Instinctive Response
Chapter Two “Instinctive Response”
The top of the building was nearly within reach, a few hundred meters to be exact. Spider-Mane proceeded his climb in leaps and bounds, tempted to give his burning muscles a momentary reprieve, but before such a thought could enter his mind, a streak blew by, whipping the stallion’s mane over his face. Spitfire reached the highest point of the building in what seemed to be a flash. The flag that served as the checkpoint flapped at the wind’s mercy, and touching the tip with her hoof, Spitfire’s wings retracted to her sides and allowed the Wonderbolt to descend into a free fall.
Exchanging glances, Spitfire passed her opponent, but Spider-Mane would only nod, firing a strand of webbing just underneath the flag’s position. He pulled himself onto the pole with a single jerk but remained perched on its side with his gaze centered on the descending pegasus. With her gained distance and building speed, there would be no way to catch up by merely falling after her. Planting his hind hooves further against the flag pole, Spider-Mane extended his two upper limbs and fired webbing from both onto the edge of the building.
Not wanting to relinquish either strand, the stallion climbed the pole reversibly until he reached the top. With a brief intake of breath, Spider-Mane leaped to the highest of his ability, ascending until his stretched webbing reached its limit to slingshot the stallion downward with the velocity of a bullet. As Spider-Mane neared Spitfire, he watched her wings extend, allowing the mare to further amplify her speed and keep her distance.
She pulled up, narrowly avoiding the concrete that awaited below, and Spider-Mane fired two strands of webbing and mirrored her actions, barely averting a plummet that would’ve otherwise turned disastrous. Flying at her top speed while he swung at his, the crowd roared with excitement as the competitors entered the final phase of the race only a few feet apart, with Spitfire in the lead.
Meanwhile, Discord floated aimlessly in the reaches of the astral plane, gazing intently at the race between the Captain of the Wonderbolts and Spider-Mane. However, in spite of the odds, Peter managed to keep pace with an elite flier pegasus thus far, with her holding a slight lead as they neared the final stretch. Yet Discord couldn’t fully pay attention to the race, alternating his crimson gaze between it and the script in his paw. He continued to draw a line through various sections with a red marker, all of which originally had to do with Twilight Sparkle.
“I still can’t believe it,” Discord murmured, exhaling once another section had been marked away. “Never in my wildest dreams did I think Luna, of all ponies, would approach young Peter Parker first. I had Rarity or Rainbow Dash as a contingency plan if Twilight didn’t act, but that blasted princess has just thrown my entire plan off sync! She’s been thickheaded and stuck in her ways for eons! How was I supposed to know that she would pick today out of all days to come out of her shell?” The draconequus growled under his breath, crumpling the modified script into a ball before setting it ablaze and tossing it behind his shoulder. Inhaling deeply before sighing, Discord frowned while an exasperated expression formed on his face. “I had my heart set on that Green Goblin plan, too.”
Discord’s eyes widened as an idea came into mind. “However, just the idea of Princess Luna potentially falling in love is a chaotic prospect in itself. That could alone could lead to some immense fun. I mean, it’s not like that princess has any idea what she’s doing, and she’s so stubborn that the journey will be haphazard and arduous at best.” The corner of his mouth curled into a smirk. “Maybe my original plan won’t be needed after all. I’ll have to improvise, but that makes it more fun.” The draconequus shifted his gaze to the pyrotechnics before he waved a glowing talon. “I’ll just give them a small push and see how this pans out.”
An array of pyrotechnics swarmed the course, profoundly surrounding the racers. Spitfire stopped in her tracks and flipped to the side, dodging the first wave, and Spider-Mane spun into a dive, threading the needle between a pair of fireworks before resuming his web-swinging. However, the crowd exclaimed at an unexpected development. Spitfire shifted her head, finding the explosive orbs’ flight path had abandoned their original skyward flight path, and they became heat-seeking missiles, following the streak the mare exuded.
Peter felt an alarm go off in his cranium. The pair of orbs he dodged returned from behind, forcing the stallion to sway his body to the side in order to dodge the first. Just as the second prepared to find its mark, Spider-Mane spun around, swatting the ball of light with his tail. The Wonderbolt performed a series of somersaults, but the pyrotechnics remained steadfast in their pursuit, zeroing in on what was soon to be a direct hit.
Suddenly, Spitfire approached the side of a building, and once the orbs were only a few hoof-lengths away, she flapped her wings with all of her might, pushing her body away as the explosives detonated on the structure instead. The shockwave knocked the mare off balance, pinwheeling through the air. However, she recollected her senses, finding her opponent landing on top of the first blimp. Instead of traveling underneath like he had the first time, Peter figured it would’ve been safer to travel overhead.
Spider-Mane proceeded to jump across the blimps like a series of trampolines, but once he landed on the third and final obstacle, Spitfire flipped over his head, dropping on the nose of their current obstacle. The finish line was just a few hundred meters ahead. Both ponies prepared to finish what they started, but one final pyrotechnic shot into the sky, its high-pitched scream serving as a battle cry. However, this ball of light was larger than the previous shots, meaning the force within was to be taken far more seriously, but something was wrong, evident by its erratic trajectory. It seemed to have finally settled on course, aimed for the front of the nose.
It was not to be. The ball lowered at the last moment, piercing the underbelly and burning through the top of the blimp. Spider-Mane staggered about, struggling to maintain his balance on the rapidly descending blimp. Spitfire hovered from her position, giving the stallion a concerned expression. She offered her hoof out, prompting the hero to reach out and accept the gesture.
“There seems to be a malfunction! Everypony in the immediate area evacuate!”
“There’s no way everyone’s going to get to safety in time,” Spider-Mane murmured, pulling his hoof away from the Wonderbolt. He peeked over the side, finding dozens of ponies scurrying from the area, but most were colliding with each other, confirming Peter’s fears. Shaking his head, he stole a glance at his friends before turning his attention back to the immediate danger those underneath him were in. “Sorry, girls. Duty calls!”
“Whoa! Wait! What are you doing?!” Spitfire yelled as the blimp crashed into various parts of surrounding buildings, shattering glass and pulverizing steel beams. “It’s dangerous! Let me get you to safety!”
“Don’t worry about me! I’ll stop this! Just get back!” Spider-Mane retorted, galloping across the blimp before the Pegasus could hope to argue. More glass fell in around her, forcing Spitfire to heed the stallion’s advice and retreat into the air. Spider-Mane neared the edge, his gaze centered on his two hooves. “I just hope I have enough webbing left to do this.”
Spider-Mane dove into a free fall, using a strand of webbing to pull himself to the underbelly of the blimp. With his back against the zeppelin, he shifted his gaze from the approaching ground to the surrounding buildings. Stretching his hooves so that they faced the opposite direction of each other, Spider-Mane launched two strands of webbing, both latching to different buildings. Straining, he pulled the strand together and formed a cohesive thread. The weight of the blimp was already wearing on the gossamer, stretching until it readied to snap.
However, Spider-Mane repeated his action several times at lightning speed, forming eight strands to create four threads, then thirty-two to sixteen. Only a few seconds remained until collision. Deliberately losing his footing, the stallion fell with his back facing the ground and gaze focused on the blimp’s underbelly, particularly the center of the web withheld the threads in place. With his hooves extended, Spider-Mane unleashed an array of webbing, covering a majority of the bottom side, but it served its purpose as extra padding, strengthening the bond of the many strands.
The blimp’s descent slowed to a steady halt, thanks to the makeshift web net it rested in. Once certain danger had been averted, the stallion spun around and extended his hoof, but nothing happened as his plummet grew faster by the second. Spider-Mane shook his hooves frantically to no avail. His cartridges were depleted, leaving him with no way to break his fall. By the time anypony realized the predicament the hero was in, it was far too late.
However, a streak of blue soared through the air, grabbing the stallion’s hoof before he could reach the ground. Peter’s masked eyes opened, furrowing upon noticing he was ascending. He shifted his gaze to the source, finding Princess Luna with her hoof holding his own as they flew past the obstacles and to the safety of a nearby rooftop. The alicorn gently eased the stallion down before landing next to him.
Luna edged closer to Peter, holding a concerned expression. “Are you all right?”
Peter nodded as he lowered his stance, taking in winded breaths. “Yeah. Thanks, Luna. That landing would’ve sucked.”
The princess let out a relieved sigh before she glanced at the street level. Celestia took to the sky, hovering directly over the blimp. Her horn emitted glowing energy, causing traces of magical aura to envelop the aerial vessel. The alicorn guided the blimp with the assistance of several pegasi away, lowering the object over a distant rooftop.
Meanwhile, Luna shifted her gaze back to the street, letting out a sigh as she watched the citizens clamor about. “I don’t know what happened, but we’ll look into it. I must applaud your efforts. A lot of innocents could have been injured if you hadn’t so selflessly jumped to their aid.” She furrowed her brow as a stern glare surfaced on her features. “You had no means to save yourself. Why did you do such a thing?”
Peter chuckled, shrugging. “Because it’s the right thing to do.” He paused, edging closer to the mare. “Besides, you were there to save me. I think it worked just fine.”
Luna’s eyes widened before she stepped back, flustered. She growled under her breath as a faint shade of pink filled her cheeks. “D-don’t make assumptions! I hadn’t intended to save you! My body just… reacted. You’re lucky!” The alicorn walked to the edge of the building, keeping her back turned to the stallion. “I won’t make it a habit to catch you. So don’t be careless the next time.”
The stallion shook his head at the alicorn’s harsh tone, managing a small chuckle under his breath. “If you say so.” He walked past the princess, lightly tapping a hoof against her foreleg before climbing down from the building. “Thanks, again.”
Once Peter was out of hearing range, Luna’s expression softened before she smiled lightly. “You’re most welcome.”
As those gathered dealt with the damage, Discord chuckled from within the reaches of the astral plane, stroking his goatee with a talon. “It would seem that this outcome has far more potential than I had anticipated.” The draconequus paused, furrowing his brow in thought. “Yes. This will do quite nicely, in fact.”
A couple of days had passed since the closing of Manehattan’s event. Due to circumstances beyond anypony’s control, the race was ruled a draw. However, there were no injuries to note due to the accident. Because of that and the draw, talks of a rematch were already spreading, and many were already anticipating the event.
Yet, there was another story unfolding from the event, one that left many with speculations. The ever reserved Princess Luna earned the attention of many after she intervened to catch Spider-Mane from a deadly plummet. She chose to ignore interviews, considering some pondered how the alicorn reacted as fast as she did. Luna paid them no mind, unable to rid her own questions from the depths of her mind.
Peter Parker had become an enigma of sorts for the princess, filling her with questions she knew not the answers to. She stared intently at the star patterned sky overhead before letting out a low sigh. For countless eons, Luna had a share of associates in her life, but none had ever penetrated her shield, staying at hooves-length for one reason or another. Luna was content with the circumstances prior to Peter’s arrival to Equestria, so long as she had her sister.
However, something was changing, and it came in the form of a nitwit. Peter was not from their world to begin with, but he somehow knew and understood the pain brought by darker powers influencing one’s soul better than anypony could in Equestria. Even then, the stallion never thought about her past, only seeing her present. Peter was ethical, unorthodox, and talkative, but Luna found his presence strangely refreshing, appreciating somepony that wouldn’t judge her.
The princess paused, chastising herself. She had her duties to attend to, yet her mind longed to be with Peter. Releasing an exasperated groan, Luna shook her head furiously. There was no reason for her to act so childishly. They were colleagues that just became friends, and to pry meant to jeopardize that. Luna exhaled, blaming her thousand-plus-year exile on the empty moon for her fractured train of thought and lack of social experience in dealing with a friend.
Unfortunately, the alicorn’s expression grew blank upon recalling once more that Peter was the only one to make her act this way. This matter was most irritating to decipher, much like that day when she watched him fall. Just the idea of watching one she cared for getting injured generated an unsettling irritation. It was similar yet different to the feelings she bore for Celestia, an adoration of sorts accompanied with something else.
Sadly, before she could hope to make sense of the spiraling emotions circulating through her, somepony walked onto the balcony and approached her from behind. Luna arched a brow and glanced to the side. She knew her sister’s hoof-steps, and these were far too heavy, cumbersome. The alicorn turned, inhaling sharply upon spotting the stallion that had been plaguing her mind as of late. At such an hour, she never imagined seeing him of his own volition.
However, Luna forced back any glee that threatened to rise, holding her (at this point) trademark glare. Her mind ran rampant with questions and frustration. The alicorn was on watch, and this fool made it into the castle without her knowing. Such carelessness and lax guard could not be forgiven on a task of utmost importance when it came to the safety of her castle and subjects. The mare glared at the horizon, as if to punish herself for performing so poorly while on duty.
“Peter Parker. Why have you come into the castle?” she huffed, irritation evident in her voice. “I am on duty, and you’re distracting me from that.”
Peter blinked, glancing about aimlessly. “Really? It looked like you were daydreaming. Don’t worry. I do that a lot myself.” He paused, tapping a hoof against his chin. “Then again, it’s after hours. So, would that make it nightdreaming? If you’re doing that, you should just sleep and dream like a normal pony.”
Luna never averted her gaze from the horizon. “Do you ever stop talking?”
Slow to respond, Peter’s brow lowered in thought. “I’ve been asked that a lot for some reason.”
“Perhaps you should take that as a hint as to why?” Luna exhaled, finally stealing a glance at the stallion from the corner of her eye. “Again. Why are you here, Peter Parker? My sentry of the castle grounds during the hours when it is weakest is no trifling matter. I have no time to dawdle.”
The stallion cleared his throat, scratching the back of his head. “I couldn’t really stop thinking about you.”
The entire world grew silent for the princess as her heart practically stopped. The comment was spoken with earnestness, yet Peter knew not the weight of his words. Luna inhaled sharply at the comment and her eyes widened. However, Peter coughed, as if realizing his own mistake.
The stallion sheepishly chuckled. “Sorry! I meant, uh, you saved my life and gave some welcome company the other day. I thought I’d repay the favor, but you’re usually either busy or sleeping. I asked Princess Celestia when was a good time, and she said I could drop by at any time during the night. So, here I am. A surprise visit, really. I figured night shift was pretty lonely for you.” He glanced off to the side. “I should’ve given you a heads up. That’s my fault.”
“Treason!” Luna exclaimed inwardly as her brow twitched involuntarily. Peter’s emergence made more sense now. Celestia had a hoof in the plot and made motions behind her back. Again. Luna grumbled under her breath, something along the lines of killing her sister in her sleep. However, she let out a defeated sigh before nodding. “Fine. You may accompany me during my watch, but I will vacate you from the premises should you become a bother or prove to be a distraction.”
“Sounds good! You won’t even know I’m here!” Peter cheerfully declared, his voice echoing throughout the vicinity. Luna could only exhale while the stallion waved a hoof dismissively as he sat on the railing next to the telescope. Luna readied herself to gaze back at the horizon, but a faint smell seeped into her senses. She glanced to the side at the stallion, arching a brow as he pulled up a container of freshly baked cookies. Peter grinned. “Cookie? Princess Celestia told me that chocolate chip was your favorite.”
Luna felt the temperature in her face rise at the gesture. On one side, she wanted to strike down her sister for setting this up, but the princess felt too giddy to even think straight. Luna exhaled, hesitantly accepting one of the treats before eating it wholly. She thought his notions were sweet, if not impractical, yet she reveled in the attention given, albeit inwardly. It would take time to understand the emotions churning within her and the stallion that unknowingly generated them. However, she felt some genuine happiness, for Peter actually wanted to spend time with her. She wouldn’t be alone tonight, and the princess loved the idea, though she refused to admit it outright.
Downing her cookie, Luna shifted her gaze to the horizon once more. “Thank you. That’s very… thoughtful of you,” she whispered, her tone barely audible as her cheeks burned.
Peter’s ears perked at the sound before he smiled in response, as if hearing her words. After a brief duration, the stallion chuckled. “Stop me if you heard this one before. A princess and a scientist walk into a bar…”
“Stop,” Luna blankly groaned, nearly regretting her own decision.
Meanwhile, Discord watched the pair from within the astral plain with a content grin before vanishing from sight.
To be continued...
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They say we as people are defined by our actions. But what if you could go back and change one? A past regret? A missed opportunity? Would you still be you as you are today? Would the world?
Maximus and I had a lot of fun writing this story. I hope everyone enjoys it!
7818237 You and Maximus have done a smashing job so far, and I look forward to more chapters!
Ave Dominus Nox!
The differences are already starting to show themselves. So far, it's a pretty calm story, but the changes are gonna alter the series greatly, I'm sure.
Time to take a step back and see a world of different choices.
The changes are starting to kick in. On the day of the Manehatten race between Spider-Mane and Spitfire as Peter was just about to have his accident, Luna intervenes and saves Peter, sparing him from the injuries his Earth-672 counterpart sustained and leaving him with a sense of gratitude and possibly growing feelings for the Moon Princess.
And it seems this version of Discord wasn't expecting Luna to start showing affection for Peter, even at this early time of his plan, and now it's throwing his original plan off course. And he had a back-up plan using Rainbow and Rarity in case Peter ended up with either of them instead of Twilight, though I'm surprised he doesn't have one for Applejack (who bares a similar appearance to Gwen) and Fluttershy (maybe Discord doesn't want Peter with her). But despite this setback, he's going to improvise and see how this all turns out. And if he's anything like the original, then he as well may start taking his plans too far.
Another Magnificent masterpiece at work
Keep up the good work Maximus
Awesome! I was really looking forward to this one! Keep up the good work!
It feels weird to see a Spiders & Magic story in which Peter's love interest would be Luna, unless something happens and it still ends up being Twilight. Otherwise wouldn't it be called 'Spiders & Moon'?
Weird as it feels, I'm also very curious on how it would be different.
Congrats on getting your story featured XD
Reading this story reminds me of why I liked Spiders and Magic in the first place. Absurd plot? Sure, but you've got to love the charm of it all. Keep it up!
And the changes are starting to show
umm what could possibly have Discord in store? and how would have thought he was a Shipper On Deck 
let's see where this new development take us 
This is gonna be awesome!
Discord had his heart set on The Green Goblin plan and had actually left his original plan behind? Are you telling me that, if I looked hard enough and didn't blame Discord for anything, Twilight directly caused the first and fourth ones in the series to happen?
Bwahahahahah