Ultimate Spider-Colt

Power and Responsibility

Chapter Three

As I come to, I become vaguely aware that I'm laying in a bed. There is a throbbing in my hoof and head, and my mouth is dry. My eyes flutter open, and I'm greeted with a flash of light. I groan, and bring my good hoof to my eyes.

"He's awake!" A voice, that I recognize as Aunt Shoeshine's, exclaims.

"Feather?" Lucky says. "Are you alright?"

"No...." I groan as my head throbs even more.

"Scootaloo left the lab and rode her scooter all the way to our house to get us." Lucky says warmly. "That's some friendship." He flashes her a smile, and turns to me. "Doctor Stable took some tests, and you're fine, you can go home, if you like."

I laugh a little. "Me? Go home? Now? Ha, my head's killing me."

Lucky and Shoeshine return the laugh, the latter giving me a small hug.

"S.A.D."

"What?"

"Social Anxiety Disorder. I think our little Featherweight has it.”

“He doesn’t have it.”

“But he’s so quiet.”

Uncle Lucky looks at me with a grin, which I return. “He’s thinking.”

“He gets it from his father... I’m going to the library. I think this Social Anxiety Disorder would be worth looking into.”

“You do that,” Lucky pats me on the back. “That oughta keep ya busy for a few hours.”

“I heard you.”

Lucky and I share a roar of laughter. Never a dull day.

The Next Day...

“Feather!”

I stop in the middle of the street to see Scootaloo riding towards me on her scooter. She reaches me, and give me a hug, which I return. “How are you? Feeling any better?”

“I’m feeling great, actually. My hoof still throbs a little, but other than that, I feel fine.”

She smiles warmly. “That’s awesome! I’m really glad you’re feeling better.”

Soon enough, we arrive at the school. We walk into Cheerilee’s classroom, where I sit in my desk, and she sits in hers.

Miss Cheerilee walks into the room, with a smile on her face.

“Hello, everypony! It’s so nice to see your smiling faces today!” She smiles as she talks, walking to the front of the class and writing on the chalkboard. “The other day, we took a trip to Canterlot Laboratories, where... unfortunately, Featherweight was bitten by a spider-”

“Which I killed!” Dumb Bell yells, proud of himself for his “accomplishment”.

“...Y-yes, which you killed. Anyway, I thought that that incident would be a great way to introduce us to our next topic in the bug unit: Effects of Venom. Featherweight, please stand and come to the front.”

I look around to see everypony looking at me.

“Uh... O-okay...” I slowly stand, taking another nervous glance around the room, and quietly walk to the front of the class.

“Give me your hoof...”

Extending the hoof that the spider bit, Miss Cheerilee take hold of it, and examines it.

“You see class,” Miss Cheerilee begins. “the spot where the spider bit Feather has swollen a little. But, taking a glance at it... Your hoof seems to have benefited from the bite. That’s... strange... I don’t think there’s a spider on the planet whose Venom benefits the victim...”

“Uh...”

“That must have been a new species! Yes, Canterlot Laboratories must have discovered a new species and accidentally let it loose. You can sit down now, Feather.”

After school, I was walking home by myself, as per usual. Scootaloo had an “Important Cutie Mark Crusaders Mission” to go on, and Rumble had something to do at his dad’s lab. So, I was left alone. I am used to it by now, however, but Rumble said he would be over today... I hope he keeps his promise.

When I made it home, I immediately ran for the basement. You see, I am a really smart kid for my age. I am the son of one of the greatest scientists Equestria had to offer, Caramel Clover. He was working on something.... A cure for cancer. He was working on it with the father of my childhood friend, Shady Daze. And, when my parents died, I kinda.... inherited some of my Dad's old lab stuff. I don't tell my aunt and uncle what I do down here, I mean, come on, a young colt using some of the best lab equipment in Equestrian history. Who will believe that?

Rumble did. And that's not strange. He's a smart kid, as well. He's around labs twenty-four/seven. His father owns Canterlot Laboratories, and has even contributed to a few inventions his father made. When he heard that I had a lab of my own, he had no trouble believing it.

I sit down in one of the small chairs in the basement. It is dark down here, only being illuminated by a lightbulb hanging from the ceiling. I am surrounded by several different machines, each having a small gap in between them, just big enough to allow me to go through them. There is also a chalkboard in the center of the circle the machines formed, scribbled with various math problems and equations.

Knock, knock, knock.

"Hey, Featherweight? You down there?" Rumble's voice calls.

I quickly sit up. "Coming! Hold on."

I run up the stairs, stopping at the door. I open it, allowing my friend to enter. He smiles at me, and pats me on the back as he moves down the stairs.

"Nice to see ya."

"Same to you."

I close the door and fly down the stairs after him.

"So..." He begins, taking a look around the lab and picking up a tube, filled with a black liquid. "What'cha been working on?"

"D-don't touch that." I say, grabbing the tube from him, and placing it back into it's spot. "You see, my father... He was working on a cure for cancer. But, her signed the wrong paper to the wrong person- Filthy Rich- and he couldn't do it anymore."

"How'd your parents die?"

The question makes my heart drop. ".... Carriage accident. Some guy was drunk..."

"I... I understand."

I trot over to one machine, which has a screen in the middle of it, and several buttons and levers.

“At school, Ms. Cheerilee noted that the spider’s venom had some interesting effects for me. If you take a look at where the spider bit me,” I begin, turning to Rumble and flexing the leg where the spider bit me. “You’ll see some muscular spots I didn’t have before. The same goes for my other legs. And my overall health seems to have improved, as well.”

“Are we gonna work on the research, or what?”

“Oh. Right. You see, my father and Shady Daze’s father were working on the cure for cancer. They signed the wrong papers to Filthy Rich, Diamond Tiara’s dad, and he took the project away from them.”

“What does this have to do with research?”

I chuckle a bit, and run over to a desk, and pick up a folder.

“In this folder, contains our fathers’ research on cancer, and how to cure it. If I can recreate the symbiote they made, I can finish what they started.”

“How do you plan on doing that?”

“I.... Have no idea.”

Rumble sighs. “Dude, I want to help you, I really do, but you have no idea what you’re doing. I’ve gotta go, but... keep on hoping, okay?”

“T-Twilight?”

“Yes, Spike?” Twilight hissed, her voice higher than normal.

“Featherweight Clover, a colt who goes to school here in Ponyville... He was bitten by the spider-”

“Yes. I know this.”

“You know?... Is this why you’ve been down here for four hours?”

Spike’s words did nothing to the unicorn. Ever since Featherweight Clover was bitten by her magical spider, she had been terrified at what the effects on the boy could be. How would she even tell his guardians? “Excuse me, your nephew was bitten by a magical spider that could kill him, and I created it. You may want to take him to a hospital.” Oh, but they had, and he turned up fine.

Fine? A magical spider bite turned up fine? Naturally, she had to investigate this. Featherweight could evolve in a way unimaginable, and Twilight [i[had to see what it would do.

She tried recreating the spider. But every single time, she failed. Either from the spider didn’t live through the spell or wasn’t strong enough to hold it. Once, she was bitten by one of the spiders. No noticeable side effects, however, except for a darker, greener coat as opposed to her lavender one, and her voice was even more raspy than normal. She wasn’t sick, though. A quick medical check up spell confirmed this.

She sat in the basement of the Library, all the lights turned off, the room only being illuminated by her spells and a green liquid in a test tube. Some jars with spiders inside could faintly be seen on shelves.

“Twilight, those spells did something to you. Please, just stop and come upstairs!” The purple dragon begged. Twilight didn’t pay attention to him, and cast another spell upon a spider after letting it free from it’s jar.

“Ouch!”

She had been bitten again. “T-Twilight! Are you okay?!”

The dragon rushed to her side, placing a hand on her shoulder. “Come on, we’ve gotta get you to a doctor!” He pleaded, tugging at her, trying to get her to move. His efforts proved fruitless, as she brushed his hand aside with her hoof.

Her green hoof.

With a snarl, she flung a hoof towards her dragon companion, knocking him across the room and back onto the first step of the stairs. With a grunt, he landed, knocking him out.

Twilight’s coat was now a deep shade of green. Her eyes were yellow, and her hair grew down to her shoulders. Instead of it’s usual purple with a pink stripe, it was now green with a black stripe down the middle. Her shoulder muscles bulged, with veins visible all over her body. Overall. her appearance was similar to The Incredible Flutterhulk’s.

Her horn glowed a deep red, and a fireball shot from it, burning a hole through the ceiling of the basement. With a loud roar, she leaped out of the basement, through the roof of the library, and out to who knows where in Equestria.