PETER
“ALRIGHT, EVERYPONY ON THE FLOOR!”
A magical burst of lightning exploded in the middle of the bank, obliterating a chandelier, sending it crashing to the ground. Ponies everywhere scattered but before anypony could attempt an escape, another bolt of magic fired, taking out a large round table in the middle of the room and everyone went still.
Three ponies and a griffin, stood at the entrance of the bank. They wore black cotton outfits which obscured their cutie marks and masks over their faces and covering their tails. The griffin, however, was the only one outfitted from head to claw as to obscure every single feature of her body. There were two unicorns and a peagsus in the group, the leader, a male and the other three female.
“Nopony move!” the leader barked, aiming his horn at a security pony and blasting him backwards with magic. “Now, we ain’t got any plans on hurting you folks, so long as you cooperate.”
“Wrench,” the pegasus, Swift, muttered beside him. “You’re causing too much of a scene, simmer down or the cops will be on us!”
“I know what I’m doing,” Wrench snapped back. He turned to the other unicorn. “Silver, go with Fox to the vault.”
Fox grumbled, flexing her wings. “Of course I get stuck with Silver.”
“Not like I’m too happy to be with you either!”
“Shut it!” Wrench snapped. “Just do your jobs and we’ll make a mint!”
Grumbling in discontent, Silver and Fox trudged off behind the counters and towards the back of the bank. “Alright, now the rest of yoose,” Wrench announced to the cowering crowd. “Line up against the entrance, NOW!”
The ponies did so immediately and without question. Swift and Wrench occasionally berated and kicked anyponies that lagged behind but eventually the entirety of the bank were sprawled against the doors of the bank. “Now just to make sure none of you have any funny ideas on heroics.” Wrench said, levitating various furniture and metal fixtures, pinning them against the wall of ponies to keep them there. “There, all nice and snuggly.”
“Kinda like how you’ll be behind bars.”
Wrench and Swift, along with the rest of the ponies in the bank, turned their heads towards the new voice. Spidercolt was leaning up against the wall, 20 feet off the ground, calmly watching the bank robbery take place.
“Who are you supposed to be?” Wrench asked, his horn lighting up.
“The costume doesn’t give it away?” Peter asked sarcastically. “I’m the good guy, you’re the bad guys, so you know what’s gonna happen next?”
Wrench’s horn flared in light and a blast of magic fired off… destroying the spot where Spidercolt was. He leapt into the air, firing off webbing that slammed into Wrench’s horn, the momentum throwing the robber off balance.
“Naughty pony!” Spidercolt taunted as he leapt from wall to wall. “Now just stay still and—“
His spidey-sense wasn’t nearly as fast enough to keep up with the pegasi . Swift crashed into Spidercolt, flying across the bank so quickly he nearly got whiplash. Spidercolt shook his head to regain his senses and twisted under Swift’s forelegs. They spun in the air and Spidercolt kicked Swift sending her crashing into the ground. Bad news, he couldn’t stop his momentum.
He slammed into the ceiling and fell to the ground dazed.
Shaking his head as he stood back up, Spidercolt grumbled, “Ugh, this seemed a lot easier in the comics.”
There was a learning curve, sure. Pegasi aren’t as fast as bullets, at least Swift wasn’t, but they can trip up his spidey-sense slightly. It was like being a swimmer your entire life then suddenly becoming a rock-climber, the mechanics were different and it took some time getting used to the different muscles being used.
“Not so tough are ya?” Wrench asked, approaching him. Spidercolt cursed under his breath for allowing himself to be caught off-guard.
He lashed out, his webshooter activating but magic was infinitely quicker. A dull purple aura appeared over the strand of web and quickly spread throughout Spidercolt’s body. He stiffened and was immediately immobilized. It was the levitation spell he used earlier, it felt like he was trapped under a block of jell-o made of iron.
“Don’t know what the big deal is,” Wrench chuckled. The pegasi that tackled him, Swift, appeared behind him, looking perfectly fine despite taking a hit that would knock out most humans. Spidercolt mentally noted that these ponies are way tougher than they look… so that means he doesn’t have to hold back as much.
“Let’s see who’s behind that mask.”
Spidercolt flexed his forelegs and his magic-immune webshooters activated going to the far left and right. They caught on tables and using his super-strength, he pulled them towards himself. Wrench yelped, dropping Spidercolt from his magical grip and turned to stop one of the tables… but the other one slammed into both ponies and they went flying off to the side.
Before they could stand up, however, webbing held them down and before Wrench could react with another magical spell, Spidercolt walked up to him and tapped his horn right at the base. Wrench recoiled back completely dazed and crying out in pain. Twilight told him that unicorn horns were very tough but that a certain spot at the base would leave them magically impaired for a few hours, he didn’t realize how sensitive it was however.
“There, stay like the pretty pony that you are,” Spidercolt said. “Now then, for the rest—“
This time his spider-sense reacted properly. Spidercolt leapt several feet into the air and flipped just as the griffin, Fox, charged him. He managed to land perfectly on Fox’s back which caused her to buck not unlike a horse but Spidercolt held on tight to her neck, dodging her wings which seemed a lot more dangerous than pegasi wings.
“Whoa, whoa! Easy Debbie!” Spidercolt cried, trying to hold on.
“GET OFF!” Fox snapped.
“If I had a dime for every time I heard that… I’d have a dime, do you guys have dimes here? Whoa!” Spidercolt dodged a magical bolt as it flew overhead.
“Hold still, Fox!” The other unicorn cried, charging up for another blast. She fired off two more shots but Spidercolt nimbly dodged. He jumped off Fox’s back, quickly webbing her wings together, and dodged another magical bolt. Firing off another web aimed at Silver’s horn, but she dodged and it landed on the ground.
“Ha! Missed!” Silver cried, turning in time to see Spidercolt flying toward her. He kicked her right in the face, expecting it to knock her out but it just left her dazed. Spidercolt leapt over Fox, webbing her as he did so, first the horn then the eyes. He tapped the base of her horn and she cried out, immediately falling prone on the ground.
“One down—“
Fox broke the webbing around her wings and charged Spidercolt, her claws slashing and threatening to turn him into ground beef. Actually, that probably doesn’t work since everypony is vegetarian, maybe diced salad?
Spidercolt dodged perfectly, staying far away from those razor sharp claws that sliced up the furniture around them as they fought. Kneeling slightly, Spidercolt jumped up and bucked Fox right in the jaw, webbing her forelegs as he descended and keeping them held against the floor.
He landed feeling pretty smug but Fox growled and flexed her claws which cut through his webbing like it was paper.
“I’m sorry!” Spidercolt squeaked as he backflipped away from another onslaught. Fox charged forward and lashed out, Spidercolt tried to dodge but she was too fast. She grabbed him, her claw was big enough to fully encase him in a vise grip.
Fox took off, dragging Spidercolt against the floor and ceiling as she flew.
“Owowowowowowowowow!” Spidercolt cried, trying to free himself.
Instead, he bucked her claw so hard she was forced to release him. Spidercolt pushed himself off the wall and slammed into Fox’s chest hurtling toward the floor. The griffin tried to slice him to pieces but he was smart this time, webbing her claws shut, then he webbed the ground and pulled hard speeding their descent from a speeding car to a missile’s.
They slammed into the ground and Fox was perfectly out cold. Spidercolt paused for a moment to catch his breath. “Well, that’s one way to… skin a…” He sighed explosively. “I got nothing.”
The crowd of ponies awkwardly encircled Spidercolt and for a moment he inwardly winced, bracing himself for the no-doubt ‘Let’s all attack the superhero for messing up the bank!’ parade that would commence. But instead they cheered and hoisted Spidercolt up, proudly chanting his name and thanking them with so much sincerity he almost didn’t have a wisecrack to snap.
“Please, please, no autographs!” Spidercolt said with a laugh. “Can’t use these hooves anyways.”
Peter made sure not to stick around when the police arrived, he knew better because they’d ask all sorts of questions like, “Who are you?” and “Why’d you eat all the cereal?” So, he just didn’t want to deal with the hassle.
“Thank you, um, mares and germs!” Spidercolt said, disentangling himself from the crowd. “Your friendly neighborhood Spidercolt has done yet another job well done.”
The overhead chandelier snapped from its chain and fell silently behind Spidercolt, exploding in a million pieces of glass and debris. Spidercolt’s elation dropped and he waved a hoof dismissively. “Well, job nearly well done.”
With that, he webbed-swung away and out of the bank.
“Ouch!” Peter cursed as Fluttershy applied her healing salve on his forelegs. “Gently!”
“I am gentle,” Fluttershy whispered back.
“You’re just a wimp,” Rainbow Dash chuckled, enjoying watching Peter wince and curse. “I thought you healed fast.”
Peter rolled his eyes and tried to keep still as Fluttershy bandaged him. “I do, I guess I’m just not used to… what’d you call it, Twi?”
“Magic Burns,” Twilight answered, rapidly flipping through five books as well. “It occurs after a magical discharge causing severe flesh burns, reduced nerve sensitivity, and bone fractures sometimes.”
“It’s the equivalent of a freezer burn,” Rarity summed up, looking through Peter’s costumes, examining the burns caused by magical attacks. “I’ll have to reinforce your fabric…”
“Well, your webshooters worked like they should,” Peter said, grinning, gesturing to the devices.
“I’m glad,” Twilight said, smiling back, then realizing she was holding his gaze for longer than she should and looked away. “I didn’t think you’d find trouble so quickly, and at Manehatten First Bank.”
“Mighty fine job, by th’ way,” Applejack remarked, pulling out a newspaper that depicted Peter heroically web-swinging away with the robbers in tow. “Everypony loves ya!”
“Thanks,” Peter said, trying not to wince from Fluttershy’s first-aid. “Things were a bit easier back home, I’ll admit. Mostly petty thieves and car-jacking situations, so, magic is a bit of a first to me.”
“A world without magic,” Rarity mused. “Must be dreadfully boring.”
“I guess,” Peter thought about the situation in New York a little while back and shuddered. He wasn’t sure if he preferred aliens to magic.
“I haven’t got a chance to study your biology,” Twilight said, approaching him and studied his forelegs which remarkably healed. “Are you sure, I can’t study you?”
Peter immediately thought of an operating table, lots of large, loud saws, scalpels and a crazed look in Twilight’s eyes. “No, I’m good!”
Twilight frowned but nodded. “Alright, but I won’t be able to tell your capabilities and limits unless I thoroughly—“
“I’m perfectly good,” Peter said quickly with a forced smile. “Um, thanks Fluttershy. Sorry again, you know, for the wing.”
Fluttershy smiled perfectly sincerely and nodded. “It’s fine, it’s healing up well.”
“No thanks to you,” Rainbow Dash snapped, flying to Fluttershy’s side.
Peter rolled his eyes and flexed his forelegs, it felt a bit stiff but it didn’t hurt. By tomorrow he should be perfectly fine. “Whew, you’re a miracle worker, Fluttershy.”
“Hopefully by tomorrow you’ll be fine for our visit,” Twilight said, snapping shut all of her books.
“Uh, visit? Who we visiting? It’s a bit early to be meeting the parents.”
“The Princesses of course.”
“Oh. Cool.”
Peter looked at the faces of the other girls, expecting them to be excited or elated but they looked… worried there was even pity in their eyes.
Something told Peter this visit may not be as fun as it sounds.