//------------------------------// // Into the Spider's Parlor // Story: Short Stories from Beyond Time, Space, and Shadow // by ZeroCore //------------------------------// Another bit of a story, if you all don't mind. Web was quite the odd sort. Still a young mare, Web had quite the unusual special talent; she could use her magic to make spiderwebs and cobwebs appear out of nowhere, and had quite a lot of skill when it came to dealing with spiders and other arachnids. Now this isn't to say that she was an exterminator by nature, no, far from it; Web could literally DEAL with spiders. She could talk to them. More than once, her younger relatives had asked their sister, cousin, or however she related to them to remove a spider from their attic, bathtub, sink, or bedroom, and every time, she obliged. Using her abilities, she talked with the eight-legged creatures, worked out an agreement with them--more food, a better web-building spot, safety for their eggs, and so on in exchange for leaving--and then safely carried them to wherever she promised to let them go. Amongst her family and friends, Web was quite liked for dealing with the, as her siblings put it, "icky little spiders". The spiders liked Web too, for the young mare was one of the few who actually took them seriously as living beings, and not mere pests to be gotten rid of. Outside of her cobweb-filled home, however, Web was treated quite differently. Other young mares picked on her, teased her, and even tried to throw dust in her mane and tail, all the while mocking her. "Cobweb-tail!" they'd say. "Spider-mane!" "Web-head!" Web head... Web hated that the most... As if her head was just a dusty, empty skull with nothing in it but... webbing. Web skulked home after work on days like that, feeling dejected inside even though her siblings and spiders both tried to cheer her up at the end of the day. One night, Web was feeling rather distraught. Earlier that day, even her boss, a florist in a nearby town, seemed to put her down over her connection to all things arachnid. As she drifted off to sleep, her spider friends gathered around her, each arachnid scurrying about as they mimed out their simple method of communication. "How can we help her?" one waved its many legs. "We don't know... We can't..." most replied. The arachnids had their conversation interrupted as a cool night breeze drifted in through the open window. All eight eyes looking forward, each spider looked out the open shutters as a dark figure appeared in the distance, barely illuminated by the Moon's faint glow. "Teach her this spell," its voice whispered. "Be careful though; this magic can be a bit unpredictable..." The spiders, not sure who this mysterious figure was, reluctantly accepted, each one bracing themselves as powerful magic enveloped their silk. One by one, each arachnid felt a telepathic command go through their numbers, each one knowing exactly what to do. The spiders, working together, began to wrap the young mare in their webbing, covering Web from horn to hoof in spider silk. Their task complete, the spiders went to bed, not knowing what would become of their kindly pony friend... The morning came with a shriek from Web's house. Upon waking up, the mare first thought she'd rolled around in her sleep, what with being tangled in a tight fabric she presumed to be her bed sheet. After struggling to get out though, she realized she'd been wrapped up, and with a blast of magic from her horn, tore the cocoon open. Looking down at herself, Web was shocked; her normal, purely equine form was gone, and from the hips down was something rather different. Getting up to all... eight... legs, Web scampered over to her mirror, the mare in total, partially fear-ridden surprise as to what she'd become. Half of her body was still that of a pony, to be sure, her front-most legs still retaining their hooves, but from the hips down was a spider's abdomen, six legs forming from an extended hip bone. Her face had changed too; three new sets of very small, beady black eyes sat around the edges of her still-normal sized, yet black as pitch, ones. Two large fangs extended from her mouth, and her mane was much, much longer, the normally green strands now a mix of green, silver, and white. Looking around, she noticed her cutie mark, that of a spider web, had moved, now resting as a large image on top of her spider-like abdomen. Web sat there, surrounded by her spider friends, for a long while. The arachnids first thought she was outraged, yet too shocked to say anything. In truth, after her shock had evaporated, Web found herself in a trance, a message ringing through her mind: "Use this magic well, young mare," a cool, regal voice said. "I have given you a powerful spell. Let it amplify your connection to the friends who value you most, and use it to overcome that which stands in your way. Do not fear; if you ever do miss your original body, merely wish it back and it will be yours again. Take care, my subject, and let me tell you this, mare to mare; don't ever let them try to take away what makes you who you are." Web looked about the room shortly after that, her spiders awaiting rather harsh words. Instead, however, Web smiled. "I have a plan," she said to them. The spiders put their friend's plan into action rather quickly, and as efficiently as each one's eight legs could manage. Using Web's own magically-created silk, they worked together, weaving intricate sheets and clothing out of the finest, purest spider silk strands in all Equestria. When complete, each piece, each garment, blanket, pillow, and tapestry, glimmered with white and silver strands, looking as if each was made of silver and marble. The spiders, taking each piece, made their way out the door, scurrying past Web's very much surprised family, the other ponies stunned as to what had happened to the young mare. As the arachnids made their way into town they managed to attract quite a lot of attention, and somewhat of a panic. The fears of the townsfolk quickly vanished though as they saw the elegant garments and woven treasures they carried, the ponies mesmerized by the elegance and beauty of the fabric wonders Web and the spiders had sewn. The spiders willingly gave these items to the townsfolk; each pony soon found themselves adorned in shimmering silvery silk. Web herself soon made her way into town, most of the inhabitants at first slightly scared, even repulsed, by the spider pony, but they all soon found themselves amazed once again as Web and her spiders managed to produce and sew even more fine, silken items for them. By day's end, the entire town found itself decorated with the beautiful creations. Various other spiders from the town eventually helped pitch in, and no pony in the whole town, by day's end, lacked at least some piece of fine silk. Despite her strange new appearance, the others grew to enjoy having Web around, no longer fearing the strange mare or her connection to the spiders. Web felt amazed too; all the things she'd managed to do in just a short amount of time, and how much closer her new form made her feel to her arachnid friends. To the spider's joy, she decided that this new form of hers was for the best, and from that day forward, then and forever, the only time that anyone would see the mare's original body was in family portraits, Web choosing for herself to forever remain a spider pony. "Just remember," Web told the townsfolk as she went home, "if you ever need any of it repaired, do stop by!" And it was so; if ever a broken piece of silk arrived at Web's home, she and all of her spiders would mend it and send its owners on their way in happy mood. Web was more than happy to dress anyone in fine silk. All they had to do was come into her parlor.