• Published 4th Feb 2012
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Spiders and Magic: Rise of Spider-Mane - Maximus_Reborn



Spider-Man is brought to Equestria for a second chance at life, but his luck may ruin his opportunity before it can truly begin.

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Heroic Rivalry, Part I

Chapter Three "Heroic Rivalry Part I"

In the sanctuary of her bedroom, Twilight rested underneath the thick quilt on her bed. The sun's light pierced through the curtains, bringing life into her home. She stretched her hooves over her head and let out a soft yawn. Birds sat on the outside of her window before they spread their wings and flew off into the sky. Twilight forced herself out of bed and made her way to the same window, using her hooves to open it once she was close enough.

A gentle breeze greeted her, brushing her violet and pink strands of hair behind her neck. Ponyville, while still damaged from last night's attack, was already showing significant recovery. Thanks to Celestia's prized workers, the entire town seemed only a day away from returning to its former glory. Peace seemed to have returned, and Twilight was able to breathe a little easier.

"Twilight!" Spike screamed from downstairs, snapping her out of her daydream. She galloped down the stairs and found Spike latched around Peter's neck, throwing an array of wild slaps at his head with a rolled-up newspaper. "I found this guy sleeping in the living room! He must have broken in!"

"Spike! Wait!" Twilight lowered her head and aimed her horn at the pair, using her magic to levitate Spike away. Peter remained on his stomach with his mane drooped over his eyes and limbs stretched out. Spike was finally placed down in front of Twilight. "Do you remember Spider-Pony?"

He scratched the side of his head in a questionable manner. "That weird guy you brought here through that magic door? Yeah."

She glanced over at Peter. "This is Peter, the very same pony. The spell I used to summon him here was one-way, so I can't send him back now." Sadness filled her eyes. "Princess Celestia decided to allow him to stay with us for a while. I was going to tell you last night, but you were already asleep."

"Really?" Spike's eyes widened. He tossed his paper weapon away and ran over to Peter's side. "Sorry about that! I didn't recognize you without your costume. My name's Spike."

Peter maintained a blank stare, chuckling under his breath. "Don't worry about it, kid. I've had ruder awakenings." He extended his hoof out to Spike, who accepted it without hesitation.

Twilight walked over to Peter with a smile on her face. "Did you have a good night's sleep?"

Placing his hooves firmly on the ground, Peter flipped to a vertical base but stumbled back to his stomach upon landing. He exhaled loudly. His sense of balance seemed to be abandoning him much like his powers. With no danger around, his instincts weren't at their peak, and his natural clumsiness was beginning to take over. He made his way back up, much slower this time.

"I did, all things considered, but I don't know how long it will take for me to adjust to this," he paused before raising his front and back hoof alternatively. "Being a pony, I mean. Walking on all fours is a total pain."

Twilight frowned slightly. "I can imagine. It'll take time to adjust."

Peter hopped over to the couch, where his pillow and quilt rested, and sighed. He slid his hoof underneath the quilt, but it slipped free from his grasp attempt. He tried again, only for the same thing to happen.

He forced out a groan and slammed his hoof into the floor. "Not having any fingers sucks, too."

"I can take care of that."

Twilight walked over to the couch while her horn glowed with magical energy. She shifted her head, causing the closet door behind her to open, and with a second shift, sent the pillow flying to the highest shelf inside. Peter's eyes widened once he saw the quilt fold itself up and follow the pillow's lead, finding a spare shelf. Twilight closed her eyes, using the same magic to close the door. Once she turned around, a smile formed on her face at the sight of Peter's slack-jawed expression.

He shook his head. "How did you do that?"

"Magic. It's something every unicorn possesses," she said, stealing a glance at the horn protruding from Peter's forehead. "It's something you have, too."

He raised his brow questionably. "Magic? I didn't have any sort of magic power back at home, and the only thing that came out of my horn last night was webbing." He rolled his eyes at the innuendo. "I won't tell you how weird that is."

"Really? Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash told me about that, too." Twilight furrowed her brow, but it only deepened when Peter gave a nod. "Think you can show me? Right now?"

"Uh..." He gazed at his horn, but nothing happened. "Hang on." He bit his lower lip, but the result was the same. "Go, web. Go!" He gritted his teeth to no avail. "Shazam!" His eye twitched involuntarily. "I command thee!" A small vein appeared on the side of his head. "Okay, I guess Ican'tshow you."

Twilight tilted her head to the side. "You said you have the powers of a spider, right? So, the webbing's just a part of that?"

"Afraid not. The spider bite's package deal was a sixth sense for danger, ability to cling to most surfaces, and super strength, but the webbing was sold separately." He walked over to the couch and slid his head in between the cushions, pulling out his costume with his teeth. "I had web-shooters built into the wrists of my costume. Made travel and trapping bad guys pretty easy."

Spike walked over to Peter and stared at the costume. He stretched the arm of the costume out and poked at it profusely. "Where are they? I can't find them..." With a lucky, unintentional poke, a strand of webbing shot out and knocked over a lamp across the room. Spike cringed when Twilight frowned in his direction, prompting him to toss the costume in a nearby backpack. He blushed. "Sorry."

"Ignoring Spike," she sighed, "I can see that it was indeed magic you used last night."

Peter's eyes widened slightly. "What makes you say that?"

"Like I said, it's something all unicorns possess, but like cutie marks, it's something that comes naturally. You were under stress last night, and I guess since you deal with danger regularly, your instincts took over."

"Wonderful. Let's find another dragon so I can practice my magic."

Peter exhaled before he planted his flank on the floor. His Parker luck was running in spades, and it made adjusting to his new home all the more difficult.

Twilight, sensing his frustration, walked to his side with a reassuring smile on her face. "Come on, Peter. Cheer up. Magic is quite easy to learn, and it comes naturally to anypony. It reminds me of something I read inThe Wonders of Science and Magic."

Spike rolled his eyes and groaned. "Is there going to be a quiz? I don't want you to bore the guy to death so early."

Twilight shot him a glare, causing Spike to chuckle nervously, but Peter stammered, running his hoof through his long mane. "Um... I was actually a science whiz back at home. Well, chemistry was my strong-suit, but still..."

"What?" Her eyes grew as wide as saucers at his statement. Her mouth fell open slightly, remaining agape for what seemed like many moments, but she shook her head, snapping herself free from her daydream. "Really? You're into science?"

His brow furrowed while his face flushed. "Twilight, I'm considered a massive nerd back at home. That's how much I love science. You must think I'm weird now."

"No, not at all!" she said happily, unaware her smile was growing in width. Peter watched the girl trot across the room and shift her gaze from his direction to the wide variety of books spread around them. "I've always been fascinated with science and studied so much of it my entire life."

Spike brought his hand over his forehead and sighed. "Toofascinated, if you ask me."

A second glare was shot in his direction, bringing a forced smile to Spike's face. Twilight turned back to Peter with a smile. "You're the first person I know that likes science, too. None of my friends would even give it a second thought."

"It's boring, that's why," Spike murmured, not long before a magical zipper formed over his mouth. The glow in Twilight's horn dissipated while Spike folded his arms in a mock surrender.

"Keep quiet, Spike." She turned back to Peter, who did his best to hold his laughter at Spike's expense. "We can readThe Wonders of Science and Magictogether," she said, pausing to swallow the lump that suddenly formed in her throat. "That is... if you want to."

No response was given right away. Peter stared at Twilight with a blank expression for several moments, sending a large wave of embarrassment to wash over her. She lowered her head and bit her lower lip, ready to walk away, but a sense of warmth rushed through her when Peter gestured a wide grin.

"A study session? I'd like that a lot," he said honestly, earning a high-pitched squeal out of Twilight and a low, desolate groan out of Spike. He looked away, sobering. "I appreciate this, Twilight, but you don't have to do this for me. I don't want to be a burden on you..."

However, before he could continue, magical energy enveloped his entire being and levitated him off of the ground. Twilight trotted away with her smile intact and Peter hanging over her head.

"Don't worry about it! You're no burden. Now, I'm sure I can find that book somewhere in here. Spike, help me find it!"

The zipper over his mouth disappeared, and Spike followed the pair with his shoulders slumped. "I can tell he's going to be a lot of fun..." He paused, noticing the bounce in Twilight's step, and shrugged. He smiled as well. "At least Twilight's happy."


Dear Princess Celestia,

I've learned that while Peter's from an entirely different world, he's just as much of a pony as everyone else. It's going to take him time to learn how to properly wield his magic and change his lifestyle, but he's finding a way to remain positive about it.

We spent the entire day studyingThe Wonders of Science and Magic, and I'm happy to find that I have something in common with him- a love for science! I'll continue to let you know what I've learned about friendship, but I'll also make sure to let you know how well Peter is adjusting to Equestria.

Your faithful student,

Twilight Sparkle.


Soaring through the skies of Ponyville, Rainbow Dash sneered to herself as the citizens awed at her aerial acrobatics. Rainbow went into a nosedive, racing to the ground at a dangerous speed, but she pulled up, extending her wings to go into a perpetual glide. Her wings pulled together, and Rainbow Dash gently landed on the ground, skidding to a stop. A crowd of spectators gathered around her, each offering some form of praise.

Pinkie Pie, forcing her way through the crowd, began giggling once she was close to Rainbow Dash. "Wow, that was really cool, Rainbow Dash!" she said, bouncing in place.

"Thanks, Pinkie, but that was just child's play compared to what I can really do!" Rainbow Dash said, placing her hoof over her chest. The entire crowd edged closer, but screams from afar breached the atmosphere. Rainbow Dash flew into the air and saw a pony hanging from the edge of a steel beam within a construction site. "Hang on!" she yelled.

Throwing caution to the wind, she left the crowd and dashed to the site. Rainbow Dash's eyes widened when the rope holding the steel beam snapped from the unstable weight, and the pony fell into a dangerous descent. She dove after him, free-falling past the steel beam. In a quick swoop, she wrapped her hooves around the pony and flew him to safety just before the beam struck the ground.

Placing him gently on the ground, Rainbow Dash placed her hooves on her hips and gave the pony a stern yet concerned smile. "Try to be more careful next time, okay?"

"I'll try to, Lady. Thanks!" he nodded, gesturing a wave.

Brushing her colorful mane back, Rainbow Dash flew back into the sky but stopped in her tracks when she witnessed the crowd from before cheering for her, some even applauding by stomping the ground. Her ego swelled, matched only by the growing grin on her face, but she managed to contain it, offering a simple salute before speeding off into the clouds. Once sure she was far enough from prying eyes, Rainbow Dash rolled on to a cloud and giggled to herself.

"A hero's work is never done, I guess."

She closed her eyes and brought her hoof over her mouth to stifle a yawn. A soft creak made her ear twitch, but she rolled to her side, paying it no mind. The creaking continued, causing Rainbow to open her eyes slightly only to find a pair of ocean blue orbs and bright pink mane a couple of inches away from her face.

"Oh, hey, Pinkie," she said lazily before the realization struck her like lightning. "Pinkie Pie!"

She stumbled back, slipping over the edge of her cloud, and crashed into the ground waiting below. Pinkie Pie slid from her unusually tall, cloud-piercing ladder and gave Rainbow Dash a sincere look of concern. "My gosh! Are you okay? That look like it hurt."

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. "I guess you can you say it did, Pinkie," she sarcastically said, propping herself back to a vertical base. "What do you want?"

Pinkie's smile and lighthearted demeanor returned instantly. She reached into her knapsack, pulling out a small paper with a picture of Rainbow Dash's face on it.

"Did you forget about the party the Rainbow Dash Fanclub is throwing for you? It's going to start in a few minutes, and you're going to miss it! It wouldn't be a Rainbow Dash party without Rainbow Dash, would it? It'd just be a party, and while I love a good party, you're supposed to be at this one. Then..."

Rainbow placed her hoof over Pinkie's mouth, cutting off her speech. "I get it, Pinkie. Let's go," she giggled, removing her hoof right after.

The pair walked back through Ponyville to reach their destination. It had been three days since the attack, and thanks to Celestia's prized workers, the entire village was restored back to its former glory. Pinkie Pie stole a glance at Sugarcube Corner and smiled widely. It was damaged slightly, namely from Peter's body crashing into the abode, but it was minimized significantly thanks to his efforts. It had opened back up today, which meant the first chance she got, Pinkie was going to have to pay them a visit.

Pinkie peeked back down, noticing the glances Rainbow Dash as receiving. The pegasus waved back to each glance, managing to maintain her stride, and Pinkie Pie giggled softly but stopped abruptly, causing Rainbow Dash to collide into her flank. Pinkie did not budge, but Rainbow's body folded before she face-planted into the dirt.

"Pinkie Pie! What gives?" she said, spitting out dirt she inadvertently swallowed.

No response was earned. Pinkie glanced at Rainbow and shifted her gaze at an object over their head. A billboard with a silhouette of a pony stood tall in the heart of Ponyville. Rainbow Dash squinted her eyes at the headline underneath the picture.

"Ponyville Thanks Mysterious Hero."

"Did you hear?"

Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie turned at the sound of the voice, finding a pony with a mint green coat and cyan with white mane making her way towards them.

"Hear what, Lyra?" Rainbow Dash raised her brow.

Lyra shifted her attention to the billboard. "About the pony that chased the dragon out of our village the other day. Ponies everywhere are trying to find out about him, but he just disappeared without a trace. I actually caught a glimpse of him myself."

"Oh, you're talking about Pe-," Pinkie Pie started to say before Rainbow Dash rammed her hoof into her side. Lyra furrowed her brow, but Pinkie shook her head and smiled. "I meant, Spider-Mane!"

Lyra tilted her head to her side. "Pardon?"

"She's talking about the hero. He saved us personally and told us he's known as Spider-Mane," Rainbow Dash said, causing Pinkie to nod in agreement.

Lyra's eyes widened and mouth fell agape. "So you saw him, too? I was pretty far away when I saw him, but I could tell something wasn't right about him."

Rainbow Dash frowned. "Whaddya mean?"

The mare didn't respond right away. Instead, she edged over to the pair and raised her hoof over her mouth, a vague way to lower her voice. "Don't you think it's weird? I saw the way he moved. Ponies are not that flexible. In fact, I'd say he's more of a human than a pony."

A blank stare formed on Rainbow's face. "For the love of Celestia, Lyra. Don't start that crazy 'human' talk again. What makes you so sure he's not a pony? He sure looked like a normal pony to me." She paused. "Well, as normal as a pony fighting a dragon is supposed to be."

Lyra raised her hoof defensively. "I'm just saying. His movement just seemed a little... unnatural. Give me some time. I think there's more to him than we realize-"

"Derpy! Be careful!"

Pinkie Pie and Lyra's eyes shot open, but Rainbow Dash groaned inwardly. They saw a gray pegasus with a bright yellow mane stumbling out of a flying moving van while moving a piano. Rainbow Dash readied to move, but a strand of webbing shot out from nowhere, latched unto the piano, and attached itself to the moving van, stopping its descent instantly. Suddenly, before Derpy could crash into the ground, a colt in red and blue tights jumped from the top of a building and tackled the pony in midair. The colt landed on his two lower hooves with Derpy in his cannons.

"Moving vans in the sky? That's just asking for trouble," he shrugged before placing the girl back down. "Try to be careful next time, okay?"

She stared at the colt with her eyes crossed, but a smile formed on her face. "Wow! Thank you." A blush formed on her face. "You saved me! I just lost my balance and..."

The colt glanced at the girl's wings and pointed at them. "You know you could have flown?"

She turned her head back, blushing at the sight of her fluttering wings. "I guess I forgot to?"

"Hey! It's Spider-Mane!" Pinkie Pie cheered.

Lyra's mouth to fall agape, but her expression turned serious in an instant. She reared over to Rainbow Dash and whispered, "What pony stands upright like that? I'm telling you! He's a human!" A devilish smirk formed on her face. "...and I can prove it."

Spider-Mane simply nodded before he jumped to the nearest rooftop. Many spectators gathered, trying to catch a glimpse of the colt, but he only fired a strand of webbing from his horn, swinging off at a high speed. Everypony remained in awe, asking several questions about what had transpired. Lyra crawled off in the opposite direction, muttering something along the lines of a 'bigger plan', but Rainbow Dash's brilliant rose gaze remained locked in the direction Peter took.

"Looks like you're back in business, Peter," she smiled, trying her best to tune out Pinkie's excited prattle. However, her mind couldn't help but tingle at Lyra's paranoia."What the heck is she on anyway?"


Several fillies filled the room, each wearing a rainbow-colored wig over their mane. A small orange pegasus with purple eyes stood behind a podium with Rainbow Dash by her side.

"Attention, everyone. This meeting for the super-ultra-extreme-awesomazing Rainbow Dash is now in session!" Scootaloo said, bringing the room's attention to her. "As always, let's talk about the cool things Rainbow Dash has done this week!"

A short blue unicorn with large buck teeth raised his hoof. "I saw Rainbow Dash do a triple somersault at super speed yesterday!"

Rainbow Dash nodded her head, confirming the truth in the unicorn's words. Everypony in the room cheered wildly until a golden unicorn with a snail on his flank raised his hoof. "Well, I saw Rainbow Dash help with construction yesterday. She tore down a whole barn by herself!"

Again, she giggled and nodded, earning a roomful of 'oohs' and 'awes'. Scootaloo turned to face Rainbow. "And I betshewas the pony who chased off the dragon, right?"

Everypony stopped in their tracks. They edged closer to Rainbow Dash with wide eyes and eager expressions. They awaited a response, but only received a frown from their hero. Her brow furrowed. "Sorry, squirts, but that wasn't me," she said, her tone resembling one of irritation. "It was actually..."

"Spider-Mane!" Pinkie Pie blurted out, earning a blank stare from Rainbow Dash. However, she peeked outside and yelled, "No! It's really him!"

In that same instance, everypony rushed past Rainbow Dash, Scootaloo included, and trampled over her in the process. They pushed their door open, gasping aloud at the sight. Spider-Mane swung from his web, flipping over a set of trees, but he released his strand, landing perfectly on the vertical side of a rock. He performed a series of front-flips before using his strength to launch himself high into the air for a gigantic back-flip.

It seemed as if he underestimated his jump when he began to approach the ground at a volatile speed head-first. Everypony in the clubhouse slammed their eyes shut, afraid to witness the crash, but Spider-Mane extended his front hooves and used the momentum to bounce back to a vertical base. He aimed his horn, firing a strand of webbing at the tallest tree in the area. He swung away from the scene, leaving everypony in the tree-house mouth agape.

Snips shook his head and started jumping in place. "That'sthe pony that beat the dragon? He's socool!"

Pinkie Pie, feeling obligated, joined the unicorn in his bounding session. "Yep! That's Spider-Mane! Butt-Kicker of dragons everywhere!"

Scootaloo's eyes beamed and wings flapped happily. "Pinkie Pie! Do you think you can tell me more about him?"

The pink pony began to tell the fillies in the room her version of Spider-Mane's fight with the dragon. Everypony edged closer, giving their full-attention to Pinkie. However, Rainbow Dash stood away from the crowd bearing a furrowed brow. This was a horrible case of deja' vu for her. The children ditched her in a heartbeat for the mysterious Mare-Do-Well, but in that case, Mare-Do-Well was just a ploy by her friends to diminish her over-sized ego. Once she learned from that mistake, Mare-Do-Well vanished without a trace, and Rainbow Dash earned her fans back.

Her brow twitched involuntarily. She knew that heroics weren't done for the recognition, but she could not contain her jealously for the new hero's growing reputation in Ponyville. She exhaled. She couldn't let this get to her. At this point, she was mature enough to let it go, right?


A loud set of knocks at the door echoed throughout the house. Peter trotted from upstairs with his brow raised. "Sheesh, some people will knock a door down with that kind of knocking." He rolled his eyes. "I mean, someponies."

He placed both of his hooves against the knob and managed to twist it enough to open the door. However, before he could react, Rainbow Dash tackled him to the floor, using her hooves to pin him to the ground. His chocolate orbs widened.

"Uh... Rainbow Dash? What's up?"

She edged her face closer to his, but much to his befuddlement, a glare formed in her violet eyes.

"You and me! Hero off!"

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