presence resonating with rage. Celestia's scared face said everything I needed to know about Luna’s anger. “Never... make such a suggestion about any my students-- least of all my son-- ever again, is that understood? I am his parent, not you. Now, what are you carelessly screaming at one of my students about, sister?” I felt the sting in that comment, so much so that Celestia’s destroyed face didn’t put a smile on my face, like normal. “I... the Formal Battle of the Bands Crown went missing...” She calmly responded, staring her sister in the eye but showing a hint of embarrassment. “The crown... is right in my--” Luna looked in Celestia’s hand and saw another one of the crowns... a professionally made one compared to one made of plastic and possibly aluminum. “Did the district send this one? There can’t be two of the same crown by coincidence...” Celestia wondered. Luna took a moment to think, glancing at the two crowns in her hands. “We’ll take them both—if no-one from the district claims it by the end of the Fall Battle, we use it.” Luna gestured to the professionally made one. Celestia then turned to me, that look slightly returning in her eyes. “I’m... sorry for accusing you. Your track record, and all...” Celestia muttered. I nodded and that chat ended, me walking to my class, Luna and Celestia returning to their office. I turned to see Rarity bolt off as she saw me... I did the logical thing and ran after her—she knew something, and I needed to find out what. The hallways were crammed from students moving from one class to another or to their lockers or just to the bathroom I stuck behind, waiting until she was alone... but out of the corner of my eye, I saw Pip catch up to her, going through the crowd faster than me. I managed to break through the crowd in order to catch up faster. I found Pip simply talking to Rarity, pressing her for answers, but never raising his voice. “What’s so important about that crown, Rarity? Why do your friends want it so badly?” I heard him ask. “It’s... it’s something Sunset brought with her... something from her home.” She said, trying to look around desperately. “From her... home?” Pip asked, completely clueless... I knew what she meant—Sunset talked to me about her home... “Equestria? That crown’s from Equestria?” I asked, stepping out of the shadows. Rarity turned to me, her pupils dilated, and nodded ever-so-slightly. “She said that she was going to finish what she started... whatever that meant. She came back... different, furious—she hit Fluttershy, for God’s sakes! Whatever she did... it changed her. And she’s not going to stop until she gets what she wants... and none of us know what that is, anymore.” Rarity whispered. “Then why help her? Why not just run?” Pip asked her. Rarity sighed and held her necklace. “Sunset calls these... Geodes—they give us our powers. Before we met her, we were just low-tier... but now, we’re something else. These powers... they’ve changed us, they made us different, made us... worse.” Rarity said, still holding her “Geode”. Pip seemed to understand what she meant, and took a seat, gesturing her to take a seat by him. Not understanding his motive, she sat. “That power... do you like it?” He asked. She nodded, still misty-eyed from before. “Do you want to lose it?” He asked her again. She shook her head. “So, you accept the power, and you can’t handle the responsibility?” She stopped, clueless. “Okay... what does that mean?” She asked. Pip sighed and leaned forward, ready to add his input. “Someone... very close to me once said that if you have the power to do or stop something... then you have the responsibility to. You and I... we have the power, now it’s time to take on the responsibility.” Pip stated, mystifying even me, who had an idea as to what he meant. Wait... if I was right, then my formerly scrawny, short friend who had no strength or “power” before, was Spider-Man... Huh. “I... think I see what you mean. But they’re my friends, Pip... they just took a bad deal that they can’t get out of.” I scoffed, much to Pip’s offense. “So... let me get this straight: You went from some low-level bullies to making all of our lives a living hell because you took a ‘bad deal’?” I asked, my anger showing. Rarity stood up, her anger forming an aura. “You, of all people, should know exactly what that feels like!” Rarity shouted. I sighed, knowing that she was right... but at the same time... “So, you think you and the others can redeem yourselves? If I can’t, why can you?” I asked, letting out my own anger. Their faces said it all—they were shocked at what I just insinuated. “Flash, you only--” “My record is stained with what I did. I can’t take any of it back... so why should you be able to when you’ve done far worse than me?” I asked. Pip stood up, ready to break us up. “I’m not saying they can... I’m saying they should try... so should you.” Rarity paced off from us, ending the conversation. Silence kicked in as Pip turned to me, still shocked from what I had said. “She has a point, man... I don’t know what she meant by you knowing how she feels... but trust me, she’s wrong.” I blocked him out, heading out before my eyes began to water again. I’ve already let out a tear too many.
SparkleA week had passed since my enrollment at Oscorp, and needless to say, things were going pretty well. Oscorp has absorbed a private academy called Crystal Prep, so that was where Twilight and I, along with most of the students, were staying. As Twilight and I grew to know each other, I began to like her more and more... She wasn’t like Rarity—and I was thankful for that. With her it was like I was just being used... but with Twilight I just feel... something different. I don’t know what it is, but I’m not fighting it. I was sitting in my dorm room as I winced when my hand swelled up again, I went to the bathroom to apply the ointment and as I went to put it back, the bottle stuck to my hand... again. I sighed and rolled my eyes as I tried to relax, prompting the bottle to drop where I left it. There was a knock on my door and I went out to answer it, expecting some Oscorp member. “Hey, Pip.” Twilight said, having a simple smile on her face. “Oh, hey, Twi.” I said, trying desperately to pamper up my hair a tiny bit—I had bad bed-hair... Twilight noticed and giggled oh-so-cutely. “Don’t worry about it... trust me, bed-head sucks.” Twilight said, adjusting her glasses. “Yeah... so, what’s up? Wanna come in?” I mentally slapped myself for asking something that stupid. “Well, any other time, I’d love to, but my mom wanted me to come get you—we're partnering up, Pip!” She said in a flash of excitement. My excitement almost leveled hers, but we instantly high-fived. “That’s great—what're we working on?” I asked, eager to know. Twilight pulled out the handbook and handed me a copy. I opened the first page and my heart stopped. “Prosthetics... Twi—this is your dream, isn’t it?” I asked her. “Well, yeah, but didn’t you want to work on genetics?” She asked me. I did—I wanted to look into that spider that bit me a few weeks ago, but I suppose that wasn’t happening, now. “Yeah, but that’s fine—this is your field, I’m sure we’ll do great, together.” I smiled. She smiled back and as we went to leave, I realized that I wasn’t wearing shoes... “Heh... be right back.” I awkwardly smiled. I turned to go back when I bumped into Abucus Cinch—CEO of Oscorp, and Twilight’s mother... In short, I screwed up—big-time. “Oh! Ms. Cinch, I’m so sorry, I didn’t--” “No, don’t worry about it... accidents always happen.” Cinch said, wearing a fake smile on her face as it faded when she glanced at her daughter. “That’s what you’re wearing to the lab?” Cinch asked, pointing out her tattered lab coat. Twilight looked at her uniform and frowned slightly. “It obeys Oscorp standards, I don’t see anything wrong with it.” I stood up for her. I don’t know what her homelife is like, but I can’t imagine it’s too good... Cinch turned to me and simply hummed and left us. Twilight’s smile didn’t return and I moved over to her. “You look great, Twi. Like a scientist.” I said, hoping that’d work. Sure enough, I saw her smile start to return. “More like a mad scientist.” She chuckled. “No, that’s me-- no shoes, nasty bed-head... all I’m missing is an evil laugh.” I pretended to do an evil laugh, and Twilight was close to snorting as I headed back into my room to put on some shoes and attempt to comb my hair. Twilight and I were in the most intense argument in our friendship—following a series of strange events... “I’m telling you, Pip—there's no way for someone to run on walls.” She said, with a testing smile. “I swear to you—one night I was walkin’ down the road, and I saw a man leap off a building, land onto a wall, and run up it... I swear on my mother’s grave.” I said, holding up my hands. We shared a laugh as we glanced at our project—a prototype prosthetic arm that was to be tested on an army veteran by the end of the month... I never caught his name, but I think it was ‘something’ Castle... “It’s lookin’ great—for a prototype...” I said, slowly moving my hand closer to Twilight. “Yeah... it’s a work in progress, but...” It was like she saw me move my hand and she didn’t move away... I touched her hand and held it, and she returned the gesture. She then rested her head on my shoulder, looking at the arm being controlled by a few scientists. I then rested my head on hers—just savoring the moment, until... “I hope you two have progress for me if you’re just sitting around, all handsy!” I heard her voice say. Twilight pulled away from me and quickly turned around, almost presenting herself to her own mother. “Yes-- the arm made tremendous progress today, the pressure bug was resolved, as well as the--” Twilight was cut off by Cinch taking the controller and moving the joysticks, springing the arm to life. “Hmm... how about the balance bug—has that one been sorted out?” She asked, still moving the arm. “That bug’s taking time, but we’ll get it before the end of the month.” I said. Cinch remained silent and moved the arm even more, refusing to praise our progress. “Keep going, you two—flirt later, off-campus.” Cinch said, leaving us without even turning her head. We stayed silent as Twilight simply sighed, seemingly depressed. “I swear, it’s like that woman never smiles.” I said, chuckling slightly. Twilight didn’t say a word, desperate to snuff the bug out. “Hey, Twi—you're doin’ great with this... really. To be honest, you’re carrying me through this whole thing.” I chuckled. “Yeah, that’s because of that side project you’re working on when you think I’m not looking.” She managed to let out a slight giggle as she went over the notes and schematics, most likely searching for anything on the arm. “We’ve lowered the weight, we reprogrammed the whole damn thing in less than a month... What’s it going to take to fry this bug?” She asked herself. I sighed and glanced at the arm again, still marveled at how we managed to create this and Cinch won’t even applaud us for that... not like she does everyone else. “Twi, we’ve looked through this blueprint almost a hundred times—I don’t think it’s the problem... maybe it’s somethin’ with the person wearin’ it...” I added under my breath. “It won’t matter if my mother doesn’t accept it... please, just work with me, here... please?” Twilight asked, her voice dry and cracking. I then remembered we haven’t really drinken anything all day, and the water machine was outside the room. “I’ll get us some water, if you want.” I said, waiting for her response. “Please.” She whispered. I went out into the hall and started the machine as Cinch entered through an adjacent room to ours. “Hello, Pip.” She said, dryly. I swallowed my anger and turned to her, bearing the best fake-real smile I can manage. “Hi, Ms. Cinch. I’m just gettin' us drinks.” I said, holding up our cups. She hummed and just stood there, as if forming a response. We remained silent as I filled the two cups, feeling her study me... possibly because of my heighten senses... I was about to open the door and leave the situation, when... “Do you like my daughter?” She asked. I stopped and turned to her, sighing as I did so. “I do.” I said. “Then understand me when I tell you that the last thing my daughter needs is a distraction. She’s so close to becoming what I want her to be—I can’t lose that to anyone... least of all to some boy.” Cinch scowled. I felt my blood begin to boil as I wanted to tell Cinch everything I felt, but I knew better, and swallowed it once more. “I’ll consider it.” I added, expecting Cinch to show some kind of anger, but she simply chuckled instead... a sound I never want to hear again. “I don’t know. Maybe you’ll grow on me—you're funny.” She smiled just like them... We went our separate ways and I saw Twilight tinkering away when I tapped her shoulder, giving her the drink I got her. “Thanks, Pip.” She said as she took a sip. “You’re welcome, Twi.” I smiled. I can tell that my smile made her smile—something I’ll have to keep in mind. “So, where’re we at? Same place—nowhere?” I asked. “Actually, I made a fascinating note—the motor inside the elbow was adding a few extra pounds... it’ll be a stretch, but we can patch that up by the end of the month... this is it, we’re so close...” Twilight said. I smiled, hoping that Cinch can finally give her daughter the recognition she deserves, I couldn’t care less about Cinch’s approval of me... Just as long as Twi keeps that cute smile on her face. This was it... the moment has come—we managed to sniff out that bug and we were about to test the arm with a retired vet. Twi was smiling ear-to-ear in nervousness and slightly rambling. “Do you think that was the last bug? How about the color, what if he doesn’t like it? Oh, God—did we add that software patch?!” Twi asked, in a panic. “Twilight, that patch was two days ago, we downloaded it as soon as it came out.” I said, setting a hand on her shoulder. Twilight sighed... and slightly moaned as she scooted closer to me, allowing me to instinctively give her a short but intense shoulder massage. “You’re good... I’m guessing you’ve done this before.” She said, letting me hunt down knot after knot. "Yeah—my ex was a stylist and whenever she got worn out...” I didn’t finish as I rubbed out one large knot in the nape of her neck. Twilight’s head turned when I brought up Rarity—our relationship ending was one of the reasons I signed up for this class... “It’s a long story.” I chuckled, getting one last knot before moving to her neck area. “Relax... I’m sure he’s going to love it. If not, we’ll just run more tests... it’s going to be okay. I promise.” I said, working my massage to the nape of her neck. Twi smiled and moved her head back, looking at me as she pecked my forehead. “Thank you... for everything.” She said with a smile on her face. I smiled as I slowly went for the kiss... Only for the vet to enter. “Oh! Sorry, am I interrupting something?” He asked. We instantly pulled apart, looking at the vet and at the clock. “No, no, it’s just... we kinda lost track of time. Please, come in.” I said to him. The vet seemed nice enough, he walked in and took a seat, glancing at the arm. “Wow... this one certainly looks better than my last one.” He said. Twi seemed to take that as a compliment, while I took it as a good sign. “Well, let’s make sure these looks aren’t deceiving.” I said, setting the arm up for him. The arm was in place, and the vet began to move it, working it beautifully. “Wow...” I whispered, the vet having a smile on his face. “This is incredible...” The vet went to reach the empty mug... Only to shatter it. “Oh, shoot! I, uh... I’m sorry, I kinda, uh...” The vet mumbled. “Oh, it’s fine—just another bug to work out... but, as of the feeling, what do you think?” I asked. Twilight seemed mortified, but I managed to calm her just enough not to have a breakdown by addressing it as a bug. “The arm’s incredible—I can almost feel it there, like it’s real... It’s certainly better than those other Oscorp prosthetics... God, prosthetics are not their specialty...” The vet chuckled. A small silence as the vet switched the arm off and removed it. “...with a few updates, this is a product I’d most certainly buy.” The vet smiled as he left the room. Twi and I turned to each other, and proceeded to cheer once the doors were shut. “See? What did I say—just a few more bugs to fry, and it’s perfect!” I said, trying to settle Twilight, who was jumping up and down with glee. “We did it! We actually did it! Just a few more bugs, and... and...” Twilight stared into my eyes as we stopped... I smiled and scooted closer to her... and she gently set her arm around my back... And... The door swung open, and Cinch’s heels furiously clicked into the room, ready to tear us apart. “’A few more bugs’?! Twilight, I gave you two a deadline--” We never released each other... “Cinch, I can explain, we--” “I knew it... I told you that day that... this was going to hold you back!” Cinch said in a rage, walking over and shoving us away from each other, pushing me to the ground. “Cinch, we’re so close—surely, we can--” Cinch went in a blind rage—she grabbed the arm, our two months of work... And swung it at the table, causing nuts and bolts to fly away from it. “No! Stop it!” Twilight was in tears, on the ground trying to get up. I went to charge, but a scientist grabbed me, restraining me. “No, don’t! Trust me, she won’t listen during one of her episodes...” The scientist said to me. “Cinch, just stop!” I screamed, my voice barely heard over Twilight’s sobs. She let out the last swing that destroyed the arm, scattered bits of machinery littering the floor. “No... You two are done, you will go back to Canterlot, and Twilight, I expect a perfected model by the end of the month.” Cinch went to walk away. Twi was still in tears, gathering the pieces of her creation... the look on her face—the pain and anger... I can never let her feel that again. “Wait! What if we make you somethin’ better?! The two of us!” I asked her. She stopped and turned around. “What did you have in mind?” She asked. I stopped a second, trying to come up with a plan, until I had it. “We’ve spent all this time and money trying to replace what was missing... what if we improve on it? Make it better? Give us a few weeks, and we’ll make something incredible... somethin’ that vet or even you would love?” I offered. Cinch stopped and pondered on it until she made up her mind. “Oscorps top scientists will be with you... constant surveillance and a 2-foot restraining order at all times on campus... all times. Do this for me, and I’ll consider revamping those rules. Are we clear, Pip?” She asked me. I barely swallowed my anger as I looked over to Twilight. “We’ll need to be able to work together, Cinch... 5-inch restraining order, hands-to-selves. Then we have a deal.” I said. Cinch stopped and sighed, nodding. “This better be incredible, you two.” Cinch walked away, leaving her heart-broken daughter. I went over to her and pulled her in for a quick hug—a hug that she used more force in. “It’s gone, Pip... it’s... it’s all gone!” She sobbed. “I know, Twi... I know... but we’re going to do better. We’re going to make something better... Together.” I told her, holding the hug with almost as much force as she used on me. And we did make something... Something horrible. It had been a week since Cinch destroyed our project... Twilight’s changed since then—she's been taking risks, both with herself and on the new project. Our idea is mechanical arms that can stretch out and can handle high temperatures, something for factory users or those working near volcanoes... More body-breaking labor, more expensive metals... Twi wants this to be perfect and she’s taking every possible risk to do so. That wasn’t her... and I knew it. A digital model was complete and we watched the model in action, all the motors moving, the arms clinking and clanking... “Beautiful...” Twilight whispered. We’ve become distant ever since Cinch brought down the hammer on us... the other scientists never reported anything to Cinch, they never liked her, anyway. We’ve come to the point where I wonder if that day was really us or just some reaction to that success. The bell rung, dismissing us. I went to leave, but Twilight was still hard at work. “Twi? We can go now.” I said, trying to get her attention. Twilight didn’t even stop to address me. “You can go, Pip... but I have to keep working.” She said. I faced my choices—walk away and leave her alone, or stay and try to help. My choice was the simplest one. I turned back around and reviewed the model, looking for any faults or errors. “The right arm seems a little clunkier... that might just be the build.” I said, clicking on it to change the model. For the first time in about a week, Twilight showed a crack of a smile. “...I never thanked you.” Twilight said, stopping her typing of code for a moment. I stopped as well, turning to her. “For what?” I asked her. Twilight looked around—the door was shut, and we were alone. “For being here... even after I pushed you away.” She said, moving closer to me. I sighed and set my hand on her shoulder. “Twi... you know that I want this, and I know that you do, too... But not here... not when you mom can come in any second and drop the hammer on us.” I said. Twilight sighed, seeing my point. “Okay... how about this?” Twilight asked, handing me a ticket. I held it and saw that it was for a movie showing out in town. “Twi... I’d love to go out with you.” I chuckled, holding her for a quick hug. She seemed to savor it as much as I did, resting her head between my shoulder and my neck. “Don’t be late.” She whispered in my ear, kissing my neck before pulling away. As she went to shut off the lab and leave the room, she had a slight sway to her hips... My jaw was dropped to the floor as I realized that the showing was at 6 and it was 4:30. I began to leave as well as my phone rang. I pulled it out and saw that it was from ‘Tavy. “Hey, sis.” I said, answering the phone while walking back to my dorm. “Hey, bruv. How’s Oscorp treatin’ ya?” She asked, her voice tired and worn out. “It’s complicated...” I said, recalling the fresh memories of Twilight’s change in personality... “Oh? How’s the luv life, then?” ‘Tavia asked. “Oh, ha-ha... it’s a work in progress.” I said, awkwardly smiling to myself. That got her attention... she gasped slightly and I heard her microphone move around. “MUM! PIP’S GOT A NEW GIRL!” I heard her scream out. “No, no, no, no! Octavia Melody, don’t you dare!” I said, stopping my movement try and text mom.
MidnightTwilight and I were finally out of Oscorp and out in the town, thanks to Cinch allowing us to, in her words, get all of our tension out... Any reason works, I suppose. We made it to the street of the theater when I was tempted to ask Twilight something personal... “So, Twi...” I started. “Y-yeah?” Twilight asked, turning slightly to face me. “I’ve been meanin’ to ask you somethin’-- and if you don’t wanna answer, that’s fine.” I said, nervous to ask. “Oh, come on—I can take it.” She said, with more of a pep in her step. I sighed, turned to her, and grabbed her hand. “Are you... bipolar?” I awkwardly asked. Twilight then understood why I was so hesitant to ask. “Yes... I am. B-Bipolar 2, to be specific. My mother has schizophrenia, that’s why she had that episode with that arm last night...” She said, looking down slightly. That made sense—I stayed up late doing research on Bipolar Disorder to see if my theory lined up, and needless to say, it did—schizophrenia came up from the symptoms I searched and that lined up with Cinch. “Geez... okay, that kind of makes sense now...” I said. “Yeah... you should see her on her bad days.” She said, tugging on her shoulder, wincing slightly. That caught my attention—if Cinch laid a hand on her... “Did she... hurt you?” I asked her. Twilight saw that I noticed her shoulder and sighed, revealing a bandaged wound that went up her shoulder and down to her tricep. “Yeah... she had an episode again—a bad one.” She recalled. I refused to let go of her hand. “If you want a place to stay... just let me know, okay?” I said, assuring her. Twilight chuckled and set her hand on top of ours... “Pip... It’s alright—she and I usually have it under control, but we weren’t able take our meds this morning... as soon as we take them, we’ll be back to normal. Just put up with us for one night, okay?” She asked me. I chuckled and pulled her in for a peck on her forehead. “You say that like puttin’ up with you is a bad thing.” I smiled. Twilight seemed to enjoy that as she rested the front of her head on my chest. “Careful... you know the symptoms of Bipolar, right?” She asked, her voice slightly muffled. “Yeah... I do.” I said. Twilight then did a cute nuzzle. “Is that a challenge?” She whispered, looking up at me with adorable eyes... I then moved my hand and ran it through her hair. “Possibly.” I whispered back. The then remembered that we were going to miss the movie with all of our PDA and kept walking, never releasing our hands... If I was dreaming, I never wanted to wake up. Yeah, Rarity was never really like that—she was more aggressive than anything else, and to tell the truth, part of me missed her—the aggressiveness. I’ll tell you this—there was no guessing with Rarity, no beating around the bush. If she wanted something, she was going to get it... I told that part of me to shut up when we entered the theater, paid for our tickets (after a fight on who paid), and took our seats, in the far back... I know what you’re thinking and I assure you it didn’t happen. Twilight scooted over to me and rested her head on my chest, only for me to wrap an arm around her waist for the entire movie. Not that the movie was bad, but I was more focused on Twilight. We were walking back to the Oscorp building, laughing and talking about random things... “Wait, wait! So, Principal Luna used to be a... heavy metal performer?” Twilight asked, probably trying to picture it. “You bet—Nightmare Moon, she was called... she has some wild stories from those days, most of ‘em I don’t even know.” I chuckled. Twilight then stopped for a moment, holding my hand to pull me back. I sighed and wrapped one arm around her and used my other to caress her face. “I had fun, today.” Twilight said, setting one hand on my chest. “Yeah... I did, too.” I said, rubbing my thumb down her cheek. At that moment, there wasn’t a street, no cars down then roads, no buildings around us... No Rarity, no Sunset, no Cinch... Just us. We slowly leaned in and our lips met. The kiss was short as Twilight pulled away, me doing the same. “I love you, Pip.” Twilight said with a tear in her eye. I pulled her in for a hug and kissed her cheek. “I love you, too... come on, we should head on back there.” I said, kissing her head. We continued heading home, Oscorp’s skyscraper in the distance. Twilight’s phone rang and she pulled it out to see a text from her mother and I, being nosey, decided to take a peak. I take it all of your tension is gone? The text read. We looked up at each other and Twilight then smirked, texting back. Just enough for now. She pulled me in for another kiss that I returned. Twilight then pulled away suddenly, looking around for... somewhere. Her phone rang again, and she pulled it out to read. In your spare time, there’s an Oscorp-owned hotel down the street adjacent to you. Tell them I sent you, and they’ll give you a room. But for tonight just settle with what you have. By the time I finished reading that text, I felt how red I had become. I looked back at Twilight and saw that she was red, too... “Well... we’ll have to keep that in mind for next time.” Twilight pulled me in for a quick kiss as we both headed back home. With the project so close, and now, us... what can go wrong from here? Two weeks had passed since Twilight and I started dating... and this was it. The project was finished, and now all we had to do was test them. Twilight volunteered as a test subject, something that I was against, until she said that it was their creation, and Twilight had faith in it. Cinch had no idea what we made—she wanted it to be a surprise... “So, do you think she’ll like it?” I asked her. Twilight scoffed as she put on some finishing touches, mainly in the form of LED’s at the bottom claws, which were also made to serve as ‘legs’, capable of lifting its user off the ground. “I think she’s going to love it.” Twilight said confidently. Cinch entered the room and glanced at our project, emotionless... until... “What... is that?” She asked. All that confidence that Twilight had that night and throughout the entire project... gone. “It’s uh... it’s meant for... enduring high temperatures, the manual labor field...” She started, the rest was lost in mumbles. “This... is science-fiction, not the future of this company. But... because I admittingly agreed to this... I will see this project out until it’s end. So, where is the volunteer?” Cinch asked, looking around. “I am the volunteer.” Twilight said, setting up the neural link. Cinch then seemed concerned, if not intrigued. I went over to her, desperate to make sure she was okay with the volunteer. “Are you sure about this, Twi? I don’t doubt our project, it’s just...” I started, sighing. Twilight set her hand on my shoulder. “It’s alright, Pip—it's like my mom says: The only future is the one you create.” Twilight said, attaching the arms to her back through a belt-like harness. The device securing the link whirred to life as Twilight suddenly stopped—it was almost like she was possessed. “Twi? Twi, you alright?” I asked, trying to get her attention. “It’s... incredible.” She whispered, suddenly being lifted off of the ground. The arms began extending, carrying Twilight’s weight without fail... She then lifted one arm off of the ground, using her mind to open and close the claws. “Wow...” Cinch whispered, somewhat impressed. Twilight then looked at a ball on the table, part of the testing equipment. “Throw that to me.” She said, calm and collected. I obeyed and picked up the ball, tossing it at Twilight. The arm caught it and she then pulled up another one to begin juggling it, other scientists whispering and chit-chatting while she did so. Cinch still wasn’t too sold yet, so I had an idea. “Okay... let’s try walking.” I said, backing up slightly, hoping Twilight would follow me. Sure enough, Twilight moved one arm and brought it down, doing the same until she developed a basic form of motion. Cinch was now back to somewhat impressed... and then I had an idea. “Try climbing!” I said, now moving along with Twilight. Twilight then jumped up and landed on the other arms, doing pull-ups, laughing with shock and pride. The other scientists gasped when Twilight managed to remain on the wall by activating the claws’ electro-magnets in the pincers—where the LED’S were. “This is incredible!” She said, now using the arms to move up the ceiling, launching two out, jumping off with them, and landing on all four, almost like a graceful gallop. Cinch now began to enjoy the sight. “Manual labor, construction, otherwise dangerous conditions... now meaningless... these arms could be the future of Oscorp’s labor field!” Cinch realized. Suddenly, the computer began blaring. I ran over to see what the screen read... “Oh, my God... Twilight! Come back, now!” I said, desperately typing away. Twilight landed and moved over to me, now reading the screen. “What’s going on, what’s wrong?” She asked. I then pushed a switch, deactivating the neural linking device. “No! Put it back on!” Twilight said, now going back to the ground. Cinch then came over. “Why did you shut it off?! Those arms were... I-incredible!” She said—almost like it hurt to admit-- then reading the screen with us. “The neural link is blocking Twilight’s motor neurons-- it could have other negative effects on her brain. But we did it...” I said, now remembering the last time there was a glitch in our system... I half expected her to go on another rampage, demolishing the new arms like she did that prosthetic... “Okay... and? All that’d need is a few more tweaks. You guys-- great job on this, and Twilight... for the first time since you were 10, I can gladly say that I’m... I’m proud of you.” She said, almost like it meant nothing, but at that moment, Twilight’s eyes lit up. “And Pip... I tolerate you.” She added, walking away and shutting the door behind her. Twilight instantly turned to me, the former smiling from grin to ear. “Pip... come here and kiss me right now before I do it for you.” She said. I didn’t need any other excuse and I ran over and did exactly what she said, savoring every second of her excited, happy nature. While our last kiss was short and equally motivated, this one was overwhelmed by Twilight’s ambition, and as I tried to match it, Twilight then pulled away, leaving a small trail between us. “We’ve done it, Pip... Now it’s time to improve.” Twilight said, wiping her mouth, taking and reactivating the link, reattaching the arms and activating them. “Whoa, whoa—Twi, take a minute. Those arms aren’t safe yet—just a few more tests, and--” Twilight then slammed a claw down, putting a crack in the floor. “We have done enough testing! Did you hear what she said, Pip? My mom is proud of me... for the first time in my life, I’m not a failure!” She said, rising with her claws while monologuing. “Twi, you were never a failure, just... please, give us just a few more days to perfect them, and they’re all yours... I promise.” I said, hoping to get through to her. Twilight stopped and seemingly made a decision. She sighed and disabled the mental link, removing the chest harness. “We’re close, Twilight... we’re almost there.” I said, setting my hand on her shoulder. Twilight nodded and then set the linking device down, glancing at it for a moment. “Yes... we’re so, very close.” Twilight said. Twilight set her hand atop mine and pulled me in again for a quicker kiss. As she pulled away and left the room to the bell, I turned and opened a smaller compartment, revealing my side project... Strong liquid rope that becomes like tensile rubber once introduced to oxygen, and a mask that allows me to scan my environment, almost more so than my heightened senses can. I smiled and put them in my pack, not wanting to leave them there any longer. Later that night, I was back in my dorm, going over the events in the last few days—Cinch's violent rage suddenly replaced with optimism, Twilight’s personality change, and our success of the arms... I reflected on it all until I grew too tired to think, and as I began nodding off... The sudden sensation of being kissed woke me right up. I opened my eyes in shock but once I saw Twilight, I sighed and returned it, finally matching her excitement. She pulled away and looked at me, caressing my face with her hand. “Are you even going to ask how I got up here?” She asked. I knew how—I saw my window open and I could’ve sworn that I heard whirring in my dorm... “I know how... but that can wait ‘till tomorrow. Now, I assume you aren’t here to talk...” I said, setting my hand on her waist. Twilight glanced down and smiled, reaching into her pocket and tossing something at my chest. I knew what it was—almost too well. “I checked in at that hotel, and he gave me that. Sure, I could’ve brought you there, but...” Twilight moved up to my ear, ready to whisper. “I wanted you where you felt safest. Because I wanted to feel safe, too.” She said, nibbling on my ear. I grunted slightly and pulled Twilight in for another kiss—this one much more intimate than any of the others, our tongues finally thrown into the mix. A short fight for dominance, that I won, was cut short by Twilight’s impatience. She pulled away and whispered more than a few sweet nothings in my ear, and as I took control, pinning her to the bed, there was a violent knock on the door. “Hide.” I told her, getting up to answer it. When I opened the door, Cinch let herself in, pushing on the door, knocking me to the ground. “Where is she?” Were the first words out of her mouth. I got up and decided to play dumb. “I don't know, why—what happened?” I asked her. Cinch was clearly having another “episode”, because she began searching the room with a form of manic rage. “I know she’s here... she checked in at the hotel, then went somewhere to find you...” She mumbled, going into another side of the room. I looked around as well, finding the lavender-haired girl cowering under my bed. “Twilight Catrina Sparkle! Where are you?! Get out here right now!” Cinch screamed at the top of her lungs, undoubtedly waking the entire floor, if not the entire building. I began backing away to try and hide Twilight, but Cinch noticed me by the bed and shoved me away, right next to my backpack... As Cinch violently flipped the bed over and grabbed her daughter by the hair, I reached in and grabbed my ‘webbing’, ready to shoot it through the small wrist device I made. “Twilight Sparkle... I thought I raised you better than this!” Cinch broke my window and held Twilight out of it, worrying me so bad that I put on the shooter and pointed it at her. “Let go of her!” My screams fell on deaf ears. Twilight struggled to reach her neck, where the neural device was clearly located, but Cinch grabbed her and held her by the hair to face the outside. “Look out there, Twilight! Want to know what I see? Failures—drugs, starvation, murder, rape... all of them because of wastes of valuable oxygen that do not deserve to walk this dying Earth! It’s up to people like us, Twilight, to restore perfection to this rotting world!” Cinch proclaimed, almost monologuing. Twilight turned to me, trying to whisper for help, but Cinch then violently pulled on Twilight’s hair, taking a few strands out. “I will not lose my daughter to some ruffian who wants to ruin everything I worked so hard for!"Cinch pushed Twilight to the wall, turning to me with a murderous rage. I didn’t hesitate to shoot a glob of my webbing onto Twilight’s neural link, which was met by a yellow glow under the thick webbing. As Cinch grabbed my collar, a claw took Cinch’s hand, which stunned her as we both turned to see Twilight with the arms again, setting another claw around Cinch’s torso, trapping her. “All those years... of me putting up with your insanity... tell me—what do you feel? Scared? Helpless?” Twilight tightened her grip on Cinch, causing her to gasp in agony. I hesitated to put down my shooter, but I did. “That is only a smidge of what I felt, every day, waiting for you to become some animal at the drop of a dime... but no more!” Twilight, went to throw her out the window, but multiple sirens broke the silence. “Abacus Cinch! Come to the window, and drop any weapons you have!” The megaphone ordered. Twilight went ice-cold as she released Cinch, who now ran over to the window. “She tried to kill me!” She screamed out. My blood began going boiling hot as I clenched my fists in pure rage that she’d accuse her own daughter of trying to kill her. “Hey, mom... how’s the view?” The megaphone asked. Shocked silence filled the room—since when did Twilight have a brother? “Shining...” She whispered, turning to see Cinch’s stunned face. “Now, we’ve been called in because of reports that their principal broke into a student’s dorm and was, in their words, ‘screaming like a maniac’. My boys will be at the room and less than 3 minutes—when they get there, put your hands behind your head and walk out slowly.” Shining ordered. Cinch turned to me and roared, grabbing my collar and shoving me to the window. “Shining Armor, I would like you to meet your sister’s soon-to-be ex-boyfriend!” Cinch threw me out of the window, sending me plummeting down. I, of course, shot out a web and pulled myself back to the building, much to the shock of everyone down in the open field. I then began crawling back up, hearing screaming and some scuffle up in my room... I reached the window to see my room completely destroyed, and Twilight tearing her way through the halls, her arms swinging rapidly. The whole time, her vocabulary was limited to one sentence, and she screamed out that sentence again and again... “You killed him!“ I almost made it inside as Cinch’s body flung past me, falling to the ground below. Shock wasn’t able to set in as I jumped off the building, shot a web at Cinch, and clung to the wall, all before we got close to the ground. Cinch looked up at me and I nodded to her, and let her go, softening her fall as the police put handcuffs on her. I went back upstairs to consult Twilight, who was still having a meltdown, flailing the mechanical arms through room after room, screaming violently. By the time I got to her, the entire floor was open—walls separating the dorm rooms were now rubble as Twilight stopped her havoc to loudly sob as the police arrived. They went to talk to her when I stopped them, walking up to her. “Twi... Twi, look at me—I'm okay.” I said, trying to catch her attention. She looked up to me and turned, her face covered in rubble that her tears were now cleaning. “Pip... I... I...” She started, unable to finish as she ran into my arms. “I know, Twi... I know.” I held her as I disabled her neural link and removed her arms, them clanging to the ground, Shining not too far behind. “Twily!” He called out, running over to her. Twi looked up and ran to her bigger brother, holding him in a death-hug. “Is she... did I kill her?” She asks in horror. Shining looked up to me, still slightly bewildered by what he saw. “No... we caught her.” He said, nodding to me. I knew that meant he’d keep my secret and I nodded back, thanking him for doing so. I looked out the window and saw that the police car Cinch was put in had driven off, giving me a sigh of relief. But then I turned to see the destruction that Twilight caused, and the fact that she tried to kill her mother... The ordeal was far from over—if anything it had only begun.
BreakdownAnother attempted software update... another failure. A few days had passed since Cinch was arrested and another CEO of Oscorp was still nowhere to be found. A few other scientists, including myself, were trying to fix the neural linking device from interfering with basic brain function, but all it did was lower the other symptoms nowhere near the source of the problem. “I just don’t understand how this whole thing truly works... it’s meant to communicate with the user’s brain waves, not break through them...” One of the few scientists admired. “I don’t know either... Twilight was the mastermind behind all this—maybe I can go see if she can help in any way.” I offered, wanting to talk to her, anyway. Another one of the scientists turned to me, ready to add his input. “With all this time we’ve devoted to this thing... I’m starting to think that the link isn’t the problem... maybe it’s the mental state of the user.” He suggested. I stayed silent, unable to respond. “I know it’s hard to hear... but maybe Twilight’s just too unstable. Or maybe she just needs help—therapy, medical aid... maybe it’s that easy, maybe not. You can go talk to her, we’ll see if my hypothesis is wrong.” He said, going back to the several computers wired to the small yellow device... I headed out the door, shutting it behind me as I almost bumped into one of Oscorp’s board members. “Oh! Sorry about that—I have a strange habit of bumping into people...” I recalled. The board member looked up at me, chuckling while wiping his lab coat clean. “Oh, it’s fine—I was praying you weren’t Cinch, until I remembered what happened...” He said, his nametag visible to me, reading out ‘Norman Osborn’. “I assume you’re Norman Osborn?” I asked, holding out my hand. Norman shook my hand, with a small, prideful smile on his face. “That’s me, and I assume you’re the infamous Pip.” He said. I chuckled, nodding while I did so. “I guess I am.” Norman's smile soon faded, and I knew what he was going to talk about. “I remember all the times Cinch had those meltdowns of hers... she was clearly unfit to raise a daughter, let alone run a company.” He said, looking down at the floor. “Yeah... now it’s about trying to make sure Twilight doesn’t wind up the same way.” I said, leaving to go after her. Twilight was being kept in a local hospital, her doctors leaving her room with looks of awe and bewilderment as I entered the waiting room. “Excuse me, Mr. Pip!” One of the doctors called out to me. I turned to them, ready to hear what they had to say. “I take it you’re here to talk to Twilight?” He asked me. I nodded and the doctor then set his hand on my shoulder and led me along, faster than normal. “So, this device that activated those mechanical arms? They are seeming to have other effects on the brain—more medical effects.” My heart dropped as I realized that our attempt to help her may have just made her worse... “What kind of effects?” I asked, seeing her room number, only to be pulled into an adjacent room. The doctors then went through a filing cabinet, pulling out Twilight’s file record. “Normally, we wouldn’t share this with you, but since you’re the only other guardian aside from Shining Armor... three weeks ago, Twilight was here on a check-up with her neurologist, and these were her brain scan results.” The doctor set the paper on the table, and it matched what came up when I searched for bi-polar symptoms. “Okay... so what are they like, now?” I asked. The doctor then pulled out another file, setting it next to the other, that one dated today. “Her brain waves are completely normal... Twilight Sparkle is medically cured of her bi-polar disorder.” Her words hit me like a drum—our invention that was meant to be used for labor just fixed Twilight’s brain... “C-can I speak to her, please? I want to get some information on how the device we used works, she’s the one who invented it.” I said, almost ignoring what we just discovered. “Of course, you know her number, already.” The second doctor told me. I did, and I left to find the room door with Shining close behind me. “So, you heard the news?” He asked me. “About Twilight being cured? Yeah, I heard... but now I’m worried about her trauma—she saw me get thrown out a bloody window.” I reminded him. “Yes, but that gizmo of yours has potential... and I’m not just talking about the neural... linking... thing.” Shining said, unsure what to call it. “Yeah-- we gotta make a name for it, but later.” I said, opening the door to see Twilight lying in bed, looking up at the ceiling. She turned to us once the door opened and shut, and she began getting tearful once she saw me. “I... thought you were...” I didn’t hesitate to run over and hug her—or as much as I could, since she was in the medical bed. “I know, Twi... I know.” I said, kissing her cheek as I pulled away. Shining took a seat, Twilight turning to him. “How’ve you been, Twily?” He asked. Twilight chuckled—a sound I wasn’t used to hearing. “Not too good... how about you?” She asked him. Shining didn’t respond as he sighed and leaned in. “Dad’s on his way—he's been talking to Cinch about becoming your legal guardian...” He said. I turned to Twilight, who simply leaned back. “Now? He had all this time and he chooses now to talk to me, after I almost killed my mother when she threw my boyfriend out a window?” She asked, with a slight anger in her tone. My heart skipped a beat when she said that word—I knew that I had to be there for her, now more than ever... but all that did was verify my idea that I wasn’t going anywhere, not that I had any complaints. Shining sighed again. “I know it looks bad, Twily, but he didn’t stand a chance against Cinch. But now that she’s gone, he wants to take you in again. Come home with us, Twilight—you'll love Velvet, she’s itching to meet her step-daughter.” Shining said, rubbing his hair at the last part. Twilight didn’t respond, at least not emotionally... “All I want right now is my creation back... then we’ll talk. Speaking of which, how is it coming along, Pip?” She asked, turning to me, almost no emotion in her voice or even on her face... I leaned forward, slightly unnerved from Twilight’s suddenly calm stature. “We’re starting to believe that the neural link isn’t the problem... maybe, it was... your brain that messed with it.” I offered, my words hurting myself. Twilight gasped softly, but then went neutral. “That... makes sense—the doctors told me that my brain waves are coming up as normal, now... perhaps it was the link that both fixed my brain and gave me that high emotional outburst.” Twilight said, recalling the events of the days prior. I chuckled, knowing what she was referring to... “Shining, can you give us the room for a minute, please?” I asked him. Shining hesitantly nodded and went outside, where someone outside set their hand on his shoulder. “Hey, Cady...” He said as the door shut. I turned to Twilight, who was somewhat wide-eyed. “What is it?” I asked her. “Cady was my babysitter, when our parents were still together... hmm.” She hummed, turning back to me. We stayed silent, the suspense killing me. After a moment, I moved my chair closer and took Twilight’s hand. “What would’ve happened if Cinch didn’t bombard that room?” I asked her. Twilight looked at me and chuckled, turning over to me and looking me in the eyes. “I think you know what would’ve happened.” She said, smiling. I smiled back, my face feeling hot as I pulled her in for a quick kiss. Once we pulled away, Twilight set her hand on the back of my head and pulled me back in, ignoring the fact that we were probably on camera. “Pip... I know about Rarity.” She said once we pulled away. The giddy feeling that I felt from kissing her faded as well as my face cooling as I looked back at her. “I was a student at CHS a while back... I was there long enough to see the Rainbooms, and hear rumors about Rarity’s new boy-toy... a small, weak British boy with a brown birthmark over his eye... and the son of the principal—perfect for blackmail.” She took her hand and caressed my birth mark, wiping a shameful tear away as she did. “You knew? All this time, and you never said anything?” I asked her. Twilight sighed and rolled back, facing the ceiling again. “What was it like? Being hers?” She asked. I looked up at her before I looked away, twitching slightly in my seat. “It was, uh... educational, to say the least. Needless to say, I can proudly say that I’m not into whatever she was into.” I laughed. Twilight laughed along slightly, seemingly not done with her point. “How about with Sunset? And Rainbow Dash? They all had roles to play, right? Just not sexual?” She asked. I let out a short chuckle and looked up at her again. “Yeah, they did—you don’t just learn how to fight or free-run from the internet.” I laughed. Twilight chuckled along, our conversation ending by two people entering—Shining and who I assumed was ‘Cady’. “Hey, kiddo.” ‘Cady’ said, taking a seat. Twilight seemed to get emotional, turning to her. “Hey, Cadence.” She tearfully said. Shining sat next to her, a small smile on his face. “I can’t imagine what living with Cinch was like... but Dad wants to start things over again. He lives in the Canterot District, so you two will see each other...” Shining listed many benefits that I’d listen to, but Twilight seemed somewhat interested. “You don’t have to be what she made you, Twilight... that’s over now.” Cadence said, leaning in. Twilight clearly didn’t like that remark, and her grip on my hand tightening was all I needed to prove that. “What she made me? We made those arms—I made those arms... from scratch! I fixed myself-- I proved my mother wrong... we can change—become greater than what we are...” She started. Shining glanced at me, who was still holding Twilight’s hand when she pulled it away from me and turned to her brother. “...and you’re giving me a chance to settle? I don’t want to stop now—I can’t stop now. I don’t want your help, and I don’t want reminders of what life was like before Mom and Dad split up. All I want right now... is my creation, and a lab to improve it in.” Back at Oscorp, I was helping one of the scientists load the arms up for Twilight—she was to leave the hospital later tonight. “We bought out an abandoned warehouse a few miles from here—it was intact and structurally sound, and our boys are already on their way to set up a basic laboratory.” Part of me was against the idea of Twilight keeping the arms, but then again, everyone needs a hobby... and I was about to have one of my own, a shopping bag containing a long-sleeved white shirt in my moped and more of my web-fluid, along with the schematics for them, in my pack. “I’m sure she’ll love it. And don’t worry, I’m absolutely certain that Twilight will be fine... just give her a little time.” The scientist picked up the neural link and as we went to pack it... It detonated, causing a small gasp from the scientist whose hand was starting to bleed. “Jesus!” The scientist shouted out, holding his hand. I ran over and analyzed the link, only to see that it wasn’t the link at all... it was a dud. “It’s a fake...” I said as I heard mechanical whirring behind me. I turned to see that the arms have come to life, smacking a scientist to the wall with one swipe, and beginning to walk with the other two, leaving fine imprints in the ground. I instantly put on my... Web... shooters? Yeah—web shooters. I shot a web out and pulled on my arm, pulling me to the wall where I dug into my backpack and put on my mask—it immediately located the arms scaling the hospital building and I shot a web at a nearby water tower... And I froze, realizing what I was about to do... I never truly tested the strength of this webbing, so for all I knew, it could snap as soon as I was in the air... I looked down and saw that cops were already at the scene, shining lights on the arms... I looked down for a moment and almost fainted, but I clenched the webbing I shot out and backed up, ready for a leap. I ran until I was at the ledge, and I jumped, my heart stopping as I fell, and suddenly stopped and began swinging forward, slowly building up momentum. I saw a light shine on me which I ignored, realizing that the arms were closing in on Twilight’s room... prompting me to release the web, now soaring in the air, and shooting a web at the building, pulling in and landing on the wall. I shot two webs up and backed away, ready to take the arms by surprise—but as I zipped upwards, one arm turned to me and opened its claws, grabbing me and tossing me into the window, where I turned and saw a very familiar... pink fanatic. “Spiders! Spiders bad!” Pinkamena screamed out as I leapt out the window and webbed the claw that grabbed me, hoping it’d pull me up trying to take the webbing off. However, it gently carried me to the window where the arms had stopped and I looked in to see Twilight, off of her bed and wearing her lab coat. “I’m sorry, Pip... but you wouldn’t understand.” Twilight made a gesture with her fingertip and the arms threw me through the glass window, sharp burns on my arms and legs from shards of glass. I tried to get up, but the blood spilling out of me somehow caused me to slip, where Twilight was reunited with her mechanical arms from Twilight backing into them and the chest harness tightening around her. “Stay out of our way, Pip!” Twilight said as she scaled the building, causing me to run against the shattered glass, looking up hopelessly as Twilight reached the roof and jumped into the night. I had enough. By the time the sun came up, I had quit Oscorp and made it to the bus, nothing being left from Twilight’s breakdown the week prior. I was on the bus back home when I looked down at my phone and saw that Pinkamena was soon to be released from the psychiatric ward she was staying following an accident that put her in that hospital last night. I sighed and looked through my contacts, seeing that Rarity was still on my favorites tab... I almost called her... my thumb was hovering over the call button for a reason that I still couldn’t fathom. Everything I just went through, trying to help Twilight and the whole ‘spider-bite’ crisis... just to give it all up and go back to being a boy-toy? Screw that. I looked into my bag to see the mask looking back at me, almost like it was calling to me. And I answered it swiftly, deleting Rarity’s number and pocketing my phone. I then turned my attention out the window to see the city skyline begin to leave my view and the small suburbs outside the city enter it, like the darkness and the horror of the city switching for the craziness and the small-time of the small towns... save for CHS, that was a whole other ball-game, with super-powered bullies and drama that was almost like a soap opera... that was my home, it is my home. And I’m going to defend it. The bus came to a stop and I got off to see my mother on the stop, backed away and looking down at the floor... I knew almost instantly that something was wrong. I left the bus along with the other passengers and I approached my mother, expecting ‘Tavi to come back from the bathroom, or say that she had to walk... But no. I came up and saw my mother in tears. “Mum? What’s wrong?” I asked her. She didn’t say a word—I then looked around to see if Octavia was close by, but she wasn’t anywhere to be seen... “Where’s ‘Tavi? She stopped callin’ me a few days ago...” I said, starting to fear the worst. She looked up at me and held me in a death-hug, something that caught me off-guard. “Pip... something happened.” She silently sobbed, unable to say anything else. From one hospital for a loved one to another hospital for another loved one... “Witnesses say that she just passed out... but further research has found that she has very little brain activity. Doctors almost declared brain-death if it weren’t for the fact that her brain responded when Ms. Luna informed her. We’ve never seen this before, it’s almost as if she’s a prisoner of her own body...” The doctor marveled as he stood with a clipboard. My fists clenched as the potential witnesses began piling up in my head—did Twilight do this? Did she break out just to hunt her down and use that brain-device on her? No—Twilight wouldn’t... But I knew someone who would, and had the means to do so. The doctor nodded to my mother and he left the room, causing her to walk over to me. “Do you have any proof that Sunset did this? Even if it’s just words, anything at all?” She asked me, desperate to do something, but restrained due to the lack of evidence. I shook my head, my anger getting to me. “I swear... the second that I find proof, that... that snivelling, blackmailing bitch and her little friends are out—straight to Captain Armor to deal with as his jurisdiction allows...” She whispered. I sighed and turned to her. “Mom, I can’t help you with evidence, but I can help you...” I said, ready to tell her about that spider bite. She looked up to me, and I sat back up, unable to look at Octavia’s condition for another minute. “Remember when we went to Oscorp for that shadowing trip? Well, I was at an exhibit for a DNA splicing project with spiders... one of them broke out, and... bit me.” I said, showing my hand. Mom’s eyes widened and she was obviously about to scold me for not informing her, but then I put up my hands. “If it was gonna kill me, it’d be in effect by the time we got back to the car.” I defended myself. “Well, still—you can’t just hide something like this from me! What if you got sick, or--” She stopped when she saw Octavia move, and I turned to see her blink and go back to being blank... “It’s like she’s fighting it... ‘Tavi, can you hear me?” I asked her, setting my hand on hers. She didn’t respond, save for her eyes closing, so I sighed and turned back to Mom. “Yeah... I kept it from you. Because a day later, I’m tall, my body’s in shape, my reflexes are lightning fast, I can... sense my environment—like how many people are in a room, what’s happening where... and I can crawl on walls.” I told her. If that didn’t prove my case, me jumping and sticking to the ceiling when we got home did the trick—and also caused her to pour hot coffee all over the kitchen floor... “Okay-- so, you have these... powers. I’ve also heard rumors about the Sunset’s friends having abilities, is this true, as well?” She asked. I instantly looked at the floor and nodded. “Every one of them—save for Pinkamena, who’s just insane on her own.” I said, recalling all of the terror she caused. She clearly didn’t handle that well—she took a seat by the door and I took one as well. “So... allow me to grasp the weight of the situation: You, my son, can climb walls, ‘sense’ your environment, and have high reflexes, and the six students who made my school a living hell for students and faculty for the last three years and gotten away with it due to no paper trail and connections in local government also have abilities?” She asked, visibly unable to process what she was saying. I nodded and she simply rubbed the bridge of her nose. “I leave you at Oscorp for three months, three months... Come on—Octavia needs rest and now so do I...” She sighed. And like that... my story ends. At least the origins of it... Now we can move forward to how it develops... Author's Note Hello, readers! Here to make a quick announcement that along with these chapters will often be quick "sketches" of characters, mostly consisting of bases made by the incredibly talented SelenaEde. For today, this is Sombra as the infamous Kingpin, somewhat inspired by Netflix's Daredevil (#SaveDaredevil)
Double DateA knock on my apartment door interrupted my mope session as I went over to open it slightly, only to see my landlord, Mr. Cake, on the other side... “R-rent?” He simply asked, somewhat nervous as he spoke. I chuckled and opened the door, opening my wallet to go through my monthly fee. “How’s life, Mr. Cake?” I asked him. He hesitated before responding to me, he also somewhat jumped back when I asked. “G-good. The store got a bit vandalized last night, we’re suspecting those CMC’s, but... due to their family ties...” He began backing up again as I handed him his money. I knew why he was so nervous—Sunset kept hassling him despite me actually paying him, so everything I pay him either goes to Sunset for “protection” or to repairing the store. “I’ll see if I can come down and pitch in a bit later... Look, if Sunset’s giving you a hard time, I can always talk to her. It’s not like she’ll hurt me or anything.” I said. “No. No, I can’t ask you to do that.” He said, pocketing the annual rent money and went to leave. “Why? Why do you put up with her when I could just talk to her?” I asked him. He stopped and turned to me, his eyes bearing a form of emptiness I’ve only seen in a few students and at least one teacher at CHS... a lack of hope that was beginning to spread to everyone around me, slowly pulling me down with it. “Because deep down, you want to.” He said. He shut my door as I went to the living room, slouching on the sofa while turning on the TV, enjoying the benefits of the weekend. My phone then went off to see a text from a blocked number. I clicked on it to see that it was from Sunset, possibly one of the many dirty pics she sent me ever since we broke up. I knew she was doing it to try and get me back, but part of me felt like she missed me and she actually wanted me back... but I knew her too well to assume otherwise. The first one, a pic of her in her bathroom, wearing an all-black bra that was two sizes too small with the text reading “Miss you xoxo” with her throwing a peace sign. Swipe. The second one, in her bedroom, facing a mirror with her arms crossed across her chest with the text reading “Do you miss your kit--” Swipe, with a hint of heat emitting from my face. The third caught me off-guard—it was a close up of her... personalities. The text saying “Lettin’ it all hang for u” I coldly deleted it, unwilling to keep anything she sent me on my phone... but now the image was grilled into my head, and with that a fluster of memories that I didn’t want to remember... And some that I couldn’t help but miss. I was on the verge of caving and scrolling further when the news story caught my attention. “...reports of a meteorite crash just outside of Canterlot has taken the astronomy world by storm, sources claiming it to be pieces of a larger comet while others state that it may be our first encounter with extraterrestrials. The meteor has been collected by Oscorp Industries due to claims of unsafe elements resonating from the space rock--” I sighed and changed the channel, hoping to find something to take my mind off of everything with Sunset. My search was answered by another knock on my door. I turned to see if it was Mr. Cake, only to see Pip on the other side. “Hey, dude.” He said, awkwardly waving as he came in. “What’s up?” I asked him. Pip didn’t answer as he came in and shut the door, looking around at my small but tidy apartment. “Nice place...” He awed. “Yeah-- Sunset and I bunked here for a few weeks when we dated... well, that didn’t turn out the way she wanted it to.” I recalled. We stayed silent as a commercial for Oscorp came on, in which Pip simply scoffed. “That company’s on thin ice as it is...” He muttered. Another comment on Oscorp... they weren’t my idol or anything, and I knew they had their long string of controversy, but those comments seemed personal... “Yeah, what is it with you and Oscorp, anyway?” I asked him, eager to know. Pip went to say something, but retracted it at the last second. “It’s a long story...” He sighed. We went back to awkward silence until I suddenly remembered about the mask I saw. “Oh, yeah—that mask I saw, with your name on the document? Spider-Man's mask?” I asked, hoping he’d remember. Pip simply sighed and turned to me. “Okay... so I know how stupid this sounds, but... are you... y’know... Spider-Man?” I asked him. He chuckled and got up from the couch, looking at the ceiling and... Flipping on to it. “Yeah... I guess you could say that I am.” He smiled, keeping one hand on the ceiling while straightening himself and dropping back down. I was flabbergasted... up to that point I was convinced that it was just some coincidence, or maybe Pip helped design Spider-Man's costume... but no—my best friend is Spider-Man... “...Flash? You there, buddy?” He asked, waving his hand in front of my face. “You’re Spider-Man...” I said, still in awe. “Yeah... I am.” He smiled. Our short but juicy conversation was interrupted by yet another knock on the door... “Let’s just have a party, why don’t we?” I grumbled as I opened the door to see... “Oh! Hey, Aria...” I said, still flustered from our run-in with Sunset earlier. “What’s up, Flash?” She asked, then looking in to see Pip. Pip looked back and I was sure I saw Adagio behind her, but I had no way of being sure. “Oh, that’s Pip, right? Adagio was talking about hi—Ow!” Aria got her shoulder bumped from behind, which told me that Adagio was behind Aria... “Oh, was she?” Pip asked in the background, with a sly smirk on his face. Aria chuckled while Adagio came out from behind, her hair now straightened out and running down to her back instead of her large bun. “There’s a small show going on downtown and we got two extra tickets since Sonata and her boyfriend cancelled out on us... wanna come with?” Adagio asked, occasionally looking up at Pip. If she was crushing on him, she did a poor job at hiding it, but I think Pip did a good job at picking up on it... “I’m down—let me just let my mom know.” He said, going to another room. Does Luna know he’s Spider-Man? I’ll have to ask him a bit later. So many questions were flooding through my mind but I decided to put them on hold so I wouldn’t burst out the fact that my best friend is a crime-fighting superhero... Okay, that was still too weird to admit. Aria and Flash were a row above us, leaving me and Adagio with a completely empty row, much to our surprise. “I guess no-one knows good entertainment, anymore...” Adagio sighed. “Yeah, I guess...” I said, looking behind me to see Flash and Aria both somewhat grumpy. “It’s like their resting face.” Adagio laughed. I chuckled along as the lights dimmed and the curtains rolled. The show was a local magician—I’m sure that I saw her in the halls once or twice—and needless to say, she was... somewhat adequate. Her tricks consisted of some of the simple things; pulling a rabbit out of a hat, some card tricks with volunteers, nothing too exciting. That was fine by me, since that give me and Adagio time to talk. “So... how long’s it been since you’ve been out with someone?” Adagio asked, her eyes darting at the show and then at me. I considered lying about it, but I knew that it wasn’t a smart idea. “What’s the date?” I asked her. “Hmm... I’m sure it’s October 4th...” She pondered. “Then about three weeks ago.” I said. Adagio let out a simple but complex hum as she went back to watching the show... that time the magician looked back at Flash and Aria, pointing a finger at them before gesturing them to come to her. “Oh, this should be good...” I said, sitting up in anticipation. The two went up on stage, facing a small table where they both were gestured to take a seat. “Of all the magic that I can do... love is possibly the strongest. It cannot be conjured, nor can it be forced-- it must be treated with tenderness and care. For my next trick... I will make these two simple show-goers... fall in love!” Some gasps and a few “oohs” were heard in the crowd, while Adagio and I glanced at each other. “Now... love, as I said, is a tricky spell to cast... but it can easily be done once you understand it. All you two have to do is... talk.” The magician tilted her head. Flash and Aria glanced at each other awkwardly before simply obeying. We couldn’t hear what they were saying, but it seemed very interesting. “As for those of you in the audience, I’d advise doing the same—I understand there are more than one pair of potential lovers here, tonight...” She said, turning back to Flash and Aria. Adagio and I simply sighed and started asking each other rapid fire questions. “So... how long have you been in Canterlot?” I asked her. “About a few weeks, now. How about you?” Adagio asked me. “Almost my whole life, my mom moved here with me and my... sister, when she and my dad split up.” I said, hesitating to mention my sister. Adagio seemed to notice and decided to steer away from it. “How do you like CHS?” I asked, almost knowing the answer. Adagio simply let out a groan. “It wouldn’t be so bad if it weren’t for the super-powered group of Heathers running it all.” She answered. I let out a short laugh—I never really thought of them like Heathers... “You said you got out of a relationship three weeks ago... what happened, if you don’t mind answering?” Adagio asked me. I hesitated, but eventually told her. “Her name was Twilight, and her mom was... well, different. She wanted her daughter to be the absolute best and pushed her until she broke. She almost killed her mother after she almost killed me, and I haven't seen her since.” I said, immensely watering down the story. Adagio simply let out a soft gasp as her next question was cut off by Aria and Flash’s laughter. We both turned to see them simply talking, having a good time with each other. “You see, folks? Love cannot be forced or neglected—it must be protected and allowed to grow.” She signaled the two to return to their seats, and they did—holding hands the whole time. Adagio and I simply glanced at each other, her seemingly understanding what I was going through. “My ex was a douche—his parents were worse. Trust me, they’d go down on him for anything, and I guess he let it out on me...” Adagio recoiled slightly. Needless to say, that angered me—no-one had the right to put their hands on anyone, especially the ones they’re supposed to love... Except I beat up bad people as a living, so... I’ll get back to you on that. “...Then, one day, he tried to attack me. I fought back, gave him a good cut on his eye... my sisters came around and we never looked back.” She said, glancing at her hand closest to me. I sighed and slowly leaned back, moving my hand as a result, almost asking for permission. “My first girlfriend was... a very interestin’ individual... She was obsessed with control, somethin’ that helped her fit in with the Rainbooms...” Adagio quickly turned to me. “Your ex is one of the Rainbooms?” She asked me. “Yep... Rarity.” I said, chuckling at the memory. Adagio then leaned forward, her hand millimeters away from mine. “So... you and Rarity dated? What was that like?” She asked. “Latex, latex, latex... that girl has a kink, and it is ugly.” I laughed. Adagio soon laughed along, her fingers resting on the back of my hand. My eyes looked back at Flash and Aria, who were now in a full make out session in the very back. “Wow... that was quick of her. Is your friend... like that? I don’t want Aria to be too forceful because trust me, she will be...” Adagio said, her hand completely resting on mine. I let out a hearty chuckle. “Trust me: There is no such thing as rushed or forceful with Flash Sentry...” I chuckled. Yeah, I knew what he was into— I have my ways of knowing and I'd rather not share them right now... “Oh, really? Well, they should get along nice, then.” Adagio giggled. “Eh, his neighbors might complain, though...” I chuckled along and turned my hand around, now properly holding her hand. “...and with that... The Great and Powerful... Trixie!” She did a little bow and the curtains rolled, ending the show. There were some claps and we glanced at each other. “I never got your number, did I?” She asked me. “No, I don’t believe you did.” I said, sadly pulling my hand away to give her my number. Flash and Aria practically abandoned us as we both looked at each other. “HIs parents won’t be home, will they?” She asked me, with a hint of fear. “Flash’s a... loner—Sunset gave him that apartment when they were dating.” I told her. Adagio simply let out a hum. “How about yours?” I asked her. She looked away and sighed. “We live alone, too, Pip.” She said. I immediately stopped talking, and as Adagio saved my number, she gave me a quick peck on my cheek. “I had fun, tonight. See you Monday, Pip.” She said in my ear. With that, the double date was over... and I loved it.
SymbioticThe rising sun shone through my apartment building and almost blinded me as I slowly rose out of bed, still somewhat worn out from last night... Aria was something else—she was feisty and kinda kinky... She was just like me. I turned my head to see a piece of paper on my small nightstand, grabbing it and reading it out. Had fun last nite. Sry I couldn’t stay, had to get home b4 Sonata got home and complained. (She’s the worst) Apartment number’s 14, xoxo—AB. They lived in the apartment? How didn’t I know they lived in the same building as me? Well, at least I know, now. I went to the kitchen to make some breakfast—I had put the breakfast burrito in the microwave when I heard a knock on my door. Pip? My landlord? Aria? I went over to the door and opened it, only to see... “Hey, Flashie! How’s the life?” Sombra asked, walking into my apartment like he owned the place. Technically, he did... he owns the property, using Mr. Cake as a proxy landlord. “...Decent.” I said, knowing it’d be unwise not to answer. Sombra took a seat on my couch, kicking his dirty shoes off as he did. “Good! That’s... good.” Sombra said, turning on the T.V. The first report was on Spider-Man, and how he had shut down yet another one of the local trade rings. “That... that’s just bad business. I never approved of trafficking... it’s just so... bleh.” Sombra said, putting stress into the ‘bleh’. I was surprised to see him actually approve of Spider-Man. Weren’t they archrivals, or something? The mircowave dinged, and Sombra went over to it and opened it, pulling out the decently sized burrito. “Now, if Spider-Man worked for me... he’d have every chance to take as much of these guys out as he would want—and get paid for it! I’ll never understand these kids, nowadays—if you’re good at something, never do it for free.” Sombra said, taking a bite out of the still-hot burrito. I softly gasped as I realized a handful of things—One, Pip was in a war with my old boss. Two, Pip didn’t know he was my old boss. Three, if Sombra was here... he wanted something. “What do you want?” I asked, not wanting to draw everything out. Sombra chuckled, shaking his head as he set the burrito down. “You see—this is what I missed about you; you didn’t care what needed to get done, you just wanted to do it...” Sombra said. I grumbled as a response, Sombra picked up on it. “Oh, come on—don't be like that. I know some of your jobs went bad, but I promise—this one’s different.” He said, starting to build it up. “I don’t work for you anymore, Sombra—we had a deal.” I told him. “Yeah, I remember—but last I recall, you owed me a favor... just one.” Sombra smirked. I cursed under my breath, remembering that I promised Sombra one favor—any favor—in exchange for me no longer working for him when Sunset and I broke up... “Besides, it doesn’t even involve you, so to speak... that friend of yours, what’s his name—Pip?” My heart stopped and my blood ran cold... did Sombra know? “What about him?” I asked, putting on the bold facade. “He used to work at Oscorp—dated the CEO’s daughter for a month or two... that should be enough for him to know the way around so you can go on and grab something for me...” He said. I knew I wasn’t going to do it, and I think he knew it, too. “No.” I simply answered. Sombra’s prideful smirk faded in response to my denial. “I’m sorry... but did you just say no? To me?” Sombra growled, rising from the couch. I shuddered, but only for a moment. “Yeah... I did. So, are you gonna beat me to a pulp or are you gonna just kill me?” I asked him. Sombra chuckled, but he still kept his growling face... “No... not you—I'll simply go after everyone you’ve ever dared to love—I'll skin them all alive and leave pieces of them for the police to find, and I’ll put it all on you!” Sombra slammed his fist onto my table, putting an imprint on it. I backed away, eyeballing a knife on the counter. Sombra saw it and bolted over to it, grabbing a paper towel as he grabbed it, possibly to hide his fingerprints. “I’ll do it all with this knife... and when I’m done, I’ll hit your ex up, borrow some fingerprint samples, and... that’d be it for Flash Sentry.” Sombra set the knife down and tossed the paper towel into my garbage can, nailing the shot. “Or... you’ll do what I say.” Sombra threatened. If there was anything Sombra was good at... it’d be his framing—he knew how to make people look and feel guilty—as was why he was trusted by the Rainbooms to frame people for the more heinous crimes. “I could do that... or I could just throw myself out of that window as soon as you go out there. You can’t put all the blame on a dead man, now can you?” I asked him, moving closer to him out of anger. Sombra somewhat gasped and backed up slightly. “Yeah... you could do that... but what would Aria think?” Sombra asked. I hesitated as soon as he said her name. I couldn’t put all of that on her... I just couldn’t. “There we go... now, are you in, or not?" He asked. I caved, ready to just get that job over with. “Okay.... what needs to be done?” I asked, looking down at the floor. Sombra smiled, whistling as my door swung open and someone else entered, wearing a green jumpsuit and a metal belt around their waist, her face concealed by a large cloak “Doctor... lay it on him.” Sombra said, returning to the couch. The ‘Doctor’ removed her hood to reveal... “Twilight?” I whispered. Twilight Sparkle, an old student from CHS, removed her massive cloak to reveal four massive mechanical arms, two of them slamming into the ground while one lunged at me, grabbing me and lifting me along with Twilight. “First of all, my name... is Doctor Octopus. Second of all... hello, Flash. It’s been a while.” Twilght smiled, dropping me and lowering herself. Sombra turned over to see us and laughed. “You see? She’s what I love about youth—give them the desire and the means to do so, and they’d do anything.” He said, flipping through channel after channel. I turned to Twili—Doctor Octopus, who removed her metal belt, which was attatched to the massive arms, and walked around, somewhat limping as she did. “My mother’s dying. Her mind just couldn’t handle everything that had happened in the last few weeks... now, I assume you heard about that meteor crash from last night?” Twilight asked. I nodded, turning to see that Sombra wasn’t on the couch... “They found something on that meteor... a vessel, of sorts.” Twilight turned my attention back to her. Vessel? I didn’t remember hearing anything like that... “You mean... like, an alien vessel?” I asked. Twilight smiled as she nodded, her smile similar to the Rainbooms. “Bingo. Now, that vessel was taken to Oscorp, and it contained a form of... symbiotic alien, showing remarkable healing abilities... all you have to do, is break into Oscorp and fish it out. Does that sound fair to you?” She asked me. I almost laughed. “No. You have the mechanical arms, why can’t you just do it?” I asked her, hoping Sombra didn’t hear. Twilight began to laugh as she walked over to her arms, setting a pair of goggles over her eyes as she did. “Gladly... Sombra, we’re done here. Make it quick.” Twilght ordered, putting on her cloak as she left my apartment. I turned to see Sombra, and saw the barrel of a suppressed pistol facing me. “Look, if it’s any conciliation: I was never gonna kill your friends—that crap leaves a trail... but this? Goodbye, Flash Sentry. Rest well.” “L-look, tell Sombra he’ll have his money, just give us time!” The clerk said as his coworker was being beaten in the background. I sighed, holding my crowbar, swinging it slightly to intimidate him. “I don’t really care about time. Either give Sombra his money, or we’ll just break both of your kneecaps and take the money, anyway.” I threatened, growling in disgust over my own words. That did it—the clerk was digging through his register until he grabbed every dollar and cent out of it. “Okay, okay! Here! Here’s every dollar, j-just take it and go!” He said, his hands shaking as he set the clump of dollars and coins on the table. I smiled under my ski mask, nodding to the clerk as I signaled the others to stop their beating. “We’re done here... let’s go.” I said, ready to leave. We all turned to leave, proud of a job well done, until suddenly... “Screw you! Tell Kingpin to come deal with us himself!” “No, no—wait!” I cried out in vain as he charged at me. I woke with a start on my bed, feeling for a bullet wound to find nothing. I started breathing a sigh of relief and as I went to the kitchen... the stench hit me like a bullet. The first thing I saw was the blood—a big stain on the floor and a smaller one on the door, and the room was torn apart, the table flipped and broken, torn open bags of tater tots all over the floor, and my garbage bag was ravaged, almost like a racoon went through it... I looked into the bathroom and saw that it was mostly intact, save for the scent of vomit in the room... “What the hell happened to me last night?” I asked myself. I turned to see the bus drive off without me, but I wasn’t concerned about it. You should be. I was suddenly yanked into my tub, where I let out a short but loud yelp before my mouth was covered by something slimy... Listen—let's not make this more difficult than this needs to be. You are not dead, and you are not going crazy... I then felt... weird, like something was swimming around inside of me, but it was meant to be there... I must apologize for any troubles I had caused during the bonding process—you were very hysterical and I needed to find a way to calm you... “Wha... wait, you’re that alien?” I asked, completely confused. Yes... I am. All that did was feed my confusion more as a large, black, slimy tendril grew out of my chest, causing me to softly scream. The tendril formed eyes—all-white, pupil-less eyes, as a mouth soon formed, where it showed countless, sharp and jagged fangs. My name is Venom, and as far as I can tell, you are my host. Host? What’s that supposed to mean? It means that I need you to breathe in oxygen, and you need me because you were shot in your own apartment last night—I saved your life and with friends like that, I assume I will need to do it again. I couldn’t even begin to process what was happening as “Venom” went back into my body, causing me to slowly get out of my tub. “Okay... so if I was shot... and you healed me... then why did Sombra want me to get you out?” I asked, completely clueless. I don’t know... all I know is that the purple one got me out, with the metal arms... next thing I knew, I was bonding to you. Again, I must apologize for my feeding frenzy, it was just so... tempting. “Oh, so you did this?” I asked him, my anger starting to grow. No—we did this. Look, I understand your confusion, but all you need to know now is that we are bonded together, and co-existence is our only option. I realized that I was in no place to refuse, so I simply sighed, got out of the tub, and went to clean the apartment. “Did you have to tear through the tater tots? And did you eat out of the garbage?” I asked in disgust. Again, the bonding process is somewhat tricky, depending on the host’s adrenaline levels. And considering that you were seconds away from death when I healed you... I heaved and as the taste began to settle, I instantly went to brush my teeth. Look on the bright side: At least you’re still alive. “Yeah, but eating out of the garbage isn’t a good thing, either.” I said, brushing until my arm grew sore. As I spit and rinsed, I then realized that I was going to have to clean my apartment... You have fun with the mess... I’m going to find my way around. Oh, and I’d suggest getting something to eat soon—I recommend chocolate or fish. Well, this was going to be fun... better than being dead, I guess.
EvaluationThe first round of the Fall Battle of the Bands was upon us—and I ended up joining the Dazzlings as their drummer. It was for a wide variety of reasons, not just to get closer to Adagio... I swear. But really, I wanted something else to do—like a hobby or activity other than swing around the city, fighting criminals. Also, I wanted to show everyone that the only way to fight the Rainbooms’ terror was to stand up and take its power away. The first round was later today, so while I went over the song we were going to show, I noticed that Flash wasn’t there... Not that he was in our band, but he was always at lunch with us—and he never stayed home thanks to Aunt Celestia watching his every move... “Hey, has anyone seen Flash?” I asked, mainly glancing over to Aria, who was staring into space with her hair done in two long pigtails and the largest grin I’ve ever seen on anyone... Adagio then turned to her, and Sonata did the same... “What? What’s everyone lookin’ at me for? He told me that he was sick in bed, and odds are it he has it, I have it...” She said. “You haven’t done your hair like that in a while... why the sudden change of heart?” Adagio raised her brow. Aria fell silent and she began turning red... very red. “M... maybe I like my hair this way.” She said, starting to fidget. I then raised a brow, ideas starting to form in my head—none of them safe for work. “So... you’re tellin’ me that you decided to do your hair like that simply because you like it like that? Not the fact that your new boyfriend’s into--” “Hey, don’t be like that—Flash is into what he’s into, there’s no stopping that. Just respect it and trust that he’ll find someone who fits him... like me.” Aria smirked. I chucked, knowing the real reason Aria put her hair like that... “Movin’ on from everyone else’s business, how about the showcase tomorrow? You guys ready for it?” I asked, hoping to change the subject before things got weird. The three chuckled. “Trust us, Pip—we're more than ready.” Adagio assured me. Sonata almost choked on her drink as she let out a quick gasp. “Oh! What’s the deal with you two? Are you two dating, or what?” She asked us. We quickly glanced at each other, me waiting for her to say something, and her probably waiting on me. “Well, I don’t see why we wouldn’t be—I enjoyed last night, and I can’t speak for her, but--” “I did, too. Yes, Sonata—we are dating.” Adagio told her, and possibly me as well. We kept chatting about more minute things until the bell rang, dismissing us to our next classes. In the hallway, I glanced over to see Apple Bloom rigging a locker with one of those infamous Ghost-Pepper infused pies of theirs... “May I help you?” I asked her. She turned to me, with a scowl on her face. “This doesn’t concern ya, Brit’.” She spat. I chuckled—Apple Bloom was always trying too hard to be like her older sister, so much so that she had forgotten who she was. “Oh, but it does.” I said, indicating that the locker was mine. Apple Bloom put the pieces together and quickly pulled the pie out. “Oh-- sorry, Pip—I didn’t know it was yours.” She bolted before I could say any more. I sighed, upset that I couldn’t tell Apple Bloom off and also curious as to why she had the same type of respect for me that the Rainbooms did, and opened my locker, grabbing my binder and shutting it. As I left, some student approached me... Rumble, his name was. “Hey, uh... Pip?” He asked. “Yeah?” I asked back, facing him. “I, uh... I found this in my locker and I didn’t know who else to talk to...” He handed me a slip of paper, a letter... from Rarity. The letter asked him to meet her in the weight room after school, and not to say a word to anyone... I knew what that letter meant, I received a similar one during my freshman year, when I first met Rarity... Rumble seemed very excited, but also slightly nervous—I knew that it was time to bring back bad memories... “Moved on already, Rarity? I don’t know if I’m proud or hurt... anyway, I can verify that this isn’t a danger, and if you don’t want to go, you don’t have to.” I assured him. “I know, but--” He started. “You want to.” I sighed, knowing full well what he wanted. “...Yeah-- I do.” He said. I didn’t say a word as I gave him the letter back, but I wasn’t finished just yet. “Rumble... I don’t know you too well, but I’ll tell you this from a former gimp to the new one—if you go through with this, you’ll be expected to do things—things that may not be too comfortable for you, things that may involve cattle prods or whips, and... other tools...” I said, recalling those times with Rarity. “But here’s the thing—whenever I didn’t want to do something, no matter how high and mighty Rarity acted, she listened to me. She knew when not to cross the line, and when to hold back. If you go through with this... ask yourself what your limit is, and never be afraid to tell her when things don’t feel comfortable—she gives you a safe-word for a reason...” I warned him as I walked away, realizing that I would be late for class. As Aria and I went up the stairs leading to Flash’s apartment, a few of his neighbors were rocking out to loud music. We reached his door and knocked on it, trying to block out the loud rock music. We stayed for a moment when he opened the door, blocking his ears. “I swear, they do this every day after school...” He loudly grumbled, clearly suffering more from the music than we were. Aria clearly had enough and went over to their door, loudly knocking on it. “Hey! Numbnuts! Turn the damn music down!” Aria screamed. Flash pulled me into his apartment and moved me away from the door—his kitchen was recently cleaned, but there was a visible stain on the ground, faded, but still there... “I need your help...” He told me. I had no idea what he meant until he backed away slightly. “It’s okay, Venom—he’s a friend.” He talked to himself... Before I could ask what he meant, a black tendril grew out of him and looped around, forming pupiless eyes and sharp teeth. “Uh... I...” I tried to speak, but the shock overwhelmed me. “Hello... Pip, is it? I am Venom.” The being introduced itself, hiding away once it sensed Aria entering the room in a huff. “I swear to Zeus, if I hear those numb-skulls' horrible taste in music again...” She mumbled to herself. Flash was seemingly having a conversation with Venom, shaking his head and nodding slightly. The whole thing seemed like he was talking to himself, but after seeing that creature in him... “Okay... how are you doing, Flash?” Aria asked, setting a hand on his shoulder. “Better now.” Flash smiled, pulling her in for a quick hug. “Oh, come on—I can take a little stomach bug.” Aria went for the kiss, but Flash quickly turned his head. Aria slightly giggled, and as I went to give the two some space, I noticed a dent in his wall... And a bullet trapped in it. I gasped as I quickly stood behind it, not wanting Aria to see. “Well, that was all—get better soon, okay?” She said, giving him another quick hug. “I’ll try, babe.” Flash laughed. She left the room, glaring at the neighbors as she did. The door shut and I quickly went to question him. “Why is there a bullet in your wall?!” I panicked, hoping Aria or his neighbors wouldn’t hear. “Okay, Pip—I can explain everything, but I don’t want you to panic, okay?” He asked me, taking a seat by the kitchen table and gesturing me to do the same. I took a seat, composing myself, and Venom emerged again, now resting on Flash’s shoulder. “I was at home last night, Aria left to check on her sister when Kingpin came to my apartment—he wanted me to do a job for him, and--” “Sombra...” My blood started to burn up as my fists tightened. “Yeah... he wanted me to get Venom for him from Oscorp, when... oh, God...” His eyes grew larger as he then gasped. “What’s the matter?” Venom asked. Flash sighed and leaned back, almost squishing Venom. “Twilight... she’s Sombra’s newest lieutenant.” He whispered. My blood went from boiling hot to frozen solid in a milisecond... Twilight was back in town? Working for Kingpin? “No... no, it couldn’t have been her...” I tried to think about who else it could’ve been. “Pip, it was her—she had mechanical arms, and she... she saved me...” Flash realized. Okay... so maybe the Twilight I knew wasn’t completely gone... “How did she save you?” I asked him. “She broke into Oscorp hours earlier and retrieved me. My guess is that she was going to let Sombra get arrested trying to take me... and then he paid you a visit, instead. That punk can never do the dirty work himself—that's why he’d fail as a host... he doesn’t have the stones to control me...” Venom muttered. “That makes sense—Twilight was a strategist, a planner... she’d want Sombra gone without making her look guilty.” I said, seeing some sense in Twilight’s plot. “But... why? Why would she want to get Kingpin arrested? He’d just buy his way out or get some mob lawyers...” Flash said. We both tried thinking about it, and we came up with nothing. “We’ll have to go back to it later. Now... what are you gonna do?” I asked him. Flash peered up at me, Venom doing the same. “What do you mean?” He asked. I leaned forward, glancing at the alien creature embedded into my friend... “Venom healed your wounds—what else can he do as far as abilities go?” I asked him. Venom then slithered back into Flash before beginning to envelop him, submerging him in black slime until he was covered from head to toe, his eyes going all white... “This is what we can do...” Venom replied as he then flipped onto the ceiling, clinging to it like me... I hummed and followed suite, flipping and clinging to the ceiling... “Okay... there’s a start. Now, we need to understand what you can do in order to make a proper evaluation...” I said to the two. Venom’s face peeled back, revealing Flash’s flabbergasted face. “Okay... this is amazing! What do you mean evaluation?” Flash went from excited to curious. I smiled and went back to the floor. “You can be like me, Flash—maybe even better.” I said... Was Flash what I was looking for? Could this duo take my place and protect the city? Very possibly... Flash seemed shocked as Venom unwrapped around Flash, letting him emerge again. “You really think so?” He asked me. I kept smiling and nodded. “I really do.” Author's Note Okay, taking a break from SelenaEde's bases, here is a very simple rendition of Flash Sentry.
Under Their SpellYou didn’t know that you fell Now that you’re under their spell The tagline of our song for tonight—and it was amazing... “Wow... guys, this is incredible!” I said, holding the sheet of paper. Adagio smiled as she took the paper from my hands. “Why, thank you, Pip—but the performance needs to be just as good...” Adagio said. We were sitting in the band room, waiting for the last performers before us... needless to say, I was nervous—I never really did anything like this before, despite only doing drums... “Hey, Pip—you doin’ alright?” Aria asked, taking a seat next to me. I glanced up at her and nodded. “Yeah, I’m fine. It’s just... I never thought we’d have a chance against the Rainbooms... they’ve tormented all of us in their own special ways for almost three years, now... so many lives were ruined because of them—so many teachers fired, students expelled... mainly because of my aunt’s faith in The Rainbooms.” I let some anger into that last part... Aunt Celestia was only doing what she thought was right—but what happens when she realizes that all of those students she expelled were all innocent? Aria sighed and leaned back. “Yeah-- we haven’t been here too long and I can only imagine—especially with that Pinkamena one...” Aria shuddered at the idea of the pink psychopath. I went to say more, but a phone call interrupted me. From Flash. “I’ll be right back.” I said as I went to answer the phone. “Hello?” “Hey, Pip?” I asked him, up on a wall in an alley. “Yeah, what do you need?” He asked me. “Okay, so I found this guy—one of Sombra’s enforcers... I think we can take him.” I said, Venom enveloping me as I put the phone up to my ear. “Really? You think so?” He asked me. “Yeah-- it’s just him and as long as I keep Venom in check, the guy shouldn’t get too seriously hurt.” I said. Awww... You’re no fun. Hey, just be lucky I agreed to this whole idea. But come on—we need to face facts, how long until he gets out? How long until he gets his slimy hands on some mob lawyer? Or whatever that means... It doesn’t matter—we're only doing this just so we can get some practice, and Pip can actually make his relationship work. But what about ours-- I mean, yours? I stopped for a moment, now climbing up and leaping onto another rooftop, trying not to lose the enforcer. We’ll cross that bridge later, let’s just handle this for today... remember-- no killing or maiming, got it? I’d never do such a thing-- I swear... The enforcer entered a building when I landed on the roof facing it. Was... that sarcasm? No response as I then let Venom take the reels as he leaped into an open window and slid under some cover. “...and we need to talk about that eight-armed chick—Twilight Sparkle?” There are more of them here... handguns and rifles. Can we take them? ...Most certainly. I smiled under Venom’s mask as we then started to get closer. “We can worry about her another time—right now, we need to focus on Sunset Shimmer—she's still fuming from Sombra putting a bullet in her ex.” I froze, and that caught Venom’s attention, now staying in place, in the cover of darkness. “Yeah-- Sombra screwed up... big time. I heard from a higher-up that Sombra got blackmailed into doin’ it... what I do know is that Pinkamena’s trackin’ him down... I don’t wanna know what that freak’s gonna do to him.” Who’s Pinkamena? A psychopath who killed her family a few years ago. She kept on killing after that, usually a student a year, making it look like an accident. She got caught and was sent to a psych ward, but the Rainbooms got her out early... That sounds extremely unlikely and also somewhat illegal... Everything they do is illegal—now shush. Here’s our chance to get some info. “Okay-- so did they uncover a body?" Another enforcer asked. “No-- Sombra assigned Twilight to do it, but people in his apartment said he was up and about a few hours later...” This conversation is going nowhere, fast. “Okay-- we’ll have to talk at another location, with Spider-Man swinging around out there, we can only converse in one spot for so long... let’s talk in the car.” That was our que—we swung down and pulled one enforcer in with our tendril, webbing the door shut so the others couldn’t escape. The enforcer we pulled in was screaming at the sight of us as Venom formed an ugly mouth... Venom—we both agreed no killing! I know—this is just me having fun. We then threw the enforcer against the concrete wall, shooting another web to hold him in place... “Spider-Man!” One other enforcer cried, pulling out a handgun and getting a shot in— I then felt the bullet be stopped and Venom push it towards our wrist—before aiming it and hitting the enforcer in the knee, capping him and causing him to fall to the ground in pain. He’ll live. Oh, that was badass! Venom flashed a smile as his mouth concealed itself again and we leapt onto the last enforcer... “What the hell are you?!” We smiled as Venom unwrapped half of our face, showing me inside... “We... are Venom.” “...Flash?” We roared as we knocked the enforcer out with a simple punch to the face. “Outstanding! Truly remarkable!” Yeah... I gotta admit that was fun... Now, I gotta make a stop... Venom pulled away from me as we left the warehouse looked around for the destination... once I found it, I somberly started approaching it. Flim & Flam’s General Store. “...now that you’re under their spell...” Adagio concluded our showing with the lights cutting to black, the students clapping and cheering as I glanced at their necklaces... glowing bright red for a split second. The lights came back on where Mom was clapping hysterically while Aunt Celestia was skeptical. “Amazing performance from the Dazzlings! An absolute wonder to watch!” Mom said. As we took in the applause, Aunt Celestia let her voice be heard. “Despite an incredible performance, I believe that we should not allow mockeries of authority to be upheld in this school...” She said. Mom then turned to her, completely perplexed. “No offence, sister, but I didn’t hear that at all—the song seems to uphold fear as the enemy— not authority... and also, the lyrics captures the feeling of inspiration to stand up to terror, something very prominent with the rise of the Spider-Man vigilante...” “Exactly-- we need to encourage supporting authority—as in police, not a vigilante.” She always seemed a tad too supportive of what I do... The two went back and forth as Adagio turned to me, confused over how my mother knew so much about her song. “She was a rock star back in her day—Nightmare Moon, she was called...” Aria quickly gasped in shock... “What’s wrong?” I asked her. “You mother is the NIghtmare Moon? Mistress of the Night?!” She whispered. I chuckled, recalling all of those albums she showed me. “Yeah-- she retired soon after she got pregnant with my sis--” I stopped... Adagio noticed my hesitation and seemingly decided to ignore it for now... “And the winner, for the second round of the Fall Battle of the Bands... The Dazzlings!” Mom declared. The auditorium then erupted once more, applause filling our ears... Needless to say, I was caught off-guard, taking in the cheer, and hoping that Flash’s first patrol went well... And sighed, knowing that I had a stop to make afterwards. I went inside the ordinary store, looking around and found the ordinary clerk going through the freezer... Except, for me, this wasn’t an ordinary store, and that wasn’t an ordinary clerk... “Flam.” I called out. The tall store-owner jumped as he recognized my voice, pulling out a handgun. What the hell?! BREAK HIS LEGS! Venom started pulling my hand out, but I stopped him. “No! It’s alright... I’m not here to hurt you.” I told the two. Flam kept the gun held on me, his aim shaking... “What do you want? My brother already paid Sombra’s fee—and extra!” He screamed. Flash, what is he talking about? I didn’t answer as I slowly reached into my front pocket, pulling out a small check... “I took up a job at my landlord’s bakery—saved up for a few weeks... it’s everything Sombra ever charged for you... and a whole lot of extra.” I said, setting it on his counter. Flam then put down the gun, slowly and with hesitation... “...Why? You... you killed my brother!” Flam pulled it up again, and we were back at square one. I almost teared up at the mention of Flim... but I swallowed my tears and held my hands out. “If you wanna shoot me, just shoot me... but it won’t bring Flim back... as much as I wish it would...” Venom swirled around in nervousness, ready to strike whenever I let him... Flam began tearing up his finger then went around the trigger... If he shoots you, I can just heal you up again... just say the word and I’ll take the gun away from him. Flam held the gun for a few more moments, making me wonder if he was actually going to do it... And then he cries out, tossing the gun to the floor and crumbling. “Get out of my store... never come back, you hear me?” I sighed and nodded... “I’m sorry... for everything.” Flam went over to the counter, looking at the check before leaning into the table, his head covered by his arms. “I know you are... now go.” I didn’t wait as I left the store, tears starting to stream... Flash... what was that? “...Me making things right.” I said, starting to head home... Tonight could’ve been better, but we did some good overall—those enforcers were arrested and I managed to somewhat make things better with Flam... Yes... we did good tonight. Perhaps this hero thing isn’t as bad as I thought it would be... Yeah... I actually kinda like it... Now let’s go home. Come and see the Scorpion! Tonight at 9, watch the infamous fighter take down newcomer BLOB! The sign was coded in a unique pattern of numbers and random letters to avoid detection, but Fluttershy taught me all about deciphering them... I knocked on the warehouse door four times, indicating that I was welcomed there before. The door opened and I saw a massive body-guard who seemingly recognized my birthmark on my eye... “You got big...” He said. “I had a growth spurt...” I chuckled. The guard moved out of my way and I entered to see the stage lights and hearing the small crowds chanting out for the Scorpion. I looked past them and saw that indeed, Fluttershy was in the ring, choke-holding an enormous, rather fat man... I assumed that was the Blob from the poster, and she was indeed taking him down. The Blob resorted to tagging out, his face turning a deep shade of blue. “And the winner of this round, with 145 wins in a row... The Scorpion!” For the second time tonight, I heard a crowd erupt in applause. Fluttershy basked in her victory, throwing up her arms as her dark green tanktop moved up with her. The lights faded and I knew that meant Fluttershy was leaving... She put on her crocodile-skin jacket and quickly went out the back door and I followed, going out the front and quickly scaling the building, running onto the roof and spotting her head down an alley... I leapt out and shot a web on a roof near the alley, pulling myself in to launch me into the night air... I rolled onto the roof and jumped into the alley, landing on all-fours behind Fluttershy, rising up before I called out to her. “Fluttershy...” The underground fighter stopped and turned, facing me. “Pipsqueak... it’s been a while.” She smiled, readying a fighting stance. I chuckled and followed suit, ready to win... Fluttershy broke the distance between us with a jump-kick, but I jumped onto the wall, landing off as fast as I could. She turned and came at me again and I simply moved out of her way, causing her to become frustrated. “The same move won’t save you, Pip...” I chuckled and went on the offensive, going for a grapple which resulted in her grabbing my arm and pinning me to the wall, laughing while she did so... “Ah, I missed wrestling with you...” She smirked, uncomfortably close to me... If that were a year ago, I would’ve embraced the moment in open arms, not questioning the morals of my choices... But that wasn’t a year ago. I waited for her to let her guard down and I broke her pin. “Sorry, Fluttershy—but I’m seein’ somebody...” I told her, knowing she respected relationships... well, save for her own. Fluttershy’s smile faded as she leaned against the brick wall... “Hmm... I heard about the cheeto-puff. We know all about her, Pip, and let me be the one to tell you that she has quite the skeletons in her closet--” “I don’t care... I didn’t come here to talk about Adagio, I came here to talk about Sunset—more so that crown she’s obsessed with...” I interrupted her. Fluttershy was always confident—she never let anyone or anything scare her, especially not Sunset Shimmer... That discipline faded for a split second as I saw fear in her eyes... true fear. “I... don’t know what you’re talking about.” She said, crossing her arms. I sighed and leaned on the adjacent wall, ready to wait. “Rarity told me everything... Sunset went back to... whatever Equestriais, and came back with that crown, when she lost it, she hit you... and you let her. Whatever that crown is, it’s important, isn’t it?” I asked her... Fluttershy quickly charged at me, but not in a playful manner... She landed a stomach hit and caused me to lose my wind... I fell to the ground for a moment before grabbing a foot that went for a kick to my torso. I used it as leverage and pulled myself up, tripping Fluttershy to the ground and took a fighting stance, our way of showing that the fight was over... I had beat the Scorpion... and I had no time to admire that victory. “Flash is dead... There’s nothing left to hold Sunset back, now. If she gets her hands on that crown... it’ll be hell on Earth.” She promised me, staying on the ground as rain began to pour... I held out my hand and she took it, helping herself back up. “That... was a good match, Pip. Whatever happened to you during that trip... keep it up.” She told me. I smiled, knowing full-well that I wasn’t going to stop yet. “I intend to...” With that, we both went our separate ways, Fluttershy going out the alley one way and me the other. Author's Note Hello again! Possibly one of my favorite quick-draws goes to Venom... the sprite, as always, belongs to SelenaEde.
RevelationA day had passed since my first patrol with Venom. As I walked down the school hallway, I managed to evade the Rainbooms, not wanting to make things awkward following them believing that I was dead. I reached my class and immediately realized that it was with Applejack. The cowgirl almost fell from her seat as soon as I entered the class. “Flash?!” She unintentionally shouted. Cheeriliee said nothing, possibly not wanting to start anything with the Rainbooms. “Surprise... I’m not dead.” I joked/told her. She did nothing but stare as I took my seat, and Aria leaned in. “What was that supposed to mean?” She asked. I couldn’t say anything as Cheerilee decided to start the class... We should be careful... as far as your ex knows, you’re dead. The last thing we need is for her to do something brash. Why? She won’t kill me, Venom. Now shush—I gotta concentrate. Class went on as normal, save for Venom telling me that Applejack was just staring at me, perplexed that I was still alive. When the bell rung, Applejack made a beeline for the door, probably to tell Sunset that I was still alive... and sure enough-- “He’s alive! Flash’s alive!” She screamed out into the hallways. I went out to see Sunset, who almost dropped her books at the sight at me. “Flash?!” She bolted at me, uncharacteristically holding me in a bear hug—a tight one. She then started to nuzzle me, which caused Venom to begin speaking to me. It’s almost as if she actually missed you... Sunset pulled away and wiped a tear from her eye... It seems real to me... I know when Sunset’s lying... “I swear, the moment I get my hands on Sombra... What happened? I was told that he shot you in the heart, how are you still...?” She set her hand on my head, trying to read my mind. Ah! She’s trying to read your mind?! I’m shutting her out! Sure enough, Sunset’s tearful face quickly changed to one of shock. “You... shut me out? But, how?” I backed away slightly and sighed. “It’s a long story...” I said. Sunset breathed a sigh of relief and nodded at me. “Stay safe, Flash... I mean it.” She said, heading off to class... That was... not normal. The emotions you have about her made it seem like she was an absolute monster, but... she seemed genuinely concerned. She got countless students expelled and kept the rest in line with her super-powered friends— and made me work for Sombra, when I-- I stopped, realizing that I never talked to anyone about what I did under Kingpin... not even Sunset. You stopped... what happened with Sombra before? Does it have anything to do with that store clerk last night? We’ll talk about it later, alright? Now, let’s just get this day over with. ...Fine. I managed to reach my next class before the bell rang, but my mind was entrapped in what I did... “Screw you! Tell Kingpin to come deal with us himself!” “No, no—wait!” I cried out in vain as he charged at me. I tried pulling out my knife to scare him... but it was too late. That or it was timed perfectly as he ran straight into the blade. “F... Flim! No!” The clerk cried out as his brother’s shocked gasps filled my ears... I began to panic as the blade stayed in him as he fell to the ground, gasping for air. “C... call an ambulance...” I started... They others just stood there, either in shock over what happened, or simply keeping quiet. “Hey! Call a damn ambulance!” I said, now with more voice. “No.” One of the thugs told me. Flim slowly stopped gasping... and I knew that he was dying... I started going to the back to grab a first aid kit, but one of the thugs stopped me. “We can’t let him go after this... that scar’s all the dirt he needs.” I growled and decked him, bolting to the back and grabbed a first aid kit. As I ran over and went to the victim, the other brother was now out trying to help me. “We don’t have long—he's lost a lot of blood as it is.” He said, taking off his sweater to use as a bandage. As I slowly pulled the blade out, I realized that we’d have to operate. “We can’t help him, but an ambulance can... You guys get out of here... let me handle this.” I said. The others reluctantly began leaving... but not before one last remark. “If Sombra hears this... he’ll handle this himself." I then sighed, staring emptily at the board... What happened after that? I almost jumped but kept my shock under control. You read my mind? No, when you remembered the incident, I saw it with you... now, what happened after you patched his brother up? I began fidgeting, which didn’t really look good. We got him to a hospital where Flim covered for me, said that I was just shopping when the thugs came in. We saved his life... but then some hitman was hired and took Flim out. Flam was next, but I promised Sombra a favor if he let him live... which explained why he went to my apartment with Twilight. Wow... that’s a lot to take in. I know. I’m a criminal, V... I got Flim killed, and I got off scot-free... I could feel Venom swirling around inside of me at that comment. You listen—you didn’t kill him... you had nothing to do with what happened that day. You were just trying to impress your girlfriend—something you shouldn’t have done, yes, but something you regret with a passion. I don’t know about human laws, but back in my homeworld, whenever one of our kind disobeyed our Knull, they had a chance to fall back under his fold... of course, I did not take that chance. Knull? I decided to ask him about that later. That doesn’t matter, Venom... Flim’s blood is on my hands. The bell was about to ring when Fluttershy marched past our classroom door. “...search every classroom—I want Flash found, now!” I hid to the sides, much to my teacher’s confusion, and waited until she was gone. I looked out and started coming up with a plan. We should head for a side door—they should be moderately clear. Yeah... maybe in the math hall, just stay quiet until I say. I kept on going until I glanced and saw Rainbow Dash with Aria in the infamous dim dead end... “...and after Fluttershy gets rid of the two of you, all that’s left to deal with is Sunset. After that... there’d be nothing stopping us from--” She glanced up at me and before Venom could react, she zoomed behind me and kicked me over to her, zooming back. “Well, now... looks like we got the two-for-one deal, tonight...” Fluttershy said from the corner. I looked up to see the wrestler with a creature in a cage... A scorpion. “Hold up, Flutters—we shouldn’t do this here—what if Sunset walks by?” Rainbow asked nervously. Fluttershy simply cackled and began opening the cage. “Then we’ll just accelerate our plans. Now move aside, love—don't wanna get you stung, too.” She smirked. “Let’s just wait until tonight! The second-to-last round, and if Sunset finds us, we can just do it there—that crown should be easy to find... all of that power, just for us...” Rainbow then went over to Fluttershy, putting her hands on her shoulders... Wait. “I thought you and Sunset were together!” I said. Good job, idiot—you just got yourself killed. Fluttershy laughed and moved Rainbow’s hands away. “Sunset? She’s just a power-hungry sociopath. Us? We have big plans for that crown—but first, you and those Dazzlings need to go.” Fluttershy then kicked Aria in the face, tempting me to just let Venom loose. “I swear to God, if you hurt her again, we will destroy you!” Even Rainbow laughed at that one. “Just try us... you were supposed to be dead already, but I suppose Sombra is as unreliable as he is easy to blackmail...” My eyes became as big as saucers when the truth hit me. “Y... you blackmailed Sombra to kill me?” I asked. Aria gasped and turned to me, the words just hitting her. “Yep. Honestly, you can’t rely on anyone these days—you have to do everything yourself... we’ll do it tonight, babe... but for now, knock these lovers out.” Rainbow bolted over and knocked us clean out, my vision instantly turning black.
Hallway FightI tried calling Flash a third time, but it went straight to voicemail once again. “This doesn’t make any sense—he always answers my calls...” I said, pocketing my phone. Adagio was trying to call Aria, but the same result must’ve been happening to her. “Same with Aria, something must be wrong.” She said. “Well, we need Aria for the show, and Flash’s my friend—I’ll ask around, see if I can find them.” I went down the hall when I bumped into Bon-Bon, not-so-secretly lesbian who went up against us and lost last night. “Oh! I swear, me and bumping into people... here, let me help you--” Bon-Bon pulled me in close. “Flash and Aria need your help—they're locked in the band storage room and are being supervised.” She said, quickly getting up and leaving. I couldn’t even say a word as Adagio soon caught up with me. “Aria just texted me, she said she and Flash were fine... who was that?” She asked me. I looked at the text and it was almost too easy. “That isn’t Aria... get my mom, tell her to get to the band storage room—and hurry!” I said, bolting to the direction of the band room. I was almost defenseless, my web-shooters in my locker, but if what Bon-Bon told me was true, I didn’t have time to stop and get them... I had to hurry. As my vision returned to me, Venom was extruding from me, trying to look for a way out of wherever we were. “Wait, so you’re an alien being... bonded to Flash?” I heard Aria ask. “Yes-- Flash would be dead if it weren’t for me...” I heard Aria sigh as I got to my feet, now beginning to recognize where we were. “Flash!” Aria didn’t waste any time as she ran into my arms. As I held her, Venom turned to us, glancing at me. “We need to find a way out of here before the Rainbooms finish their song.” I rubbed my eyes as Aria moved away from me and I tried the easy solution—kicking the door open, but it failed and also made my leg sore. “That was the first thing I tried.” Aria told me. I grunted and turned to Venom, thinking that maybe the two of us could break through the door. “Last I heard, they have a guard posted outside—it'd be risky... for them” Venom flashed a toothy grin as he bonded to me once more. Aria was taken aback by our form—I then noticed that we came off as Spider-Man from a distance, Venom being a thin layer of himself around me. “Maybe we can try some armor sometime—like what they wear in the military... but that can wait until after.” I smiled as we charged at the door at full speed. The door came down with a resounding thud as we looked up to see Applejack watching us... “Holy-- What the hell is that?!” She charged up her strength and Venom unwrapped my face, showing me underneath... “Hey, AJ—how's your brother?” I asked as we began approaching the cowgirl. Applejack snarled as she charged at us, getting two hits in before upper-cutting us to the ceiling, only for us to stick to the wall, using the force to push us back to the ground, leaving in imprint in the concrete. “Finally-- somebody I don’t gotta hold back on.” Applejack smiled as she cracked her knuckles. I heard footsteps down the hallway and as I went to look, Applejack pulled us back in and slammed us against the wall. “Flash!” I heard Pip yell out. Applejack then began to laugh, pushing me into the wall as she signaled me to be quiet. “Are you sure they’re here?” Luna asked. All of our blood—Applejack's and mine—ran cold as we heard her voice... this was it—the moment Luna came in here and saw this scene, it was all over... Applejack knew that and so she tossed me onto the floor and smirked, slowly backing into the band room, shutting the door behind her... “Help! Help us!” She cried out. She cannot expect that to work—Aria's in there, she’d never play along. She’s going down and she knows it. I went out first, seeing Pip and Luna run down the hallway. “Flash! Adagio told me everything, I saw the footage from the band room and sent it to the authorities... We did it!” Luna said, proud that it was finally over. But as we celebrated, I was grabbed by the hair and slammed against the locker... By Celestia. “I’ve let incident after incident slide... but this?! This I cannot allow!” Celestia screamed, cracking me across the face, causing my vision to blur... “Celestia! What the hell are you doing?!” Mom asked, pulling her away from me. “Look in that band room—tell me you don’t see it!” Celestia screamed. I had no idea what had occurred—one moment my mother and I were running down the hall, ready to end the Rainbooms’ madness... to Celestia attacking Flash. Aria walked out, glaring at Applejack. “Tell them—tell them what happened! Tell my sister how wrong she is about that rapist!” Celestia asked Aria as Luna held her back. Aria growled as she turned to a smirking Applejack. “Flash... there’s something you should know.” Aria sighed. Applejack looked up and gasped as Celestia then hesitated for a moment. “Aria, can it wait? Just tell her what really happened before she tears my throat out... please.” I said. Aria shook her head, almost as if Applejack was making her say it... “Flash... that Equestria that Sunset told you about? I’m from it—my sisters and I are from it.” My blood ran cold as Applejack suddenly screamed and charged, kicking Aria into a locker. “’Ria!” Flash cried out, Venom starting to bond with him. “What the hell is that?!” Celestia asked, still stunned over Applejack’s sudden act of violence. The cowgirl then turned to us, slowly walking towards us... “I was supposed to wait until after Sunset gets the crown to kill y’all... but you had to keep pushin’, didn’t ya?” I realized that I had no web shooters as Applejack began to charge... At Mom. I ran over and blocked her, us now in a push-match while Fluttershy simply turned to Flash. I was beginning to lose the fight to AJ while Fluttershy pulled out a dagger which drew out a scream from Celestia. I began pushing back and then jumped and kicked off of Applejack, breaking the grapple and giving me some distance. “Mom, Celestia—run!” I said, not wanting them to get hurt. Sure enough, they started to run, but Applejack then grappled a locker nearby and started to rip it out of the wall as my attention turned to Flash, who was about to meet that dagger to his face. I jumped over and pulled Fluttershy of him, blocking an attempted stab as I then pinned her to the wall and turned to Flash. “Come on—web her up!” He quickly shot a few black webs onto the locker and we both turned as Applejack threw the locker... And nailed Aunt Celestia, a resounding crack coming from her back. “No!” Flash quickly pulled out a tendril and pulled her in, allowing me to knock her out cold with one punch. I quickly ran over to my aunt, who was now bleeding as she was entering shock. “I... I can’t feel my...” “Just hold on, Celestia, you’re gonna be fine—call the police!” Flash screamed out as I overlooked the aftermath of the fight... The other Rainbooms came in and Luna did something I never thought she would do... She pulled out a handgun and trained it on Sunset. “I already did, they’re on their way... All of you on your knees! Now!” I had no idea how to respond as the remaining four obeyed, most of them completely shocked, save for Rainbow, who tried zooming away, but I quickly lined up where she was going and quickly decked her, her flying against the locker, unconscious. “Luna, where the hell did you get that gun?” Flash asked as he and Luna restrained the other Rainbooms, ripping off their Geodes as he did. “An old friend...” She said as Shining came from around the corner, his holster empty. “Oh, my God... we finally got them...” He said as paramedics came from behind him to escort Celestia. I turned to see Bon-Bon, winking as she headed off from the scene, a shine coming from her shirt, almost like a badge...
Coming CleanA few days had passed since the Rainbooms were arrested... Celestia was to be brought out of the hospital today, and no-one seemed to cheerful about it. The doctors said that she’d never walk again, and that she’d need to quit her job... if that were a week ago, I would’ve jumped for joy, but now... Pip and I went up to get her from her hospital room, Luna waiting outside in her car. As we walked through the hospital, I overheard a conversation that seemingly got to Pip. “...I’m sorry, Ma’am... but he’s just too far gone. We’ve ruled brain death three hours ago...” As the woman sobbed, I turned to Pip who instantly turned away. “She’s just down here...” He said, his voice cracking. We reached the room and entered to see Celestia laying on her bed, unattached from all of the wires and tubing. “Hey, Aunt Celestia...” Pip said, me holding the wheelchair. She turned and sighed, looking at me. “We’re going to have to talk once we get home... about a lot of things.” She said to me, so monotone she must’ve rehearsed it all night long. I nodded and Pip and I helped her into the chair, careful not to hurt her. Once she was in place, Pip took over for me, wheeling her to the elevator. As we went through the hallway, I turned to see a room with someone very familiar inside... “Sombra?” Sure enough, the Kingpin himself was held in the hospital room, cuffed to the bed and seemingly beaten to a pulp. I turned to the cop guarding the door who nodded, allowing me to enter. “Take her to the car, tell Luna I’ll be right out.” I told Pip, entering the room. Sombra turned to me and gasped, recognizing me. “H-how the hell... I... I shot you.” He weakly said. I chuckled and sat in the chair. “Turns out you should check who your friends are...” I said, leaning into the crime lord. Sombra growled and turned away, seemingly miserable. “Sunset betrayed me... set her lackeys on me! The minute I get outta here, I won’t stop until--” “Sunset Shimmer didn’t do this. It was Fluttershy, she wanted to get the crown from the Battle of the Bands... I think I know why.” Sunset used to rant about that crown’s power... almost like it would give her the power of a god. I knew that she must never get her hands on it, no matter what it took. Of course, I didn’t tell Sombra that, who looked at me, expecting an answer. “So, what happened to you?” I asked him. Sombra chuckled and shook his head. “Oh, this? Turns out Spidey isn’t the only hero in town, anymore...” He said, holding out a card with two D’s written on it in red... I glanced at it and hummed, never seeing anything like it before. “So, what’s this about? You come here to say goodbye?” He asked, pocketing the calling card. “...Yeah, actually.” I laughed. Sombra seemed confused and he glanced up at me. “Huh? Where’re you goin’?” He asked, almost like a young child... I leaned in and sighed, finally making my decision “I’m leaving Canterlot... some time tomorrow.” I told him. Sombra softly gasped as he glanced at the clock. “You... you can’t leave, man... this city needs a guy like you in it--” “No, it doesn’t. The Rainbooms need to burn out, Sombra... and I’m just a reminder of what they’ve done...” I said, looking down at the floor. Sombra then croaked, leaning back and sighing. “Kid... I know what happened that night got to you—but I did what I had to do, like always...” I then growled, feeling Venom influence my response. “You turned me into a murderer, Sombra! I won’t forgive you for that... and I won’t forgive myself for it.” I sighed, going to leave... Only to bump into Luna. “Flash, go wait in the car, please...” She told me, monotone and her eyes a tint of red. I, worried about her state, nodded and headed out, hearing an exchange of words as I did. “Hey, Sombra...” “...Hey, Lunie.” We had arrived at Luna’s house, Pip and I helping Celestia out of the car. “I suppose this is unnecessary— one of you being Spider-Man, the other... what’s your hero name?” Celestia awkwardly turned to me. “Venom.” I said, setting Celestia on the ground. “Venom... hope it wasn’t your choice.” Celestia chuckled. How dare she! Venom is a name that strikes fear into our enemies! Is it, though? Go back to swirling around, or something—let me handle this one. Venom didn’t respond, which I took as him listening, as the three of us headed inside, where Luna was taking a shot... “Sister, I told you to drop that habit...” Celestia said. Luna didn’t say a word—she just looked up at her sister with a fiery rage... “Pip, Flash—go to another room, please... Celestia and I need a minute.” She said, growling as she did... We went upstairs where we still heard Luna’s booming voice. “I warned you! I warned you right from the start, and did you listen?! No! You wanted to believe in them!” Celestia said a few words that we couldn’t hear, and Luna quickly answered her. “One of them is a goddamn serial killer, another is an underground cage fighter, another is an abnormally strong farmer, and one of them is a dominatrix who used my own son!” Pip almost jumped when he realized that she knew... What is a... dom-in-a-trix? The less you know, the better... “And you think that Flash is any better? Especially with what he’s into--” “How the hell do you know what one of our students is into?!” Luna cut her sister off with a great fury. “How do you?!” “Rarity is a whole other ball-game, and you know it! And you’re right—Flash Sentry did make mistakes... I checked his background alongside Shining Armor when he cleared them after he confessed... but unlike the Rainbooms, he’s trying to fix them! And what did you give him for it, other than a punch to the face?!” Celestia went silent as I ran my hand around the black eye Celestia gave me as an overreaction... “Okay-- I will admit that I went too far--” “Too far?! Celestia, you struck one of my students, I could have you arrested for that—! But I wanted you to hear about everything your precious students really did...” Pip and I were now laying on the floor, eager to hear more... “Rainbow Dash—vandal and shoplifter... Fluttershy—underground cage fighter, goes by ‘The Scorpion’... Applejack-- freakishly strong brute and part of the Apple Mob Family... Rarity, clothing designer and intense dominatrix... Pinkamena Diane Pie—killed her entire family in cold blood and killed one student every year ever since her freshman year... and Sunset Shimmer—yandere telepath from an alien planet. Do they sound like excellent students to you, sister?!” Celestia didn’t say a word as Pip and I turned to each other. “She knew all of that?” Pip whispered. “I mean... apparently.” I replied. We heard the wheelchair squeak as Celestia seemingly moved around. “How’s Octavia?” She asked. Pip instantly shook her head, knowing how big of a mistake she made. Sure enough, we didn’t need to lean in to hear Luna’s response. “How’s Octavia... HOW’S OCTAVIA?!” We jumped back as Luna’s voice only became louder, causing a dog to bark from outside... “OCTAVIA IS IN A HOSPITAL, BEING FED THROUGH A STRAW, PRACTICALLY DEAD! AND GUESS WHO PUT HER IN THAT COMA, CELESTIA!” Celestia didn’t need long to guess... “S-Sunset Shimmer...? She... she did this?” Luna seemed to calm down slightly as the yelling stopped. “Yes... Sunset Shimmer put my daughter in that coma, and I had to put up with her for the last three years... her mocking my daughter’s condition and using every one of my staff and students like puppets while I was forced to do nothing but watch! But no more... NO! MORE!” With that, we heard a door slam as we guessed that Luna left the house... Venom slithered out form my back and turned to me, his eyes wide with shock. “Damn... Remind me to never get on Luna’s bad side.” Pip sighed as he wiped a tear away. “I remember Octavia—she was a senior, top of her class... Until she disappeared last year...” I started. It hit me—Pip's reaction to the man in the hospital made so much more sense... “Oh, my God... Sunset put your sister in coma?” All Pip did was nod. “She was the last straw... First Twi, then her... I wasn’t gonna sit by any longer—not with these powers. I had to get involved, and I have no qualms about that. It’s like I said to Rarity—I had the power, giving me the responsibility.” Pip sighed. There must be a better way to phrase that. Seriously, V? That can wait for later... Later? But I thought we were leaving... I stopped, realizing that I had to break the news to Pip... “Yeah, uh, Pip...” I started. “Yeah, what’s up?” He asked, turning to me. I glanced at him and it all hit me... would running away really make things better? It certainly won’t bring Flim back... No, all I’d do was make things worse, with Pip fighting this war of his alone, Sunset left untethered... and worst of all, Sombra’s secrets being locked up for good... “...Nothing. Never mind.” I said, suddenly remembering that Celestia wanted to talk to me. Do you think now is a good time? She just got grilled by her own sister, now the innocent student she discarded for so long? Now’s the time, V—trust me. I went downstairs to see Celestia leaned against her chair, clenching her hair with her hands... “I... I never knew...” She started. I sighed and sat on the couch, catching her attention. “...Good, you’re here—let's have that talk while we still can...” Celestia moved her chair towards me. I sighed and glanced at her, clueless of what to say. Celestia did though, as she stopped and leaned inward. “All this time, and I never had a clue... so many students expelled, teachers fired... you all knew it all along, didn’t you?” She asked me. I nodded, and Celestia leaned back. “Not all of us knew—Pip and I knew because of our relationship with them... and that’s how Luna knows, and others just made the assumption... the only other ones who really know are the ones who suffered from them...” I told her. That only caused Celestia to curse under her breath. “I had no clue... all of this time and I never had a damn clue... I just wanted to do good, but all I did was empty our school for them.” She realized, resting her head on the back of her chair. I sighed and adjusted my seat. “You were just doing your job, none of us blame you for that...” I told her. “Not you, but people will—I have a feeling I’ll have a date with the judge real soon...” She sighed. I simply nodded, knowing that someone will have to sue sooner or later. “Well, when that happens, we’ll figure it out— all of us.” I told her She hummed and turned to me. “Really? After everything I did to you?” She asked. “Sticks and stones...” I said. Well, she DID punch you in the face... Venom... “Can I talk to him? Venom?” Celestia asked. I glanced up at her as Venom began emerging, making the decision for me. “Hello, Celestia.” Celestia softly gasped before wheeling closer to Venom, me leaning out of the way to make things less awkward. “This is... incredible.” She whispered, running a hand through Venom. “Careful-- that tickles!” Venom started squirming slightly. I heard the door reopen and Luna enter, rubbing her temples. “Celly, I’m sorry, I know that you had no idea--” She stopped when she saw Celestia running her hands though Venom... And stifled a laugh. "Cute.” She chuckled. That broke Celestia into laughter which prompted me to do the same. I looked over to see Pip trying to hold it back, but I knew exactly how to break it... I winked at him. That small gesture caused the remaining two to break into embarrassed laughter, Celestia still laughing, but oblivious to my cruel joke... It was at that moment that I realized that was my home... the only one that I had, and I probably wasn’t going to get one that was better. It was our job to protect it—Pip and I... and I’ll be damned if I didn’t do just that.
...Three months had passed since the Rainbooms were arrested and brought to the S.W.O.R.D-owned prison-- the Raft. A supermax-security prison located in the middle of the ocean, 5 miles off of the shoreline. Sunset Shimmer, now being called "The Goblin", was resting in her cell, her condition improving, with her skin turning a greenish-pale, and her wings covered by her prison-jumpsuit. She had set in a pair of ear-buds and was nodding her head to the beat of her song of choice... A loud knock on her cell door broke her concentration-- an act that caused her to angrilly growl. "Prisoner 26-654-2345354-- turn your head and face the wall." A loud guard's voice commanded. Sunset rolled her eyes and obeyed, resting her head against the wall, with dirty thoughts running through her head. The S.W.O.R.D officer in question entered her cell and set a pair of handcuffs over her and began leading her to the visit center... "A visitor? How interesting..." Sunset commented. Was it Flash? Ready to show his love for her? Pip, with the news that Octavia was finally dead? Sunset and the guard entered the room and as Sunset took her seat, the door on the other side of the bulletproof glass opened to reveal a woman with a fedora and a large trench-coat... "You have 5 minutes." The guard reminded her as he shut the door between them, standing outside the room... Strange-- they usually stay in the rooms... Sunset wondered to herself... The woman on the other side took no time as she removed her fedora to reveal a very familiar face... "Hello, Sunset Shimmer... I hope you remember me." Twilight Sparkle said, her hair wrapped in a bun and her glasses now tinted yellow... Sunset was appalled, ready to pounce at the glass but settled for leaning inwards... "I thought you were done with this retched planet... and that you didn't need glasses--" Sunset gasped as she started to back away from the now-smirking Twilight... "Good-- you do remember me." The other Twilight giggled. Sunset wanted to either fight or run, but she did neither, settling for gasping. "You... the other Twilight! I thought you were gone..." Sunset whispered. Twilight simply turned to the cameras and nodded to them, causing the cameras to turn off... "What...?" Sunset whispered, awestruck at this display of power. Twilight stood up from her seat and removed her trench-coat, revealing a green jumpsuit along with her four mechanical arms, now modified to stretch out longer than before... "First thing to keep in mind, Goblin-- Twilight Sparkle is dead... long live Doctor Octopus." Twilight laughed, setting her bottom-left claw on the glass, an act that Sunset returned by slowly setting her hand on her side... "This is..." Sunset started, at a loss for words. Twilight knew what to say as she moved the claw away and leaned right next to the glass, her breath starting to fog it up. "Incredible? Amazing? An act of intellectual genius that most other scientists would dream of proving? All of those and much more. But the worship can wait until later... but for right now..." Twilight started as the arms retracted to her back and she set the trench coat on over them, sitting back in the chair and Sunset doing the same. "...We need to talk about a little... extermination..." Twilight smiled-- a wicked smile that mirrored the many ones Sunset had given over the years... Save for the prideful ego in trade of the maniacal obsession... Author's Note ...Now, I'm done
Dazzling First Day (Edited)“If a coin comes down heads, that means that the possibility of its coming down tails has collapsed. Until that moment the two possibilities were equal. But on another world, it does come down tails. And when that happens, the two worlds split apart.” Phillip Pullman, Golden Compass The alarm had a way of aggravating me. There I was, trying to sneak some sleep in at about 6:40 in the morning, and my bus comes at 7:25. Of course, my alarm didn't go off, meaning that I had about 15 minutes to get ready for school... So, you can see how I’d be in a bad mood already. Then, of course, all of my good clothes were in the laundry, meaning that I had to improvise... The result was me wearing tight jeans—like really tight jeans-- and a loose hoodie over a black T-shirt. Yeah, really sounded like a guy who has his life together... I suppose I might as well introduce myself... My name’s Flash Sentry, and my life so far had been one big dumpster fire. First, there was my ex... Sunset Shimmer—a true goblin if I’d ever seen one-- you’ll see why later... Then there were the five of her... friends? That doesn’t sound right but “lieutenants” sound too strong. Finally, there was me and my group of buddies. Most of them were either framed for crimes by the Rainbooms and expelled, or they smarted up and got up out of dodge. Well, it's one last year... how much worse could it be? How about we find out? I'd managed to make my bus and sit down without ripping these jeans when I saw a familiar face at the seat next to me, staring aimlessly out of the window. “Pipsqueak?” I called out. Pip— we all called him Pipsqueak, thanks to his small stature. He was one of my closest friends who was part of a career opportunity at Oscorp that didn’t work out so well, from what I’ve heard. He seemed to gain a bit of weight as well as muscle—he was no pipsqueak, that was for sure... “Oi! How’ve you been, Flash?” His British accent shone through as he turned to face me. “Eh. Same-old, same-old.” I replied. Pipsqueak’s voice seemed somewhat deeper than before, but he still seemed high-pitched with his chuckle. “Good to hear.” He smiled at me—his teeth strangely aligned... guess he didn’t need braces anymore. “Yeah... how was that college class?” I asked him. He stopped for a moment, glancing out the window. “Eh, it was alright—I just had to put up with the pain-in-the-neck CEO.” He told me. “Well, at least you didn’t have to put up with... them, over there...” I added. I stopped talking once I brought them up—my ex was kind of the boss of their crew, and so far, they’ve gone out of their way to make all of our lives a living hell. Mainly framing people for life-ruining acts, using their younger siblings for planting drugs, weapons, or even other... creative items in their lockers, one of them even made a few lucky students... disappear. The bus screeched to a stop and we had arrived... Canterlot High—a living nightmare. We left the bus and entered the building when a teacher asked me to see the principal... The Rainbooms did something already? That’s unlike them... As I walked toward the office, I heard exploding dye-packs be opened on freshmen, the scatter of hiding planted horrors in senior’s lockers, and the all-around dread of the new school year. I had reached the door labeled Principal Luna, and as I opened it, I expected the sounds of Vice-Principal Celestia demanding me to sit and explain myself again and Luna letting me go, but instead... I was met with three girls who I had never seen before—one had large orange hair, another had a long blue ponytail, and the last had purple pigtails arcing to her shoulders. Principal Luna was sitting in her chair, waiting for me—with a look of nervousness... “Hello, Mr. Sentry. How was your summer?” She asked me, almost ignoring the three new students. “Hey, Luna... it was good—I miss it...” This remark caused Luna to chuckle. “That’s good to hear... now, Mr. Sentry, I’d like you to meet Adagio Dazzle, Sonata Dusk, and Aria Blaze. You are to show these girls around campus today—they have all of your classes, so that should make things easier for you. Do you have any questions?” She asked me. Oh, I had a couple questions. “Can we talk alone for a moment? I just wanna ask some other questions.” Luna nodded and signaled the girls to wait out in the hall. As soon as they left and the door clicked shut, I leaned into the table. “Ms. Luna, please tell me you’re joking! It’s bad enough I have to look behind my own back, now I have three more to look after?! Luna, you can’t expect me to--” “First off, it’s Principal Luna to you, and second of all, I’m backed into a corner, here—Applejack volunteered to show them around, and you know how well that’d turn out. I panicked—it’s you or her, so please, please… I am begging you, back me up, here.” I, too, was backed into a corner and I made my decision... “So, this is our first class—don’t worry, Ms. Cheerliee is a great teacher, just learn to bear with her. We entered the room and sure enough, she was already all happy and cheerful—just like her namesake. “Good morning, students! It’s so good to be back with all of you. To start off today, I would like everyone to introduce themselves... starting with this row here.” She pointed over to the row on the far left, where Adagio was in the front seat. She stood and turned to face everyone else. “My name is Adagio Dazzle, me and my sisters are juniors, and we’re... new here.” Adagio said before sitting back down. I glanced around for a moment and saw that all of the guys were absolutely fixated on her... much to my annoyance. The last thing Canterlot needs is another diva. “Okay, next, please.” A few rows of students down and I saw Pipsqueak was up next. He rose up and cleared his throat before speaking. “My name’s Pip, I was here for the first half of my sophomore year, but I went to a vocational school for the second half... and here I am.” The juniors nodded and one of them even waved at “Pip” for him to wave back as he sat down. As the line of introductions continued, we finally reached Applejack in the far back (hey, that rhymed), who tipped her hat back and crossed her legs on top of the table in front of her. Her cowgirl boot/heel mix that her “friend” made for her. She was also wearing tight torn jeans and a deep red plaid shirt. She looked up and with her clothing combined with her eyeliner and her playful grimace portraying a truly sinister image, caused some of the freshmen to look away in fear. “...Ya’ll know who I am.” She smirked. There it was—the dread that we’ve all felt since my freshman year... since they arrived. The three new students then turned to me, and I simply sighed, waiting for someone to break the long silence. “Well we don’t.” Adagio boldly claimed. I was ready to chuck my laptop at her, hoping it would knock her out long enough for the Rainbooms to forget about her... Applejack moved her legs and leaned in, ready to lunge at whoever dared to mock her. “I’m sorry, can you run that by me again?” Applejack asked her, staring her down with a strong rage. Adagio didn’t falter—not even for a second as she leaned in as well. “I said that we don’t know who you are. We’re new, and I was hoping to know everyone’s name in my classes, but... oh, well.” Adagio shrugged her shoulders and turned back around, acting like nothing happened. Applejack simply chuckled and leaned back once again. “My name’s Applejack... and be careful who you talk to like that—others won’t take that sass so kindly around here.” No-one said a word—silence followed Applejack’s threat like a shadow. Cheerliee kept trying to start up the class again, but failed miserably. The class finally ended and the girls and I went to our next class... only to be stopped by an apple nailing a locker next to us—putting a large dent in it. We all turned to see Applejack holding another apple, tossing it in the air and picking it up. We went to head down the hall, but another one of the Rainbooms cut us off... “Starting already, Fluttershy? Seems a little early for your hairy little friends, don’t you think?” I asked. The pink-haired bully didn’t speak a word as she just smirked, starting to smile as the sound of electricity from down the hall, and I knew exactly what was coming. “Run!” The girls and I managed to avoid the rainbow-blur as the others began chasing us down, with the speedy one out of commission. The difference between us was staggering— the three new girls were running with looks of confusion and fear—as is expected. I, however, was running with a bold smile on my face—I enjoyed this, the thrill of the hunt, I guess you could call it—knowing that this is only the build-up to the big reveal... that excited me in a sick way, wanting to enjoy the run before the prey got cornered by its predators... I’ll stop. As we rushed for the other hallway, hoping to break away from the arachnid horde, we were greeted by Rarity, just standing in a dead end, and ran down the other hallway until we ran into another dead end-- the dead end, with the dim, sometimes-flickering lights... The rest of the Rainbooms were waiting for us... “H-hey, ladies! How’s.... how’s your summer?” I asked out of pure nervousness. “Life’s been peachy.” Rainbow Dash said, baring a similar sinister smile as she sped past us and next to the others. She then zoomed around and stood in front of Sonata, who tried to run in the other direction. Fluttershy then cracked her knuckles, intimidating Sonata enough to send her back to us. Rarity then used her powers to block us off—the diamond force-field catching the girls off-guard. Applejack then caught up with us, lunging next to Rainbow Dash, landing with the floor shaking slightly, soon followed by Fluttershy, who now used her powers to force some sort of small, rabid animal to emerge from her backpack... I never truly understood how she snuck all those animals and insects in... “So... where’s Pinkie?” I asked the girls, all of whom wore sinister smirks. “She’s still doing time... but she should be out real soon.” Fluttershy said, pulling the creature back. “Good to know. So, what’s this all about?” I asked them. Applejack stepped forward and signaled at Adagio. “This... is about teachin’ y'all who to respect 'round here.” She stated. “Girls, come on... it’s their first day, let them off the hook this one time.” I pleaded, knowing it was falling on deaf ears. They seemed to think about it for a second before smirking and beginning to walk towards us, causing us to move back to the dark, flickering light in the dead-end locker area... “Jus’ know that this ain’t personal, Flashy...” Applejack said, grabbing me by one hand and lifting me up into the air. Then, out of nowhere, the lights went off and we heard someone shoot out some kind of rope from his wrist and pull Applejack back, dropping me due to her being shot backwards. "Who did that?! Show yourself!" Applejack called. Everyone was struck in awe and simply watched the sight as I saw the silhouette of Pip for a split second-- adjusting some device on his arm, only for the lights to flicker, and for the device to go off again—this time launching a ball of goo on to Rarity’s hand keeping her from using her powers. “What the-- Get this off me!” Rarity screamed in horror, trying to pull it off, but finding it glued to her left hand. “Run!” A voice called out. Sure enough, we ran—we kept running until we were safe... Also, we managed to knock down Vice-Principal Celestia. “...Sister, this is what happens when we trust Flash Sentry to guide the new students around! Applejack volunteered, you should’ve let her go!” Celestia told her sister, while I was sitting outside of her office. “Celly, with all due respect, you know what they did to--” “I won’t allow myself to dive into rumors-- their records are clean!” There was a short pause, but I was certain that Luna shot Celestia a look. “O...kay, perhaps Ms. Pinkamena is a different story, but she’s being rehabilitated as we speak. You need to understand how much of a bad influence that... delinquent is-- he’s been charged with larceny, grand theft auto, and--” “I’m aware of his charges, sister, and they’ve all been dropped-- Captain Shining Armor told me as much.” Luna stated. “You don’t question how fast those charges were dropped? One day there, and the next day gone?” “And you don’t question how close the Rainbooms were to the case? They stuck to that case and many others just like it—you need to at least question that.” Luna begged her sister. There was a silence, and Celestia walked out of the door, but not before glaring at me and walking off. The Dazzlings were being shown around by some other student—Trixie, I think her name is. I’ve never met her, but I have friends who hang out with her, she sems nice enough. I took a moment to look the room over again—the pictures of Sunset winning three Fall Formals certainly stood out. Her first one was back when she was still pretending, all happy and honored... the second was ruder and more selfish, while the third was pure evil—diabolical, and insane. I wonder how she’s gonna look this year... Luna opened her door and signaled for me to come in. I closed the door behind us and took a seat, ready to hear light disciplining. “Flash... I know that things seem tough with the Rainbooms around, but you can’t let that stand in the way of what’s--.” “...Of what’s important, I know Lu—Ms. Luna, it’s just... I had to stand up for them, they got themselves in a corner and I couldn’t just stand there and let it happen. Besides, you made me look after them, I needed to deliver.” I explained myself. Luna took a moment and sighed, glancing over at a photo on her desk. “I know... I’ll write you a pass, you should get going. And please, watch where you’re running, this time.” Luna said, warranting a chuckle from me. “You got it.” It all seemed like yesterday—CHS almost functioned like compound, with all of the status quo and hierarchy drama. I, however, liked being on my own—no-one to keep me down or hold me back... But we all need an education, and I am not going back to Oscorp... Not after what happened with Twilight and Cinch. The school day slowly came to an end and I was left with my regular activities... Well, as regular as they can be, when you have the powers of a DNA-fused spider. The bus dropped me off by the city limits, where I looked around for an alley-way to change at. Sure enough, I found a decent one and ran in it, my suit in my backpack. I removed the white hoodie that was keeping me warm and put it in the bag, grabbing my suit first... Once the shirt was on and the mask was pulled down... I became Spider-Man. I shot out a web that stuck to a building wall and I used it to launch myself to the top of the building—a decent size and good enough to start my momentum. I went to one side and ran towards the other, picking my target to web-swing from. I found a nice crane and launched a web at it, grabbing my web before it detached. I leaped off of the roof and let myself swing into the city, anxious to find some form of crime to stop, someone to save... This is my home, and this is my part of the story... Allow me to tell it.
ChrysalisI was sticking on the side of a building, listening to the scanners, thinking to myself... I’ve never seen Rarity so scared like she was earlier... what was so special about that crown? Why did Sunset want it? My thoughts were interrupted by a large semi going at least 80 down the city streets, prompting me to jump off of the wall, dive down into the city, and swing off, building up momentum until I was a few feet away, shooting out my webbing to stop the truck... I landed on a pole and pulled back as hard as I could, the weight and speed of the truck almost pulling me away. I managed to stop it and swung over to see who was inside... “Ah, if it isn’t one of my favorite goons... Snails.” I smiled under the mask. “Hey, Spidey! Look, about... all this--” I shot a web at his mouth, silencing him. “Alright, you stay right here, I gotta deal with all your friends, first.” I offered as I jumped off the truck and readied to fight... Only for Sombra to walk out, accompanied by two men with large machine guns. “Hey-- Spidey! How’s it goin’ in the deep city?” He asked, I went for some cocky remark when another truck honked its horn to the side of us... we both turned to see another crimelord—Chrysalis. “Hello Sombra... Spider-Man.” She said, less cheerful on my name. Sombra seemed flustered, and he slowly ordered his men to stand down. “Don’t think we’re all buddies, Sombra—you and your men have 15 seconds to get in that truck before my men and I mow you all down.” She ordered. Sombra didn’t waste any time as he ordered his men to fall back and drive off. Chrysalis then turned her attention to me, her two men with a minigun and a 50-caliber rifle turning to me as well. “So, you’re the infamous Spider-Man... It’s an honor to finally meet you.” Chrysalis held out her hand. “You’re a criminal and a mass murderer, give me a reason not to bring you in.” I said, my American accent holding strong. “Because I have a proposal for you--” “Sombra offered me one last night, I don’t make deals with anyone.” I bluntly stated. Chrysalis looked away and seemingly smirked, but I had no way of truly knowing. “Well, I’m not Sombra, so... have at him, no guns.” She ordered her men as she got into the truck and sped off. I noticed that the sun was getting lower and my aunt was coming over, tonight... “I’m so sorry, guys, but I’m gonna be late.” I said as I simply webbed the three thugs to the wall, swinging off to avoid the police. I was desperately speeding through the city, desperate to get back home before sundown, but as I swung, I saw a mugging—and I had to intervene. I zipped downwards and used the momentum to knock one of the muggers out right off the bat and shot a web at the other, sticking him to the wall. I turned to the woman, handed her the purse, and swung off, now even more desperate. I made the street before the sun fell and as I swung onto my last building... SCRAPE! I looked at my knee and saw blood dragging across the building... my suit must’ve gotten a tear by the knee at some point... “Son of a...” I cursed under my breath as I used my webbing as an impromptu bandage and swung into my window, almost ripping the suit off as I scurried to the bathroom to treat the wound. I heard the door open downstairs and my phone went off—it was my mother. Hey are you home? I took a second away from bandaging my knee to reply. Yeah. Got hurt, just a scrape, bandaging it now. I heard my aunt’s voice downstairs. “Hi, Luna.” I heard her say. “Hey, Celestia.” Mom replied. The two started talking as I managed to stop the bleeding and clean the wound off, bandaging it so my super-healing can kick in. “Hey, where’s Pip?” She asked, her voice getting louder. “Uh, he’ll be down in a minute, he just wanted to... get dressed.” Mom covered. By their volume, I could tell that they were by the stairs, and as I removed any evidence of blood, Celestia was upstairs, right by the bathroom door. “Pip? Are you up here?” Aunt Celestia asked. I managed to open the door before she entered my room, me grabbing a shirt and jeans I had stored in the bathroom just in case of something like that. “Hey, Aunt Celestia.” I said, grateful that I closed my door. She instantly turned around and hugged me, catching me off-guard since my Spider-Sense didn’t register her as a threat. “It’s so nice to see you! How was...” She went to ask, but stopped, most likely remembering. We were both silent as I decided to take the conversation downstairs, when Luna was sitting by the television, unable to believe what she was hearing. “...and our top story: Abacus Cinch, former CEO of Oscorp Industries, has fallen severely ill, according to our several sources, following the incident involving her daughter, Twilight Sparkle, near Oscorp Industries, as well as the first reported appearance of the threat and/or menace Spider-Man. More on this story, tonight at 8.” Cinch... sick? Meh. “God... I almost feel bad for her.” Mom said, changing the channel to some cluster of funny or cute videos. Celestia clicked her tongue and took a seat, me doing the same. “I never said I was sorry... Twilight was a good student, and I bet she would’ve made a brilliant scientist.” Celestia said. I chuckled, turning to her. “She was a brilliant scientist... that was where everything went wrong.” I said. “...Are you sure you don’t want to wait? That bite doesn’t seem to look any better.” My mom said, handing me my suitcase. “I’m certain, mom—it's better than it was, and I can’t wait any longer.” I said, eager for my college course at Oscorp Industries. The bus labelled “Oscorp” rolled up and as I went on, suitcase in hand, I looked around and saw a couple of students, but mostly no-one... I took a random seat where a girl with lavender hair and glasses was sitting, sketching in a notebook of some kind of schematics. I leaned in and saw that it was for prosthetic limbs... not too shabby for something made on a bumpy road. “Prosthetics... I didn’t know Oscorp had those.” I said, surprised. The girl turned to me, mostly in surprise that I spoke. “Oh... yeah—Oscorp's just starting the project, it’s a work in progress, but I think they can get it off the ground.” She said, a sheepish smile on her face. “That’s... honestly really cool, but I was more intrigued with Oscorp’s genetics—I was hoping to look into a certain experiment they did a few weeks ago—the one with the spiders?” I asked, hiding my bite from her. I saw her heart drop and then her eyes light up when I mentioned the spider-project. “Ah, that one—the splicing of different spiders’ DNA into one Super-Spider... it had potential, but never got off the ground. Besides, you can’t really choose anyway—us being simple students, and all...” The girl said, going back to her shy self from earlier. I sighed and scooted over to her seat, holding out my hand. “I’m Pip.” I said, with a small smile on my face. She looked and shook my hand. “I’m Twilight.”
Welcome to the ShowThe day was here... after a week-break following the Rainbooms were arrested, the final showcase of the Battle of the Bands was here. The warm weather meant that we were all outside, in the football stadium, where we fashioned a makeshift concert stage. As we expected, Celestia was drowned in lawsuits from parents of children who were either arrested, ran away or... ended their lives, so she was facing trial in the near future and handed in her resignation yesterday... Rarity was still here, but mainly because she came clean—she gave the police everything she had on the others in exchange for not facing jail time... Community service, however... was free game. Mom set her to help construct the concert stage and repair the locker damage caused by Applejack... to start. I was certain Mom wasn’t going to let her slide any time soon... Adagio and I were having a conversation in the back about who and what she and her sisters were, while Aria ran off to talk to Flash. “Okay... so, let me get this straight—you and your sisters are... sirens?” I asked as I took a sip of my drink. She chuckled and nodded, holding her red necklace. “Yes... we were exiled by a rather xenophobic old uni... man, about... four, five hundred years ago?” She tried to recall. As if it were destiny, I spit the drink. “Five hundred years?! You and your sisters have just... lived through all of that time?” I asked. Her smile faded as she nodded. “My sisters and I have seen the worst in humanity... the centuries of war and conflict. But we’ve also seen the best of it, with all of the efforts to change and move on from them...” “I can only imagine—living through all of those years...” I said, clueless on what else to say. Adagio knew that I was lost and sat on the bench, inviting me to do the same. I first listened to the song that had just started, by Trixie and the Illusions, and knew that we had a bit of time. I took a seat and Adagio turned to me. “Oh, and before I forget... back during our first performance, you said you had a sister...” There it was—the moment I never wanted to happen... “Yeah... you want to know about her?” I asked her. Adagio nodded, but I could see in her eyes that she knew how bad it was. “If you don’t want to talk about it--” “She was the top of her class... she was a senior, a year above Flash and the Rainbooms. She and Sunset were always rivaling while I tried slippin’ through the cracks, which... didn’t really work. One day, when I was at Oscorp, Sunset finally snapped and...” My fists clenched and Adagio set her hand on my shoulder. “...Put her in a coma." I heard Adagio gasp as she pulled me in for a hug, one that I returned. “So... what do you think?” She asked me. I hesitated and let out a quick chuckle. “What do I think? My girlfriend is an immortal siren who’s from another world, my ex is a dominatrix, and until a week ago, my high school was bein' controlled by six super-powered femme fatales.” I said as I took her hand. Adagio flinched for a moment and she took my hand back, resting her head on my shoulder. “And my boyfriend is a former dominatrix’s pet who now spends his afternoons swinging around the city in a skin-tight white t-shirt with a spider on the front, avenging his comatose sister.” I let out a gasp and Adagio used my shock as an opportunity to pull me in for a kiss. The gesture caught me off-guard for a moment until I returned the favor, resting one hand on her cheek as our kiss continued through the competitors’ song, drowning them out... “You’re a champion, Pip... a true champion that has more nobility and integrity than I’ve seen in decades...” Adagio said, putting her head next to mine. “Guys!” Aria screamed out as she ran into the back... We quickly pulled away and turned to the other immortal siren... “Yeah, what is it?” I asked her. “We’re up next!” She said as she panted for breath, either running back or an intense make-out session with Flash... Probably both. We quickly pepped up a bit and went over our song one last time—and at that moment... we were on. I went to the side and started with the drums as the three came in, their voices stealing the show, their necklaces no longer glowing as they sang... “Welcome to the show....” I would’ve stopped drumming at the sound of her voice, but I knew better—I kept on, but not without being completely entranced by Adagio’s voice... “We’re here to let you know...” I kept on, watching the crowd feel the same trance as me... She wasn’t hypnotizing us, was she? Could she even do that? I glanced to see that the necklaces were still not glowing, so I assumed that it was just my love for her... “Our time is now... their time has ru-un out...” They already ran over the lyrics with me, but I still knew that the audience was going to love them... and for the most part, I was correct... “Feel the waves of fear... as they dis-a-pear...” “They’re reign ends tonight... it’s time to make things right, they will be ignored... deny them their reward.” I saw my mother... smiling with pride over the fact that the nightmare was finally over... and the Rainbooms were gone... “Now they’re gone... the new dawn... nothing can stop us no-ow...” Then, out of nowhere... a gunshot rang out. Screams of panic swept the field as the students fled to each side, revealing Sombra-- wearing a white leather jacket and a black buttoned shirt underneath, Chrysalis—wearing a dark green shirt with a bullet-proof vest atop it, and Sunset—wearing her leather jacket with a black tank top underneath... “Okay... now that I have your attention, let’s not make this harder than it needs to be! Just give me that damn piece of plastic so we can all go home!” Sombra said, one arm around Chrysalis and the other holding his pistol aimlessly. I turned to Adagio, who nodded, as I snuck backstage to grab my backpack... To grab my suit. He was here... Sombra was right down there, a black eye remaining from his severe beating from that other vigilante last week. “How the hell did you get everything back?!” I asked in rage. Sombra turned to me and chuckled. “Turns out I still got friends in this city, after all...” Sombra said as he pulled Chrysalis in, much to her un-amusement. Sunset then stepped forward, facing me. “I didn’t want this, Flash... I never wanted any of this for you. Join us—and I’ll give you the same gift I promised to give the Rainbooms...” Sure enough, the remaining four entered from the back of the field, Applejack still having one handcuff on her left hand and Fluttershy’s hair tangled and messy, and all of their Geodes gone—possibly in police lock-up... In denial, I stood in place, waiting for Sunset to get the hint. Once she understood, she growled at me before beginning to laugh. “This ends... tonight! Two and a half years of terror and picking the good ones off... all for this. Give me the crown, Luna... and maybe I’ll let you live.” Sunset said with a crazed smile on her face. Sunset was hysterical... it was like everything she held inside of her for all of those years—the madness, the impulsiveness? All broken through Sunset’s usual calm, sophisticated manner... That was the Sunset Shimmer I knew, and now all of Canterlot got to finally see the real her... Luna simply scowled at Sombra, not saying a word to Sunset. “So, this is the crowd you’re affiliating yourself with, Sombra? I must say... I’m disappointed.” She said. That was when Chrysalis spoke up. “Eh-- you’re just jealous that he--” Sombra quickly cleared his throat and intervened. “How about we focus on the mission for now? This personal thing with all of us can wait until later...” Sombra said, once again wrapping his arm around her. How do they all know each other? It seems like they have some history... Yeah... but for right now, be ready for anything... Sombra let out a chuckle as I saw Pip land on one of the bleachers behind the seven criminals... “I’m done talking, Lunie—give her the crown... or I’ll have no choice.” Sombra hesitated as he slowly aimed his gun on Luna, who wasn’t at all phased by it. I glanced at Pip and he leapt into action, shooting out a web and pulling the gun away from Sombra. “Hey, Kingpin! How about you watch where you point that thing? Guns are awfully dangerous in the wrong hands...” Pip said in a decent American accent as he stuck the landing on the damp field grass. “Spider-Man...” Sombra growled as he turned to his archenemy, and as Sombra began to charge, I saw Sunset make a beeline for the gun, that was dropped half-way across the field. Hold on! Venom then took control as we jumped to try and land in front of Sunset, but wound up a few feet away, something that Venom rectified by shooting out a tendril and pulling us forward, landing by the gun with Sunset’s hand just inches away from it. “It’s over, Sunset... Stand down.” Our voices said, fused together to create a terrifying threat. Sunset cackled as she ran for the gun—only for us to wrap a tendril around her neck and lift her up. “We are done talking... stand down, now.” “Oh, I bet you missed choking me as much as I did...” Sunset cackled as she bit into us, causing us to roar out in pain as we dropped her, allowing her to grab the gun and blindly fire. Pip fell to the ground from a shot to his shoulder, causing Luna to scream out in terror. “Okay! Take it—take the damn crown!” Luna threw it across the field as she and Adagio ran to Pip... Sunset then turned to me, drawing the smoking gun on me... “Stay there, Flashie... I still have plans for you...” Sunset giggled as she went over to the crown... The purple gem in the center began glowing as Sunset picked the crown up, her eyes going damp as she did... “All of these years of scrounging for whatever power I can take... and now I’ll have more than I can ever imagine!” Sunset pulled out the gem and held it to her head, the gem now pulling toward her... once she let go, the crown embedded itself into her forehead, sinking into her skull until it vanished... Sunset began cramping, the crown’s magic slowly growing inside of her. She then fell her knees, violently shaking and her limbs twisting as she screamed out in pain... Her back began to extend outwards, her skin and leather jacket tearing as fleshy wings tore out of her back, letting out one flap as they did which tore her leather jacket to shreds. The torn jacket and her black tank-top, both torn to shreds, were the only thing covering her, save for her pair of leggings, which were starting to tear and stretch as Sunset’s skin began to wither away, what remained, turned a dark shade of green with hints of grey throughout. Sunset’s eyes turned all-black with red pupils forming and her ears pointing outward... The final look was her teeth growing outwards and sharpening. Sunset slowly rose from the painful transformation, grunting like an injured animal, and looked herself over, before laughing wickedly as she glanced at her new form... She felt the leathery wings and cackled, letting out a flap and she began to hover above everyone at the field—including Sombra and Chrysalis, whose mouths were wide open and their eyes filled with terror... Pip rose up and saw the horrifying sight and turned to the other four, who were also petrified. “All of that time... all-lll of that time of waiting for that damned portal to open... it was all worth it!” Sunset let out a demonic cackle as the four Rainbooms began to back away... Sunset rotated to them, her wings still flapping as she held her hand out to Fluttershy, gesturing her to approach her. For the first time in almost three years... Fluttershy seemed scared—terrified at the monster in front of her... “Kneel...” Sunset simply said, turning her head up to the others, and then everyone else at the stadium. “I said... KNEEL!” Sunset roared, her now-purple hair bursting into flames. Fluttershy was the first to kneel, her legs shaking as she did, then Rainbow, then the others... Then Luna, then the other students and even a few parents at the field... “Years... for years I was Princess Luna’s favorite... but when that precious little prodigy came along and just so happened to sprout wings... I was pushed aside... like a leper... but now... It's my turn!” Sunset took a break from her monologue to laugh maniacally. “No, this isn’t what I want. No—this is only the beginning. The portal closes again in about 30 minutes, more than enough time for the four of you to adapt... if you’re strong enough, that is.” Sunset flashed a wicked smile as a dark ball of (presumably) magic formed in her hand. She then held the ball, causing it to turn darker and start sparking electricity as she pushed her hand out, bringing an energy blast at Rainbow Dash, whose body began turning a bright blue... “Rainbow Dash... you joined Fluttershy’s little mutiny attempt because she promised you power... Well, I gave you just that!” Rainbow begin seizing on the ground, powerful sparks of electricity shooting out as her eyes turned bright blue as well... Sunset then turned to Fluttershy, who was now shaking with terror. “Fluttershy... you little Scorpion... You broke my heart, betraying me like you did... so, I suppose I should break yours... but I was always a fan of irony...” Sunset blasted Fluttershy, causing her to fall to the ground as a large, scaled tail emerged from her back, a long blade-like stinger on the end of it... Her pupils then formed into slivers as she began hissing in pain from her transformation... Sunset growled as she turned to Applejack, who tried to run, but Sunset grabbed her by her head and pulled her upwards into the air... “And you... By killing the muscle, you will be the example!” Sunset set both of her hands on her head... And squeezed. Loud cracking was heard as Applejack’s limp body was tossed aside, her cracked skull oozing with blood... Now Pinkamena was left, who was starting to make nervous glances at me. “I... I can prove my loyalty!” She screamed as she charged at me... Venom shot a web at her, pushing her back as Sunset only shook her head. “Sorry, Pinkie... but I cannot allow weakness in my new army...” Sunset blasted Pinkamena with another ball of magic, causing her to writhe to the ground as Venom and I spotted the “web” attached to her begin to change from black... to red. Oh, no... What? What is it? “And you...” Sunset let out an inhuman roar flew down to me and swooped me off of my feet, Venom included. Sunset flew me high enough to see the city in the distance, all while keeping one hand around my throat, but not too hard that I couldn’t breathe... “Flashie-- look at me! I’m the most powerful being in this world and Equestria!” Sunset cackled. I felt Venom’s fear as I let out a gentle growl. “When we were together... I was yours...” Sunset moved her free hand around my waist and pulled me in, using the hand around her neck to caress my face. “Now, I have an offer for you...” Sunset pulled me in and I recoiled when I made contact with her green, flaking skin... “...Be mine. Rule both this world and Equestria by my side. We can have it all, Flash... nothing’s stopping us now.” I didn’t even hesitate as I let out a guttural growl, made deeper and stronger by Venom... “Sunset Shimmer...” I hissed as I leaned as close as I could... Sunset’s toothy smile faded as she saw my anger and hatred finally boiling over. “You are a goblin. For the last three years, you made our lives a living hell... but no more...” I said as Venom pushed us away from the before-mentioned goblin. As we plummeted to the ground, I looked around for something to swing on. Failing to find something, we continued to free-fall, until I felt a sudden tug on my back and I turned to see that Venom formed a parachute... “Is that even possible?!” I asked him. Best not to question it. As we landed, I saw that Pip was up, using his webbing as an impromptu bandage for his wound. I turned to Adagio, whose necklace was now glowing bright... “Aria, get Sonata out of here... Spider-Man and I will handle this.” She said as she began to glow... I felt Pip’s shock as Adagio began to float, slowly shifting into something else... a bright flash blocked our vision for a few moments and once we were able to see again... “You were right about one thing, Sunset... this ends tonight!” Adagio said, now sprouting wings out of her back and her eyes a light green... Sunset let out an angry roar as she readied small fire-bombs from her hands... “No, my little Siren... tonight, it begins!” Now Pip, Adagio, and I were charging at Sunset, ready for a fight. Once contact was made, Pip and I shot webs at her, trying to pull her to the ground, but Sunset simply pulled us up, causing us to lose our balance as Sunset began flying straight up, attempting to reach the atmosphere. “Going up?!” She cackled, us starting to feel the ill effects of the colder air around us. By the time Sunset let go of us, we were struggling for breath, now plummeting down to the field. Just as I felt that it was all over, we were pulled up and set down by the wall so we can recover. I peeked up to see Adagio, checking on Pip. “’Dagi, I’m fine—just worry about the demon-goblin-thing...” He said as he laid back, catching his breath. Adagio then turned to me while I was trying to get back up. “Stay with him—I got this!” She said as she turned to see Sunset starting to get closer. I tried to get up, but fell right back down. Sighing, I laid back and let Venom heal me, watching the battle of Siren and... Goblin. As Flash and I laid on the grass, we watched as Adagio fought Sunset, something out of a movie, with their moves and the whole fight being in the air... “It’s like Superman...” I whispered, Flash nodding at that. We stayed silent, watching the fight until I realized something. “Can Aria change, as well?” I asked Flash. He turned to me and shrugged his shoulders. “I have no idea—probably not, or she’d be here.” He said. We kept watching as Adagio was seemingly getting the upper hand... but once I was able to move my arms, I decided to pitch in, shooting webs at Sunset, pulling her down as Adagio went for one violent punch after another... “Damn-- they’re really going at it.”Venom said, emerging from Flash. I kept watching as I nodded, hoping that I’d be able to walk soon so I could help end the battle. I turned to see the other four, laying on the ground, same as us, Rainbow emitting smoke and several sparks, Fluttershy and Pinkie unconscious, and Applejack seemingly dead. “Okay-- we gotta get up.” I said as I started getting to my feet, stumbling at first, but standing straight by the end. Flash did the same, helped by Venom, who shot out tendrils and pushed him up. We took our breath as Flash suited up, Venom wrapping himself over Flash. “Okay, that suit looks badass.” I commented. Flash chuckled and Venom added a quick detail-- a white spider logo, its legs stretching across his chest. “Yours... needs work.” Venom said, zipping onto the spotlight. I followed, swinging to the other spotlight while everyone else watched from behind the bleachers. I landed on top and looked up to see that Sunset was holding Adagio by the throat, letting out a feral roar as she threw Adagio down. I quickly swung across and caught her, landing on the seats. Adagio looked up at me and chuckled, pulling the bottom or my mask off for a quick kiss—one that I returned. It lasted a second as she pulled away and smiled. “Go take her down.” She said. I didn’t need any more permission as Venom and I shot a web strand at Sunset, pulling her down to the ground and webbing her down. Once she was restrained, Mom came out, shaking her head in relief. “Sunset Shimmer... go to hell.” Sunset let out one last roar as Mom pulled out the gun and whipped her with it, knocking her out as she began to change back to normal... Save for her greenish skin and black eyes still remaining. The gem fell out of her head and I grabbed it, web-pulling the crown to me. “All of this... just for this damned crown?” I asked as I put the gem back on. I took a breath of relief as the battle was finally over... police were already on the scene, taking the Rainbooms away—save for Rarity, who was talking to one of the officers. “To be fair...” A familiar voice behind me started. I quickly turned around to see Twilight—her mechanical arms gone—wearing a cloak. “...that crown is very special where I’m from.” She said. I didn’t say a word as I pulled her in for a hug, not questioning the fact that her glasses were gone. “Twi! Where’ve you been? Where’s your brother?” I asked, looking around for him as Adagio landed behind us. “My broth—oh, no—I'm... not your Twilight.” She said as she set the crown on her head, wings sprouting from her back... I heard Sunset scream as I turned to see her being held back by two officers. “You! You took everything from me! Twilight Sparkle, you are dead! DEAD JUST LIKE OCTAVIA--” Shining came from behind and tased her, knocking her out as the officers started putting her in the van. I turned once again to see Bon-Bon, holding her badge in her hand. “I’m sorry, miss, but I’m going to have to ask you to leave.” Shining said before looking at her badge. The badge had a symbol of a sword, followed by the acronym S.W.O.R.D... “Shit...” Shining cursed under his breath. “Not so fast, Captain—these girls are no longer your issue...” She said as several vans came behind her, inside of them came armed men in military armor, all with heavy weaponry. At that point, I had no idea what was going on—another Twilight? Bon-Bon was a secret agent? And what the hell was S.W.O.R.D? “Ms. Bon-Bon, with all due respect, this is personal—these girls are responsible for the expulsion of dozens of Canterlot’s students and the leave of several teachers... this is a city issue, not--” “If you wish to file a complaint, feel free to send an e-mail. But for tonight, these girls can no longer be contained in a county jail... we have a place for people like them...” She said. I then decided to go ask what the hell was going on, but Bon-Bon tunred to me. “Spider-Man—I get that you’re confused... just know that we’re the good guys...” Bon-Bon said as her people started taking the Rainbooms on to their transports. She then turned to Twilight and bowed. “Your Highness... I’m honored to be the first human to make first contact.” She said as she held out her hand, allowing the other Twilight to shake it. Highness? “No need for the formalities—I just came here for the crown... but it looks like I was too late...” She looked at the crown and saw that the once-purple gem was now grey and dull... Twilight pocketed the crown and turned to Adagio, the former recognizing the latter. “And Adagio Dazzle—you did Equestria a favor tonight... I’ll bring the idea of undoing your exile to Princess Luna.” Adagio didn’t seem fazed, even when I went wide-eyed at the idea of my mother as a princess... “Thank you for the thought, Your Highness, and I’m certain my sisters may want to hear that—but as for me, I'm perfectly fine, here...” Adagio said as she walked over to me, taking my hand... Twilight nodded and she left for the portal, her time possibly running short. Bon-Bon then overlooked the scene, the Rainbooms now in their transport vans while several officers were loading Applejack on a stretcher. “How the hell is she still alive? She got her head crushed like a soda can, but she’s still breathing...” One of the armored agents said. “It’s possible that her brain wasn’t too badly damaged, but if we don’t set her skull back into place, the shards will penetrate her cranium.” A paramedic said, loading the patient onto an ambulance. Bon-Bon then held up her hand, clearing her throat to be better heard. “Alright, people—let's move out!” Bon-Bon hopped on the side of a van and tapped it, causing the driver to start moving, the group now driving into the night... With that... it was over. The Rainbooms were gone... Mom and the other students emerged from the bleachers, safe and sound, and my mom approached me... “So, I’m a princess in that world, and a principal here? Yeah, that makes sense.” She said as she held me in a bear-hug, one that I returned. Adagio chuckled as she joined in. I turned to Flash, who simply waved his hand. “Nah, you guys have your moment—I'm gonna look for Aria.” He said as he spotted her and ran toward her. Mom then got a phone call which broke the group hug—save for Adagio and I, us still having an arm around each other. I managed to catch the other Twilight one last time, slipping through the horse statue outside the school... the same place where that flash of light was a few nights ago... Once Twilight went through, I noticed that the moon was at the top of the sky and the statue seemed to lose its color, like it’s magic faded away... “...I understand, I’ll get there as soon as I can!” Mom hung up from the phone with a look of relief. “What is it?” I turned to her. Mom wiped a tear from her eye and smiled. “Octavia woke up... She’s awake!” I didn’t need any other reason to put on my mask, grab her, and start swinging to the hospital. “Go, I’ll meet you two there!” Adagio said, following suite in her Siren form. Once Adagio, my mom and I landed by the hospital, she quickly gave me her jacket to cover my suit and I pocketed my mask. We went inside and the clerk quickly recognized us, due to our numerous visits... “She’s in her room, just check in and go.” She said. My mom quickly scribbled her name and wrote the date before taking my hand and running through the doors, me taking Adagio’s. Mom almost kicked the door down and she turned to the bed, where Octavia was sitting upright and glanced at my mom and I. “You got tall...” She said to me. Mom and I didn’t say a word as we both ran over to her, giving her an embrace that she returned. The hug lasted at least a minute until we broke away, Octavia then turning her attention to Adagio. “I’m guessing you’re his girlfriend...” She said. Adagio chuckled and rubbed the back of her neck. “Yes... I am.” Adagio said as she walked over to us. I then noticed that Octavia saw my spider-emblem underneath the large jacket, but didn’t say anything about it... we simply nodded at each other, while the room’s television recapped the night’s events. “...and in a remarkable series of events, Spider-Man managed to make new friends tonight—one wearing black armor, and another... with wings. And if that wasn’t crazy enough, the infamous Rainbooms, now discovered to have been running a crime syndacate for the last two and a half years, were apprehended by the Stragetic Worldwide Operation of Rapid Defense—or S.W.O.R.D, for short. Witnesses even claim that Sunset Shimmer, who arrived at the scene alongside the infamous crimelord Kingpin, transformed into what can only be described as a... green goblin.” I didn’t care if the world knew about them... I just cared that it was finally over... and soon enough, the city might not need Spider-Man, anymore... Adagio took my hand, and I returned it, while my mom kept talking to Octavia... we then looked out the window at the rising sun, and we both chuckled to each other... It was time for a new beginning. Author's Note And with that, this little experiment is over-- at least for now. A tad rushed, but this is only an origin story... Also, here's (in my opinion) a pretty decent rendition of this universe's Green Goblin...
