The Awesome Spider-Dash: Origins

by Flufux

3) Power and Responsibility, Part 1

Episode 3
Power and Responsibility, Part 1
Suiting up for a Challenge

Twilight Sparkle let out a sigh of relief as she stepped out of the CelestiaCorp building's lobby, allowing the warm rays of the summer sun to give her a sense of freedom that she hadn't felt all day.

While her mind may have the capacity to work almost as efficiently as a super computer, there were still limits to what even she could handle. For instance, working day and night on a massive research project under the guidance of someone as eccentric as Dr Silk Mane while only having a week to finish it was not something that she considered to be particularly easy.

Twilight Sparkle did have a lot of respect for the good doctor. Silk Mane had devoted years of her life in studying advanced chemicals and how they affected biological systems, and had gathered an impressive understanding of the human genome. And while her scientific career may have started with the development of new forms of shampoo, she had now become the 'go-to-expert' for anything regarding experimental genetics research. There was even a rumour that she had figured out how to successfully clone human beings...though that rumour had never been confirmed.

More to the point, she was also the one who started the cross-species genetics project in the first place. Sunset and Twilight were merely assigned to be her interns. Unlike the numerous other interns Celestia had sent her though, Mane was very impressed by their intelligence and even admitted, albeit very begrudgingly, that she wouldn't have come as far as she had without their help.

However, Silk wasn't really a...'people person' by any means, and at times seemed to forget that her co-workers were actual human beings instead of soulless automatons. The simple concept that someone working under her needed to take a break every now and then was almost an alien concept to her. In fact, the only reason Twilight and Sunset were allowed to leave early now was because Celestia all-but-ordered Mane to let them go for the day...for which Twilight was very thankful.

Despite her early release however, Twilight had no time to relax at home, for she had a mission to accomplish:

Rainbow Dash's brand new spider-costume.

When Spike told her about the project and how fast Rainbow wanted it done, Twilight didn't hesitate to offer her own assistance as well, despite her already very busy schedule. While she may not have been a fashionista like Rarity, Twilight more than understood the basics. Rarity's instructions were also deceptively easy to follow, which suited the very organised mind of Twilight Sparkle just fine.

Though it was a difficult task, Twilight considered it a welcome challenge, and even went so far as to make a select few improvements on the design.

The first thing she added to the suit was a pair of web-shooters she had incorporated into its sleeves. Since Rainbow had some issues putting those things on correctly during their initial testing, Twilight decided that this little addition could save them both a lot of time and patience.

Also, while it had been proven that Dash could climb on walls in her normal running shoes, the effect was somewhat lessened by the rubber soles in them. While it was barely noticeable, and wasn't exactly an immediate problem, it was still not something to take lightly considering the type of dangerous stunts Rainbow was planning on doing. Just one slip...one single slip at wrong place at the wrong time...and the results could be disastrous.

After some extra work, Twilight eventually discovered a material that not only did not cause this problem, but also was very comfortable to wear.

She had not, however, changed any of the aesthetics or the overall design from Rarity's original drawing. Rarity was the artist, not Twilight, and she had enough respect for her fashion-forward friend to not mess with her art. Still, as Rarity had not been informed about the true purpose of the outfit, the changes Twilight made were still needed.

And by working together, Spike and Twilight had managed to finish the suit much faster than they expected...which was probably a good thing considering how many times Rainbow had called to ask how soon it was going to be finished. Apparently, she needed the suit for some kind of wrestling tournament that was going to start in a few hours at some place downtown.

All Twilight had to do now was to bring it over to her.

A bit easier said than done though, given that she didn't own a car or have a driver's licence, not to mention the fact that Twilight had never even been to that wrestling place before and had no information about its location aside from a vague address.

While she was standing there, just outside the main entrance to the CelestiaCorp building, she put a hand on her chin and began to plan her route.

'Maybe I can take a cab? No, too expensive, and cab drivers in this city are not to be trusted. I suppose I could use the subway, but that would require sitting in a cramped tube filled with dozens of creepy strangers and visually distracting ads everywhere. The bus is pretty much the same, only less extreme, and I have no idea what bus to take. The 200 travels right next to my destination, but couldn't the 198 get there faster? At least that one doesn't bypass Restaurant Row, but does it even stop at the wrestling area or will it stop at Star Square? Or maybe the-'

Someone gently tapped her on the shoulder, which took Twilight's focus away from her inner thoughts and over to the person who was trying to get her attention.

She wasn't very surprised to see that it was Sunset Shimmer, now wearing her rebellious leather jacket instead of the lab coat she had on a few minutes ago, but she was wondering why she was waving a hand over her eyes repeatedly.

"What?" she asked blankly.

"You were using your 'I am thinking really hard' face, hehe," Sunset answered with a small chuckle.

Twilight blushed a little, "I was not."

"Of course you weren't," Sunset noted with a hint of sarcasm. "Something on your mind?"

"Um…well, I'm trying to determine the best possible way to reach the, uh, Gladmane Wrestling Emporium I think it was called. I'm supposed to meet Rainbow Dash there in an hour or so. Any ideas on how to get there in time?"

Sunset raised her left eyebrow, "I never really took you for someone who'd be into wrestling."

"I'm not really. It's more of a Rainbow Dash thing. She wanted to see the match, and...you know that time you told me to take an interest in the things my friends like?"

"Sure."

"Well, I decided to give it a go. I don't know, maybe it will be fun."

"You don't sound very sure about that."

Twilight cringed a little, "Yeah, it's just...I don't really see the appeal of watching a lot of overly-muscular, half-naked men throw each other all over the place. But Rainbow seems to enjoy that, so there must be some entertainment value in it, I guess."

Sunset flashed a sly grin, "You sure she's not just there to admire the view? I mean, all those, big and strong guys in those weird outfits, that's a lot of eye-candy for a girl in Dash's age."

"Well... I wouldn't think..." Twilight began a bit hesitantly. "I don't think she would really be interested in that."

"Oh really? How would you know?"

"They're...not exactly her type."

"Oh..." Sunset answered calmly, until she then realised just what Twilight meant by that. "Oooooh...right, now I get what you mean. But hey, there are female wrestlers too, and rather sexy ones at that, so I'm not ruling that possibility out just yet."

Twilight nervously played a little with her hair while casting her eyes down, "So...you're..okay with that?"

A bit confused, Sunset questioned, "Okay with what? Dash being gay?"

"Well...yes, that," Twilight replied while secretly dreading the answer to that question. 'Please say you're okay with it, please say you're okay with it, please say you're okay with it...'

Her fears were put to rest though when Sunset answered, "'Course I am. This isn't the dark ages, you know? Besides, it'd be pretty hypocritical of me to have anything against someone betting for the other team."

Twilight's eyes lit up, 'She is okay with it! then maybe that means there's also a chance she- hang on, did she just say what I think she said?'

"Wait a minute...you're a lesbian?!" Twilight asked in disbelief. "But I thought you dated Flash before."

Sunset chuckled a little, "Hehe, you know there's such a thing as being bisexual, right?"

"Oh...right, of course...I knew that," Twilight said while blushing a little. 'Wow, I feel stupid right now.' "How come you never mentioned this before now?"

"Maybe because you never asked?" Sunset suggested. "Hey, remember those two failed relationships I had? Well, only one of them was with a boy."

"Wow, I had no idea. I guess I'm not always the best at assuming things."

"It's not that big a deal, really. I didn't realise it myself until that one time I kissed Sunny Flare in a 'Truth or Dare' game...and later got so drunk at a party that I woke up in bed with both Vapour Trail and Sky Stinger."

Twilight stared at Sunset with a baffled expression, her glasses slowly sliding down her nose as she did so.

"I was...a different person back then," Sunset admitted with an embarrassed blush on her cheeks.

Twilight pushed her glasses back and slowly said, "...If you say so."

"Anyway, I actually started to date Flash around that time...though mostly just because he was popular at CHS. He was...okay, I guess. I mean, he was nice and all, but also, not gonna lie, kinda boring to date. I'm still surprised he was the one who broke up with me rather than the other way around. Guess I had it coming though."

"What do you mean?"

"I was...not exactly the nicest person at the time. You're lucky you never saw me at my worst, believe me."

That peaked Twilight's curiosity. 'She really doesn't like her past self, does she? I have heard from some other students at Canterlot High that she used to be quite the bully during her freshman years, and Sunset herself has never made any attempts to deny that...but I have never seen her act anything like a bully for all the time that I had known her. I wonder what could have happened that could have changed her so much. I suppose I could just ask her what it is, but that could be a sensitive subject, so I better hold it off for now.'

"So..." Sunset continued. "...after Flash dumped me, I was single for about...a year I think before I met this showgirl called Trixie Lulamoon. She was...well...a bit full of herself...to put it mildly. A very good illusionist though. Had dreams of becoming a Bridle Way star if her plans panned out...which they never did. How I ended up dating her is...a long story, but I think she had a thing for 'bad girls'...or something."

"And I assume that relationship went...well?"

"Pretty much as 'well' as a train crash."

"Ouch, that sounds...bad."

"She got arrested...after one of her firework pieces crashed into a restaurant and set it on fire."

"Wait, what?! Really?"

"Luckily, nobody was hurt, but the owner of that restaurant was not very happy about what happened. The second he figured out who was responsible for it, he got right up in Trixie's face and began to yell her ears out. What followed was a series of screams, insults, curses, an eventual fist fight, and then the timely intervention of the police. After the whole mess was over, Trixie ended up in jail...and our relationship kinda fell apart after that."

"I can see why."

That hit very close to home for Twilight actually, given what happened to Rarity after she got caught. 'Having people close to you ending up in prison is a toll for anyone, no matter how much you try to keep in touch. Come to think of it, didn't Rarity say she had a cellmate named Trixie? Nah, probably just a coincidence.'

"...And that's my messed up love life in a nutshell," Sunset finished. "How about you?"

Twilight blinked, "Huh?"

"What's your story, Tiger, ever dated someone before?"

"Uh...well, not exactly," she confessed in a sullen tone. "I mean, who would ever be interested in asking someone like me out?"

Her friend gave her a healthy punch to the arm, "Hey, don't beat yourself up over that. You're smart, talented and completely adorable. Anyone with half-a-brain would easily be able to see that. And don't forget that you actually were asked out by both Flash Sentry and Timber Spruce, but you were the one who said no."

Sunset's compliment made Twilight become a little bit flustered. "It's good to know you think so highly of me, and I guess you have a point about that, it's just that...well...I'm more into...somebody else."

"And that somebody still hasn't noticed you, right?"

"No, not...really. At least, I don't think so."

With a snort, Sunset commented, "That's how it usually goes, Tiger. Even with how blatantly obvious your crush may be for other people, the one you're crushing on is usually the one who finds out last. It's kinda silly actually. I mean, is it really that hard to realise that someone's crushing on you? If someone were crushing on me, I'm pretty sure I would have known about it right away."

Twilight smiled a bit nervously and stuttered, "He he, yeah...I guess you would notice something like that. You're usually very...um...perceptive,"...while secretly thinking, 'Oh, Sunset Shimmer, If you only knew...'

Feeling the need to change the subject, Sunset asked, "So anyway, this wrestling arena Rainbow wanted to meet you at, you said it was Gladmane's place?"

Twilight only now realised that she had gotten a bit sidetracked from the task at hand, and shook her head a little to regain her focus and remember the answer to Sunset's question. "It's...yes, yes it is. Do you know a good way to get there in time? I'm kinda late as it is, and all options I can think of...are...not...uh Sunset...why are you smiling like that?"

As soon as the idea had formed in Sunset Shimmer's mind, her mouth had taken the form of a very mischievous grin...one that made Twilight just a tiny bit uneasy. "Ooh, I do know of something that could get us there in time. Come, I'll show you!"

A little suspicious about what her friend was implying, Twilight cautiously followed her over to CelestiaCorp's parking lot. 'I got a bad feeling about this...'

"Sunset, correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't you say you didn't have a car?"

Without skipping a beat, she answered, "Yep, and I still don't."

"Then...what exactly are we looking for in here?"

Sunset stopped around a particular corner of parking lot and put her hands on her hips, still keeping her confident grin on her face. "I'm looking for...that."

Twilight's eyes widened in horror when she saw what Sunset was looking at. A cold sense of dread and an internal queasiness built up in her stomach. "This...this is a joke, right? I mean, you cannot seriously expect me to use...that thing, do you?! I don't even have my driving sickness pills with me!"

"It's not a car at least," Sunset pointed out.

"No...no, it isn't...it's WAY WORSE THAN A CAR! Does it even take two passengers!?"

"Of course it does."

"And is that even legal?!"

"Relax, Twilight, you'll be fine."

"No, no, no, no, I will not be fine on that thing! Maybe I'll just take the bus. The bus is always good, right? I don't have to use that thing if don't want to."

"Well...you could take the bus, I guess, but in this traffic that would probably take all day, and Rainbow never struck me as being the patient sort. Trust me, if you want to get there in time, this is the only way."

"...but...it's...it's...a...a..."

"...an amazing vehicle that will get you where you need to go faster and with far more style than anything you have ever sat on before? Yes it is. Now, Tiger, let's take this beauty out for a ride, shall we?"

Twilight gulped.

---

It had been two weeks since the incident in the soccer field...two weeks since Rainbow Dash was punished for attacking Gilda in her anger...and two weeks since Dash and her mother had their argument.

Firefly had expected Rainbow to have cooled down and let the matter go by now, but so far...that hadn't happened. Dash may not have been shouting at Firefly anymore, but she wasn't exactly talking to her either.

Sure, she spoke to her from time to time, but she never really talked to her. There's a difference.

If there was one thing Firefly knew more than anyone else, it was how her daughter handled herself. She was boisterous, lived in the moment, hated to sit still unless she was napping, put passion into whatever hobby she had an interest in, whether that involved rocking her guitar, taking pictures at near impossible angles, compete against her friend Applejack in anything and everything they could think of, or train her body and mind into one day becoming pilot material. She wasn't quiet or mopey...or at least, she usually wasn't quiet and mopey.

Yet, as she took a peak at her daughter in the passenger seat of her car, all she could see was Rainbow being exactly that: quiet and mopey. She showed no signs of her endless energy and enthusiasm...or even impatient boredom for being stuck in one place for too long. She was just staring at the city outside through the window, trying her best to avoid any and all eye-contact with her mother.

However, this also meant that she didn't have the energy to lash out in anger at the moment...which was a good thing for Firefly. If there ever was a time to resolve the tension that was going on between them, it would probably be now.

When Rainbow mentioned that she was going to watch some kind of wrestling event downtown, Firefly immediately offered to drive her there herself, despite how much she could see her daughter didn't want her to. She was just lucky that Rainbow Blaze was too busy managing the gym he owned to offer his help instead. It would give Firefly an opportunity to have a proper conversation with her daughter again.

Now if only she had any idea how to start...

"So...uhm, Dashie?" the older woman began carefully. "What's this thing you wanted to see, a...wrestling tournament?"

Rainbow did not respond.

Firefly flashed a very fake smile, "Got to say, it does sound pretty interesting. I've heard a lot of good things about the guy who's funding it. What's his name, Gladmane?"

Rainbow slowly turned her head to look at her, though her expression was anything but amused at Firefly's awkward attempts at conversation.

"You'd probably not believe it, but I was quite the wrestling fan myself when I was your age. When someone told me most of it was fake I-"

"What are you doing?" Dash asked suspiciously.

Her mother's phoney smile vanished in an instant, "I'm only trying to break the ice, kiddo. You haven't even looked me in the eye since we had that stupid argument, and its starting to get ridiculous now."

Rainbow Dash was looking her in the eyes now though, but she wasn't saying anything.

Firefly had to break that eye-contact momentarily when a car horn behind her reminded her that the traffic light ahead had turned green. After she had turned her eyes back on the road and continued driving, she said, "Look, when you told me about how you felt when I left you behind during that war, it got me thinking. I know I had my reasons for doing what I did, but you're right...I should have at least apologised properly to you. So...here it is: I'm...sorry, Rainbow Dash. I'm sorry for making you feel lonely for so long, and I'm sorry for going somewhere so dangerous when I had you waiting for me back home."

Rainbow Dash looked at Firefly's face for a moment, mainly to see if she was being sincere or not. 'I guess that was a pretty good apology, all things considered. Besides, I can't stay mad at mom forever. I mean, she is my mom after all.'

Rainbow let out a deep sigh and then decided, "Okay, sure, just...can you promise me something first?"

"Anything, Dashie," Firefly answered with utmost sincerity.

"Can you promise me you won't leave me alone again? It's just...when you left, I had to go through the worst six months of my life, and the last thing I want right now is to go through that again."

A bit taken back, she asked, "Was it really that bad?"

"I was just a kid, you know, and for awhile there I seriously thought...you had...had...well...you know." Rainbow almost shuddered after saying that, "And after what happened to Applejack's parents, I...kinda thought the same thing had happened to you."

Rainbow Dash felt a comforting hand touch her arm soothingly in a very motherly fashion. "Alright then. I promise you, you're not getting rid of me anytime soon, kiddo."

"You are?" Dash asked hopefully.

"'Course I am. Wait, how did it go...uh, cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a...something, whatever, you know what I mean. That 'Pinkie Promise' thing you and your friends do all the time."

"That's 'cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye'," Rainbow clarified.

"Ah, yeah...though it doesn't really make any sense."

"Well, neither do Pinkie Pie."

"Touche."

"Then I guess it means you're sticking by that promise then?"

Firefly smiled, "Absolutely."

"So...we're good, you and me, now, right?"

Firefly nodded.

"Good, because gosh this conversation was starting to get sappy," Rainbow commented with her usual bravado.

They both shared a goodhearted laugh about that, cementing that while neither had completely gotten over their issues, they were at least on good terms...for now.

And for the next few minutes, the silence between them returned...but it wasn't quite as tense as it was before. In fact, Firefly might even go so far as to call it comfortable.

Despite all the bad things that had been going on with her lately, which happened to be mostly Gilda related, Rainbow did finally feel some sense of happiness after she made up with her mom. Now, all she needed to do was to fess up and tell Fluttershy how she felt about her and Dash's life would be just great from now on.

If only things were ever that easy...

While the car passed through the streets of Central Canterlot, Rainbow spent most of the ride just...looking at the city around her. She wasn't really that much of a city girl, but she did admire the view quite a bit.

'Damn, those buildings look so...climbable,' She thought as she looked at the sky scrapers she passed. 'There's got to be a ton of cool swinging locations around here, and I can't wait to try them out! All I need is that spider-suit when Spike and Twilight are done with it. I mean, I can't just go around jumping off rooftops in my normal clothes, because...well, they're not aerodynamic enough I guess. Also, it might be bad if someone I knew saw me doing stuff like that. Must keep superpowers secret and all! And I can't keep stealing, I mean, borrowing mom's old Wonderbolt uniform. She'll kill me if she'd found out.'

Another idea also crossed her mind, 'I bet I can take some cool pics up there too. With my sticky powers, I can get some pretty awesome angles if I wanted to. A city-wide shot of Canterlot from the Empire Canterlot Building? No sweat! Now, if only I had a camera that didn't take stupid blurry pictures all the time, that'd be amazing. I'm way overdue for an upgrade. I can't keep using that cheap piece of junk that can't get a focused shot unless I'm standing right next to the thing I want to photograph, I need one of those high res cameras that could take snapshots of a fighter jet flying at top speed, the ones that are used by real professional photographers...and the ones that I totally can't afford in a million years.'

She then saw Gladmane's Wrestling Emporium come into view...

'Well, if this Gladmane person is as rich as he says he is, then that little money problem will be an easy fix. All I have to do is to make a bunch of wannabe wrestlers taste the Rainbow! And no, that's not becoming my new catchphrase.'

When the car began to slow down to park next to the building, Rainbow took off her seat belt and opened the door. However, before she could leave, Firefly said, "Hey, Dashie?"

Rainbow looked at her, "Yeah?"

"I've been thinking about how much the whole getting kicked off the soccer team must suck for you, and...well, I thought maybe tomorrow after school we could play a game...you and me...just like old times."

Her daughter's cockiness returned with a vengeance after hearing that, "I dunno, don't you think you're a bit too old for that?"

"Oh but I have experience, kid," Firefly quipped back with a smile on her face. "I bet you won't even score a single goal against a seasoned veteran like me."

"What? Just because you can beat dad? He's even older than you."

"But he did win several marathons in a row when he was only five years older than you. Why do you think I stuck around with him for so long?"

"Sure, sure, but I'm literary a combination of you two, so I have the best of both of ya. Plus, I'm also still in my prime!"

"Oh You're going to regret saying that, kiddo," Firefly warned before holding her hand out for a fist bump, which her daughter immediately answered with her own fist.

"I doubt it. But I guess we'll find out tomorrow then."

"Damn right we will! Now, I'll pick you up here at five. Don't be late."

Rainbow Dash mockingly saluted, "Yes, ma'am!"

Firefly rolled her eyes.

Rainbow winked and then stepped out of the car, a cocky smile on her face again.

However, as soon as Firefly knew Rainbow couldn't see her face, her expression turned from 'happy'...to 'concerned'.

While she had done a good job of hiding any obvious distress, when Dash mentioned that she was 'literally a combination of her and Rainbow Blaze', it reminded her of a certain issue that spoke directly to her competence as a parent. A little secret that she had kept from her daughter for almost twelve years now...give or take.

She reached into her pocket and took out a small flash drive with the words 'For RD only' written on it.

'...Maybe it's time she knew the truth,' Firefly considered.

---

If there was one thing that Sunset Shimmer knew for sure that she loved, then it would be her good old Ducati. For her, it was the single most awesome pile of scrap metal on the face of the earth, and she would be lost without it.

She considered the bike to be the best thing she had ever gotten from her dad. He was a mechanic, and the one who sparked Sunset's interest in tinkering and engineering. When she was growing up, he regularly gave her pieces of junk and taught her how to turn it into something useful. She eventually became a lot better at it than even he was, and proved that when she fixed a bike that hadn't been working properly since the eighties, and that she eventually began to call her own.

The moment she heard the engine roar for the first time, Sunset knew she had fallen in love, and nothing relaxed her as much as when she was driving her bike through the city.

Twilight on the other hand...did not really have the same reaction.

She was clinging on to Sunset's waist as if her life depended on it, and Shimmer could feel just how tense Twilight was being. If she wasn't panicking yet, then she was probably about to start any second now. With Twilight's tendency to get driving sickness, coupled with her irrational paranoia and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, getting a lift on a motorcycle in the most hectic part of town was the complete opposite of what Twilight considered relaxing.

The irony of the situation was that Sunset was driving much slower and safer then she usually did. She may have been a bit of an adrenaline junkie at times (though not to Rainbow's level), but she respected Twilight's boundaries as much as she could, and she didn't want her to have an early heart attack or anything.

Lucky for Twilight, the ride didn't last all that long, and soon enough, Sunset pulled up at the parking space outside Gladmane's Wrestling Emporium with both her and her terrified passenger in one piece.

As soon as the vehicle had properly stopped, Twilight immediately tried to climb out of it and nearly tripped over herself in the process. She then pulled the helmet Sunset loaned her off her head and started to hyperventilate while also trying her hardest to not throw up.

After she had turned off the engine and gotten off her bike, Sunset calmly walked up to Twilight and put a hand on each of her shoulders. "Take it easy there, Tiger. Deep breaths, breathe in, breathe out, can you do that?"

Twilight tried the best she could at doing just that. 'Come on, Twilight, remember Cadence's breathing exercises. So, take it easy and stop panicking, stop panicking, STOP PANICKING! Just need to focus on something in particular and forget everything else, BUT WHAT?!'

Her eyes then fell on the face of the woman who was calmly and patiently trying to help her overcome her anxiety. 'Wow, I never realised it before, but...her eyes are really pretty...and that flaming hair looks so beautiful...and those lips are just so inviting that...what the hell are you thinking, Twilight?! Get a hold of yourself!'

She shook her inappropriate thoughts and her building panic attack away with a shake of her head and said, "I'm okay, I'm okay, I'm perfectly calm, perfectly...calm."

Sunset couldn't help it, Twilight's dorky bespectacled face was just begging her to rub her cheeks, "Aren't you just adorable!"

After Sunset had let go, Twilight righted her now crooked glasses and blushed while she played with a lock of her hair, 'She thinks I'm adorable! Maybe that means...' She shook her head again in a doomed attempt to get her brain thinking straight, 'There it is again...that feeling. I mean, I have had crushes on people in the past, but I have never felt like this about anyone else before. What if...Sunset really is the one? I don't know. And even if I did, I really doubt the cool and confident Sunset Shimmer would ever be interested in a neurotic and socially-awkward nerd like me? Or...maybe she actually would? I heard some people found geekyness attractive, though I don't know if I've ever met someone who thinks that...aside from Flash and Timber maybe.'

It went without saying that Twilight had little to no experience dealing with love or dating, and when this crush on her friend began, she had no idea how to tackle it.

The closest situation she had ever been in that came anywhere close to something romantic was either that one date she had with Timber Spruce that didn't lead to anything or that time she and her old study-buddy Moondancer decided to 'pretend' to be each others dates to Canterlot High's Fall Formal dance...since neither of them got asked out by anyone else.

Turned out, that dance only made things way more awkward than it needed to be. Rumours of them being a lesbian couple started to circulate all over the school after that, even though they really were only friends...and barely even that. Suffice to say, it was probably a bad idea in the first place. Moondancer in particular didn't appreciate those rumours one bit, especially given the fact that she was straight, and suggested that she and Twilight should stop hanging out for a short while until the rumours stopped. Twilight agreed after some convincing, but...she only now realised that she hadn't spoken to her old friend in over a year.

Still, the whole thing only proved to Twilight how inexperienced she was in the dating field. And while the rumours of her and Moondancer being a couple were false, the rumours that Twilight was a lesbian were...not as exaggerated as one might think.

Twilight honestly had no idea what her sexuality actually was, not that that fact really mattered to her in long run, but she knew that she definitively had a crush on someone.

Someone...who also happened to be another girl...

...and that girl...was none other than Sunset Shimmer.

While Twilight Sparkle had once denied the notion of 'love at first sight' as nothing more than a fairy tale concept that held no truth in reality, she honestly couldn't find any other way to explain how her crush on Sunset started. The redheaded girl just had a confidence, a drive, that lured her in like a siren. And at the same time, Sunset also showed signs of a more vulnerable and sensitive side underneath.

Not to mention, Sunset Shimmer was drop-dead-gorgeous in Twilight's eyes. With the way her hair seemed to be made of flames that cascaded down her back, her perfectly proportioned figure that looked even more fantastic when she was wearing that roguish leather jacket, and finally that confident smile that sent Twilight's heart pumping just thinking about it.

Unlike her other friends, Sunset could keep up with her technobabbel as if it was second nature to her, and her intelligence was leagues above most people Twilight had ever met. While, admittedly, not as good at mathematics and equations as Twilight, Sunset Shimmer had always been an adventurer at heart and wasn't hesitant to get her hands dirty if it meant she could discover something new.

Also, she owned a freaking motorcycle! What's not to love?

Scratch being a lesbian, Twilight had just decided that she was Sunsetsexual! And if she could only ever muster up the confidence to just get her act together and tell her how she felt, she might as well have hit the jackpot...or face a rejection that would most likely spell the end of her self-confidence and leave her a depressed loner yet again.

Yes, she needed to analyse every conceivable scenario as to what would happen if she did that, including even the most pessimistic worst-case-scenarios. Not that she could help it; she was Twilight 'Queen of the Freak-outs' Sparkle after all.

"Uh, Twilight, you're spacing out again," she could hear Sunset's voice say, prompting her to get her attention back in the moment.

"Sorry! Got distracted thinking about...uh...some things."

"Uh-huh. So anyway, can you find your way to where you need to go from here?"

Twilight looked around a bit. "I guess so. This does look like the place Rainbow talked about...just got to find her first."

Sunset grabbed the helmet she had loaned to Twilight and got back on her bike, "Well, good luck with that. Now, I have a doctor's appointment in a few hours, and I can't be late for that."

"A doctor's appointment? What for?"

She paused for a second before she began to strap on her helmet and answer, "Oh...it's...just a...routine check up thing. Nothing to worry about. I have those all the time."

The way Sunset said that made Twilight a tiny bit suspicious, "You do? You never mentioned that."

"Well...you never asked."

Twilight narrowed her eyes at her flame-haired friend, "Is there anything else about you that I haven't asked about?"

Sunset pondered that question for a second, then revealed, "...I also play guitar."

Before Twilight could respond to that, Sunset revved up the engine and said, "Anyway, see you later, Tiger!" before she began to steer her bike back to the city streets and drive away to where she needed to go.

Twilight, having been left in the dust, scratched the back of her neck while she thought about Sunset's strange excuse. 'Routine medical-check-ups? I remember her telling me that her family couldn't afford to take her to the hospital unless it was an emergency. She is definitively hiding something. I'm not clueless enough to not notice that. I just wonder what it could possibly be that she's hiding.'

A familiar voice brought her attention back to earth. "About time you showed, Twilight!"

That raspy impatient voice that clearly belonged to Rainbow Dash immediately got Twilight's attention and made her turn around to see a certain rainbow-haired teenager push her way through the crowded city street in order to reach her.

Twilight checked her watch, "It's actually about...twenty minutes left until the time we agreed on."

"Yeah, yeah, but at least you're here now," Rainbow shrugged off.

She then sported an enormous smile and got a pleading look in her eyes, "Sooooo...did you bring it?"

"...Yes, I did," Twilight answered while taking off her backpack. "Though it's only the first version and Spike and I had to rush it, I think you will be pleased with the result."

Having no patience for her bookish friend to give it to her in orderly manner, Rainbow simply yanked the backpack from her hands and opened it to take a peek inside.

"Ah man, this looks awesome! Thanks, Twi." Her smile then faded a little, "I owe you, Spike and Rarity something for this, don't I?"

"I don't know about Rarity, but the supplies for that suit took a bit out of my wallet, so if you win any prize money, well...it could help me avoid going bankrupt any time soon."

"Uh...I was kinda hoping to spend it on a new camera actually," Rainbow confessed. "I've been saving up for one for a while now."

Thinking logically, Twilight suggested, "Well...maybe we could split the take. How much money do the winner get?"

"About...three-thousand dollars, I think."

"Wow, that's a lot," Twilight noted, a bit amazed. "A third of that would be enough for me, and then you can spend the rest on the camera."

Rainbow Dash spat in the palm of her hand and held it for a handshake, "Deal!"

Twilight cringed a little as she hesitantly reached out her own hand...then retracted it just before Dash's hand could touch it. "Yes...yes, it's a deal!"

Dash raised an eyebrow, then wiped the spit off her hand on her leg and haughtily said, "Then what are we wasting time here for? We have a tournament to win!"

Author's Note:

This should have been out over a month ago, I know, but...well...things happen (not gonna elaborate on that). And as I have said before, I find these non-action chapters so boooooring to write! I know I have to set up the conflict and all, but I just want to get to the goddamn villains already! It left me a bit unmotivated to write this.

However, now that I have finished it, I will do everything in my power to get part 2 of this episode out as soon as is humanly possible. So please, hold your horses and be patient, I beg you.

---

So now we also have the beta-ship of this story revealed to be Sunlight...which is my all-time favourite ship in the fandom...even more so than Flutterdash (that's merely my favourite Rainbow Dash ship). Why? Because they're just so adorkable together!

Don't believe me? Well, check this clip out:

While Flutterdash will get more focus in this story overall, Sunlight will play a big part as well. I can't help it, it's such a good ship.

CURSE YOU, TIMBER SPRUCE!!!

Anyway, as you may have noticed...I decided to try out having thought bubbles (or whatever you call them in literature) in this chapter, both to help me get through some parts where I felt they made things easier, but also because I realised that thought bubbles is something that felt very much like Spider-man. With the exception of the live-action movies have Spider-man always used internal thoughts to show to the audience what he's thinking, whether that be 'If Electro generates all that power, maybe getting him wet might make him short-circuit' or possibly 'Dammit, how am I supposed to take down the Rhino before my date with MJ?'

I kinda wish I had realised that when I started this story.

Speaking of which, I have been doing some thinking...and a lot more thinking, and I've realised that some ideas I originally had wasn't the best I could have come up with. Therefore have I made a couple of changes for the foreseeable future and even in some of the previous chapters.

First off, remember when I said that there would be no Sandman in this story? Well...I've changed my mind. When I reassessed the rogues gallery I had already planned, I realised that there was a 'My Little Pony' villain who I couldn't for the life of me figure out what Spider-man villain that character was going to play...until I realised that casting that villain as Sandman could actually work. So now there will be a Sandman in this story. Feel free to guess who it will be!

Another thing is that I've also found a role for the Scorpion, so I changed the part where Cheerilee mentioned that he gave up his villainous ways before the story even began. At the time I figured that Scorpan, Tirek's brother, would be the one playing him, because...the name's similar...I guess? Now, Scorpan is instead mentioned as to having been another villain instead of Scorpion, leaving me open to use the Scorpion as I see fit.

Oh, and for a number of reasons (including the recent controversial election in the US), Starlight Glimmer is no longer a senator...or any other kind of politician. The sign that Rainbow crashed into was now a picture of Senator Blueblood instead...which I recently changed yet again to a new character called Mr Storm who is in charge of a company called Storm Tech.

Also, when I first mentioned that Starlight was a senator, I hadn't figured out what role she was actually going to play in this story, but now I have, and she's definitively not a senator any more. She now goes by the name of Dr Starlight Glimmer, and is a scientist working for CelestiaCorp instead.

Speaking of changes...I'm actually working on a completely revised version of the very first chapter, given that I think it could use some more improvements. To be honest, that chapter was rushed as hell and written before my vision of what was going to happen in this story was completed.

Oh, also, given the addition of the new tags added to Fimfiction, I have changed the character tags for Rainbow, Twilight and Fluttershy to their Equestria Girls versions. I also changed the 'human' tag to 'Equestria Girls' while I was at it, mostly because I tend to draw the characters in that art style...with maybe the exception of having realistic skin colours. Also, since there already is an 'Alternate universe' tag, I think it could work out. Besides, the 'human' tag could also make someone think it's a 'Human in Equestria' story or something like that. Most Spider-Man crossovers are about Peter Parker ending up in the magical land of ponies after all.

---

Next time...

No, I'm not gonna have these 'next time' things for every chapter, just when I feel like it.

Comments

[ponylover2]

About time great chapter my friend and I'll be waiting for the next upload for this story and try not to take too long with the update but other than that awesome chapter keep me posted

[Boop-Happy Lass]

Yush!

[Flufux]

8127856 Uh...what?

[Boop-Happy Lass]

8128077 I'm just happy to see an update is all. Love the work!

[Flufux]

8128091 Oh, in that case...thanks.

[ElCazadorDeHistorias]

Awesome chapter with all the clues toward the Sunlight! But my "death flag detector" has broken down while I was reading. I figure that the next chapter (or the one after that) won't be so jolly...

[diablo4000]

Disappointed in starlight not being senator more so now is Blue Blood that very cliche.
Figured starlight be a sinsiter villain who in politics and use her pwoer to get certain things or equiptment or hire bounty hunters or villains or maybe have ties with Sombra. Starlight si smart an crafty and strong willed, Blue Blood...he a dunce

[Flufux]

8128388 The thing is, I made that change because I didn't want a political villain, and Blueblood won't play that big a role in this story. He's just an incompetent bureaucrat. Maybe he'll be a pawn for Sombra, or maybe Spider-Girl will have to save his sorry ass someday, I haven't decided yet.

However, Starlight Glimmer is now set to play an even greater role than I originally planned...as one of the most dangerous and cunning enemies the Spider-Girl will ever face.

You'll know who I'm talking about soon enough...

[Czar_Yoshi]

I saw this show up in my feed with a SunLight group tag... but Sunset isn't even listed in the story's main character tags, or mentioned in the description. I don't know if it's a thing that just shows up later here and is added as a subplot, or was a misclick when adding another story, but the main purpose of adding stuff to groups is so that you can pitch it to people who are more likely to be interested in what it's about. And, well, promising something to get clicks and then not appearing to deliver tends to annoy people, and can even be a good way to attract drive-by downvotes from jerks who don't bother to read or comment. Just a heads-up!

[Flufux]

8191116 That's why I added it to the Minor Shipping folder. And the only reason she is not listed is because I only have a limited number of character tags.

Also, the group has no written down rules.

However, if anyone wants proof that there is indeed Sunlight in this story, read through "3) Power and Responsibility, Part 1"

I might add it to the description now that you mention it.