Spiders and Magic: Rise of Spider-Mane

by Maximus_Reborn

Lunar Landing

Chapter Thirty-Two "Lunar Landing"

Nineteen Days Remain

Gathered in the throne room were five of Equestria's top authority figures. They sat at a round table with their gazes fixed on the crystal ball at the center before them. Shining Armor powered the orb with his magic and memories, allowing Princesses Celestia, Luna, Cadance, and Twilight to watch the battle between King Sombra and Spider-Mane in its entirety. This meeting started nearly an hour ago, but it remained discreet, known only by those in attendance.

Sombra's tendril wrapped around Peter's body, lifted him from the ground, and whipped him high into the air until he crashed into the force field surrounding the temple, sending violent tremors coursing through the magical projection. Twilight slammed her eyes shut, cringing sharply at the sight. However, Spider-Mane shrugged off the blow, free-falling back into the fight.

Cadance nodded, biting her lip. "He's so resilient."

Leaping into the air with his legs pulled to his chest, Spider-Mane thrust his lower hooves forward and delivered a vicious double-kick to the side of Sombra's face. The force of the impact sent the black stallion careening through the stone walls of the temple. The image faded, shifting to another point of the battle. With the swiftest of maneuvers, Spider-Mane dodged every attack each statue threw in his direction, but upon reaching the last, the stallion retaliated with an overhead strike, shattering the living rock to pieces.

"Such raw power," Luna declared, unable to suppress her awe within her voice, "and grace to match."

That image dissolved like the one before it, morphing to reveal another moment in the fight. Stunned from the light of the miniature crystal heart, Sombra staggered and fell to a kneeling position, but before Spider-Mane could follow with a counter strike, the black stallion commanded his tendril to lift Shining Armor in its grasp and throw the prince over a perilous drop into the surrounding black void. Peter skidded to a halt, inches from Sombra, and dove over the edge in pursuit of his friend in a free fall.

Wrapping his hooves around the larger stallion's waist, Spider-Mane placed Shining Armor over his shoulder before landing perfectly on the nearest stone platform. Twilight felt her heart skip a beat, prompting the mare to place her hoof over her chest. Though she was asked by Princess Celestia to attend this meeting for professional reasons, the young alicorn wanted to learn what Shining and Peter had dealt with on a personal level.

Her big brother and coltfriend were thrust into severe danger, and Twilight only found out about their situation well after the fact. It frightened her, watching Peter save Shining Armor's life multiple times through the playback. She could have lost her big brother, but Twilight felt a sense of relief. Peter was truly as heroic as she believed. The images within the crystal ball changed once more, revealing the climax of the battle. Twilight's eyes widened as Spider-Mane dove into the tornado Sombra generated, dodging every obstacle that came his way.

Inhaling deeply, Twilight edged closer to the crystal ball, resisting the urge to strangle the image of her coltfriend. "That's... That's just so... so reckless!"

Finally, the finale of the battle appeared within the crystal ball. After striking Sombra down soundly with a stone column, Spider-Mane offered the dark entity mercy. Luna's, Cadance's, and Twilight's mouths fell agape at the gesture, but Princess Celestia merely closed her eyes and lowered her head. Surprisingly, Sombra, while declining Spider-Mane's offer of mercy, yielded and respectfully acknowledged the younger stallion's strength. Once Sombra's dark essence vanished into the crystal heart in Peter's grasp, the projection ended, wiping away all images from within the crystal ball.

"He has a pure heart and noble spirit. Hard to believe Peter's only a year older than Twilight," Shining Armor said, the magic fading from his horn.

Princess Celestia nodded, opening her bright violet irises. "I believe Peter has the perfect credentials in which we seek." Sharing a glance with her younger sister, who gave an affirming nod, Celestia promptly stood from the round table. "I believe it is time we test him further."

"But Princess Celestia!" Shining blurted out, shaking his head disapprovingly. Once aware he'd actually yelled, the stallion nervously placed his hoof over his mouth and cleared his throat. "With all due respect, I believe this trial may be too much. Peter surely doesn't stand a chance against-!"

"Have you forgotten, Shining Armor?" Luna started, standing decisively from her seat. "It took the combined might of my sister and I to take down Sombrawhile wielding the full power of the Elements of Harmony, and Peter did it on his own. Iknowhe's ready." Closing her eyes, the alicorn of the moon turned sharply on her hoof and proceeded to make her way for the exit. "Send the guards to fetch him, Shining Armor. Inform the entire guard not to interfere, and instruct them to gather witnesses as well. I shall be waiting in the courtyard."

Before anypony could respond, Luna disappeared in a bright, flash of light. Slack-jawed, Shining turned to the other princesses in the room, namely his wife and sister, in the room, but they simply nodded, deciding to follow Luna, albeit more sedately.

"Are you two going to let this happen?" Shining asked, holding his hoof out. "Peter will get crushed!"

Cadance placed her hoof over her husband's. "From what we just saw, I believe Peter's chances are better than we realized."

Exhaling, the white stallion faced his sister. "Twilight! Say something!"

Twilight simply nodded. "I have faith in Peter."

Shining rolled his eyes. "You're just saying that because you love him."

Taken aback, Twilight's cheeks flushed to a shade of pink. "No, I'm not!" She glanced off to the side. "Well, yes. I actually am. Partly, anyway." Twilight pointed her hoof accusingly at the stallion's muzzle. "It's called 'being supportive!' Maybe you should try it?"

Hopeless. These girls were completely hopeless. Shining wondered what effect Peter had on others to earn such faith from the mares around him, but with a shrug of the shoulders, the prince yielded, knowing an argument was fruitless, especially with wife and sister joined together.

"Understood. I'll... notify the guards to escort Peter to the courtyard," he hesitantly said, breaking away from the group. "I'll rendezvous with you shortly."

Princess Celestia raised her hoof and placed it over her beloved student's shoulder. "Best if you gather your friends. They'll no doubt want to see how things unfold." The diarch of the day's eyes widened at a late realization. "Where did you leave the Cutie Mark Crusaders? I'm fairly sure I've received more damage reports instigated by those fillies than any foals in the history of Equestria." Sighing, Princess Celestia rolled her eyes. "Please tell me they're somewhere secluded in the castle?"

Twilight giggled nervously, understanding her teacher's paranoia. "I entrusted Honed Edge with watching the girls, but I wouldn't be surprised if they were somewhere near Peter." Glancing off to the side, she hesitated, frowning at a realization. "Then again, if Peter is still in the archives, then I doubt they'll want to stay around him for long."

---

"This place sure is big!" Babs Seed blurted out, her voice echoing throughout the hallway. The crimson-maned foal followed closely behind her group, pausing to take in as many sights as possible. "Thanks again for letting me come along. I always wanted to see what the castle was like on the inside!"

Scootaloo waved her hoof dismissively, grinning. "No problem, Babs. Princess Luna is our friend, and she told us we could come by anytime!" She trotted ahead, spreading the gap between herself and the others until she reached a large, double door. Tilting her head to the side, Scootaloo raised her brow. "What's in this room?"

Babs Seed quickly joined her side, and Sweetie Belle followed shortly after, skipping to their position. All three fillies stared at the door questioningly before shifting their gaze to their armor-clad guide, who was slow to catch up. Even further behind, with her bright, orange gaze fixed on the ground was Applebloom, who had remained unusually quiet for the duration of the day. Her mind raced, attempting to hold back the information she'd uncovered weeks ago, but the foal's chest ached, her heart struggling to hold it in for much longer.

There was only one pony Applebloom wanted to talk to in all of the world, but it was nearly impossible to do so alone due to countless circumstances. Yet, the filly remained patient, knowing her chance would arrive sooner or later.

'I'd take 'sooner' over 'later', any day,'Applebloom grumbled inwardly, irritated with the situation.

"Equestria to Applebloom," Honed Edge repeated, this time louder than the last. Applebloom shook her head, snapping herself back to reality. Once the yellow foal forced herself to smile, the heavily armored stallion opened the door, revealing a room with innumerable bookshelves scattered throughout the vicinity. "This is the archives room, where Princess Celestia and Princess Luna keep the most important books regarding Equestria's history." Three of the foals stared at the guard with mild befuddlement, prompting Honed Edge to exhale. "It's their personal library."

Honed Edge sighed inwardly. He knew why Princess Twilight chose him for the task of watching the little ones. Being the oldest out of a household of sisters, Honed Edge was always great with fillies, but he was asked to watch the Crusaders on the grounds that Pinkie Pie's short attention span would be problematic, especially when the castle was filled with priceless valuable. Honed Edge gulped. Valuables Princess Luna would be most upset over should something happen to them. But the guard felt more comfortable with her visible anger than Princess Celestia's silent disappointment.

Nopony in the castle wanted to disappoint their beloved ruler. At least, Honed Edge didn't. Those despondent, guilt-inducing eyes of the ruler of the sun could be worse than Princess Luna's most tempestuous fury. She didn't even have to say anything. Edge practically felt guilty just thinking about it.

So far, Honed Edge had managed to distract the foals with tales of his job. He made sure to tell them the fun facts, not the gory ones. That sufficed for the most part, but the girls were curious abouteverything. They asked about the job, the castle, what was forbidden, what Princess Luna did in her spare time (nopony knew that answer, really), and what Honed Edge did in his spare time, when he wasn't fulfilling his duties as a Canterlot Guard. Even then, he had to avoid the exact details, as the girls were far too young to hear some of that stuff. For now, he hoped the library would brighten their erratic minds.

Babs Seed and Sweetie Belle shared an equal look of amazement, concurring with eager nods respectively, but Scootaloo was not impressed, evident by her exasperated expression and frustrated groan.

"Why would you show us a library? That'ssoboring!" Scootaloo exhaled, rolling her eyes and folding her hooves.

Honed Edge, taken aback, chuckled nervously. "Hey, now! It never hurts to read. It can be fun and enlightening at the same time!" Reaching over, the stallion pulled a book from the closest shelf. He held it out for the girls to see. The cover revealed a black-maned, violet-eyed mare swinging on a vine, smirking as she avoided snakes and griffins. "Did you know Princess Luna is a fan of Daring Do?"

Scootaloo remained stone-faced, undeterred by the guard's enthusiasm, and the only other two foals who were paying attention stared at the stallion, their large, glossy befuddled gazes not helping smooth away the awkwardness of the situation. Desperate for an outlet, Honed Edge's eyes frantically shifted across the room, widening once they spotted something of interest at the table on the far side of the area.

"You should follow that pony's example!" Honed Edge said, pointing at the stallion. "He seems to find reading fun!"

Although the pony's back was turned and his attention remained resolutely fixed on the book in his hooves, the girls were quick to recognize his unkempt, acorn-colored mane, matching tail, and blank flank. Their expressions brightened, sparkles gleaming in their eyes and smiles growing from ear-to-ear. Sweetie Belle bounced in place, small spurts of crackling energy escaping from her horn with each leap, and within seconds she bolted across the room with her hooves extended and cheeks burning to a shade of crimson.

"Peter!" the tiny unicorn squeaked, cuing the other Crusaders to follow her lead.

Applebloom's ears perked at the name, and once the filly found the pony it alluded to, a faint smile formed on her face. She politely trotted past Honed Edge, joining her friends in the archives.

"Peter?" she called out quietly, her earth pony intuition sensing a golden opportunity approaching.

Despite all of this, Peter remained oblivious, his sight not having left the scrolls of text in his grasp. "Fascinating," he mumbled. "The crystals in the catacombs under Canterlot have the ability to repel magic. It seems only a precise frequency of magical energy can cancel out the crystal's effect, but it's size can vary and alter the outcome." Peter smiled as he felt the cogs in his brain turning. "I'd love to take a sample of these crystals and analyze them further so I can-" A small, familiar tingle coursed through the stallion's cranium, interrupting his train of thought. Peter slowly turned, preparing to see what triggered his sixth sense for danger. "What-?"

That same moment, Sweetie Belle dove into Peter, wrapping her hooves around his neck, but the force of the impact was minimal, failing to even free the book from the stallion's grasp. Stealing a glance at the bright lavender mane, Peter used one hoof to return Sweetie Belle's embrace, and once Babs Seed was inches from his position with a welcoming smile on her freckled face, the stallion placed his book down and patted the foal over the head affectionately. Babs giggled in response, earning a cheeky grin from Peter in return.

As annoying as the Crusaders were at times, it was impossible for Peter to not love the girls immensely.

"Crusaders! I almost forgot you girls were at the castle," Peter said, instinctively sliding his hoof under Sweetie Belle's flank to support her weight. The stallion rolled his eyes but managed to smile. This had grown to become a normal interaction between the two. Scootaloo joined the others, choosing to keep her distance as she wasn't the touchy type, and Applebloom quietly made her way behind Babs Seed, maintaining her silence. Peter raised his brow as a thought occurred. "What made you girls come to the library? Are you going to join me for some recreational reading?"

Before Babs and Sweetie could hope to respond, Scootaloo shook her head madly. "No way! In fact, we were just leaving!" With strained effort, the young pegasus managed to pry Sweetie free from Peter's neck, much to the lavender-maned unicorn's chagrin. Babs, sharing a smile with the Crusaders' leader, simply shrugged and followed the pair. Marching past Honed Edge with Sweetie Belle in tow, Scootaloo left the room in a huff. "We finally get to see the inside of the castle, and I'mnotwasting my time in the library."

The three foals hastily proceeded to make their way down the hallway, and Honed Edge wiped the sweat from his brow before reaching out fruitlessly toward the fleeing fillies. "Hey, slow down!" He readied himself to pursue the diminutive group, but the guard paused, having noticed one of the fillies was missing. Her large pink bow peeked out from behind Peter, giving away her position. "Come along, Applebloom."

The foal hesitantly stepped from her position, inwardly wishing she had gone unnoticed by the guard's keen eye. Her hopes were dwindling away yet again, but there was hope, for all she had to do was ask a simple question. Applebloom brushed her hooves together nervously, unaware her odd behavior was clearly visible by the pony she desperately wanted to speak to. Peter, having nonchalantly resumed his reading, sat with a furrowed brow, but he lowered the book, placing his hoof over Applebloom's shoulder, before smiling at Honed Edge.

Peter grinned, and the young mare's eyes widened. "Don't worry about Applebloom. I'll gladly watch over her." However, her shock quickly dissipated, and Applebloom nodded eagerly, for this may be her only chance. Peter shrugged, shifting his gaze back to his book. "I'm nearly finished here for the day. Once we're done, I'll take Applebloom back to her sister." He pointed at the opened door behind the armor-clad stallion. "You probably don't want to lose sight of the girls though."

Honed Edge's eyes shot open, prompting the guard to shift his sights back to the hallway. "Okay! Take care!" he hastily replied, having seen the Crusaders near what appeared to be the glass chambers. He could practically hear the fire alarms already. Closing and locking the door behind him, Honed Edge bolted after the girls, leaving Applebloom under Peter's care, but he was too slow, as the distant sound of glass shattering reached the ears of the pair in the library. Honed Edge's cries were also heard. "By the stars! No!"

"Poor guy. Better him than me," Peter chuckled before returning placing a bookmark between his set pages. After closing the book, he gently slid his hooves underneath Applebloom's limbs and lifted the foal with the utmost care, placing her in the available space next to his seat. Her cheeks grew hot as Peter offered a consoling smile. "What's wrong, Applebloom? It's not like you to be so down."

Applebloom felt a genuine warmth exude from Peter, but that was quite normal for the young stallion. Ever since the first day they met, the stallion always treated those around him with decency, and his friends, including Applebloom, only got the best out of him, perhaps to a fault.

However, there was so much that needed to be said on her part, but Applebloom felt her heartbeat increase rapidly, nervousness setting in whenever she contemplated opening her mouth. Her eyes began to hurt, memories of the past few weeks ripping away at her emotions. It was time she acted like her sister and told the truth. Applebloom bit her lip. Forcing the lump in her throat down with a swallow, the young mare stood on top of her seat and clumsily climbed onto the table. Taking a seat next to the book Peter was reading, Applebloom remained silent, knowing she could only delay the inevitable for so long. Only inches apart, she found herself staring into the hazel gaze that patiently awaited her confession.

"Peter, Ah..." Applebloom whispered, feeling her voice fall into a choke, but she shook her head, unable to hold back any longer, "...Ah know you're Spider-Mane."

Wide-eyed and slack-jawed, Peter's expression said it all. He debated for several moments whether the foal's words were truth or false accusations, but Peter's mind groaned, recalling that several Equestrians knew his identity already. Yet, there were only two mares that learned on their own accord, the first being Zecora and the other Trixie. It was certainly possible that Applebloom was telling the truth, but Peter couldn't help but wonder how the foal accomplished that.

Out of all the Crusaders, Applebloom had the most common sense (no doubt a trait shared with her big sister) and was deceptively intelligent, especially for her age. Perhaps she stumbled upon the costume in his backpack during a cutie mark meeting, a similar circumstance that allowed Trixie to find out Peter's secret, or maybe Applejack spilled the beans on the grounds of her sisterly obligations. Peter shrugged. No matter how Applebloom found out, she was visibly upset, and the best thing he could do for her was talk her through her problem.

"How long have you known?" he hesitantly asked, not wanting to further upset the foal.

Applebloom brushed her hooves over her eyes several times, desperately attempting to wipe her face clean. "For a few weeks now. Ah' saw how much you go out of your way to keep your secret. That's why Ah' waited so long to tell you. Ah' wanted to make sure we could be alone."

Peter raised his brow. "How did you find out?"

"Well..." Applebloom inhaled deeply before continuing rather rapidly, " -Ah-ever-knew-could-fight-a-dragon-so-Ah-thought-m aybe-somepony-moved-into-the-village-around-the-ti me-and-after-Ah-checked-Ponyville's-census-records -several-times-Ah-found-out-there-was-one-new-resi dent-living-with-Twilight-Sparkle-and-not-too-long -after-that-Ah-met-you-and-put-the-pieces-together -like-how-you-and-Spider-Mane-are-unicorn-stallion s-and-have-the-same-colored-tails-plus-Ah-peeked-i n-your-backpack-and-saw-your-costume-while-you-wer en't-looking!"

She gulped. "Are you mad at me?"

"Uh... no, but..." Peter trailed off, his mind struggling to take in the information it was given in nearly one, heavily-conjoined sentence.

Applebloom's explanation was surprisingly simple. Equestria was short on male ponies, the females having outnumbering them five to one. It was fairly obvious Spider-Mane wasn't a pegasus nor an earth pony thanks to the pointy appendage on his forehead. Finally, there was his brown, silky tail. There was nothing unusual about it, but with the process of elimination, it was a clear, visible hint. Peter nodded, knowing there was nothing he could do to deny the girl's accusation. Applebloom was a lot more intelligent than she let on. That was the understatement of the century for Peter now.

"You're pretty sharp, kid." The stallion tilted his head to the side, asking the obvious question. "Is that why you're crying?" He glanced off to the side, a sense of pain filling his eyes. "Are you scared of me?"

Applebloom shook her head defiantly. "W-Why would Ah be afraid of you? You're my hero! You're always helping everypony and you saved... Rarity." The young mare's shoulders trembled profusely, a sign of her rapidly-diminishing nerve. Fresh streams of tears rolled down her cheeks, and sniffles steadily grew in volume. "You saved Rarity when Ah almost got her killed."

Peter's eyes softened. "Applebloom," he whispered affectionately, gently brushing away the girl's tears with his hoof.

"Do you remember the fire?" she sniffed, failing to meet Peter's gaze. "We were having our sleepover at Rarity's that night. Everything was fine until we heard some noises outside. Rarity told us to stay in the kitchen while she checked things out. Ah wanted to see what was going on, but there weren't any windows nearby. Ah snuck upstairs while Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo weren't looking, but suddenly, there was this loud bang and the whole building shook. Ah stumbled and hit my head pretty hard."

Peter furrowed his brow. "The dragon was huge. It probably hit the side of the building."

Applebloom was silent for a moment. "When Ah came to, Ah saw the room was on fire, and Rarity was right there with me. She told me she managed to get the others out of the house before the fire spread too badly. That means Rarity was safe, but she came back inside for me!" Choking between her sobs, Applebloom pressed on, leaning her cheek against Peter's hoof for support. "She shielded me from the fire as we made our way back downstairs. But... but-!"

"Let it out, kiddo," Peter said calmly.

Applebloom finally managed to make eye contact with Peter, her expression heavy with guilt. "Part of the ceiling came down on us. It happened so fast! Rarity threw me out of the closest window before everything caved in around her! D-Do you understand?" Her very foundation fell. Applebloom lost all sense of control, collapsing and hitting at the table in frustration. "If it wasn't for you, Rarity would have died! Sweetie Belle would have lost her sister! It's my fault! It's all my-!"

She managed to restrain her emotions through quiet sniffles and soft whimpers at first, but they quickly escalated into high-pitched bawling and pained sobs. That same moment, Applebloom felt a wave of heat wash over her. Opening her eyes, the foal found Peter hovering over her with his hooves wrapped around her tiny frame, and she quickly returned the embrace, burying her face into his chest. Though it was only a small attempt of comfort in Peter's eyes, Applebloom felt nothing but undying love, strengthening the emotions she'd felt for the stallion for the past few weeks.

"Y-You were there for R-Rarity. Then you were there for Zecora. You also helped Princess Luna!" Applebloom stuttered into Peter's chest, her hot breath warming his coat immensely. She shifted in his hooves, not wanting to separate from the stallion's embrace, until her orange eyes came into contact with Peter's hazel ones. Her tears continued to fall, but Applebloom managed to smile, sending an alien sensation coursing through the stallion's chest. "Ah just wanted to let you know how much that means to me. Ah... can't thank you enough for everything you've done, Peter."

He sought out the right words, but any response Peter might have found died in his throat. Simple emotion from a little girl carried so much weight, staggering one who could lift, hold, and throw several tons with ease. Applebloom's ears fell once she spotted an abnormality. Peter's expression was filled with pain, and tears escaped from the corners of his eyes. They were gentle and beautiful, matched only by the quivering smile the stallion bore. Applebloom wanted to embrace Peter tightly and not let go. Both ponies continued to hug each other, allowing their tears speak on their behalf.

"I'm always doubting myself, Applebloom," Peter said, cursing his instability. Yet, his smile grew. "But it feels great knowing there's always somepony ready to pick me back up. Twilight. Trixie." Maybe he wasn't a complete failure, after all. "...and you, Applebloom. Thanks. It means a lot to hear that."

Applebloom sniffled as she stared the stallion straight in the eye. "You're just like Applejack. Ah can tell something's always on your mind. You never like to talk about your problems, even when it hurts you to keep it bottled up, but you're always ready to help others, and you never expect nothin' in return." Applebloom bumped Peter gently in the chest with a hoof, shaking her head sadly. "She always works to hide how much pain's she in. You do the same with your mask, knowin' we can't see your pain that way. Well, Ah see you all the time without your mask, and...Ah want you to know that Ah love you...and Ah don't want to see you sad anymore."

Peter continued to sit, cradling the foal, as the walls of melancholy crumbled, giving birth to a familiar sensation he hadn't felt for quite some time. He had debated yesterday whether Peter Parker was special, worth anything to the average eye. Trixie and Twilight were quick to tell him how much he meant to them respectively. Deep down, Peter hated himself and how his insecurities constantly seeped out, but his friends were always there to bring him back up. Now, Applebloom was making her stand, praising Peter for the deeds he had done, but this appreciation felt different, like something he hadn't experienced yet in Equestria until now.

Applebloom said she loved him, but it wasn't the same as the word Twilight told him regularly. No, this was genuine yet different. A part of Peter begged to disregard this idea, feeling a little girl shouldn't place that level of love and trust in him, but he dared not to attempt such a thing, for breaking a child's heart was not an option. It was love, and he wanted to give it back in full. Applebloom adjusted her weight, wrapping her hooves around Peter's neck, prompting the stallion to tighten his embrace. The foal nodded, brushing her cheek affectionately against Peter's.

"Ah'm sorry. Ah don't know how to thank you." Applebloom shifted her head about, cheeks flushing. "Ah thought Ah had an idea, but..."

Peter nuzzled the girl closer, shushing her with blissful affection. "What you said means more than anything."

"Did you..." she paused, knowing her question was a sensitive one. "...lose somepony special?"

Those ignited something within Peter. Before his time in Equestria, it would have been anger or frustration gnawing away inside of him. Now, especially when his friends were comforting him about it, Peter only felt sorrow and guilt. It was a classic tale, told many times, but never had he revealed his past to somepony as young as Applebloom. Peter cringed. He had to practice some restraint, sensing some of the graphic details may have been too much for the foal's innocent mind.

Peter shook his head, a pained smile on his lips. "Yeah, I lost my uncle. I... did something stupid and it cost him his life." His voice became choked. "Uncle Ben was the closest thing I had to a father. He tried to tell me something important, and I threw it in his face. I didn't even get a chance to apologize to him." Applebloom's ears fell sadly to the side. Peter's eyes were damp, but his smile remained intact. "That's why I wear the mask. I want to make my uncle proud... and let him know that Iwaslistening." Peter closed his eyes. "...and I'm sorry."

Applebloom blinked at the tale she heard. "Applejack... lost Mama and Papa the same way." Her voice fell to a barely audible whisper as her eyes swelled up again. It was worse than she thought. Peter and Applejack went through similar events, and they both had ways to hide their grief. Placing her hooves on Peter's shoulders, Applebloom bit her lip, knowing what she had to do. "Do you haveanyfamily left, Peter?"

"No," Peter said bluntly, averting his gaze away from Applebloom. "My aunt and uncle were the only family I had, and they're both... gone now." Well, itwastrue. It wasn't like he would ever see Aunt May again, not when he was trapped in another world altogether.

"No family? Ah want to change that then," Applebloom asked, her eyes widening as she tightened her grip on the stallion's neck. A warm shudder passed through her body as she thought about her solution. She was in love with Peter. That was a fact, and she could openly admit to that. The sensation she felt felt like it was expanding inside of her, as if it desperately needed to be expelled. She harbored these feelings for two others, and now Applebloom wanted to express it to another. "Since you don't have any family... how about Ah adopt you as my big brother? Yer an honorary Apple, Peter. Welcome to the family."

Peter's eyes widened. Equestrians continued to surprise him. They offered him friendship, forming the strongest bonds he's ever forged. Twilight gave him love, severing the walls between their two world. Now, Applebloom was offering Peter something only Uncle Ben and Aunt May gave him on Earth: a family bond. Clutching the foal with a gentle smile on his face, Peter nuzzled his head against Applebloom's, not caring that a fresh array of tears fell from his eyes. However, he allowed these feeling to surface and kissed the foal gently on the cheek before resuming his hug.

"Applebloom... I'd really like that," he said, his voice drying and growing raw. "I'll try not to let you down, too."

Applebloom tilted her head slightly so she could see Peter's face. "Thank you, Peter, but..." she trailed off, wrapping a hoof around the front of his chest. "...you could never let me down. Even if you tried." The physical contact filled Applebloom with warmth and a snug sense of safety, and it suddenly felt as though she couldn't hold Peter hard enough, as if she could just squeeze him tight and never let go. "Ah mean... you're my heroandmy big brother now."

Peter returned her smiling gaze and nodded. "Yeah, you're right..." He paused, grinning. "Sis'."

---

Spectators steadily filled the outer edges of the courtyard, consisting mostly of the castle's guards, as well as a few nobles trickling in from around the premises. Shining Armor, Princesses Celestia, Cadance, and Twilight stood together on the balcony with their watchful gazes fixed on Luna, awaiting the potential arrival of a certain stallion. Lined up around the balcony's railing were Twilight's friends and the Crusaders. Sadly, Honed Edge's presence was needed elsewhere as the shattered remains of the glass chambers weren't going to sweep themselves.

Shining Armor shook his head, frowning disdainfully. "This is such a bad idea."

Exhaling, Twilight rolled her eyes as she leaned over the balcony's railing. "He can do this, Shining. I know he can."

Spike poked Twilight's hoof for what seemed like the tenth time in the past few minutes. "So what's going on, Twilight? Why does Princess Luna want to see Spider-Mane?"

Glaring out of the corner of her eye, Twilight groaned at the baby dragon's redundant questioning. "I can't tell you, Spike. You'll just have to wait and see."

Applejack shook her head and raised her brow, ignoring the series of irritated groans and moans that escaped from half of the group. "Come on, ya'll. Whatever is going on, it must be pretty big. It won't hurt to wait a bit longer," she calmly suggested, earning an affirming nod from Rarity.

"Precisely. So could you allpleaseact like adults?" Rarity haughtily asked, although her tone matched that of a subtle demand. "Wearein the presence of Princess Celestia, after all."

Trixie nodded, keeping a fair distance from the group. "Adults. Tell that to the pink one." Her violet irises remained centered on the courtyard, particularly the moon princess. "Besides, considering we're all being asked to keep our distance, the situation may be more serious than we think. Do you concur..." Trixie hesitated, minding her manners, "Princess Sparkle?"

Twilight's eyes widened but quickly softened. "Trixie, we're friends. You don't have to be formal with me," she said honestly, prompting the magician to weakly nod and allow a faintly visible smile to form on her face. Tapping her hoof against the floor slightly, Twilight shuffled through a supply of vague answers in her mind. Her teacher had advised against direct responses for the moment. After a few seconds, Twilight felt she had a decent answer to Trixie's question, nodding. "Well, Trixie, we're actually-"

"Can you believe it?" a voice asked from behind, unknowingly cutting off Twilight. Everypony on the balcony turned in the direction of the sound and found Peter accompanied by Applebloom with his hoof raised questioningly. "I try to take Applebloom to the courtyard, and the guards wouldn't let us anywhere near it. At first I thought you girls were having the best pool party and forgot to invite us.: The stallion shrugged. "So what's going on?"

"Peter!" Twilight happily called out, making her way to his position.

Once inches apart, the stallion greeted the mare with his signature cheeky grin, something Twilight had grown to adore more than she ever would have thought possible. She wanted to kiss him, badly, but her professional side forebade it, sensing that intense public displays of affection among her friends and peers hardly seemed appropriate. Plus, there was an important matter at hoof, and Twilight didn't want to leave any lingering distractions in her stallion's mind.

"We were just waiting for Spider-Mane. Princess Luna hasurgentmatters to speak to him about in the courtyard." She paused, making firm eye contact with Peter, delivering precise emphasis. "He should be arrivinganymoment now."

Peter scratched the back of his head, furrowing his brow. "Really? Must be important."

Applebloom forcefully cleared her throat, bringing Peter's gaze underneath his side where the foal stood. "Hey, uh, Pete? Where's that book you were reading?" She smiled as she hopped in place. "Ah want to know more about those pretty crystals you were studying!" Applebloom's eyes widened like she'd realized something important. "Don't tell me you left it in the library?" She pulled at his hoof gently. "You should go grab it before Spider-Mane shows up."

He had only been adopted for nearly thirty minutes, and Applebloom was already hard at work as his supportive little sister.

Peter placed his hoof over the foal's head, mussing her mane. "Good idea, kiddo," he said before shifting his gaze to Twilight. Though the action was brief, Peter's lips curled into a sweet smile. To most, this appeared to be a simple grin, but to Princess Sparkle, it was a visible yet cleverly concealed 'I love you' from her stallion. Twilight's cheeks flushed to a shade of pink as she returned his smile with one of her own. Having earned his desired reaction from the mare, Peter quickly made his exit. "I'll be right back."

Applebloom quietly joined back up with the Crusaders, who quickly grew ecstatic at the news of Spider-Mane arriving shortly. Twilight took the available space between her teacher and sister-in-law, leaning over the railing. They knew now that the event would unfold soon enough. Hushed whispers escaped from Twilight's circle of friends, all pondering what the princess of the moon could want with Spider-Mane. However, Applejack's mind wasn't centered on the conversation or the subject matter.

The blonde stood with her emerald irises locked on her little sister.'That was pretty convenient how Applebloom asked for a favor like that.'She frowned as her brow lowered. 'Too convenient for my comfort.'Applejack continued to study her sibling's movements. Just earlier that morning, Applebloom seemed depressed about something, but now her demeanor was the exact opposite. There were several possibilities behind this drastic change, but Applejack's intuition kept pointing to the stallion her sister had come in with. Her heart nearly stopped at a distinct thought.'Applebloom... do you know who Peter really-?'

"There he is," Trixie calmly called out from behind, interrupting Applejack's thought process. The others reacted, all taking a spot around the balcony's railing. Shaking her head, the blonde cowpony exhaled before trotting over to Trixie's position. The magician acknowledged her presence with a brief glance and quietly stepped to the side, giving the farmer a spot to witness the spectacle. Trixie shrugged afterward. "What could this possibly be about?"

"Ah don't know, Trixie," Applejack simply replied, shaking her head. She watched Spider-Mane swing across the open air of the courtyard before flipping from his webbing, landing several hoof-lengths from Princess Luna. As the stallion closed the gap between himself and the alicorn, Applejack lowered her hat to shield her eyes from the bright sun overhead. "Ah think we're about to find out."

---

Princess Luna eyes opened, shifting to the costumed stallion. "Ah, Spider-Mane. You have answered my call. Thank you," she greeted him coolly, standing from her seat.

Spider-Mane shook his head and waved his hoof nonchalantly. "Don't mention it," he muttered, pausing to shift his head about to scan his surroundings. Nobility and palace staff alike watched from a distance, but none were within the courtyard. Even the guards gave them space, staying on the outside edges of the courtyard. Tilting his head to the side, the stallion faced the princess with unnerved curiosity. "So... is there trouble?"

"Of a sort." With one mighty flap of her dark wings, she sprang into the sky, her horn glowing with darkness. Her amplified voice shook the walls of the courtyard , pulling gasps of fright from the audience."FIGHT ME, TRAVELER. SHOW ME YOUR WORTH!"

"Wait! Wha-?!" Spider-Mane blurted out, having to duck underneath a bolt of darkness that might have taken his head off. He peeked up, finding another beam homing on his position, but Peter's spider sense blared wildly, prompting the stallion to flip out of the way. Although he avoided the dark energy, it exploded upon impact with the ground, creating a shockwave that sent Spider-Mane flying into the air, but he recovered, managing to perch himself on the side of a wall. Spider-Mane shook his head frantically. "Luna! What are you doing?!"

His question was thoroughly ignored as several bolts of energy were fired at his position, forcing the stallion to leap from the wall and into a web-swing. Tremors coursed throughout the castle, and multiple explosions roared across the airwaves. Spectators from the outside quickly gathered along the edge of the courtyard, joining the Canterlot guards who watched the event as well as kept the ponies from ducking inside. In a matter of minutes, hundreds surrounded the outer edges of the courtyard and clamored wildly at the spectacle behind the clear, magical barrier.

"What in the world?!" Rarity exclaimed, nearly losing her balance at the first shockwave. "Why is the princess attacking him?!"

"It is a test," Princess Celestia politely replied, earning baffled expressions from a majority of everypony on the balcony. Nodding, she continued. "Do not worry. The guards were informed of the situation. They'll ensure the damages are held within the courtyard." The entire area shook, causing everypony to stagger in place, but Princess Celestia stood firmly through the quake and turned her attention back to the courtyard. "We simply wish to test Spider-Mane in combat."

"Princess Celestia!" Rainbow Dash called out, flying over to her position. "Don't get me wrong. Spidey's a tough pony, but Princess Luna will mop the floor with him!" Genuine concern poured from the mare's voice, whether she knew it or not.

Princess Celestia did not divert her attention away from the courtyard where the garishly garbed pony ducked, dodged, weaved, and slid around the barrage of dozens of rapidly-fired shots from the dark alicorn. Much to Rainbow's dismay, the alicorn's lips curled into a smile before turning back into a stern frown of concentration. "Rainbow Dash. Spider-Mane is more than capable of holding his own," she responded, cuing everypony, including the pegasus, to shift their gazes back to the duel, and her brow furrowed at a realization. "After all, my sister has failed to land a single blow so far."

Peter jumped backwards, landing on one hoof, and he pushed himself from the ground, maneuvering into a flip. The moment the stallion landed, a beam pierced through the wind with great velocity, but Spider-Mane swerved to the side, while holding his ground, and dodged the projectile. Luna gritted her teeth in anger, sending a vast amount of concentrated frustration into her horn.

"ART THOU A COWARD?!"she howled as she landed on the other side of the clearing, stomping her hoof into the ground."FIGHT BACK!"

"Okay, look! Can we turn down the hostility and talk? Because I'm under the impression I did something to upset you," Spider-Mane suggested, waving his hooves defensively. "If that's the case, how about I bake you a cake as an apology? If you're not into sweets, maybe I can-?" Contorting his body at the last second to dodge several beams simultaneously, Spider-Mane found his pleas cut short again. At this point, Peter found his patience rapidly declining. "Luna! For crying out loud! I don't want want to fight you!"

"Pity. Then allow me to change your mind, Spider-Mane" Luna scoffed, disappearing in a flash and reappearing inches behind Spider-Mane with her horn overflowing with dark energy.

Unfortunately, before Luna could follow with her intended attack, Spider-Mane instinctively reacted to his spider sense, which went into overdrive the instant the moon princess disappeared, and threw a swift but vicious mule-kick. Luna couldn't hope to react or brace herself as Peter's hooves smashed into her forehead. The impact sent her into massive whiplash, her head flying backwards until her skull crashed into the ground, shattering the stone as it hit. Luna's momentum carried her further, until her body careened for several yards into the fountain and cracked the stone.

An eerie silence fell over the castle as the broken pieces of marble from the fountain fell over Princess Luna's still form. The guards and spectators murmured among themselves in shock, only for their voices to pick up in volume once it was clear Princess Luna was indeed rendered unconscious.

Meanwhile, on the balcony, Shining Armor's jaw nearly fell to the floor. "Wha-What just happened?"

Twilight's glossy eyes were as wide as saucers, but the mare shook her head, leaning further against the railing. "He just defeated Princess Luna," she paused, allowing her senses to recollect themselves, "in one strike." She felt her chest tighten as her gaze clumsily fell back to the costumed stallion.'Peter! That was... amazing!'

"There must be a mistake!" Shining's comment drew the gazes of everypony on the balcony with the exception of Princess Celestia. "A lucky shot! It had to be a lucky shot! There's no way Spider-Mane could defeat Princess Luna in one hit!"

Twilight sharply turned, frowning at her brother's accusation, but before she could defend Spider-Mane's actions, Princess Celestia spread her wings and hovered into the air. "That is not true, Shining Armor. My sister was overzealous, and she underestimated an opponent who has proven his worth time and again," she said calmly before facing her niece with a warm smile. "Cadance, would you please bring Luna here and tend to her wounds?"

Cadance blinked for a moment, but snapped to her senses and dutifully nodded. "Yes, Auntie!"

In a bright flash, the pink alicorn disappeared from sight, reappearing over Luna's body. Cadance placed her hoof around Luna, earning a slurred groan in response. With a quick flash of light, both alicorns vanished and quickly returned to the balcony. Not wasting any time, Cadance lowered her horn, transferring its energy into Princess Luna, and as the healing proceeded, she stole a glance at Princess Celestia, who simply nodded before leaping off the balcony and descending in a graceful glide.

Her luminous light spread throughout the courtyard, brightening immensely as the alicorn neared the ground. Spider-Mane threw his hooves over his eyes, shielding them from what appeared to be the sun itself. Slowly but surely, the light faded, retreating back into Celestia's body. The spectators grew restless yet maintained their silence, all for the sake of respecting their beloved ruler.

Spider-Mane swallowed roughly as Celestia's stern gaze fell on him. "I'm really sorry! I didn't mean to hurt Luna! I just..." he trailed off, lowering his head shamefully to the alicorn who stood nearly three times his own height, "reacted. Please don't exile or execute me." The latter was added rather swiftly, as if he was expecting such a punishment.

"Do not apologize, my friend," Princess Celestia warmly said, bearing a smile to match. "My sister has always been invasive and headstrong. She wanted to challenge you in combat. I only wish she politely asked you of this instead of attacking from the jump start."

Tilting his head to the side, Spider-Mane stammered about. "So... I'm not in trouble?"

Celestia shook her head. "Not at all. However..." She closed her eyes. "...my sister underestimated you. I assure you I will not make that same mistake, for you have earned my respect." Princess Celestia's violet eyes opened, and the alicorn slid one of her hind hooves back and straightened her posture. Her horn glowed, and a short-hafted glaive made of what appeared to be compressed flame materialized before her, as if pulled from somewhere...else."MeetIgnus Solaris,my most trusted blade. Beautiful, isn't it?"

A gracefully curving, painfully sharp blade took up fully half of the weapon's seven foot length, its back edge jagged and sharp, likely for shattering weaponry it clashed against. The blade terminated in a wickedly keen point that could probably skewer any monster or pony unlucky enough to encounter it firsthoof with little issue. From end to end, the armament was carved with gracefully swirling spirals and whorling runes reminiscent of the fire it was composed of, and the entirety of the thing promised swift death to all it stood against.

Peter watched the instrument of destruction only a bit nervously. The way the alicorn princess held herself, as well as the way she casually swung her weapon about in calm, graceful arcs, told him she wouldn't be nearly as easy to deal with as her sister was. He thought he could manage, but he couldn't be sure until he tried.

Celestia spread her wings, her eyes flashing with solar fire. "I challenge you as my sister did, to prove your mettle against me. Do you accept?"

Peter observed his opponent, noting the ease with which she offered her challenge. Celestia and Luna were complete opposites. Had Luna simply asked him, he would have happily obliged. Instead, Peter had to knock out his friend over her irrationality. However, Princess Celestia was far more polite, and this was an opportunity to spar without having to worry about his life, or others', being put into jeopardy.

Standing on his hind hooves, Spider-Mane lowered his body into a defensive stance. "Yeah. Let's go!"

Comments

[Alchemystudent]

While I love the whole Applebloom bit, I can't help but feel like it would've better been done if it was near the begginning of the story. As for the rest...I am getting sick of sll of this padding!!!!!!!!

[Edguy0009]

9137767
I for one am not.

[Amos Anon]

9137767
This comment. I know it's from four years ago, but duuuude, you got ratio'd hard.

[Progamer]

good chapter

"No family? Ah want to change that then," Applebloom asked, her eyes widening as she tightened her grip on the stallion's neck. A warm shudder passed through her body as she thought about her solution. She was in love with Peter. That was a fact, and she could openly admit to that. The sensation she felt felt like it was expanding inside of her, as if it desperately needed to be expelled. She harbored these feelings for two others, and now Applebloom wanted to express it to another. "Since you don't have any family... how about Ah adopt you as my big brother? Yer an honorary Apple, Peter. Welcome to the family."

Peter returned her smiling gaze and nodded. "Yeah, you're right..." He paused, grinning. "Sis'."

How nice to see that Peter has a good and happy life😊