//------------------------------// // Chapter 10: Rhino's Rampage // Story: Equestria Girls/Spider-man Book 1: Amazing // by Equestrian Defender //------------------------------// -Friday April 13th, 2019- As he sat in his last period of the day, a study hall, Flash Sentry was mulling over some thoughts in his head. It had been a week since he had fought Sandman, and in that time Spider-Man had not run into O'Hirn or anymore homemade supervillains. He couldn't help but wonder why that was. Did O'Hirn back out? Did they run the test and it killed him? Was he sick and were they waiting for him to get better? Or were they holding off to lull Spider-Man into a false sense of security and then catch him off guard? He was jarred out of his thoughts when Pinkie Pie suddenly came up behind him and loudly said "HI FLASH!" Once his heart was beating normally again, Flash replied "Hi Pinkie Pie. Do you need something?" Like a bell to wear around your neck? Since for some reason my Spidey-Sense can't detect you and I can't understand why. Pinkie smiled. "Well, I do need a teensy-weensy itty-bitty favor." She handed him a red and blue envelope and asked "Can you please give this to Spider-Man? If you can." Flash processed this, and then promptly sweatdropped. "Wait, does this have something to do with that party you're throwing?" "You mean the 'Thank You, Spider-Man' Party that I'm throwing in Central Park?" Smiling, she nodded. "Yep! That's his invitation." "Invitation? Pinkie, I'm not sure-" "-that he'll be able to attend? I know. But it just doesn't feel right throwing a party for Spider-Man and NOT inviting him. It's like throwing a birthday party and then NOT inviting the birthday boy, girl, dog, cat or alligator." "Okay, fair- Wait, alligator?" "Yeah, my pet baby alligator." Pulling up a picture on her phone, she showed Flash a picture of her and a baby alligator with purple eyes and no teeth. Both the gator and Pinkie Pie were wearing party hats, with Pinkie smiling and the gator just staring at the camera blankly. "His name's Gummy. You know, because he has no teeth!" "I can see that. That's cool." And I dread the day when Pinkie has to let him go or give him to the zoo, since I doubt her landlord will let her keep a fully grown gator in her and Maud's aparment. "So, you threw him a birthday party?" "Of course. Why wouldn't I? I do it for all of me and the girls' pets." She flicked through her phone, bringing up pictures of her friends and their respective pets wearing party hats: Opal the cat looked disinterested in Rarity's arms, Winona the dog was happily licking Applejack's cheek, Tank the tortoise was smiling while Rainbow held him, Angel the bunny was happily nuzzling against Fluttershy's cheek, and Sunset was booping Ray the leopard gecko on his nose. Flash couldn't help but smile at the pictures. "You know, I kinda want to get a pet now." "You should go see Fluttershy then. There's plenty of pets at the animal shelter looking for good homes." "I'll think about that. In the meantime, I will try and get this invitation to Spider-Man. But I'm not making any guarantees about him coming." "I understand. Superhero stuff. Oh, do you have Twilight's phone number?" "Yeah. Why?" "Well I wanted to invite her to the party but I didn't have her number so I tried finding her online. But she doesn't have a Facebook account so I tried MyStable but she doesn't have one either. So I figured I'd ask you to invite her for me since you're her best friend and more than likely have her number and I really really REALLY want her to come!" How she was able to say all of that in one go without taking a breath would forever baffle Flash Sentry. Regardless, he answered "She doesn't really get on Facebook or MyStable. In fact she mostly only uses her computer for email or homework or her projects. Still, I'll let her know you invited her." "Thank you! Hope to see you guys there. And Spider-Man." The bell rang and she said "Well, gotta go set up. Later Flash!" And before Flash could even blink, she was gone. "Huh? What? How? Why? I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS!"* At the secret lab, Abacus and Octavius looked into the chamber, seeing the results of their newest experiment. One that they had been eagerly awaiting as it took a week for Alex O'Hirn to get over his food poisoning. (Seriously, that prison cafeteria needs to get a visit from a health inspector.) Before the process, Alex O'Hirn was of average height and had a slightly above average build. After being injected with the Cross Species Formula (that had been mixed with a healthy dose of Rhino DNA) and using a machine to fuse Octavius' extremely durable reinforced titanium-resin synthetic skin to O'Hirn's own skin (which of course had been modeled after a rhino, horn included), he was standing at a whopping ten feet tall and was now strong enough he could smash through steel plates. Cinch smiled as she looked over the data. "Super strong, impenetrable skin, and the added bonus of a rhino's stamina, strength, and size. And now, we set him free." She spoke into the microphone "Mister O'Hirn, how do you feel?" "Like a million bucks," he replied. "When do I get outta here?" Smirking, Cinch pushed a button and said "Actually, you're free to leave right now." "Really?" "Indeed. I believe you have some business to take care of." He nodded. "Right. My business." Then he smiled. "Better get to it then." With little to no effort he tore free of the restraints, and then smashed out of the machine he was in, revealing the dark gray synthetic skin and his tall, bulky form. The horn on the top of his head was at least two feet long, curved, and ending in a VERY aggressive point. His arms and legs were as thick as tree trunks and his hands were as large as trash can lids. Stepping free of the machine, he yelled "BECAUSE THE RHINO DON'T WANNA KEEP SPIDER-MAN WAITING!" Octavius smiled. "Well Abacus, I believe we've outdone ourselves." "Yes Otto, I believe we have." Neither of them noticed that the microphone was still on. Or that Rhino had heard every word the two had said. "Let me see if I can get this straight," Twilight said from her worktable in the lair. "Pinkie Pie is throwing Spider-Man a big party in Central Park, as a way to say thank you, even though odds are he's not going to be able to show up because he'll be too busy fighting crime or one of Bishop's circus freaks?" "It's the thought that counts," Flash replied. "Honestly, the fact that she's throwing a party to say thanks even though she knows I might not be able to show up is, kinda flattering. At the very least it's nice to see that some people appreciate what I do and aren't afraid to show it." "Plus, this is Pinkie Pie we're talking about," Thorax added. "She doesn't really need a reason to throw a party. And if she does need one, she just makes one up." Flash couldn't argue with that. "Well, I figured we could all take a day off and go have some fun. Take a break from trying to figure out Bishop's plan and who she is." Looking at his computer Thorax said "My program's almost done finding and mapping Oscorp Tower's exterior security systems. We step out for a few hours it'll probably be done by the time we get back." Twilight looked at the invitation, then at the device she was still attempting to get into, and then back at the invitation. Finally she said "I guess I could use a break. I mean I've spent the last week trying to break into this thing, when I'm not busy at my internship." "Who knows? Maybe some fresh air will help you figure out how to get into it without initiating the self-destruct," Flash replied jokingly. "Ha ha, very funny." Removing her lab coat to reveal her Crystal Prep uniform she said "Can we swing by my house first so I can change clothes?" They both nodded. "Shouldn't take too long," Flash said. "We are only a few blocks from your house." "Cool," Thorax replied, slipping on his goggles as they walked into the elevator. Looking at Flash he asked "So, is Spider-Man gonna show up at the party?" Flash smirked. "Well, Flash Sentry did run ten blocks following me to deliver the invitation. I'd have to be a real jerk not to appear. Plus-" He pulled out his phone and looked at the app Thorax made that connected their phones to their Crime Alert System. "-there's nothing showing up. And Pinkie Pie already said that she'd understand if something came up and I'd either not be able to make it or if I'd have to leave early. So let's just hope there's not going to be another homemade supervillain attack." He was going to regret saying those words. Rhino growled as he looked at the party taking place in Central Park. There were balloons ranging from simple red and blue to ones shaped like Spider-Man chibis. There were cupcakes with red and blue frosting, bowls of punch in giant bowls decorated with web designs, and a big banner hanging over a stage that read "THANK YOU SPIDER-MAN!" He had half a mind to grab a few nearby cars and throw them into the park to vent his frustrations. But he saw a few kids in there, and even he wasn't that evil. But then he heard a few of the kids saying that some girl, Pinkie Promise or something, had actually invited Spider-Man to this thing. And they sounded really hopeful that they'd show up. An evil grin split his face as an idea came to mind. "Oh don't worry kids. He'll show up. I'll make sure of it." While Twilight was changing in her room, Flash and Thorax were talking to Cadance in the living room. "So," Flash asked "Spike said you guys've been married for three years. But I'm curious, how long have you and Shining been together?" Cadance smiled. "We started dating in freshman year. But Shining and I have actually been friends since we were kids." "Really?" "Yeah. I actually used to babysit Twilight when she was younger," she said as she handed him a framed photo. It showed a fourteen year old Cadance holding a three or four year old Twilight in , sound asleep in her arms. Seeing this photo Thorax said "That's just adorable." "Amen dude." Cadance giggled. "Yeah. She used to beg me to read her bedtime stories. Then when she turned five she started reading on her own... somehow. And then when she was ten she tore apart the TV just to see how it worked." Flash rolled his eyes. "Oh please, I did that when I was seven." "And from what May told us, they needed to buy a new TV." Everyone looked up to see Twilight coming down the steps, now wearing her casual clothes. Said clothes consisted of a blue blouse, a purple skirt and matching shoes, and her hair now done in a slight ponytail. "So, I'd say I did it a bit better than you," she finished, sticking her tongue out to emphasize her point. "You are really immature sometimes," Flash replied. And surprisingly cute when you do so. She smiled. "I know. But you and Thorax aren't much better." Thorax glared at them from behind his phone. "Hey, I am not-" He paused, before saying "Uh Flash, Twilight?" Seeing this Cadance asked "Something wrong?" "Uh, nothing," Flash quickly replied. "We just forgot we needed to stop at the store and grab something before we went to the party. Come on guys." They left, leaving Cadance alone in the living room. She frowned. "Weird." Shrugging it off she decided to sit down and relax a little with some TV. The channel that was on was the news, which was showing a live news report of a party at Central Park. Seeing the decorations and the banner Cadance smiled and said "Well if anyone deserves to have a thank you party thrown for them, it's Spider-Man." And then the camera turned to show a giant of a man in a metallic rhino themed costume, casually walking through the party and scaring pretty much everyone. Seeing the camera he stomped over and yelled "Hey Spider-Man! Why don't you come on down here? I'd sure hate to ruin this party!" To emphasize his point, he raised one fist and smashed a table. Along with all of the cupcakes stacked on top of it, much to the shock and horror of some of the kids (and Pinkie Pie, not that Cadance knew her.) "That's just cruel! What did those cupcakes do to him?" Then a thought occurred to her. "Wait, wasn't Twilight and them going to that party?" "The one day we decided to take a break, and O'Hirn shows up as a giant rhino," Spider-Man said as he swung towards the party. "I swear Bishop somehow set this up just to troll us." "Honestly, it wouldn't surprise me," Twilight said from back at the lair. Arriving at the scene he saw Rhino about to smash another table, but that was quickly stopped when Spider-Man fired a web shot at the back of his head. "You know I've heard the term 'party animal,' but it's never been used in this context," he quipped. Seeing the familiar red-and-blue superhero, Rhino grinned. "Glad to see you could make it." "Well I already put Gargan and your buddy Marko back behind bars. Figured I'd nab you and complete the set. Plus, unlike you I actually got invited to this party." Looking at the party attendees he said "Don't worry guys. I'll be back in a minute. I just gotta get this guy back to the zoo." "Ha ha ha," Rhino growled. "Very funny." "Let's take this somewhere else." He swung away and called out "Follow me, big guy!" As swung away he could hear Rhino's thundering footsteps not too far behind him. In his earpiece he heard Thorax ask "You have a plan, right?" "Depends. What's the scanners say about his armor?" "It's some sort of synthetic skin made out of a titanium-resin. It's heat-resistant and nearly indestructible. And from what I'm seeing, there's no weak spots other than his exposed face. The whole thing is impenetrable," Twilight answered. "So punch him in the face," Spider-Man asked. "Like I usually do with the guys I fight." "Pretty much." "Got it." Once they were a safe distance away from the park Spider-Man grabbed a trashcan with his webs, spinning and flinging it right into Rhino's face where it impacted with a loud CLANG!! "OW!" "Sorry! I forgot garbage day was Monday." Clearly not amused Rhino stomped his foot down on the trash can, crushing it like a soda can, and charged at him like a raging bull. (Well, raging rhino but you get the idea.) Spider-Man jumped out of the way, watching as Rhino plowed right through the solid brick wall of the building he had been standing in front of like it had been made of toilet paper. "Whoa," he muttered. "Not everyday you see someone pick a fight with a brick wall. And win." Rhino came charging out of the building with his fist raised, Spider-Man dodged it as it smashed the car, pancaking it. Jumping and sticking onto said arm Spider-Man threw a solid punch into the side of Rhino's jaw... ...and promptly lost any and all feeling in his hand. "OW! What did that lady give you, a titanium jaw?" Rhino's response was simply to grab his leg with his free hand and fling Spider-Man into the side of the building across the street, knocking the wind out of him. "Flash, are you okay," Twilight asked in concern. "Everything hurts," he muttered. "And I'm seeing stars." "Well come back down to Earth! PREFERABLY BEFORE HE IMPALES YOU!" Her words chased the stars out of his head, and he immediately flipped up out of the way as Rhino smashed through the now cinder-block wall with little effort. Lowering himself down on a web line he said "You know, you could've just used a door." But as he looked into the building he noticed something odd. The building Rhino smashed into was a sporting goods store, and he had ripped open several cases of Gatorade and was chugging them down wholesale. "Geez, guy must be thirsty." As Rhino turned to look at him he added "And he's sweating. We haven't even been fighting for five minutes." "Well, it is kind of hot out," Thorax noted. "Even for mid-spring." "Hold on," Twilight said, the sounds of her typing on a keyboard being heard in the background. "I think I just figured out his Achilles Heel." "Well punching him in the face is out," Spider-Man replied as he dodged another charge from Rhino. "So I'm open to new ideas." "That armor of his is strong, but it's also heavy. AND, it's plugged up all of the pores except for his face. That's the only place he's able to sweat from now." "So he's chugging down all of that liquid because he's overheating," he noted. An idea came to mind as he processed this. "Hey guys. Check the city's utility maps and find me the nearest steam tunnel." "Checking it now. Head about a block west and then left onto Third Street," Thorax replied. "Thank you." Turning to Rhino he yelled "Hey ugly! Come and get me!" He immediately swung towards the place Thorax said about, hearing the thundering footsteps of his adversary following behind him. This went on for about ten minutes, mostly because Spider-Man would occasionally turn back and attack Rhino with webs or nearby trashcans/ manhole covers. This was mostly to get Rhino angry, which would make him try to attack Spider-Man and exert himself. By the time they got to the spot Thorax told him about, Rhino was sweating profusely from his face and his movements were significantly slower than before. I think he's almost at his limit. Time to put the nail in the coffin. "Yo Rhino!" Rhino turned just in time to see Spider-Man jump down into an open manhole. "Quit running and fight me already," he yelled. "What's the matter big guy," Spider-Man's voice came from within the tunnel. "That armor of your's make you too wide to squeeze in down here?" With a growl Rhino simply raised his fist and brought it down on the street, smashing through it and into the tunnel, he himself falling in after the large chunk of asphalt. A surprised Spider-Man said "You know, after you smashed through that brick wall I shouldn't be surprised by- HOLY SHIT!" He immediately dodged as Rhino tried to punch him, only for his fist to break open a steam pipe and release large amounts of... well, steam. He tried to attack Spider-Man again, but he simply dodged and webbed Rhino's hands to more pipes. When Rhino tried to rip his hands free, he ended up breaking the pipes and filling the tunnel with even more steam. Spider-Man was really thankful that Tony Stark had somehow designed the suit to maintain his body temperature no matter how hot or cold it was, because frankly it was starting to get a little toasty. "You feel like you're in a sauna yet, O'Hirn," Spider-Man asked mockingly. Breathing heavily and fighting to keep his eyes open, Rhino asked "What the... hell'd you do?" "Funny thing about that suit of yours; not only is it heavy but it also stops you from perspiring. Your face is sweating for your whole body, which is now I'd say three to five times larger than it used to be. Outside it might not be a problem. But down here in my homemade sauna..." Rhino's eyes widened as he turned and attempted to run to the nearby ladder that was between him and Spider-Man. "I've gotta... I've gotta get out of here!" Smirking under his mask Spider-Man fired off a few Impact Webs at Rhino's legs, tripping him up and making him stumble and try to regain his balance. Firing a web-line on either side of Rhino's head, he slingshots forward and planted both of his feet into Rhino's face, finally knocking him off balance and to the ground. He didn't get back up, especially after Spider-Man landed on his chest. "Come one, come all! Before your very eyes, the World's Largest Dehydrated Turtle!" Between his heavy breathing, Rhino muttered "I swear I'm gonna crush you. Promised the lady I'd... crush you. Crush... you..." The sensors in his suit said he was dehydrated, and disoriented, but otherwise he was okay. "Are we losing it a bit, Alexander?" "Only Mama calls me Alexander. You're not my... Mama. Mama. Mama..." "I think you might've overcooked him," Thorax joked. "Because his brain is deep-fried."** Rolling his eyes he was about to retort when he heard Rhino moan "Mama... do I have to go to school?" Getting an idea, he leaned in close and whispered "So Alexander, tell Mama, who's the lady who gave you these powers?" Abacus Cinch sighed as she walked out of her favorite cafe, having already seen the news footage of Spider-Man climbing out of the steam tunnel, regretfully still alive. "And her I thought he'd be a winner." She had just about reached her car when she noticed a folded up piece of paper hanging from her side mirror by a single strand of webbing. Confused she pulled it off and opened it. It read: Dear Abacus Cinch, Interesting fun fact; apparently when dehydrated and tired as hell, a rhinoceros will actually mistake you for someone close to him and blab out some very juicy secrets. Like how YOU were apparently the lady who broke Mac Gargan, Flint Marko, and now Alex O'Hirn out of prison and gave them superpowers. BTW, might wanna make sure you turn the microphone off before you and your lab partner use your actual names. And I know it's you he meant because there's nobody else in New York named Abacus. And that's not all. I know you're the one who hired Schultz, Mason, and Toomes to steal that tech from Oscorp. I know that you're the one they called Bishop. I don't know what you're using that tech for, but that's not important. Here's what's important. 1. Whatever your evil plan is, I'm going to put a stop to it. and 2. When all's said and done, you're going to be behind bars for a very, VERY long time. But I'm a nice guy, so I'm going to give you one chance. Turn yourself over to the police now, confess to all of your sins, and save yourself the embarrassment. If not, well, we'll have to do this the hard way. Courtesy, You're Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. Upon her finish reading the letter, Abacus did not panic. Instead, she muttered "It seems I'll have to step up my time-table." before getting into her car. However, she was completely unaware of the one Spider-Tracer that had been placed on the bottom of her car. Back at the base, the three of them were looking at Thorax's computer screen, which displayed the location of the Tracer. "Smart thinking, putting the tracer on the bottom of the vehicle,"Twilight said. "And you know, it's kind of ironic. Most of the students at Crystal Prep already think Cinch is evil. Now we just have the much needed confirmation that she really is." Thorax nodded, then asked "But why is she doing all of this? And where the hell is she getting all her tech and the money to pay for it all? Last I checked even though she's a principal I doubt her salary is big enough to pay for all of it." "We can ask her later," Flash said as he swapped into his civilian clothes. "Preferably when we have proof she's evil. But in the meantime, let's head to Central Park and check on the girls." Pinkie Pie sighed. "So much for the party." After Rhino had decided to crash the party the party-goers had been understandably scared. She couldn't really blame them; after all a giant man dressed like a Rhino had come and smashed a majority of the food and trashed the decorations. Fortunately nobody was hurt, but the mood was ruined so they all left. Leaving her, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Sunset, Rarity, and Applejack to clean up everything. "Looks like we missed it." She turned to see Flash, Thorax and Twilight standing there, surveying the carnage. "We saw the rhino guy on the news," Twilight said. "We wanted to make sure you guys were okay." "Well, nobody was hurt. But clearly the party was ruined," replied Applejack. "Which totally sucks," Rainbow said, munching on a cupcake while throwing out some paper plates. "But hey, Spider-Man did show up." "Yeah, we saw that too. Flash had to run ten blocks to deliver your invite," Thorax replied. "Really?" Pinkie Pie gave Flash a quick hug and said "Thank you." "You're welcome. Too bad it wasn't what you were expecting." Fluttershy smiled. "It was still amazing, seeing him swing in and get that big dumb meanie away from us." "From what we heard, he managed to beat Rhino by cooking him in a steam tunnel," Thorax said. Sunset smirked. "And I heard they had to get a crane to lift him out of said tunnel." "Considering his size and that heavy armor he was wearing, it was probably a good call," Twilight said as she threw out another smashed cupcake. She then noticed several tables with cupcakes that were perfectly fine. "Hey, what're you guys going to do with all of those?" Rarity sighed. "Well we were hoping the majority of them would've been eaten during the party. But since it ended far too early, I fear they'll go to waste." Flash thought about it for a second before saying "Maybe not." Sunset smirked. "You have a plan, I take it." "Not really. But I do know a place full of people who would love some fresh cupcakes. And it's actually not too far from here." "Thank you so much for doing this," Aunt May said with a smile. The place full of people Flash was referring to was the F.E.A.S.T. Shelter, which they were now standing in and giving out cupcakes to the people inside. Once she heard about what happened at Central Park, Aunt May was more than happy to let them donate the cupcakes. The homeless people inside definitely weren't complaining if their smiles were anything to go by. Pinkie Pie smiled back and replied "You're welcome!" She then turned to the people and yelled "YOU'RE ALL WELCOME!" Sunset handed a cupcake to another person, and out of the corner of her eye she noticed Twilight and Flash talking about something. At first she thought it was something serious, until Flash smiled and Twilight burst into a fit of giggles. She couldn't help but smile at that. "They're really cute together, aren't they?" She turned to see Fluttershy standing there with a smile. Sunset nodded. "Yeah. They're total dorks, but yeah." The girls all giggled at that, save for one who's attention was elsewhere. Specifically Rainbow Dash, who was looking at a familiar looking backpack laying next to one of the bunk beds. Walking over to it, picking it up and inspecting it she saw that it was indeed Scootaloo's backpack. "What's this doing here?" "HEY! You put my backpack down or el- el-else..." Recognizing the voice, Rainbow Dash turned around to see Scootaloo- -and immediately gasped when she saw Scootaloo's face. Specifically, the nice big, swollen, and no doubt painful blue-black bruise right over her right eye. Before Scootaloo could say anything else Rainbow was right in front of her, kneeling so she could get to her level. "Scoots! What the hell happened to you?" Scootaloo was quiet for a moment, before wrapping her arms around Rainbow and silently sobbing into her shoulder. Not used to seeing Scootaloo like this, Rainbow simply copied what her mother did for her when she came home a sobbing mess once and gently hugged her back. It seemed to work as Scootaloo started to calm down a smidge. This went on for a few minutes, before Scootaloo release Rainbow. "Thank you," she muttered. "It's okay, squirt," she replied. "I'm here." Looking her in the eye, Rainbow said "Now tell me what happened." Scootaloo sighed, before replying "It started back when dad left me and mom..."