//------------------------------// // Chapter 20 // Story: Spider-Girl: The Movie // by Lucasnike123 //------------------------------// Sunset was walking briskly down the street, her hands in her pockets, her shoulders forward, her eyes fixed on the few feet of sidewalk in front of her. She loved Flash and regretted the Thanksgiving incident. She hoped she could fix things. But when she came in she and she saw Flash and Twilight holding hands and looking at each other like that... What was she going to do now? She entered the building her mother lived in and walked over to her apartment. "Mom?" she called her. She got no response, but she saw light above. She reached the stairs and heard voices from the study upstairs. Two voices, she thought, though she wasn't sure. "What's the matter?" Cinch yelled at him, peeking out from the top of the stairs. Sunset stopped at the bottom of the floor. "You were right about Flash, mom" Sunset said looking up. Her mother continued in the shadows "He is in love with Twilight". "Sparkle?" Cinch said, and began to walk slowly down the stairs "What about her? How does she feel?" "Are you kidding?" Sunset replied with a smirk "Twilight has been in love with him since fourth grade!" A malicious notch crept into Cinch's face. That was great information that she (they) could use. Cinch wiped the grin from his face as they reached the bottom of the stairs. "I'm sorry" she said holding Sunset's shoulders firmly "I know you haven't always been able to count on me, Sunset" Sunset wasn't ready for this. In addition to everything that was happening to her, she was not ready to rummage in her feelings toward her mother. "I was busy" she said with a shrug, as if all the failed dates, the broken promises and the high expectations I had for her could be erased with this gesture "You are an important woman. I can understand it". "No excuse" Cinch said, putting her arm around Sunset's shoulders. "I'm proud of you, Sunset. Proud that you're my daughter. I'll make it up to you. I promise". Then Cinch did something she hadn't done in years: give Sunset a hug. The hug was beautiful, Sunset thought, though there was something creepy about it. That night, in Cadance's room, Twilight was sitting on the couch next to the bed, with an open notebook, a pencil in her hand, and her eyes closed. She was fast asleep. Suddenly awakening from a strange dream with the Black Goblin, she looked around her, yawned, and rubbed her eyes. "Twilight" said Cadance weakly. "Mmm...?" she sighed, trying to focus "Oh, you're awake! Great. Are you okay?" "I'm fine" said Cadance "But I think you should go home and sleep". "I don't like leaving you here alone" she replied. "I'm safe here" added Cadance smiling. "I should have been there, Cadance" Twilight told him, a guilty feeling that started from her stomach and stayed anchored in her throat "Maybe I could have helped you". Cadance clicked his tongue softly at the thought of Twilight, the book-loving student, assuming the role of heroine. "You do enough" she said "College, work, all the time you spend with me... You're not Supergirl! You know?" Twilight laughed at the timeliness of the comment. "Well, a smile..." said Cadance, more animated "I haven't seen one since Flash came". Twilight gave him a comically exaggerated angry look. "Hey!" she said, trying to show anger, but actually feeling blushing "You were supposed to be asleep! What did you hear?" Cadance ignored the question and narrowed his lids as his mind went back in time. "When you were six years old" she started "Flash's family moved next door. The first time you saw him, you said to Shining Armor: Little brother, is he an angel?" "Did I really say that?" Twilight asked, unable to remember any of that. "Of course I do" replied Cadance "I think you would like to know, don't you think?" "Sunset has a crush on him" Twilight explained "And she's still dating him". "That don't depend on him?" Cadance inquired. "He barely knows me" Twilight said, making the excuse she had made to herself. "Because you don't let him meet you" replied Cadance, to whom she had not been convinced by the answer "You are so mysterious... and lately much more. Don't be so complicated. And don't let any more time go by. Tell me, Twilight: would it be so dangerous to let Flash know how you feel? As if he didn't already know the whole world!" Dangerous? The word echoed in Twilight's brain like an alarm. Yes, it would be dangerous, but not in the way Cadance thought. "Thanks, Cadance!" Twilight said, getting up and kissing her "I have to think about all this. I'll be back soon. She made me glad you're better". Twilight walked quickly to the phone booth in the hall. Dropping a coin into the slot, she quickly dialed the number. She then she waited. One ring, two, three ... "Come on..." she muttered anxiously into the earpiece "Answer!". Flash's answering machine jumped. "Hi, it's me. Leave your message after the signal" Bip "Flash, I'm Twilight. Are you there?" she started, trying to hide her concern from her "I just wanted to know if you were safe and in one piece. I'm worried about you, you know? Give me a call and I'll give you the latest news from Cadance. Hey, where are you? How come you are not home? Well, take care of yourself. And don't go down dark alleys..." As Twilight was about to hang up, she heard someone pick up the phone on the other end. "Hi?" she said "Flash?" But instead of Flash's sweet voice, Twilight heard a strange sound on the other end of the phone. She could recognize her voice as it grew in intensity and she froze with terror. The Black Goblin's sly laugh was unmistakable. "Can Spider-Girl come play?" the Black Goblin asked with a mocking tone. "Where is he?" Twilight demanded furiously. "Be careful with love, Spider-Girl" recited the Black Goblin. She then she giggled chillingly and hung up.