The Amazing Spider-Mare: A Long Way From Home

by SuperPinkBrony12

A Great Responsibility

Despite what she had been told, a frantic and desperate Pinkie Pie hoped beyond hope that Aunt Suzanne wasn't in as bad a condition as Commander Tempest had said.

Alas, when at last our hero reached the medical bay aboard the airship, her worst fears were realized. Laying on a table while numerous wires leading to various machines were attached to her, was an unmistakable earth pony mare with a snow white coat. Her blonde mane and tail hung limp against her sides, void of the life they had always shown. And through a set of yellow-trimmed glasses were a pair of rose colored eyes that looked as if all the color had gone out of them.

There was no denying it. This pony was indeed Aunt Suzanne, and she did not look well at all. The only sounds that could be heard were the sounds of labored breaths, and the beeping of machines. Around her mouth was a mask connected to a long tube, yet even that wasn't enough to keep the old mare from practically gasping for air with each breath that she inhaled.

It didn't seem fair, especially since there seemed to be no signs of physical trauma anywhere on Aunt Suzanne. She looked like she should be perfectly healthy. Yet here she was, all but knocking on death's door and waiting for death to answer.

Pinkie Pie didn't even care that she was still in her Spider Mare costume. At this point, all that mattered to her was seeing her Aunt Suzanne one last time. With her mane and tail going flat and her coat darkening fast, she approached the table and kneeled at her aunt's makeshift bedside. "Aunt Suzanne, I'm here!" She managed to speak even as her eyes welled up with tears.

"I know, Pinkie," Aunt Suzanne spoke in a raspy, wheezy tone of voice. "I'm sorry you have to see me like this."

"Please! You can't leave me!" Pinkie pleaded in vain! "I... I couldn't be there for you like I should've been. I couldn't save you when it mattered most."

Aunt Suzanne slowly brought up a hoof to console her grieving niece. "It's alright, you mustn't blame yourself. I've known all along that you were Spider Mare. I've known all along about your secret double life," Somehow, she was able to smile despite her condition. "And I couldn't be prouder of you if I tried. You've truly made a difference in Equestria, maybe even beyond."

Pinkie sniffled. "Maybe, but what good is it to have these powers if I can't even save you? Do I always have to hurt the ones I love the most?"

Aunt Suzanne simply continued to try to reassure her niece. "Child, there is nothing any of us can do to stop death. Young or old, rich or poor, death comes to us all eventually. My time has come, that's all there is to it. But I know I'll go on to a better place, be reunited with your Uncle Al. I'm sure he's just as proud of you, wherever he is now."

"But... but..." Pinkie Pie tried to find the words she wanted to say, but they wouldn't come out despite her best efforts.

Her smile growing brighter, Aunt Suzanne slowly lifted her hoof and brought it back to her. "It's okay. Mourn my passing if you must. But know that I don't blame you for any of this. This is how it must be. I've lived a good life, I have no regrets," Then she added. "No matter what, I will live on in your memories. And I hope you'll continue to be Spider Mare long after I'm gone. After all, it's like your Uncle Al always used to say: 'With great power, comes great responsibility.'"

With those words, Aunt Suzanne leaned back on her table and shut her eyes. She drew one last breath, and that was it. The sound of continuous beeping told just as well as the empty expression on her face that her life had come to an end. Aunt Suzanne had died.

Our grief stricken hero did the only thing she could think to do in this situation. She placed her head on her Aunt Suzanne's now lifeless body and began to sob openly, the tears flowing without end. Why did it have to be this way? Wasn't the hero supposed to save the day?

Pinkie wept so long and so loudly that she was unaware that she was being watched. But from the other side of the medical bay doors, Cheese Sandwich and Commander Tempest were observing the whole thing with somber and solemn expressions.

Cheese wanted nothing more than to rush into the medical bay to be with Pinkie Pie, to be a shoulder for her to cry if nothing else. But Tempest simply grabbed him by the hoof and shook her head. "There's nothing either of us can do," She whispered. "Best if we stay here until she's made her peace with this death and is ready to move on."

Pinkie emerged from the medical bay a short time later. Her eyes had red rings around them from her heavy crying, but the tears had finally stopped. She sniffled a bit as her mane and tail continued to stay flat, her coat color continued to be dark and dulled.

Commander Tempest bowed her head. "My condolences for your loss, Spider Mare. Rest assured, S.M.I.L.E. will cover all funeral expenses. After all, you are a part of the agency now."

"Really?" Pinkie asked as she pulled her mask back over her face. "I thought I turned you down the last time we met."

"You did, yes," Tempest slowly nodded. "But S.M.I.L.E. is expanding. You're not on our active list, but you are among the members we can call up if the situation requires it. Same goes for your partner, Black Cat. And that means you both have access to S.M.I.L.E. perks, within reason of course. All of this will be off the books, but the funeral itself can be public if you wish."

---

A few days later, a public funeral for the deceased Suzanne was indeed held in Ponyville. Ponies and non-ponies alike came from all over town to pay their respects to a beloved member of the community. Many wore black, but some opted not to and just came as they were. Heck, Pinkie's family including all of her sisters showed up for the funeral, even Maud (who had been away studying for her rocktorate).

Pinkie Pie managed to find the courage to step up to the podium and give a very moving eulogy of her Aunt Suzanne. And she did so all the while holding back the urge to cry and tear up. "My Aunt Suzanne was a truly amazing pony. She and my Uncle Al took me in out of the kindness of their hearts. If not for them, I might never have come here to Ponyville. And I can hardly imagine my life today if that had been the case."

Pausing briefly to gather her thoughts, Pinkie then continued. "Even after my Uncle Al died unexpectedly, my Aunt Suzanne kept on going. She even found a job working at a homeless shelter, making friends with everypony who came in there. She spent her time and her bits to help others get by. She always had time for that, to give back to the town and to the community," A sad smile formed on her face as she concluded. "Wherever my Aunt Suzanne is now, I just know she's looking down on me with a smile. And I'll strive to live by her example for as long as I live."

The gathered crowd of mourners couldn't help but burst into thunderous applause when Pinkie had concluded her eulogy. But Pinkie didn't acknowledge the applause as she made her way over to Cheese Sandwich and sat down next to her husband. Not since their wedding had he looked so fine, his finely pressed black suit looking oh so nice on him.

Cheese nuzzled his wife as she leaned into him. "Excellent speech, honey. Your Aunt Suzanne would've loved it, I'm sure."

"Yeah." Pinkie Pie briefly sniffled, but said nothing more. She'd already said all that she could bring herself to say.

Mr. Waddles then stepped up to the podium, adjusting his glasses. "Thank you for that wonderful speech, Pinkie Pie. Now, if no one else has anything they wish to say, let us begin the procession to the cemetery."

Just like that, Aunt Suzanne's casket was closed. And all the mourners gathered in line to take their places for the funeral procession. As expected, it was a slow and somber march to the grounds of the Ponyville Cemetery, the final resting place for all whose life had come to an end.

When at last the procession reached the designated spot for burial, Mr. Waddles stepped forward and opened a book as he gave a short speech. "Suzanne Andrea Pie, wife of Alfred William Pie, sister-in-law of Igneous Rock Pie and Cloudy Quartz Pie, and aunt of Limeamina Dolly Pie, Maudalina Daisy Pie, Pinkamina Diane Pie and Marblina Dana Pie, we hereby commit your body to the earth from which it came. Ashes to ashes and dirt to dirt."

In a matter of seconds, Suzanne's casket was lowered into the ground and covered by shovelfuls of dirt. Fittingly, her final resting place was on a plot right next to the one by which her husband had been buried so long ago. Already, a tombstone and epitaph had been erected that bore her name.

The mourners then dispersed one by one, until only Pinkie Pie and Cheese Sandwich were left alone at the grave sight. By now, clouds had begun to block out the sun and a faint breeze began to blow. There was no rain in the forecast, though, the local pegasi had seen to that. Rain would've been an inconvenience for the funeral march.

Despite the burial plot being fresh, Pinkie still saw fit to place a small bouquet of flowers next to Aunt Suzanne's tombstone. They were the same color as Suzanne's snow white coat.

Cheese carefully placed a hoof on his wife's left shoulder. "You okay?" He asked her.

Pinkie turned quite slowly and gave a hesitant nod. "Yeah, I think so," She then looked at her husband as she pondered. "Did I ever tell you how I became Spider Mare and why? I know I shared the story with Twilight back when you were under the control of Venom, but I don't know if I ever told you."

"Why bring this up now?" Cheese Sandwich asked with concern.

Pinkie simply responded. "Well, I've been thinking about it a lot, lately. Much like with my Uncle Al, I'll always wonder if I could've saved Aunt Suzanne if things hadn't been what they were. If I hadn't turned into that... monster, would Aunt Suzanne still be alive right now? If I'd stopped that robber when I had the chance, would my Uncle Al have lived?"

Cheese could only reply. "You can't dwell on the past. You can't change it. We both know that," And he tried to reassure his wife. "Whatever the future may hold, you don't have to face it alone. I'm here for you, always have been and always will be. I knew what I was getting into when I agreed to be part of your world. And I thought we both agreed there'd be no more secrets between the two of us."

"I guess you're right," Pinkie Pie slowly but surely agreed as she stood up. "I guess at the very least I'll take comfort in the fact that my powers are back for good, and I don't have to worry about ever turning into that mare spider monstrosity ever again. Thanks again for being there for me and not giving up on me."

Cheese just smiled as he let his wife lean into his embrace. "Hey, what's a loving husband for? Now come on, we'd better get going or we'll miss the reception. Then everyone's gonna wonder where we've been."

---

As anyone will tell you, even after a tragedy such as the loss of a loved one, life goes on. And that held true for Pinkie Pie and Cheese Sandwich in the aftermath of the loss of Aunt Suzanne. Slowly but surely, life went back to normal for the two and they both continued to fight crime as Spider Mare and Black Cat.

Things may not have been quite the same as they were before, but a routine did nevertheless develop for our heroes. It helped that the super villain scene remained quiet: The Chameleon and The Vulture returned to prison and stayed there under heavy guard, all but ensuring they wouldn't be escaping again.

Then, one day, Pinkie Pie decided to share with Cheese Sandwich some news that was going to change their lives all over again. And it all involved two simple words from Pinkie Pie herself: "I'm pregnant."

Author's Note:

Aunt Suzanne's death is based on Aunt May's death in Spider-Man: No Way Home. But it also draws inspiration from a few other sources: The 2018 Spider-Man game by Insomniac, where Aunt May dies at the end of the game. The controversial and quite infamous comic book story "One More Day", in which Aunt May is fatally wounded and the cost of saving her involves Peter Parker and Mary Jane's marriage being dissolved. And The Amazing Spider-Man #400 in which Aunt May dies of a heart attack (although that particular death was later retconned to be a Mysterio conjured illusion).

All along I had planned for Aunt Suzanne to die in the end. But it was only recently that I decided to have the "I'm pregnant" bit at the end. It will play out in the sequel next year, due to the fact that next year will feature the release of Spider-Man: Across The Spiderverse, Part 1 (which was supposed to be released in December of this year but was inexplicably pushed back for reasons not yet known).

Comments

[Comickook]

This final chapter was appropriately emotional. Downright bittersweet for very good reason. The exchanges, characterizations, story wrap-up and future story set-up are all very well done. While I'll admit that, like Pinkie, I hoped beyond hope that whatever was wrong with Aunt Suzanne was something the villains would have an antidote for (to attempt to lure Spider-Mare into another trap), I can understand why you chose to do it this way and I am, at least glad Pinkie got to have that final chat with Aunt Suzanne before she passed away. Also liked the details on the funeral, the confirmation that Chameleon and Vulture WERE caught and the reveal of Pinkie's pregnancy at the end. Certainly added a welcome degree of sweet to the bittersweet. Hopefully, the next story will start out with a few of the other super-heroes trying to fill in for Spider-Mare and Black Cat while they are attending to the arrival of this universe's Li'l Cheese (possibly even Trixie re-taking the Mysterio role as a legit hero this time).

But, anyway, thanks very much for doing this story and very much look forward to more of your work in general.