//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 // Story: The Superific Spider-Mare // by Rabuiods //------------------------------// Pinkie was awake early the next morning. She had a difficult time sleeping, mostly from the excitement of gaining super powers. After reading everything she could about spiders, she felt that only one thing was missing. I wish I had webs! That would be so superific! I could swing around and tie things up! “Pinkie, can you come down here please?” The pink pony rushed downstairs. “What’s up Mrs. Cake?” “We’re out of flour; can you run down to the basement and grab a sack?” “Oki Doki Loki!” The super powered pony could not keep her mind off webs as she emerged from the cellar moments later. Maybe I could make my own webs! I’ve never been good at chemistry though…oh well. Maybe there is another way… “PINKIE!” Mr. Cake’s angry tone startled the mare, causing her to drop the bag of flour on the floor. He appeared in the kitchen holding a piece of taffy. “What have I told you about leaving your sweets where Pound and Pumpkin can get them? Most candy, especially taffy can be very dangerous to foals.” Pinkies eyes lit up, hearing the word taffy. That’s it! Taffy! I’m sure I can melt the taffy and use it for webbing! I’ll be like a real spider after all! While Mr. Cake continued speech, Pinkie nodded attentively. She was too busy thinking about webs to pay attention to him. Maybe I can add some bubble gum too, just to give it a little extra stickiness! “So, do we have a deal?” Pinkie nodded, so the satisfied stallion walked away. Great…what did I just agree too? Oh well, I’m sure I’ll find out eventually… *** After a few minutes on the stove, Pinkie’s candy concoction was done. She was ready to test it, but there was another issue. Great, now I have this super duper webbing, but how am I supposed to use it? Throwing it seems silly. She thought about modifying her party cannon, but decided against it. She started looking around the kitchen, to see if there was anything she could use. Watching Mrs. Cake decorate a fresh batch of cupcakes, she had an idea. Maybe a pastry bag will work! Walking over to the supply drawer, the pink pony placed an extra pastry bag on her forehoof. Aw nutmeg, this won’t work, I need two hooves to operate one bag. Maybe I could use a few of Mr. Cakes watches or something. Wait! Or SOMETHING! Pinkie ran upstairs to her bedroom and dove under her bed. She emerged seconds later, a box marked PINKIE’S PRANKS clenched in her hooves. Ripping the lip off, she began to dig feverishly for a particular item. Let’s see…Whoopee cushion? No…Dribble glass? No…AH HA! The giddy mare found what she was looking for, two hoofshake buzzers. She took them to the cellar, where Mr. Cake kept an assortment of tools, primarily used for fixing the small appliances used in the bakery. Having built her party cannon, she figured that two small devices for her hooves wouldn’t be too hard to create. Just need to put this thingy on the doohickey, then attached the watchamacallit and…DONE! The super pony was finally finished with her hoof mounted projectile weapon, or “web shooters” as she liked to call them. Eager to give her new toys a spin, she looked around the room for targets. Her first challenge was the open window. She raised her hooves to the target in front of her, took aim, and fired. *Zip* *Smack* Two pink strands of taffy and gum shot from her hooves and attached to the window. With a gentle tug, the panes shut with a small click. Pinkie was overjoyed! OH…MY…GOSH! THEY WORK! WHAT ELSE CAN I SHOOT?! The mare with the sticky hooves found her next target. It was in the form of a toothless alligator. “Alright Gummy…come to mommy!” Once again, she easily pulled the webbing after it hit her target. Her pet sailed across the room and into her outstretched front legs. “Mommy is sorry she disturbed you! Now you be a good gator and go back to your nap!” Pinkie jumped to the ceiling, looking down at her room. Before she could find a new target, she heard a knock on her door. “Pinkie, it’s Twilight, I wanted to check on you!” Out of fear of being discovered, the pink pony shot webbing at her door, preventing anypony from coming in. “Hi Twilight! I’m doing great, my headache went away and I feel super!” “That’s great to hear! The girls and I are going out to lunch, would you like to come?” Looking at her web shooters, the mare politely declined. She wanted more time to practice her new skills. The unicorn in the hallway was confused, it wasn’t like Pinkie to decline an invitation. “Are you sure you are feeling ok? What are you doing in there?” “I’m…” All Pinkie could do was look at her hooves, firmly planted on the ceiling. “…just hanging out.” The door knob started to turn, but Pinkie’s webbing was a lot stronger than she thought. The door wouldn’t move, let alone open. “Why is your door locked, Pinkie?” “It’s not locked. My door is weird…sometimes it sticks.” “Oh…well, if you aren’t busy later you should stop by the library. The girls may come over after lunch” “That sounds fun! If I have a few minutes, I’ll swing by.” As Twilight’s hoofsteps faded, Pinkie eased herself back to the floor. While hanging upside down with assistance from a strand of webbing, she suspended herself right above her pet gator. “Boy Gummy, good thing Twilight didn’t come in. We narrowly avoided a sticky situation.” *** Pinkie was thrilled when nightfall arrived. The pink pony wanted to see what her new powers could do outside of the confines of her room. Wait! I can’t go out like this! I need a disguise! She opened her closet, looking for an article of clothing big enough to cover her body. At the very end of the rack, a dusty trench coat caught the mare’s eye. That would be perfect! Nopony can see my cutie mark through this thing! Now what should I do about my mane? The creative pony cut holes in a small paper bag and placed it on her head. Nopony is going to recognize me dressed like this! I just need one more thing… Adding a pair of novelty glasses to her costume, the bubbly mare could hardly contain herself. She climbed onto the roof of the bakery, looking over the place she called home. Wow, everything looks so nice up here! No wonder why Rainbow Dash flies all the time. Holding her left hoof out, Pinkie shot a string of webbing toward a sturdy tree branch. After making sure the substance was properly fastened, the brave pony jumped off the building. Web swinging is so super terrific, I never want to stop! Moments later, the webbing had lost its momentum, which meant the pony was just hanging from the tree. A mother and a colt walked by, taking a moment to look at the pony hanging from a pink rope. “Mommy, what is that pony doing in the tree?” The mother wasn’t sure, so she asked Pinkie. “I’m...checking the durability of these tree branches.” The mother asked why she would do such a thing. “How would you like it if a loose branch fell on your son when was walking home from school? NOPONY TAKES MY JOB SERIOUSLY!” The worried mother told her son to keep walking as they quickly moved away from the pony in the tree. When they were out of sight, suspend pony let out a sigh of relief. Phew, good thing I’m wearing my costume, otherwise that could have been horrible. Ready to give web swinging another try, she jumped off the roof of the bakery. As she fell toward the ground, her right web shooter was directed toward the same branch she was attached to a few minutes prior. MY WEB SHOOTER ISN’T WORKING! OH NUTS… Before she could do anything about it, Pinkie crashed through the stand that sold cherries. Oh man, this sure is the pits. I really hope I get the hang of web swinging. After a few more failed attempts, the ecstatic mare finally learned the proper way to web swing. Leaving the city limits, she began to travel the Ponyville countryside from the air, which was a whole new experience for the earthpony. Everything looks so pretty from up here! Hey, what are Applejack and Big Mac doing up so late? Landing quietly in a nearby tree, Pinkie could see that her friends weren’t up late. The lights belonged to two stallions she didn’t recognize. “Hurry it up will ya? I want to get these apples back to Fillydelphia before they spoil!” “Why are we doing this again?” “I already told you, we can make a huge profit by selling these apples back in Filly.” *Gasp* these ponys are stealing Applejack’s hard work! I wish somepony could stop them. At that moment, Pinkie looked at her hooves. Realizing she was the pony that could stop them, the mare swung to the tree the thieves were picking from. Quietly, she suspended herself behind the ponies, waiting for the right moment to strike. “And what do you think you two are doing?” The startled stallion hastily turned around. “What the…who are you?” “My name is Pin-“ The pink pony stopped herself mind sentence. She almost revealed her secret identity, which would only mean terrible things in the future. “My name isn’t important. What’s important is you two are stealing fruit from the hardworking ponies that live here…and I hate ponies that steal.” The thieves laughed as the costumed pony dropped to the ground. “You think some freak in a pair of funny glasses is going to stop us? Just try it!” One of the stallions charged at Pinkie, pulling a hoof back. A moment before impact, she felt her Pinkie sense kick in. She watched the attacking hoof slow to a crawl giving her time to avoid getting punched. That’s weird, my Pinkie Sense has never done that before! It must have changed because of the spider bite!” After the danger passed, things returned to normal speed. The assaulting stallion was dumbfounded, he couldn’t believe that Pinkie avoided his attack so easily. “My turn” she cried, delivering a punch of her own. The pony sailed backwards, stopping after hitting a tree. His partner threw an empty apple basket toward the hero and ran away, hoping to avoid the same fate as his friend. Easily dodging the basket, Pinkie grabbed it with assistance of her webs. Using her weapons like a sling, she launched the basket towards the escaping pony. “A tisket, a tasket, I think you dropped your basket!” The basket connected with the second thief, knocking him to the ground. With the help of her super strength, she picked up the stallions and placed them against the trunk of a nearby tree. To prevent them from escaping, she stuck them to a tree. “There! That ought to hold you until the police arrive, hopefully they have scissors…or a big appetite.” In the distance, Pinkie heard her friend in the distance. She climbed into a nearby tree, eager to see what Applejack thought of her handiwork. “I FOUND ‘EM BIG MAC! I told ya we had apple rustlers! Huh, it looks like somepony took care of them for us already. Too bad, I was looking forward introducing em’ to Bucky McGillicuddy and Kicks McGee.” “Eeyup.” The orange earthpony asked one of the raiders why they were stuck to a tree.” “Some crazy pony put us here! She wore a bag and glasses on her head and shot pink stuff from her hooves.” “Right…where’s this crazy lookin’ pony now?” The robbers didn’t have a chance to give the country pony directions. Applejack turned around, just in time to see the mysterious pony in question jump from a tree. She moved quickly through the night sky, using strings of some kind. “Well I’ll be…Big Mac, you see that?” “Eeyup.” *** Stopping those apple stealers was so fun! Pinkie continued to web swing through Ponyville, thinking about what she just accomplished. The feeling of danger and excitement was a feeling she had relive. It was at that moment, Pinkamena Diane Pie decided to use her powers to help protect the citizens of Ponyville from bad ponies. If I am going to continue to do this…I’m going to need more taffy. Oooo Rich’s Barnyard Bargains is open! The pink pony stopped at the twenty four hour store, with every intention of buying all the taffy she could. Unfamiliar with the store’s layout, she asked an employee where she could find candy. Struggling to contain his laughter, the stock colt told her candy was in the back. Why was that pony laughing at me? Did I say something funny? Oooo look at all the taffy! Filling her saddlebags with all the taffy she could carry, she walked to the front of the store. She could feel the other ponies staring at her as she walked by. The feeling was starting to bother her, and worst of all, she couldn’t find a reason for the stares. As the clerk began to ring up her treats, he tried to get a conversation going with the mystified mare. “Must be one heck of a party you’re going to.” Pinkie had no idea what the clerk was talking about. “You know, a costume party. The only reason you’re buying all this candy and wearing that silly outfit is because you’re going to a costume party…right?” It was at that moment she realized her disguise was still on: A trench coat, a paper bag over her head, and a pair of novelty glasses. Oh…that explains why everypony was staring at me. “Yeah, I’m going to super terrific…costume party.” “Can I come along? I love parties!” After explaining that the party was invite only, the costumed pony grabbed her purchases and returned to the bakery. Crawling into her bedroom, Pinkie decided that if she was going to continue to help Ponyville, she would need a super name to match her super powers. “The Super-Spider…no, the Amazing-Arachnid…no, THE SPIDER-PONY!” She loved the name Spider Pony, but it needed something to make her more identifiable. I’m not a pony, I’m a mare…THAT’S IT! SPIDER-MARE! Now that she finally had a name, Pinkie realized she would need a proper costume. I’ll talk to Rarity tomorrow. Maybe she can help me with a superific spider costume. *** The next morning, Rarity angrily moved to her front door. “FOR THE LAST TIME, WILL YOU PLEASE STOP WITH THAT INSUFFERABLE KNOCKING? I’M COMING!” The pearly white unicorn ripped the entrance to her boutique open, expecting to see a customer. Instead, nopony was there. “WELL! I must say that it is incredibly rude to get a lady flustered like that for no apparent reason! As she turned to go back inside, the fashionista noticed a pink blob stuck to her door. “My word, these…RUFFIANS have vandalized my poor store! After a few minutes, Rarity managed to remove the blemish from her once spotless boutique. “Is this taffy!? Who would place taffy on a…oh, a letter!” Dear Carousel Boutique Owner, As Ponyville’s newest hero, I am in need of a costume. Enclosed are enough bits to get the job done, and the sizes for said outfit. You pick the colors, just as long as pink isn’t one of them. It should be in two parts, a mask and a body suit. On the flank where the cutie mark should be, I would like a big spider! When it is finished, leave it in a box on your stoop. Thanks, Spider-Mare PS-It would be best to keep this between us, I wouldn’t want anything to happen to you. PPS-I mean it, NO pink on the costume! After slaving away on the mysterious ponies costume all day, the exhausted unicorn placed it on her stoop as instructed, but remained on the stoop with the parcel as well. She was curious to see who this new hero. Suddenly, a pink strand shot from the roof of the boutique and attached itself to the package. Before Rarity could process what just happened, the box was lifted off the ground and returned to the origin of the odd string. Before she could return to her store, an envelope fluttered down from the boutique roof. Inside was a simple note with two words Thank you! With her new outfit tucked under her arm, Pinkie carefully sprinted across the rooftops, eager to try it on. Reaching the safety of her room, she locked the door and closed her blinds. Opening the box, she held her new mask in her hooves. This…is…SUPER! Rarity did a fantastic job! I love, love, love everything about it! The pink pony admired her reflection after stepping into the costume. Slowly sliding the mask over her face, she couldn’t believe what was looking back at her. I can’t believe I’m finally a superhero! I have powers, and a costume! The only other thing I need is a theme song! *** “Daddy, are you ok?” Diamond Tiara walked into her father’s study, watching him carefully sip from a glass. “Why yes I am sweetheart, I’m just thinking, that’s all.” Taking a sip of his brandy, he explained how he failed to acquire the deed to Sugar Cube Corner. “That property could put mean great things for the future of Rich’s Barnyard bargains…” “But dad, isn’t your store doing well already?” “Yes, it’s doing fine, but I want to expand. Since my current store is on the outskirts of town, it isn’t as accessible to everypony. Think about it Diamond Tiara, if Rich’s Barnyard Bargains were to move to the center of Ponyville, we would be rich! Well…richer.” With his daughter on his lap, Filthy Rich continued to explain why he wanted to purchase the bakery. “The bakery is also quite close to the train depot. Instead of buying overpriced food and souvenirs at the station, they could take a short walk to the new Rich’s Barnyard Bargains and buy the same goods for less. If only the Cakes’ weren’t so attached to the place, we could expand the store to Canterlot and other cities.” “You can’t give up dad! Maybe you could try a different approach?” What do you mean a different approach? I’ve relied on my charm as long as I can remember. “That’s my point! Maybe if you were more assertive, you may get different results.” The stallion started to respond, but his daughter’s words echoed in his head. “Maybe…maybe you’re right. I’ve been friends with the Cakes for years. Perhaps a change in my sales pitch could give me the edge I need.” “It will dad, trust me.” Wrapping his hooves around his daughter, he asked how she could be so sure. “Just trust me dad. By the way, can you buy me a new tiara? With even MORE diamonds than this one?” “Sweetheart, I just bought you one for your birthday…” “I SAID I WANT A NEW TIARA!” The startled stallion jumped to his hooves, reassuring his little filly that she would get the best tiara in town. The filly could only grin as her father escorted her to the jewelry store. I told him assertiveness works.