Shining sat on the couch next to his wife, the beautiful princess resting her head against his chest as she slept peacefully. Her head rose and fell with each breath Shining took and the beat of her husband's heart was a calm rhythm for her to listen to. Shining moved slowly to pick up the remote in order to turn the TV off and take a nap himself only to hear the loud sound of pigeons cooing and a loud yell of anger.

"Leave you alone you flying rats!" the voice from outside yelled "I don't have any damn bread for you!" Cadance's head perked up, her eyes opening slowly before she exhaled quietly.

"What... what's going on?" she asked sleepily.

"I have an idea... but I'm not sure" Shining said, looking up at the roof as the sounds of a struggle continued. Cadance sat up and rubbed her eyes, her afternoon nap over thanks to the disturbance, and Shining got up off the couch himself.

"I'll be back in a sec" Shining sighed. He walked over to the balcony door and slid it open just in time to see a pigeon being thrown off the roof and Spider-Man land on the railing of the balcony.

"How'd you like that you ravenous flying bastard!?" he yelled, holding up his middle finger and waving it at the rest of them as they flew away. He took a deep breath before groaning in pain, seemingly sore from a prior event.

"I thought I asked you to take care of the Big Man and his cronies, not terrorise the local pigeon populous" Shining said, crossing his arms.

"Excuse me? Those little shits came after me first, they nearly tore me in half!" Spider-Man exclaimed "I swear..."

"Is there a reason you're here or did you just stop by to annoy my wife and I?" Shining asked impatiently. Spider-Man tapped his chin briefly before shrugging his shoulders.

"Can it be both?" he asked, getting an unimpressed look from Shining "Alright fine, I found something out about Black Cat"

"Which is?" Shining asked.

"She doesn't work directly for the Big Man, what I got from her is that she's freelance" Spider-Man answered "The two of us managed to stop a drug deal together but-"

"Whoa, whoa, wait a second... you worked together?" Shining asked.

"Yes, so?" Spider-Man asked, unsure of Shining's mood.

"She's a wanted fugitive, I'm gonna have to add that to your rap sheet now" Shining said.

"Great, thanks pal" Spider-Man nodded "Anyway, d'you got any other players that might work for the Big Man?"

"I gave you everything we got on the case, what did you figure out?" Shining asked.

"I found out that the biggest drug racket is being run through Soho, beyond that the file didn't get me much" Spider-Man answered "Different trade routes and courier paths but I didn't get a chance to check them out yet"

"Right... I can't send any uniforms down these paths to stake out drug runners, Soho used to be a decent place but its been completely owned by the Big Man, cops aren't trusted down there and every third guy is an informant for him, he'd find out within an hour where a car was placed, marked or not, and we'd have more dead officers on our hands" Shining explained "But..."

"But I figure I can go down there, take out a few of the couriers and bring the stash to a safer area, after all, an informant can't give away the identity of a guy in a mask and they're gonna have a hard time stopping me" Spider-Man continued "If I can get a few of the guys to talk maybe I can start working my way up the chain and fry some bigger fish"

"Good plan" Shining said "You go and find out what you can, raid a few stashes and bring the product to the nearest precinct and I'll radio the boys to be on the look out for you"

"Deal" Spider-Man nodded "I'll stop by later tonight and check in"

"Not tonight, Cadance and I are going to a function being held at the Stark Manor in Central Park" Shining said "Maybe some other time"

"Right, some other time then" Spider-Man nodded "I'll see you round"

"Good, get to work kid" Shining said, turning around and walking back into the apartment.

"OK, first stop, Soho" Spider-Man said, throwing himself out into the air "I've got an appointment with an off-license pharmacy"

"So... you shot him?" Norman Osborn asked his son, leaning back in his chair with his fingertips pressed together.

"Yeah" Harry said, leaning forward in his own chair with his eyes glued to the floor. Harry's mother placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled softly at him.

"It's alright Harry, you did what you had to" she said.

"It's better than alright Emily" Norman said , standing up and walking over to a small table where a bottle of brandy sat next to a selection of small glasses "This is great news for Harry"

"Norman!" Emily snapped "This is a horrible thing for Harry, he never should've had to kill that man"

"I agree, he should never have had to, he didn't have to" Norman said, pouring two bottles of brandy and walking over to his son "But he did, he made a decision, a hard one, and that decision saved lives" Harry looked up at his father who looked at him with a proud smile, a faint smile appearing on his own lips.

"You've proven that you're able to do whatever is necessary in order to ensure your safety and the safety of others, you didn't sit around and allow this man to do what he wanted, you stood up for yourself son and proved that Harry Osborn is not a man to be trifled with and for that, I'm proud of you son" Harry smiled widely and stood up, toasting to the success before the two men drank from their glasses.

"You've taken the first step to becoming stronger Harry" Norman smiled "Now we just need to work on solidifying that will of yours and pretty soon you'll be running Oscorp with the same control as your old man"

"Thanks Dad" Harry nodded with a laugh.

"Norman..." Emily said unhappily.

"Dear relax, this is great news for us" Norman said to his wife.

"I don't think we should be praising Harry for killing someone honey" Emily said, crossing her arms and looking down.

"Its not about the fact he killed someone, its about the fact he was able to make a decision that would ruin most people and have the bravery and strength to go through with it" Norman said "Its the strength of character I'm praising dear, now come on and have a drink with us" Emily remained still for a long second before nodding slowly.

"Alright, but try to make sure we don't have another celebration like this any time soon Harry dear" she said.

"Of course Mom" Harry nodded.

"So Harry, when would you like to start your internship at Oscorp?" Norman asked "I'm thinking floor manager is a good place to start, paid of course"

Luna angrily placed her empty drink onto the table, swallowing the last of the scotch she had poured before glaring furiously at her sister.

"How could you let him shove us out like that?" she demanded. Celestia remained silent for a second, still engrossed in her book before looking up at her sister. She looked at the level of alcohol left in the scotch bottle before looking back at Luna.

"You're going to be hungover tomorrow Luna" Celestia commented, avoiding the question.

"Answer the damn question Celestia!" Luna snapped "How could you?"

"Because we had no right to be in his office" Celestia answered "We arranged a meeting with him and he wanted it to end"

"But we have more authority than him!" Luna hissed, pouring another glass and sipping quickly from it.

"Authority or not, we have to abide by the law like everybody else, if he wanted us to be off his private property than we have to leave" Celestia said, setting down her book and standing up. Celestia walked over to the bottle of scotch and picked it up.

"You've had enough Luna" Celestia said.

"No I haven't" Luna growled, grabbing the top of the bottle and trying to pull it back.

"Luna its barely three in the afternoon, you've had two and a half bottles of scotch since we came back from Oscorp and you're nearly too drunk to stand" Celestia said sternly, snatching the bottle away and nearly causing her sister to tip over due to her inebriated state.

"Fine, I'll just go get another one" Luna spat.

"Really Luna, this is pitiful" Celestia said in an irritated tone "You're just going to sit here and drink because you didn't get your way?"

"Yes" Luna answered simply "I can do whatever the hell I want to, I'm a grown woman and you can't tell me what to do"

"If you're a grown woman than act like it" Celestia sighed "You're acting like an upset eighteen year old who has just found their way into their father's alcohol cabinet, stop drinking so much and get a grip of yourself"

"Don't tell me what to do" Luna said, pointing angrily at her sister. Celestia shook her head and left the room leaving her sister standing there on her own, wallowing in anger and frustration. Luna placed a hand on the table to steady herself, shaking her head softly.

"I'm not a child" she mumbled to herself "I'm an ancient princess who still has to put up with her stuck up bitch of a sister even after five thousand years... I need my own place... and I need a drink"

Spider-Man landed on the side of a building, his back pressed up against it and his feet sticking to the wall. In the past couple of days his adhesive powers had strengthened to the point where his feet were now able to support his weight while sticking to surfaces, something that had come in handy recently. His body still ached from the training he'd done with Captain America and he looked forward to the training session the next week. Returning his mind to the present he looked down at the ground in order to try and scout out the courier who was carrying the contraband to the drop-off point somewhere in Soho.

"Alright..." he mumbled "I just need to keep an eye out for any subtle but shifty movements and-" His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a man sprinting through the street below him. He looked down to see a man dressed all in black with a mask on carrying a large backpack running at full speed.

"Well, that didn't take long" Spider-Man said in a surprised tone. He leapt down into the street and used his webbing to catch the man's foot.

"Oh boy, I think I've got a big one here!" he yelled, yanking the man over to him and catching him by the collar. He tore the backpack away from him and threw the man aside, webbing him down with a flick of his wrist.

"So, let's see what I'm getting for an early Christmas..." Spider-Man said. Spider-Man opened the bag and peered inside only to have his Spider-Sense activate as a metallic box flew out of the bag. It slammed into his face and knocked him back, the box flew over to the man on the floor who had freed himself and was standing with his hand outstretched.

"Ah, I see its one of those magic boxes... can it make a rabbit appear out of nowhere?" Spider-Man asked "Or does it just have a never-ending line of handkerchiefs?" The box flew over to the man and instead of catching it the box opened up and attached itself to his arm, beginning to rapidly break down and spread all over his body.

"Oh... this can't be good" Spider-Man sighed. He rushed forward in an attempt to tackle the man to the floor and tear the technological item off him only to have the man swing for him and punch him in the jaw. The impact created a loud, metallic thunk as it launched Spider-Man back into the wall. He dropped to the floor just as the newly-formed armour completely covered the man, the eyes lighting up into a bright white colour.

"Is... is that an Iron Man suit?" Spider-Man asked "Where the hell did you get that?"

"Fuck you, freak!" the man yelled, holding out both of his hands and firing repulsor shots at Spider-Man.

"Oh Jesus" Spider-Man squeaked, throwing himself under the blasts and over to the man, dropping low and skidding towards him. He tried to swipe his legs out from underneath him only to have his foot collide with the armour and a large sensation of pain erupt into his foot.

"Owww" Spider-Man groaned.

"Fuck off!" the man yelled. He cocked back his foot and attempted to kick Spider-Man but the faster hero rolled away and used his webbing to catch the man's foot. He yanked the webbing as hard as he could and the upset of balance tipped the armoured man over.

"High level threat detected" the voice of the armour said loudly.

"What?" the man in the armour asked.

"Initiating Override"

"Oh fuck" Spider-Man mumbled. The armour opened up and ejected the man onto the ground before closing again, clenching its fists and rolling its head.

"Autopilot engaged" it said "Commencing battle strategy four-zero-nine"

"And that would be?" Spider-Man asked.

"Beatdown mode" the armour answered, slamming a fist into its palm with a loud clang.

"Oh no" Spider-Man sighed. The armour rocketed forwards and slammed into Spider-Man, changing its angle and taking off into the sky.

"Sorry ED-209 but I'm not in the mood for robotic cuddles" Spider-Man grunted, slamming his fist repeatedly into the armour's back "I'm more of a handshake guy" With a powerful punch Spider-Man broke through the armour's plating and tore out a selection of wires, causing the armour's eyes to turn red.

"Suit malfunction in progress" the armour said, a small alarm sounding inside it "Returning to base"

"Sounds fun, but I'm gonna have to pass" Spider-Man said. He attempted to pull free from the armour only to have it flip him around and bear hug him, its strength greatly overpowering him and making him unable to move.

"Oh dammit" he growled "This is all I need"

The sound of classical music filled the atmosphere of the party as the chatter of wealthy individuals accompanied the music. Shining stood with his arm linked with Cadance's as the two of them talked to another couple who they knew from high school. They smiled and parted ways, Cadance turning to her husband.

"Wow, Cheryl's changed so much since we last saw her" she smiled.

"I know, I'm surprised she isn't in the back room with four different guys" Shining said, looking back over his shoulder at the red-headed woman.

"Shining!" Cadance hissed.

"What?" Shining asked "How do you think she managed to become the cheer captain before you did?"

"She was only captain for three months" Cadance said "And then I managed to win the vote from everyone else, without whoring myself out in the bathroom"

"But she still beat you to it" Shining shrugged. Cadance glared angrily at her husband before a friendly voice called over to them.

"Shining, Cadance!" the deep voice smiled.

"Marcus?" Cadance asked as Shining's superior officer walked over to them "I didn't expect to see you here"

"Well, the wife dragged me along, she's always enjoyed this kind of crap more than I did" Glover answered.

"Tell me about it" Shining nodded "The only reason I come to these parties is because I get to when I get home"

"Shining!" Cadance snapped, her cheeks flushing pink with embarrassment. Glover laughed at the joke before his wife walked over, an woman the same age as Glover with her thick hair combed and tied behind her head in a ponytail.

"Ah, its good to see you again Shining, you too Cadance" she smiled.

"You too Margaret, how're the kids?" Cadance asked.

"They miss having you around, especially Richard, he always had a crush on you" Margaret chuckled.

"The kid's got good taste" Shining nodded "He'll go far in life"

"We hope so, all we need to do is get him interested in football and alcohol and we can all have a good time" Glover chuckled. The two men laughed as their wives rolled their eyes at the comment. There was a sudden silence from the music followed by a robotic British voice speaking.

"Sir, I regret to inform you that one of the missing armour models is on its way to the mansion"

"Why is that a bad thing?" the voice of Tony Stark said from the stage.

"Because its targeting system has failed... and I don't think it will be able to stop before it impacts the mansion"

"Oh, that is regrettable" Stark said "Can you shoot it down?"

"I thought of that sir but it seems to have taken a hostage" the robot said.

"Why would it do that?" Tony asked.

"I am not sure, it doesn't seem to be functioning properly, though its combat protocols were activated a few minutes ago"

"Alright JARVIS, keep the party going while I suit up, how long have we got before impact?"

"Four seconds"

"Oh... that's not good" Tony said in a surprised tone. The ceiling exploded violently as the broken armour unit smashed through it, slamming hard into the stage and crashing through several walls with an agonizing screeching noise.

"Welp, that looks expensive" one of the party guests said.

"I can afford it" Tony shrugged "But where was the hostage it took?" There was a loud clanging noise before a flash or red and blue was seen being thrown out of the way the armour exited and slamming through several tables. The party goers turned their heads to see Spider-Man lying on his front in a pile of wrecked tables.

"Ohhh... anyone get the number of that truck?" he asked painfully "If not... I think the plate gave me an imprint on the face" He pushed himself up and onto his feet, flicking a cake off his head.

"Target identified" the armour said as it climbed back through the walls "Executing execution"

"Whoa, bit of a syntax error there Tony?" Spider-Man yelled over to the billionaire.

"Hey, its not finished yet" Tony shrugged "So I'm guessing you broke the armour then?"

"It tried to break me first" Spider-Man said in his defence "Any advice on how to beat this thing?"

"Try hitting it"

"Thanks Tony" Spider-Man sighed, squaring his stance and preparing to fight off the robot "Why can't I go to parties without getting into fights? Is it me? I think its me" Next Chapter: Delicate Adjustments of Slightly-Faulty Technology Estimated time remaining: 11 Hours, 44 Minutes