//------------------------------// // Episode 13 - Another New World... // Story: The Adventures of Spider-Man Season 1 // by KrisstheScot //------------------------------// Episode 13 - Another New World… For the first time in weeks, it was a proper relaxation day for Twilight and her friends. After all the repair jobs the girls had to be responsible for, they were owed some down time to just do whatever they wanted. It wasn’t just them however, as Peter and Grace had been invited to join them. The map room was particularly packed today because of the extra guests, not that anyone noticed. Peter and Twilight were invested in some books, both being magic related. What had caught everyone’s attention was Peter even trying his hand at magic, despite no prior signs of him showing any aptitude. Perhaps he was just interested in its history? Or did he have something up his sleeve? Dash was taking a regularly unscheduled nap on her throne, while Applejack was checking over some paperwork. Business on the farm kept her quite busy outside of the usual labour. And as Peter had discovered, she was an incredibly savvy business owner. Fluttershy and Pinkie were giving Grace plenty of attention, the wolf pups coos filling up the room, giving a sense of ambience. Lastly, Rarity was sketching out designs, though making sure that no one could see her work. She had gotten rather secretive about her work recently, though the other girls figured it was some big surprise for the gala. Between their relaxation time, the girls were also helping Twilight with some deliveries from Canterlot. The courier had been making drop offs into the castle all day long, a small stack of packages and books building up. The group would do something about it, but they were a little too comfy at the moment to do so. Until one of the books started to glow and vibrate. This instantly caught Twilight's attention, and she took it with her violet aura. Scrawling through the pages, she was shocked at the message that appeared. “It’s a message from Sunset Shimmer. There’s something going on at Canterlot High! And what she’s describing can’t be good. Looks like I’ll have to journey back to that other world.”  The very mention of this caught Peter's attention.  “Other world? Could it possibly be… No, the odds of that are incalculable. There’s no way that boom tube dumped me in the dimension next door. Could it?”  Chiming in, he began to think of a way to get involved in the conversation.  “So, what did she say was the problem? Maybe I can come with you and help out.” Even though there was an ulterior motive behind his offer of help, none of the girls had figured it that way. So Twilight, unknowing of this, answered.  “From the description she gave, it sounds like The Sirens have finally resurfaced after a thousand years. They were an incredible threat in the early days of Equestria, but were dealt with by Starswirl the Bearded. I’m not sure why it’s taken them so long, and why they’ve targeted Canterlot High, but if left unchecked they might become even more dangerous.” A name that Peter recognised from his bout of studying the other day. Starswirl, or Gandalf as Peter had called him in private, seemed to be some kind of legendary sorcerer that pioneered early studies of magic. He was also one of the six “Pillars of Equestria”, a team of skilled individuals that protected the kingdom from major threats.  “Totally a superhero team.”  While lost in thought, Peter hadn't noticed the girls leaving the throne room. It didn’t take long to catch up with them, but a certain object caught Peter's attention as he entered the new room. A rather ornate mirror stood front and centre. It seemed to be the focal point of attention, as Twilight paced back and forth in front of it. “I have to figure out a way to get back and help my friends. Trouble is, the portal won’t open for some time. Another twenty-five moons from my estimate.”  A weird measurement of time, but still simple for Peter to figure out.  “A moon? She must mean a full moon. So twenty-five moons is… Two years?! I can’t wait that long!”  However, Twilight didn’t seem to be the least bit concerned about it. She clearly had a plan. Or seemed to have one at least. But then, surprisingly, it was Pinkie Pie that made a suggestion.  “Hey Twilight, shouldn’t there still be some way to open the portal if there’s a connection between your journal and Sunset’s?” A spark went off inside Twilight's mind as the realisation hit her full force.  “Pinkie, that's an incredible idea!” While Pinkie basked in her moment of triumph, Twilight was already teleporting in and out of the room, each time returning with a new piece of equipment and fitting it around the mirror. Soon, she seemed to be finished with her invention.  “I might have figured out the solution. Pinkie is right. The magic from the journal can create a tether to the portal, thereby reopening the link. I basically made a key for an inter dimensional door.”  The girls were in awe of Twilight's achievement, while Peter was somewhat impressed.  “So she actually managed to cheat the rules of dimensional travel? Not bad.” With another wave of her hand, Twilight summoned the journal and set it on a pedestal atop the mirror, its magic beginning to spiral down and enter the glassy surface. Suddenly, the reflective mirror pulsated, its surface becoming more liquid and crackling with energy. Finally, it transformed into a vortex, leading into parts unknown. The other girls seemed ready to go, but Twilight stopped them before they could proceed. “Sorry girls, I have to leave you behind again. We can’t have two of you all roaming around Canterlot High. Since Spike and Peter have no duplicates, they’ll come along and keep me safe. I’m sure of it.” There it was, the confirmation that Peter needed, the opportunity to explore this other world.  “If this portal somehow leads back home…”  It wasn’t long before Twilight had hugged the other girls goodbye, all while Peter couldn’t remove his focus from the mirror. That was until he felt a tugging on his shirt. Looking back, he saw Fluttershy with her hands behind her back, looking incredibly bashful. And admittedly, rather beautiful. “Um, I just wanted to tell you to stay safe. And please, look after Twilight. She can be… off focus sometimes. She’ll need your help against the Sirens.”  Despite all the anguish Peter had been through, it was the new friends he had made that had eased the pain. Especially Fluttershy. Somehow, being in her presence was almost… soothing. He couldn’t explain it, but she had something about her. What he didn’t expect was the hug that she instantly sprang on him. It was warm, inviting… comforting. And it was the first time anyone had made him feel this way. Pinkie's hugs were a little too tight, but Fluttershy’s felt so perfect. It actually took a few moments for Peter to accept and return the hug.  “I’ll keep her safe. I promise. We’ll be back soon.”  As they broke the hug, Fluttershy stepped back to rejoin her friends as they saw off the three adventurers, all of them lining up at the portal with Twilight taking the lead.  “Ready boys?!” Spike began to limber up his legs.  “Ready! How about you, Peter?”  For the first time in almost a month, Peter had never been more determined than he felt now.  “Oh yeah! I’m ready!”  Leading the way, Twilight ran into the portal, followed closely by Spike. A little hesitant to throw himself headlong into yet another dimensional doorway, it took a few moments for Peter to bring up the rear. Deciding to just go for it and hope for the best, he pushed off the ground, practically jumping straight into the portal.  Then the world turned dark. *** CANTERLOT HIGH A low buzzing filled Peter’s ears. But it wasn't his Spider-Sense. It was almost like all his other senses were disorientated and were trying to reboot. His eyesight was blurry, but slowly coming back into focus. Looking around, he tried to spot Twilight or Spike, or anyone that might be able to help him. He then heard a new voice calling out to him.  “Hey, you ok? First time through can be rough. Here, give me your hand.”  With his limited vision, Peter could almost make out a yellow and red haze, and what could possibly be a hand. Reaching out, the mystery hand grabbed hold and pulled him back up. As he got to his feet, his vision finally returned, allowing him to see who was kind enough to help him up. “You ok? At least you can stand on your feet. I take it you're a friend of Twilight’s? I’m Sunset. She might have mentioned me.”   It was starting to come back from the story Twilight had told him of her first time here, and the girl she had to recover her magical crown from. The first thing that instantly caught Peter’s attention was Sunset’s skin, given that it was yellow. And she wasn't the only one. Twilight had mentioned that there were other versions of her friends here, and that appeared to be the case. Except they all looked incredibly different, just like Sunset did. All of them had different coloured skin, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash had no wings, and Applejack appeared a tad skinnier than her Equestrian self. In fact, there was little physical distinction between them all. This change had also affected Twilight, with her skin being changed and her wings removed. Peter then suddenly remembered Spike.  “Hey, where did Spike go? He was with you, wasn’t he?” “Don’t worry Pete, I’m down here!” Looking down to the source of the voice, Peter was stunned to see what looked to be… A dog.  “Is that… Spike?!”  It couldn't have been. How could a humanoid dragon be turned into a dog while Twilight became just a stripped down human? Then an idea struck. Had he been changed too? Looking at his hands, Peter noticed that his skin seemed paler than usual. But as far as he could tell, everything else felt fine. Except for a weird sensation at the small end of his back. Reaching down, he was horrified to feel something… furry.  “What the fuck is this?!” Panicking, he looked back to see what could only be described as a tail. It was rather simple in appearance, but was nonetheless incredibly frightening to have. “Why in God's name do I have a tail?! Twilight loses limbs and I get an extra one. Why do I even… wait. It’s right where my birthmark should be. Why do I get the feeling it’s not a birthmark? Did I… used to have a tail?”  Despite having so many questions about this new appendage, Peter was also aware just how much it stood out. He quickly attempted to stuff the tail inside his clothing, but was largely unsuccessful. In the middle of the attempt to hide it, the tail took on a mind of its own, wrapping around his waist in a comfortable fashion.  “Well I guess that’ll do. For now. I hope no one saw that.” Unfortunately, someone did notice. Ironically, it was the only other individual with a tail. That being Spike, who was struggling to understand what he had seen. But before he could start asking questions, a glare from Peter was enough to stop him. A glare filled with anger, giving Spike pause. So he resigned himself to being silent. As the girls surrounded Peter to make sure he was ok, he hastily tried to blurt out questions.  “I need to get in contact with the Justice League!” A confused silence was all that could be heard. All of the girls had no clue as to what Peter was referencing, and he could tell.  “What about the Avengers?” “Is that some kind of band? Is that your band name?!”  That was all the other Rainbow Dash could inquire. But it was the final nail in the coffin for any hope Peter had left. All he could feel now… was anger. *** Adagio felt incredible. For the first time in centuries, she felt like herself. And she wasn't the only one. Aria and Sonata seemed revitalised and energetic, though still impossible to deal with.  “Well ladies, it looks like my plan is going swimmingly. I can practically TASTE the ambient magic here. Whatever happened at this school all those months ago left a massive footprint. Now we just have to find the source and get who or whatever it may be to have a little… conflict with the locals.”  A loud crunch stopped Adagio’s monologuing in its tracks. Sonata was busy munching on a pair of tacos from the school canteen.  “What? I wanted lunch.” “Seriously, Sonata? We just had a meal. The biggest one we’ve had in forever.” Aria replied in her rather dull, depressed tone, as if she had gotten sick of this routine long ago.  Adagio did her best to ignore their bickering, as she tended to do. Until her gem began to pulse red rather fiercely, as did the gems of Aria and Sonata. While they were confused about just what this meant, Adagio had an idea.  “Ladies, it seems that we have another addition to the menu. Whatever our gems just picked up, it's a much more suitable meal than any amount of Equestrian magic. It feels like a banquet! I think we have a new target.” *** Twilight and the girls had been spending a little while catching up, however this left Peter too contained in his own thoughts. And even he couldn't deny he was feeling more and more angry as the day was progressing. The realisation that he hadn't gotten home had been sitting in his mind, making the trip feel all but pointless. While the girls were talking away about how best to deal with the Sirens, all Peter could hear was white noise. There were parts of the conversation that he decided to pick up on, but for the most part he had dialed out a while ago.  “I can’t believe this. I mean, maybe I was being overzealous. But I had to try, right? Now I’m in the middle of all this… I DON'T WANT TO BE HERE!” “Peter?” Snapping back to reality, Peter noticed that all the girls were staring at him. And he felt why. The glass that contained his milkshake had shattered in his grip, drawing the attention of almost everyone in the cafe. Some of the shards of glass had attempted to embed themselves into Peter's skin, but met complete resistance. But now he was covered in milkshake, and feeling rather embarrassed about it. “Here. You might need this.”  Fluttershy offered up a nearby handkerchief with the same warmth her Equestrian counterpart would have. It was a little unnerving. Not just with her, but all of them. Each of the girls acted the same, sounded the same, and were pretty much the same as the girls Peter had gotten to know for almost a month. But they weren't the same. They were younger. They didn't have the same special abilities. It wasn't the same. And that only made him more angry.   *** CANTERLOT HIGH GYMNASIUM  The air was tense in the gym, that was for sure. Peter could feel it, almost like electricity, despite trying to distract himself with some snacks and juice. Whatever the Sirens had done, it had turned the entire school against each other. He even began to wonder if a fight would break out. And part of him even wanted one to-  “Hold on a second, Parker! Keep it together. Even if this isn't your world, you still gotta help out. Plus, I’m pretty sure I’d hurt every single one of these kids if I went loose. I gotta calm down.” Looking around, Peter tried to hone in on who the Sirens could be, but his Spider-Sense was picking up nothing except the tension of the students. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Twilight getting rather close to one of the male students.  “Must be that guy they mentioned back at the Cafe. What’s his name? Flash Gordon?”  Amongst all the death stares, the gym doors opened, breaking the tension. In entered three girls, who’s mere presence alerted Peter’s Spider-Sense quite fiercely.  “So, those are the Sirens. Might as well make this quick.” Setting his drink down, Peter locked onto the Sirens and began to make his way towards them. No one stood in his way, all the rage he could muster coming to the surface. If he could deal with them fast enough, he could be done with this place. And deep down, his blood boiled for a fight.  “So, you ladies are the legendary threats? Lets see what you GOT!”  A hand reached out to grab Peter’s own, turning his focus away from the Sirens. It turned out to be Twilight that had made the brave move.  “Don’t worry Peter, I have a plan.” “Care to involve me on what this plan is?” Peter couldn't recall anything being mentioned back at the cafe, so he was feeling a little in the dark. But Twilight failed to give any sensible answer.  “The girls and I have it under control. This will all be over shortly.”  Letting go of Peter’s hand, Twilight ventured over to where the other girls were standing. To his shock, all six girls confronted the Sirens by standing in formation and joining hands, ending on what could only be described as the worst possible scenario as Twilight cried out- “FRIENDSHIP IS MAGIC!” If something was supposed to happen, it never came. Just pure silence followed whatever the girls had attempted to do, leaving Twilight horrified.  “I don’t understand. We’re all together again. Why isn't this working? I thought this would work!” *** Sitting on the steps of the school, the girls were trying to figure out what had just happened, and how big of a mess they had gotten themselves into. Peter on the other hand was busy pacing back and forth, staring at the school with rage in his eyes. Almost like he was waiting for someone to come out. Twilight couldn't help but take notice of this, and chose to confront him.  “Peter, you need to calm down. We’ll think of another plan.” “We already tried your way. As soon as the Sirens show their faces, I’ll put them in the ground. You don’t get to decide how we deal with them now. You had your chance!”  The anger in his voice was raw, and a little off putting. The other girls were unsure of what to say, or if they could say anything at all. Yet Twilight still had the courage to speak up, despite Peter’s declining attitude.  “We didn't come here to kill them. We will find a way to access our Equestrian magic and depower them. I thought you were better than that! How could such a kind soul want to kill another living being?” “Because I CAN! And now, I’ll have to because of your failure!”  If there was one word that could always break Twilight’s confidence, it was failure. The very concept had always terrified her, and even she had to admit to herself that it could possibly have happened today. Any confidence she had before was shaken, and it was from the most unlikely source. She had always expected to hear it from her friends, or her mentor. But hearing it from Peter… I t scared her. “I’m sorry Peter… I just-” “Just what?! Went into hostile territory relying on blind faith?! Thinking that magic would be the solution when you can’t even control it here?! You’re supposed to be a princess, a leader. Yet you just gave the game away, and now the enemy knows we’re onto them. YOU caused that!”  The vitriol in Peter’s tone was terrifying, and Twilight swore she could hear a second voice behind the slander. The other girls didn't dare approach or intervene, the dual tone audible to them too, like hearing a demon. And all they could do was listen to Peter vent. “God, I just wanted to go home.” Somewhere in her horrified state, Twilight couldn't help but question this comment. “But Peter, home is back in Equestri-” “NO IT ISN'T! I’m not from your world! Not Equestria, not anywhere on your planet. I’m not FROM your planet.”  The final piece fell into place. Everything that had happened the past month now made sense. Peter’s exceptional strength, speed and healing abilities could only be found in a select few individuals in Equestria. And he qualified for none of them. But now, with this revelation, it all added up.  “So… you’re… you’re an alien?!” “YES! Yes I am! Finally! Weeks of keeping it all a secret. I feel like I can finally breathe. You have NO idea how much of a struggle it’s been, having to try and keep up the facade. Doing my best to help out, be civil, even risking it all just to have a bit of freedom. And I couldn't even have that feeling thanks to Rainbow Dash!”  Off to the side, a horrified Rainbow Dash wondered as to what her other self had done to piss this guy off, all the while Peter turned more and more feral. “All that time, and I had to pretend. All I could do was just stand there… AND SMILE!”  Before things could turn ugly, a red and blue streak crashed into Peter, knocking him back into the wall of the school, cracking its surface. Not that it phased him at all. If anything, it just made him even more angry, and he was ready to tear into whoever was dumb enough to- And then he saw who it was. It was almost like looking in a mirror. Almost. The suit was definitely cheap, made on a budget. The web shooters were clunky and nowhere near compact. The overall look was amateurish. But there was no mistake. It was Spider-Man.