Spider-Pip: Origins

by ZombieBrony22

Evaluation

The first round of the Fall Battle of the Bands was upon us—and I ended up joining the Dazzlings as their drummer. It was for a wide variety of reasons, not just to get closer to Adagio...

I swear.

But really, I wanted something else to do—like a hobby or activity other than swing around the city, fighting criminals. Also, I wanted to show everyone that the only way to fight the Rainbooms’ terror was to stand up and take its power away.

The first round was later today, so while I went over the song we were going to show, I noticed that Flash wasn’t there... Not that he was in our band, but he was always at lunch with us—and he never stayed home thanks to Aunt Celestia watching his every move...

“Hey, has anyone seen Flash?” I asked, mainly glancing over to Aria, who was staring into space with her hair done in two long pigtails and the largest grin I’ve ever seen on anyone...

Adagio then turned to her, and Sonata did the same...

“What? What’s everyone lookin’ at me for? He told me that he was sick in bed, and odds are it he has it, I have it...” She said.

“You haven’t done your hair like that in a while... why the sudden change of heart?” Adagio raised her brow.

Aria fell silent and she began turning red... very red.

“M... maybe I like my hair this way.” She said, starting to fidget.

I then raised a brow, ideas starting to form in my head—none of them safe for work.

“So... you’re tellin’ me that you decided to do your hair like that simply because you like it like that? Not the fact that your new boyfriend’s into--”

“Hey, don’t be like that—Flash is into what he’s into, there’s no stopping that. Just respect it and trust that he’ll find someone who fits him... like me.” Aria smirked.

I chucked, knowing the real reason Aria put her hair like that...

“Movin’ on from everyone else’s business, how about the showcase tomorrow? You guys ready for it?” I asked, hoping to change the subject before things got weird.

The three chuckled.

“Trust us, Pip—we're more than ready.” Adagio assured me.

Sonata almost choked on her drink as she let out a quick gasp.

“Oh! What’s the deal with you two? Are you two dating, or what?” She asked us.

We quickly glanced at each other, me waiting for her to say something, and her probably waiting on me.

“Well, I don’t see why we wouldn’t be—I enjoyed last night, and I can’t speak for her, but--”

“I did, too. Yes, Sonata—we are dating.” Adagio told her, and possibly me as well.

We kept chatting about more minute things until the bell rang, dismissing us to our next classes.

In the hallway, I glanced over to see Apple Bloom rigging a locker with one of those infamous Ghost-Pepper infused pies of theirs...

“May I help you?” I asked her.

She turned to me, with a scowl on her face.

“This doesn’t concern ya, Brit’.” She spat.

I chuckled—Apple Bloom was always trying too hard to be like her older sister, so much so that she had forgotten who she was.

“Oh, but it does.” I said, indicating that the locker was mine.

Apple Bloom put the pieces together and quickly pulled the pie out.

“Oh-- sorry, Pip—I didn’t know it was yours.” She bolted before I could say any more.

I sighed, upset that I couldn’t tell Apple Bloom off and also curious as to why she had the same type of respect for me that the Rainbooms did, and opened my locker, grabbing my binder and shutting it. As I left, some student approached me... Rumble, his name was.

“Hey, uh... Pip?” He asked.

“Yeah?” I asked back, facing him.

“I, uh... I found this in my locker and I didn’t know who else to talk to...” He handed me a slip of paper, a letter... from Rarity.

The letter asked him to meet her in the weight room after school, and not to say a word to anyone...

I knew what that letter meant, I received a similar one during my freshman year, when I first met Rarity... Rumble seemed very excited, but also slightly nervous—I knew that it was time to bring back bad memories...

“Moved on already, Rarity? I don’t know if I’m proud or hurt... anyway, I can verify that this isn’t a danger, and if you don’t want to go, you don’t have to.” I assured him.

“I know, but--” He started.

“You want to.” I sighed, knowing full well what he wanted.

“...Yeah-- I do.” He said.

I didn’t say a word as I gave him the letter back, but I wasn’t finished just yet.

“Rumble... I don’t know you too well, but I’ll tell you this from a former gimp to the new one—if you go through with this, you’ll be expected to do things—things that may not be too comfortable for you, things that may involve cattle prods or whips, and... other tools...” I said, recalling those times with Rarity.

“But here’s the thing—whenever I didn’t want to do something, no matter how high and mighty Rarity acted, she listened to me. She knew when not to cross the line, and when to hold back. If you go through with this... ask yourself what your limit is, and never be afraid to tell her when things don’t feel comfortable—she gives you a safe-word for a reason...” I warned him as I walked away, realizing that I would be late for class.

---

As Aria and I went up the stairs leading to Flash’s apartment, a few of his neighbors were rocking out to loud music. We reached his door and knocked on it, trying to block out the loud rock music.

We stayed for a moment when he opened the door, blocking his ears.

“I swear, they do this every day after school...” He loudly grumbled, clearly suffering more from the music than we were.

Aria clearly had enough and went over to their door, loudly knocking on it.

“Hey! Numbnuts! Turn the damn music down!” Aria screamed.

Flash pulled me into his apartment and moved me away from the door—his kitchen was recently cleaned, but there was a visible stain on the ground, faded, but still there...

“I need your help...” He told me.

I had no idea what he meant until he backed away slightly.

“It’s okay, Venom—he’s a friend.” He talked to himself...

Before I could ask what he meant, a black tendril grew out of him and looped around, forming pupiless eyes and sharp teeth.

“Uh... I...” I tried to speak, but the shock overwhelmed me.

“Hello... Pip, is it? I am Venom.” The being introduced itself, hiding away once it sensed Aria entering the room in a huff.

“I swear to Zeus, if I hear those numb-skulls' horrible taste in music again...” She mumbled to herself.

Flash was seemingly having a conversation with Venom, shaking his head and nodding slightly. The whole thing seemed like he was talking to himself, but after seeing that creature in him...

“Okay... how are you doing, Flash?” Aria asked, setting a hand on his shoulder.

“Better now.” Flash smiled, pulling her in for a quick hug.

“Oh, come on—I can take a little stomach bug.” Aria went for the kiss, but Flash quickly turned his head.

Aria slightly giggled, and as I went to give the two some space, I noticed a dent in his wall...

And a bullet trapped in it.

I gasped as I quickly stood behind it, not wanting Aria to see.

“Well, that was all—get better soon, okay?” She said, giving him another quick hug.

“I’ll try, babe.” Flash laughed.

She left the room, glaring at the neighbors as she did. The door shut and I quickly went to question him.

“Why is there a bullet in your wall?!” I panicked, hoping Aria or his neighbors wouldn’t hear.

“Okay, Pip—I can explain everything, but I don’t want you to panic, okay?” He asked me, taking a seat by the kitchen table and gesturing me to do the same.

I took a seat, composing myself, and Venom emerged again, now resting on Flash’s shoulder.

“I was at home last night, Aria left to check on her sister when Kingpin came to my apartment—he wanted me to do a job for him, and--”

“Sombra...” My blood started to burn up as my fists tightened.

“Yeah... he wanted me to get Venom for him from Oscorp, when... oh, God...” His eyes grew larger as he then gasped.

“What’s the matter?” Venom asked.

Flash sighed and leaned back, almost squishing Venom.

“Twilight... she’s Sombra’s newest lieutenant.” He whispered.

My blood went from boiling hot to frozen solid in a milisecond... Twilight was back in town? Working for Kingpin?

“No... no, it couldn’t have been her...” I tried to think about who else it could’ve been.

“Pip, it was her—she had mechanical arms, and she... she saved me...” Flash realized.

Okay... so maybe the Twilight I knew wasn’t completely gone...

“How did she save you?” I asked him.

“She broke into Oscorp hours earlier and retrieved me. My guess is that she was going to let Sombra get arrested trying to take me... and then he paid you a visit, instead. That punk can never do the dirty work himself—that's why he’d fail as a host... he doesn’t have the stones to control me...” Venom muttered.

“That makes sense—Twilight was a strategist, a planner... she’d want Sombra gone without making her look guilty.” I said, seeing some sense in Twilight’s plot.

“But... why? Why would she want to get Kingpin arrested? He’d just buy his way out or get some mob lawyers...” Flash said.

We both tried thinking about it, and we came up with nothing.

“We’ll have to go back to it later. Now... what are you gonna do?” I asked him.

Flash peered up at me, Venom doing the same.

“What do you mean?” He asked.

I leaned forward, glancing at the alien creature embedded into my friend...

“Venom healed your wounds—what else can he do as far as abilities go?” I asked him.

Venom then slithered back into Flash before beginning to envelop him, submerging him in black slime until he was covered from head to toe, his eyes going all white...

“This is what we can do...” Venom replied as he then flipped onto the ceiling, clinging to it like me...

I hummed and followed suite, flipping and clinging to the ceiling...

“Okay... there’s a start. Now, we need to understand what you can do in order to make a proper evaluation...” I said to the two.

Venom’s face peeled back, revealing Flash’s flabbergasted face.

“Okay... this is amazing! What do you mean evaluation?” Flash went from excited to curious.

I smiled and went back to the floor.

“You can be like me, Flash—maybe even better.” I said...

Was Flash what I was looking for? Could this duo take my place and protect the city?

Very possibly...

Flash seemed shocked as Venom unwrapped around Flash, letting him emerge again.

“You really think so?” He asked me.

I kept smiling and nodded.

“I really do.”

Author's Note:

Okay, taking a break from SelenaEde's bases, here is a very simple rendition of Flash Sentry.