//------------------------------// // 2. Do You Believe in Magic? // Story: Along Came an Arachne // by Scarheart //------------------------------// Edited byTuxOKC. Rachnera hated running. There was no dignity in running. It was wasted energy that could be better utilized for other things. The Arachne hated all forms of exercise. It lead to sweat and she hated sweat… Well, except for certain instances with a certain Honey. The hole in the wall where the little colt had escaped was far to small for even her human torso to fit. A bookshelf had rotted away, leaning to one side, concealing the road to freedom for the furry, four legged child. Smirking at how quickly her former captive had moved and also a bit miffed at herself for not thinking he would bolt, the Arachne sighed and straightened herself up. “Oh, dear, and I was hoping this might make a nice place to use as a home until I figure out what to do,” she said to herself as she rubbed her shoulders. She spun on her spider legs, still wondering as to how that young pony had eluded her web. The vibrations of his steps would have warned her through her simple yet effective early warning system. Now, there was something about this room Rachnera found interesting. The painting appeared as though it had been done just yesterday, though the frame itself was as worn from time as everything else. Shafts of moonlight bathed the room through the massive window that took up almost the entire wall. Only bits of glass clung to the rotten pane. Most of the shards seemed to have blown outwards, the liminal supposed, as there was little on the floor itself. Of course, it was possible some of it might have been cleaned in the aftermath, but who was to say? How could the family portrait be so perfectly preserved? Rachnera sighed again. It would have to wait and her curiosity would have to be in passing. More pressing matters needed her attention. Namely, she would more than likely have to find somewhere else to work from. Having been discovered, no doubt her slip up in securing her prisoner would result in a swarm of soldier ponies coming her way. A fight was the last thing she wanted. Still, there was something about the little pony she found as odd. Working her way back to the room with the collapsed ceiling, she studied the broken beams and rafters and wondered if they could bear her weight (not that she was fat, mind you). One leg reached out and tapped the wood, pushing down on it. Then another was added. As a precaution, one of the support beams in the wall was tethered to with a quick swipe of the spinnerets. Like any spider, Rachnera used her own webbing as a sort of safety cable, as she was prone to put some distance between herself and the ground. Fortune smiled upon the Arachne as the ceiling did not give. Moving with purpose, the tips of her legs clicked across the wood and stone. Soon she had a vantage point beneath the light of the moon, taking care to not let her silhouette crest the top of the roof. She found some shadow against one of the massive stone chimneys and set herself to observe for any sign of an alarm. For minutes, she waited, watching. Nothing came from the village. Minutes stretched into an eternity and she remained patient. There was no mob of equines carrying pitchforks and torches. How odd. If they were equines like on earth, would they not have some sort of herd mentality? Rachnera scissored her fingers and set her elbows on the roof as she rested her chin on the her knuckles. Her spider torso lay flat with her legs curled forward in case she should need to move fast. Once she figured an hour had passed, the Arachne hummed to herself and squinted her monochromatic eyes at the village. “I need a bath,” she said to herself. Her lovely light lavender hair felt icky and she needed a fresh change of clothes. Her sweater was carrying far too much nature in it. Hunger might also become an issue, but being an Arachne meant she did not need to feed as often as mammals. A wandering thought slipped through her mind. Do the ponies have bathhouses? Of course, such a thing would be wonderful, to relax and get rid of the unwanted stress. Rachnera slowly lifted her gaze to the stars and noted how much different they were than the ones back home. For one thing, they seemed far brighter, the night sky so much darker and inviting. There was very little light pollution to interfere with the glory of the starry sky. Caught in the moment of observing such heavenly beauty, her thoughts went to Kimihto Kurusu. She thought of him and became homesick. Home. She wanted to go home! She didn’t want to be here. Life had been so much simpler when she was competing with the other girls for Honey’s affection. That was fun! There was no helping her situation. Rachnera was going to have to find someone on this world to at least point her in the right direction home. If there was a way here, she reasoned, there had to be a way there. As she thought, she studied the village from her vantage point as the night wore on. Having lived in a heavily populated area filled with steel and concrete was a stark contrast to being surrounded by nature not man-made. This was no public park. This was the living, breathing world untouched by human influence. It was odd, yet also familiar. Equines instead of humans lived in those houses. Would Centorea have been welcomed here? Rachnera was certain the female centaur would have fit in like the perfect blouse. “Now wouldn’t that be a story?” she mused. There was a slight vibration running the length of her silk. Grasping the thread with a hand, she held it to an ear and listened. In half a heartbeat she already knew not only where the would-be stalker was, but had a rough estimate of the size. Her crimson eyes widened in surprise and she turned her human torso around to watch and wait, feeling both amused and bewildered. Pretending to not notice, Rachnera stared off into the distance, fully aware her skittish little friend had returned. Sure enough, a head poked up through the roof. It was the same little colt from before. He froze after peeking out and finding the Arachne near the chimney and ducked back down. Reappearing, there was an odd glow to his horn, which made Rachnera pay attention and wonder. Something else shrouded in the same glow rose up next to the pony. It was a burlap bag. It settled on the roof and with a hoof, the colt pushed it towards the spider woman. Then, he disappeared. This little incident caught the Arachne off guard. Confused, she waited a few moments before moving to pick up the bag. She opened it and peered inside. Imagine her surprise when she found bread, cheese, and fruit. Closer examination found the bread to be a bit dry and the fruit bruised. The cheese looked nice. There was not a lot, but it was something to nibble on. “How sweet!” Rachnera cooed happily, helping herself to the cheese. She nibbled, wondering why the change of heart. Was that magic she had witnessed, or some sort of external show of telekinesis? A few liminals were known to have such abilities, specifically demons. For there to be a visual show of it being used was unheard of, unless it was some sort of over the top ultimate attack, or something just as ridiculous. The inhabitants appeared to have a sense of common decency, even after being tied up. The thread thrummed through her senses. A pair of eyes were staring up at her through the hole again, wide with both fear and wonder. Rachnera turned slightly towards him, wagging the wedge of cheese at him. “Thank you,” she sang. The head disappeared again. She took another bite of cheese, chewed while looking at the hole, swallowed, and went on, “You are a very brave little horse, aren’t you? I can feel your fear through my webs. It’s your heartbeat, it’s beating so fast!” A chuckle filled her throat. She fished up an apple from the bag, examined it while setting the cheese aside. Meat would have been preferable, she sighed. The little head poked back up. The Arachne paused, then offered it to the colt. “I’ve been alone for a few days. I’d like some company, if I haven’t already scarred you for life,” she told him with a wry grin. He hesitated, his blue eyes darting from side to side. Swallowing visibly, he pulled himself up out of the hole and seemed to debate his own sanity. His eyes were saucers, blinking rapidly for a few moments when the breezed picked up for a moment. Then he stared at the apple, then at the six eyes of the monster before him. She beckoned with the apple, otherwise remaining still. Slow, mincing steps drew the colt nearer and nearer. He let out a nervous whinny. A rumbling sound from the area of his stomach. “Was this your dinner you gave me?” Rachnera gave a slight frown and a small shake of her head. “You silly thing, I don’t need to eat as much as you think and I certainly don’t want to be seen as someone who takes from a child.” It was nice to meet someone who reminded her —somewhat—in spirit of her Honey. The colt cocked his head to one side, then the other as she spoke. His own language flowed from his lips, halting and nervous. Then Rachnera felt an odd tingling sensation from the apple in her hand, followed by the same colored aura from the colt’s horn. It was a hue of gold or orange, the Arachne wasn’t sure. Releasing her grip, the fruit moved through the air and in the grasp of the colt’s fetlock. He plopped on his rump and held up his prize with both hooves, smiling and nodding at Rachnera. “How interesting,” she murmured as he bit into his meal. As he ate, her attention went to the moon. Earlier, she had thought it just another moon, a means of lighting her way in the darkness as she navigated the rooftops of the village, after emerging from the trees when she felt it was safe to do so. Now, with her alertness somewhat relaxed, she addressed this oddity. “Why is there a horse in the moon?” Well, a horse’s head, she noted as she tapped her chin with two fingers. The colt paused in mid-chew, his ears perking forward. Rachnera pointed at the moon and shrugged. He said one word, “L’na.” It took a moment to register in her brain. “Yes, it’s the Moon,” Rachnera chuckled and waved him off, “Nevermind. I’m sure it’s nothing important. Just another strange thing in this strange world.” She helped herself to more cheese. “Humans have a Man in the Moon, so I suppose it would make sense for horses to have a Pony in the Moon.” After some silence while the pair ate, the Arachne hummed to herself and again addressed the native, “Where are my manners?” She shifted her massive lower torso, taking care to keep her legs away from the colt. “I never did introduce myself.” He stared at her, his apple half finished and one cheek bulging. “My name is Rachnera Arachnera,” she told him, placing her fingers on her chest. She then prompted him with the same hand and a smiling nod. No teeth, though. Showing my beautiful, sharp teeth might send him off in a state of panic. He mouthed her name and mimed her gestures, his face scrunched in childish thoughtfulness. Pointing a hoof at her, he parroted, “R’ch’ra Ar’ch’ra?” while murdering the pronunciation with glee. He then pointed his hoof at himself (which anatomically should have been impossible) and told her, “R’d’m Sh’m’r.” The vowels had been replaced by whickers, and Rachnera tried not to laugh at the colt. The poor dear was trying. The colt realized this and stood, babbling in his silly horsey language before disappearing back into the house. The vibrations of his hooves on Rachnera’s webbing described a lot of darting and hopping until they found ground where her threads were not. She made a mental note; first floor, room in the east wing. There was still a lot of house to explore. The rest of the cheese disappeared in a few swift bites. She bit into the bread. It was a bit dry, but the flavor was pretty decent...for bread. Meat. Fish. Either would have been preferable, but horses don’t eat meat (save for on rare occasions). Cerea was a salad fiend, to say the least. ‘R’d’m Sh’m’r’ returned yet again. Rachnera gave up trying to pronounce his name as it had tumbled through her thoughts like one of her caffeine trips. Giving him a questioning look, he returned it with a beaming smile. He was wearing what appeared to be saddlebags and they appeared to be full. He spoke, reaching back into his bags and pulling out a worn book. Setting it on the roof, he then turned and reached into the other side, pulling out a roll of papers held together with bits of string.  As an afterthought, he added a small candle that flickered to life the moment he placed it next to the book. Rachnera shook her head and shrugged her shoulders. “I can’t understand you, my dear.” She eyed the candle with a raised brow. I don’t think that’s such a good idea. He opened the book, still speaking. A little hoof turned the pages, pausing as he peered intently on some, while ignoring most of the others. Looking up at the spider monster, he made an apologetic face as his hoof turned in the air as though trying to simplify whatever it was he was explaining. Thumbing (hoofing?) through more pages, he finally found what he was looking for, making a triumphant ‘Here we are!’ in the form of an odd whicker. His horn glowed as he stared at the page. Rachnera felt a tingling in her head, catching her off guard and making her jump. The bread fell from her grasp in her surprise. Her hands went to the sides of her head. There was no pain, but the sensation was so startling and she could only stare at the native, not comprehending. The candle was forgotten. “What are you doing?” she demanded, angered by this intrusion. The glow of the horn faded away and with it, that odd feeling in the center of her head. “What did you do?” “Great-grandmother Shimmer’s translation spell,” the colt told her. “Now you can speak and understand Equestrian. Works on all known species. I thought it would work pretty good with you.” Rachnera’s jaw dropped. “H-how? Spell?” Beneath her skin, she was boiling. “You little idiot!” The colt became afraid. “What?” he asked in a tiny voice. The words were coming out at an accelerating rate, “I couldn’t ask your permission because you couldn’t understand me and your language sounds really pretty and I’veneverheardanythinglikeit!” His tone had shifted to a mollifying one and he had thrown his hooves over his head as if to ward off an incoming blow. She could feel a headache coming on. The child did have a point. Rubbing her temples, she let out a slow, heavy breath and closed her eyes. “All right,” she relented, her fury still in her hissing voice, “I’m fine. I’m just fine!” “Spider Lady, why are your eyes glowing red? They are really, really red!” “You made me angry,” she stated, glowering. His ears went flat against his skull. “I’m...sorry?” Huge, dewey blue eyes stared up at her, pleading. “I didn’t mean to…” A sniffle was heard. Just like that, her anger dissipated. “It’s not fine, but what’s done is done,” she told him, wondering how in the world this was working. Changing the subject, Rachnera asked, “So, where am I? I’m not from around here. Since I can now understand you, you can tell me.” Crossing her arms over her chest she regarded him, still unhappy, but willing to remain cordial. He was now her only lifeline to this place, forsaken or otherwise. He brightened. “This is the village of Shimmerdale! My ancestors established it a really long time ago. I’m Random Shimmer!” “Rachnera Arachnera. Charmed, I’m sure,” she introduced herself again, flicking her fingers in his direction. “In the future, refrain from using...magic on me without first asking. Agreed?” Being a practical girl, Rachnera was forced into a position she was not at all comfortable with; she would have to make due with what life threw at her. “I am new here and what you just did to me normally does not exist where I come from.” “Okay.” He shuffled his hooves beneath him. Random looked up at her. “I’ve never seen a monster like you before. It was really fun when you spun me up in your web! I kept on turning around and around and around and even though I was scared, I knew you wouldn’t hurt me!” She smirked at him, “And why is that?” “It was like a carnival ride in cotton candy!” He paused in thought. “Well, sort of. I tried eating it, but it wasn’t sweet and I couldn’t spit it out because it was sticky and I mean, there was that part where I thought I was gonna die, but you didn’t eat me and let me go, but I was scared the whole time, but in a good way, you know?” “You are a strange chatterbox,” Rachnera observed with a roll of her eyes. “Momma says the same thing,” the colt admitted without shame. “So, in your opinion, Random-chan,” she said, adding sweet to her voice, “If I were to go into your village and show myself to your friends and neighbors, I’ll have a panic on my hands, won’t I?” “Yeah!” he cheered. Sobering after a moment, he pondered aloud, “Though the guards might stick you with their spears. I mean, the top part of you is nice and squishy and warm and really, really nice, but the spider part would make them stabby.” “Gee,” Rachnera deadpanned, “Thanks.” Well, that was as blunt as it gets. “What about the dogs?” “Dogs?” Random clucked his tongue. “Oh! Diamond Dogs! They think we stole their pups. They keep coming to the edge of the forest to try and smell for them. We don’t have them, but they keep saying we do. They also raid us from time to time and we think they’ve got some of our ponies.” “Interesting. I have another question to ask. If you don’t know it, then I would like for you to please tell me who might be able to. Is that all right?” “Um, o-kay?” “I am not from this world. I would like to get back to my world. Who would be able to do this?” Random’s face split into an enormous grin. “Oh, that’s easy! You want to see Princess Celestia! She’s the oldest, wisest, and most beautifulest pony in all the world! She’s the ruler of Equestria and has been a princess for billions of years!” “Billions of years,” Rachnera laughed out loud. “Wait, did you say billions?” “Uh-huh!” he nodded his head vigorously, and with a dead serious expression. So, there was an old nag that ruled this land and supposedly had the wisdom, at least, to be able to point the Arachne in the right direction home. “All right. What would I have to do in order to see her?” She gestured at her spider half. “Not exactly attractive down there in the eyes of many.” “I think you’re pretty,” Random said with a blush. “And you’re very sweet to say so,” Rachnera told him as she reached out and patted him on the head. “But not everyone is as tolerant as you.” “Princess Celestia says that everypoony should be friends. At least, that’s what my sister wrote in the last letter I got from her. She’s the personal student of the princess,” Random went on, “and she always sends me some sweets from Canterlot, too! Her name is Sunset and she’s the bestest sister in the world!” “I see. Is this house your ancestral home?” “Yep! Nightmare Moon burned it down a long time ago because my great-great-great-great,—” he paused, pawing the floor and counting as he did so. “—well, lots of greats, but my way-back grandpa told Nightmare Moon where to stick it when she demanded he take her side against Princess Celestia.” “And you never fixed it up?” Random shook his head. “Momma says we can’t because it was touched by bad magic and that magic never goes away. I can feel it. It’s not bad magic, but it feels sad and lonely. I try to make it feel better. I don’t know if what I do helps, but I like to think it does. I still like to explore it. I like to imagine what it was like to live here sometimes. Can I ask you some questions? I mean, you’ve asked me lots of questions. Fair is fair, right?” Rachnera tittered, covering her mouth out of politeness. “You have a way of making angry feelings melt away, you know that? Very well, you may ask your questions. We have all night, it seems. It’s a bit past your bedtime, don’t you think?” Shrugging his little shoulders, the colt replied, “What Momma doesn’t know, she can’t get mad about, right?” “I think I’m going to like you, Random-chan.” “We’re friends, now! Oh! First question!” He untied the rolled up paper and fished out a pencil from his bags. “What kind of monster are you?” “Arachne. I’m what’s called a liminal. I’m part human-part spider.” There was the sound of scribbling on paper. “What’s a human?” She indicated her top half. “This part of my body is considered humanoid. That is, very much like the body of a full human.” “So,” he drew out slowly as he stared at her breasts, “A hairless monkey?” “Close enough,” she chuckled, not at all bothered at his staring. Some things a girl gets used to, even expects from males. Puberty was a curse for those inflicted with it, and boundless amusement for others who survived the process. “Does that make you a spider monkey?” “In a way, though that is actually a unique species of monkey on my world.” Random made a small ‘o’ with his mouth. “Wow! I’d like to visit your world. What’s it like?” Rachnera shrugged. “Crowded. Lots of cities. Lots of humans. Billions of them, actually.” His eyes went round. Again. It seemed to be an ongoing thing with the colt. “Billions?” he asked in disbelief. “Billions,” she assured him. “Liminals such as myself are a very minor part of the overall population, but we are learning to coexist peacefully with humans. It is necessary for survival.” “Aren’t there any forests or places that don’t have humans in them?” “Of course! There’s still a lot about my world that I don’t know about or understand,” she admitted. “Oh!” Random stood up and peered over the roof at the village. “You should meet Momma.” “Would that be a good idea? Remember, spider parts,” Rachnera reminded him, booping the colt on the snout with a finger. “She’s educated,” he assured the Arachne with a toothy grin. “It might take a minute, but she’ll come around when you convince her you’re not going to web up the whole town and eat everypony. You wouldn’t do that, because we’re friends now and friends don’t web other friend’s friends and eat them.” She took a moment to digest that mess of logic. “You’ve got me there,” she said, putting her hands up in mock surrender. “I am curious as to what is going on around here. Since I’m new around here, what’s to keep the troubles going on here from being dropped on my shoulders?” Random pondered this for a moment, his hoof tapping his chin. “Maybe..,” he began, his little face scrunching as he thought, “maybe if I told Momma you are lost and want to earn her trust? Maybe? I don’t know.” Suddenly, they were bathed in brilliant, blinding light. “HALT IN THE NAME OF PRINCESS CELESTIA!” bellowed a voice from above. “I’m not exactly moving!” shouted Rachnera as she threw up an arm to block the light from her eyes. “RANDOM RHUBARB SHIMMER, JUST WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING OUT HERE AT THIS HOUR AND WITH THIS…THING?” Random gave a sheepish smile to the light. “Um, hi, Momma? Am I grounded? I’m grounded.” To Rachnera, he whispered loudly, “I’m sooo grounded.”