Using a cloud of steam, Tarnish cleaned Flamingo and then slid her away in her sheath. The cave was silent, save for the sound of water dripping from somewhere. There was a passage in the back of the central cavern where the widow queen’s ruined body lay. In her sheath, Flamingo had gone silent, the pink glow had vanished.
Reaching out his hoof, Tarnish knocked hooves with Maud, who was covered from ear to hoof in green goo, hairs, and bits of spider. Maud seemed fine, unharmed by her encounter with the spiders. Tarnish had a few scratches; he didn’t know when they had happened, and he didn’t feel them until he saw them.
His horn lighting the way, Tarnish headed for the opening, where white webbing was visible. Bones of all kinds were underhoof. This was a grim place, a place of horror. These spiders had been here for a long time. He felt Maud bump up against him, her touch was cold and slime clung to Tarnish where she touched him.
The spider’s larder was filled with webbed bundles. Tarnish hoped that nothing in here was too dangerous. He came to the first web wrapped body just inside the entryway. Using his telekinesis, he tore it open. The bones of what appeared to be a diamond dog spilled out and clattered all over the floor. Tarnish shivered. A diamond dog. He gulped. Diamond dogs were capable creatures, Tarnish thought of Buttons, and missed her.
He looked to another bundle, this one smaller. He tore it open. The bones of several rabbits spilled out, but some of them clung to the webbing. They too rattled as they hit the floor, filling the chamber with a haunting sound. Tarnish was sweating now, trembling, the fight was over and the adrenaline was wearing off. He didn’t feel so good. He felt nauseous.
Feeling a little thirsty, Tarnish tore open another bundle. This time, no bones. A dessicated corpse hung in the webbing. Tarnish stared at it. An earth pony’s eyeless sockets stared back at him. A little spider, no bigger than a cookie, crawled out of the pony’s mouth.
For a moment, Tarnish thought he was going to be sick. He felt Maud touch him and he took a deep breath. “Maud, I don’t feel well.”
“I think you got bit,” Maud replied. “When we get out, I’ll look you over.”
“I didn’t feel anything.” Tarnish looked to another blob of webbing, not wanting to open it. He gulped, his throat feeling dry. He levitated his tea flask out of his saddlebag, took a long pull, swallowed, and felt a little better. He then unstoppered his water canteen, lifted that to his lips, and guzzled down as much water as he could. He offered it to Maud, but she shook her head.
“Tarnish, I would guess that the spider’s bites aren’t something you would feel… it’s an effective means of subduing their prey,” Maud said in a soft, muted monotone.
Several more web bundles spilled out bones, dried out bodies, one gooey body that was covered in little baby spiders, and one live rabbit that flopped down to the ground, made a feeble kick, and then did not move. It took Tarnish a moment to realise it was still under the effects of what was sure to be paralytic poison. Saying nothing, he lifted the rabbit up in his telekinesis and stuffed it into one half empty saddlebag.
Tarnish could feel his right hind leg going numb and it was getting harder to walk. He ignored it and focused on his grim task, opening webs. After opening dozens, he realised that he didn’t have many left. No sign of a pegasus foal. There was one web up near the ceiling that he hadn’t noticed before. He angled his head upwards, focused his telekinesis, and gave a yank. The web tore open and a grey pegasus foal spilled out.
He caught her before she hit the floor. Her body was limp, cold, and unmoving. He pressed his ear to her barrel, a large lump growing in his throat. Much to his relief, he could feel a heartbeat. It was weak, but it was there.
Laying the foal over his back, Tarnish tore open the last few pods, revealing nothing but bones, the fresh dead body of a pig, and some birds that were somewhat dissolved. Turning, Tarnish made his way out of the spider’s larder.
“Maud, I think you’re right,” Tarnish said as he limped along. “I don’t feel good, Maud.”
“Just hang on.” Maud, walking beside her husband, gave him a sidelong glance. “You’ll be okay… just listen to the soothing sound of my voice.”
Tarnish focused on taking light steps so he wouldn’t bounce the foal slumped over his back. He was thirsty again. He pulled out his tea flask and began to drink it down, each gulp made him feel a little better, but when he stopped drinking, he started to feel worse.
Realising this, Tarnish took little sips instead, wondering if poison joke had any antidote properties. Mandragora, his brain said in a quiet voice. Tarnish nodded, listening to the little voice in his mind. His tea had mandragora in it. Mandragora was a good antidote and helped to resist magical paralysis. He took another sip of his tea. The cool liquid made his tongue feel better.
“Maud, mandragora,” Tarnish said, the first hint of a headache starting to thud between his ears. “It’s in my tea… I think it’s helping.”
Stepping out into the sunlight, Tarnish stood on the sandy, rocky, bone strewn entrance of the spider cave. Concentrating, he fired off a flare from his horn. It rose into the sky, rising in an arc, and then exploded like a bottle rocket.
He looked at Maud. “I don’t feel good.” Shaking his head, Tarnish walked further away from the cave opening and lifted the pegasus foal from his back with his telekinesis. He set her down upon the ground, touched her with his hoof, and then sat down in a place that wasn’t so full of little bones. He took a sip from his tea flask and then tried to pour some into the filly’s mouth.
In the sunlight, Maud looked even worse. She peered down the cliff edge at the valley floor below where the river ran. She walked over to Tarnish. “I feel fine… I don’t know if I got bit, but if I did, it isn’t bothering me.”
“That’s good Maud… I’m worried,” Tarnish replied.
“You’ll be fine… you’re a tough pony.” Maud shook herself, trying to be rid of some of the filth caked to her body. “I don’t think I’ll ever be clean again. I feel gross.”
“Do you think she’ll be okay?” Tarnish asked as he looked down at the filly.
“I hope so.” Maud looked down but did not approach. She was far too disgusting. She looked towards the north and saw a welcome sight. In the distance, there was a dragon.
Laying in the warm pebbly sand, Tarnish felt a powerful wave of nausea break over him. He was feverish, shivering, and sweating. He felt cool water being poured over his head. It felt good and he wished there was more. He rubbed his cheek against the wet sand. He didn’t dare open his eyes, the light made them hurt like crazy.
“One puncture wound, right in the right buttock,” a strange distorted voice said.
“I got bit in the ass,” Tarnish mumbled. “Never felt a thing. Tough pony am I. Yep.”
“Grey Owl has several bites,” the voice continued. “Tarnish’s book says that the marsh potatoes have to be heated until they are soft and spongy, they are then fed to the patient. It will trigger a purge response. The patient will sweat profusely, vomit, have diarrhea, and urinate a great deal until the poison leaves their system.”
“Oh dear,” a booming voice replied.
“Dehydration will be an issue, we’ll have to keep liquid in them.”
Tarnish could feel sand in his ear, but he didn’t care. He rolled around in the sand, unable to feel his right hind leg at all. A strange taste was in his mouth. He felt something lift his head and then something was pressed to his lips. He drank, his tongue felt like it would crack because it was so dry. Tea, his tea, splashed over his lips. It was strong, far stronger than it usually was when he drank it.
“Come on, your book says the mandragora will help, and Maud said this has mandragora in it… drink it down,” the voice said.
Tarnish sputtered. The tea was strong and it hadn’t been sweetened. He gasped, coughed, and then sucked in wind, wheezing. He took another drink and then tilted his head back so he could breathe.
“Light hurts,” Tarnish said, trying to make his pain known.
“Tie a blindfold around him.” Tarnish could hear Maud’s voice. She was close. “When you get better, you’re going to get happy husband hugs.” Disappointment flooded through Tarnish, he wanted those hugs now. He deserved them. He had been bitten in the ass. Husbands bitten in the ass by giant spiders deserved happy husband hugs… Tarnish had a brilliant idea… he would make an appeal to Princess Celestia, begging her to make this a law. As Tarnish drifted into feverish delirium, his final thought was that Princess Celestia was a very reasonable pony and she would certainly have pity upon his plight.
Maud, who had taken a bath in the stream but still did not feel clean, looked down at her husband. She could hear his stomach gurgling as he thrashed about. They had managed to get the awful purple potatoes down into him as well as Grey Owl and now, the potatoes were working, doing whatever it was that marsh potatoes did. Tarnish was sweating already, great glistening drops rolled down his pelt. He was warm with fever, but not too warm, at least Maud hoped it wasn’t too warm.
Rolling him over on his stomach, she checked his backside. One tiny puncture wound, probably from one of the little spiders. Several scratches were up and down his hind legs. Many of the spiders had claw like hooks on the ends of some of their legs.
Lowering her head, she kissed him on his cheek and then placed her lips next to his ear, hoping that some part of him could still hear her somehow. “You did good. You walked right in there and you gave those spiders what for.”
She sat down in the pebbles and the sand, making herself comfortable. Gorgonzola was a good, attentive mother. She fussed and fretted over the tiny filly she held in her talons, kissing her, and making cooing noises. Motherhood did not know species it seemed.
Ortzi Goldbeak, a predatory creature, was nursing the rabbit back to health, which struck Maud as being odd. The rabbit was food for the griffon. Putting it out of its misery would be an act of mercy. Try as she might, there were things in life that Maud just could not understand, like her sister, Pinkie Pie, Tarnish’s fascination with being hugged, and a griffon nursing a rabbit back to health.
Maud sighed. It was time to write some poetry about rocks so that life would make sense again.