//------------------------------//
// Fall of an Empire, Part IV 
// Story: Spiders and Magic IV: The Fall of Spider-Mane 
// by Maximus_Reborn 
//------------------------------//

Chapter Twenty "Fall of an Empire, Part IV"

Outside of Canterlot Castle in a grassy field, Peter sat with Ben in his hooves, smiling as he hugged the baby colt warmly. "Did you miss Daddy, son?" he grinned, earning a playful squeak. The stallion rubbed the side of his head against Ben's tiny body affectionately. "I know! I missed you, too!"

Twilight watched the sight with a sweet smile as she rested on a sheet a few-hoof lengths away. "We'veallmissed you, Peter. Especially me. I've been worried sick about you." The stallion edged to the mare's side, planting a kiss on her forehead before placing Ben down. As Ursa slept peacefully behind everypony, the baby colt nuzzled underneath Twilight's neck and cooed excitedly while Peter pulled himself to a sitting position. The alicorn's eyes softened. "So, how are you feeling? Princess Luna told me that the Green Goblin's back."

Peter forced a laugh, placing a hoof over his aching midsection. Had he worn his bandages, Twilight's concern would have escalated for certain. For now, he could only put on a strong front, grin, and bear it for her sake. A bolt of pain rushed through his still-broken ribs, forcing the stallion to laugh over his building anguish. He could only curse his notorious Parker luck for attempting to foil his plans.

"It's nothing I can't handle, honey," Peter declared, earning a blank stare from Twilight. She could practically see through him like an open window. That wasn't surprising, considering they had been married for nearly a decade at this point. The stallion scratched the back of his head sheepishly, chuckling. "Well, I have Trixie and Sunset at the Treebrary, so they're keeping me in check." He pointed a hoof at the astral bear behind his position without turning around. "Ursa's got my back, too."

Twilight was slow to respond, but she eventually nodded, as if satisfied with the stallion's answer. She managed a smile. "I know Ursa's protective of you, but I'd feel better if I was there with you instead." Her eyes widened at a belated realization. "Speaking of which, how is Sunset doing? Princess Luna also told me that she got hurt yesterday."

Peter raised a hoof, smiling. "It's nothing a few stitches and painkillers can't fix. Zecora's also staying in the Treebrary so she can give proper medical treatment. It'll be my turn with Nurse Zecora as soon as I make it back home. I'm actually looking forward to that herb rub down… even if I smell all minty afterward."

"Zecora's there, too? Whoisn'tstaying in our home while I'm gone?" Twilight questioned, furrowing her brow. "I just hope they aren't making a mess."

Peter's complexion paled, his blood growing as cold as ice. "It's funny that you mentioned that. There's somepony else staying in the Treebrary. Youmightnot like this." He gulped. That was an understatement if there ever was any. "Um. Well…"

The stallion trailed off, cursing his inability to just ignore the question. Peter had promised himself to be upfront with his wife, but a looming trepidation lingered over his psyche, plaguing the stallion's mind with a fear that rivaled his past few months' worth of nightmares. Onlyhetruly understood how terrifying the dainty pony princess was, especially when it came to thisspecificsubject manner. Granted, very peculiar circumstances led to Peter's old flame residing in the same house while his wife was gone.

This was one of the few times Spider-Mane legitimately feared for his life, and it further solidified the fact that Twilight was his one true weakness. It didn't help that Twilight could quite literally incinerate him to dust with a mere thought. Deep down, Peter knew his wife was the most powerful individual on the planet, even above Princess Celestia. Friendship was the most powerful form of magic in this world.

Considering Twilight was thePrincess of Friendship, it meant she was a demigod by Equestria's standard, and whether it was by luck or divine intervention, Peter shared a bed with her now in holy matrimony. The stallion gulped. All the more reason he had to make certain to keep Twilight happy, out of love and instinctual self-preservation.

Inhaling deeply before sighing, Peter could only prepare for the inevitable blow and braced himself. "Well, you see—!"

As if the heavens moved, Mayday exhaled at the top of her lungs. "I still can't believe this!" The filly held a piece of broken metal in her hooves, its surface burned and damaged beyond recognition. Pursing her lips, Mayday sat between her parents with a pout. "How'd you get the glidercompletelydestroyed?! We reinforced the thing.Twice!"

Peter chuckled. "I know it's a bummer, but the glider saved my butt. Because we reinforced its outer shell, it absorbed a majority of the Goblin's bomb blast. If it had hit me or Sunset Shimmer directly, we'd be deeply roasted ponies right now."

Mayday's demeanor lightened, evident by the filly's softening eyes. She could only let out a defeated sigh before playfully punching her father's shoulder. "I guess I can forgive you this time. If you weren't so beat up, I'd let you have it myself."

Twilight giggled. "I told you that your father is reckless. Now you see how Rarity feels when he gets his costume destroyed."

Mayday gave her father a blank stare. "I'm starting to get it, yeah."

Peter shot Twilight a bemused glare, earning a knowing smile in response. The stallion stifled the urge to laugh with his wife before returning his gaze to the filly. "Look at it this way, Mayday. We still have the schematics of the original model. Since we know what works and what doesn't, we can upgrade the glider to be better than ever."

A gleam glittered in Mayday's large hazel eyes, matched only by the wide smile she bore. "Project Spider-Glider 2.0? We can make some serious adjustments! Tweak the stabilizers and magnify the power source, and the thrusters can reach a punch of Sonic Rainboom proportions!" The filly spread her wings and took flight, only to immediately crash to the grassy turf. Her enthusiasm remained piqued and vibrant as she quickly pulled herself up before trotting towards Canterlot. "I'm gonna work on some new formulas now!"

Peter watched as Mayday raced to the castle, chuckling sheepishly. "She gets that eccentric streak from you… as well as the clumsiness."

Twilight smirked, arching a brow at the stallion. "Since she aims it at her studies usually, I'll gladly take the blame for that, and considering you've been less than graceful lately, maybe we say our daughter's clumsiness comes frombothof us?"

"Since you're the cutest klutz that I know, I'll agree with you. This time," Peter grinned, feeling his heart blossom as the alicorn's cheeks burned to a shade of pink.

After sharing a hint of laughter together, Twilight's eyes widened upon recollecting a thought. "Oh! What was it that you wanted to tell me? Is there somepony else in the Treebrary?"

Peter resisted the urge to curse out loud and damn the fates for giving him false hope, but he bit down on his tongue, not wanting to corrupt his son's innocent ears so soon. Twilight's memory was as acute as ever. Peter only had her booksmarts, organizational skills, and inner librarian to blame. He almost wished that his wife would share his forgetfulness. However, Peter cast the thought to the side, knowing nothing would get done between them if that were to happen.

It was thanks to Twilight's picky nature and stout recollection prowess that everything, including Peter's workshop, stayed organized. Otherwise, it would be like the days of old when everything was cluttered together. The stallion sighed inwardly. He loved that about Twilight in spite of how annoying it could be, and he wouldn't change it for the world. Glancing to the side, Peter grumbled. He was only delaying the inevitable with his internal prattling.

Peter weakly nodded. "Yeah. You see…"

Suddenly, Luna materialized into existence mere hoof-lengths away from the pair in a burst of light. "Peter. It's urgent."

"Oh, thank God!" Peter blurted out, causing Twilight to crane her neck back and blink. Considering that lightning struck twice, he was not going the deny the reprieve this time. The stallion pulled himself to a standing position before carefully approaching the alicorn with a furrowed brow. "What is it, Luna?"

Luna pursed her lips together. "There's an attack in Manehattan. It's one of the sirens. The purple one."

"Aria?" Peter blurted out, frowning. "What's Discord's game? This is the third day straight he's had somepony attack a city."

Twilight shook her head. "Do you think it's his twisted way of spreading chaos?"

Peter shared a glance with Twilight, holding an uncertain gaze. "I don't know. Maybe. If there's anypony thatmightgive me an answer, it's Aria. I'll head out for Manehattan right now before somepony gets hurt."

"Shall I accompany you?" Luna asked, her voice filled with concern.

Peter shook his head. "No, Luna. We've gone over this. Take Twilight and Ben back to the castle. I'll head to Manehattan on my own this time." The stallion glanced to the side and whistled. Ursa raised her head astutely before she stood, waking from her slumber. As the astral bear walked towards the stallion, Peter helped Twilight to her hooves. "I have to go. Hold down the fort for me?"

Twilight forced a smile, leaning forward until the couple shared a brief yet affectionate kiss. "I always do. Just try not to do anything reckless."

Peter grinned, planting a kiss over Ben's forehead before climbing onto the back of Ursa's neck. The stallion shared a glance with Luna, pausing as if contemplating something. With a brief nod, he made up his mind. "Do me a favor and tell Felicia to go on patrol in Ponyville just in case."

Twilight blinked. "Wait. What? Did you sayFelicia?" Like a crumbling wall, the realization struck the alicorn's mind with a mighty crash. "As inBlack Cat?!" Twilight stammered about wildly, shifting her widened gaze about frantically. She stopped in her track, eventually settling a sharp glare on her husband. If looks could kill, Peter would be a dead pony a thousand times over. Oblivious, Ben could only giggle as his mother was on the verge of suffering an aneurism. "Don't tell me thatshe'sin our home somehow!"

The back of his cranium chimed, declaring danger was imminent. Peter held a blank stare. "Really?Nowit works?" He clicked his tongue, prompting Ursa to run off full speed with the stallion in tow before either mare could respond. "Luna-will-tell-you-everything- love-you-bye!" he exclaimed so fast that his words nearly meshed together.

Stunned, Luna watched Ursa and Peter disappear into the horizon in mere seconds. "By the stars… No…" She glanced at Twilight from the corner of her eye, sweating as she felt the younger alicorn's glare pierce through her very core. Ben's laughter strangely resembled the fates mocking her. Luna could only sigh. "Curse you, Peter."





Spider-Mane swung across the city skies of Manehattan on a strand of webbing, allowing the wind to brush across his maskless face. Relinquishing the gossamer, Peter landed on top of a light post and perched himself in place in a squatting position. He watched as ponies rushed out of a dance club, nearly stampeding over each other. Suddenly, a hulking stallion clad in a black shirt, presumably the bouncer, was hurled through the window from the inside of the club and landed outside before joining everypony in their retreat. With a silent nod, Peter hopped from his position and walked inside the building upon landing.

The entire room was empty, devoid of most life, but the techno music continued to play, matching the vibrant colors flashing across the dance floor. Thestrals tore the place apart, knocking over tables or vandalizing anything in reach. All of the armored, winged creatures stopped in their tracks upon spotting the lone stallion walking to the center of the dance floor. They swiftly surrounded Peter from every conceivable angle, yet maintained a safe distance hoof-length away, each bearing their fangs in his direction.

"I think you guys are taking the idea of 'party crashers' too literally," Peter murmured, alternating his gaze between each of the six thestrals.

They offered no response, instead only having glanced out of the corners of their eyes in the same direction simultaneously. Peter followed their line of sight before narrowing his gaze on a violet mare sitting upright on the edge of a table across the room on the end of the dance floor. She lifted her head, returning the stallion's gaze with a disinterested look. In spite of Aria's stoic expression, she could not hide the regret glimmering in her violet irises.

Peter frowned. "What gives, Aria? Teaming up with Discord isn't enough, so you tag along with the Green Goblin, too?"

Aria scoffed, folding her hooves across the chest. "That was Discord's idea. I don't want anything to do with that creep, or any of those other freaks for that matter." She let out an annoyed sigh, shooting a glare at a nearby thestral. "Besides, it's not like it wasmychoice to bring these stupid things here. Adagio wouldn't let me leave alone for one reason or another."

Peter paused, his eyes widening. "Others? Who else did Discord grab? It sounds like there was a bad guy convention, and he went nuts on the invitations."

Aria huffed, lifting her gaze to the ceiling momentarily. "Almost let it slip. Well, whatever." The mare sobered, sighing lightly before leaning forward in her seat. "Look, this isn't personal, Peter. I honestly don't want to fight you, but I will if that's what it takes to help Discord take down Celestia for what she did to my kind."

Peter furrowed a brow, giving the mare a stern glare. "Is that you talking, or Adagio? Because I can tell that your heart isn't in this. Iknowyou're good-hearted deep down. I've seen it in youandSonata. That's why you're my friends."

Aria paused briefly before letting out a soft sigh. "Please just… make this easier for me, yourself, and Sonata. Give up trying to defend the princesses before somebody reallydoesget hurt." The pack of thestrals edged closer to the stallion, pacing like beasts awaiting their master's commands. Aria raised a hoof, frowning. "Last chance, Peter. It doesn't have to go down like this."

Peter shook his head before lowering into a defensive stance. "Sorry, but I don't really know how to give up."

Releasing a harsh scoff, Aria waved her hoof forward. "Whatever. Have it your way."

The flock of thestrals swarmed the stallion, all lunging at once, but Peter slid underneath their bodies, escaping the pile almost instantly. One of the winged ponies caught sight of Spider-Mane's movements before flying towards him at full speed. Peter swayed to the side as the thestral passed and grabbed hold of the back of its collar, stopping its momentum instantly. Faster than anypony could react, Spider-Mane hurled the armor-clad pony overhead with a single hoof into its nearest compatriot, sending the pair of thestrals careening into the club's DJ booth.

Peter flipped overhead, dodging a thestral as it attempted to tackle him from behind. A pair of the attackers lunged at the stallion from both sides while he was still in midair. Spider-Mane countered by using both hooves with an overhead strike and uppercut simultaneously. The two thestrals fell limp from the blows, prompting the third to pounce once Peter landed on his hooves.

Spider-Mane back-flipped in place, cracking the underside of the thestral's jaw with a flash kick. The last remaining thestral saw this opportunity and attacked the stallion while his back was turned. Peter merely raised a hoof horizontally and stepped to the side, causing the armored pony to clothesline itself. The back of its skull cracked against the ground before it yielded to unconsciousness.

Peter brushed the dust from his hooves, staring blankly at his unconscious assailants. "Your chimi doesn't quite match your changa, guys."

Aria snorted, forcing herself to a standing position. "Of course you had to make this hard. I guess I'll just have to bring you down a peg myself."

"Just a peg?" Peter questioned, arching a brow.

The siren shrugged. "It's all I'm required to do." Exhaling, Aria huffed. "You talk too much. You're just as annoying as Sonata."

Peter narrowed his gaze on the siren. "Is that what this is? You guys aren't actually attacking the cities. You're trying to get to me… right?"

Aria held her silence for several moments before scowling, taking a stance. "Just shut up!"

Before the stallion could reply, she hummed a low melody, holding an angelic tune as traces of magic materialized over her body. Pushing her voice, the energy formed into spheres before shooting out towards the stallion. Peter flipped to the side, contorting his body adjacently to narrowly dodge each bolt that neared. Upon landing on his hooves, two final spheres sped towards him, and he swatted the first away, unable to react as the last struck the center of his chest.

Peter was launched across the room, slamming into the wall back-first with enough force to crack the stone surface. The stallion clutched at his side instinctively as something snapped. Aria continued to sing, unleashing a second wave of magical bolts. Peter ignored his pain before kipping up to standing position and leaping behind a table knocked over on its side.

Each beam struck the furniture, causing it to shake violently. One eventually pierced the table, missing Spider-Mane's head by an inch. The stallion rolled onto his back and kicked the table's underside, sending the object sliding across the room at high speed. Aria's eyes widened as the table sped towards her. The siren sang a low melody, generating a small bubble shield around her body, and the wooden object shattered upon colliding into the barrier before it could reach her.

However, Spider-Mane leaped through the dust cloud immediately afterward and delivered a diving kick before the siren could hope to react. The force of the blow sent Aria skidding across the dance floor until the top of her head smashed against a podium with a crack. Disoriented, Aria came to and held a hoof over her aching cranium. However, the moment she glanced up, a wad of webbing shot over her mouth, expanding upon impact.

Peter stood over the siren's prone figure as she muffled a response. "Okay. I think it's time you explain what's going on."

Suddenly, Adagio materialized into existence directly next to the pair in a burst of light before shouting. A shockwave erupted from her mouth, and Peter was launched away, pinwheeling through the air before slamming through a stand. The stallion fell on the back of his shoulders and watched helplessly as Adagio raised a hoof, causing herself, Aria, and all of the thestrals to vanish from sight in a burst of magic. Peter could only dwell on what had transpired, leaving himself to ponder with his thoughts and the techno music.

"Oh, yeah. This isexactlyhow I pictured this week going," Peter groaned, holding a bemused expression.


-u-


Within Tartarus, Discord clapped his paw and talon together. "That was fun! Peter doesn't disappoint, as usual."

The draconequus turned to the side, smiling as a light blue unicorn wearing a black suit of armor approached with electrical currents sparking from his body and a bolt of lightning placed over his flank. Glowing red veins emitted light across his face, and a metallic chip of sorts was imbedded into his temple.

Discord only grinned. "Whinnyapolis is our next target tomorrow. I trust you'll do your part and give your old friend a warm welcome? We're all curious to see how powerful you've grown, Max."

Max scoffed, his voice distorting. "You want to know how powerful I am? So do I. I'm dying to know. They'd better make damn sure that they kill me this time. Because if they don't, I'm gonna kill the lights, so everyone in this world is gonna know how it feels to live in my world. A world without power. A world without mercy. A world without Spider-Man, and everyone will be able to see me for who I truly am."

Discord smiled widely. "And who are you… exactly?"

"Don't you know?" Max finally smiled, trails of electricity whipping about wildly from his body. "I'm Electro."

To be continued...