//------------------------------// // Not a Hero // Story: MLPU: Spider-Mare: Cat's Claws // by TheInvincibleIronBrony //------------------------------// Diamond Tiara watched from a nearby balcony as the thuggish stallion entered what looked like an abandoned warehouse. She'd followed him at least a dozen blocks from her home and she was starting to lose her strength. It had become more and more difficult to follow her quarry, but years of conditioning had paid off. "Don't think this is what daddy meant for me to do when he sent me to gymnastics, but it's a handy skill," she told herself as she used a light post to swing onto the top of the building, landing with a dull thud. "What was that?" a panicked voice asked from below. Diamond found a rusty hole in the roof and peered into the building. A small group of stallions, five total, were meeting in the warehouse, each one armed with a gun. They were all alert and had their eyes on the ceiling where she'd landed. Gotta work on my subtlety, Diamond thought, not liking the idea of being bullet ridden. "Forget about it," the stallion Diamond recognized told the others. "We're done here anyway. Just see what you can find out about that suit. It needs to be found or Mr. Fiscal's shipment won't get sent. Understood?" he explained. The other stallion's nodded. "Alright then meeting adjourned," he told them. "Can't let them leave," Diamond said as she kicked the roof, making a much louder noise. The stallion's looked to the ceiling again. "Okay somepony is up there!" One shouted as he pointed his gun at the roof and started shooting. Diamond jumped out of the way and landed on a rusty part of the roof. The weak metal gave way beneath her and she found herself hurtling towards the floor of the warehouse. She flung the whip at the rafters and found herself swinging a little lower before the line pulled free over a shipping crate. Diamond landed on the container with a grunt and just barely avoided rolling off of the edge. Before she had time to recover she heard shouting heading in her direction. "They fell over here, come on," one stallion shouted. Diamond stayed still where she was and waited. She heard footsteps on the ground below her as the stallions passed by. Once they'd passed her she peeked over the edge if the container and saw one stallion head in a different direction than the others. She quietly slid off of the container and followed the stallion, staying in the shadows. Once she felt they were a good distance from the others, Diamond pounced on the unsuspecting thug, kicking and punching the surprised stallion. "Ah! What the hell?!" he shouted, trying to dislodge the aggressive mare. "Get the hell off me you crazy- AHH!" the stallion yelped as Diamond punched him in the back. She made to hit him again when another hand grabbed hers. "Well look at this? We got ourselves a superhero," the stallion that had snuck up on Diamond said, pulling her off of his comrade. The rest of the thugs soon joined them and two of them grabbed her and pinned her on her back to the ground. The stallion Diamond had attacked, pulled a knife out if his jacket and walked up to her. "You're gonna regret hittin’ me from behind," he said as he brought the knife closer. Diamond started struggling, a look of fear in her eyes. When the knife was only an inch from her face the group heard the sound of sirens outside. "Cops. We need to bounce," one thug said. "You got lucky little filly. Next time don't be a hero," the knife wielder said as the group started to turn. Diamond heard a dull thud behind her and the stallion's turned their up heads in shock. "So what did the gangster say when he met Spider-Mare the first time?" a voice called mockingly. Diamond turned and her eyes went wide as well. "It's Spider-Mare!" one thug shouted in shock only to have his mouth webbed shut. "Guess you heard that one," the costumed mare said as she jumped into the middle of the group. She grabbed one stallion by the leg and tossed him into one of his buddies. "How about this one. How many thugs does it take to squish a spider?" she asked as she tripped another thug and webbed the last one to a shipping container. "I'll let you know when one actually does," she finished, the knife wielder got up and attacked from behind. "Look out!" Diamond shouted, having watched most of the spectacle in shock. Spider-Mare readily dodged the knife and kicked a at the stallion's jaw, knocking him out. The wall crawler surveyed her work before turning to Diamond. "Well they're already for the cops. You need anything else?" she asked. Diamond gave the mare a questioning look before she spotted the stallion that had spoken to her dad lying unconscious under one of his friends. "No I'm fine," she assured as she got up brushing the dust and dirt from her costume as walked past the hero. "I'll just take this and go," she said as she started dragging the stallion away. She was surprised when she couldn't budge the criminal. She turned to see if he was caught on something only to find Spider-Mare holding a leg. "Ya know, I've only been a super hero for a little while myself, but I don't think this is something we do," Spider-Mare said, tilting her head in confusion. Diamond sighed in frustration. "Well I'm not a superhero. So let go," she demanded, growing annoyed. The costumed hero shook her head. "I can't. Its kinda my job to make sure he goes to jail," she said, a note of disappointment in her voice. "I can't let you kill him," she finished. Diamond's eyes went wide. "I'm not gonna kill him," she defended, angrily. "I'm just gonna ask him politely to tell me where his boss is," she explained. "And if he doesn't tell you?" Spider-Mare asked sternly. Diamond rolled her eyes. "Look this guy threatened my family. I'm gonna make sure he never does that again," she asserted. Spider-Mare shook her head again. "Then tell the cops," she suggested. Diamond growled in annoyance. "I can't. You don't get it. I'm just trying to protect my dad. What's wrong with that?" she asked angrily. "Does he know you're out here?" Spider-Mare asked, making Diamond cringe. "No," the pink mare admitted. "But he still needs to be protected and you're too busy going after muggers to bother taking on any organized crime," she accused. Spider-Mare seemed shocked at this. Just then they heard hoof steps rushing toward them. "Cops," Spider-Mare said, yanking the stallion from Diamond's grasp and grabbing her by the arm. Diamond felt her feet leave the ground as Spider-Mare carried her while swinging to the ceiling. The superhero latched onto the roof near the hole Diamond had made earlier and crawled through it still holding her passenger. Diamond had been too shocked by the actions to protest, but she quickly came to her senses. "Hey! I needed that guy!" she shouted. Spider-Mare didn't seem to hear her. "Just leave this stuff to superheroes," she replied, distractedly before jumping off of the roof and swinging away. Diamond watched her leave before looking back through the hole to see the cops already cuffing the thugs. She sighed angrily as she too jumped from the roof and started making her way home. //////////////////////// Scootaloo crawled in her window an hour later and flopped onto her bed, the words of the mare she saved ringing in her ears. "She's right. I need to cut off the head of the snake," she told herself as she pulled off her costume, her eyelids drooping.