Verve

What followed came in a blur; the deathly heat above them had spread far and wide. As the spiders fled the flames, they too caught fire - spreading it farther and quicker than Celestia could anticipate. The webbing would melt and burn in seconds; flammable and thin, but oh so very abundant.

They galloped and crashed into the ruins of another town, this one hauntingly empty. Unlike Copse Vale’s abandoned watery tomb, this was a standing husk - webbed and overran. The stony buildings lacked roofing, but it didn’t bother the spiders one bit.

The trees were thin enough here to buy them some form of leeway, as the fires raged on. This was their one chance to catch their breath; the Seraph tailing behind panting.

“What… in the Feathers, happened?” he eventually croaked, spitting the substance from his maw. It made him heave, but at least his odd high was gone. How long had they been running?

Before Celestia could respond - she fell to the floor panting. Her hooves clawing at the grass, the massive heaps of silk around her chest absolutely drenched in blood - Vee landing limply on top of her. Before Arin could rush to her side, Tempest collapsed as well - her body seizing into shaking bucks. Vee, strangely enough - seemed unaffected by it all, except for the fact she was deliriously intoxicated by… something, and her limp hooves could barely move.

Seeing three of his friends collapse in front of him was more than enough to make the Knight yelp - darting first to Celestia’s side, as Pumpkin jumped to Tempest’s.

“Hey Smol-fry! When I promoted you to big witchy fry, I was expecting you to be good at your job! You’re fired. Hmhmhm!” The pegasus waved an exhausted hoof at Pumpkin, who struggled to maintain calm.

“V-Vee! This isn’t the time nor place!” she cried. “I need to know how to stabilize Tempest! She’s having a seizure!” Pumpkin kept the struggling mare’s head between her legs, hoping to somehow stop her body from struggling to death.

“You can try alcohol! D’ohoho. Which is what you gave me. A mare suffering from blood loss! The potion fermented! We don’t sell those, ‘Fry. We drink ‘em when the fuzz isn’t looking! ‘Cause they’re super fast acting, and highly illegal. Also, I have no idea how to treat seizures. Hmhm.”

Arin’s hands, lit up in flickering magic - traced Celestia’s body. “I can’t cast Antithesis when I’m… Gods above, am I sick? My stomach is churning.” Arin clutched his stomach, his body shaking as the venom surged, the antitoxin struggling to overcome it. “Did the spiders do this?...”

Pumpkin darted for Vee’s side, the Pegasus giving a little ‘neigh’ from the touch.

“Sorry Smols, not interested in my Sister that way. D’ohoho!”

“Vee, please.” Pumpkin ripped through her supplies, pulling out another healing potion, checking the label. Thank the Gods Vee was terrible at cycling her personal stash. It expired eighty years ago.

“Here’s hoping this didn’t turn into a-a killing potion.” Pumpkin said, crawling and stumbling to the twitching Unicorn.

Arin’s muscles ached fiercely, as his concentration wavered. His body wanted nothing more than to shut down and sleep it off - and with the smoke growing thick on this side of the woods - he might not survive the attempt.

“Come on, by the Feathers, something…” He whispered. If he couldn’t channel Antithesis, a potent burst of healing magic, then perhaps Resurgence would do - a flash of restoration that steadily flooded the target with the essence of life, straight from the Fey.

He clenched his hands, shooting the wave of magic over her with the crash of chiming bells. Now, all he had to do was hold his breath, and wait. One, two, three… ten.

He traced his twitching fingers over Celestia’s cheek. Her breathing weak and failing. The Seraph clenched his hands again, a flick of his wrist chiming the healing bells once more - one, two, three…

With the potion tipped down Tempest’s throat, it was now a waiting game. Either she snapped out of the alchemy induced rage, or died. There was no middle ground here. And with the fires closing in, it was becoming a very real possibility that they’d have to abandon her body to its fate.

A tree in the forest creaked, as the fire burnt deep and ripped the roots to shreds - water expanding in its trunk as it groaned and fell. A wave of smoke wafted into the clearing, forcing Pumpkin and Arin to cough.

Another flash of light; bells chiming as the Seraph counted. One, two, three…

“I swear, of all the ponies to almost die on this trip, you better not be the first, you stupid… teasing, annoying, needy… loving, sweet, and so Gods-damned affectionate… beautiful Princess!” He scooped Celestia’s head up into his arms, wiping tears into his web-coated sleeve.

“Tall-fry,” Vee said; since Celestia dropped to the floor, she hadn’t budged an inch. Arin ignored her, crying over his lover’s face - wiping away the dirt and grime with his rough fingers.

“Tallllll-fry.” The Purple repeated.

“WHAT VEE?” He eventually glared, clutching the silent morning mare in his arms.

“She could probably breathe better if you shoved me off her lungs, hmhm,” Vee said, limply staring at the forest fires. “And I’d also be pretty thankful for a bunch of wind chimes or whatever you do to make the bad tingles stop. ‘Cause I am really tired and super low on blood.”

“...” He lifted his hand toward Vee, peeling her off his love in a faint gold aura - gently placing the Purple on the grass. With a flash of light, blood filled her veins as the alcohol content within was soon overwhelmed with fresh life to dilute it.

Finally, Tempest’s bones stopped shivering in her skin, the seizures coming to an end as Pumpkin ran her hooves over the mare’s tense form. Nearly every muscle was bunched up and knotted, the Unicorn struggling to regain consciousness.

With the weight off Celestia’s chest, she gave a heaving breath - color returning to her features as she, too, stabilized. Arin dug around in his pack, struggling to hunt for his canteen. With a snap of desperate magic, he pulled it into his palm in a flash. A splash of cold water against the Princess’s beautiful face snapped her awake, hooves clawing at the grass in terror.

“Spiders?!” Her voice devolved into a coughing fit, as the low hanging smoke from the encroaching blaze caught her by surprise. Immediately, Arin darted in for a kiss - taking the shocked mare in his grasp.

“A-Arin! I-I need you over here, please?!” Pumpkin whimpered, quickly losing her resolve as Tempest’s nerves began to light again. Celestia, still dazed - pulled away from the embrace.

“Go. I’ll be fine. Just… give me a minute to breathe, and I’ll help,” she groaned, Arin gently lowering her head to the grassy floor.

Jumping by Tempest’s side, Arin took in the situation. The Unicorn bore many small cuts and scratches - but no fresh bite marks, none that he could tell. He ran a hand through her mane, then checked her head for a temperature - sweaty, but somewhat cool.

“What’s wrong with her?” he asked, Pumpkin tearing up.

“I-I gave her Zerker Petals to help her overcome her fear of spiders, b-but I gave her too many. L-Look at her muscles…” She pointed a hoof at the knots in each limb; overexertion. It looked like she tensed so hard, that some of the delicate fibers snapped and severed - spilling blood into massive, slowly forming bruises.

He could heal that, but the seizures may worsen if he does. And for damage this intense, he’d need to channel Antithesis. “What have you given her so far to help?”

“A fermented h-healing potion and space. Vee said the a-alcohol might help.”

Arin shook his head, breathing in deep. Firstly, injuries. There’s a lot of chemicals in muscle that could leak into the blood, if left untreated in this state. And seizures be damned - he needed her alive and healthy when this was all over.

Breathe in, breathe out. His stomach churned, saliva pooling in his mouth as his gut readied to vomit. Darting his head to the side, he relieved himself - spewing saliva and acid both onto the floor, a cold chill running up his spine.

Breathe in… breathe out. Relax. Ignore the smoke, and bring the mind somewhere else. Celestia weakly fumbled to his side, darting a wing around him. “I believe in you,” she whispered, if it would help.

Pumpkin grew antsy, as Tempest below buckled her broken hips. Breathe in, breathe out.

He channeled the healing magic within him, fighting back the venom boiling in his veins. He brought his hand up, gold light forming within his fingers.

By now, even Vee was watching, having stumbled around on her tired hooves long enough to stand up straight. It all came down to this.

The chime of a single bell rang, light flickering over the battered Unicorn in a healing burst. Near instantly, the drain of magic coupled with the venom forced Arin to collapse into the weakened alicorn’s comforting hold - but the spell worked.

Muscles were forced to knit and bond, scarring over as the bulging knots beneath her flesh quickly faded in mere seconds. The blood spilling within reabsorbed into her veins, her struggling body coming to a rest. Near instantly, she bolted upright - shaking, twitching, and aching from every fiber - but conscious. The seizures had temporarily ceased, giving her a chance to breathe and whine in agony.

She said nothing, only looked dumbly over the three ponies - and Seraph - surrounding her. Immediately, she struggled and vomited into the dirt - luckily in the same spot Arin just did, before collapsing against Pumpkin in heaving breaths.

“We need to move. Very, very soon. If we don’t get out of here now, we’ll be surrounded by the flames.” Celestia eventually spoke, as Pumpkin carefully slid her hoof over the resting Unicorn’s cheek. She croaked quietly for water, and said little else beyond that.

“We’re in no shape to do that. Vee can barely walk, Tempest is down, and I’m barely awake. I mean… I won’t give up, but...” Arin groaned, huddled up to Celestia for comfort. The fire was now in the clearing, the beaten and broken Princess desperate for shelter.

Celestia took in the town around them, and spotted no river to even dive in. In fact, the little town was built on a hill. A hill… no water…

“I have an idea. Let’s hope we’re lucky, and try to find an abandoned well, or cellar to hide in. Something beneath the smoke level and plenty cold, to stave off the heat. There’s nothing else we can try besides outliving the flames and waiting until it’s safer to move, when all of the spiders are dead. And with the Lunar Plane closing in, it may help snuff the flames.”

“There’s one problem with that, Sun-fry,” Vee said, stumbling against her side. “Counting on my feathers, we’ve got about zero ponies - or Tall-fries - capable of smacking spiders with newspapers. We could take two flaps in and get stuffed in another web. And I don’t have the coffee in me for that. Or blood. I think Arin’s out of healing juice for a while, too.”

He waved a tired arm in the air, his legs now jelly. “Guilty.”

“Die of smoke inhalation, or die trying to survive. I’ll take the latter. I can still fight.” Celestia made it to her hooves, Vee stumbling against her as the morning mare retrieved Sun Song. The rough, weakened movements nearly caused both ponies to tumble to the floor.

“Pumpkin!” Vee commanded, the little mare bouncing up.

“Yes Vee!” She saluted.

“Carry Tempest in your magic or whatever. I’ll try my hoof at tugging Tall-fry along so Snooty here can lay the smackdown on some well deserving skitterfeet.”

“I-I’ll do my best, Vee! I’m tapped, too.” The not-so-tough Earth Pony snatched the barely conscious Tempest in her hooves, struggling, rolling, and mewling as she just managed to heave the body onto her back.

Tempest was, by all accounts - huge in comparison to the little Pumpkin. Her legs bluntly dragged along the floor, armored boots hooking at grass and roots with each grunting step the little witch took.

“I… can move… myself…” Tempest whispered, limp - but still fighting to keep awake.

“N-No, you can’t. Settle down, I’ll trot for us both. Just rest. P-Please… for me?” Pumpkin shushed her, as Vee unceremoniously chucked Arin onto her shoulders. She struggled at the weight, but with blood in her feathers, she pushed on.

“Don’t suppose you can be a little more gentle?...” Arin grunted, as the pain of a dozen bites and scratches became more apparent the longer time progressed.

“Oho! Bold of you to think that wasn’t gentle! But yes, I can try. Now, compliment my feathers! If I’m going to die without coffee, I’d like to know all of my preening went to a noble cause instead.” Vee flicked her wings out in a flap, snooting in a deep gasp of air to keep her unsteady legs from flopping out.

“Uh… they’re stunning. Beautiful. And very… purple,” Arin said dumbly, trying to force a chuckle but finding the energy for it lacking. He fell into a cold sweat, the heat doing little to warm him up.

The Unicorn on Pumpkin’s back gave a weak growl, but relented when Pumpkin pushed on. With no choice left but to slink away into the shadows, the bruised and broken party members shuffled into the silken town. Celestia carried her bardiche aloft, Sun Song joining her side in its sheath.

“Alright Tall-fry. If you find your flank being nibbled by a nasty butt-roper, I expect you to give a neigh. That way, I can dump you on the floor and wing it, just like in a Zombie-pony apocalypse. Except with very angry spiders,” Vee hummed, as Celestia checked quietly around a corner. The webs binding the town and the wood beams in the home were starting to smolder, the heat intensifying by the minute.

“Got it, if something jumps on top - hold on for dear life and kick like I’m wearing spurs.”

“What? Nonono - fall on the ground so I can snoot up another roasted cuppa in the future, I’m afraid I’m going to have to give you an F. The F means you’re fired. D’ohoho! Fired and roasted. Like we’re all about to be.”

Arin stuck his face into the Purple’s webby mane, sighing. “No. We’ll make it. Celestia knows what she’s doing. Don’t give up; if there’s light, there’s hope.”

“Plenty of light around us, Tall-fry. And all of it is extremely bad for the feathers.”

The tight knit buildings of the town bore black vines of corrupted presence and white strands of silk aplenty; the fire quickly catching up to them as the group rounded into the main road. A few sparse trees overhung it, but there - in the center, lay a large, round exit.

“S-So we’re all going to fit in there?... W-What about when the night comes, a-and it gets cold? Will we be stuck in t-the water?...”

“Anything but burning to death.” The Princess led the group forward, keeping pace with her slowest members - that being literally everypony else, plus an exhausted seraph - as the well loomed before them. Seven hooves wide and dozens hooves deep, the coarse sunlight above illuminating the calm water below.

“M-Maybe we can try a cellar instead?...” Pumpkin whispered, to nopony in particular. Celestia dug feverishly in her bag with her magic - shuffling through the jostled gear until her magic caught a long rope.

“Who’s first?” she said, the length tight around her waist and hoof in mere seconds.

“There’s a problem, Sun-fry. How’s Tempest and Arin going to float until this fire passes? Don’t suppose you have a Princessy pair of pool floaties in your mane?”

Oh Gods. Vee was right.

And before a second plan could be hatched, a giant, skittering, saliva dripping spider - covered in coal and embers - screeched through the clearing. Perhaps in a pain induced rage, or in some form of petty, beastial revenge - the carriage sized arthopod darted in for the kill. What’s worse is that the flames jumping from its back quickly ignited the once docile webbing, heat searing the air as the trees above caught flame.

“NO TIME! JUMP!” Celestia’s voice raged, her soft red magic literally scooping up her party to drop them down the hole. A variety of screams met her ears, as she narrowly dodged the massive smouldering legs of the burning arachnid. It charged her in a frenzy, its seared spinneret attempting to flash webbing at her - and when it succeeded, the silk instantly caught flame. Sizzling to life in a burning net that hooked and burned a nearby bush.

Celestia swung the heavy stave as her rope was soon abandoned, charging ambient energy into the Amber within to save her own solar power. She sent a burning blast of chaotic flame that disintegrated on its already scorched armor. It chittered in pain regardless, the ichor within undoubtedly boiling.

It charged again, and Celestia brought the wood of her weapon up to catch its fangs. It worked… until spittling, burning, digestive acid ripped through the treated wood, powerful maw crunching the shaft into splinters.

With no other choice, she resorted to her desperately weak magic - snatching its legs in her telekinesis. With straining effort, her gleaming horn ripped at the beast, trying to dismantle it through blunt force - before giving up, and throwing it as far as her exhausted magic would allow.

Right into the blaze of a tree above, a heavy branch catching the soft, burnt eyes. Immediately, it went limp - legs curling to its chest as the flames seared it like a steak.

But it wasn’t over yet. The tree, now unbalanced - creaked and yawned, the scorched, dry wood cracking under the flame as it threatened to crush her. With no other choice, she threw herself to the mercy of gravity - plummeting down the well and into the unknown.