Chapter 49

Trash Fffriends

In Ponyville, just next to Rush and Surge's Ferring and Hoof Care, just behind the business, there was a dingy, darkened, somewhat neglected alleyway.

In that particular alleyway among the dirty boxes containing assortments of broken tools- files that somepony kept meaning to take care of, hammers for recycling, chisels that needed far more than just a good sharpening, and stacks of important papers who should perhaps be more secure, but instead of quietly moldering with magical mildew, there was something that definitely belonged here.

A trashcan.

It was a trashcan much like you would see in a cartoon. A silvery cylinder with repeated convex indentations around its side, tapering slightly as you traveled down to the bottom, and a lid with a handle perfect for some random colt, filly, or just anypony who wanted attention to pick up and beat on.

Its worn surface had seen better days, covered with dings and dents, reminders of when it had been tossed about, kicked by Ragamuffin, or simply fallen over from its center of gravity being thrown off.

Of course, as mundane as this receptacle of refuse on the outside was, like many things, it was what was on the inside that really mattered.

Which, of course, was garbage.

Remnants of yesterday’s lunch, wadded-up encrusted tissues from a morning sneeze, and a cup of something sweet that was the thickened remains of a sugary drink, a beverage that was sure to have added to the vicious smooze-like substance that craved to eat away at the bottom of this unit of refuse containment.

Among all this and, yes even more vile things yet described for the sake of the reader's constitution -and mine-, there was one thing that didn’t belong, though one would expect it to be here.

That thing, or I should say, that creature, being a rat, or to be more precise: Mr. Rat, the rat formerly known as Tippetarius, who was here wallowing in the place where he thought he belonged.

With what he had done, what he was involved in, he had to belong here did he not?

He pulled a sunflower seed from his cheek pouch and stared at it. “What sort of pet could I, Rat, be if all I, Rat, can do is spread sickness to the only owner that I, Rat, have had, and poison the other pony who could perhaps take a loathsome thing like this rat in?” he thought, putting the seed back in his cheek pouch and then proceeded to rolling in trash, both metaphorical and literal. He ground his teeth together and applied his little hand to his forehead, ears folded back. “How could I, Rat, have fallen for that squeaking rabbit’s ploy so easily?”

He fell back into the dried crusted tissues, and stared at the slightly ajar trash lid. Whose round shape eclipsed the outside world, leaving only a sliver of light... light he felt that he did not deserve!

Only good creatures thrived in the light! Only good pets deserved to see the sun! Rats and other... vermin...were meant for the darkness... for the-

Suddenly and without warning, Rat’s internal self-pity party, something that could have gone on till the end of time, or until the trash pony emptied the bin... was interrupted by a high girly scream from inside the ferriers place of business.

“Get it out! Get it out! Get it out!” Whinnied a shrieking effeminate voice.

“Calm down! It’s just a little sp-”

“Little?! Little?! Look at the size of that and tell me that it’s little, Val! Go ahead and tell me that that is little!”

“Stop being such a little filly, Thor! It’s not even moving!”

“Yes it is! There! I saw it twitching! See! It did it again! Get rid of it! Get rid of it!”

“Okay, okay, okay... just let me...”

“What are you doing?! Don’t crush it!”

“By Celestia, you can’t kill what’s already dead...”

“You say that now, but wait till you encounter a zombie pony or that vampire pony that’s been spotted near the Everfree Forest!”

“There are no vampire ponies near the Everfree Forest... you need to stop listening to the rumor mill...”

“Could you just get rid of it already?!” Thor whined, the sound of quick, anxious hoof tips tip-tapping on the floor.

“Okay, but how do you want me to do that?!”

“How any sane pony would!” came the angry reply before an expectant pause. “Get a cup, sweep it up, and throw it away in the trash outside!”

“Ugh... Fine... There...” There were hoofbeats moving towards the backdoor of the store. The squeaking of the metal hinges sent Rat to dive under the refuse and debris of the trash can.

“I swear to Celestia, if he wasn’t my brother...” the muttering mare griped. “Every gross thing or bug or jar of pickles!” she huffed, opening the garbage lid and tossing a red plastic up in. “Always Val’s job, never can have a-’

“Vaaaaal! The lid on the relish is too tight!”

She nearly slammed the lid on the trash can, but it wobbled ajar. “Whisper Discord’s name and who will appear?” she grumbled. “Alright. I’m coming!”

“Vaaal!”

“Keep your horseshoes on! I said I was coming!”

With the slamming of the door, Rat was once again alone... or was he?

The way the two talked about whatever was contained in the cup made it sound like it had at least at one point been alive...

What or who that simple crimson cup could contain... Friend or foe? Dare he look?

“Ponies work themselves into such a tizzy over such small things at times...” Rat said aloud without a mote of self awareness.

Just then, there was the faintest sound of something scraping the side of the cup from within... a tiny, thin clawed pittering. Perhaps the terrified stallion from the shop was right, and some life still clung to the vessel whose purpose in containing liquid had been misplaced.

“Dare Rat check?” He crawled up from his trashy hidey hole and clasped his little paws together Another scrape and he jumped back, fear telling him to leave this place, seek the warmth and safety of another, but where? Fluttershy’s cottage? He could not bare to show his fa-

A tiny squeak came weakly from the cup.

Curiosity began to nibble away at him and cautiously he scampered and dove past the small collection of the discarded before he hesitantly reached out for the cup’s lip and peered over an into see what it held inside.

There was a... ball of blue fuzz? Wait, no, there were... legs... eight legs with all but one curled up in a way that told Rat exactly what this was!

“Spider!” he yelped, falling back, the cup tilting so that Rat could see its occupant more clearly by the scant light that dared peered into this trash can...

The ball of blue spider looked... oddly familiar... red eyes barely glowed and flickered, the outstretched leg tapped and stopped and tapped and stopped again.

Then Rat spotted the abdomen, upon which was a set of three black spots that gave the impression of an upside down sad face...

It clicked.

“You... You are a sad-face spider from where that Heartbreak pony lives...” Rat said, slowly scampering closer.

The light in the spiders’ eyes glowed more and its leg began to animate more at the rodenty mention of that name!

The leg began to tap-tap-scratch on the side of the cup. Rat could sense a pattern but try as he might, he couldn’t understand...

“I, Rat, do not speak spider language, only Rose mimic spider does, and she is not here.” He came close to the jumping spider like arachnid that appeared to be almost the size of his head! “But Rose mimic spider also can speak like other animals, can small sad face spider also speak like animals?”
The leg’s excited motions waned before starting back up again, this time swirling around the spiders backside, every swipe Rat noticed that a thin strand of white line began to emerge, a line that thickened and became a loop- a loop that the spider then affixed to its chelicerae.

Then... a sound emerged from the spider, a sound that at first was much like a new violinist attempting their first recital but it quickly grew in complexity and grace, taking on the harmonies of rodent-like singing.

“Name... Lucas... Rat... Knows... Heart...Break... Po-ny... Cold... so... cold... please... help...”

The voice that this spider had given itself was... mesmerizing... it tickled the back of Rats brain in a way that almost made him rush to help... Lucas... was it? Yet, the moment he made it back to the cup, something primal cried out for him to stop! Which he did.

“Wait, how do I, Rat know that this is not a trick a ruse? How do I, Rat know that... Lucas will not lure us into Lucas’ spider webs to poison and drain?” Rat asked expectantly.

“Lucas... is... cold... a... lone... weak... on... H.B... po-ny’s... mane...”

“Lucas Spider was on H.B. Pony’s mane?” Rat asked, fear tinting his voice. “Is Lucas spider... H.B. Pony’s... companion?”

“We... are... not... pet... we... are... cold... please... help... we... need... warm... we... promise... no... harm... to... to... Rat...”

Rat chuffed and twitched before pushing aside his fear. ‘Angel Bunny can say he will about Rat, that he would not make a good pet, that he is rat, but...” His little paws reached gingerly into the cup. “While Angel Bunny is controlling and spreading fear... I, Rat, will do something... Something that Fluttershy Pony would... and if Rat is wrong... at least he will be free of his guilt...’ he thought picking up the spider.

Rat saw the spider attempting to crawl towards him unblinking, but red flickering eyes staring at him, a tiny sticky clawed leg pulling on him, barely wiggling mandibles tipped with sharp black fangs, and an almost alien cat-like face growing closer and closer still... nearly eye to eye, nearly on his neck until...

Nothing, much to Rat’s surprise, Lucas seemed to snuggle up to his warm chest fluff.

“Rat... is... warm... so... warm...”

Rat looked down at the oddly fluffy face, a flush turned his cheeks and ears pink. ‘It’s the voice, it’s the voice, it’s the voice!’ he told himself. ‘Obviously, I, Rat, am not so touch starved, that this... spider... is...’ he shook his head from any further thoughts.

“I, Rat, might be warm, but does Lucas Spider know what is warmer?”

“What...?” Lucas asked, movement starting to stir back into their limbs.

“Outside, the shiniest thing! The Sun!” Rat said, reaching up for the lip of the trash can.

“Oh... Oh yes! Bright... Thing... Shining... Thing! Will Rat... take Lucas... Spider... out.. Into... the sun?” Lucas asked, starting to cling a bit more.

Rat pushed the lid with all his ratty might, first with his paw, then his head, barely budging it just a few centimeters so that the both of them could pass through.

“Yes.” He said, making a leap out of the can to perch on the lip. He surveyed the area... the coast was clear.

“Why does... Mr. Rat do... this?” Lucas asked, warm air filling the pages of their booklung.

“Lucas Spiders knows the H.B. pony... and…” he hesitated... “I, Rat, feel guilt. Angel Bunny tricked him into triggering allergy in H.B. pony... Because of Rat, H.B. Pony may still be at pony vet... at hospital... I, Rat, feel... guilt. Maybe doing kind thing so that I, Rat, do not feel guilt...”

Lucas twitched and head tilted. “Mammals are... confusing... M. Rat was... tricked? Then Mr. Rat’s actions... not mal... mal... malicious?”

“N-no! I, Rat, would not wish to harm H.B. Pony!” he stammered, before hopping off the trash lid and to the nearby boxes, going down, down, down till he reached the ground.

“Then... this guilt... ignore it. It is not useful infor-mation... I, Lucas Spider... know... how to... find... the... infor-mation on where... H.B. Pony is...” the spider said, waving a few legs in the sunlight.

Rat gave an incredulous snort. “What? How?” he asked after scampering to a nearby bench. Slots in the wood that made up the piece of outdoor furniture gave enough places to take in some golden rays, but shaded enough that if they were careful, they would still be well hidden.

“Lucas Spider must find... a node... A way to contact... the colony... then we may speak to... our Queen.” they said, pulling away from Rat, before setting out a line of silk to a space between the wooden planks. “She will tell Lucas Spider, what is... happening with H.B. Pony thing.”

“Pony thing? Why does Lucas Spider call H.B. pony... a thing? She is a pony!” Rat insisted.

Lucas lifted their abdomen up so that the sun could warm it better. “H.B. Pony is... mimicking pony... Is pony like... but is... different.”

Rat crossed his arms. “I, Rat, do not understand why others keep insisting that H.B. Pony is a... thing or a monster... or an abomination!”

“Rat speaks fast... And his vibrations are... not harmonious,” Lucas said, their voice becoming less sluggish. “Lucas Spider does not understand why Rat does not like the description of ‘thing’. Many... thing are ‘thing’. Lucas Spider is ‘thing’. Bench is ‘thing’. Sun is thing!’

Rat said nothing, but his teeth kept grinding against each other.

“... However... if Rat does not find such a... description... agreeable... I, Lucas Spider, will refrain from using it...” they said, palps tapping against each other.

“I, Rat, thank you, Lucas Spider,” he said.

Lucas started to move all their legs and turned around to peer out into the sun. “So bright!” they moved a leg in front of their four primary sets of eyes. “Lucas Spider sees... hmmm, yes! In the high branches of thorny tree!” They began to point.

Rat popped his head through for a quick view. “I, Rat, do not see...” He squinted his eyes. “Wait...” he said.

There in a hawthorn tree, among the branches covered in the trees’ namesake, bows littered with the flowers that looked like miniature roses that would eventually become its primary namesake, was just a barely noticeable flickering strand of light that danced with the summer breeze.

“Would Rat be willing to take Lucas Spider to the node?” they asked, making their voice sound as sweet as possible; for strands of silk stretched out over the spiderling’s jaws that is, while their face tilted ever so slightly.

“What makes Lucas Spider think I, Rat, can climb up that tree?”

Lucas tapped their palps together again. “Rat was able to climb out from refuse container and there are other, fuzzier rats climbing trees over there...” they said, pointing towards chittering squirrels in a nearby oak tree.

Rat scoffed and looked offended. “Those. Those are Squirrels,” he said with indignationation, disgust, and a touch of fear.

“Lucas Spider is small and has to crawl. Rat is big, fast, and can scurry. If rat helps Lucas Spider to the node faster, then Rat can learn if H.B. Pony is at the hospital or not...”

“... Okay... I, Rat, will take Lucas Spider up the tree...” he said, teeth chattering. “As long as they learn that rats are not squirrels...”

Excitedly, Lucas crawled onto Rat’s back like a rat-sized spider shaped backpack.

“Squirrels are evil,” he said, scapering up the hawthorn tree.

Once having run through the maze-like gauntlet of thorny branches and arriving at the flower that Lucas had directed him to, Rat could see that this was no flower but an intricately spun bedazzling delicate construction of precisely placed webbery.

Lucas crawled off of Rat’s back and upon the ‘flower’, all eight of their legs touching specific points, they began to shimmy and shake, sending a telegraphed message on spider starlight...

=========

“And now you know the rest of the story...” Heartbreak sighed. “You’ll have to excuse my weary breath, but this is like, the upmteenth time I’ve had to tell this story,” she laughed before taking a drink through a straw of a sweet, cold, fizzy apple cider. “Ahhh. That’s good... Anyway, for the umpteenth time explaining, after which, it seems, the whole of Equestria says, ‘Oh, you think that was bad? Here, hold my cider!’ and just adds to the whole situation...” she eyed the bottle her drink was in. “This isn’t hard apple cider... right?”

Applejack shook her head. Partly to clear her mind of the mess of a story that had been dumped on her, and partly to affirm that it was indeed not hard cider. “Nah, Ah mean, after a mash like that? Ah wouldn’t blame ya fer wanton’ somethin’ like that...” She looked at Heartbreak. “Do ya want somethin’ like that?”

Heartbreak’s eyes widened and she gave a very assertive no head shake. “Oh, no, no, noooo...” She looked at her drink again. “Nooo, thanks for the offer... buuut your little Heartbreak is a bit of a lightweight... aaand I’d rather not goin’ an’ bein’ tempin’ fate with something that could be like... magical alcohol or something like that... So, thanks but no thanks...”

There was a bit of an awkward silence between the two ponies. A silence that was broken by a distant screech of an unknown bird faintly in the distance.

“So!” Heartbreak said, jumping at the intruding sound. “Any chills or unexplainable frost in the past twenty-four hours or so?” she asked, leaning in concern.

“Unless ya count one of the cold stares ah got from Granny Smith when Ah told them all where Ah was goin’?” Applejack asked, uncomfortably chuckling. “No...”

She took note of the various things on the table before her. It wasn’t a complete mess, but it was a jumble of sketches, pencils, and two books. One of them looked like an animal based adventure book of some kind titled ‘Light Embraces the Darkness’, and the other she couldn’t quite make out due to its position on the table... Wheveren? No... Ever...when?

Heartbreak hmmmed, and then she pushed up her glasses before tapping the straw in her drink, causing it to twirl around. “Yeah... I guess that’s something to be expected...” she said, distantly. “Ya think apologizin’ would do any good?”

Applejack gave a huff of disbelief. “Apologizin’? Now what ya wanna go do that fer?” she asked.

“Oooh, you know, cause I came by on what was a special day to the Apple family with a mane style that I shoulda seen as a problem, seein’ whose I was goin’ off to before stirring up the beehive of ya’alls hearts...” Heartbreak said, her confused words ending a whimpering tone.

“Now, H.B... Ya didn’t know any of that...” A.J. huffed. “Ah mean, ya... don’t happen ta know anythan... do ya?” she asked, crossing her forelegs and looking away.

“I...” She once again sighed and pushed her glasses up, hoof starting to rub the bridge of her muzzle and the space between her eyes. “I shoulda known this question was comin’...”

Applejack glanced back and forth before beginning to tap her forehooves together uneasily. “What’chu talkin’ about there, Sugarcube?”

Heartbreak shifted uncomfortably in her seat. She stared at the bottom cider, a tiny bubble of effervescence due to what she was sure was a quick ferment followed by freezing to kill off yeast thereby stopping alcohol production- she shook her head out of this line of hyper focused thought. After all, A.J. was asking about something serious!

“We could spend the next hour dancing around the topic, or I can just cut to the heart of it or what I think it is, because....” she rubbed her temple. “Honestly, after everything that’s happened, especially after today? I barely have the energy...”

“H.B... Ah...”

“You want to know if I know anything about your parents,” Heartbreak said, rather abruptly. “And you’re afraid of asking because you’re afraid of the answer.”

Applejack’s ears shot up before folding down and then pinning back. “That’s an awfully big assumption ya got there, H.B. What in an apple bar crumble makes ya think that’s why Ah’m here? Ah mean, Ah brought ya-”

Heartbreak held up her good hoof. “Because if I were faced with the possibility of something or somep-pony knowing even a crumb of... anything about... well, a parent that wasn’t there I wouldn’t be able to hold myself back from asking... I know I did that with one of my parents...” she said, sadly.

“Oh, H.B....” Applejack started to commiserate. “Ya lost yer-” she was cut off by Heartbreak shaking her head.

“No... it’s more... complicated. It’s not the same but I kinda know where you’re coming from...” she sighed. “I’m also afraid of you asking that question, because you’ll be... disappointed with the answer. That answer being that... well... ugh...” she rubbed the back of her head before taking a deep breath, then looked directly at the pony before her. “I don’t know.”

Applejack slumped in her chair. “Ah... shucks...”

“Yeah... I know.” Heartbreak grimaced before looking distantly at the table. “Of all the things I don’t know...” She looked away from Applejack and to her cast. “You’re not upset with me, are ya?” she asked, starting to rub her hoof on the hardened lilac wrapping.

“What? Nah... Nah... Naaaah...” Applejack waffled. “Ah mean, yer right... Ah am a bit disappointed. There’s no deneighin’ that... but Ah can’t say that ah didn’t come here fer nothin’. Ah mean, at least Ah can get ya fed!”

Heartbreak lightly chuckled. “As long as you don’t feed me too much. Otherwise, Rainbow Dash will call me ‘fluffy’ again,” she grumbled, rolling her eyes.

Applejack snorted while crossing her hooves. “Ah can’t believe she did that...” She said sourly. “There ain’t nothin’ wrong with a little fluff! As long as yer eatin’ right that is.”

“And as long as I’m getting my Vitamin C... Guess I’ll have to find a way of getting more lemons and limes and oranges into my diet.” Heartbreak hesitantly huffed.

“Hmph, that just sounds like some sort of shim-sham scheme by them fancy-smanshy doctors ta get ya ta buy more oranges!” Applejack said frowning.

Heartbreak gave an awkward glance. “I’m not gonna go down that road, there, A.J. I’ve seen skeletons of those who suffered from scurvy... Not a pretty sight... I’m gonna trust the doctor about this one. Okay? I don’t wanna fight with you about it. Like I said, I don’t have the spoons...”

Applejack took a deep breath and fought a grimace from framing her face. Letting the breath out she decided to maybe do something more productive. “Tell ya what there H.B. How’s about Ah put away what Ah brought ya an, then have a look see at what’s in yer pantry along with whatever could be in yer basement. If Ah reckon right, Granny Smith said she knew the Millers had said they had somethin’ of a cold storage down there.” she tapped her chin. “Then again, she also said that this house had a library bigger than that there shelf of books...” She tossed her head back in heartbreak’s direction and gave a wry smirk. “Course, she’s gettin’ up in years an’ sometimes Ah don’t know what ta take as the core truth.”

Heartbreak gave a brief chuckle. “I was gonna say I know better than to go about and say something about other ponies grandma-a-ares...” she waggled her tongue and grumped before spying the appearance of a spot of yellow that caught her eye and made her smile a little. “Ope, that must be Fluttershy. I’ll go talk with her and trust you to take care of my food situation...”

“Eeeyup!” Applejack said, a little more cheer in her voice. “Good luck there, H.B.” she pushed herself up and out of her seat before sucking up what was left of her drink. “Ah mean, not that Ah think ya’ll be needin’ it.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence, A.J.” Heartbreak said, also finishing up her drink before pushing up and out of the couch. “Let me know what you find there, eh?” she paused. “And remember my rule about leaving the spiders alone, ‘kay?”

Applejack eyed the basement door all leery like. “Ah’ll... Ah’ll do ma best, but if they get too close, Ah might shoo them away with a broom,” she said, pulling the cart of supplies she had brought to the kitchen.

“Just no killing them, please. I like spiders...” Heartbreak said, hobbling to the door.

“Ah thought that was turtles?” Applejack asked with a cheeky smile.

“Ha-Ha-Ha...” Heartbreak retorted, struggling to push the door open before finally getting it and going outside to greet Fluttershy.

=========

The spiders tracked the honesty pony through their webs.

In the ‘kitchen’, she opened doors and moved webs as bottles and fruit were stored away.

‘Flee!’ strummed out little wolf spider-like runners.

‘Hide!’ tapped the crawlers and knothole lurkers pulling pinprick sized hatchlings behind the walls.

The Queen quaked irritatedly. Those webs, while not the most important, were still resources being wasted! How much more would this pony intrude when they made their way to the basement of this structure!?

This was... an inconvenience compared to the real threat the colony had become aware of however...

During the information gathering, there was an abrupt sound.

Something that the two ponies mindlessly chattering seemed to ignore, but had sent the colony, neigh, even the Queen herself into jumps and twitches and ballings of fear. A sound that she herself knew to fear when she first emerged from her egg sack with her millions of sisters...

The screech of a bird.

‘What kind?!’ Twitched the webs. ‘Spider-eater? Fish-eater? Our-prey-eater? Bird-eater? Birds eat birds?! Birds eat all things. Death from the skies! Hiding in places where webs can not stay! What do?! Birds have not been here ever since H.B. Pony thing- protector came here! Why is bird here now?!’

“Calm Yourselves!” The Queen shook into the webs. “Do what we always do. Gather information...”

The colony, still fretful, started pouring informational vibrations into the central web.

Birds... a pair... in one of the desiccated trees near the edge of where the yard met the Everfree Forest... A mental image slowly built up.

Twigs, dirt, and various things were purposely arranged in the loosest semblance of a web- a nest. Had this pair constructed it and the colony just had not made note of it? Impossible. The nest had to have been there for some time and the-

Wait, there was another vibration- a racing heartbeat of a... mammal in the nest? The beating was so fast, it nearly canceled itself out! Why was there a mammal in the nest... and not dying? Not... injured? Shape was... familiar... long ear... powerful rear legs... still why were these pointed beaked, sharp taloned bir-

“My Queen!” Suddenly, without warning, and far beyond the homewebs vibrated so loudly that it nearly caused her to fall from her webbed seat!

It took her a moment, it took the colony a moment to recover from the sudden intrusion into the webs, but once she did, she recognized the strumming.

“Lu...cas?” she inquired. “Is the one named Lucas?”

“Yes! Yes! My Queen! Is I, Lucas! I... speak from -onyvill-!”

‘Lucas! Lucas was missing? Lucas lives!’ Cheered the colony, spiderlings racing up and down their threads! ‘Where Lucas? The node is far! Scouts not there in pony colony-Ponyville in many moon! Is Lucas safe? Hungry? Harm? Hidden? Lucas! How in Ponyville?’

“Lucas left with H.B. Pony in morning! H.B. Pony was cold... cold... cold... So cold. Lucas fell into torpor! Ponies fInd Lucas! Scream and throw in trash! Lucas was saved! Saved by Rat! My Queen! Rat saved Lucas! Made Lucas warm! Brought us out to the sunlight! Took Lucas to the Node in the thorn tree! My Queen, where H.B. Pony? Lucas told Rat they... would tell in exchange for a trip up the tree! Also, Squirrels are ‘Evil’!”

“Lucas... calm your webs... the distance degrades the quality of your information, also you interrupted us while we were gathering information on birds-death from skies near the colony.” The Queen vibrated out.

“Bird?! Why birds near colony? Bird should not be near! Is H.B. Pony still at ... hos..pi...tal?”

“No. H.B. Ponything has returned. Birds and small long eared large back footed mammal that is... oddly still breathing are occupying the nest.”

“Long... eared... large back leg? Is mammal... bun-ny? Lucas tapped out the signals, seemingly lowering further in quality.

Despite that, The Queen searched her mental archives and referenced the word ‘bunny’. Ah, yes, also known as ‘rabbit’. The signals did suggest that the small mammal could very well be this ‘bunny’.

“Yes Lucas, it would appear that it is a ‘bunny’ that is somehow still alive with the bir-”

“My Queen! My Queen! My Queen! Danger! No mere bunny! That- Angel Bunny! He -espon- ble for... all... sdf Pain! He- out to harm- .B. Po--y! My Queen! ... Not Trust, An-le Bu-ny!....”

“Lucas?” The Queen shook a leg on the threats. “Lucas?” Two legs on the thread! “LUCAS!!” She was practically strangling the thread with six of her eight legs, but nothing, not even static! “Return to the colony, Lucas!” she desperately strummed out, the smallest glimmer of what could be called ‘hope for a spider’ choked at the pages of her book lungs.

“My Queen, please calm...” her second in command requested, climbing down from their web. “The node Lu-cus was at was fragile.”

“That might be, however, Lucas seemed to possess information about this... ‘bunny’, this... Angel Bunny and as to the reason the H.B. Pony thing has come to so much harm...”

“Forgiveness my Queen, but what could be the possible link between the, based on information gathered, seemingly random unfortunate events that have happened to the H.B. Ponything?” They asked, palps twitching.

The Queen’s breathing returned to normal, but by her green blood, Arachne was whispering through her webs that something was not right.

“That information is currently unavailable to us...” she said, pulling away from the cords that steamed the activity from Ponyville. She took the strands that lead to all active corners and members of the colony. “Until Lucus has returned or further notice, all members remain hidden, observe the threat from a safe place, and for your and the colony’s safety, do not engage with the threat.

=========

Lucas jumped on the nose, but the threads that made up the ball of silk had ruined and snapped after just a few messages...

Rat cocked his head, little paws held at the ready, yellow eyes peering with confusion. "What... happened?" he hesitantly huffed inquisitively, the hostile reading spider.

"Fragile node!" Lucas cried out amongst what Rat could only think where the angriest spider sounds imaginable.

"Lucas Spider cannot just... fix it with silk?" Rat asked, yet chattering while he tossed a paw into the air.

Lucas turned to the rat, all eight legs used in this rotation before they tilted their head, the red glow in their orb-like eyes making it look as if they had narrowed at the rodent.

"Just... fix... it?! With Lucas Spider's silk?!" They threw up their front most legs. "I, Lucas Spider, am barely two levels from the spiderlings! My, Lucas Spiders’ silk does not have the tensile strength to construct a node, never mind the information on how such a structure is to be woven! Am not a Node Maker!!"

"Whoa... whoa... calm down. I, Rat, did not mean to imply that Lucas Spider was less than other spiders! I, Rat, apologize. Do not know anything about spider life," he said, holding his paws defensively, teeth bared involuntarily. "What has Lucas Spider's webs in a warp anyway? Did... they learn that H.B. Pony was in the hospital still? Because-"

"No! Worse information! H.B. Pony has returned home-"

"What? But that's great news!"

"Do not interrupt the stream of information!" Lucas hissed.

"Oh, right... sorry..." Rat apologized. "H.B. Pony is home but..."

Lucas jumped up, their forelegs on Rat's belly as their red eyes went bright. "But the Angel Bunny is also there!"

Rat's ears dropped.

"He is in a flying death bringer's nest!"

"Flying death bringer- does Lucas Spider mean birds?" Rat's ears perked up and he fought the urge to waggle his tail.

"Yes, he's still alive!"

Rat fought with his ears drooping, but the confusion overtook his face. "Wait, how is Angel Bunny still alive?"

"Rat makes wrong inquiry! Correct inquiry is 'why' is Angel Bunny still alive! Answer is obvious given information Rat has given Lucas Spider about Angel Bunny's schemes!"

Rat began to tremble, his clawed paws moving to either side of his face as his front teeth ground against one another, so much so that an outsider would fear that he would shatter them at any moment.

"No..." he angerly squeaked, claws newly digging into his cheeks. "No- No- No- No!" he protested as Lucas trembled away.

The sad faced spider didn't need to be or understand mammals to know that if one stayed to twitch and squeak like a spiderling that just finished drinking a bee who was sustained on a diet of the sugary sludge from the bottom of the the trash can the had just esc-

Lucas stopped themselves. 'Is not good.' they mentally abbreviated. "Yes. My Queen said-"

Rat threw down his balled up rat hands. "I, Tip- Rat, Rat knows what Lucas Spider's queen said! I, Rat, am infuriated that... that..." he threw his head back, a series of rodenius shrieks and chitters ushering out of his throat that Lucas could not understand practically rending the air! "Angel Bunny is doing this again!" He hissed, huffed, and chuffed.

"I, Lucas Spider, understand Rat's distress now," the little blue Spider said, palps tapping together before they raised a leg. "However, shaking and making voice vibrations here will do nothing..."

Rat put a paw on his side and tapped his chin looking at the arachnid thoughtfully. "Lucas Spider is right, the now has arrived for us to take the fight to Angel Bunny!" He exclaimed, slamming his first in the palm of his ratty hand. "We go there and face them off before they can attack the H.B. Pony!"

Lucas fell back before throwing his front legs up. "Has Rat been infested with the hair worms?! Will he suggest that we throw ourselves into the moving deep water?! Rat is one rat! Lucas Spider is one spider! They are flying death! I, Lucas Spider, do not have webs that strong! Also, how are we going to get back to H.B. Pony's dwelling? I, Lucas Spider, might be able to ride the wind, but wind is not favorable, and I, Lucas Spider, cannot carry Rat with!"

"Worry not, I, Rat, can get us back to H.B. Pony's dwelling quickly, trust us." Rat chittered, looking around for a knothole or rat hole in the trees or nearby buildings. "As for numbers, Lucas Spider can speak to the colony, yes? With so many spiders, the flying death bringers may think again about following Angel Bunny's plot!"

"I, Lucas Spider am One voice of millions, so it's not that easy! Even if I, Lucas Spider, get colony on their side, if our Queen commands us to hide and not attack, I, Lucas Spider, am compelled to obey!" Lucas threw four legs into the air. "Does Rat not understand? No! Rat does not have colony! If Spider Queen ordered Lucas Spider, Rat would be alone!"

Rat looked concerned about all this but then steeled himself. "I, Rat, will do something to stop Angel Bunny!" he unfolded his arms and crawled forward jabbing and asking just what he was looking for- a mousehole in the side of a building. "I, Rat, may not have a colony..." he paused and looked at Fluttershy's cottage. "But I, Rat, just might have... friends... maybe..." he turned back to the spider and held out a paw. "So, will Lucas Spider come and help Rat or not?"

With only a moment's hesitation and two taps of their palps, Lucas proceeded to climb back onto Rat's back and held on for life.

Author's Note

Things are getting set up! So much going on in these last few chapters! AND THERE'S ONLY TWO CHAPTERS AND A 'small' EPOLOG LEFT! As always chapter art is here and I would very much like to thank my editors Scared Ghost (who always is quick to ask me how I am doing at work and then give me a gif of Trixie, not as a barista, getting booped by SLG.) and ThePychopath, who, I'm sure I've mentioned has a book out to publish! Thank you for being there and giving this monster of a fanfiction it's 409 (one of my favorite primes)th thumbs up!