It was the next day before school and Lightning was almost ready for school. First he wanted to finish his daily check on his "suit." There's a bit discoloration from all the ash and fire from last night, he thought to himself. Ugh. And it's got a bit of a smell. I can't wash it here though, not with Aunt Hay insisting on doing all the laundry herself. I'm sure it'll be fine for one more da- as he turned to put the suit into his backpack, he remembered that he no longer had a backpack. Right. Guess I'll have to leave it at home and hope that Aunt Hay doesn't decide to search my room. Not that she's ever done something like that before... Luckily for Lightning, he always makes pitstops at home before heading out, meaning that he still had everything he needed for school. He just needed to carry it... manually. Yeah, I'm gonna have to not do something stupid like that again...
After gathering all of his things, Lightning made his way downstairs to eat breakfast. "Good morning, dear!" Aunt Hay called out.
"Hey Aunt Hay," Lightning replied. He took a seat at the kitchen table as his aunt brought over a plate of food. "Thanks," he said softly.
"Are you alright, Lightning?"
"Yeah, I'm just... still tired." Lightning let out an exaggerated yawn as his Aunt also sat down and turned on the TV. Lightning's eyes went wide as he saw what was on the news. Much to his luck, the fire from the previous night was being covered. He chuckled softly to himself as a low quality image of Spider-Man lifting concrete slabs was shown.
"Oh my," Aunt Hay said seeing the destruction. "What an awful tragedy! I'm glad to hear no one was harmed, but I'm still not too sure how I feel about this Spider-Man fellow." Lightning, who was picking at his food, then looked up when he heard his aunt say this.
"Hey uh, Aunt Hay?" he started, wanting to change the subject. "I uh, I'm gonna need a new backpack."
"What was that dear?" his aunt asked turning towards him.
"I need a new backpack," Lightning repeated with a sheepish smile.
"Oh my. What happened to your old one?"
"O-oh, well, uh..." Lightning was not prepared for her to ask such a question and needed to come up with something quick. "Well, you see... I was visiting a friend at the complex before the fire broke out and, well, I may have left it and uh..." Lightning winced as he processed the words coming out of his mouth.
"Oh goodness!" Aunt Hay immediately got up and went over to Lightning to check him for injuries. "Are you okay dear? Are you hurt? Why didn't you call me, or something!"
"I'm fine, Aunt Hay, really! And... I didn't want you to worry..." Lightning's eyes slowly shifted back to his food. He wasn't necessarily lying. He never told his aunt about his powers or anything spider related because he didn't want her to worry about him.
"Okay. Well, at any rate, I'm just glad you're okay," she said as she went to sit back down. "But about that backpack of yours. How do you plan on taking your things to school today?"
"Oh, I'll just carry everything. Only take the things I know I'll need." This caused Aunt Hay to raise an eyebrow.
"And you're sure you'll be okay with that? It won't be too much to carry so many loose things around all day?"
"I'll be fine, Aunt Hay. I figure since it won't be a permanent arrangement I'll be fine."
"If you say so, dear... Just, try no to lose anything else, okay?"
"I'll do my best!" Lightning said with a chuckle. And with that, the two went back to eating their breakfast. After finishing his food, Lightning went back upstairs to grab his pile of things before going out the door. But before he went back downstairs he took another look at his makeshift suit. Might be time for an upgrade... he thought to himself. Maybe it's time I ask Rarity for those lessons. I hope she doesn't charge me or something. That'll make things difficult for sure! Lightning then grabbed all of the belongings he'd need then headed out the door. It's going to be a long day... He met up with Sunset at their usual meeting place, but the confused look on her face made him stop in his tracks.
"What happened to your backpack?" Sunset asked with a chuckle.
"Oh, uh, well, you see... it uh... I uh... it uh, burned." Lightning managed to stutter out. He figured it'd probably be best to just stick with the same story.
"Ohh, were you at that apartment complex when it caught on fire?" Sunset asked, a bit concerned.
"Not exactly. I was visiting a friend who lives there and accidentally left it there before the place went up. I got in touch with my friend and he's alright. The backpack? Not so much..." Lightning felt pretty confident in his story now.
"I see. Well, I have an extra backpack back at my place you can borrow, if you want to." Sunset offered.
"That uh, that would be nice," Lightning said with a chuckle. The two friends then made their way back to Sunset's place. Lightning had visited a few times every now and then, and there was always something new each time he was there. "I didn't know you played guitar!" he said, noticing the acoustic guitar hung on the wall, next to the steps leading up to her bed.
"Oh, I've just started learning. I'm, not that good yet," she replied with a blush.
"Maybe you could play for me sometime?" Lightning said with a laugh.
"Heh heh, maybe," Sunset said, turning her attention back to looking for the backpack. It wasn't long before she was presenting it to Lightning. It was dark brown with a bright red and yellow sun with a yin yang symbol on the front. It had a few zippers on it and definitely had shown signs of being used. "It's nothing too fancy, but it's better than nothing, right?"
"It's perfect!" Lightning said, taking it from her. He then proceeded to quickly shove all of his belongings into the thing before zipping it up and sliding one of the straps over his shoulder. "Thanks!"
"I see someone is very organized." Sunset said sarcastically. Lightning simply rolled his eyes at the comment.
"Come on, before we miss the bus again." The two friends laughed as they headed out the door and quickly made their way back over to the bus stop.
...
Lightning was sitting at his desk, hardly able to contain his excitement. But not because of first period Calculus. An elementary topic to him, Lightning was far more interested with the content on his laptop screen then what was on the whiteboard. Apparently someone had recorded Spider-Man at the fire and uploaded the footage to YouTube. Naturally, it didn't take long for this to go viral. Lightning, hunched over his desk at his laptop, beamed as he watched himself lift several layers of concrete to free the people from the crumbling building. That has got to be the coolest thing I have ever se-
"Mr. Blitz!" Lightning nearly jumped out of his seat at the sound of his name. He looked up to see the teacher glaring at him from the front of the classroom. "Are you still with us?"
"Uh, uh uh..." Lightning stammered as he quickly closed his laptop. He then took a quick glance at the board to see that a problem was written up to be solved. Luckily it was just a simple limit question. "Yeah... yeah of course! You just insert 3 as the x for the difference quotient and after simplifying you find that the limit f' (3) as h approaches 0 is equal to 6."
"Right," the teacher simply replied as she turned her attention back to the rest of the class. Lightning quickly looked behind him to take a peak at the clock. Class was ending in less than 10 minutes. He began to tap his pencil in anticipation. His mind began to drift to things other than limits. Like, Rarity. He had his English class with her next period. In fact, after the most recent seating rearrangement, she sat RIGHT NEXT to him. Maybe it's time I ask her for those lessons, he thought to himself. After all, I do usually run into her on my way to class. I just hope I can find words and not make a complete idiot of myself... Before when Lightning wanted the class to end quickly, it seemed every second would draw out for an eternity. Now that he was dreading having to speak to his crush, time was practically travelling at the speed of light. It wasn't long before the bell rang and the students all started to hurriedly rush out of the classroom. Lightning grabbed his bag and slowly headed towards the door, taking a deep breath before he stepped out. But as he did, he froze dead in his tracks.
Right there standing outside the door stood Rarity wearing a cheerful smile on her face! Wait, was she... waiting for me?? That's out of the ordinary... "Hi Lightning!" she called out.
"O-oh, um... h-hi there... Rarity" Lightning managed, his face blushing wildly. He walked out of the classroom door and Rarity walked with him down the hall as the two headed towards class.
"Say darling, isn't that Sunset's old bag?" Rarity asked, recognizing the emblem on the backpack Lightning was using.
"Oh, yeah... well, she um... g-gave it to me!"
"Did something happen to your old one?"
"Well, um, yeah... It uh, it kinda got burned up in that fire last night..." Lightning said slowly.
"My goodness, you were there too?" Rarity asked, suddenly concerned. Lightning froze, remembering that he had rescued both her and her younger sister at the fire. He thought carefully about his next few words.
"N-no, not exactly. I was visiting a friend and had left my backpack there before the place went up. Luckily he made it out tho." He paused for a moment, hoping he could break any possible connection between himself and Spider-Man that may have been made. "Were, were you there, Rarity?"
"Yes, my sister and I were visiting a relative of ours," she sighed. "Then all of a sudden there was a loud explosion heard and the building was suddenly on fire. Our relative made it out safely, but my sister and I were still trapped inside. Thankfully, that Spider-Man fellow showed up just in time to save us, bless his heart. I just wonder who he is..." The two finished the rest of their walk in silence. They went into the classroom and took their seats next to one another. Lightning took a deep breath. Alright. Here goes nothing... But he could not find the words to speak. Come on Lightning! You're just asking
her for some clothe making lessons! You're not asking her to be your girlfriend! His mind began to drift after that last thought. No, have to stay focused on the now.
"So, uh, Rarity..." he finally started.
"Yes, dear?" she replied turning to face him, her full attention now on him.
"So um, I was thinking... Uh, well..." Lightning was struggling to find words. Meanwhile, Rarity's eyes began to widen as she waited for him to speak. "I uh, have kind of taken an interest in um, you know, clothing and such and... Well, I was wondering if maybe y-you'd be interested in like, teaching me a thing or too about sewing or, whatever e-else goes into that type of thing..." he slowly and painfully managed to get out. He found that not looking Rarity right in her beautiful azure eyes helped, but it probably wasn't the most polite thing to avoid eye contact like that.
"Oh?" Rarity giggled. "Is that so? Why the sudden interest?" She asked tilting her head slightly with a raised eyebrow. A playful smirk had made its way onto her face.
"Oh..." Lightning was not prepared for such a question, and obviously he couldn't tell her that he was planning on making a new Spider-Man suit. He had to think of something quick! "Well, you know, the holidays are coming up and everything, and I thought it'd be nice to make something for my aunt. But I don't know the first thing about knitting or sewing, or anything of the sort." It wasn't the worst story. And besides, who said this skill would be used to only benefit Spider-Man.
"Aww, that's so sweet and thoughtful of you," Rarity replied, placing a hand on Lightning's, causing him to blush like wild. "I would love to help you darling! And you needn't worry, you'll have mastered the art by Christmas!" she finished confidently.
Lightning chuckled. "Cool. T-thanks!"
"Of course dear. We can meet tomorrow evening at say, 5:30 for your first lesson?" Lightning simply nodded in response. "Oh! Here, let me give you my number, so we can stay in contact easily." Lightning's eyes went wide. Rarity was giving him his number? And he didn't have to ask for it! He stumbled as reached into his pocket for his phone and unlocked it before handing it to Rarity, who giggled as she entered her number as one of his contacts. "There you go darling," she said, handing it back to him. Lightning tried to say something, but couldn't find the words to say anything. However, he soon found that he didn't need to, as the bell had rung indicating that class was starting and the teacher did not hesitate to begin. Lightning tried his best to focus on class, but had a hard time doing so. He was going to be spending a lot more time with Rarity now...
...
Lightning double checked to make sure he was at the right address. Yeah, this is the place, he reassured himself. He fidgeted with the straps on his backpack a little as he looked up at the building standing before him. Inside the backpack were just a few things he thought he might need, a notebook along with some pens and pencils... as well as his Spider-Man suit. You never know... He took a deep breath before reaching out to knock on the door. It wasn't long before the door opened to reveal Rarity on the other side, happy to see him. "Why hello there Lightning!" she greeted. "You're a bit early, darling!" Not really sure what to say, Lightning simply shrugged his shoulders in response, earning as giggle from Rarity. She then invited him inside then lead him upstairs. "Would you like some hot tea?" she offered as Lightning took a seat.
"O-oh, um... y-yes please. Thanks." Rarity smiled as she left to prepare the tea. Lightning looked around as he sat in silence. But suddenly, he felt a presence and turned around to see a little girl peering into the room. He immediately recognized her as Rarity's little sister, Sweetie Belle, that he saved from the fire. "Hey there," he said softly with a smile. Sweetie Belle just gave a small wave in response before running off to do something else. Guess she's not much of a talker, Lightning thought, chuckling to himself. Guess that makes two of us. Shortly afterwards, Rarity returned with the tea. She proceeded to pour a cup for each of them then set the teapot to the side.
"Now, shall we get started?" she asked.
"Oh, uh, y-yeah," Lightning replied. He then scrambled to grab his notebook and a pen from out of his backpack, causing Rarity to giggle at his antics. "What? It helps me learn!" he defended.
"Even so darling," Rarity replied as she grabbed some materials of her own. "We're going to use a more hands on approach." Lightning tried his best to pay attention to what Rarity was trying to teach him, but how could he? He was at his crush's house, and she was sitting right across from him! Try as he might to keep his mind on stitching, he repeatedly found his attention drawn to Rarity herself instead of what she was trying to teach him. Her perfectly coiffed hair, her beautiful smile, her unique accent, more pleasant than any harmony that could have ever been composed, and of course those eyes. Everything about her was just so... entrancing... However, it wasn't long before Rarity noticed Lightning's lack of attention. "Is everything alright, darling?" The question caused Lightning to immediately snap out of his trance.
"Huh? Oh! Uh, y-yeah... I'm alright." He managed to reply.
But his response only caused Rarity to raise an eyebrow. "Is there more to this, Lightning?" she asked in a more serious tone, sounding slightly annoyed. "Did you actually come here to learn or was just some excuse to be around me?" she demanded.
Lightning's eyes shrank. "W-what? No! Well, y-yes I do like being around you b-but I did really come here to learn..." he paused. "It's just, you're really p-pretty and I get nervous a-and don't wanna... but then... a-and, ya know?" It was at this point that he had once again lost the ability to speak. Why did I have to say that, he scolded himself. Rarity's gaze softened after hearing this, and she even blushed slightly from Lightning's compliment.
"We're friends, darling," she said with a chuckle. She then took both of Lightning's hands in hers, causing him to blush wildly. "If you want to spend time or, 'hang out' with me, all you have to do is ask. I apologize that I got upset with you. I'm free Friday evening if you wish to do something. I like hot chocolate," she added with a wink.
Lightning nodded in response. "Y-yeah! It's a date, then!" His reddened even more at realizing what he said. "Well, maybe not like, a date, date... U-unless you want it to be! Or uh we-" He was silenced by Rarity placing a finger to his lips.
"It's a date, darling." She said with a giggle. "Now, shall we get back to stitching?"
"Yeah!" Lightning said with a nod.
...
Friday had approached further than Lightning anticipated. Before he knew it, he had found himself looking in his closet, trying to find something, anything to wear. He paused when his eyes fell on the Spider-Man suit. Just in case... he thought to himself. But I probably shouldn't show up wearing that. I'll just put it in my backpack and hide it in an alley or something. I just have to remember to not leave it this time... With that thought taken care of, Lightning turned his attention back to what he was actually going to wear. Eventually he settled on a black t shirt and blue jeans with a light gray jacket to go over top. It wasn't anything out of the ordinary for him, but he'd figured it'd probably be best to just be himself for the date. A date. With Rarity. He was still nervous about it, but he didn't have much time to lose. He quickly grabbed his backpack and made his way to the subway. Now was not the time to be late!
After a quick ride into the city, Lightning was getting close to the Sweet Shoppe, where he was to have the date with Rarity. Before getting too close, he slipped into an alley and dropped off his backpack. Hopefully no one will find it here. After hastily hiding the bag, Lightning then continued to make his way over to the Sweet Shoppe. He had been there in the past a few times and thought it was a pretty nice place. He made it to the entrance a few minutes before he was supposed to meet Rarity. However he stood awkwardly outside, not sure if he should wait for her inside or outside. Luckily, he didn't have to wait long, as Rarity appeared shortly after.
"Hello Lightning!" She greeted cheerfully with a hug.
"H-hey Rarity," Lightning replied softly. He still wasn't quite used to being hugged by her. Or being this close to her, for that matter. As they released the hug, he took notice at what she was wearing. Rarity too didn't go for something too special for the date. In fact what she wore was more casual than her normal attire. On top of her standard purple skirt was a simple blue and yellow CHS wondercolts sweater. He had to admit though, it looked pretty cute on her. Although when did she not look stunning? Oh God... he felt his cheeks warming up a bit.
"So, how have you been dear?"
"Oh, um, y- yeah. I've been uh, pretty good..." Lightning was completely caught off guard by the question. "How about you?"
"I've been pretty good myself." It was at this point that Lightning realized that they were still outside. Immediately he went over to the door to open it for Rarity, earning a giggle from here. "Why, thank you darling!" she said with a smile, heading inside the Sweet Shoppe.
"No problem," Lightning said, following behind. The two sat across from each other in a booth next to a window. It wasn't long before they were waited on and both ordered a hot chocolate. Afterwards, the two sat in silence for a bit.
"So Lightning," Rarity started. "Tell me about yourself." Lightning froze, not really knowing what to say. This is what I signed up for coming on this date... I just, didn't think I'd have to actually do it...
"Oh, uh. w-well, you see..." He had completely lost the ability to speak. Come on Lightning, you're Spider-Man! You're a real life super hero! You have all these powers and can do all these incredible things! Surely you can just talk to her! If anyone has a chance with Rarity, it's you! Lightning took in a deep breath and slowly let it out. This is your chance to show here who you are. Just... be yourself. "Well, I like piña coladas and getting caught in the rain," he said, earning an eyeroll from Rarity. Okay, not my best, but at least it was a coherent sentence. That's improvement! "I um, really like science. I think it's pretty cool."
"Oh? Is that so?" Rarity asked, now intrigued.
"Yeah. And it's crazy because we have thousands and thousands of years of research and scientific work laid out before us, and yet we've barely scraped the surface! There's just so much potential! There's just so much more out there for us to discover and learn, the possibilities are endless!" Any feeling of nervousness that Lightning may have felt had completely disappeared by this point. Once he started to talk to someone about something he was passionate about, it was like he was a different person entirely. Rarity couldn't help but smile at his enthusiasm.
"Wow, you seem really passionate about that," she said, earning a nod from Lightning. "What do you plan to do after you graduate?"
"Oh well, Sunset and I were going to rent a place in the city as we both go through college. You know, working and studying type of thing. She wants to study psychology and well, I want to do science in general, but major in chemical engineering. Afterwards, I wanna look for work in the science field and really make a difference. Ya know, change the world, that kind of thing." He paused for a moment. "I know it sounds kind of childish or silly, but it's just... When I was a kid I uh, went with my uncle to the Manehattan Science Fair, and it was one of the best experiences of my life. Ya know, just seeing all the things that people could accomplish from this general field, it really amazed me, and it inspired me. Ever since, I've always dreamed of having an impact on the world around me, in my own way..."
"Wow, that's amazing darling. And you shouldn't feel silly about wanting to make a difference," Rarity said, taking both of Lightning's hands in her own. "You're such a gifted, talented person, Lightning. I know you can, no, you will make a difference, darling. I'm sure of it. I'd even argue that you already are." She said the last sentence with a wink. She then gave Lightning an encouraging smile, who blushed at her kind words. That and the fact that she was holding both of her hands. Realizing it herself, Rarity began to blush as well, before slowly releasing Lightning's hands. "So, you and Sunset? I take it the two of you are quite close then?" she asked.
"Yeah. She's my best friend, probably the best friend I've ever had..." Lightning said, his eyes slowing looking down to the table. It was true. He and Sunset had only been friends for a relatively short period of time, but it was like the two had known each other their whole lives. They were always there for one another, and so supportive of each other... "So uh, what about you?" Lightning asked, wanting to change the subject. "I know you're really into like, fashion and that type of thing, but what do you want to do after you graduate?"
"Oh," Rarity said, not expecting the question herself. "I don't know, Lightning. You might think I'm some silly girl with a big ambiguous dream..."
"Come on Rarity, I just said that I wanted to change the world through science." Lightning said with a chuckle. "I'm sure whatever it is, it isn't that silly. Try me!"
"Okay, well..." Rarity started slowly. "I've never really talked to anyone about this but... Oh, thank you darling," she said to the waitress who had just returned with their hot chocolates. "Anyway, I'd really like to... expand. I love the Carousel Boutique and I thoroughly enjoy the work I do here in Canterlot, but I always loved the idea of seeing the world, and taking my work with me! I've already come up with the most fabulous idea for a boutique in Manehattan! I call it, 'Rarity For You!' I can already just imagine the perfect spot for it! of course, I just need to come up with the funding for it." She finished with a nervous laugh. Lightning just chuckled to himself.
"So, I want to change the world, and you want to see it all. What a pair we make!" He joked. "But in all serious, Rarity I think that's an amazing idea! And I know if anyone has the dedication and creativity to pull something like that off, it's you."
"You really think so?" Rarity asked. Now it was Lightning's turn to take her hands in his.
"I know so. Sometimes, you can just look at a person and know things about them. See what's coming for them, you know?" Rarity blushed at Lightning's words.
"What... do you see coming for yourself?" she asked.
"Honestly, I'm not sure yet. But whatever it is, it's going to be big. It's... something I've never felt before."
"And... for me?"
"Rarity, the world's going to know your name."
"Well, aren't you just the sweetest thing."
"Maybe," Lightning said with a smirk as he let go of Rarity's hands to grab his cup of chocolate. "But probably not as sweet as this hot chocolate, though." He then proceeded to take a sip as Rarity chuckled and rolled her eyes. As the two drank their hot chocolates, they conversed only in small talk. Soon enough, they had finished their drinks and were ready to conclude the date. Lightning made sure to pay for the bill and left a tip as they headed towards the entrance. Outside it was pretty cloudy and beginning to rain, but Lightning had forgot to bring an umbrella. Eh, not too big of a deal.
"Well, I really enjoyed my time darling." Rarity said with a smile.
"Yeah, me too. Glad I could interrupt study time to get you to agree to hang out with me," he said with a wink, earning another eyeroll from Rarity. It had just now started to rain.
"Well, I had better get going. I'll see you around, Lightning." Rarity said. But much to his surprise, Rarity leaned in and gave Lightning a quick kiss on the cheek. Giggling at him, she proceeded to take out her umbrella and with a wave, headed off into the rain. With his hand gently on the spot that Rarity had just kissed, Lightning watched as she walked off into the distance. But it wasn't long before his Spider-Sense kicked in and he felt something was off. Sure enough, he noticed several dark figures pointing at Rarity and slowly following in her direction. With a furrowed brow and not a moment to lose, Lightning quickly made his way to the alley where he left his backpack.
As Rarity made her way through the rain, she began to feel uncomfortable as she noticed several large, dark figures following loosely behind her. She decided to increase her pace a bit in the hopes to accomplish anything, but it was no use. The figures kept up their follow and even matched her pace. Now desperate to create some distance, Rarity started running. But the group following her decided to run as well. Now panicking, Rarity blindly turned into a dark alley, only to find that it was a dead end. She began to panic as she noticed the figures had followed her, trapping her inside. A quick flash of lightning revealed that the figures men of various ages, all noticeably older than herself. Rarity began to cry as she slowly backed into a wall. "Please..." she begged. "Just let me be..." the tallest of the group then stepped forward.
"Don't worry," he said with an malicious grin, grabbing Rarity by the chin. "We won't hurt you. This'll all be over before you know it." In one last attempt to get away, Rarity shook her face free then delivered a kick to the man's groin. She then pushed two other guys out of her way as she ran as fast as she could to get out of the alley. But before she could get out, she was grabbed by a large man, the muscle of the group, and brought back into the alley, screaming for help. Soon she found herself pinned against a wall. "Alright you little bitch" the tall man said, anger now present in his voice. "Now you're really in for it." Rarity forced her eyes closed and turned her head, bracing herself. But she was confused when nothing happened and instead she felt any pressure being relieved.
She opened her eyes to see someone on the side of a wall, reeling in all of the men with some sort of string. Spider-Man? she thought to herself. Spider-Man then jumped from the wall and began to fend off the men. Rarity watched as he delivered blow after blow, dodging their every attack and making quick work of them seemingly effortlessly. As he finished off the last of the thugs, he turned to see that Rarity was watching. She slowly made her way towards him, but he went around a corner.
"Wait!" Rarity called out. But when she turned the corner, Spider-Man was nowhere to be found. Then all of a sudden, she heard a voice speak from behind her.
"You seem to have a knack for trouble!" It was Spider-Man, who was now hanging upside down from a web.
"You seem to have a knack for saving my life!" Rarity replied. "I think I have a super hero stalker." she added with a smirk.
"I was... in the neighborhood," Spider-Man replied slowly. Rarity giggled in response.
"You truly are just, amazing." she said.
"It's nice to have a fan..."
"Do I get to thank you this time?"
"I uh..." but before Spider-Man could really form any form of coherent sentence, Rarity began to roll down his mask until just his mouth was exposed. She then slowly leaned forward until her lips met his and placed her hand on the side of his face, gently massaging it as she kissed him. After what felt like the longest 15 seconds in the history of time, Rarity reluctantly pulled away and slowly rolled Spider-Man's mask back up. Just as she had finished, he thwipped out another web and launched himself to the top of the building. Rarity just stood back and watched on in awe as he swung off into the distance.