TS&F: S1, Ep4: The Mark of a Spider

At Sweet Apple Acres, bright and early, the family farmers and their Manehatten relative began to make preparations for their visit to the Castle. Due to Applejack’s abrupt absence, Big Macintosh and Granny Smith spent yesterday’s hours of labor on minor tasks that they could handle without the extra muscle. However, given she was still away, and the chores they have planned and prepared next required both elder siblings’ combined strength, the Apples agreed to take this chance to rest awhile. Deciding to arrive at the Castle at first daybreak, they accompanied Nick and May on the road to town.

It became a calm, still, sparkling dawn, with the cock of the roost blaring across the valley, alongside other serene bird calls. The red Earth Pony hauled two buckets of apples, hinged together on his heart girth, while the yellow and tan fillies each carried a satchel of ingredients and snacks. As the two, senior mares conversed amongst themselves, the Zebra strolled beside them, a black bag placed onto his back. It contained instruments the physician had recently acquired, either by bartering, or as payment by purchase for his services to whomever recently required them. Nothing ever hindered the travelers in reaching their destination, and the warmth of the sunrise brightened each, and every one of them.

“Ah wonder if Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo was able to get their folks to come visit,” said Apple Bloom, “B’cuz that would make fur a rootin’, tootin’ time, fur sure.”

“I’ll bet,” Babs Seed replied. “Speakin’ of which, I don’t think I evuh met Scoots’ family before. The last time I…came here, I didn’t get tuh see ‘em. What are they like?”

“Recon Ah can’t say so, m’self,” her farmer cousin shrugged. “We might’ve seen ‘em once, but she ain’t ever told us that we did. Even when we got our Marks. Me and Sweetie never said nothin’, but we just can’t help but wonder about her. And since Ah got an idea of what it might be, Ah never asked. And neither did Sweetie Belle.”

“You sayin’ she’s…”

“We ain’t sure,” shook Apple Bloom’s head, “We don’t rightly know nothin’. And AJ always told me it’s wrong to start gossippin’, since we don’t know the whole truth.”

“Yeah, guess you’re right. But how will you evuh know, if yah nevuh ask?”

“We can’t,” she answered the city filly, “It’s just that we’re afraid tah hurt her feelings, if we do.”

“Afraid that it would be true?”

“That, or somethin’ else that’s really bad we don’t know about.”

“Is what we’re doin’ gossip, right now?”

“Ah don’t know. That’s why we never said nothin’.” There was a brief pause of silence shared between the two cousins, as ears lowered, and long faces were deep in thought. The countless questions that quietly battered their brains were enough for them to rub their aching heads. Shaking them erratically, the two foals decided not to dwell on the matter any longer, and looked up ahead. Suddenly, they collided with a pair of teal pools directly before them.

“Whoah!” All three exclaimed at once, but stopped only a moment too late. Bop! Bump! POW! Heads knocked against one another in rapid succession. First Apple Bloom to Sweetie Belle, then Sweetie to Babs, then back to Apple Bloom.

“Oh, Sweetie Belle,” exclaimed a warm-hearted voice above them, “Are you okay? Please be more careful.”

“I’m okay, Mom,” the small Unicorn replied, “Just a bump on the head.”

“Sorry, Sweetie,” the yellow farm filly said, “We just plumb furgot to look where we was goin’, is all.” Hondo Flanks and Cookie Crumbles tended to their daughter briefly, while asking if the others were alright as well. “Are you two alright?”

“Yeah, sorry,” shrugged the tan filly, after giving their affirmation.

“It’s fine,” answered the mustached stallion, “So long as there’s no harm done, no need to worry anymore.” The Unicorn couple then offered their salutations to the Apple Family and their house guests, and warmly struck up a conversation about their respective lives and occupations. Meanwhile, Sweetie was informed by the Earth Pony fillies of what they were bringing to the Castle gathering, prompting her to do the same.

“Just you wait! Me and Mom have really got some amazing treats that nopony can resist! I bet Scootaloo will want to be first in line for them! You think she might be there, already?”

“Maybe,” shrugged Apple Bloom with slight discomfort. But she then continued, “Y’all recon we would see her family there, too?”

“I don’t know,” answered Sweetie Belle, in kind, “I haven’t really thought about that. What brought that up, all of the sudden?”

“Well, me and Babs were kind’uh wonderin’ about her. How we said that we didn’t never meet ‘em before. Not even when we got our Cutie Marks together.”

“Yeah, so,” tilted the Unicorn filly’s head, “My Mom and Dad were on vacation, when that happened. They felt really bad about missing out, too. What makes you think Scoots’ Mom and Dad weren’t doing the same?”

“Wait a sec,” sharply spoke Babs Seed, “Does that mean you’ve seen ‘em befaw?”

“Did’cha meet ‘em? Who are they? What the hay do they look like?”

“I…uh,” Sweetie slightly stammered.

“Ah mean, cuz Ah ain’t never seen them. Or never knew if Ah even did.”

“Me, neithuh.”

“Why don’t she want yah to tell us ‘bout them?”

“Whoa, wait! Hold on a sec,” exclaimed their Unicorn friend. The adults tilted their heads curiously toward the trio, upon their escalated dialogue. She lowered her voice in saying, “I didn’t even say I saw them.”

“Okay, sure,” The tan filly persisted, “So, she told you somethin’ about her Mom and Pop, right?” Her enquiry prompted Sweetie Belle to lower her head and bend down her ears with great unease.

“I asked her about them,” she lowly responded, “Maybe, once.”

“And what did she tell yah,” the yellow Earth Pony asked in a mildly hoarse whisper.

“I…I…” croaked the ivory Crusader, as she shook her head, “I can’t tell you. I made her a promise to not tell anypony. Ever.”

“But why in tarnation did she tell yah, only?”

“Maybe,” she spoke to Apple Bloom, in reply, “because I kind of, probably, sort of, didn’t ask her once.”

“Is it something bad? What is it? Where are they?” Babs Seed’s rapid continuation of the cousins’ questioning left their friend motionless, nearly to the point of trailing behind the main troupe still Castle-bound.

“I can’t tell you, okay,” she snapped back, now losing her patience, “I just can’t! I…I promised.” Seeing their families stopping themselves once again, and turning their heads to see what was happening, she returned to a low tone. She said, “I promised. So, stop trying to get some gossip out of me.”

“We ain’t tryin’ tuh gossip,” Apple Bloom remarked sharply, “We just wanna know more about Scootaloo.”

“Then how come I feel like I did when we were doing that stupid column?” Just then, Sweetie Belle trotted past her fellow Crusaders, leaving a somewhat stricken Apple Bloom.

“That’s what I asked about,” spoke a bemused Babs, “Kind’uh. I guess I should’uh known bettuh.”

“What’cha mean,” her cousin inquired, as the two gloomily pressed on.

“That’s sort of what my Crusaduh friends in Manehatten were doin’, after I got my Cutie Mawk.”

Shortly thereafter, they all arrived to the Tree Palace, where the three fillies find Scootaloo, accompanied by Zecora and Gabby in the foyer. Upon seeing Spider Bite still on the couch, sitting upright now, and bedecked in his scarlet cap, tail cloth and blue lenses, the Crusaders watched as Doctor Bromwell briefly examined him. Checking his temperature, vitals and other aspects of his condition, he thoroughly carried on with his task.

“How’re you feeling, son?”

“Okay, Papa,” he answered Nick jovially, “Bon-Bon and Lyra managed to make two shifts each last night, until I got up a couple hours ago. They deserved more than the half-hour cat naps they had gotten. So they found someplace to crash. Gabby’s been a great night owl, also.”

“Nothing too exertive since then, I hope,” the Zebra physician eyed his couched patient with snide suspicion.

“Nope,” Spidey shook his head, in response, “In fact, Zecora came by shortly after that. Something about ‘herbs’ and ‘curbs,’ or something like that.”

Prompting a light chuckle from her, she shook her head, saying, “The young stallion speaks truly, indeed, but with a laugh at any misread. The herb mentioned has a rejuvenating effect, but with a ‘curb,’ if you will, might defect.”

Doctor Bromwell turned to Zecora and asked, “How so?”

“Because of his, and your own, alien nature,” she replied, “Such herbal tea may harm the creature. Every hour he has taken one sip, to see any signs of reversal or flip. Something I did also, yesterday, viewing the results, come what may.”

“Must be very powerful stuff, to make somepony like Zecora that careful,” the young, orange Pegasus remarked.

“Yeah, but so far,” offered Spider Bite, “Nothing’s bothering me. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever felt so pumped, right now.”

“Any conclusions drawn yet, Miss Zecora,” Bromwell turned to her.

“The lad is fit, it would seem, so much so, than a simple gleam. His body took the tea greatly, it would appear. But excess energy might prove serious, I fear.”

“Too much fuel can make him burn it all out quickly,” the fellow Zebra replied, “In that case, since he’s been following my own instructions, albeit with minimal diligence, and everything appears to be normal, I think he’s stable. Though I suggest you spend the day just walking and stretching your legs. Don’t want you to suffer a sudden energy depletion, and pass out on us again.”

“Meh. Fair enough, I guess.”

It was then that the Crusaders offered to show their families around the Castle, as well as share with them more about the web-head and Gabby. However, Granny Smith first suggested a mid-morning snack from the Apples, to which all present accepted wholeheartedly. Cookie Crumbles, herself, provided a few options to choose from, as well.

“Shouldn’t we wait for Miss Bon-Bon and Miss Lyra, though,” Sweetie asked.

“Nah, don’t worry about them,” responded the web-slinger, “They’d want to rest up as much as possible, now. They’ll meet with us, whenever they’re up.” As soon as everypony gathered in the hall, save for Granny and May preparing for the next meal in the kitchen, they began their simple stroll through the hallway. The first hour or so was spent viewing all there was on the first floor, to which they completed with Lyra and Bon-Bon’s arrival from their borrowed rooms.

“How can we resist getting up to be with Ponyville’s renowned Crusaders,” said Bon-Bon, explaining how they heard the yearlings’ excitement.

“Nothing beats hanging out with our favorite, little friends,” Heartstrings added. Taking the flight of stairs before them, the four fillies took the lead, with the adults directly following them.

Upon seeing the little ones gleefully engaging in sporadic conversation, Gabby turned to notice the web-slinger taking the back of the caravan. At first, he was staring blankly ahead, as if deep in thought, but then shifted his attention to each and every direction rather pensively.

“Something bothering you, pal,” inquired the Griffon, after she slowed to meet his pace.

“Nothing, really,” he shrugged back, “I mean, my spider sense isn’t tingling. So, no alarm bells, in that sense.”

“You’re expecting something to happen?”

“No harm in being on the lookout. Especially considering what went down here, a couple days ago. Oh, yeah. Right.” Pong. “Almost forgot.”

“Alright,” she said, tilting her owl head between him and the assembled ponies up front. “Just make sure to leave some time enjoying the company, okay? The girls really thought it was a nice idea to help cheer you up.”

“Okay, I’ll be on my best behavior. So,” Spidey spoke, as he approached Sweetie’s Unicorn parents, “I’ve heard about you from your daughter. You’re names are…Mr. and Mrs. Flanks, right?”

“Name’s Hondo,” the stallion answered smiling.

“Guessing Mr. Flanks is your dad, huh?” A hearty chuckle came from the pair, after such a witty statement.

“He goes by Magnum, with his friends,” the wife replied warmly.

“Because of his great size?”

“Of course.” She seemed intrigued by the web-head’s enquiry. “Why else?”

“No reason,” he shrugged back, “Just the bushy eyebrows and mustache make me think of some guy named Tom.”

“And I’m Cookie Crumbles,” the mare continued, “But it’s Cookie, for short. As for you, it seems Sweetie Belle and her friends have taken quite a liking to you.”

“Yeah, I guess,” the beige stallion said.

“What you did for those little fillies was very brave and good of you,” added Magnum, “I don’t thing anypony can thank you enough for all you’ve done.”

“Don’t mention it. Had quite a bit of help, also. Guess I just seem to get that kind of reaction whenever around kids – uh, I mean foals. Kids too, maybe. Haven’t met any goats or sheep yet, though. And those things for your Mark, you call those…hondo balls, or something?”

“Just hondos,” the husband responded, “Used for a game called hondo blitz.”

“They look the same as those from a sport I know, myself. Tell me more about it.”

They continued with this casual exchange, much to the Griffoness’ relief. The Unicorn stallions asked a few questions to each other, every now and then. And the arachnid pony would answer with brief, yet comical remarks, which both humored and puzzled the Castle guests substantially. However, overtime, he gradually kept more to himself, as if he were deep in contemplation of what to make of the situation, emitting a pong throughout the palace in twenty-minute intervals. This especially did not evade Gabby’s observance of his actions, raising her concerns for such things from him anew.

The Crusaders began to run ahead, attempting a rather challenging game of hide-and-seek among the numerous chambers before them. It was during that time that Spider Bite trailed away from the company, and entered into one room in particular, by himself. Recognizing where they were in the Tree Palace, she followed in after him, to see what he was doing. She viewed his position in front of the chalk board, staring intently between the various equations and jotted assessments written on it, and those of a notebook levitating in front of him. Once inside, Gabby closed the doors to the laboratory behind her, while the chemical odors, bubbling mixtures, and scientific instruments strewn about the room engulfed her senses.

“What’re you up to, Spidey?”

“Nothing much, really,” he answered, never diverting his attention away from its current viewing, “Just thought I’d review a few things, for when Starlight and the Princess get back.”

“Is that your research with them in finding a way back?”

“Uh-huh.”

“But didn’t Doc say you shouldn’t spend too much energy, other than stretching your legs,” Gabby asked tentatively to remind him, “Not to overexert yourself than you need to, remember? Like last time?”

“I just want to make sure I’m all up to speed when they get back, that’s all. Besides, fifteen minutes of looking at old notes isn’t all that exertive. It’s not like it’s going to kill me, or anything. Though I’ve had my fair share of cuts and burns, while fighting in a lab a few times. Some guys just aren’t safe to be around this kind of stuff. Present company included, sometimes. And I’ve just supported your argument, didn’t I?”

“Joking aside,” she lightly giggled, “You still need to try and enjoy yourself. Cut yourself some slack. Especially after what you had to deal with.”

“Don’t worry. I promise,” the arachnid stallion told her, “I’ll only brush through these notes here, and come right back out. Fifteen minutes. See? Look.” After placing a set timer to tick-tick away beside him, the Griffoness complied.

“Alright. Fifteen minutes.” Departing from the labs and returning with the Crusaders and their families out in the hall. She then shared with the pony adults her story of how she came to know about the Cutie Mark Crusaders, and how she became an honorary member, as well as her enjoyment of their company, whenever she had the chance to leave Griffonstone to see them.

“Yeah, I always want to fly off from Griffonstone, and see my Crusader friends the first chance I get!” It was soon after that the conversation began to shift to what Big Mac and the other Apples had heard from what Babs and Apple Bloom said earlier.

“Well,” wondered Cookie, “what do you make of it?”

“Recon Ah ain’t so sure,” shook the red Earth Pony’s head. “Just how do y’all think we should handle it?”

“Hearing about it from us might not help little Scootaloo, so much,” the rosy Unicorn mare replied, “Even Sweetie promised not to bring up the matters without her say so.”

“How do you all know about them, anyway,” the Griffoness questioned.

“We heard about it from her brother,” Hondo answered, “Another story for another time, maybe.” They made a moment for silent pause, as they viewed the four fillies turning to make a dash for the stairs, after their grand escapade of hiding in the different rooms from each other. Following them downward, heading toward the main doors to go outside, they heard the white stallion continue, “I think it would be good to find some way of helping those girls to solve their little dilemma by themselves, first.”
It was then, upon seeing the wall-crawler depart from the lab chamber and talking with Nick, that Gabriella was prompted to simply offer, “You know, maybe I can say something to them. Ask them to help me with a little problem that sounds a little something like theirs, to figure out how to deal with it on their own.”

“That can actually prove to be helpful,” Cookie Crumbles said.

“As good an idea as ever, I say,” Magnum added.

“Eeyup.” When they had completed this discourse amongst themselves, they continued on past the doorways, as Gabby stopped to think of some way to describe her situation to her fellow Crusaders, anxious to know how best to bring it into conversation, as well as how to handle it, herself.

Just then, she was watching the four yearlings chasing one another in a game of tag, to which their families complied to join gleefully. Everypony went out to enjoy the fresh, late-morning air, as Spider Bite followed, with May, the Zebras and Granny Smith bringing a few picnic baskets to the center of the lawn. The chase was constantly more thrilling with each moment passed, having Gabby, Lyra and Bon-Bon pursuing the fillies and each other on numerous rounds, with Big Mac charging into the fray shortly after in booming, thunderous laughter.

Nick, Magnum, Cookie, Zecora, Granny and May share a few cordial words over snacks and juice, mostly of the apple variety, of course, during this ensuing activity. The Crusaders asked if the arachnid Unicorn would join them, to which he politely answered in the negative. Understandably, Gabby viewed the brief exchange, with the foals realizing he still needs to make sure he is fully well first. Their ears and eyes dropped slightly in downcast expressions, but shrugged onward to restart their previous session of laughter and fun. What happened next, though, was what struck the lady Griffon with further confusion, and even more concern than she had before.

She briefly caught sight of the wall-crawler leaping onto the Tree Palace’s stem of a foundation, observing the activities before him in the most silent, vigilant manner she has seen from him, thus far. Throughout the event, as it carried on until noon, she would catch glimpses of him crawling and jumping around the castle’s perimeter, while also shifting his head sharply all around him.

When the rest of the company was called to the selected picnic spot for lunch, she took off to make her approach towards him up high. As if he were anticipating her expression of further concern, still sitting laterally on the wall, he said, “Hi, Gabby. Nothing more natural for a spider than to crawl on walls to stretch his legs, huh? Yeah,” he grunted with a stretch of his forelegs, “Like a stroll on a giant oak in the park. No overexertion, whatsoever.”

“Well,” she feigned a chuckle, “How about you take a break from that spider stroll of yours, and have a sandwich with us. Wouldn’t be all that fun for the Crusaders without their all their friends down there with them.”

“Gotcha,” he nodded, in response, “Right behind you.”

After this brief exchange with Spidey, she gave him one of Granny’s sandwiches, as she made a spot for herself near Mrs. Parker and the fillies. He leapt down, and onto the shaded glade before the castle after her, landing where everypony decided to have their meal. Unfortunately, however, he opted to sit near the edge of the luncheon social, quietly consuming his food alongside an equally still Big Macintosh. During the outdoor meal, the beige stallion continued to shift his gaze to his surroundings, remaining as silent as he has been throughout the day now. It was a sharp contrast to the gentle tranquity of the village. Such tension built between that and his unnerving vigilance made Gabby feel even queerer of this new development from Spidey, now more than ever.

Upon seeing the red Earth Pony’s tilted head in the beige Unicorn’s direction, and hearing his cleared, husky throat, she took comfort in knowing she was not the only one to witness this. She offered Big Mac a talon-up, in response, tilting her own owl countenance towards her fellow Crusaders. After being ensured of her intended course of action, he nodded firmly back. Realizing the opportunity placed before her, Gabriella turned to the Crusaders, and spoke.

“Hey, girls. Is it okay if I ask you a quick question?”

“Sure, Gabby,” Scootaloo answered brightly, after swallowing a previous bite she had, “What’s up?”

“Well, you see. I met this pony here. And I think he’s got a Cutie Mark problem, but he doesn’t talk too much about it for me to know, for sure.”

“Who is he,” sharply said Sweetie Belle, “What kind of problem do you think he has?”

“I don’t think I should tell anyone, right now,” she kindly offered, “I think it’s a very, very, very touchy subject for the guy. Kind of like, you know, he wants to keep it all a really, big secret.”

“Secret,” Apple Bloom sharply asked, “Well, we can sure keep secrets between ourselves. Right, Crusaders?” “Right!”

“But how big of a secret are we talkin’ about,” Babs Seed joined.

“Sorry, girls. But I don’t want to spread any gossip around. Even if it’s just my personal opinion. I just want to know what you four think I should do.”

“Well, if you ask me,” Scoots suggested with an air of confidence, “I’ve got an idea. Why don’t you just flat-out ask him about it? You know, instead of beating around the bush, and dropping hints to get his attention. That makes it way more uncomfortable for everypony, that way.”

“Really? That’s sounds like a great idea!”

“You really think so,” the orange, winged filly quirked in response, “Because I thought you were kind of doing just that, for some reason. Don’t know why.”

“Oh, uh…” turning to see the white, yellow and tan little ponies alongside her, Gabby weakly chuckled, and replied with a wink, “Nothing to worry about from me. Just want to help a friend out, that’s all. Thanks for the help, Crusaders. Toodles!”

With that, the Griffon hen departed from the little troupe, with Scoots muttering towards Sweetie, Babs and Apple Bloom, “You think she was talking about Spidey?”

Meanwhile, the party began to pack up, and return inside the Castle, with Gabby observing the web-slinger’s movements more away from the crowd than before. Given his active engagement and closeness toward her and her fellow Cutie Mark Crusaders two days prior, the contrast now became most unnerving. It was as though this more withdrawn, quiet side of him seemed to be equally natural, if not more so than his bright, talkative demeanor. It was nearly as if she were observing the behavior of a completely different pony. And yet, he was conveying both characteristics in such a manner that still showed her it was the very same stallion.

Once she had found him a good distance away from the main group, Gabby decided to follow, and make another approach. Given her desire to keep this next exchange between herself and Spider Bite, she found that easily attainable when he made his way to the kitchen for a glass of water.

“Sheesh,” he muttered, without turning towards her, “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you had a thing for me.”

“Spidey,” she began.

“I know. I know. That kind of humor is getting repetitive and old real fast. But it’s just so, darn easy to do. I’ll be getting better material soon. Hopefully.”

“Actually,” continued the Griffoness, “there’s something I need to talk to you about.”

“I’m guessing it can’t wait ‘til after everypony’s gone?”

“Maybe. I think so. You see, the girls really wanted to make sure you didn’t feel too lonely or upset, while being stuck in here sick.”

“I know. And it’s very nice of them to do something like this. I’ll be sure to thank them, before they go.”

“But that’s not the point.”

“You think I’m spending way less time around them than I should, right?”

“Well…” Gabby paused for a moment, striving to form the proper response, “I think so. Yeah. Because, ever since they showed up, you really haven’t been yourself. I mean, one day you’re having the time of your life with us, then the next you’re off, keeping your distance from us, looking like something bad is going to happen.”

“Well you’ve only met me a few days ago. I’d say you’re pretty lucky, because very few get this chance to know so much about someone else in even longer periods of time. And I haven’t even touched the more-than-friends subsection.”

“But why? How come you’re doing this?”

“Doing what?”

“Keeping yourself apart from everyone else?”

“Well, it’s not like I wanted things to turn out this way. I didn’t try to get sick, when Twilight and the others were taken. Heck, there’s a whole lot of things in my life I never asked for, but got anyway.”

“Like your Cutie Mark?”

“What?” Another moment of respite was taken by the Griffon, as she took a couple steps forward.

“You told me yesterday you think your Cutie Mark means a…packaged deal. Like you’re saying there’s a whole lot of trouble that came with who you are. Who you’ve become. I just want to know why you think that.” Pong.

“Look,” he said, after his horn faded, “I know you want to try and help me out of some funk I might be dealing with. And I really think that’s good and nice of you to do. But, right now, I really don’t think this is the right time.”

“But when do you think that’ll be?”

“I don’t know. Maybe tomorrow. Or next week. I need to check my calendar, before making any final commitments to anything.”

“Ugh-wha-nggh-how can you be this way?”

“What’re you talking about?”

“Changing the subject,” she snapped back impulsively, now losing her patience, “Finding ways to slide around, and avoid it! It’s almost like you think this is some, big joke to you!”

“Seriously,” he responded with a raised brow, “Does it really look like I don’t give a hoot about anything? That I don’t have responsibilities?”

“Maybe,” she fumed, “It’s hard to tell if you even take responsibility, to begin with!”

“Excuse me? Okay, well how’s this for a responsibility? Making sure this place is safely secured from an insane matriarch that wants to take over the world. Now dethroned and on the loose, she’s out for revenge after her failed attempts of doing so, all of which, we barely squeezed out of with our lives! And on top of that, I’ve got to make sure everypony that comes here is not in harm’s way, or even an imposter!”

“So now they’re just part of the trouble you’re dealing with! Is that it?”

“No, tha-ugh! That’s not what I’m getting at!”

“AH! I don’t believe this,” Gabby shrieked, before taking off through the kitchen doors, “You’re just as bad as those grouchy Griffons I came to get away from!”