//------------------------------// // Along came a spider... // Story: FlameWeaver: Into The Equestria-Verse // by closet brony 77 //------------------------------// Grass grows, birds fly, sun shines, and Ember? Ember was a tough girl. That wasn’t just the opinion of those who were familiar with her, it was a basic fact of life. No surprise considering she was raised solely by her father Torch, a retired drill sergeant, after her mother passed away shortly after Ember was born.  He was a man that believed strongly in ‘spare the rod, spoil the child’ but never to the point of unnecessary cruelty. Torch considered beating one’s offspring to be in poor taste and a very ineffective way of instilling a sense of discipline in a child. No, his punishments were more centered around the sort of thing he’d put army recruits through: verbal reprimands, solitary confinement (also known as the time out corner), and lots and lots of physical training.  Torch had trained her aggressively, determined to toughen her up for a harsh world she’d have to face as a full grown woman. Martial arts classes, wilderness survival camping trips, and plenty of obstacle courses; all done under the pretense of family bonding time. Ember heard the phrase ‘drop and give me twenty’ so often it had become a Pavlovian response for her.  But despite a rather aggressive approach to parenting, Ember felt that her father had done a fairly good job raising her. Torch was harsh but he was fair and the punishments were never excessive in regards to what she had done.  He praised her when she succeeded and helped her learn when she had failed; as long as Ember had truly given it her all he was never truly disappointed in her. Is it any surprise that she considered herself a bit of a daddy’s girl with how close they were during her childhood? Those were such wonderful days. Just the two of them living out in the countryside in a modest farmhouse surrounded by forests and fields stretching for miles around, giving Ember plenty of space to run around and have her own little adventures while her father was busy heading up a local mining operation as the foreman. Be it relaxing in the grass and watching the clouds go by or catching fireflies under a blanket of stars, that town was Ember’s own little paradise and she wouldn’t trade it for the world. Unfortunately Torch did not share in these feelings about their humble little existence as Ember would soon learn. Ember was given the news as soon as she got home from her last day of elementary school, after she had graduated from the fifth grade. Instead of the fun filled summer with her father that she had grown accustomed too, Ember was informed that the next few months would be a time of upheaval.  After putting in a significant amount of time and effort, Torch had achieved a long standing dream of his to own a gym and be his own boss for a change instead of taking orders from others. He had selected the perfect location, gotten the building fully up to code, lined up the necessary staff; everything was ready to go off without a hitch! The only problem? The gym wouldn’t be in their small little town of Ruby Ridge, it was in Canterlot City. Which meant that they’d be leaving the calm fields behind for a chaotic concrete jungle, Understandably Ember didn’t take the news well and while she tried her best to dissuade Torch from leaving the town she had grown to adore, her father stood firm in his decision and all but ordered her to start packing up her things in preparation for the big move. Leaving Ember with little recourse but to put on a brave face and try to make the best of it. A task that proved to be much more difficult than Ember anticipated. The girl was not well acclimated to city life and going from a wide open expanse to cramped streets filled with blaring cars and inconsiderate pedestrians was not good for her general mood. Ember could barely sleep during the initial weeks in Canterlot City due to the sheer amount of noise constantly echoing through the area. Sure there were a few advantages such as everything being in walking distance and having all sorts of new potential hangout spots right at her finger tips, but those hardly made up for all the perceived downsides that came with her new life. Nevertheless, Ember wasn’t raised to be a quitter and as long as she had her father by her side she just knew she’d be able to face any challenge this new chapter of her life could throw at her. Which is why it was all the more demoralizing when Ember found the bond she shared with Torch slowly began to fade away.  Running a local gym, especially in the big city, was hard work. Everything from balancing the books to settling staff disputes to keeping up on heath and safety regulations kept old Torch swamped with work; he did his best to delegate but there was only so much he could foist off onto his underlings and he didn’t trust anyone else to man the helm in his absence.  As a result he started spending less time with Ember and more time keeping his business running smoothly. She could no longer count on his comforting presence to be there when she got home, instead it was a steady stream of sticky notes and apologetic phone calls for not being available with hollow promises to make it up to her at a later date. All of which only served to anger her more. It was bad enough that Ember had to lose the tranquility of Ruby Ridge and all the joy it brought her, but now her own father was starting to ignore her in favor of some stupid gym? It was enough to drive a girl crazy! By the time school started up again, Ember walked through the doors of Canterlot middle school with a dark cloud hanging over her head and a whole lot of pent up aggression looking for an outlet.  Which she soon received in the form of the school bully Garble who was looking to show the new girl her place. Ember tried to ignore his taunts at first but when he tried to grab her shoulder is when she finally lost her temper and beat the living snot out of him. The thrashing was so brutal that it took two teachers to pry her off the poor boy and haul the two of them to the principal’s office. The worst part about that whole incident wasn’t the two weeks detention she received nor the disappointed look that Torch showed up with on his face. No, the worst part is that the scolding she received from her father was the most attention she had received from him in weeks. Maybe that’s why she kept acting out. So Torch would be forced to at least acknowledge his daughter instead of constantly blowing her off with work. The one good thing that came out of it all was that she managed to earn Garble’s respect as well as the respect of his friends who soon welcomed her into their little clique and appointed her the leader of the group. One could say Ember was making fast friends, but they were much more like henchmen and underlings with the way they regarded her.  Ember didn’t much care for them as a whole but at least it gave her something to keep herself distracted as she spiraled into the world of juvenile delinquency and grew increasingly distant from the father she once loved. The girl quickly gained a reputation as the new bully in town, picking up where Garble left off and becoming infamous amongst the student body. She was respected, feared, and actively scorned. Yet…she still couldn’t shake away that hollow feeling in her gut. On some level Ember knew she was throwing her life away, turning into the sort of person she hated, but that feeling was buried underneath a swath of aggression and negative emotion. If the most important person in her life wouldn’t give her the attention she needed then she’d try to find something else to fill that hole. The girl would have likely continued that downward spiral until she hit rock bottom in the worst possible way. If not for the timely intervention of a certain green haired boy.  It was Ember’s second year of middle school, she was in the middle of zoning out during a history class when she snapped out of her daydreams just in time to hear the professor say something about a ‘partner project’ and that she’d be working with one of her classmates for the next few weeks on it. Said classmate? Some pint sized little dork named Spike who had gotten bumped up to one of the advanced classes thanks to ‘outstanding academic performance’ as he mockingly stated. Ember disliked him almost immediately. Weakness was something she frowned upon and that twerp looked like he’d snap like a piece of balsa wood under pressure; the way he flinched at her aggressive approach only seemed to confirm such assumptions and she resigned herself to just blowing off the assignment and letting him do all the work for an easy A.  But Spike had different plans. After their poor first meeting, Spike approached her again with an odd sort of resolve she hadn’t seen in him before and threatened to fail the assignment on purpose if she didn’t put in her fair share of the work. Obviously she tried to pull her usual intimidation tactics to get the boy to change his tune but Spike wasn’t budging. Ember could have easily solved that issue with a bit of physical violence but something about the way he went up against her, having the guts to stand up to someone who could easily knock him on his butt struck a chord in Ember and she relented to his demands.  What followed next was…odd to say the least.  Spike was well aware of her reputation and who she was, some of his friends had been stuffed into lockers and been left hanging from the flagpole by her personally, but that didn’t keep him from treating Ember with nothing but kindness and respect whenever they were working together. It felt…nice, actually. Like that hole her father had left behind was being filled; not completely mind you but enough for her to feel moderately okay for the first time in a while.  From there Ember started to relax to a degree, Spike proving to be just the positive influence she needed to ease off her more aggressive tendencies and escape her downward spiral. The project soon turned into an excuse for the two of them to keep hanging out and when it ended, Ember swallowed her nerves and asked Spike if they could keep up these routine meetings. To which he gave a resounding yes. From there, a friendship naturally flourished between them and with it Ember started to turn her life around. Spike’s presence motivating her to be a better person, to be the sort of individual he’d WANT to be friends with. She didn’t do a full one-eighty in terms of personality mind you. The rebellious punk counterculture was something Ember found to genuinely enjoy and she was still the tough, assertive girl that her father had raised. But she stopped bullying people, stopped getting into trouble as much as she used to, and started getting her life back together. Much to the chagrin of Garble and his braindead friends but they couldn’t do much against a girl who could wipe the floor with them if they ever stepped out of line.  While Thorax was a little more apprehensive towards her and Ember couldn’t blame the guy after Spike told her about his homelife, he eventually warmed up to the girl and the three of them became this sort of tight knit group of misfits that watched out for each other. Their respective personality traits complimenting each other perfectly. She never did quite regain the relationship she had with her father, but the warmth and comfort given off by her new dorky friends more than made up for it. Especially when it came to Spike. But as time went on and the throes of puberty began to set in, Ember started to see the green haired boy in a whole new light that made her desire a relationship with him that went far beyond a mere platonic friendship.  Thus it was imperative that Ember learned as much as she could about this ‘Rachel’ chick who had caught Spike’s eye before it was too late to make her move. “So what did you find out about Rachel? What kinda stuff is she into? Is she hotter than I am?” Ember demanded. “Ember, for the last time: you look great. she’s not prettier than you.” Thorax said. “Then why is Spike going gaga for her and not me?!” Ember snapped, only for Thorax to shush her. The boy jerked his head towards their shared acquaintance bringing up the rear. “You say something Ember?” Spike asked. “Just talking over the surprise with Thorax!” Ember replied. “Don’t worry about it!” Spike shrugged and turned the majority of his attention back to his phone where he was scrolling through some pictures he had taken of Canterlot city, trying to find inspiration for his next sketch. “Look, I know this seems bad.” Thorax said, lowering his voice to a whisper. “But I promise everything’s under control. Spike’s known you for years, he’s known Rachel for about a week. You have a massive head start.” “And a lot of good that’s done. The closest I’ve gotten is during that meteor shower and I chickened out before I could tell him how I felt. Now some new girl’s entered the picture and soon he’ll forget about me.” Ember sighed. Thorax narrowed his eyes. “Stop it. The Ember I know wouldn’t give up so easily. So someone else has caught Spike’s interest, so what? That just means you have to fight even harder for him, you’re not gonna let Rachel just steal him away are you?”  We haven’t lost yet, there’s still plenty of time to nudge Spike in the right direction and make sure you two end up together. You are going to get married and have beautiful kids together, I promise.” “But Thorax-” “You’re the perfect girl for him Ember, Spember is meant to be. You two are going to get married and have a bunch of beautiful kids down the road, I just know it.” “You’re right.” Ember smirked. “You’re right. If this Rachel chick wants Spike then she’s gonna have to go through me to get him!” “There’s the Ember I know! Anyways, how much further do we have to go before we get to that spot you mentioned?” “Should be another-” Ember cut herself off as she came to a sudden stop, eyes wide with mild surprise. “Oh wait, we’re here!”  The two boys halted in their tracks and followed Ember’s gaze to get a glimpse of the highly anticipated surprise: A barren alleyway. “Uh, Ember? Are you sure this is the right place? Doesn’t look anything like what we talked about…” Thorax remarked. “Hang on Thorax. All it needs is a little bit of a ladies’ touch.” Ember replied, producing a crowbar from her jacket which she used to effortlessly pull open a manhole cover sitting in the center of the alleyway. Admittedly Spike’s eyes may have lingered on her bulging muscles for a bit longer than was considered polite while she was working the crowbar; but if the sly smile on Ember’s lips was anything to go by, the girl didn’t mind. Once the cover was cleared away, Ember dusted off her hands with a satisfied sigh and motioned to the open passageway. “After you.” Spike and Thorax shared a nervous glance before the former said. “This had better be worth it Ember.” “Do you trust me?” “Well yeah but-” “Then come on Spike! It’s not that much further, I promise.” Spike just rolled his eyes in a good natured way and began his descent into the Canterlot underground with Ember and Thorax following right after him. Thankfully this particular manhole led into one of the subway tunnels rather than the sewers like Spike had been anticipating and by the look of it, this particular railway line wouldn’t be in use for awhile which gave the trio plenty of time to hoof it to wherever they were going. After stumbling through the dark with their phone flashlights being the only source of illumination, a quick climb over a security fence, and a bit more walking, the group finally came to their intended destination. Ember pulling the switch on an electrical box to bathe the area in light. Spike for one, was absolutely blown away by it. He was standing in the middle of a large atrium attached to a once active subway station, the walls absolutely covered in graffiti from over the years that spanned all sorts of styles and subjects. A few old couches and lawn chairs setup in a corner of the room with a crude lighting setup consisting of several work lights scattered across the floor. But those hardly caught his attention. No, Spike’s focus was on the massive wall in front of him that was completely and utterly blank; the untouched surface was practically glistening in the light of the electric bulbs, giving it an almost magical appearance amongst the darkness of the station.  “Well, what did I tell you? Awesome right?” Ember said, strolling up to Spike and throwing a friendly arm around him. “Yeah! This place is cool! How’d you find it?” Spike asked. “I was doing a little urban exploration a few weeks ago and stumbled upon it, took some time getting it all ready with the lights and chairs and stuff so we’d be able to have this little get together.” Ember bragged. “Speaking of which…” The punk girl strolled over to a duffle bag nestled next to the ratty old couch and pulled out a can of spray paint, lobbing it over to Spike who caught it easily. The green haired boy looked at the can, then at the wall, and then back to the can before it all became clear. “Oh no.” Spike immediately said. “Oh yeah.” Ember teased. “Ember I can’t, if Shining finds out-” “Pfff, the rent-a-cop? He’s not gonna find this place. It’s so out of the way it’s pretty much invisible.” Ember said. “Besides, look at that wall? It’s just begging for someone to make their mark on it, might as well be the best artist I know!” Ember did have a point; odds were Shining Armor didn’t even know this place existed and if he did, what reason would he have to come down here? Even so, he still wasn’t convinced. “I guess, but look at this place! So many great artists passed through here and left their own tags, no way am I good enough to- HEY!” While Spike had been momentarily distracted by his own insecurities, Ember had taken the opportunity to fish the boy’s phone out of his pocket and start leafing through his photo gallery. Spike had taken to using his cellular device as a sort of backup for all of his drawings after Twilight Velvet had accidentally thrown away one of his notebooks, which meant there was quite the extensive portfolio. “Spike, I’ve seen all the incredible stuff you can do with some pen and paper. You’ve got some serious spunk when it comes to this artsy stuff and you’re more than worthy of putting up your own-” Ember abruptly stopped as something on Spike’s phone caught her attention, lips curling up into a grin. “Well hello there.” “What? What is it?” Thorax asked. “How about you throw up this one?” The punk girl asked, holding Spike’s phone out to him. “That one? Are you sure?” Spike asked with uncertainty. “It’s kind of a rough sketch.” “Positive. If there’s anything I know about you, it’s how to polish up something like this to a mirror shine.” “Well…” “C’mon Spike! Live a little!” Ember said, playfully socking him in the arm. “Okay, okay! I’ll give it a shot.” Spike replied. The green haired boy popped the cap off the spray paint can and went to work, spraying a long line of jade across the blank wall while Ember stepped back and plopped down on the dirty couch next to Thorax. The girl pulling out her phone and putting on some fitting music to help facilitate Spike’s creative process. The two of them content to watch a real pro at work. Panic attack, the backing track. A background hum for cerebellum. Oh what a blessing to meet someone like you! With eyes as dead as mine, it’s fine. It’s normal people things just to lie here in silence.  Spike placed down the green and picked up a bright orange; putting several streaks of a warmer shade to make the base pop. Spending days in self-medicating. Lost too much weight. Unpleasant aftertaste. We think the same, play different games. Since I like to refuse, hope you blink before I do. Then pray and pray that you’ll go and do it anyways. “There you go Spike.” Ember remarked. “Let the muse run wild with ya!” Hold your breath, I’ll make it worth the wait. Hold your breath to your chest. And come back and see me, yeah. Spike’s movements became more confident, the colored mist sprinkling across the aged stone and slowly but surely making Spike’s vision a reality.  You rub the makeup off my neck that I was using to hide the stubble rash I gave myself while shaving. Yes, it’s probably a razor thing but honestly, it’s harmless. I refuse to let the sensitive skin win! Spike looked back towards Ember and Thorax. “Can one of you give me a boost?” Thorax gave Ember a knowing look, one she returned with a smile as she got up from the couch and placed Spike on her shoulders. Oh, what a blessing! To mean someone like you! With eyes as dead as mine, it’s fine. It’s normal people things just to lie here in silence. So we lie here in silence. Just lie here in silence. Yes it’s normal people things just to lie here in silence! Spike began putting the finishing touches on his work. The apprehension from earlier having all but disappeared and leaving behind nothing apart from an unfettered creative spirit. The grin on his face nearly stretching from ear to ear. Hold your breath, I’ll make it worth the wait. Hold your breath to your chest and come back and see me, yeah. Hold your breath to your chest and come back and see me. With a few more spritzes of paint, Spike’s masterpiece was complete and there was little left to do but step back to admire his work. The boy plopping down on the old couch between his two best friends with a tired but satisfied sigh.  The once blank wall was now occupied by a beautiful art piece consisting of a massive phoenix with multicolored flames emanating off its body in waves, its wingspan stretching the length of the makeshift canvas with a look of pure passionate rage etched upon its face. “Think I went overboard?” Spike asked. “No way, it’s awesome. Not too crazy about the name though…” Ember remarked. “What’s wrong with PeeWee?”  “Kind of a wimpy name for a phoenix don’t you think?” Spike shot his friend a glare. “Hey, PeeWee was the name of my first pet bird. I made this art to honor his memory.” “Okay, sheesh. Keep your shirt on Spike.” Ember said. The trio then lapsed into a comfortable silence for a few minutes, enjoying the cool air of the Canterlot City underground accompanied by a much calmer rock track playing out of Ember’s phone. Then suddenly Ember spoke up again. “Hey Spike?” the punk girl said. “Yeah Ember?” “There’s something I…need to tell you.” Ember stated in a rather serious tone. Spike turned to face her better as did Thorax, the former out of curiosity while the latter out of mild excitement. ‘Wait, is she actually going to…’ Thorax thought to himself “I didn’t just bring you here for a night of fun. I wanted to make sure you were in a good mood before I gave you the news.” ‘She is! She’s finally gonna tell him! Spember is coming true!’ Thorax internally cheered. “Whatever it is Ember, you can tell me.” Spike said. “Well…the thing is…” Ember began. ‘yes….YES!’ Thorax said in his head. “I’m gonna be leaving for about a week or so.” And just like that, Thorax’s hopes died right there. ‘Nooooo! That was the perfect moment Ember!!!’ “What? What do you mean?” Spike asked Ember sighed. “My dad’s dragging me up north for this stupid cultural thing, ‘the gauntlet of fire’. Said it was something about a rite of passage that all our ancestors did and now I have to do it.” the girl explained. “But between you and me I think this is just his latest attempt at ‘daddy daughter bonding time’.” “Well…at least he’d be making an effort right?” Spike offered. “Yeah, I guess.” Ember snorted. “I’m gonna miss you two idiots the whole time I’m gone though.” “Hey, it’s only for a week right? I’m sure the trip will go by before you know it and we’ll be the first ones to welcome you back! Right Spike?” Thorax said. “Right!” the green haired boy said in agreement. “Thanks guys. Oh that reminds me, Spike.” Ember fished a key out of her pocket and held it out to Spike. “My dad wanted you and your family to water our plants while he’s gone and bring in our mail. Pass it on to the rest of the family, will ya?” “Sure thing Ember.” Spike said. “Well as nice as this has been…” Thorax began, standing up from the old couch. “We should probably start heading back. It’s getting a little late and we gotta get up early for class tomorrow.” “Yeah, good point. C’mon Spike, let’s go so Thorax can get his beauty sleep.” Ember teased. “Hey!”  Ember just stuck her tongue out at her friend as the two of them made their way towards the exit, only to notice the third member of their little group wasn’t following. “Spike?” Thorax said, turning back towards the chamber to see the aforementioned boy standing in front of his handiwork with a thoughtful expression. “Spike? You there?” Ember asked. “Huh? Oh yeah, sorry. Just wanted to get a picture for the road and was trying to find a good angle.” Spike explained. “Alright, but hurry it up.” Spike nodded at his friends and held up his phone, taking careful aim at the mural he had recently painted. But just as he was about to snap the perfect shot, he saw a blur of movement on one of his hands and spotted a very strange looking spider with blue legs and an orange and green body. A spider that apparently thought Spike’s hand looked delicious and proceeded to sink it’s fangs into his skin.  There was a brief sting that shot through Spike’s hand, similar to a bee sting, but the boy quickly shook it off with a slight wince and swatted the offending arachnid with his free hand. Killing it and then proceeding to take the photograph like he had been intending.  “Oh that looks perfect.” Spike muttered to himself. “Spike!” Thorax called out once again. “Coming! Coming!” The journey home passed by in a bit of a blur for Spike, for some reason everything seemed to be moving by so much faster than normal. He could hardly recall the conversation him and his friends shared on the way back nor the goodbye hug he gave Ember that lasted a bit longer than it should have before she departed. All he could really remember was how utterly exhausted he was by the time he arrived back at the school dormitories with Thorax. The poor boy was out cold practically the moment his head hit the pillow. But as he gently tossed and turned in his sleep, the venom from that strange spider was already working through his veins; changing him in ways he could never even dream of. Tomorrow was going to be an eventful day, that was for sure.