Peter’s face scrunched up as he was conscious enough to notice the sun glaring over his face and opened his eyelids. He moaned and raised a hand over his eyes, “Oh man…”
The boy yawned, raising his arms to stretch. For the first time all weekend, Peter slept wonderfully. He sat up and rubbed his neck. He then picked up his phone and checked the time, noticing that it was past noon. “Oh nice, I slept through the morning…” he laid back down before a thought struck him, “Wait a minute, I slept through the morning!” he repeated louder this time.
Peter instantly shot up and changed his clothes, realizing he was late for school. ‘Just when I thought I had a decent schedule going too! I’m pinning this all on Mysterio.’ he thought as he grabbed his bag, hid his costume and opened his bedroom door, ready to reach school in what he hoped would be record time. His body was still sore but that didn’t matter to him as he made a mad dash to leave.
“Peter? Where are you going?”
Peter cringed at the sound of his aunt talking to him. “Sorry, Aunt May, but I woke up late and I really have to get to school.”
May shook her head, “I called you out for the day. After the weekend you had, you needed the rest.”
The boy breathed in relief and leaned on a wall, saying, “Thanks, Aunt May.” he said as he dropped his bag. “But… I still need to head out in costume later.”
His aunt folded her arms, “After what you endured, there’s no way I’m letting you swing out there so soon. You need to rest properly today and then you can worry about patrol.”
“But I need to get photos for Jameson. I kinda have to make up for not getting any involving Mysterio. Please May? Once I do that, I’ll come right back home and sleep.” Peter pleaded.
May exhaled, wondering if letting him out is the best course of action. But deep down she knew they needed whatever money they can get. She rubbed her head, “Okay, fine. You can get your pictures, but you have to head right back here once you’re done. No excuses.”
The boy nodded, “No excuses. Got it.” he dug a hand into his bag, pulling out his dirty and torn costume, “You know, I should really learn how to fix this up myself.”
“Didn’t you mention that Tony Stark fixed it?” May asked.
“Yeah, but I’m… kinda thinking over my partnership with him. Long story.” Peter admitted in a sad tone, “I’d rather not go back to my old suit unless I have to so in the meantime learning how to stitch up a suit like this would help in the long run.”
May frowned, aware that Peter’s decision to distance himself from heroes like Iron Man was tough for him considering he always wanted to stand among them even as a child, “If it helps, I’m glad you’re doing this. You’re safer down here than up there with the Avengers. If something were to happen to you while on one of their missions…”
Peter smiled, “Nothing would happen to me if I joined, Aunt May. And like you said, I’m better down here in the friendly-neighborhood and would’ve turned down a chance to join at this point.”
“That’s good.” May replied, “...You know, maybe I can teach you how to fix that suit up.”
Peter perked up, “Really? But… aren’t you going to be busy at FEAST today?”
“I can always make time to spend with my nephew.” May reminded him before holding the torn suit in her hands, “Now we should get started before it gets too late.”
“You’re the best, May.” Peter said.
“You did not save Spider-Man.” Rainbow Dash replied to Sunset, who was telling her friends about what she did the past weekend. The girls sans Twilight seemingly were interested to hear why she suddenly went silent over the past few days.
Sunset smirked, “I did though. The only reason it happened was because Mysterio had Equestrian magic.”
Twilight finally spoke up after being silent, “He did? But how?”
Sunset tapped her chin, “That’s what I’m trying to figure out, Twi. I’m thinking it might be a delayed response to bringing the princess’ crown to this world like how the Sirens got their powers back.”
“Hold up, are we just gonna ignore the fact that those were the first words Twilight said to us today? She didn’t even gush about science class today or what new discoveries she made or whatever like usual.” Rainbow asked.
“I tend to disagree with Rainbow’s nosey behavior, but for once I agree, is there something the matter, darling?” Rarity wondered.
Twilight frowned, “Uh, no. Continue Sunset. Please.”
Sunset took a bite of a carrot and said, “My superhero stories can wait. It sounds like something is seriously bothering you.”
“Nothing’s bothering me, I swear! Leave me alone!” Twilight denied again, faster and louder this time. “...Sorry for lashing out like that.”
“Lashin’ out? Yer just bein’ defensive. Honestly, if ya aren’t ready to talk we can respect that.” Applejack replied.
Twilight exhaled, “No, I think I need to explain myself. If you don’t mind that is.”
“We’re all ears, Twilight.” Sunset assured.
“It’s about Peter.”
Pinkie cheered, “I knew it!” she got a few glares her way and then immediately composed herself, “I mean, carry on.”
“I feel like I went off a little too hard when he didn’t show up. It was… pretty aggressive for my standards.” Twilight admitted.
“I mean, you’re still new to the world of crushes.” Rarity reminded her.
Twilight said, “I know, but that doesn’t justify my reaction. Peter has his own priorities and I should’ve respected that.”
“He didn’t check in with you to cancel though, that’s a pretty jerk move all things considered.” Rainbow said.
“Peter may have been too busy with work.” Fluttershy intervened.
Twilight rubbed her head, “Which is something I should’ve considered. I’m an idiot!”
“I wouldn’t go that far.” Sunset replied. “I spoke with Peter recently and he’s just as upset about missing your ‘study session’ like you were.”
“He is? How did you get in contact with him?” Twilight asked.
Sunset explained, “Since he’s Spidey’s photographer and he had the Stark Internship, he can easily reach out to Spider-Man whenever we go on patrol. Maybe I can see if he’ll chat and give you closure.”
Twilight perked up, “Can you please?”
“I’ll let him know after school.”
“Thank you so much, Sunset!” Twilight cheered.
Rainbow leaned an arm on her chair and gave a smug grin, “I guess Twi’s gonna get that date after all.”
With his suit repaired, Peter finally headed out for a patrol in order to get some photos for Jameson. He checked the time and noticed that him and May took the rest of the school day to fix it. The spider emblem on his chest was flying around him and taking photos of his swinging poses. And while he was doing that, Peter chose to make a quick call to his friends and explain what they missed while he was swinging. It went about as well as he expected.
“Mysterio is Quentin Beck?!”
Peter knew he was gonna get that response once he told Trixie who the domed baddie who took him down was. “I knew that guy was bonkers!” Ned replied.
“I wish you never told me this, Parker. Now Trixie need to find a new magician role model. One who isn’t a villainous psycho.” Trixie grunted.
“I had to tell you so you can get some closure. I’m surprised you didn’t see it in the news or whatever.” Spider-Man added.
Trixie said, “I tend to be in a rush while preparing for school.”
Peter chuckled, “I can relate to that all too well.”
“We’re just glad to hear you’re safe and sound. And you somehow got a day off from school. What the heck even happened?” Ned wondered.
“Mysterio got real magic. I underestimated him since Sunset said he used fakes. Things went downhill and Sunset got me out of that jam.” Peter explained, “In hindsight, rejecting a superhero partner was going to be a bad idea.”
“Learning from you must be so cool.” Ned said. Spider-Man flipped in the air and continued his swing.
Peter responded as he shot another webline at a building, “Yeah right. Honestly, Ned, teaching someone with different powers the ropes is pretty hard. I’m learning a lot too. I’m just lucky I trusted someone who listens. Teaching someone else with spider powers could be a lot easier, but as of now I’m the one and only Spider-Man.”
“At this point you can use a superhero team beyond mission control.” Trixie commented.
Peter shrugged while getting ready to shoot another web, “Eh, sure. Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends has a pretty good ring to it.”
Ned responded, “Sounds like something out of a Saturday morning cartoon.”
“We go to a high school that is the nexus of a magic horse dimension and know a group of girls capable of anime transformations to fend off magic threats. We’re already eligible for a Toonami broadcast.” Spider-Man countered.
“Fair point.” Ned said.
His lenses narrowed, feeling his Spider-Sense, “I’ll call you guys back. I have a feeling that I’m about to get distracted.” he stuck to a wall once he felt his Spider-Sense get worse. He looked in an alleyway and saw a kid get pushed down by two poorly-dressed crooks in masks, one in blue and one in black. If there was one thing Spider-Man hated, it was innocents getting hurt. It was time he stepped in and helped that kid.
The kid was shoved onto the ground. He grunted as he tried to stand and land a punch to one of the guys, but the guy moved from his fist. “You ended up in the wrong part of town.” one of the burglars laughed. The wannabe hero elbowed the burglar in black and was met with a fist to the face.
“You have to be stopped!” the kid decided. One of them kicked the boy and he fell on his back. “Ow!” he grunted in a vain attempt to stand up, but he was kicked again. He rolled to his stomach and leaned on a wall, his body aching from the scuffle, “Aw man…”
“You screwed up big time, kid.”
Spider-Man jumped down and cleared his throat, “So do you get joy out of hurting innocent kids?”
“Spider-Man!” the crook in blue said. He tried to punch Spider-Man but Peter webbed his moving fist and moved to the side, yanking the webline to disorient the man.
“Why do bad guys always act surprised when they see me? I really need a better PR agent.” Peter quipped.
The kid was in awe at the sight of his favorite hero in action. He watched Spider-Man fight the burglars. Every movement, hit, and dodge was even better to witness in person than on video. Spider-Man knew exactly what he was doing and despite his state, the boy smiled in glee at this. He considered the Solar Eclipse lucky that she gets to work with someone as cool as him and hoped to be standing at his side one day just like that.
Once he knocked out one burglar, Peter leaned back and webbed the crook in black’s mouth. He then spun vertically and kicked him right in the face, ending the fight. He sighed and stretched his limbs, “Okay I needed that.” he turned around and faced the boy, reaching out a hand to stand him up, “You alright, kid?”
The boy took his hand and stood up, “I-I can’t believe I’m talking to Spider-Man! Th-The Spider-Man! Oh man, I never thought I’d ever get to meet you face to face!”
Spider-Man chuckled, “Wow, I’ve never met someone as enthusiastic as you before… Sorry, what’s your name?”
“Oh! Ollie. Ollie Osnick!” Ollie introduced himself.
Peter said, “Well Ollie, I appreciate the do-good attitude, but please leave the fighting to the pros. You can get yourself hurt... or worse.”
Ollie sighed, “Easy for you to say, you have powers! I saw those people breaking in and wanted to do something just like you!”
Peter explained, “It’s true I have powers, but it’s no less of a risk for me as I just learned. I just don’t want you to learn the wrong example of what I do. Being a hero is not always about hitting people, Ollie. It’s about doing the right thing and making this city a friendly-neighborhood, no matter how little the deed may seem. You can do that in your own way like helping out at FEAST for instance. You can be a hero in your own way.”
“R-Really?” Ollie asked.
With a nod, Spider-Man answered, “Yep. Always remember that and stay out of trouble. Now shouldn’t you be hanging with your friends instead of fighting crime unlike me?”
Once Spider-Man said that, Osnick suddenly paused and rubbed the back of his head, “I, uh… I really don’t have any friends and mostly keep to myself. It’s uh… not great admittedly.”
“I see…” Peter mumbled. He thought, ‘Good going, Spidey. You tries to be a friendly-neighborhood hero and you reminded the guy of the state you were in before you met Ned and Trixie.’ he questioned, “What school do you go to, Ollie?”
“Canterlot High. Why?” Miles answered curiously.
Spider-Man said, “My photographer Peter Parker goes there as well and he told me it’s a pretty friendly place. I’m sure the two of you can find common ground on being loners at first too. If it helps, I didn’t have any friends either, but I opened up. Became more social, which is how I met the Solar Eclipse and the Avengers. If I can do it, I know you can.”
Ollie smiled, “If you believe so, then I’ll try! I won’t let you down, Spider-Man!”
“I know you won’t, Osnick. I wish I could keep the conversation going, but I really have to go. Stay safe, alright?” Spider-Man said before swinging away to his next destination.
Ollie watched Spider-Man swing away, “Spider-Man believes in me… I just got a life lesson from Spider-Man!”
“Crap, crap, mega crap.”
Jameson looked at each picture Brock got, all of them blurry and obscured shots of Spider-Man. “Honestly, Brock. For a rookie this is seriously poor work.”
Eddie sighed, “I’m trying my best, Mister Jameson.”
“Trying isn’t good enough in this business, Brock. Now get me some real photos worth publishing!” Jameson scolded.
Brock grunted and left the room, bumping Peter’s shoulder as he made his exit. “You better have a good reason for being in here, kid.” Jameson said as politely as he could.
“I do, sir. I have more photos of Spider-Man like you wanted. I couldn’t find his partner anywhere.” Peter explained.
Peter handed Jameson his phone and he looked through the pics, each clear and to the point. Peter didn’t get any with Miles for the sake of his privacy. “Not bad, Parker. For a newbie you know how to get good shots of that wall-crawling weasel.” he handed the teen back his phone and shouted, “HOFFMAN!”
A man clumsily stepped into the room and nearly tripped, “Yes, Mister Jameson?”
“We need a headline for the article. Any ideas?” Jameson asked.
Hoffman pondered for a minute, “Uh, Spider-Man Returns After Brief Hiatus?”
“Eh, it sucks.” Jameson replied, “I got it! Spider-Menace Returns After Brief Hiatus!”
With a defeated exhale, Hoffman said, “...Good thinking, sir.” he then left the room.
Peter put a hand on Jameson’s desk, “Do you really still believe Spider-Man is a menace?”
Jameson scowled as he replied, “As long as that webslinger wears a mask, I’ll always consider him a threat to this city. Him and his new partner if you must know! If you have a problem with that you can take your photos somewhere else.” he decided.
Peter knew he needed the money so he relented, “No problems here, Mister Jameson.”
“Good. Now keep doing what you doing. I’ll expose Spider-Man and the Solar Eclipse for who they are one day!” Jameson said, handing him a check. “Another outburst and I’ll deduct your next check.”
After a bit, the teen left. He wondered if Sunset was fine with having her name dragged through the dirt with his. He was okay with being a menace, but the last thing he wanted was to aid in a smear campaign against a friend too. He was ready to call and ask, but for some reason, he noticed that she called him: the call missed. Curious, he decided to call back and see what was up. He put the phone to his ear and after a few moments of waiting, he got an answer.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Sunset. I noticed you called. Is it about Jameson?” Peter asked.
“I did. And no, it’s not about him or the articles. I don’t care less about them. It’s about Twilight.” Sunset revealed.
That caught Peter’s attention. He muttered, “...Yes?”
The girl continued explaining, “She wants to talk to you. Think you can meet up with her at Sugarcube Corner today or tomorrow? Don’t worry about patrol, I’ll watch over things for you.”
Peter happily said, “Tell her I’m on my way right now! See you for training tomorrow?”
“I’ll let her know then, and you know it. See you tomorrow, Pete.” Sunset said before ending the call.
The boy hopped in the air and clicked his heels, thinking, ‘There’s no way I can screw this up!’
Later
‘There’s so many ways I can screw this up.’
There Peter stood, right outside Sugarcube corner. It was getting late, evident by the setting sun. He could see Twilight through the window, reading a book. He then gulped, ‘No backing down, Pete. Your crush is sitting in there. Come on, dude. You’re Spider-Man! You fight supervillains and nearly died. This should be a cakewalk for me… and yet this still feels like the greatest challenge I’ll ever endure.’ he inhaled sharply and opened the door.
It felt like ages for him, but Peter finally walked to the table Twilight was sitting in. “Hey, so is this seat taken?” he asked.
Twilight was snapped out of her trance at the sound of Peter’s voice, “Huh? Oh, Peter! You made it!” she mentally chastised herself for sounding too excited to see him.
“Being punctual is my thing after all.” Peter quipped, taking a seat across from the girl. “So listen… there’s something I was hoping to say.”
“Me too.” Twilight admitted.
“I’m sorry!” they both said at the same time, “What are you sorry for?” they followed up at the same time.
Raising his hands, Peter said, “I’ll go first. I’m sorry for leaving you like that. You’re still new to the school and friendship in general so it kinda looked like I bailed on you just to be a jerk when you finally had someone else to talk science with. Trust me, Twilight, I don’t want you to think I’m a bully like Flash Thompson. I should’ve known better than to set up that study session when I knew I had prior engagements and only did so because I hoped to wing it and do everything I had to on time and I should’ve called you to cancels oyou wouldn’t waste your time.”
Twilight shook her head, “I should be apologizing, Peter. Yes, I’m still new to… friendship admittedly, but that didn’t give me an excuse to scold you like that. I should’ve understood that you had prior engagements. Yes a call would’ve definitely helped, but you seemed to be extremely busy as of late if your tardiness, the Stark Internship and recent Spider-Man pictures are anything to go by. And the truth is… there may have been another reason why I acted the way I did…”
Peter raised a brow, “And that is…?”
Twilight started to blush and twirled a strand of her hair, “Can you promise you won’t hate me for this?”
“I can never hate you. Go right ahead.” Peter eased.
“I… kindathoughtthatitwasadate!” Twilight said as fast as she could just to get it out of her system, closing her eyes and waiting for the mockery of such an idea.
Peter nervously smiled and said to Twilight, “That’s funny. I actually thought the same thing.”
Twilight opened her eyes, the pink on her cheeks still present, “You mean…?”
“Yeah. Missing our study date tore me up inside. I mean, I missed a chance to chat with a smart, cute girl over something she’s passionate about. How could I not be upset about that?” Peter replied as his mind raced. ‘Holy crap. Where are all these words coming from? It’s like my usual brand of quips were replaced with words that won’t get me punched in the face! Thank you, spider bite!’
Twilight giggled, “Do you really mean that?”
Peter smiled, “️Every word.”
“Well hearing that from a handsome genius such as yourself is reassuring.” Twilight complimented before pausing, her eyes blinking in confusion, “Is… Is that a good compliment?”
Peter chuckled, “That actually made my day. Heh, I guess you and I have a lot to learn about romance, huh? Because I’ll be honest here, I know next to nothing about this.”
“Well we can consider this a mutual experiment.” Twilight said, putting a hand on the table before Peter put his hand on top of hers. The both of them felt their faces heat up some more, “And I wouldn’t mind having you as a partner as we find evidence.”
Peter smirked, “Are you sure you’re new to this?”
Another giggled escaped Twilight before she composed herself. “Yes. So, is this is a date then?”
“Only you want it to be.” Peter decided.
Twilight answered in content, “Then I guess it is.”
Right outside Sugarcube Corner, Rainbow handed Sunset $10 as she grumbled, “Way to let me down, Parker.”
“Told you Twilight was gonna spill the beans first.” Sunset laughed. “She may not be the nervous wreck you thought she was.”
“Yeah yeah, lesson learned. Friendship strengthened and junk.” Rainbow Dash muttered. “Those two seem happy at least.”
The fiery haired girl proudly folded her arms, “Yeah, they do.”
Meanwhile away from the public eye, Tombstone sat in his dark office signing an endless pile of papers. He paused at the sound of… something. He wasn’t sure what, but he sat up just in case he needed to defend himself. For all he knew, the Green Goblin was here.
The doors to his office bursted open. The strangers were not the kind of guests he was expecting. Three girls stood before him, each of them covered in hoods. Tombstone scowled, “This is quite a surprise.”
“You must be the Big Man, I presume?” the orange-skinned girl asked.
Tombstone folded his hands, “What matter is it to you?”
“Let’s just say we’re interested in your business.” the girl revealed. The three of them removed their hoods, revealing their faces and uniquely sized hair that was somehow larger than their bodies. “We heard from a little birdie that you know a thing or two about magic.”
Tombstone gritted his sharp teeth, “I’ll repeat my earlier question, what matter is it to you?”
The purple girl rolled her eyes, “We just want our powers back through any means necessary.”
“Yeah, tacos can only fill me up for so long!” the blue girl said.
“And who might you lot be exactly?” Tombstone asked.
“Pardon us. I’m Adagio, and they are Sonata and Aria. Now before you say anything, we know all about your little business and will keep quiet.” Adagio revealed.
“There is going to be something you want out of this so get it over with before I decide to stop listening.” Tombstone growled.
Aria quipped, “Just get this over with Adagio.”
“We want our powers recreated. See, we’re not exactly from around here. But on the condition of you finding a means to bring them back or somewhere close to that, we’ll go after the Spider-Man you hate so much so long as we get to fulfill our own vendetta.” Adagio declared to the Big Man, “Do we have a deal?”
Tombstone thought for a moment. After the failure of his last project, he could use more guinea pigs. He smiled deviously, “Very well. I shall alert Hammerhead and Smythe of this development. But I will allow this so long as only Spider-Man, your target and no innocents are targets. It’s bad for business after all.”
Sonata saluted, “You got it, boss man!”
After so long after their defeat by the hands if the Rainbooms, it was time for the Sirens to strike back.