Chapter 6

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So… how are we supposed to explain this? Scarab calls, waving from the tree, him obviously having avoided falling, unlike myself.

Heck if I’d know. The CMC aren’t just some random ponies I could easily avoid.

The wrong choice of words, and they’ll tail me to the ends of the… well, not Earth, but, whatever the planet Equestria exists on is called.

Suddenly, a loud crunching sound, like something falling hard, comes from somewhere nearby.

“What was that?” Scootaloo asks, glancing around.

Sensing a chance, I fire a web up at the tree and zip up, startling the trio.

Grabbing Scarab as I pass the branch he’s on, I start web swinging along the trees, briefly frowning as I catch sight of two humanoid shapes, one with an arm over the other’s shoulder, moving into some kind of glowing tear in the air, before it closes.

I put it out of my mind, however, and just keep web swinging for a minute, trying to put as much distance between us and the CMC as I can.

Are we not going to talk about that glowing tear in the freaking air? Scarab asks as I don’t fire another web, instead using the momentum of my swing to aim myself at a branch, grabbing it and flipping up into a crouching position and resting, scanning the area.

“Believe me, I’m well aware how bad that could be for us,” I say, my eyes moving around the orchard, looking for any sign of anypony to ensure we aren’t going to be spotted again.

I’d hope you are aware! Scarab says, shaking. We turned into Marvel characters and Marvel is clearly having an influence of some kind on this pony world. Glowing tears hanging in the middle of the air do not bode well in any Marvel property. And, as we’re dealing with Marvel, it could literally be anything.

“Trust me, while I’m no Marvel expert, I am uncomfortably aware of how screwed we could be, depending on what that tear thing was,” I mutter, sliding down the tree’s trunk, darting my head left and right.

That glowing tear we saw was clearly a hole in space and possibly time. It’s literally impossible to know where it led or who those two beings were.

It could’ve been just something simple, like the pony version of Reed Richard, aka Mr. Fantastic, doing a study on the properties of the Apple Family’s farm’s soil compared to other soil around Equestria.

It could’ve been the pony version of Hank Pym simply studying the insects of the area… which, if the latter, we were lucky to avoid.

Last thing I need is to deal with Hank Pym asking me to explain why Scarab is the way he is when even I don’t know.

Plus, while my knowledge of Hank Pym is very limited, mostly to just the versions of him from Earth’s Mightiest Heroes: The Avengers, the Ultimate Avengers Movies and the MCU Ant Man, depending on which of them he could’ve been, if even any of them, EMH’s Hank could be close to going down the road towards Yellow Jacket and I do not want to run into that version of Pym right now, thank you very much.

“For now, we need to focus on getting home with as little trouble as possible,” I murmur, sprinting to give myself a running start for another webline up into the trees.

However, before I can react, an orange arm sticks out from behind a tree and I slam face first into it.

I fall back on my ass, feeling dizzy.

“Mind explain’ what yer doin’ on mah family’s farm at this hour?” a firm voice asks as a pony wearing jeans and a white and green shirt, who is clearly Applejack, steps out from behind the tree, arms folded, looking down at me.

Busted, Scarab mutters.

Shaking my head to clear it, I glance around to find somewhere to web to, but Applejack cuts off that train of thought instantly.

“If’n yer plannin’ on webbin’ away, don’t bother,” she says, her voice as stern as a parent telling off their kid (a thought that makes my head hurt given the circumstances). “Ah had a feeling’ ya’d show up here.”

I blink, my expression blank. How…?

“Ya’ll didn’t think Twi wouldn’ o’ sent word t’ us while ya were out cold, did ya?” she cocks an eyebrow at me. “Not t’ mention mah brother was talking ’bout ya a lot when ah got back.”

Crap. I forgot Big Mac knew about me. Guess he wasn’t planning on keeping me secret from AJ.

Wait. Does that mean she’s been just waiting in the orchard for me all this time? Were the CMC just meant to lure me out of hiding?

Applejack watches me for several moments as I’m going over these questions, before heaving a loud sigh, her expression firming once more.

“Ah know ya’ll ain’t got anywhere t’ stay. Fer now, why not spend the night at our place?” She leans down, her face saying this was not up for debate. “Ah get yer nervous ’bout bein’ in our world, but ah wouldn’t be able t’ live with mahself if ah left ya our here all night on yer own.”

What am I, chopped liver? Scarab does his equivalent of raising a fist from on my shoulder. You’re lucky I don’t bite those massive melons of yours for that.

Applejack glances at him.

“Scarab doesn’t like being ignored,” I translate his basic meaning, choosing not to inform her of the rest.

Applejack glances from me to the spider again, this time her face a little softer. “Sorry ’bout that, Mr. Scarab. Not used to other ponies asides from Flutteshy talking with critters.’

I’m an arachnid, not a critter, Scarab rolls his eyes, waving an arm. Totally different species, farmer pony.

“Applejack,” I mutter to him. “Her name is Applejack.”

Said mare seems to decide to ignore the little spat we’re having and stands up. “Alright, now. C’mon. We’d best head inside afore it gets too dark. Ya can figure things out in the mornin’.”

You have Spider Super Strength, Scarab grumbles as I move to get up. Just beat her ass and let’s get out of here.

I don’t answer at first, giving him a dirty look since, with his recent comment about biting AJ’s boobs, “beat her ass” could’ve been far more lewd than one might expect, before I take a deep breath and shake my head.

“Dude, I don’t care what kind of super power strength I have, I wouldn’t challenge Applejack to a fight if my life depended on it. Because I know I’d end up in the hospital if it did,” I add to the deadpan look he gives me.

Applejack just looks between the two of us and shakes her head, before indicating for me to follow as she walks off through the orchard in the opposite direction I’d come from.

I choose to say nothing, just following her lead.

The fact I’m a child physically to her is being made more and more apparent to me as we walk, myself only really now realizing how much I have to look up to see her face.

“So…” Applejack says after a few minutes, “yer a superhero, huh? Like in them comic books Spike likes so much?”

The question takes me by surprise, but, after I moment, I figure out how best to answer.

“Well, not really,” I look away. “I’ve been turned into one, but I’m not really her... if that makes any sense?”

To my surprise, Applejack starts chuckling, catching me completely off guard.

“Sugarcube, ya’ll are talkin’ t’ the mare who got pulled int’ a magic comic book and turned int’ one o’ the Power Ponies, powers an’ all. Ah understand ya more than ya think.”

I open my mouth to counter that, but pause, before closing it.

She… actually has a good point. If anypony would understand the situation I’m in, it’d be Applejack, Spike and the rest of the Mane 6, since they’ve literally been in a similar scenario.

As we move to leave the trees, I halt in my tracks, my eyes darting left to right.

It doesn’t take Applejack long to notice I’ve stopped following her and looks back.

“Somethin’ wrong, sugarcube?” she asks, before her face firms at the look on my face.

I dunno what it is, but my Spider Sense is suddenly going off like crazy.

I sense it too, Scarab says, his eight eyes moving in multiples directions. What the hell is that?

“Peni!” Applejack’s shout startles me, though I’m only able to focus half my attention on her, since my Spider Sense won’t shut up. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s our Spider Sense,” I say, putting my hands on my head as the feeling gets even stronger. “Something’s coming! Something big. Really, really big!”

“What is it? What’s comin’?” Applejack hurries over, putting her hands on my shoulders, though I can’t tell if her worried expression is because of what I said or the fact I probably look like I’m about to pass out.

Seriously, what in God’s name is coming? Not even when Mysterio attacked CHS did my Spider Sense go off this badly. Does Peter Parker ever feel this way when his Spider Sense is warning him of something really huge?

Suddenly, it’s like the feeling of intensity from my Spider Sense quadruples instantly and the air glows orange for a split second as I feel something pass over us, it causing my Spider Sense to feel like it’s happening all over my body all at once.

I scream, the feeling of intensity beyond anything I’ve ever felt in my entire life, before it just suddenly stops.

It’s so sudden, I feel like the air has been knocked right out of my body and I collapse, vaguely aware of Applejack’s strong arms catching me and her voice calling out my name in a panic.

I can’t focus on it, however. I can’t focus on anything, the world fading to black and Applejack’s voice sounding like it’s coming down a long tunnel as my energy just leaves me and then… nothing.

Author's Note

Okay, this is LONG overdue.

My biggest problem with contiuing the story was figuring out how Peni could get away from the CMC without it seeming too rough for her.

by that i mean, for Peni to get away at the point i'd left her last chapter, she'd have to knowingly force her way out from the trio due to them not exactly planning on moving out of her way and her not wanting to accidently hurt them, which would've happened if she'd just tried to get up, since the fillies' instant reaction would've been that, a mysterious creature is more likely to attack.

So, i had to figure out something that could've distracted them long enough for Peni to webline out of there before they realized what was happening.

Of course, where she'd spend the night became a question as i was writing, as i needed to figure out how she'd be staying at the apple farm, at least for the night, since i had her permanent living plans set out long ago, but couldn't figure out how to lead towards it.

So, here we are.

I wonder if anyone will figure out what it was Peni and Scarab saw and how it really relates to them. Was it a Marvel character they saw, or someone else? perhaps someone with another connection to them in some way?

You'll have to wait and see.

As for what happened at the end of the chapter there... I'm sure you can figure it out.

I genuiely can't give any clue as to when i'll get chapter 7 out, as even getting this chapter done proved trickier than i'd first thought when i finally sat down to write it.

However, now that Peni's at the Apple Farm, i have a vague idea how i can continue on with the story, especially since certain events have already happened she's unaware of, one of which will have a big impact on her personally later on in the story and i look forward to your theories on what that could actually be.

I've a lot of fun i can have with this story (which i somehow forgot the fun i can have) so i'm very much looking forward to getting back to this in due time.

As for future fanfic updates, aside from a few i've been planning to conuiute for a while now once i'm able to properly just sit down and write them, there's one i'm looking forward to getting back to thanks to how it's universe works now, espically thanks to some ideas provided by Sawtooth Waves Sunset Shimmer theory videos.

which fics i'm refering to there, i'll leave you to speculate.

In the meantime, i hope you're all having a good day, night, whatever the time is when you're reading this, i hope the chapter was enjoyable for you after such a long hiatus and, til next time, stay safe, stay clean and see you later everybody