//------------------------------//
// Issue #16: Lizard Shed 
// Story: Spider-Man: Web of Magic 
// by MetalJrock 
//------------------------------//

"What the hell is that thing?!" screamed Flash Sentry, pointing at the giant scaly man lizard crawling in the field. Rainbow and Flash Thompson merely glared at it. "Uh, guys. For once, I suggest you make a run for it now!" 

Rainbow cracked her knuckles, "No way, I can handle this freak."

Flash Thompson nodded, "Pfft. Me too. Count me in!"

Flash Sentry would've rolled his eyes, had he not been in the middle of panicking. Students were running across the field, being escorted by teachers and faculty. Without thinking, he ran and was about to pull the two jocks back before the Lizard could bite. "It's just some magic thing, Flash! Let me at it!" Rainbow declared. She was trying to transform, but nothing happened and she was just still, an aura surrounding her then fading within a moment, "...Uh..."

"I don't think this is a magic thing..." Sentry gulped.

"You kidding? It's nothing new for Canterlot High!" Flash Thompson announced, "We got this anyway!"

Sentry groaned, "Come on!" he shouted, yanking both of the enthusiastic kids' wrists. However, he noticed the Lizard sniffing, and slowly crawling towards them with each step they took. "We gotta get the heck out before we're lizard food!"

A snarl escaped the Lizard and he could be seen lunging after the kids. Flash Sentry covered himself in front of Rainbow and Thompson and pushed them ahead. However, instead of being bitten like he expected, he opened his eyes and saw some webbing stuck to the Lizard's jaw, keeping it still.

"Sorry, innocent teenagers are off the menu!" screamed Spider-Man, emphasizing each word as he dived down and kicked the Lizard, crouching on the ground. He turned around as the creature was stunned and asked, "You okay?"

"Y-Yeah..." Flash Sentry held his chest and gulped, "I-I'll go... Good luck, Spidey!"

"Kick his ass!" Rainbow and Thompson shouted at the same time, glad that the wall-crawler was around.

Spider-Man sighed, "I'm trying at least..." he stood up straight and pointed at the Lizard, "Okay, Doc Connors. I'm sorry if I hurt you, but you need to get back to the lab." he eased, walking ever slowly to the mutated Curt Connors. "Please, listen to me."

"Rraaaah!" Lizard roared, spit landing directly on Peter's mask as he spoke out. "Hssspider-maannn..."

With an annoyed groan, Spider-Man wiped his mask and shook his dirty hands as fast as he could, "Blegh. Lizard spit. That's gonna stick for a while. What do you want with a little old me anyway?" the wall-crawler put his hands on his hips.

Lizard lowered his head for a second, "Hhheeeellppp...." he whispered before lunging after Spider-Man. Peter saw this coming and rolled back, kicking his feet forward to catapult the creature forward away from tackling him. "Ccann't controolllllll... Mussssst killl..." he held his head and growled.

Getting the message, Spider-Man reared his arm back and dove forward, punching Lizard on the side of his face, "You found me at least. We gotta get somewhere more isolated though..." he told himself, webbing up Connors' jacket, performing a yank strong enough to pull the Lizard into the woods before following him. "All right, there we go. Away from the innocent kids. Trust me, you don't need all that on your conscience Curtis." Peter muttered, swinging off a tree.

"Night vision lenses on." Spider-Man said, his lenses glowing neon green and narrowing, scanning the immediate area, 'Sick upgrade by Mister Stark. I should really modify this suit on my own one day to see what else it could do.' thought the wall-crawler.

He could hear a faint growl. 'That doesn't sound good...' he realized, hearing that sound get louder. His Spider-Sense blared and he somersaulted, his costume getting slashed by claws. Claws coming from the Lizard. "Oh come on! I just got this suit fixed!" he gave Lizard a swift right hook, causing his head to turn to the side in response. Lizard snarled, spit flying past Peter's face. "...Okay, normally I would make a breath mint joke, but I think I gotta change my now brown pants before we can continue."

Lizard tackled Spider-Man, but Peter kicked his feet up, launching Connors into the air. "Agh!" choked Parker, surprised by how heavy Curt was in his new form. He rolled to his stomach and coughed, able to tell Lizard was coming right back for him. Spider-Man rolled and webbed up the reptile's mouth before it could close on his face. The teen let out a sigh of relief.

Peter stood up, but was immedately slapped by the Lizard's tail, causing him to slam onto a tree, "Oof!" he grunted, his hands sticking to the wooden surface. "That hurt..." seeing Lizard coming for him again, Peter backflipped and drove his feet directly onto Connors' mutated back, earning a roar of pain, "Sorry, doc! But you're making this harder than it should!"

'Pete! Is everything alright?' Ned asked.

Spider-Man leaned back from Lizard slashing, his costume getting scratched again, "I think. Connors gave me a message to help. He's still in there, dude!"

Ned said, 'Great! Just get him to the lab in time!'

"Working on that part..." Spidey mumbled, punching Lizard's chest, "Just... stay still, doc!"

"Caaann't... In pain..." Lizard groaned and forced his eyes shut. "No control..."

Spider-Man lowered his arms, "That's it! Come on, Dr. Connors! You can do it! Fight this lizard thing!"

Lizard opened his eyes and lunged after Peter, his mouth wide open to devour, "Kill, Sssppider-Man..."

'Well that didn't work!' Ned revealed.

Spider-Man put his hands in Lizard's mouth to hold it open, "Gross..." he said under his breath before addressing Ned, "Whatever gave you that idea, huh?" he asked his friend sarcastically. A snarl escaped Connors and Parker was forced to push the Lizard aside before his face was completely eaten. "Holy crap..."

Lizard roared again, prompting Peter to say, "I'm really sorry if I hurt you Dr. Connors. But you need to be stopped before you get someone hurt. Besides me of course."





"Twi! Sunset!" Rainbow Dash called to her friends while panting, the two of them looking worriedly at their friend.

Sunset raised a brow, "What's up, Rainbow? You okay?"

"There was a giant lizard thing that showed up in the field. I wanted to hold it off with my magic, but nothing happened!" Rainbow revealed, "I mean what gives? It's supposed to work during magic stuff like this, right? How come Sunset gets to keep her magic going at all times? Doesn't make any sense!"

Twilight said, "Well, besides the obvious counter argument of you trying to fend off a giant lizard by yourself, maybe this creature isn't of Equestrian or primarily magic origin?"

"I think I have my magic since I'm Equestrian." Sunset interjected, "But wait, where is this lizard? We saw a bunch of people making a beeline for the exit a few moments ago."

Rainbow smiled, "Oh, Spider-Man showed up to take care of it. I think the two took off to stay away from here at least. Sentry, Thompson and I separated and I came to look for you",

Sunset frowned, 'Spider-Man just so happened to be here that fast? First he was nearby when Gargan attacked and now he appeared at Canterlot High. It's definitely someone we know, but not the Flashes like I thought. Then who can it be?'

"Well, we shouldn't worry about that. We should get to safety and meet up with the others." Twilight declared, "Hold on, is Peter still in the lab?"

"Worried about your dorky boyfriend, huh?" Rainbow teased.

Twilight frowned and felt heat rush to her cheeks, "N-No, he's not my boyfriend." she mumbled, "Be quiet."

An idea dawned in Sunset's head for a moment, "Actually, let's see."

Rainbow Dash smirked at the reaction as the three made it to the entrance of the school in silence. "Ya think he's even aware of what's happening?"

"Probably not. Peter always seems to be in his own world." Sunset said.

The three walked in, finding the lab. Looking inside, the three noticed that Peter was mysteriously absent. Twilight scratched her head, "I guess he left too. Thank goodness."

"Heh. Seems the guy's more aware than I gave him credit for," Rainbow Dash declared.

Sunset looked around for a moment, noticing the wide open window and now empty beaker that once contained Peter's project, which she recalled to be based on Spider-Man's webs. Her eyes widened at what was dawning on her, 'No way. It can't be him. Peter can't be Spider-Man. That'd be ridiculous, and yet...' she thought, speaking aloud to her friends for a moment.

"Come on, we should probably get out of here in case that lizard shows up again."





Spider-Man shot a webline onto Lizard's arm and slid, yanking the transformed scientist to the ground as he moved, "Yeesh. You're a lot heavier than I thought." he pointed out, watching as Connors sliced the gossamer apart with his claws. "Yipes!" he gulped, crouching down as Lizard lunged towards him. Peter kicked his legs upward and drove his feet directly into Lizard's stomach, throwing him backwards.

He heard a thud, meaning that Connors possibly hit a tree. Peter grunted while he flipped to his feet, "Aw man. Something tells me I hit him a little too hard back there." he mumbled.

With another roar, Parker felt his Spider-Sense tingle and his lenses widened, spotting Lizard dashing towards him. "Or maybe not hard enough!"

'How strong is he?' Ned asked.

Peter performed a web-zip to dash forward thanks to the trees, getting chased by the Lizard. "I don't know, dude! Whatever happened to him, he has some really strong scales! Every punch I throw, he seems to be able to take it! And something tells me he'll just break through whatever web trap I have for him!" he created another web-line and zipped forward, slightly swinging forward. 

'Lure him to the lab then. I'm sure they have something to sedate him there with you anyway.' said Ned. 'You're heading in the right direction anyway. Good.' Peter was getting closer to the city as he said this, able to see building lights nearby.

"I'm trying to do that! Hopefully the city doesn't mind a quick peek of a giant lizard person! Agh!" Spider-Man shouted, but he felt something on his back. The Lizard grabbed him and the two were launched forward, with Peter landing face first on concrete. "Tastes like sidewalk..." Peter mumbled on the floor. Even in that position, he could still hear the terrified screams of bystanders looking at Connors' transformed state. "An crap. This isn't good..."

Lizard roared, jumping on top of a parked car, his body crushing the top of it once he landed. He leaned down, glaring at someone who was too frightened to move. However, as he moved his head down, Connors hesitated in opening his mouth, something holding him back mentally for a moment. Lizard held his head, "Nooooo!" he yelled out, Curt seemingly fighting for control for a moment.

"Everyone get out of here!"

And that moment was enough for Spider-Man to get back on his feet, kicking Lizard in the back. "Come on, doc! Just come with me! I promise I won't hurt you! Anymore anyway." Peter added, crouching down and pleading with the scientist. "You're not a bad guy!"

Lizard hissed, "I ammm... I'm a monsssster!"

Spider-Man said, "No, I'm not buying that! You can be saved." he jumped up and tried to web Connors, but Lizard sliced the substance apart before Parker could reach him. "You're being a real pain in the neck now. Just stand down. It won't hurt."

"I can'ttt beee sssssaved." Lizard declared, "Humaniittty lost..."

Jumping down, Spider-Man performed a roundhouse kick, but Lizard tanked the attack and responded by backhanding Peter, "Oof!" he grunted, getting shoved aside. Peter stumbled, trying to regain his balance. While he was stunned, Lizard grabbed him by the throat and throw him headfirst onto the street, creating a few cracks from the impact as a result. Connors hissed and then threw Spider-Man onto a wall, his body stuck in the brief dent he made. Parker groaned, shaking the cobwebs out of his head.

He was unable to react in time as Lizard struck him in the chest. Peter coughed and raised a fist to punch the Lizard, which didn't work. Spider-Man weakly backflipped on the wall, his head aching from being thrown down on a street like that. "Alright, doc..." he aimed his hand down and shot an orb on the Lizard's chest, "Web grenade..." he muttered as he inhaled for air.

Suddenly a bunch of webs exploded from the orb and stuck itself to Lizard's body. "See? Now we just gotta get you over to the lab to cure you." Peter said, dropping down and nearly losing his balance in the process. "Hey, Ned. I'll have Connors back in no time. He might be feisty on the way there though." he announced to his friend.

Lizard shook in the gossamer and extended a claw, ripping through the webbing with ease. Peter lowered his arms, "Breadcrumbs..." he muttered under his breath, "Can we call time out? I'm actually still reeling from the head slam/throw combo you gave me." he offered, backflipping onto the wall again for safety. Spider-Man rubbed his forehead, "Like, seriously. Can you not do that again?"

With another hiss, the Lizard stuck his palms onto the wall and chased after Peter by climbing. The wall-crawler ran up the side of the building in hopes of finding a way to at least slow down the transformed man. 'Okay. This is tougher than I thought.' he thought. Finally, Spider-Man made it to the roof and readied himself for another round.

Finally, Peter saw a green hand and leaping up was none other than the Lizard, no worse for wear. Spider-Man clenched his fists, "Alright, you overgrown iguana. Let's settle this... over a cup of coffee because I'm tired."

"Kill yooouuuuu!" Lizard roared.

"...Why did I expect anything else?" Parker asked himself under his breath in disappointment. Lizard dashed forward, mouth open, but Peter held his mouth open again, his lenses narrowing to emphasize his struggle. "Egh. Lizard breath..." said Spider-Man, rolling so that he could flip Lizard over his body midflip.

Getting into a crouching position, Peter breathed heavily. "Another close call." then Connors came forward, Spider-Man jumped, but his leg was grabbed by the Lizard and he was thrown on the ground, his back hitting the concrete surface of the roof. "My spine..." yelped Parker. Then Lizard held Spider-Man over upside down, Peter getting a closer look at Connors' form, "Put me down please."

"Rrraaaagghhhh!"

Peter closed his eyes as spit came towards his face before Lizard finished, "Please. This isn't you, doc!"

"Dddoonn't... Knowwww meeeeee...." Lizard studdered his words.

Spider-Man was slammed on the floor again. He tried to get up, his Spider-Sense blaring in his head as Connors spun his body around, smacking Peter's torso with his large tail. The impact sent Spider-Man careening off the building and landing in the street, his body tumbling painfully. Peter groaned, before he felt Lizard's feet stomp on his chest, knocking the wind out of him.

"No, Curt..." gasped Parker. 

Lizard roared again and stomped on Peter's chest again, then grabbed his head and slammed it onto the street while he was dazed. Everything was going black in Peter's vision and growing blurry. Before his eyes closed, he saw Lizard look into his reflection,and only muttered two words before Spider-Man lost consciousness.

"Not monssssster..."





Spider-Man snapped upwards, sitting on the street still. Looking around, the webslinger saw cops surround the area he was unconscious in. He rubbed his head and groaned, "What the heck happened?" he wondered aloud.

"That lizard freak you were fighting got away." answered Captain Wantanbe, her eyes gazing over at a ragged lab coat lying next to a manhole that appeared to have been open. "Left his coat here then retreated for the sewers."

Peter stood up, "No. No, no way! I have to go look for him!"

Yuri sighed, "Sorry, kid. It's too risky down there."

"You don't understand! H-He has a family, friends! I-I have to save him now!" Spider-Man shouted, ready to yank the manhole open, but Captain Wantanbe put a hand on his shoulder.

"We haven't found him. We searched while you were unconscious. Nothing was there." she answered. "Go home and get some rest. Leave the search for us. You don't look like you're able to stand for much longer it seems."

Spider-Man sighed, "Fine. But let me know if you find him tonight. Underneath the scales is a good man, and I intend to bring him back anyway I possibly can. Can I have the coat at least?" he wondered aloud to the captain.

"It's evidence, kid." Yuri answered plainly.

Peter grunted, "Oh... Just remember what I said."

And with that Spider-Man zipped upwards, swinging back home for the night to rest his aching body. He closed his eyes. He failed. 'I actually messed up big time. Ned, the Connors and Brock are gonna be disappointed when I tell them what happened. I-I don't think I can face them yet.' he sighed, 'Ned needs to know why I went dark. I... I'll worry about that when I get home.'





"It seems your Lizard experiment with Doctor Connors was a success, Smythe." complimented Tombstone. The monitors losing track of the Lizard, but was able to see Spider-Man's unconscious body before the drones shut down.

Spencer smirked, "Thank you, Tombstone. I told you that transmutation stone would work. Shall we continue the project as intended?"

Lincoln said, "Indeed we shall. Tomorrow Osborn and his scientist, Doctor Octavius will arrive to help us with the next process to... Enhance it a bit for better, and maybe more controllable results. Perhaps we shall test it on Flint Marko this time and see what happens."

Smythe adjusted his glasses, "Of course, Big Man."