Author's Note

This chapter was a little bit of a challenge. It's a little dark, but I still wanted the humor to be the same as it's been in the past chapters. This is a turning point in our story, and we're going to transition into something a bit more serious (but no so much as to take away from the funny).

Pay attention to what is going on in this chapter! Let's see if you can tell what's going on!

The song, I feel, sums up Rachnera's frame of mind by the end of the chapter.

Enjoy!

8. Who are the Usual Suspects?

Edited byTuxOKC.

The foals stayed near Rachnera. Around the arachne were parents who weren’t exactly confident of her intentions. The old unicorn mare Peggy, however, held a great deal of influence and was not only respected, but trusted with the utmost of faith. She had to step with care so as not to hurt the little ponies. As an apex predator as dangerous as nature could create, self-restraint was paramount, especially around children. Rachnera didn’t want to hurt them: they were too adorable and innocent to even think of such a thing! Most of them rode on her skull marking, thinking it was all great fun. In all, there were eleven foals; three colts and the rest were fillies. Random was happy to get a spider ride, joining his friends on top of Rachnera’s second abdomen.

The herd moved from the inn and through the town and up a hill towards a towering inferno of flame licking the new night sky. A road zig zagged up the steep slope and in some places there were stone steps. The remnants of the day had already faded to a purple haze to the west (the transition from day to night was ridiculously fast). The night promised stars to dazzle through the darkness in the most spectacular of ways. The few unicorns the village had lit the tips of their horns with balls of soft light to show the way.

Rachnera found herself in the very center. It made sense and was amusing to be the center of attention, even if Peggy had deemed the liminal to be perfectly safe. The ponies, for the most part, believed her. Mothers hovered close, not speaking to the arachne, but neither ignoring her. Polite nods and smiles were exchanged, but it did little to assuage the nervous energy. Most of the attention was split between the foals and towards the billowing smoke and flames licking the sky.

There were rows of grapevines coming into view. They were lush and well tended. Her eyesight allowed her good vision at night, but the day revealed the colors the night concealed. Flickers of shadows above made her look and make out the shadowy forms of pegasi heading for the house. The group moved at a swift trot, Rachnera easily keeping up with her eight legs striding forward, with two always touching the earth as she moved. As a result, the ride the foals were experiencing was smooth.

Seeing the flames and the smoke was sobering. Fearful voices spurred the ponies onward. There were shouts ahead, with cries for water to be brought.

“Wow,” Random drew the word in wonder. His smile faded and he became morose. “That’s Grandma’s house. Momma and Daddy and me live there. It’s all on fire.” The colt’s lower lip trembled as Rachnera had turned to look at him as he spoke.

Her heart melted as she plucked him up from his friends and gave a him comforting hug. She didn’t know what spurred her to do such a thing. There was a need and she felt she had to fill it. The bawling child couldn’t turn to his parents nor his grandmother; they were already up at the house, helping others to fight the blaze.

Lucifer, who was now carrying a broad bladed spear, strode next to Rachnera. The shaft of the spear was as long as he was tall. He had it balanced on his right shoulder, elbow down. The arachne had pictured him carrying a broad axe, but the photos had him favoring what he now carried. His armor jingled as he stepped. Though Rachnera was a modern girl from a modern world, the look suited him. His crimson eyes were searching and his jaw was set firmly beneath his muzzle. The corners of his mouth had a slight downturn to them.

He muttered to himself, his long white beard swaying with each heavy step he took.

As they rounded a small outgrowth of trees, the source of the fire was seen. It was a two story stone house, its roof ablaze. Flickering tongues of flame were in the windows and thick, black smoke rose angrily into the starry night sky. Ponies milled around the front, running around like chickens with their heads cut off. There was a lot of crying and yelling as panic filled the air.

Winter and Sunrise were there, barking out orders and dealing with the stricken servants. They had dashed off (Sunrise had a very impressive stagger in his gallop) to the house, followed by ponies who weren’t too far into their alcohol to be incoherent.

“Stay here,” Lucifer ordered.

The heat of the flames could be felt and Rachnera shifted her legs to keep as much of the heat off the foals as possible.

The herd of ponies watched, most surging forward to help save Peggy’s house. The old mare sat and watched the inferno, her eyes shedding tears. Her daughter trotted over and without a word, gave the old mare a comforting hug.

“How?” wailed the old unicorn. “Me life was here! Me mem’ries! Why? Who done this?” Her cries were heart wrenching.

Even magic had its limits, Rachnera observed. Though there were unicorns, the fires were too great. The pegasi tried to create clouds and make it rain, but the intense heat vaporized the rain before it could cool the heart of the flames. Earth ponies formed bucket brigades, forming a line from a nearby well. Water went from the well and to the house in buckets and back, but to no avail. The minutes ticked by and the house was slowly consumed. It seemed to laugh at the combined efforts of the ponies.

There was something strange about the fire.

“Nopony was inside,” Winter said to her husband. Her horn had been glowing uninterrupted since Rachnera first arrived. “We are fortunate.”

He had joined his wife and mother in law. His expression was helpless and angry. “There’s nothing we can do for the house!” Sunrise called out to his ponies. “Focus on keeping the flames from spreading! Douse the other buildings!”

Voices chorused in the affirmative and ponies shifted their priorities.

Peggy wept bitterly. Her grandson looked to her and released his hug. Random hopped down from Rachnera’s patterned second abdomen and trotted over to the old mare. Nuzzling into a foreleg, he was soon swept up in an embrace.

Lucifer went over to Sunrise. “Diamond Dogs?” he wondered as the butt of his spear thumped heavily into the ground. His other hand tugged thoughtfully at his beard.

“I don’t know,” admitted the Lord as he stared through the waves of heat. “They’ve never been known to do this. I wonder if the loss of their pups made them.” He began muttering words under his breath, shaking his head.

Peggy looked over at him. “It t’weren’t the dogs. I tole ye it was the changlings. They’re stirrin’ and up to som’thin’ aweful, I tell ye, but ye don’t wanna listen.”

Sunrise was not in the mood. His mind was muddled, but the severity of the situation had sobered him enough. “Lucifer,” he began, regarding the massive bull, “can you find anything suspicious on the grounds? A paw print? Something? Anything?”

“I can look. There’s almost no light, so don’t expect a miracle.” Lucifer went off into the darkness, his eyes sweeping the ground. He had developed a determined glint in his hellish eyes.

The old mare’s lower lip trembled as she clung to her grandson, as if afraid he would be taken from her at any moment. Winter joined the pair. Gentle words came from the mare to her mother. Random was quiet, providing himself as something to hug and find comfort in.

The foals on Rachnera’s back had all hopped down and sat in front of her, starting at the burning house with mixed emotions written on their little faces. They shared the same sadness and soon sought their own mothers and fathers. This left the arachne alone, watching the death of a home.

She was angry. Random was an adorable little colt and in some ways took more after his grandmother than his parents, if she were to wager a guess. They were close, she noted, watching their body language. There was no doubt the colt loved his mother, but she suspected Winter did not spend as much time with her son as he would have liked. Her duties often took her from home, Rachnera surmised, and being a working mother could warp priorities. This left her to wonder how much a part of Random’s life his father involved himself in. The anger left her feeling helpless because she had no idea what to do. The logical thing to do was nothing. It was not of her affair and she doubted nosing into the family’s relationship would garner her any favors.

Her attention went to the ponies working to save the other buildings on the grounds. They worked as a team and seamlessly. Attention had shifted to dousing down the rooftops of nearby buildings: a barn, an outhouse, and a woodshed. There were other buildings further into the darkness and built into the hills surrounding the area, but it was too dark to make them out. Above, the orange glow caught the forms of pegasi darting through the air in odd formations. They were taking turns going around the smoke, streaking in corkscrews up, up, and up until their forms disappeared into the night. The next one would dart in and repeat the process. The column of smoke, Rachnera noted with curiosity, went straight up and within the flight paths of the pegasi. Then, slowly, the pattern tilted until the smoke was drifting away from causing any immediate danger to the surrounding area.

Sunrise Shimmer gathered up a few unicorns and had them use spells to deflect heat away from the buildings. Rachnera watched, arching a brow and crossing her arms under her breasts, as horns lit up and ice was hurled at the flames. It was impressive to watch. She pursed her lips as two unicorns stood next to each other and tried to keep a wall of ice up as quickly as the heat melted it. Sweat began to drench their coats, but they bore it with grim determination. The pair encouraged each other with colorful insults.

“Where are yer balls?”

“Want ‘em on yer chin?”

“Don’t ye threaten me with a good time, ye gobshite tallywhacker!”

“Why not? Yer already sweatin’ in me presence, ye little dick tickler!”

The two giggled like lunatics.

Rachnera smirked. That was an interesting way to encourage your partner to work harder.

An earth pony mare drew past the arachne. “It’s a shame, really,” she sighed, eyeing the pair with lustful eyes. “Bloody, bleedin’ shame.” The mare went towards the fire brigade, still trying to douse the fires with buckets of water. She was soon chipping in.

It was an odd passing, Rachnera thought. Something was off about that mare. She narrowed her eyes, but just saw an ordinary, plain pony shoulder to shoulder with the other villagers. Buckets were moved from mouth to mouth.

“Oi, you gonna just stand there or are you for helping?” Another villager, a pegasus mare (why so many mares?) addressed the pondering spider lady. She had pale blue fur and three tones of purple for her mane. Her tail was a single braid. Dark cyan eyes regarded the liminal with a neutral expression.

“What would you have me do?” Rachnera asked, tilting her head to one side.

The mare pointed with a wing. “Stay near the dams and the foals, if you please.”

Turning to where the tip of the wing pointed, Rachnera noted the mothers had pulled the foals further from the fire. “Are you sure you don’t want me to help with that?” she asked, flicking a hand at the fire.

“No. You’ll just be in the way, I’m sorry to say.” The mare looked apologetic. “Peggy says you’re for protecting the li'l ones. Around here, her word is law.” Pinning her ears back, she added, “You’re a frightful thing to behold, you are, but you seem nice.” A smile formed that did not quite reach her eyes. The way she was looking at the arachne was different but not unlike what some humans had given her in the past.

Rachnera smiled and decided to change the subject. She was curious about something. “What do you think about Peggy’s story about changelings?”

The mare shrugged. Her tail flicked a few times. “The magic around here is wild, Miss Spider,” she said. “Peggy is pretty smart, she is ‘n knows the magic of the land. Don’t let her country words fool you n’ don’t look down at us ponies. We’re proud ‘n got dignity.”

Rachnera smiled. “I wouldn’t dream of looking down upon you ponies,” she reassured the mare. “What’s your name?”

The pegasus bobbed her head once. “Emerald Sky.”

The arachne introduced herself and turned towards the mares and their foals. “Are you sure you don’t need help?”

“Peggy says you’re foalsitting, so foalsitting you’re stuck with’,” Emerald pointed again with a wing. She did not sound like the locals. There was an accent, but it was not as harsh.

Rachnera nodded, her attention shifting to the house. The ponies were slowly beginning to gain control, she noted. Words of encouragement were shouted. A wall collapsed inward, sending embers shooting into the sky. There was a massive flare of the fires before settling down into a blaze not as intense as before. The heat seemed less oppressive now.

“No rest for the wicked,” Emerald told Rachnera with a grin. Without another word, she leapt into the air and joined the other pegasi who seemed to be controlling the smoke.

Her legs rippled, carrying the liminal towards the foals and their mothers. Five mares—three earth ponies, a unicorn, and a pegasus—kept the little ones close. They were watchful, but their gazes often went sorrowfully towards the ruined house. As the arachne drew near, all eyes fell upon her. Nervous smiles were given and Rachnera felt obliged to offer one of her own and present herself as non-threatening.

“Miss Spider,” one of them greeted. The foals were all smiling, again gaping up at Rachnera in wonder.

Another one put in, “Peggy says ye kin be trusted. We r’spect spiders. I keep some in me flowers an ask ‘em tae let the bees be. Me bees help make mead,” she added helpfully as a foal squirmed in her forehooves.

The foals once again swarmed over the spider, as if their mothers had unleashed them through some unspoken command. Rachnera accepted this with a roll of her eyes and a gentle smile. The foals were having an effect on her heart and lately it had been melting with alarming frequency. A filly was cradled in her arms before she could finish her thought. It was the same one that had earlier claimed one of her pedipalps. She was a cute thing, about the size of a human toddler. All of them were about that size.

Fearful glances went from the foals to the spider monster entertaining them, but the mares forced smiles. The word of Peggy had a great deal of weight, it seemed.

“I won’t hurt them,” Rachnera promised, even as a colt glomped the top of her head. How did he get up there? “They seem to like me,” she added, batting his forehooves from her eyes. It would not do to have one of her six eyes poked.

“Yer hair is soft,” the colt mumbled, burying his muzzle into her lavender hair. “Smells nice, too.”

Thus started an avalanche of questions, as earlier in the inn, but not drowned out by the adult ponies.

“Why do ye have so many legs?”

“Why is only part of ye hard?”

“Were yer bum always black?”

“Why is yer top part so pale?”

“Are those yer teats?”

“Are they fluffy?”

“Can I touch them?”

“What’s between these funny legs up front?”

“Where does yer poop come out?”

“Can ye climb trees?”

Rachnera doubted some of the questions were all that innocent. She had her own suspicions, glancing over at the mares. Their bemused expressions had a bit of consternation mixed in. This confirmed the arachne’s thinking in regards to some of the foals. Not as innocent as she thought. Ah well, there would be some lessons to be learned. It was not difficult to see them as a flock of Papis (which immediately set the arachne to worry). Perhaps it would be wise to treat them as clones of her little harpy housemate, Papi.

For the next several minutes, she answered the questions she felt were relevant and proper. Inappropriate questions were deflected and even referred to the onlooking mares.

“I din think havin’ teats on yer chest is sensible,” one sniffed, flicking an ear. “Why ain’t they down between yer back legs? I reckon that would be more sensible.”

Rachnera stared at the mare for a moment before replying. “Having them up here,”—she put a hand on one and gave a light squeeze—”lets liminals and humans hold their babies while feeding them. It’s how nature designed us.” Her following smile was benign as she dislodged the colt from the top of her head.

“Have ye got little ones?” asked another curiously.

“No.” Rachnera watched as the firefighting ponies appeared to have the flames under control. A cursory glance towards Peggy and Winter revealed the old mare had her tears under control, but a deep sorrow was still on her muzzle. A sympathetic sigh escaped from the arachne’s lips.

A third mare said with admiration, “Yer a natural with ‘em.” She tittered behind a hoof.

“What’s not to like?” Rachnera offered with a wry smile.

There were more grimaces than smiles in response.

A sudden thought occurred to Rachnera. What if—and this was a very wild assumption—these mares were more put off by her top half than her lower half? What if the monster they saw had pale flesh uncovered by fur while the spider legs and the second abdomen below her hips seemed normal to them? What if it was boob envy?

Naaaaah...maybe? Was she overthinking this? Perhaps, she thought to herself. Two fillies had each claimed a pedipalp and were being gently bounced. It would do no good to make assumptions, but it would be wise to pay attention to the ponies and see if they reacted to something specific of the liminal.

Beneath her, there were faint rumblings. It was a familiar sound and one that had her stop bouncing the fillies much to their disappointment. She looked up and around, seeing if the ponies were noticing this. They weren’t, as they were preoccupied with fighting the fire. Scooping up the foals one by one, she swept them to her back. There was excitement as they thought there was going to be a grand adventure. Rachnera headed for Peggy and Winter, bending towards them at her hips.

“I’m feeling vibrations under the ground,” she said.

“What are you talking about?” Winter demanded. “I don’t have time for this!” Peggy gave the Arachne a forlorn look. Random was not crying, but was sniffling. He and his grandmother were leaning against each other.

Rachnera said with great patience, “I think the dogs are beneath us.” She was stabbing towards the ground with a finger. “I’m feeling the same kind of vibrations I felt before.”

Winter looked down, closed her eyes, and uttered a silent curse. “Are you sure?” she asked, looking at Rachnera.

“T’aint the dogs that did this,” Peggy said, craning her neck to look over her shoulder.

“Mother, stop it with this nonsense of changelings!” Winter seethed. She lifted her head. “Sunrise! We’ve got dogs.”

“I heard,” he replied. “Sober me up, dear.”

Her horn glowed. His head was surrounded by her aura and after a few seconds, faded. Sunrise shook his head and blinked his eyes. His ears swiveled and perked forward. “Thank you, love,” he said to Winter. She gave a brief smile.

“What did you do?” Rachnera asked, curious.

“I removed the alcohol from his blood stream. A simple thing, really, if you know what you’re doing. Now, Diamond Dogs? Where?”

Rachnera planted the tips of her eight legs firmly in the ground. Closing her eyes, she listened through touch. Sunrise was about to say something, but she held up a finger. He sputtered, but said nothing. “One. Two. Three over there. Two or three over there.” She was pointing as she spoke. “Can they sense what’s above them?”

“Yes. It’s how they ambush.”

“They’re about to ambush your ponies at the well, I think. Anywhere a pony is, for that matter.” Rachnera opened her eyes, a frown splaying over her lovely features. The earth was moving beneath her. The dogs were digging much faster than the three who had popped up in her cell earlier. Maybe this was the plan if the three had failed? It would make sense and was a clever ploy to set the fire, if it was their idea. Still, setting fires was risky, unless the risks and consequences were acceptable.

“Mother, Random, stay with Miss Spider.” Winter was sweeping her gaze over the ponies, the burning house, then settled on her husband. “Are the dogs still moving?”

They were all calling her Miss Spider. From the bull to the other ponies, Rachnera had caught on to this. She didn’t object as they were trying to show her some respect, it seemed. Sunrise, on the other hand, did not trust the arachne.

Rachnera paused for a moment. She frowned. “No. They’ve stopped.”

“Shit!” Winter raised her voice, “Ponies! Move! Diamond dogs are under you! It’s an ambush!”

Villagers stared at her, some with buckets in their mouths. The fire still blazed, but was nowhere near as intense as it was before.

“Bloody move yer arses!” Peggy roared with an energy that surprised Rachnera. “The dogs be comin’ and ye need tae be runnin’!”

There was confusion. Here and there, beneath pony hooves, the earth heaved. Frightened ponies ran. Paws shot up, grasping and groping, followed by yellowed eyes and snarling fangs. In return, hooves kicked. Screams filled the air. The ground beneath Rachnera gave way and the foals shrieked in fear. She sidestepped, staring down as glowing eyes in the darkness met hers. A smile graced her lips, curling upwards as she showed her teeth to her would-be ambusher. With foals clinging to her torsos, she raised a leg and stabbed it down at the dog. Its eyes widened and the dog ducked out of the way. There was not a lot of room to move in a tunnel and Rachnera began whacking her victim with the side of her leg against a furry skull. Yelps and yips could be heard below until the dog retreated. Pulling her leg back up, she shot a blob of silk into the hole, It exploded against the wall and filled it with her sticky thread.

Scooping Random up, she placed him with the other foals. They huddled together, staying in the middle of the skull marking as much as possible. “All right, where to, Winter?” she asked the unicorn.

Winter was staring at the hole. Specifically, the silk now covering it. “Back to the inn,” came the reply. “The floor is warded against digging.”

She began moving down the hill and back to the village. Rachnera soon followed, along with the mares.

“All right, children,” Rachnera told the foals with a smile, “hold on. It might get a little bumpy.” She had to admit, having eleven foals riding her was a bit cumbersome. Though she was trim and looked fit (mostly from constant web spinning), the arachne was not in peak condition. Coming from a long family line of webspinners, there had never been a need to go long distances. As a result, her stamina was lacking when compared to Cerea or Mero. Then again, spiders like her weren’t designed with stamina in mind.

“Ladies, stay with Miss Spider,” Winter told the mares. “Let her carry the foals. She can protect them.” The guards were trying to stay near the villagers, who were herding by instinct.

“My mother used to carry me like this, along with my sisters,” Rachnera assured them. Random claimed the top of her head as his own. Plucking him off, she put him back with the others.. “Don’t do that, dearie.” She seemed calm and collected, a pillar of support in a chaotic storm.

Nothing could be further from the truth. Although not frightened of the dogs, the responsibility heaped upon her was utterly terrifying. She was in an unenviable position and had to make do. How the situation had devolved to this level was irritating. Again, Rachnera had surrendered control and the result was about as unexpected and strange as could be believed.

She pondered this with foals sitting on the back of her second abdomen, mothers following close behind, and Winter leading the way. There was the sound of an angry bull doing angry things to bad dogs. The sound of battle—medieval and surreal—was erupting in their wake. Her heart pounded in her chest and her breathing had become heavy. Little hooves gripped at her waist, the little voices owning them crying out in fear. Chancing a glance over her shoulder, she found little eyes squeezed shut with tears falling.

Save one.

Random was looking up at her, his blue eyes boring into hers. There was trust. Unfettered and without doubt, it was there! He wore a fearless smile, or was very good at hiding his fright. It earned him a smirk from the arachne and a wink.

But, where was Peggy? Where was Sunrise? They were left behind, but with them was Lucifer and his rage. Rachnera was not worried for them, but the others, the villagers who ran…

…were faster than a spider and thundered past her and those with her. Guards were all around them in a moment, slowing to encircle the foals and their rather unusual chariot.

“Miss Spider, can’t you go faster?” called out one of the guards.

“Not really,” she gasped, shrugging and spreading her hands. Sweat was forming in beads on her forehead. There was an uncomfortable and unwanted pain in her lungs. This was the power of exercise? This is what the others endured at the gym while she sunbathed at the pool? It was then Rachnera decided her housemates were masochists and needed further punishment.

She felt silly for thinking that. It wasn’t her fault the others carried extra weight they needed to shed. Her abs were perfect and her curves were as she wanted them and Honey had a fetish for her legs. One could not improve upon perfection!

Skittering off the hill, she was now on one of the main streets of the village, her steps faltering from the unwanted fatigue. The foals were crying for their mothers, except for Random. He was perched on her shoulder like an oversized cat, his muzzle under her chin. Mindful of his horn, he kept it turned away from her eyes.

“Take the foals!” Rachnera rasped, “They’re weighing me down!” She plucked one from her back and held it out towards the closest mare.

One by one she handed them off. Random stayed. She tried prying him off her shoulder, but the colt stubbornly refused to let go.

“You’re my friend!” he said in her ear, on the verge of tears, “and friends don’t abandon friends! Don’t make me go away! Please? Pretty please?” Random was losing his grip. The perch on the arachne’s shoulder had been precarious to begin with. Tilting forward, his grip adjusted and his face was in hers.

“Random, I can’t see!”

“Oops!” He slipped and fell forward, into her sweater and in the valley between her breasts. Now she had a stubby tail flicking her nose and hooves batting her in the chin and mouth.

“Hey!” Rachnera nearly careened into the fountain. Gritting her teeth, she slowed and regained her footing. Beneath her the ground rumbled. “No,” she hissed.

It erupted beneath her, a pair of paws shot up from the crumbling hole. They had claws on them and they were hooked and wicked looking. Rachnera reared back, her pedipalps kicking at them even as she fought to maintain balance. Flicking her wrists, silk flew from her fingertips and she yanked up hard once she felt them stick. The snarling owner of the paws found them now bound together as it was bodily hauled from its hole. A wolfish head with the expression of surprise met the annoyed countenance of a now irate arachne. He seemed vaguely familiar.

“You guys are starting to really annoy me!” Rachnera snarled. Silk was everywhere. Ponies were scrambling to get away from her. Random kept trying to perk his head up into her field of view. Which annoyed her more? “Stay down, Random!” Shoving his head down with her free hand, she used two legs to kick the Diamond Dog away. “This is getting ridiculous!”

Then there were dogs everywhere. Ponies were panicking. Guards tried to put themselves between the dogs and their charges. Sunrise was running in circles, his horn glowing, and doing what looked to be a whole lot of nothing. Lucifer had a lot of attention from the dogs as they tried to keep him from the ponies. One was on his back, clinging for dear life and wearing the face of someone who was regretting recent life choices. Despite the odds, the minotaur was wearing a horrifying grin and seemed to be enjoying himself. Good for him.

Still, this was a mess of stupidity. It was a flying circus of silliness. If this was a television show, Rachnera was sure she would have found it humorous.

The dog she had thrown was up. Another one looking just like him was tearing the silk off his forearms. It was the same two she had seen last night. So far as she was concerned, they were the ones leading this attack.

“Random, stay down,” she ordered, advancing on the dogs. They seemed to be arguing with each other. The top half of the colt’s head was above the cut of her sweater. The rest of him was nestled comfortably underneath. His fur was tickling her skin.

They never saw her coming, or were too involved in their argument to notice. Her eyes glowed red. She was tired. She was sweaty. Rachnera was sick and tired of neither side talking. There was also a colt camping in between her tits, but that was not important right now.

“Oh, boys?” she sang, revealing her fangs. “We need to have a cozy little chat.”

In a blur, she had them bound together, back-to-back. Sunrise trotted up to her, not believing what he was seeing. “By Celestia, you’ve done it!” he crowed.

She turned to him sharply. “You too!” Rachnera growled.

In moments, the two dogs were facing an equally bound unicorn stallion.

“Peace talks. Now.”

The fighting, miraculously, stopped. Dogs and ponies stared, their round eyes locked on Rachnera Arachnera. “Okay,” one of the bound wolfish dogs said with a shrug.

Peggy sat next to the arachne, taking a moment to catch her breath. She was grave in her mannerisms and stoic with her glowering gaze. “Told ye spiders were good luck!” she announced in a loud, weedy voice. “Now, which of yer arseholes burnt down me house?”

Rachnera stared at her with a raised eyebrow.