Spiders and Magic: Rise of Spider-Mane

by Maximus_Reborn

The Mare Who Cried Human

Chapter Twenty-Eight "The Mare Who Cried Human"

Twenty-Five Days Remain

The reign of night was nearly at an end, and the dawn of morning was set to begin. As the sun steadily rose, chasing away the moon and its stars, a few of Ponyville's inhabitants were preparing to start their day, some more willing than others. Twilight stepped out of her home, humming a blissful tune, and Peter lazily followed, yawning with each step he took. Pausing momentarily, she checked her knapsack and simply nodded once, certain everything needed was within.

Peter stopped in his tracks as well, but it was an involuntary reaction as sleep had reestablished its grip over the stallion despite him managing to maintain a standing position on all fours. A soft set of snores escaped from the unicorn. Twilight's ears perked at the sound, prompting the mare to shake her head disapprovingly and let out an exasperated groan. Peter always made the simple task of waking him up a complete chore, but now it seemed he wanted to perfect the art of sleep-standing.

Huffing, Twilight focused her energy into her horn and materialized a glass of ice water out of thin air. She would not stand for itthismorning. The glass teetered over, pouring its cold contents over the stallion's head. Peter sprung to life with a yelp, leaping nearly thirty hoof-lengths in the air in surprise, but the shock quickly wore off, leaving the hapless stallion to sigh desolately once he finally landed back on the ground.

Twilight hopped back in startlement, and a number of ponies on the street glanced up at him curiously, but nopony seemed overly surprised (other than Peter himself, of course). With weekly attacks by ursa minors, ravening dragons, chaotic elder gods, parasprites, and the walking randomness known as Pinkie Pie, nothing seemed to phase the pedestrians these days.

Not wanting to push his luck any further, Peter followed Twilight without so much as a single complaint, although the water in his eyes, mane, and coat made it tempting to try otherwise.

Unfortunately, as a unicorn, Peter was supposed to use magic, and Twilight only wanted to make sure her coltfriend could access it properly. Plus, with Osborn on the way, Spider-Mane would need every advantage he could earn. Shaking his head free of any remnants of sleep and dripping water, Peter smiled before playfully nudging Twilight's side. With a renewed sense of vigor on both of their parts, the pair trotted through the village, making a path for the Everfree Forest.

Once both ponies were at a safe distance, the bush next to the door outside of Twilight's house rustled. Suddenly, Lyra emerged from within its leaves, giggling menacingly as her glossy yellow eyes kept Peter within their line of sight. Ducking back into the bush for a moment, the aquamarine mare hopped from her hiding position with an olive green camouflaged hat on her head.

Her horn glowed, pulling a knapsack from the shrubbery to slide gracefully around her neck. Nodding confidently, Lyra prepared to pursue the specimen of interest, but a soft set of snores reached her ears, causing the mare to snap her head in the direction of the bushes.

"We are on the verge of the greatest discovery in Equestria's history, and you can't stay awake to see it?!" Lyra yelled, pulling the leaves back enough to reveal Octavia, who hadn't even had time to remove her nightgown. The gray-coated mare's eyes fluttered open slowly, only to immediately close again. Lyra shouted again, with more force. "Octavia!"

Seeing no reaction from her friend, Lyra decided to try Twilight´s idea and conjured a cup full of water. Octavia's mind snapped back to reality once the ice cold liquid soaked in. She stumbled out of the bush, eventually losing her balance and falling onto her stomach. Shifting her head wildly, Octavia faced Lyra with a look of bewilderment in her violet irises, but the unicorn paid her actions no mind and trotted ahead, determined not to let the specimen escape.

"I believe you're taking this too far," Octavia stated, shivering as the cool wind brushed through her drenched mane. Hesitantly, she forced herself to follow Lyra, ignoring her mind's pleas to turn back to the warm, plush bed that she foolishly abandoned prematurely. "I only agreed to accompany you to ensure you don't do anything reckless."

The cellist rolled her eyes, questioning her own common sense.'Why must I torture myself with such eccentric company?'Once Lyra's maniacal laughter echoed throughout the vicinity, Octavia's gaze turned blank as fate reminded her of her reasoning.'Of course. Heaven forbid all of Equestria seesthisside of you...'

---

"Don't lose focus." Twilight whispered. "Maintain the median." She circled around Peter with a stern gaze, though he couldn't see her, as his eyes were closed.

Beads of sweat fell from his forehead as he strained to magically levitate several small pebbles at once. Lifting another pebble with her own magic, Twilight tossed the rock in Peter's direction, but his eyes snapped open, cuing his crystal-white energy to envelope the object and stop it in its tracks in midair. Once the stallion released a pained breath, the collection of pebbles fell to the ground, bouncing in various directions. However, Twilight seemed to have been impressed, evident by her ecstatic clapping.

"That's good, Peter! You managed to levitate eleven pebbles that time."

Peter groaned. "Thanks, but I have such a migraine." His hooves rubbed over his temples, attempting to smooth out the throbs coursing through his cranium. Yet, despite his pain, the stallion managed to smile. "At least now I know my spider sense is tuned in with the magical part of my brain. Until I learn to separate and differentiate one from the other, I'll be left with some splitting headaches."

"In any case, we're making great progress." Twilight, using her magic, wrote a few notes onto a scroll. "You've come so far in such a short time."

Once Peter stumbled back, landing squarely on his flank, the lavender mare mirrored his action and joined his side. She dropped her notes into her knapsack before shifting her weight, nuzzling into her stallion. His high body temperature spread through her being, warming the mare considerably, and as her violet irises glanced at the bright clear sky overhead, Twilight wished to bask in the blissful feelings that consumed her. Sadly, her time was limited, and she had prior engagements to see through alone.

"Well, let's end our lesson for the day. I'd better leave for Canterlot soon." Twilight hesitantly broke away from Peter's side and stood back on her hooves. "I'll be back in a day or two."

"Do what you have to do, but don't stay gone for too long." Wrapping his hooves around the mare's neck, Peter pulled Twilight into a warm embrace. "I'll see you when you get back."

"Don't forget about your sparring match with Rainbow Dash," she cooed, returning her lover's affection to the greatest of her ability. After a few moments, Twilight leaned forward, pressing her lips against the stallion's, but as much as she would have enjoyed savoring his taste, the mare broke away, attempting to ignore how hot her cheeks had become. Yet, her smile remained firmly intact. "Please stay safe, okay? I...love you."

"In this town? Easy as pie," Peter said, unable to hide the crimson blush that stained his cheeks. "And I love you, too!"

With that said, Twilight placed her hoof over her chest before disappearing from sight in a violet burst of light. Sighing, Peter prepared to make his exit as well, but he paused, taking a moment to scan his surroundings. Once certain he was alone, the stallion stared intently at his horn and bit his lip.

"I've got some time. Better see how goodmyteleportation is right now." He chuckled nervously. "Last time I tried, I ended up falling in the lake. Let's hope my aim's better this time."

Inhaling deeply, Peter closed his eyes and channeled all of his concentration into his horn. However, high above, unbeknownst to the stallion, Lyra stood perched on a tree branch with an evil grin, like a hawk stalking over its prey. With a large net in her hooves, the unicorn knew now was the opportune time to strike, but Octavia was not as confident as she clutched to the tree with all of her might, trying her best not to panic due to the perilous height she sat at. Raising the net high over her head, Lyra leaned on the edge of her branch, preparing to take a grandiose leap of faith.

"I didn't think it would be so easy!" Lyra laughed, her eyes widening.

"M-Must you try s-such a dangerous stunt?" Octavia's grip on the tree tightened to the point where her hooves began to embed into the bark. "Let us be rational, Lyra. If you fall from this height, you might crush the poor stallion!"

Sadly, her pleas of rationality fell on deaf ears. Lyra sprang from the tree, diving from the sky with the intent of a heat-seeking missile. With her frame over the fully opened net, the unicorn watched with a crazed gaze as she neared her target. Peter, blissfully unaware of the developing situation, remained still, locked deep in his concentration, but his spider sense suddenly erupted, sending his thoughts ablaze. His horn shorted, firing a quick burst of clear energy. Nothing happened to Peter, but Lyra (and her net) disappeared in a flash before it could come into contact with the stallion.

Peter snorted. "Stupid spider sense. I must have accidentally triggered it." Shaking his head, Peter brought his hoof over his eyes and waited for the pulsating throbs coursing through his skull to cease. "I better be careful If I keep slipping up like that, I might just short out my spider sense. How much wouldthatsuck?" Once his pain subsided, he shrugged his shoulders and proceeded to trot his way out of the forest. "I've got plenty of time to work on my Nightcrawler technique. I better go find Skittles before she kills me."

Meanwhile, a few hundred yards away, Lyra reappeared out of thin air in a flash of light, but she had no time to react as her body plummeted into the Everfree Lake, the impact of her 'dive' creating a splash quite a few feet high. Eventually, the mare rose from the water, the entire front portion of her body bruised from the impact, but she was more annoyed with the result, evident by the look of exasperation evident in her yellow eyes. However, her net made the swim back to shore difficult.

Under some circumstances, this humiliating result would have been enough for most ponies to admit defeat, but that was far from the case for one Lyra Heartstrings, who refused to yield to such a minor inconvenience.

With her hoof raised defiantly, the mare spat out a mouthful of lake water and roared to the heavens. "This is only the beginning!"

---

Performing a series of back-flips before stopping to throw a high spin kick, Rainbow Dash paused to tighten the straps of her white karate gi. The barn at Sweet Apple Acres proved to be a suitable training ground, with plenty of room to give Rainbow Dash maneuverability and seclusion to help Peter perform without the fear of prying eyes seeing his abilities. With the safety mats spread, Trixie watched her athletic friends perform their usual series of stretches and warm-ups. Peter, wearing a gi exactly the same as Rainbow's, laid flat on his back, pulling his leg straight over his chest until it touched his ear.

Unaware she was staring, Trixie watched with a brow raised and a crimson blush on her cheeks. "Nopony should bethatflexible." Placing her hoof over her mouth, the unicorn cleared her throat, desperate to ignore the images generating in her mind. "So, Parker? You said Twilight Sparkle would be gone for a couple of days?"

"For a day or two, yeah." Quickly switching legs, Peter nodded as he held his stretching position. "It's nothing major. Twilight just wants to do a little research." Rolling over on his stomach, the stallion threw his lower body overhead, shifting his body in midair, and landed perfectly on his rear hooves. Peter turned his gaze to the pegasus and lowered his body, taking a defensive stance. "All right, Skittles. Try not to rough me up too badly. Ijustleft the hospital, remember?"

Whipping her tail to the side, Rainbow Dash shook her head and smiled. "No guarantees, dude."

Both ponies exchanged a brief yet friendly hoof bump before Rainbow stepped back, following with a low sweep kick, but Peter quickly hopped over the attack, throwing a swift jab afterward. The mare threw one hoof to block the attack and a second to counter. However, the stallion lunged forward, wrapped both of his hooves around one of his opponent's, and in a swift act of motion hurled her body over his shoulder. Landing on her back, Rainbow let out a very unladylike snort and quickly engaged Peter for a second round.

Meanwhile, outside of the barn's door, Lyra stood with a large brown bag over her shoulder. Her hoof tapped eagerly against the ground, anticipating what was going to happen in a few moments. After his sparring match with Rainbow Dash, Peter would be exhausted, unable to put forth any resistance. Lyra could easily swoop in, throw her target in the bag, and teleport to a safe locale, able to perform a harmless yet enlightening interrogation. It was crudely simple, but the aquamarine mare would not argue with its sure-to-come effectiveness.

Lyra shuddered, smiling.'A creature so magnificent and ancient. The possibilities!'

Octavia, keeping a safe distance, watched from the bushes and made certain to keep herself concealed. "Lyra, this is preposterous!" she yelled, sotto voce. "May wepleasego home before you hurt yourself?"

Inside, Peter paused, furrowing his brow at the sounds coming from outside, but an oblivious Rainbow Dash took advantage of the stallion's distracted state of mind and slid her body underneath his hooves. Before he could hope to react, the pegasus, with a sound grip on her opponent's neck and shoulder, skidded across the ground and threw Peter as hard as she could. Stunned and without his web-shooters, the stallion couldn't stop his involuntarily flight. He crashed into the barn's large door, knocking it off its hinges.

"Quiet!" Lyra, in her excitement, was not aware of the crazed expression she bore. "I am on the verge of a breakthrough!" Raising her hooves high over her head, the unicorn, keeping her back turned to the door, laughed madly. "I will be the one to reestablish the lost link between human and pony! Me! Lyra Heart-!"

Unfortunately, before Lyra could finish her victory monologue, she was unceremoniously flattened by the crimson door. Octavia instinctively ducked into the bushes, peeking through what little opening the shrubbery provided. Peter, flat on his back, let out a pained moan, unaware of the mare buried (and concealed) underneath the door. Rainbow Dash flew outside to survey the damage, and Trixie slowly followed, only to raise her brow at the spectacle.

Rubbing his hoof over his aching skull, Peter lifted himself to an upright sitting position, but as he glanced around, analyzing his surroundings, the stallion frowned, his confusion apparent.

'I swear I heard someone...'

Before he could dive further into the subject, Rainbow Dash extended her hoof, breaking her friend's train of thought. Shrugging, Peter took the noise from earlier as a figment of his imagination, paying it no further mind. He accepted Rainbow's gesture, allowing the mare to pull him from the ground. Peter hastily disrobed his gi, tossing it into the confines of his backpack.

"I'd love to stay and chat, ladies, but I have to hurry back to the village. I promised the Crusaders I'd treat them to ice cream today," Peter chuckled, galloping immediately for the town.

Trixie, brushing a strand of her silver-blue mane behind her ear, watched the stallion and sarcastically giggled. "Well, good news is that his durability seems to be intact." The magician opened her eyes, blankly staring at the new-made hole in the wall. "Trixie can't say the same for the barn door, sadly."

Grinning, Rainbow Dash scratched the back of her head. "It's nothing Applejack can't fix."

'...Butwhois going to fix poor Lyra?'Octavia sighed inwardly, making a mental note to call the paramedics in due time.

---

Bolts of pain coursed through her body, but Lyra remained vigilant, despite having a cast placed around her neck. She was forced to look through her notes back at home until her wounds healed. While it was frustrating, it gave the mare reason to widen her studies on the human-turned-pony. Using her magic, she scrolled through the pages of an aged book, its papers decrepit and weak. However, the book provided such enlightenment about the history of her subject of interest.

Octavia, standing behind Lyra, folded her hooves across her chest and sighed. "I must ask, Lyra. Why are you so determined to find a human?" Once the unicorn raised a brow in response, the cellist shook her head, knowing the question was quite redundant. She waited several moments, trying to find the best way to specify the question on her mind. "I mean, you've been more determined than usual. Why is that?"

Lyra reached over the table, retrieving pictures of Spider-Mane and Peter 'Pony' Parker, and handed them over to her friend. "I told you before that he is a human," she stated in a matter-of-fact tone. However, she slid her seat over, allowing Octavia to see the page she was currently reading. "But Peter is not just an ordinary human. No way. He is special, likevery special. He was special back then, too." Lyra tapped the book feverishly, making certain she had Octavia's attention. "This book is about him! Everything we want to know about Peter Parker ishere!"

"Wait," Octavia murmured, struggling to keep up with her friend's quickening speech pattern, "you said heisspecial. Then, you said hewas?"Her brow furrowed. "What are you referring to?"

"Our ancient history suggests humans once existed on this world a long time ago, right? Like, way before Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were even born." Once Octavia nodded, albeit hesitantly, Lyra closed the book. "I have proof that is a fact! A few weeks ago, I found this book on my way back home. You won't believe it, but it appeared out of thin air! I started reading, and by Celestia, I could believe what was inside!"

She held the book out, allowing Octavia to see its title, which readThe Greatest Hero in History.Lyra quickly turned to a page, where a pony and human stood side-by-side. However, both beings bore a striking resemblance to each other, sharing the same colored hazel eyes, brown hair/mane, and light skin/coat tone.

"There was a human who saved the world countless times, even managing to do the same for the universe on more than one occasion."

Lyra turned the page once more, revealing the most important picture of them all. Octavia's hoof fell over her mouth to conceal a gasp, but it failed, as it was heard clearly throughout the room. The human and pony shared a unique piece of attire, a pair of red and blue tights with a spider insignia over the chest.

"Spider-Mane?" Octavia managed to force out, her mind struggling still taking in the information it received. "Rarity's friend Peter is...?"

Lyra's yellow irises practically beamed, matched only by the confident smile on her face. She raised her hoof and nodded. "That's right. Peter was the greatest human of them all, and now..." The unicorn glanced over at her photo of Peter, who smiled weakly as Twilight, Fluttershy, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie, and Applejack hugged him with the greatest of care. "Peter's going to become the greatestpony,too!"

"Lyra, I'm not sure if this information is true or not." Octavia raised her hoof, preventing the unicorn from protesting. However, with a small sigh, she politely took the book from the table and placed it over her friend's lap, which was easy with her unusual, upright sitting position. Octavia followed by placing two photos in the book, one of Peter and the other of Spider-Mane, in the book as well. She smiled, patting the cover of the book gently. "However, instead of being brash, why not just go to him with the information you have? You could learn so much more with a rational mindset. I'll even accompany you..." Lyra nodded eagerly and prepared to stand, but Octavia placed her hooves over her shoulders. "...after you've healed, of course."

---

Twenty-Three Days Remain

Within the walls of Canterlot castle, Peter tilted his head to the side at Princess Celestia's request. "You want me to go to the Crystal Empire?"

"Yes." The sun goddess nodded, but not before her horn began to glow with magical energy. A small image appeared within an orb, specifically a black mist that enveloped everything and a pair of crimson irises that glared at the outside world. Before long, the orb disappeared, prompting Princess Celestia to shake her head. "Remnants of a dark entity named Sombra have appeared in the ruins on the verge of the Crystal Empire. I want you and Shining Armor to seal away the remains before it can fully regenerate. May I ask this of you?"

Peter nodded. "Sure thing. I haven't had a chance to throw down with a baddie in a while," Peter replied without a hint of hesitation in his voice, earning a smile from the princess. He paused to scratch the side of his chin. "If I may ask, why'd you summon me and not the girls? I mean, I'm honored, big time. It's just, I'm surprised you asked me instead of Twilight."

"Twilight's attempting to solve a great secret from Star Swirl, and it's very important that she focuses on that more than anything else." She placed her hoof over Peter's shoulder. "Twilight must assist her friends right now. I need you to assist a kingdom."

"Fair enough!" Peter reached over for his backpack. Once he pulled his heroic attire from its confines, the stallion grinned confidently. "When do I leave?"

"Immediately. I will send for an escort to see you to the nearest train station and provide you with documents regarding everything you will need to know about Sombra, as well as the coordinates to Shining Armor's location." Removing her hoof from his shoulder, the princess took a step back and bowed her head out of respect. "Please, be careful, and may the stars bring you back safely."

Comments

[Titan Commander Sebaste]

"Quiet!" Lyra, in her excitement, was not aware of the crazed expression she bore. "I am on the verge of a breakthrough!" Raising her hooves high over her head, the unicorn, keeping her back turned to the door, laughed madly. "I will be the one to reestablish the lost link between human and pony! Me! Lyra Heart-!"

Uh Lyra? You might wanna look out for the...!

Unfortunately, before Lyra could finish her victory monologue, she was unceremoniously flattened by the crimson door.

Door....

[Alchemystudent]

These comedy bits would've been fine, if it were not for two things. One is that this feels more like padding and two is that by this point in my life, overdoing it on the Lyra loves humans gag is becoming old! As in this whole thing just dragged and I am waiting for the plot to pick up.

[Edguy0009]

8877334
Lyra was quite the Chew Toy this chapter.

[Real Solaris]

"Twilight's attempting to solve a great secret from Star Swirl, and it's very important that she focuses on that more than anything else." She placed her hoof over Peter's shoulder. "Twilight must assist her friends right now. I need you to assist a kingdom."

ALICORN HERE WE COME! WOO!!!!!

[Luckyfanisaac]

and by Celestia, I couldn’t believe what was inside!"

[Progamer]

good chapter