//------------------------------// // The Fastest // Story: Spiders and Magic: After the Crisis // by MetalJrock //------------------------------// Rainbow Dash descended as the Flash and Quicksilver stopped running, the cyan mare coming from behind the two. Lying on lawn-chairs were Peter and Scootaloo, who were watching the small race from the ground. "Hey, Skittles! Nice race." Peter complimented from his spot. "Thanks, Pete." Rainbow replied. "These two make great competition. Soon, I'll be the fastest across all worlds!" "Jeez. Godspeed much?" Flash quipped, shaking his head. "Don't go stealing our speed now." "Another evil speedster?" Quicksilver asked. At Barry's nod, he shrugged, "Figured as much. These villains need another gimmick." "Yeah, honestly when it comes to evil speedsters, we all have one. I have Reverse-Flash, Wally had to deal with Zoom while I was gone, Jay has the Rival, and Bart against Inertia." Barry elaborated, "But I fought Godpeed once when Central City got struck by Speed-Force lightning. It was a whole thing." Peter crossed his hooves, "Yeesh. Remind me to make sure New York doesn't get spider-powers." "How many Speedsters are there in your world? That are good?" Scootaloo asked. "A few on my world. A bunch on different Earths. If you want, I can introduce you all to Wally and maybe Jay if he's not busy on the JSA." Barry suggested. Scootaloo sat up, "I bet Rainbow's still faster than them." "I dunno..." Flash hummed, "Wally has actually become faster than me in some cases. When he was the Flash, he showed skills that even I have yet to master." "I'd like to meet them." Rainbow admitted, "It'd be cool to have all these fast ponies together. How about a race to prove who's the fastest?" she offered. "You sure, Dash?" Maximoff said. "Yeah! I'm gettin' bored. I could use a challenge." Rainbow said. Peter got up from his chair and whispered to Barry, "Psst. Barry." he said, gesturing for the Scarlet Speedster to follow him. Once they were away from the others, Parker continued, "You know Rainbow gets a little into what she does... You sure you wanna race?" "Yeah. I think it'll be fun. We don't have anything to worry about, but I kinda want to see if Jay's willing to come." "Why Jay?" Barry shook his head, "Because if anyone knows what it's like to have speed, it's him. He's kinda like a mentor to all of the Flashes." Peter nodded, "Alright. How's Wally doing by the way?" "He's fine. He was keeping an eye on Central City while I was helping you all fight the Legion. I'm sure he was wondering where I was at. Boy would he be in for a surprise." the Flash chuckled to himself, earning one from Peter. Patting the speedster on the back, Peter replied, "Well, any ally speedster is welcome here, Barry. It'd be great to meet them." A Day Later Peter, Miguel, Kaine, Twilight and Rainbow awaited in the library for Barry to come back. "Oh man... Could he hurry it up?" groaned Rainbow Dash, clearly getting impatient. She trotted back and forth around the room, getting bored by the second. "Holy shock. Is patience in your vocabulary?" Miguel muttered in annoyance. "Yeah, Rainbow." Twilight added, "He has to see if the other speedsters are even able to come. We know first hand just how busy the two worlds are." Kaine crossed his hooves, "Let's just hope the wait is worth it. Why am I even here?" "Because you were already here. It's not like you have anywhere else to go, bro." Peter chuckled. The heroes took a step back at the sight of the portal opening. The first to hop out of it were the Flash and Quicksilver, both in costume. "Sorry about the delay, mares and stallions. But we made an extra stop along the way." Maximoff revealed, removing his goggles from his eyes for a moment. Another blur of lightning zipped out of the portal and stopped next to Rainbow. It was a colt wearing a suit with a similar design to Barry's, but it was yellow like the Reverse-Flash's. "Hehe. Yep. Heard about this world from Barry." he chuckled. "Gotta say, it'll take some time to get used to running on all fours, but I think I can handle it." Peter extended a hoof, "You're Wally West, right?" he asked, getting a nod from the teen and a hoof shake, "Nice to meet you, name's Peter Parker: Spider-Man. That's my successor Miguel, one of my clone brothers Kaine, my wife Twilight Sparkle, and fellow speedster Rainbow Dash." he introduced. Wally pointed at the wall-crawler, "Oh yeah! I always wondered where you ended up. Not a bad home, I'll admit. When Barry told me where you at, I didn't believe it. Looks like it was all true after all. Sorry I couldn't come with you during the attack, I had to work double time protecting Keystone and Central City." "It's quite alright, Wally." Twilight replied. "Barry's told us about you. You two are partners, right?" she wondered. Barry nodded, "Yeah. Flash and Kid Flash. Has a nice ring to it." "Kid Flash? Sounds a little demeaning." Kaine muttered. Kid Flash raised a hoof, "Well, Oliver's sidekick already took the name Speedy, so we had to adjust. Ironically since he's such a Robin Hood ripoff, Roy should've gotten the Robin title. I'm not sure how Batman's partner got that title. I mean, what do bats and robins have to do with each other?" "I wondered the same thing when Spike said he showed up." Rainbow chuckled. "Hold on. You said you had to make another stop. What for--" Miguel stopped once he caught sight of the pony stepping out of the portal before it closed. It was an older stallion, wearing a spandex suit with a lightning bolt covering the chest area. On top of his grey mane was a metal hat with wings. "Oh. Who the shock is this?" Barry grinned, "Everyone. Meet Jay Garrick, the Original Flash. My inspiration." Jay tipped his hat, "Hey there. Barry brought up this world and what happened. He came to Earth-2 for a visit and mentioned the Legion attacked. I decided to see this world for myself. The Justice Society of America sends their regards as well. We're sorry we couldn't involve ourselves in the war." "It's alright, Jay. Barry mentioned you a few times as well. It's great to see the original speedster." Peter complimented. Rainbow noticed something Barry was holding, strapped to his barrel. "Yo, Barry. What's that you have?" The Flash gestured to the bag, "This? It's a surprise for after the race." Jay chuckled, "That's right. Though, I may need time to get used to running like this. My body's not what it used to be, I'll tell you that much." Twilight smiled, "You'll get to used to it, Mister Garrick. Peter and Miguel even had some hard time adjusting to it." "Yep. You and Wally are honestly dealing with the change better than I ever did." Peter complimented. "How about we head outside though, lately, this place has been getting cramped more and more. At this point, I think every superhero ever has stepped in here at least once." Quicksilver chuckled, "Never forget how packed it was during the final battle." "Woah! You're all speedsters?" Scootaloo said with a wide grin. "Awesome!" Wally pointed at himself, "Yep. Name's Kid Flash. Rainbow wanted us to race, and well here we are. I'm totally gonna win this race though." he boasted. "Yeah right." Scootaloo scoffed, the orange filly rolling her eyes, "Rainbow's gonna come in first place!" Peter chuckled, "Don't bother saying otherwise, Wally. She's Rainbow's number one fan, and adoptive little sister. Scoots will support Dash throughout this race. It's all for fun anyway." he patted the yellow-clad speedster on the back. "I know. But still, I'm in an alternate horse dimension. This is a whole new level we're dealing with." he zipped away and came back a second later. "But I think I've gotten the hang of the hoof thing." "Good." Miguel said bluntly, "Because I don't wanna be coach for long. Where the shock are the others at?" "Well, Twilight and Kaine are picking up Mayday from Sweet Apple Acres and her visit with Aunt May. I have no clue where the rest are at." Peter replied with a small shrug. "Right behind you." the sound of Quicksilver's voice suddenly behind him made the future Spider-Man jump in surprise, "Heh. Got you good, O'Hara." "N-No you didn't. How the shock did he not surprise you, Parker?" Miguel asked. Peter pointed to his head, "Spider-Sense. Works with even the most mundane things." Rainbow Dash, Barry and Jay finally caught up with the others, "Let's get this show on the road!" the cyan mare declared, after landing on her hooves. "Wow. Aren't you excited?" Barry joked. "Just give us a minute, Rainbow. We'll be good to go soon." Jay waved off, stretching his hooves. "Stalling?" Scootaloo said. "No." Wally answered with a shake of his head, "More like preparing to win." "Y-Yeah, sure." Rainbow muttered. Peter and Miguel opened the lawn chairs they brought with them, an extra for Scootaloo as well. The Spiders and filly leaned back on them as Peter put on some sunglasses. "Alright, here are the rules. A single lap around Ponyville. Anypony with wings cannot just fly over the designated course and must stay on track with the others. There is to be no physical contact made among the competitors, so no hard shoving. Verbal throwdowns are fair game as long as they don't offend anyone. Anything you want to add, O'Hara?" "Nah." Miguel decided. Barry, Maximoff, Jay, Wally, and Rainbow all stood in a horizontal line. The DC speedsters crouched down, readying their hooves to run. Quicksilver knelt down slightly, putting on his headphones. Rainbow unfurled her wings, but Peter noriced that she was trembling a little and removed his shades for a minute, "Hey, Rainbow... You alright? You're shaking." he asked with concern. "N-Nah. I'm fine, Pete! Just a little cold!" Rainbow lied through gritted teeth. "Just start the darn race!" Jay turned to his allies, "May the best speedster win." "Yeah, me." Wally bragged. Barry rolled his eyes, "Sure, Wally. Remember, I'm the mentor." "That may be true, but I'm still cooler." Quicksilver quipped. "On your mark..." Peter began, "Get set..." he paused, "Go!" And with that, the five speedsters vanished in blurs of yellow, silver and rainbow. Peter, Miguel and Scootaloo all leaned back, waiting to see who would return first. "Say, Parker. Who do you think's gonna win this?" asked Miguel. "As a loyal friend to all of them. I must remain neutral." "Cop-out." mumbled Scootaloo and Miguel. In the race, the five were almost neck and neck. Rainbow and Maximoff gave each other a small playful glare. Ahead of them was Jay, who was sprinting as fast as he could. In front were Barry and Wally, who were striving for first place. "Not bad, Barry." Wally complimented, "But you're gonna eat my dust." "Yeah. I'm the fastest man alive, remember?" Barry shot back. Jay chuckled, "But who was the one who inspired you in the first place?" Quicksilver trotted to the right of the original Flash, "Well, I never heard of you until today! So, I'm the odd man out." "And I'm the fastest flyer in all of Equestria! Your point?" Rainbow scoffed. The five turned constantly past buildings, became a blur to ponies unaware of the race, confusing them. They zoomed by the entire town in mere minutes, "The point is..." Wally started to say, seeing the lawn chairs close by. He zipped past the Spiders and filly, skidding to a halt almost imstantly, "I win!" "You got lucky, Kid Flash." Barry chuckled, patting his partner on the back after making second place. Jay smiled, his hooves sliding on the floor as he attempted to stop, "Not bad, you two. You're really well-tuned with the Speed-Force huh? Guess I'm slow in my old age." "Nah." Quicksilver complimented, "I'll admit, old timer, you still have it." "What...?" Rainbow blurted out in disbelief. "B-But..." her jaw was agape. She was in last place. "I-I..." she trembled. Peter sat up on his chair, "Rainbow... What's wrong?" "Yeah, Rainbow Dash. It was an awesome race." Scootaloo complimented. Sighing, Rainbow looked away, "I-I need a minute..." she sighed and flew away as fast as she could. "What's wrong with her?" Kid Flash asked. The original Flash, Jay stepped forward, "I'll go talk to her." he ran off, following the rainbow trail. It didn't take long for Jay to find Rainbow. The older speedster saw the cyan mare sitting on her hind legs. A depressed sigh being heard from her. "Rainbow Dash?" he called out. "What?" Rainbow muttered in disgust, "Come to brag about how you're faster than me?" Jay shook his head, sitting down next to Rainbow Dash. "Of course not. What's wrong? You've been acting a little... jumpy since we first showed up." "Why would it matter to you?" Rainbow grunted. "Because I want to help." Garrick revealed. "I-It's just..." Rainbow started to say, "I'm the fastest flyer in all of Equestria. I mean, yeah, I'm a Wonderbolt. But I worked hard to reach that title. Perfecting my speed and flying abilities. And yet here you all are, Flashes and Quicksilver, and you are all fast without even trying. It's like everything I did was just thrown away." "Are you jealous?" Jay wondered. Rainbow opened her mouth, "Jealous? Ma-maybe? I dunno. I'm glad I have Barry and Maximoff as friends, and yeah it's cool that I met you and Wally. But it's... How can you consider me a speedster when I'm slower than all of you!? I-I just feel... inferior when I'm racing with those two." Jay frowned, "There's no shame in admitting this, Rainbow. They say I'm the original Flash. But yet Barry and Wally know more of the Speed-Force than I do, and I'm proud they're following the advice I gave them. Instead of feeling jealous over what you don't have, you should motivate yourself and focus on becoming faster. You're unique, Rainbow Dash. After all, you know how to utilize speed and flight better than all of us. Just because you're not the fastest doesn't make you worthless." "Y-You sure?" the cyan pegasus asked with a soft smile. Jay reciprocated the grin, "Of course. From speedster to speedster. Come on, we have a surprise for you." "Oh, you're gonna like this, Skittles. You feeling better?" Peter asked. "Yeah, much better." Rainbow sighed, seeing Barry put down the bag. "So, new Flash. What's in the bag?" Barry chuckled, "Here it is." he opened it, revealing two articles of clothing. Rainbow noticed that the first was blue and had a lightning bolt on it, almost like Quicksilver's suit. "It's an upgrade for you, Quicksilver. The suit's better designed for friction." he revealed. Maximoff held it, "Thanks, Barry." "And Rainbow..." Barry grabbed the second suit. Rainbow noticed that it looked similar to the Wonderbolts suit, but on the center was a symbol that looked similar to the Flash and Kid Flash's. "This is yours." "So, what do you think?" Peter asked. "Welcome to the Flash Family, you two." Jay declared at last. "The Flash of Marvel Earth, and the Flash of Equestria." Rainbow looked in awe at her costume, a tear escaping from her eye. "T-Thank you." "You're in the Flash Family? That's great!" Scootaloo cheered. "Congrats." Miguel said. Wally raised his hooves, "How about we celebrate? Got a burger joint here?" "No. But there's a sweet shop." Peter said. Wally walked forward, "Well, let's go. I'm hungry." "Wait for us, kiddo." Jay laughed. "Beat ya there!" Rainbow bragged, flying ahead. "Oh, it's on!" Barry and Quicksilver chuckled, catching up.