Pinkie Pie loves being the Spectacular Spider-Mare. However, because of her responsiblity, she will have to face some of the most dangerous foes of all time.
After being gifted with amazing spider-like abilities, Pinkie Pie, now fights crime as the Spectacular Spider-Mare. Defending Manehattan from menaces, like Doctor Octopus, the Kingpin, and more. Meanwhile, she must learn to balance her own life. All while keeping a smile on her face. Which is harder than it looks sometimes.
Spider-Man and all related characters, and location are all owned by Marvel. Pinkie Pie and all related characters and locations are all owned by Hasbro.
Image courtesy of J-MPN. Please send this artist your support.
The five stallions scurried through the jewelry store, being cautious not to raise an alarm .They moved around to the small fuse box. One of them lifted the crowbar and prided the fuse box open. It was littered with wires that connected from one end to the other, overlapping and twisting in a confusing manner.
“Are you sure you know what you’re doing?” one of the stallions asked through his ski mask. He turned towards the smallest of the group as he approached the fuse box.
“Of course, I do,” the smaller one stated. “It’s simple.”
It was anything but simple. One wrong move, one wrong wire and they could have the authorities down their throats. He set his travel sack on the ground and unzipped it. He pulled from it a pair of wire cutters. He steadily lifted them to the fuse box, his shaking movements betraying his lack of confidence.
As he slowly inched towards the collection of wires, the group grew impatient.
“Come on! Just cut the wire!” one of the stallions growled, trying not to yell.
“Hey, did the Kingpin put you in charge of this?” the stallion with the wire cutters asked. There was a pause. “No? Then shut up.”
One of the stallions stepped forward. “Will you both shut up?!” he snapped. “We do this and we can consider ourselves a million bits richer.”
Seconds passed, the small stallion to lean forward, studying the wires carefully. A simple magic security system and for a unicorn that was trained in such things easy. But for an earth pony, it was a delicate process and it incredibly complex. One wrong could have spelled disaster. They would have the authorities swimming on them faster than a school of piranhas on a carcass.
Finally, the stallion cut one of the wires. The stallions waited in suspense, as if they were afraid something was going to happen. A few seconds passed and nothing happened. Finally, the stallion with the wire cutters got to his feet. He smiled though his ski mask. “There goes the alarm.”
The group smiled, not that anypony else could tell through their ski masks. They made their way down to the main display of the jewelry store. With the fear of alarms gone, the stallions smashed into the glass cases that separated them from the priceless trinkets. The stallions grabbed the rings, necklaces, and other jewels and placed them in the saddlebags at their sides.
After several minutes of looting, the group made their way to the back room where they found a locked safe. One of the stallions was holding a stethoscope to the safe lock, hoping to hear the clicks on the lock.
The stallions were, again, growing impatient. “How long is this going to take?”
The one kneeled down to the and safe glared at the other. “If you keep talking, probably all night.”
“Just get the safe open.” The other replied.
Just then, one of the stallions was pulled off his feet and into the other room. He screamed as two strands of sticky string attached to his hind hooves and hoisted him into the air. The others turned around to see their companion hanging upside down and only a few feet from him was a pony, hanging upside down as well.
This pony was a mare, that much was sure, but all other details about this mare was covered in a bright red and blue costume with big white eyes on her mask.
“Hi, guys!” the mare said in a cheery voice. “Doing some late night shopping? You know that business hours are from 11 am to 7 pm, right?”
The group looked up in alarm. They had heard rumors over the past few months about a mysterious figure that stalked criminals in the night. A figure that would swing from a thread and could crawl on walls like a giant spider. But that is all they ever thought they were, rumors. However, none of them could deny what their eyes gazed upon. The Spider-Mare was real.
Spider-Mare turned her gaze to crook hanging by his hind legs. “You know you look like a piñata!” The crook swung his crowbar as fast and as hard as he could, hoping to catch her off guard. Spider-Mare, however, let go of her web-line, causing her to drop. As she fell and the crowbar flew passed her, she aimed her forelegs to fire two strands of webbing at the stallion’s front hooves. The web continued until it stuck his front hooves on the ceiling as well as his hind legs.
Spider-Mare landed on the ground and looked up to her attacker. “And I love piñatas!”
The stallion struggled against his prison, but could only helplessly flail.
Spider-Mare spotted another one coming with a baseball bat at the ready. He swung at her, but she was able to leap backwards in the nick of time, landing on her front hooves, causing the bat to hit the ground. As the stallion lifted his bat to swing again, Spider-Mare sprang forward and wrapped her hind legs around the stallion’s torso. Using the momentum, Spider-Mare rolled forward with the thug still in tow, and tossed him into an oncoming assailant. The force sent both of the thugs to the ground.
Another thug quickly came from Spider-Mare’s right and started to swing his crowbar wildly. Spider-Mare was able to quickly move out of its path at every turn. “Ooo, you are a good dancer!” Spider-Mare quipped.
She leaped backwards and fired two strands of webbing from her hooves, connecting with the stallion’s front hooves. She pulled forward only slightly, but the force caused the stallion to stumble to the ground with a thud. As the thug landed on the ground, she leapt into the air, spinning her body in a forward motion, still clinging to the web-lines. The thug followed her path until she finally let go of the webbing, thrusting him forward.
The thug’s back slammed into the wall, his head pointed to the ground. Before he could slide down it, he was assaulted by webbing, sticking him onto the wall. He struggled and fought against the webbing, but he could not escape its sticky grip.
Spider-Mare turned to notice the two thugs that had been forced against one another had risen back to their feet. The two rushed towards Spider-Mare, as Spider-Mare prepared her hooves to web them. That’s when she felt a tingling going straight up her spine.
Spider-Mare ducked quickly, causing the baseball bat to miss her head. She used her front legs to propel herself backwards, wrapping her hind legs around the stallion. She rolled on the ground and tossed the criminal into the air, firing a strand of webbing to keep him off the ground. The stallion struggled against the net, fighting violently against it.
Spider-Mare sprung back to her feet and fired another strand of webbing from her front hooves, tying up the oncoming stallions’ hind legs. As they tried to move forward, before realizing what had happened, they fumbled to the ground. As they attempted to rise to their feet with their front hooves, they were stopped immediately by another net of webbing that wrapped themselves tightly around them.
Spider-Mare looked around the room as every single stallion struggled against their restraints. She smiled underneath her red mask. “Thanks for the dance, guys!” She made her way to the window, opening it. “We should play again sometime!” She leaped out of the window before anypony could say anything.
Firing a strand of webbing, she swung off into the night, shouting with joy. “I love being Spider-Mare!”
Atop the private suite of the famous actor, Spotlight, a mysterious figure raided a locked safe with a strange firearm. The figure was clad in a green metallic suit with a harness on his back, covering his pale yellow coat. The suit only revealed the front of his face, leaving the rest of his body protected. He lifted his weapon to the safe, pressing down on the trigger. The weapon fired a beam of energy at the safe and its protective case started to melt.
He turned towards the stallion tied in a chair just a few feet from him. The stallion moaned and yelled through the cloth wrapped tightly around his mouth.
The green figure smiled. “There’s no need for teary despair, my friend. I’m sure you have more where these came from.”
The stallion struggled against the ropes wrapped around his limbs, but was unable to escape their grasp. He fought with all his rage, but still they refused to move. He growled under the gag staring straight at the green clad figure.
The metallic figure turned back towards the safe and his eyes beheld a small mound of jewels and crystals. They shined brightly as his eyes took in the glorious sight. His horn glowed as the contents of the safe flew into the air. He then pulled a small bag out of his suit and held it open with his magic. The jewelry fell into the bag, making a jingling sound as they fell atop each other. “Ah…” he moaned in satisfaction. “Sweet opportunity.”
The stallion in the chair roared as he thrust forward, only to be stopped by his binds.
The metallic figure only gave a chuckle. “You should have gotten a better security system. Maybe some pony would have come running.”
He made his way to the ledge of the balcony. He smiled as he turned back to his victim. “Well, good sir. I must be off.” He stood up high on the balcony with his forelegs stretch out to his sides. With a glow of his horn, two razor sharp wings appeared from the harness, stretching out far from the reaches of his hooves. With his wings spread, he leaped off the building and soared through the sky.
The sun shined through the window of Pinkamena Diane Pie, or Pinkie Pie as she preferred, glimmering to the brand new day that was starting. She leaped out of her bed with a joyous spring as the sun’s rays hit her eyes. “It’s the first day of school!” she cheered as she landed on her feet.
Her gaze went straight to the small green alligator sitting on her nightstand. She picked him up and started to spin around the room with him. “It’s the first day of school, Gummy! And I’ve never been so excited!” She tossed Gummy into the air with boundless energy and caught him before he could touch the ground.
Gummy seemed unaware of what was happening around it, showing no sign of concern, fright or any kind of emotion for that matter. It seemed like it would be a lifeless puppet, if not for its occasional blinking.
“You know why, Gummy?” Pinkie Pie asked as she locked her gaze with Gummy’s. There was a moment of silence as if Pinkie was waiting for a response. Despite the silence, Pinkie Pie answered. “Because everything is going to be different!”
Pinkie set Gummy on her bed and rushed into the hallway. After taking a quick shower, she started to make her way downstairs, humming a tune while she skipped. However, a voice stopped her in her tracks and ended her joyous humming.
“I’m not sure what we’re going to do.” Pinkie Pie recognized that voice instantly. It was the voice of her mother, Cloudy Quartz. Pinkie knew it wasn’t nice to snoop, but she couldn’t help but stay put and pressed her ear to the wall. Literally. “The bills are piling up and I’m not sure how much more my salary can hold out.”
Another voice came from within the room. Pinkie Pie knew it as Mrs. Cake, a friend to her mother and her family. “Well, surely Igneous must have left you something.”
Pinkie felt her heart sink a little at the mere mention of her father. It was only a few months ago her father was taken from her. She hadn’t forgiven herself for what happened. How could she? After all, it was all her fault that he was gone.
“Igneous Rock was many wonderful… wonderful things.” Cloudy’s voice was broken by a sigh as she attempted to continue. “But a financial wizard he was not.” Pinkie Pie wasn’t in the room, but she could almost see how much pain her mother was going through. It seemed like she hadn’t fully healed either. She wondered if they ever would. “I’m really worried about Pinkie and Limestone. I’ve had Marble over several times, but…” She paused as her head tilted to the table. "These past few months have been hard without him.”
Mrs. Cake then spoke. “If there is anything I can do to help.”
Pinkie finally decided to make her presence known, hearing enough. She faked skipping from the top of the stairs as she made her way down the last step. She didn’t want her mother to know she had overheard. Pinkie knew it would only make her worry more. That she didn’t need.
“Morning, mom!” Pinkie Pie cheered as she poked her head into the kitchen. “Hi, Mrs. Cake!”
“Hello, Pinkie Pie,” Mrs. Cake greeted with a smile.
Pinkie was welcomed by her mother’s smile as she made her way towards her. “How is the most beautiful mare in all of Equestria this morning?!”
Cloudy giggled as she hugged her daughter. “Pinkie, you silly goose.” The two embraced for a moment. Cloudy then pointed towards two brown paper bags with a P and an L marked on them. “I’ve got your lunches ready.” She then looked towards Pinkie. “Would you mind waking up your sister? She needs to get ready for school.”
Pinkie Pie saluted with her front hoof giving a big smile. “Okey dokie, lokey!”
Pinkie Pie rushed up the stairs and across the hall from her room. She opened up the door to see a lump hidden beneath the sheets of the bed. Pinkie Pie darted to the bedside and flung the sheets off the bed, revealing a light grey filly within.
The filly rolled over and moaned as the sun’s light tackled her body.
“Wake up, sleepyhead!” Pinkie Pie shouted in her joyful voice. “Time for school!
Limestone moaned as she rolled towards Pinkie. “It’s too early for school.”
Pinkie Pie shook her head with a smile. “No, it’s not silly. Today’s going to be the best first day of school ever!”
Limestone finally sat upright, rubbing her eyes and giving a deep yawn. “I wish summer lasted longer.”
Pinkie Pie made her way to her sister’s side. “But then fall and winter wouldn’t come as fast.”
Limestone smiled. She then took a deep breath and placed herself upright on the floor. Her eyes were still narrowed, still trying to wake herself up.
After getting ready for school, Pinkie Pie and Limestone headed down to where Pinkie last saw her mother. She was in the kitchen scrubbing the dishes. There was no sign of Mrs. Cake however. Pinkie assumed she went off home to get her own children ready for school. Pinkie liked the Cake family. In fact, her family and their family had always been really good friends.
Cloudy turned towards the dining room to see her two children coming down the stairs.
“Morning, mom!” Limestone greeted her with a smile.
“Morning, sweetheart,” Cloudy removed the rubber gloves off her hooves and picked up Limestone with a hug. She then set the younger daughter down and turned towards Pinkie. “Pinkie, would you make sure your little sister gets to the bus stop on your way to school?”
Pinkie Pie smiled. “Can do!”
“But mom,” Limestone moaned. “I can do it myself.”
Pinkie Pie made her way to her sister’s side. “Hey, how about a race to the bus stop? It’ll be fun!”
With that, Limestone completely forgot about her woes. Limestone was out the door faster than she had been moving the entire morning.
Pinkie Pie turned back to her mother, who was secretly thanking her. “Bye, mom! See you later!”
Cloudy waved to the two fillies. “Bye, girls! Have a good time at school!”
Pinkie raced after her little sister, the thoughts of what was said earlier still troubling her.
The morning did not start off well for Police Chief Silverstar. He had gotten a call at 5 A.M about a robbery in the home of Spotlight, a famous actor, who earlier that evening was taking an evening trot on the lanai. The maid had found him bound and gagged to a chair and the safe’s door at in the other room was melted, its contents missing.
The media had already caught wind of this story. Not that it came as a surprise to him. It was already on the early morning news and it wouldn’t be long before the news reporters from the various newspaper companies came knocking on Spotlight’s door. It was a struggle to keep them from interfering with the investigation, but he and his ponies managed.
His ponies were already there, gathering evidence and asking questions. He arrived only an hour later. He made his way down the hallway and onto the balcony. Spotlight was lying in his lounge chair, moaning and sobbing.
“I demand that you find that hooligan that robbed my safe!” Spotlight bellowed.
Silverstar made his way to his side. “Don’t worry, Spotlight. We will find the pony responsible for this.” Silverstar wished he was as confident as he sounded. This was the fourth in a series of robberies. All with the same pony. A unicorn in a green metallic uniform with a large pair of wings. At first, he thought it was perhaps an alicorn. The fear crossed his mind, but it was quelled when the witnesses said that the wings looked synthetic.
Silverstar made his way to the safe where two ponies were conducting a search for hoof prints. “Anything?”
A mare looked up and shook her head. “Sorry, sir. Nothing. He left no evidence.”
Silverstar took a look at the door to the safe. It was melted, making the twist lock coated in liquid metal that had just solidified. “What about the safe? Is there anything we know of that could have melted it?”
The mare stood up. “Aside from a blowtorch or a flamethrower, not much.”
Silverstar put his hoof on his chin. “But a blowtorch would take too long and it wouldn’t melt it like this, would it?”
“No, sir.” The mare then pointed towards Spotlight who was still being questioned by one of the officers. “And Spotlight stated that his assailant was wielding some sort of firearm. He said that it was the reason for the safe looking like it is.”
A voice then came from the hallway, outside the police tape. “Mr. Spotlight! Mr. Spotlight!”
A stallion with a red mane, accented with white streaks. His mouth was covered by his red mustache. He sported a dress vest and bow tie, and was carrying a brief case. He ducked under the police tape and made his way to Spotlight. “Mr. Spotlight, I heard about your recent robbery and I think I have a solution!”
Silverstar made his way to Spotlight, blocking the stallion’s path. “Please, step away, sir. This is a crime scene. Please, leave,” he asked his eyes glaring at the stallion.
The stallion moved his head to face Spotlight, as if he was just ignoring Silverstar. “I’m Flam from Flim-Flam Security Systems Plus” He pulled a white card from his vest and reached out to give it to Spotlight. “The best security system in west Equestria. I’d like you to take this opportunity to-“
Silverstar put his hoof on Flam’s shoulder. “I’m not going to ask again. Leave.” He guided Flam towards the exit.
Flam dropped the card as close to Spotlight as he could, as Silverstar led him to the door. “Call us.”
As Flam slunk back into the hallway, Silverstar made his way back to the safe in hopes of finding something new, however his hopes were quickly dwindling. He noticed Spotlight picking up Flam’s fallen card, looking at it as if he was considering that pony’s offer. Silverstar shook his head in disappointment. Flam was fully taking advantage of Spotlight’s fear to make a quick bit. But that was the way some ponies acted in the business world and Silverstar hated it.
After allowing her little sister to beat her to the bus stop, Pinkie Pie made her way to Midtown High. As she trotted down the street, her mind was consumed by what she had overheard at home. Her mother worked at a grocery store. It was never a job she enjoyed, but she didn’t have the educational opportunities Pinkie and Limestone now had. The one their father worked all his life to ensure they had.
Limestone was too young to remember, but Pinkie Pie remembered the old rock farm. How her father, mother and her big sister, Marble, would toil day in and day out in the field. Her father had finally made the decision to move out of the country and into the city.
Ever since moving into the city, her father would take up two jobs just to keep them in the city. It wasn’t a perfect living, but they had each other. Marble graduated college on a scholarship and financial aid. She was always busy, but when she wasn’t, she made time for the family. They were happy. All of them. At least until…
“Hey, come on! Give it back!”
The familiar voice caught Pinkie Pie’s attention. She looked up to notice she was in front of Midtown High. She had been so distracted by her thoughts, she didn’t even realize what was happening around her until she heard the cry.
In the courtyard, a pale green Pegasus and a dark brown Pegasus were tossing a brown bag back and forth while a short green unicorn attempted to grab it from the air.
“Come on! This isn’t funny!” Snips shouted as he leaped into the air, barely missing the bag.
Lightning Dust started to laugh. “Aw, come on. We’re giving you a workout. Celestia knows you need it.”
Pinkie looked over to the left to see her friend Snails, a yellow unicorn, being given a noogie by a much bigger stallion. A stallion named Slink. Nearby, a skinny stallion named Slim started to laugh, urging Snails to break free. Snails fought against his tormentors, but failed to free himself.
Pinkie took a step towards Slink and Slim. “Hey, why don’t you two leave him alone?”
Slink and Slim looked up as Pinkie called out to them. They gave a big smile as they saw her. “Well, well, well.” Slim stepped forward. Slink let go of Snails, allowing him to pick up his books and scurry behind a tree. Slim looked up to the sky, “Hey, L.D, Puny Pinkie’s back.”
Lightning Dust turned towards him. She gave a cruel smirk. “Hey, Pink. Miss me much?” She tossed the brown back towards Hoops before Snips could reach her.
Pinkie rushed towards where they two were ‘playing’ keep away.
Hoops caught the bag as Snips quickly approached him. Before Snips could get their however, he tossed the bag back to Lightning Dust. However, Pinkie Pie leaped into the air, catching the bag in her hooves.
Snips turned around to see Pinkie holding his bag with a smile on her face. “Thanks, Pinkie.”
Pinkie Pie’s smile got even bigger. “You’re welcome.”
“Hey! Pinkie Pie!” Lightning Dust made her way to ground. “What was the big deal? I was just catching up on my old pal, Snips. He missed me.”
“Like a toothache,” Snips grumbled under his breath as he tied his bag to his back and slithered away.
Hoops and Slim came to Lightning Dust’s side as she stared down Pinkie Pie. Lightning gave a smirk. “So, Puny Pinkie finally decided to grow a spine, huh?”
Pinkie smiled as she glared at Lightning Dust. “Things have changed. And things are going to change around here.” Pinkie Pie took a step forward. “I won’t let you pick on anypony else around here.”
Pinkie Pie was finally face to face with Lightning Dust, but she didn’t seem worried. In fact, Lightning just kept on smiling.
“Got it?” Pinkie asked.
There was a moment of stillness as if the words Pinkie had said had stricken the world around them. Without warning, Lightning shoved Pinkie forward causing her to tumble backwards. Before she could regain her balance, she tumbled over a large object behind her, flipping her onto her back.
The group began to howl with laughter as Pinkie Pie replayed the image in her mind, seeing the large object as Slink, one of Lightning Dust’s groupie. When she looked up, Lightning Dust had grabbed a paper bag from the air, tossed to her by Slink.
Lightning dug through it and pulled out a loaf of bread. Her jaws ripped into it with a moaning satisfaction. She then turned to Slim who was still laughing. “Did you hear her threaten me?” she asked, food deposits ejecting from her mouth as she attempted to chew and speak at the same time. “Pinkie, here, thinks she’s Spider-Mare or something.”
Slim followed Lightning’s example and dug out an apple and celery sticks from the bag, biting into the fruit with a smirk on his face. He tossed the emptied paper bag aside.
Pinkie looked down to bag and saw a large ‘P’ marked on it. “Oh no. My lunch.” Pinkie moaned as her head sunk into her shoulders. As Pinkie made her way back to her feet, the bell for class to begin had rung.
Flim sat in his office on the phone with an important client. Flim-Flam Security Systems Plus was among the best security systems in Equestria. Many ponies within the community already had a basic package. Few could afford more. But the recent crime rate, especially with the mysterious flying thief, more ponies began to demand a much larger package, fearing that they would be next. And after the media attention the flying figure received, there would no doubt be calls to improve their security.
“Yes, Mr. Noise,” Flim spoke into the phone to his recipient. “My brother and I are very interested in expansion. I can see our business going nationwide. All we need is the support of the west and the deal will be done.”
A creaking of an opening door diverted Flim’s attention to his brother, Flam, as he entered the room. “Yes, sir. We are always seeking out new opportunities for business.” He urged his brother to step forward.
Flam came forward and sat in the chair in front of the desk.
“Wonderful. I will hope to discuss further details at a later date. Tomorrow perhaps.” Flim stated as he gave a smile. “At lunch? Perfect.” He gave a wink to his brother, which caused him to give a grin of his own. “Until then, Mr. Noise.” He placed the phone back on his desk, shutting it off. He then turned towards Flam with a big smirk. “Great news, brother. White Noise has agreed to our terms. We are going into more than just security systems.”
Flam nodded. “That is extravagant news. And I have some wonderful news as well.”
Flim leaned back in his chair. “No doubt about the Spotlight robbery?” His horn started to glow as one of the drawers in his desk slid open. Two empty glasses and a bottle appeared from the drawer and placed themselves on the table.
“Indeed. We received a call from him only an hour ago. He practically begged for the platinum package.” Flam watched his brother poured the contents of the bottle into each of the cups. Flam engulfed the glass with his magic and drew it towards him.
Flim nodded. “Of course he did. That flying criminal is a dangerous pony, nonpareil. Like a flying predator.”
Flam took a sip of his drink. “A predator? Yes, we are like vultures, swooping from the heavens and taking what we want.”
Flim raised his eyebrow. “Vultures aren’t predators, brother. They are scavengers.” He tipped up his glass, allowing the liquid to slither down his throat.
Flam shook his head. “The point is we are untouchable. No Pegasus can outfly your ingenious device.”
Flim smiled. “Yes, but our teamwork has always been the backbone of our work.” He looked at the clock upon the wall and slowly got to his feet. “Speaking of which, I think we will be expecting another call from another wealthy customer.”
Flam raised his eyebrow. “Are you sure this is wise, brother? Going out so soon after our recent job?”
Flim nodded. “You don’t know how much you miss flying until you are earthbound.” He made his way to the door. “You are in charge.”
Flam lifted his glass. “Aren’t I always?” He gave a quick laugh as Flim shut the door behind him.
Pinkie Pie, Snips and Snails made their way to the lunchroom after class. Pinkie Pie stomach was grumbling. Not loud enough to be heard except by her.
“I’m really sorry they got your lunch, Pinkie Pie,” Snails apologized. “You can have some of my lunch if you want.”
Snips nodded. “Yeah, mine too.”
Pinkie just smiled. “It’s okay you guys. I’ll be just fine.” They made their way into the lunch room and sat themselves down. Snails opened his lunch box and drew a banana from it. Snips pulled out a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
As Pinkie watched them eat, she sort of regretted not taking their offer. Her stomach roared at her, begging for something.
“Well, it’s good to see the gang is all here,” a familiar voice came from behind them.
Pinkie Pie smiled as she turned around to see her friend Red Gala, a pink mare with a green mane. Pinkie Pie stood up quickly and gave Gala a hug. “Gala! I’ve missed you!”
Gala gave a slight chuckle as she wrapped one of her hooves around Pinkie. “I’ve missed you too, Pinkie Pie.”
Pinkie Pie then released Gala from her embrace and the two joined Snips and Snails.
As Gala sat down, she greeted Snips and Snails with a smile. “Hey, guys.”
Snails took a swallow of his banana and gave her a genuine smile. “Hey, Gala. How was your summer?”
Gala heaved a sigh. “Busy. That summer job kicked my flank.”
Pinkie couldn’t help but smile. Gala worked at a bakery run by Mr. and Mrs. Cake. Pinkie was one of her frequent customers, but that didn’t mean that Gala and she spent a lot of time together. It was usually busy and Gala didn’t have time to chat. Of course, the whole summer, neither did Pinkie.
Snips turned to Pinkie. “What about you, Pinkie? We didn’t see you most of the summer.”
Pinkie frowned for a moment. She tried to force a smile on her face, but just couldn’t find the urge to. Her summer was spent in depression over the loss of her father. “I was around… just spending time with my family.”
There was a chill of silence in the air as Snips lowered his head, a frown gripping his face. Pinkie knew he didn’t mean to bring up such a painful summer. It just sort of happened. She blamed herself for reacting the way she did.
“Hey!” a voice came from behind them. “Usually awkward silences don’t happen until I get here.”
Pinkie turned around to see a light yellow stallion with a blue mane. Goldengrape. “Grape!” Pinkie leaped out of her seat and hugged Grape tightly. “I missed you!”
Grape gave a slight smile as he fought the urge to struggle against Pinkie’s vice grip. “Yeah, I missed you too, Pinkie.” There was a long awkward pause as Pinkie continued to hug Grape. He looked around and noticed that ponies around them were staring. Some of them laughing.
“You can let go now, Pinkie.”
Pinkie instantly let go and saluted. “Okey dokey, lokey!”
Grape took a moment to catch his breath before sitting down with the others.
Snails gave a smile. “Hey, Grape. How was the world tour?”
Grape shook his head and scoffed. “Sucked. I spent most of my time in hotels or on a plane. Hardly got to see anything. Mom and Dad were on important business meetings.”
Pinkie Pie recalled the first week of summer when Grape said he was going to travel with his parents to see the world. Her heart sank for Grape. She felt sorry for him.
Grape turned his head towards Gala. “But at least, all of us are here again. Right, Gala?”
Gala gave a smile. “Yeah. Just another year of torture for us.”
Pinkie Pie stood up quickly. “Gala!” The whole table turned towards her. “I almost forgot it’s your birthday next week!”
Gala’s smile started to deteriorate. “Oh… yeah… How silly of me to forget?” She shifted her gaze away from Pinkie.
“Don’t worry! I’ll always remember my friend’s birthday!” Pinkie Pie announced. “We are going to have the most super-ginormous-fun-awesomely-sensational-spectacular party ever!”
Red Gala gave a slight chuckle. “Pinkie, I really don’t need a big party. Can’t we just have small quiet party?”
Pinkie raised her eyebrow, not fully understanding what was said. Then it hit her. “Ooooh. I get it.” She glared towards Gala. She made her way next to her, climbing over the table. “Gotta keep the party a secret. So it’s a surprise.” Pinkie whispered with a smile.
Gala shifted her gaze away from Pinkie to see everypony within 15 feet looking straight towards their table. She gave a nervous smile. “Pinkie, I really don’t want a party.”
Pinkie Pie sat back in her chair. “Don’t worry, Gala. I won’t make you any parties.” She winked in Gala’s direction.
Gala took a deep breath and lowered her head to the ground. “Great… Just great…” she silently moaned. Everypony on the table seemed to take note of it. Everypony, except for Pinkie Pie.
The day continued with class after class until the final bell for school to end had rung. Cheerilee had asked everypony to study for chapter 1 for tomorrow’s quiz. Right before Pinkie Pie left the room, Cheerilee had asked Pinkie to stay behind.
She wasn’t sure what it was about. She had been quiet the whole time in class. She didn’t really like to be her normal bubbly self during class. Not only would she disrupt others from learning, but she was constantly the victim of ridicule. She couldn’t help she was full of energy. She just wanted to make everypony happy and to smile. But that often made her strange and abnormal. A point others, like Lightning Dust, enjoyed bring up again and again.
Pinkie Pie met with Cheerilee as she sat at her desk. “I want to talk to you about your test scores last year.”
Pinkie’s heart started to sink. “What about them?”
Cheerilee placed her glasses on her face and panned through the notebook in front of her. “Most of them were very good scores. In fact, your average is very high. Especially in the vocabulary department.”
Pinkie should have felt a reason to be happy, but instead her head only sunk into her shoulders.
Cheerilee lowered her head. “But when it comes to explaining how these are important to real life situations… That is where the grades start to drop.” Pinkie felt her heart sink a little. She tried to do well in school, but she just wasn’t smart. Not as smart as Gala was, who was practically a genius. Or her sister, Marble. She always had the brains in the family. “Do you know why you got these scores?”
Pinkie Pie shifted her gaze and frowned. “Because I have a photographic memory.”
Cheerilee smiled and placed her hoof on Pinkie’s. “And that’s nothing to be ashamed of.”
Pinkie tried to smile, but couldn’t. She felt like she was cheating. Everything she read she could remember with almost no difficulty. When it came to terms and formulas, she could memorize them easily. But when it came to explaining what they mean and why it matters, she was as lost as a hummingbird in a snowstorm.
Cheerilee spoke again, “I know you are smarter than you give yourself credit for. I’ve been speaking with Dr. Moral who is offering an internship with Equestrian State University. She asked for a student who could benefit from it.”
Cheerilee stood up. “I think that is you.”
Pinkie Pie looked up and noticed Cheerilee smiling. In turn, Pinkie Pie found a reason to smile as well.
“I think you could benefit from her teachings. You could not only memorize the subjects, but know what it means as well.”
“You think so?” Pinkie Pie asked a glimmer of hope in her eyes.
Cheerilee nodded. “If you agree, you start this afternoon.”
Pinkie Pie couldn’t have smiled more. She wasn’t in trouble. She was going to learn more about science than she thought possible. And she was going to be paid to learn. That was something she smiled the most about.
Pinkie Pie made her way down the road skipping and humming as she traveled to the lab of Dr. Moral. The day might not have started off well, with her family’s financial situation or her own situation against Lightning Dust and her cohorts. But this lab job would not only benefit her as a student, but would help her mother pay bills. Those happy thoughts kept her walk towards home into a joyous bounce.
But as soon as ponies started laugh at her and pointing her out, she stopped. She couldn’t help herself from expressing her joy. She was just so happy. And yet, almost everypony out there thought she was … random. She wasn’t random. Everything she did had a purpose. But not everypony saw it that way. She turned her bouncing into a simple boring trot.
Suddenly, an exploding sound that filled the street as a cloud of orange smoke covered a nearby armored car. The sound had caused many ponies to shout to Celestia as to what was going on. Pinkie Pie looked up to the sky to see what she swore was a giant bird swoop into the orange fog. A moment later, the bird ascended out of the fog, carrying two large bags of the vehicle’s cargo.
Pinkie Pie looked back into the fog to see a lone stallion, coughing and struggling to stay up right. He fumbled out into the street. A truck’s tires screeched as the driver slammed on the brakes, praying that the stallion would get out of the road. The squealing caused the dazed stallion to look up to the truck, but was unable to move.
Pinkie used all the power in her legs to leap towards the stallion. She wrapped her hooves around him and dragged him out of the truck’s path. The driver sped past them, but thankfully no pony was hurt. As soon as the stallion was back on the street, Pinkie Pie darted for an alleyway, digging through her mane for a mask.
She slipped the completely red disguise over her head and made sure that the huge white eyes enabled her to see. She then dug through her cotton candy-like tail and pulled out the rest of her red and blue costume. After slipping them on, she leapt as high as she could; clinging to the wall and crawling up it like a giant spider.
Pinkie released a thin strand of webbing from her hoof. With her webs at the ready, Pinkie Pie, now better known as Spider-Mare, swung after the flying menace.
Flim smiled as he soared through the sky. By the time anypony had called the authorities, he would already be long gone. And the gas bomb would daze the security ponies near the armored vehicle long enough for him to escape. Flim held his head up high, his bags of loot wrapped around his body, so as not to fall as he flew through the air. He felt that his brother was right. They were untouchable.
Suddenly, he was jerked towards the ground slightly, as if something heavy had grabbed onto him. He looked down to his hind leg to see a thin strand of what appeared to be webbing and dangling from it was a red and blue clad pony.
“Hi, there!” the pony shouted. “You know that stealing is wrong, right?”
Flim had heard the rumors, but hadn’t expected to believe them. Let alone run into the infamous Spider-Mare. He dove to the ground quickly, building up speed as he flew. Like a fish on a line, Spider-Mare followed. He had hoped that the speed would be enough to loosen Spider-Mare’s grip, but she was stilling hanging on to her web line tightly.
But he knew what would shake her. He continued to dive to the ground and at high speed pulled up at the last second. Spider-Mare was traveling just as fast, but wouldn’t be able to turn with the speed he did. Spider-Mare let go of her web line. She used the momentum of her fall to dart across the top of the cars until she had control of her own speed. With that, she fired a web line to the air, chasing her opponent once again.
Flim’s horn glowed as his heat gun appeared from his suit . He turned his body to fire upon Spider-Mare. The orange beam headed straight for the costumed hero, but she was able to avoid it. Flim fired again and again, but never would this Spider-Mare stay still long enough for him to aim perfectly. And her movements were so unpredictable and fast.
“That’s a fancy weapon! “ Spider-Mare shouted as she shot another web, leaping over another blast from the heat gun. “Where’d you get that?”
She quickly fired her webbing to Flim’s right hoof, but Flim quickly pulled away, forcing Spider-Mare to release his hoof. However, Spider-Mare then shot a web line at the bags, tied to his back, as he turned around. The bags were jerked from his back and into the hoof of Spider-Mare.
Flim quickly turned around as Spider-Mare changed direction, holding the bags of loot tightly. “You were going to give this back, right?” She held out her hoof and fired another web line. “Don’t worry; I’ll do it for you!” She glided through the air on her new web line, soaring back to where Flim had stolen it from.
Flim gritted his teeth and dove after her. “Get back here!”
Spider-Mare swung through the city at a high speed, dodging the heat blasts from her opponent’s gun. She looked below her to see the police station and fortunately for her, two officers were trotting out of the station. Spider-Mare descended to the ground, shouting to the officers.
“Heads up!”
The officers tilted their heads to the air, seeing Spider-Mare coming straight for them. Spider-Mare tossed the two bags at one of the officer’s knocking him to the ground by the weight of the bags. She swung passed them at a high speed, not even bothering to land on the ground. “Take care of those, will you?” Spider-Mare shouted.
Following not far behind was the flying menace. He seemed to be ignoring the loot and focused solely on her. He fired another blast from his heat gun, which Spider-Mare leaped out of its path, firing another web line to keep her distance. She turned around firing another. “So, what’s your name?”
Spider-Mare then spoke again, not even waiting for an answer. “Oh, I know. Sparrow!” She narrowly avoided another blast of heat by changing her direction. “Raven?” She pointed her hoof at the bird-like enemy and fired an orb of webbing at the menace. The aerial enemy proved too nimble to be hit by it, as he evaded it with ease. “Oh, wait! I got it! The Turkey!”
The flyer’s face grew intense as he fired his beam again. “The name is Vulture!”
Spider-Mare leaped off her web line allowing her to fall downward. She shot her webs at Vulture. As they struck his body, she pulled with all her might, dragging the Vulture towards the rooftop directly below them. The Vulture quickly fired his weapon at the webbing, dissolving it quickly. With him free of the webbing, he corrected his course and pulled up before he could collide with the rooftop.
Spider-Mare landed on the roof with ease, looking upward as the Vulture came for another attack. She fired another strand at her opponent, but the Vulture moved out of its path. He fired his weapon at Spider-Mare, but a simple backflip put her out of harm’s way. She fired another strand of webbing as the Vulture kept firing his weapon.
To avoid the webbing, the Vulture quickly shifted to the side, causing his weapon to fire off in a bizarre direction. The beam slammed into a metal support for a billboard sign. The intense heat began to cause the support to melt. The other support began to bend and crack under the sudden weight as a crackling filled the air.
Spider-Mare quickly turned her attention to the billboard as it began to tumble over the edge roof and threatened the bystanders below it. She leaped towards the ledge and dove off the side of the rooftop. She firmly planted her hind legs on the side of the building, firing strands from her hooves. After they were securely tied on one side, she leaped to the building on the other side of the street, firing two more strands. She quickly connected them to the wall. The webbing held the billboard from crashing into the street below, like a fly in a spider web.
After feeling certain the ponies below were safe, Spider-Mare leaped to the rooftops again, scanning the area for any sign of her opponent. She looked around and noticed that nopony else was around. She searched the skies, but there was no sign of the Vulture.
“Oh, man. I let him get away,” she moaned to herself. She fired a strand of webbing, giving up on chasing the Vulture. Without any other leads or any idea where he could have flown off too, what else could she have done? She decided it was best to change back to her alter ego and pray that things couldn’t get any worse.
Pinkie made her way to Equestrian State University, or ESU. She scampered as she made a mad dash for the lab of Dr. Moral.
Oh, no! Way to make a first impression, Pinkie! You are so late!
Cheerilee told her to be at the lab by 4:00. She was just now arriving at 4:35. She wouldn’t have been so behind if it wasn’t for the mysterious flying Vulture. Pinkie didn’t know why he was committing a crime in broad daylight, but she could say something for this feather head. He was bold. Not to mention fast. It was no wonder the police were having a hard time catching him. Those wings made him faster than most Pegasi could fly. Even she, as Spider-Mare, had a hard time keeping up with him.
Though it was a good excuse, she couldn’t tell Dr. Moral that without exposing her secret identity. So, she decided to use the old excuse. She burst through the doors, heaving in deep breaths. “Sorry, I’m late.”
She made her way in when a large white pegasus with a yellow mane appeared in front of her. “Well, little cuz. Not a good way to make a first impression.”
Pinkie smiled as the her cousin greeted her with a smirk. Pinkie Pie bounced into her big cousin, wrapping her front hooves around her. “Surprise!” Pinkie shouted.
Surprise gave a chuckle. “Still as energetic as ever, huh, Pinkie?” Surprise wrapped her hooves around Pinkie. After a moment, they separated.
Pinkie looked up into her cousin’s eyes. “What are you doing here?”
Surprise stood up proudly, placing her hoof on her chest. “I’m the lab assistant here for Dr. Moral. Started working here a few weeks ago.”
Pinkie smiled. “Awesome! I work here too!” She bounced up in the air. “As an intern!” Then a loud rumbling sound came from the pit of her stomach. That sound caused her to sink to the ground, holding her belly.
Surprise giggled. “So I hear. But I bet you’re missing me at Midtown.” She looked down at Pinkie, who could only reply with a weak smile. “Lightning stole your lunch again, didn’t she?”
Pinkie nodded. Despite her best efforts, she hadn’t had a bite to eat all day. She was really regretting not taking her friends’ offer for food.
Surprise cleared her throat as she motioned to a stallion in the lab. “Pinkie, this is Star Bright. Husband of Dr. Moral.”
Star Bright made his way to Pinkie with a smile. “The new intern?” He held out his hoof to shake, which Pinkie took. Pinkie shook it vigorously, causing Star’s greeting smile to sink to a nervous one. Finally, Pinkie released his hoof with a smile. He gave a slight chuckle as his hoof felt numb for a moment. “I’m pleased to me you.”
“Nice to meet you, too!” Pinkie cheered.
Star Bright nodded as he shook his hoof, still stinging from Pinkie’s excited hoof shake. “I’ll go grab my wife. She’s in her lab right now.”
Star Bright trotted towards the office on the other side of the room and disappeared behind the door.
Pinkie turned to a display case that housed several different lizards. She gave an ‘oohing’ sound as she closely monitored the cases, examining the lizards closely. Her mind then began to wonder, as she recalled the same examination cases a few months ago. However, instead of housing lizards, they housed genetically altered spiders. And one of those spiders changed Pinkie’s life forever.
“Well, I see somepony is admiring my collection of lizards,” a voice came from behind Pinkie. Pinkie turned around to see a violet mare welcoming her.
Surprise made her way to Pinkie’s side. “Pinkie Pie, meet your new boss, Dr. Moral.”
Pinkie held out her hoof for Dr. Moral to shake. However, it was only when Dr. Moral stretched out her left hoof that Pinkie noticed something about Dr. Moral’s right hoof. There was a plastic stub where Dr. Moral’s hoof should have been. Pinkie started to frown as the two gently shook hooves. Her heart began to sink as she had been so inconsiderate not to notice Dr. Moral’s prosthetic leg.
“I’m sorry, Dr. Moral,” Pinkie started. “I didn’t know you-“
Dr. Moral shook her head. “It’s quite alright, deary. I get that all the time.” Moral then broke free of the hoof shake and made her way to the lizard display. “Magnificent, aren’t they?” Moral said, eyeing the reptiles.
Pinkie couldn’t help but smile. “Yeah, they remind me of Gummy!”
Moral turned to her and raised her eyebrow. “Who?”
Pinkie, face hoofed, feeling silly. She should have known that Moral wouldn’t know who Gummy was. “Gummy’s my talking pet alligator.”
Moral looked to Surprise who merely shrugged and gave a nervous smile. She cleared her throat and then turned back to Pinkie. “Well, I’m glad you could join us, Pinkie Pie.”
Pinkie gave a bounce of joy as she squealed with delight.
Moral placed her hoof on Pinkie’s shoulder. “Now, we’re not going to have you work on your first day. I just want you to get familiar with the lab.” She then turned towards Surprise “Would you mind showing her around?”
Surprise nodded and gestured Pinkie down the main lab. “Any questions, little cuz?”
Pinkie leaped up with an excited expression on her face. “Oh, I’ve got lots of questions!”
Surprise giggled as she continued to trot forward. “How about one question at a time then?”
Pinkie Pie made her way in front of Surprise with a large smile on her face. “How much do we get paid for this?”
Surprise snickered. “Pinkie, you’re a high school kid. You’re not being paid.” Surprise continued towards the main lab, speaking about the lab’s equipment and all the rules. She even included a couple of things that will keep Dr. Moral and Star Bright happy.
But Pinkie wasn’t listening to any of that. Her mind was sent spinning in a whirlwind. She was counting on this internship to bring in some income for her family. Her family needed money and her mother couldn’t afford to get a second job, not with Limestone. She could get a second job, but then who would be around to babysit Limestone? She couldn’t do it all the time, not with her responsibilities as Spider-Mare. Her mind began to panic over the next coming weeks. And without a paycheck, how could Pinkie help?
Flim returned to his office through a skylight. He could scarcely believe what had happened only an hour ago. He had the perfect plan. A simple knockout gas would paralyze the police long enough for him to zip in and steal what he desired. He would be in the sky and out of sight before anypony could realize what happened. He recalled himself perching himself high above the city streets and eying the truck with its bags of bits.
It was all in his grasp. Certainly, it wasn’t a lot, but it was free. And it would be more than enough to keep the income high. However, because of a single mare, his plan was foiled, his earnings none, and he was nearly captured in the process. The harness retracted the wings as he placed his hooves on the ground. He removed the harness from his back and set it on the ground. He moved towards his desk, plopping himself down in the chair. He held his head, rubbing it in irritation.
His mind thought back to his battle with her. She was so fast and agile. Strong and durable. He was thankful that he could use his weapon to melt the support from the billboard sign. Otherwise, Spider-Mare might have caught him. But why was she trying to catch him? What was she? Some kind of superhero?
The opening of a door distracted him from his thoughts. Flim looked up to see his brother. Flam smiled as he greeted his brother. “Well, how did our ‘scavenging’ go?” Flim gave him an annoyed look. Flam raised his eyebrow. “What’s gotten into you?”
“There was a little problem with the strike.” Flim turned his chair around and diverted his eyes to the small window behind him. “I ran into a snag.”
Flam came to the desk and stood beside his brother. “What kind of snag?”
Flim stood up. “Spider-Mare.”
Flam gave a puzzled look at his brother. “Spider-Mare? That flying spider pony? “ He put his hoof on the chair, leaning against it. “Isn’t she just a rumor? A myth?”
Flim turned around towards his brother. “She is real. And she nearly caught me. I barely escaped.”
“I see.” Flam made his way to the harness lying on the floor. “I can see how that would upset you.”
“Upset met?!” Flim snapped to his brother. “I am outright furious! The plan was perfect and nopony would have been able to stop me!”
Flam put up his hoof and spoke, trying to calm his brother down. “Perhaps it is wise for us to lay low for a while? Let this… Spider-Mare… move on before we strike again.”
Flim shook his head. “No! I’m not going to just let this go!” But Flim recalled the battle with Spider-Mare in his mind. Alone, he was overmatched. But with two Vultures? He gave a sinister smile to his brother. “I need you to help me brother!”
Flam raised his eyebrow. “Me? You are going to drag me into your vendetta?” He shook his head. “I won’t do it, brother. We have an opportunity to expand our empire.” He made his way to Flim and placed his hoof on his shoulder. “Let’s not waste it.”
Flim shoved his hoof away. “Don’t you see? If we take out Spider-Mare, the Vulture will be a name that is respected and feared.” He swiped the harness from Flam’s hoof and started to adjust it to his back. “Imagine the fame we would earn if they learned that we have the power to take out a superhero!”
Flam put his hoof on his chin. “And what would happen if the Vulture attracts the attention of other superheroes?”
Flim smiled. “That’s why we disappear. The Flim-Flam brothers are still in business and nopony would know that we are the Vultures.” Flim placed his arm around his brother. “Imagine the business we would gain if ponies knew that a powerful super villain was on the loose.”
Flam began to crunch the numbers in his head. And the profit would be extraordinary. Especially if the two could pull it off. Flam nodded and made his way to a bookcase. He pulled out one of the books. The bookcase then started to turn completely around revealing an armory. Hung on the wall were razor sharp discs, grenades, heat guns, and another harness like the one connected to Flim’s back. “Looks like we finally have an excuse to use these.” Flam turned to his brother with a cruel smile.
Pinkie left the lab of Dr. Moral with her head hung down. Her whole day seemed to be going wrong. First, her family was desperate for money. Second, her attempt to stand up to Lightning Dust ended with her being a laughing stock, like always. Third, a flying nutjob tried to kill her. Fourth, her job at ESU wouldn’t pay her for the work she did. And fifth, she still didn’t have any idea what she was going to do for Gala’s party next week, or how she would afford it. Her stomach started roaring as to reminder her of something. And sixth, she was starving.
Parties cost money and with her family’s financial situation, Pinkie wouldn’t be able to give her friend the party she deserved. The more she thought about it, the more it tore her up inside. Gala had been such a good friend over the years. She felt that she deserved something.
Pinkie made her way to the local party store on her way home. She didn’t know why she did. She convinced herself that it was to look for inspiration for Gala’s party. She took in her surroundings. They certainly had a much larger selection than what was at the party store closer to her home, but there was no pony there she recognized. Her thoughts went to her local party center. Ms. Candy Mane was always so nice, even if she was a little odd. She remembered Candy Mane telling her about her adventures in acting and special effects, but never talked about why she was in a party store.
Pinkie wished she was back at Candy’s place instead of here, but she decided to look around. She thought about a costume party, but it would be far too expensive. The decorations, the candy, the costume itself. Not to mention Nightmare Night was coming soon.
Just as her mind was about to come up with another idea, a loud explosion caused her to look outside. Ponies from inside the store trampled out to the street to see a fiery explosion in the sky, followed by a flying figure with long wings.
Pinkie Pie recognized it instantly. It was the Vulture from earlier. While the ponies below started panic, Pinkie slipped out of the crowd and behind the store. She quickly donned her Spider-Mare costume and took to the air after the Vulture.
Spider-Mare swung after the flying menace, but he was picking up speed fast. She knew it wouldn’t be long before she lost him. She needed to slow him down somehow. She aimed one of her hooves towards him and fired a web-ball at the Vulture. Unfortunately, Spider-Mare’s aim was slightly off, sending her attack straight past the Vulture’s head, rather than hitting him square in the back. However, it did catch the Vulture’s attention, causing him to turn his head towards her.
The Vulture gave a cruel smirk as his eyes met with hers. He reached to the side of his outfit and revealed a disc-like device. He hurled it as hard as he could. It flew towards Spider-Mare, giving off a whirling sound as it soared through the air. Spider-Mare wondered what kind of damage it could do until five-sharp edges burst from the disc to resemble a ninja star. Spider-Mare quickly pulled herself up on her web-line, causing the blade to soar beneath her.
She fired another web-line. However, before the line could connect to the side of a building, a disc sliced it in two. She felt her body slowly descending as gravity started to take hold of her. She fired another web-line as her eyes caught the rooftop beneath her. It was still a long drop and she wasn’t looking to hitting it. But again, the disc had other plans, as it cut her web-line once more.
She felt gravity’s grip once more and finally the rooftop as she hit her back against it. Spider-Mare rolled to her chest, her back flaring up with pain. She looked up to the sky to see the Vulture diving straight for her. Their eyes met as the Vulture gave a threatening grin. Spider-Mare couldn’t put her hoof on it, but there was something odd about the face of the Vulture. As he came down upon her, she figured out why. That wasn’t the same face that she had seen before. It wasn’t the same Vulture she had fought or the one she had chased.
She never forgot a face and this one was different. The Vulture flew towards her, with his hind legs revealing two sharp talons. Spider-Mare bent her knees and leaped over the flying foe. As she ascended over him, she fired two of her webs, sticking to the Vulture’s wings. The speed of the Vulture’s path dragged Spider-Mare with him. Spider-Mare placed her hind legs on the rooftop and followed the Vulture’s course. As they left the rooftop, another disc sliced through the web connecting Vulture to Spider-Mare.
The event happened so quickly that Spider-Mare wasn’t able to stop herself from landing on the rooftop directly below them. She shook her head, attempting to rid herself of the pain throbbing through her body. She looked up to see the Vulture and… the Vulture?
Two figures in green suits with different faces glared at her as they hovered above. A menacing smile appeared on their faces. One of them reached for a small orb at his belt and tossed it at Spider-Mare. Something in her head told her that it was deadly. She leaped backwards with all her might, hoping she was right. As it turns out, she was. The orb exploded like a grenade, making a thunderous roar.
“Wow, you guys really have it in for me, don’t you?” Spider-Mare quipped. “You brought all your toys!”
She quickly performed a backflip to avoid another grenade. She performed another to stay out of reach of the razor disc that came her way. She leaped off the rooftop, firing a strand of web. As before, the web-line was cut before it could reach the target building. Spider-Mare stretched out both her front hooves and fired her webbing to two different points.
Fortunately, only one of her web lines was cut, allowing her to escape in the other direction. The second Vulture quickly moved to intercept her. Using her Spider-like speed and agility, she grabbed his shoulders and vaulted over him. Twisting in mid air and maintaining her grip, she tossed that Vulture at the first one, causing them to collide. By the time they had reoriented themselves, Spider-Mare was a rooftop away. They struggled as they soared forward, letting loose a volley of discs.
“These buzzards are really well coordinated,” Spider-Mare told herself as she leaped over one of the disc-blades. She quickly turned around and fired a web-ball at the flying pair. The two split off their pattern to evade the projectile. “I’ve got to find a way to split them up!”
Spider-Mare flipped over another of the disc blades and fired another strand of webbing at the closest of the Vultures. Unfortunately, he floated higher than she expected, avoiding her attack.
Spider-Mare felt gravity snatch her again and she started to fall to the earth. She quickly shot a line to the rooftop below her. She pulled herself towards it with all her might. As she flew for the rooftop, a disc flew past her, scratching her shoulder. Spider-Mare yelped in pain as she landed on the roof. She landed on her front hooves and rolled, following her acceleration pulled her forward. When she stopped, she looked at her shoulder. The blade had ripped the costume and scratched her skin, but the incision didn’t look too deep. The cut was bleeding down her foreleg, but it looked like it would heal rather easily.
“Ow… that hurt more than I thought it would.”
Spider-Mare looked upwards as one of the Vultures started to dive bomb towards her. “Do you know how long it will take me to sew this costume up?!” Spider-Mare shouted.
The Vulture grinned as he soared straight towards her. Spider-Mare leaped to the air. However, the second Vulture was coming straight for her as well. He waited for his brother to get out of the way before throwing a grenade straight for her. Spider-Mare quickly twisted her body, so that the grenade would fly past her. Within a few seconds after, the grenade exploded. The force of the explosion sent Spider-Mare soaring wildly through the air.
Spider-Mare quickly recovered her senses and unleashed her webbing towards the second Vulture. The webbing connected to the second Vulture’s hind leg. Spider-Mare allowed the Vulture to drag her through the air as she hung onto her webbing.
The Vulture turned his head and glared at her. Spider-Mare couldn’t help but give a saluting gesture, which only seemed to make the Vulture even angrier. The Vulture dove forward, dragging Spider-Mare through the air like a water skier tied to a boat. The Vulture swayed up and down, left and right, trying to shake off his unwanted passenger, but still Spider-Mare wouldn’t let go.
Spider-Mare held on with all her might as she was jerked around by the extreme speed that the Vulture demonstrated. She looked behind her to notice the second one coming on her trail. She started to feel the first one slowing down; no doubt to make sure that the second one would hit her.
In that second, Spider-Mare let go of her web-line and flew towards the second Vulture. The Vulture’s expression went from confident straight to fear as Spider-Mare flew straight for him. He tried to change direction, but before he could, Spider-Mare rammed her hind legs into his body. Using the Vulture as a platform, Spider-Mare pushed off with her hind legs, performing a backflip. The force of the kickoff sent the Vulture soaring towards the ground. Spider-Mare quickly unleashed a barrage of webbing at the dazed Vulture.
Within a second, the Vulture was coated like a cocoon in spider webbing, stuck to the side of a building. He struggled and struggled, but the webbing wouldn’t break.
“Only one more to go!”
As gravity began to grab Spider-Mare once more, she unleashed another strand from her hoof. She turned back towards her last opponent. The Vulture flew towards her with incredible speed, aiming his razor sharp wings at her. Spider-Mare dove out of the way, forcing herself to let go of her web-line.
She fired another to keep her airborne as she swung back towards the Vulture’s elevation. Spider-Mare noticed another disc coming straight for her. She leaped off her web-line and higher into the air. Another disc came towards her, but she was able to twist her body to avoid the blades. She fired a strand of webbing at the oncoming Vulture, but he was quick to move to the side. Another strand was discharged, this time connecting to a building as Spider-Mare quickly swung towards the rooftop below her.
She landed on the building as the Vulture came straight for her. He tossed another disc at her. She leaped into the air, avoiding the blades. However, before she could react again, the Vulture rammed into her, dragging her into the air. The Vulture pulled up from the rooftop, drawing another disc from his suit.
“How many of those things do you have?” Spider-Mare asked as the Vulture readied the disc to swipe towards her. However, she quickly fired webbing into his face. Vulture let out a grunt as he let go of Spider-Mare in shear panic. Spider-Mare quickly grabbed onto the Vulture’s hind leg. She fired another blob of webbing at the Vulture’s body, encasing his wing and bonding it to his body.
“What are you doing?!” the Vulture shouted. “If I can’t fly, we’ll both die!”
Spider-Mare raised her eyebrow, not that it could be noticed through her mask. “Really? You're kidding right?” She unleashed another glop of webbing towards the Vulture’s other wing, tying it to his body.
He flailed around and struggled as gravity took a hold of them. He screamed as they began to accelerate towards the ground.
“Whee!” Spider-Mare shouted as they began their free fall.
The Vulture screeched in terror as the ground below began to grow closer and closer. He struggled with all his might, tears coming from his eyes, begging Celestia not to let him die.
Spider-Mare smiled through her mask. “Okay, I think I’ve milked this enough.”
She shot a web-line towards the buildings, swinging into the air, keeping a tight grip on the Vulture.
After dropping the Vulture off at a light pole near the police station and making sure that they both couldn’t get away, Spider-Mare made a mad dash for her home and changed into her normal pink self. She checked her shoulder, examining the cut. The wound was already closed and it didn’t look like it would leave a scar. She thanked Celestia. The last thing she needed was to explain to her mother how she got it. She quickly cleaned off the blood marks running down her foreleg and sneaked into her backyard. She silently climbed the wall of the house, keeping her eye on her bedroom.
It had been a long day and she looked forward to nothing more than slinking into her bed and falling to sleep. However, she noticed a light was on in her room. She poked her head into the room and saw her mother, sitting on her bed, waiting for her. Pinkie felt a hole in the pit of her stomach.
“Uh, oh. Now, I’m really in trouble.”
Pinkie leaped down from the side of the house and made her way to the front door. She quietly opened the door and snuck into her home, trying not to make a noise. She focused primarily on her bedroom, taking a glance up the stairs. However, her way was blocked by the image of her mother.
Pinkie gave a nervous smile. She then looked at her hoof as if she had an imaginary watch. “Hi, mom. Wow, it is late. I’m going to bed. Goodnight.”
As she started up the stairs, Cloudy wrapped her hoof around Pinkie. “Pinkie, come with me. We need to talk.”
Pinkie sunk her head as she followed her mother into the kitchen. Pinkie sat herself down at the dining table with her mother sitting across from her. Cloudy took a deep breath and fixed her eyes on Pinkie, who was looking straight at the table in front of her.
“Pinkie, I know you are a good young mare,” she started. “And I know you want to have fun with your friends.”
Pinkie couldn’t help but look away from the table as if she was trying to keep her secret even more hidden than it already was. How could she tell her mother what she was really doing this late at night? And so shortly after losing her husband? The stress alone would kill her.
“But I can’t have you out past mid-night on a school night.” Cloudy gave a firm, but caring look towards Pinkie. “You are to be home by ten o’ clock. Sunday through Thursday.”
“Mom-“ Pinkie moaned, but her mother interrupted.
“If you are going to be late, I want you to call me. And it had better be to tell me you are on your way home.” Cloudy stood up. “That is what I expect.” She then put her hoof on Pinkie’s shoulder. “Is that fair?”
Pinkie gave a surrendering sigh. She knew better than to argue with her mother. Cloudy wasn’t much of a fighter, but she was always strong willed. And that, coupled with her kind heart, made her impossible to argue with. Pinkie smiled. “Yes, mom. That’s fair.”
A rumbling sound then came from the pit of Pinkie’s stomach, followed by an aching pain. Pinkie held her tummy and gave a low moan.
Cloudy shook her head and gave a smile. “Oh, Pinkie. You need to take better care of yourself.” Cloudy went straight to the fridge and pulled out a plate with a slice of pastry.
She then set it in front of Pinkie. “Luckily, I have a slice of banana cream pie with your name on it.”
Pinkie’s frown turned upside down as she stared at the pastry. She found it funny how almost nothing went right for her today. From the minute she woke up to the near moment she went to bed, everything was the opposite of what she wanted. And yet, still, she was smiling. It was because she knew that she was still Spider-Mare. And Spider-Mare was still undefeated. She looked up to see the smiling face of her mother as she placed a fork in front of her. She had another reason to smile. Well, two reasons. Her little sister, whom she loved, and her mother, who loved them both.
“All in all… Not a bad day.” Pinkie picked up her fork and dug into her pie, taking a huge bite out of it. She moaned in satisfaction as the pie tickled her tongue.
