The Bite Of The Spider

I kicked down the burning door and rushed inside the apartment, looking around the smoke filled room. “Anyone in here?!” I yelled.

“Spider!” A voice cried from another room.

I headed towards the voice, using my Spider-Sense to avoid chunks of the burning ceiling. I smashed through another door into a bedroom. Under a blanket there was a mare and two children.

“Take them! Don’t worry about me!” She shouted, coughing. “I’m dying anyway!”

“No! Mommy!” One of her children screamed.

“Not happening!” I growled, throwing her over my shoulder and picking up her children under my arms. As I turned back to the door the ceiling collapsed, blocking the doorway. Damn it. I eyed the window, “Hold on tight!” I shouted before running and leaping through the window.

Shards of glass rained down with us as we fell. The screaming of the children was not helping. I managed to land on a flagpole sticking out of the burning apartment complex. Unfortunately it almost immediately snapped and we fell. I shifted the mother so she was under her children and against my chest. We hit the ground hard, my back flaring up in pain. As I handed the family off to the paramedics I clutched my back. I was definitely feeling that in the morning.

“Spider!” I looked over to the lead firefighter. “There’s still a kid trapped on the top floor, the heat’s too intense for our flyers, can you make it?”

“I got it.” I muttered, wincing as my back started to protest.

He looked doubtful, “You sure? You took a pretty bad fall there, anypony else would have been hospitalised from that.”

“I said I got it!” I snapped. I jumped up to the nearest window and hauled myself inside. I found the stairway and leapt up, not staying in one point for more than half a second at most, even less if my Spider-Sense warned me my foothold was going to collapse.

When I got to the top floor I could hardly see, the smoke was to thick I could hardly see a foot in front of myself. “Anyone up here?!”

“In...in here!” A young voice called back from the apartment to my left. I kicked the door open and ran into the apartment and searched for the child. I spotted him in the corner of the room cowering underneath a chair.

I rushed over and pulled him to his hooves, his blue fur was covered in soot and ash. “Come on, kid, we’re getting out of here.” While he was hesitating I headed towards the door, which had swung shut. As I opened the door my Spider-Sense went off and a wave of fire hit me and sent me smashing into the wall of the other side of the room. As I rose to my feet I batted the flames off my costume and scanned the room for another exit as the flames began to engulf the room.

“Spider...are we going to be okay?” The kid whimpered. He couldn’t have been older than seven, too young to deal with this.

“Yeah, we’ll...we’ll be fine.” I looked around, there had to be an exit! We were too high to jump and I wouldn’t be able to scale the building with the kid. As I looked around I knocked my fist against the wall separating the apartments. The sound was hollow.

Thin apartment walls. Of course. I punched through the wall and crawled into the next room. It was more or less the same set up as the other apartment, but the flames hadn’t reached it yet. “Come on, kid!” I reached through the wall for him and pulled him through.

I approached the door and waited, my hand hovering above the doorknob. My Spider-Sense didn’t go off, so I quickly opened the door and pulled the kid out, only to find the entire place covered in fire. I pulled the kid onto my back.

“Whatever you do, don’t let go, kid.” I warned, before jumping into the stairwell. I dropped a floor at a time, grabbing onto the edge of the stairs or a hole in the wall.

We made it to the ground easily but the doors and windows were blocked by burning rubble. I dropped to my knees and pushed the kid’s face to the floor, away from most of the smoke. “Alright, kiddo, we’re stuck here. Is there a basement or something?”

He nodded quickly, “Y-yeah. Behind that shelf.” He pointed at an old bookcase that had escaped the flames. “But we’re not allowed down there!”

“It’s okay, kid.” I stood up and pulled him up. “Let’s go.” I shoved the bookcase away, and sure enough there was an old door there. I opened it and we hurried through. There were stairs going down and as we went I noticed that the building got more and more concrete as we went. There was another door at the bottom of the stairs and as we went through I pushed several large shelves against the door.

I nodded to myself at the handiwork. “Okay, kiddo, we’re going to wait here until the fires dies out. Then we’ll get you back to your folks.”

“What’s this thing, Spider?” He asked.

I turned around and froze. I don’t know how I didn’t notice it when I opened the door, but sat there in the middle of the room was a bomb. Several bundles of dynamite and two jars of something attached together by a series of wires connected to an alarm clock. I stared at the bomb, the clock slowly ticking down. I had about two minutes until it exploded.

“Kid...new plan. We run. Now.” I set off running for the other side of the room, picking up the kid as I went. I threw open a door and slammed it shut behind us. I looked around the new room frantically, there had to be a way out!

My eyes dropped to the floor, where there was a manhole. I frowned for a second, I thought those things weren’t allowed inside buildings? I shook my head and lifted the cover up before dropping the kid down it and climbing down the ladder enough to slam the manhole shut behind us and web it a dozen or so times before dropping into the sewers, grabbing the kid and running.

There was another ladder a few dozen feet away. We reached the ladder and climbed it. As I pushed the cover off the bomb went off. I shoved the kid out into the open, not wanting to risk if the bomb was going to affect the sewers. As soon as he was clear I leapt out into the cold winter air.

As the snow crunched beneath my boots I looked over to the kid, “You okay?” He nodded quickly. I sighed in relief. There was that, at least. I saw the remains of the building. A half sunken ruin. A lone mare was crying and screaming, trying to run into the remains.

The kid took off running towards her and I watched as they embraced. That there was something good I did. I looked away from them too soon and approached one of the tenants I’d saved. “Who’s the owner?” I asked from behind him.

He jumped and span around, “Spider! You scared me.” He pointed to a mare with a grey coat next to the firefighters. “That’s her, Wanton Punishment.” I headed towards her immediately, my anger and frustration building with every step I took.

I grabbed the building owner by the collar and slammed her against the carriage, “How did this happen?!”

“I-I...I don’t know! Honest!” She stammered as the firefighters slowly backed away. The firefighters and I had a deal: They wouldn’t bother me and I’d help them whenever I could. They wouldn’t dare break that deal with the lives I saved that they couldn’t.

“For some reason I don’t believe you. The truth.” I growled.

“I don’t know! Yeah, I was losing money on the place! But it was my uncle’s before it was mine! I’d never burn it down! Everyone knew I was losing profit on it! I bitched about it whenever I went out! There was a guy the other week who said he could make the problem go away, but he was probably just trying to get me in bed.”

“Who was he?”

“I don’t know!”

I raised her into the air “Think harder!”

“He-he was an earth pony! A brown coat! Black mane and tail! I couldn’t see his mark!”

“So just one of hundreds?! Try again!” I raised a fist.

“Wait! His left foreleg was all burned! I swear! That’s all I know!” She closed her eyes and winced.

I held her there a few more seconds before dropping her and walking off. I had the information I needed. She knew nothing else. I had to get off the streets before cops filled the place. I’d only been there fifteen minutes, but that was already far too long.

“So, that’s how you get your information, huh? And here I thought you were more smooth than that.” I turned and saw a black coated pony standing there with a lit cigarette in his mouth. He wore a cream trench coat, hiding his tail and mark, and black fedora with a red trim.

“Who the hell are you?” I spat.

He fished a badge out of his pocket, “Detective Lone Wolf. I’m investigating the bombs that have been found around the city. I’m glad to see nobody got killed.”

I raised an eyebrow, “Nobody?”

He smirked, “Yeah. What you expect me to say that nopony bullshit? I know there’s more than just ponies out there.”

“I just find it funny a scumbag cares. You cops are all the same.”

He puffed on his cigarette, “I’m not like those bastards. I want to help non-ponies. If that means I have to turn a blind eye as my coworkers put my old friends in hospital then so be it. Look, I’m not here to discuss my job, I’m here for your help.”

“Not interested.” I turned and walked off. After a minute I turned to the detective walking next to me. “I told you I’m not interested.”

“I’m just going to talk then. If you end up listening then that’s up to you.”

I sighed, “Fine.”

“Like I said, that bomb wasn’t the first that we’ve found.”

“Than why haven’t there been any other explosions, smart guy?” I growled.

“Because we found the others in time, thanks to the psycho behind it sending clues to us. We’ve kept it out of the papers for a reason.”

“It’d cause chaos, anarchy, mayhem.” I said.

“Right.” He nodded. “But at the site of the last bomb we found we also found a note saying it was up to us to find all the others he plants from now on.”

“And you know it’s a guy because…?”

“His note went off on several tangents, stuff about burning, seeing the world aflame, burning like they did, and ‘what’s a guy to do when the world’s this screwed up’. He referred himself as a male several times, and the science team told us the writing is of an earth pony. Just like your little buddy back there said.”

I walked into an alley and hopped onto a dumpster, “So what’d you want from me, Wolf?”

“We both want this guy caught. Both of us want to protect the innocent. All I want is for us to work together on this, we’ll do more by working together, you can’t deny that. We’ll pool our information and hopefully catch this bastard quicker then we would alone.”

He had a point. “I want something in return.”

“So long as it isn’t something too much I can guarantee it.”

“I want everything you have on the local serial killer.”

He gave a bitter laugh, “Which one?”

Typical Manehattan. “The one excessively mutilating Griffins.”

His eyes hardened, “Right. That one. Can you suggest a meetup? Ever heard of The Kitten In Darkness? Nice place to get a drink.”

“And here I was, thinking alcohol was illegal.”

“It’s a stupid law. You know the place?”

“Yeah, I’ve...been there before.”

“Good. It’s where we’ll meet up, just let the owner of the place, Cat Scratch, know that you know me, you’ll probably have to pass a message through her main man, Brutal Violence. Cat doesn’t meet anyone she doesn’t know and trust alone.”

“Got it. I’ll see you there tomorrow. If it’s a trap, you’ll regret it.” I growled before leaping up onto the rooftop and continuing my patrol.

Like I could trust a cop.

I made my way over to Cat’s. I needed the truth about Wolf, and Cat would know if he really came to The Kitten. I walked across the roof before pausing above Cat’s balcony as I heard the doors open and I heard Cat singing. “Spider, Spider, Spider...where do you go when I see you run, why do you go when I feel your heartbeat, why do you run when you feel so…” She paused. “Come on down, Spider, don’t you know it’s rude to eavesdrop?”

I dropped down onto the balcony railing in a crouch, “Sorry, Felicia. I had things on my mind. And I...just heard you singing.”

She stroked my cheek, “Spider...Come, let us dance.” She led me inside and swayed over to her jukebox before playing a slow song. She pulled me into a dance. As we swayed with each other she ran her hoof over my cheek, “You’re all burnt up. Were you jumping into burning buildings again, Spider?”

I pulled off my mask and threw it away. “They were cheap apartments, you know that non-ponies can only afford those places. I couldn’t let them die.”

She chuckled, “I love that you’re such a hero, Spider, but just try to look after yourself, for me. I don’t quite know what I’d do if you got killed.”

“Cat...I…” I whispered, leaning towards her and looking into her eyes.

“Shh, don’t speak, let’s just enjoy our time.” She hushed.

So we just spent our time, slowly dancing and getting closer to each other. Hours bled into one another and I actually started to feel that rare glimpse of happiness, something that I’d all but abandoned in this filth and torment filled city. We stared deeply into each other’s eyes. I...I felt…

“Spider…” She whispered. “I want…” We leaned close, I could feel her breath on my skin, I puckered my lips and...

We were suddenly interrupted by Brutal Violence bursting in. “Boss! Trouble downstairs!”

Cat sighed and backed off, “I swear...every damn time.” She turned to Brutal, “What’s happening?”

“Lucky’s here. He’s taken out the guys and is threatening to take the girls with him unless you talk to him.”

Luck Shots was the head of a small local mob. He had no respect for anyone, he even went so far as to sell his own sister to a corrupt politician so he had a grip over the police, he killed his own mother because she was going to tell the papers what he was doing. I found out by snooping around his mansion. In the past four years he’s fallen far because of me, he’s on his last legs and he’s already losing business to a bigger mob. He wouldn’t last much longer.

“Damn it. Okay, I’ll go talk to him. Spider can you…” She trailed off as she saw I had my mask on and was already on the balcony.

“I’ll come in through the roof. See what he wants, Cat. And...be safe, I don’t know what I’d do if I lost you either.”

I jumped up onto the roof and found an open window. I made my way inside and found myself on a gargoyle near the ceiling, on the ground there were about ten mob goons, plus Lucky himself. I had arrived just in time to see Cat storm up to him with a scowl, Brutal by her side every step of the way.

“What the hell do you want, Lucky?!” She spat.

“Cat.” He gave a sick grin. “Is that any way to talk to a valued customer?”

“No,” she admitted, “it’s not. So what the hell do you want, Lucky?!”

He just smirked, “Funny. You know, that’s what everypony likes about you, Cat. You’re feisty. That and then flanks. Boys’ll be queuing around the block when you work for me.” My fists tightened.

Cat scowled at him, “I’m not going to be your whore, Lucky!”

“Like hell you’re not! Do you know how much people will pay for you?! You’re going to get me back in the big leagues!”

Cat scoffed, “You always were a small thinker. That’s your big goal? Listening to orders from someone else?”

He bristled with anger, “What the hell do you know?!”

I leapt from my perch and landed in front of Lucky, “That your luck’s run out.”

He jumped back, “Spider?! We’ll see about that! Take him, boys!” Lucky yelled. There was an awkward silence where nobody moved before he turned around, glaring, “I said, take him!”

“Uh, no offense, boss, but I don’t want my face broken, it’s my kid’s birthday tomorrow and I don’t want her to be scared about how I look.” One of his thugs said.

“I...just don’t want to fight the Spider, he’s scary.”

“I don’t want to be in the hospital for the next year.”

“I mean, I saw him take out a group twice our size no problem.”

“I got a sick sister, I can’t afford hospital bills as well!”

“I’m just a coward!”

Similar responses were shouted out of the group. I smirked, this was amusing, seems like the more cowardly and smart didn’t want to risk fighting me. “Those of you who aren’t interested in fighting, leave.” I said.

All the thugs left, leaving Lucky all alone. “COWARDS! IT’S JUST ONE GUY!”

“One guy’s all it takes to put down a rabid dog like you.” I said before rushing forwards and snapping his hind leg with a kick.

As he let out a scream I grabbed one of his forelegs and punched them several times, breaking the bone in multiple places. I wrapped my hand around his jaw as he screamed again. “This has been a long time coming, Lucky.” I slowly started applying pressure to his jaw. “Four years, Lucky. Four long years and here you are at long last, doing your own dirty work.”

He started laughing, “You think they’re going to lock me up?! I have connections! I have-” I clamped his jaw shut.

“No, Lucky. You aren’t escaping this time. This time next week you’ll be dead, and I won’t have to do a thing.” I leaned in close and snarled, “You’re a failure! If you think that your bosses will keep you around when you don’t have any respect from your boys and can’t even pull off a simple robbery, then why keep you around?”

As soon as I let go of him and he fell to the floor he began sobbing, “No! No, no, no! You’re wrong I...I can’t!” He’d always been weak.

“Run away, Lucky. Run away and hope they don’t find you, or else you’ll be the next rotting carcass they find.”

He tried to stand up, only to fall back to the ground, “I can’t bucking walk!”

“I SAID RUN!” I roared punching him in the jaw and feeling it break before throwing him towards the door like the trash he was. He hobbled out as fast as he could.

“Now that was cathartic.” Cat laughed.

With a sigh I turned to her and got straight to business. “Did you find anything out about the wine?”

She pouted, “You’re no fun today.” She sighed, “The wine was expensive.” That meant that I could cross off any non-pony. But expensive wine, even in Cat’s thoughts, meant they would even be well off in Canterlot. That meant the killer was one of the elite of the city. Or from out of town.

“I thought you’d find me breaking Lucky’s jaw fun.”

“Oh, I did! You’re sexy when you’re angry, Spider.” She purred, running a hoof down my chest.

I felt myself blushing, “Ah, Cat, I…”

She stood up on her hind legs and leaned against me and lifted me mask to expose my lips. “Shh. Not today, Spider. Not now.” She began to lean in closer to me. “Do you know how long I’ve waited? Screw this. And screw you.” She hissed before forcing her lips against mine. I froze for a second, thousands of running through my head. What was I meant to do? Kiss her back? Push her away to protect her? Lie and tell her I didn’t like her?

I kissed her back with just as much passion she was giving to me. Screw the consequences, I deserved to be selfish this one time! I couldn’t hope to hold back my feelings forever. We’d been attracted to each other since we first met five years ago. This was my light in the city. My second spark against the all-consuming darkness of the city.

When we finally broke the kiss I quickly pulled down my mask to hide the redness in my cheeks. She was just smirking smugly, “Don’t lie, Spider, you wanted that just as much as I did, didn’t you?”

I gave a short nod. “Yeah.”

Her smile faded, “There’s more business, isn’t there?”

“A bit.” I admitted.

She sighed and dropped back to the floor. “That kiss will tide me over for now, but don’t keep a gal waiting too long. What do you want to know about?”

“Lone Wolf, what do you know about him?” I asked.

She blinked, “Loner? He’s a good person. I remember when he was younger, he fought tooth and claw to protect non-ponies. Look, keep it quiet, but he was raised by Griffins. Once he joined the cops he lied about that, he really does want to change things, but to get high enough to do that he needs to feign indifference to all the hate and racism going on in the police force.”

I raised an eyebrow, “You’re certainly defending him well. What, was he a lover or something?” I half joked.

She was silent for a few seconds, “A long time ago. Maybe we would have been, but our paths diverged before that ever happened.” She smirked, “Why? Are you jealous, Spider?”

I shook my head, “Can he be trusted?”

“Without a doubt. If he’s away from his coworkers that is.”

I nodded, “Thanks, Cat.” I turned to leave, “Me and Wolf are meeting here tomorrow. Can you make sure we have a private room?”

“Of course.” She smiled, “Goodnight, Spider.”

I hesitated for a second, “Goodnight, Cat. Stay safe.”

A week later Lucky’s body was found floating in a river, an arrow through his eye.