Chapters Peter Parker came to Ponyville for a fresh start on life. Making sure he wasn't alone out there, May asked Trixie to allow Peter to stay with her. A few colorful ponies here, a new costume, and a new hero friend was all but refreshing for the seventeen year old. However, his double life would follow him to the quiet town. The Goblin was the first to attack, then Shocker, and finally a horned beast dubbed "the Rhino" attacked the town. Still, the ponies were strong and got through these moments, with the help of their friendly neighborhood Spider-Mane. Speaking of Spider-Mane, the hero had now been in Ponyville for a month now. At some point he finally got around to ditching his dark suit, returning to a more warm red and blue appearance. Now that hero was heading over to the Cakes' Pastry shop to pick up Trixie's order.
"Peter's here!" Shouts Pinkie from the cash register. Mr. and Mrs. Cake poke their heads out of the kitchen only to see the shop was empty.
"Where?" Mrs. Cake asks. The doors open and sure enough Peter stepped through. The Cakes look at Pinkie in confusion who responds with a gleeful grin. "How did you?"
"My Pinkie-Sense told me!" She simply stated. Peter had a confused look on his face as he approached the counter. Before he could speak however, Pinkie places two bags before him. He shrugs before forking over his bits. As Pinkie took the bits and popped open the register, Peter couldn't help but acknowledge the awakening of his spider-sense when he entered the shop. He stood there for a minute in a trance, his brain overworking itself trying to understand this unique tingle.
"Don't question it too much Pete." Pinkie's voice cut through his thought process, bringing him back to reality. He nervously chuckles before taking the bags. As he was beginning to make his exit Pinkie's eyes widen at a sudden realization. "Pete stop!" He did as he was told, turning back to face the party pony with a raised brow. She hopped over the counter to bounce her way towards him, humming a tune in the process. Pinkie held a ticket up to his face. Taking the ticket with his free hand he examined what was written on it. His eyes practically bulged out of their sockets.
"C-c-Canterlot?! Why?" Peter's brain couldn't keep up with his mouth, leaving the stallion to speak gibberish.
"We've been invited by Princess Celestia to join Twilight in attending her brother's wedding."
"When do we leave?"
"Well today actually. I was supposed to tell you earlier but it's not easy to get a hold of you when I don't have your number. Plus I think Trixie just assumed you knew." Peter was dumbfounded. It wasn't really easy for him to imagine visiting Canterlot becoming a reality. The world however told him it was becoming a reality. Well, at least he knew why Otto wasn't letting him or Twilight come in for work these past few days. Also explains the packing Trixie had been doing on the side.
"Wow. I'm very oblivious to the obvious." Peter pockets the ticket before beginning to exit the shop. "Guess I'll be seeing you and the others in a few hours."
The hours were ticking by rather slow. Well, for Peter they were. He and Trixie had finished breakfast, leaving the two sitting around awaiting the time to head over to the train station. Trixie decided to get some extra hours of sleep whilst Peter was in the living room hanging from the ceiling, fiddling with his web-shooters. Over time he had improved on the web capacity a single cartridge could hold. He could go a whole day using the web-shooters before having to stock up on web fluid again. Peter was quite proud of himself. Though he had to admit, he couldn't get here if it wasn't for his new living situation. Ponyville and its inhabitants had made Spider-Mane feel more alive than ever before.
Ding dong!
"Coming!" Peter drops from the ceiling, putting his web-shooters back on his bracelets. Opening the door he is met with the local mailmare. He never really met her before, Trixie usually got the mail. He may have seen her when he's zipped around Ponyville now that he thought about it.
"Oh; h-hello. I haven't seen you before. Is Trixie home?" She asks.
"Yeah she's resting right now. I can take this if that's alright."
"Oh okay," She gave the box to Peter as well as a pen to sign some papers, "I'm Ditzy by the way. Most ponies call me Derpy though."
"My name's Peter. It's nice to meet you Ditzy! ...Ditzy, that's a nice name." Peter says, throwing a soft smile her way. Ditzy felt her cheeks heating up. She couldn't stop her lips from curling into a smile. "And that's all said and done. I'll make sure to tell her about this when she wakes up. It was nice meeting you Ditzy." He returns her the pen and papers, his friendly demeanor not faltering.
"Y-y-yeah. Hopefully we see each other again!" Ditzy takes off into the air almost flying into a fellow Pegasus. Peter chuckles before heading back inside, setting the box down on the kitchen table before hopping back onto the ceiling.
Peter had fallen asleep on the ceiling, according to Trixie who found him after her nap. The duo quickly got everything they needed and headed over to the train station where they met up with their friends. Now the group awaited for said train, each pony finding some way to pass the time. Their conversations were cut short when Fluttershy spotted a certain somepony dressed in purple.
"Will!" Fluttershy exclaims practically knocking William off his two hooves with how fast she flew into him. Her body wrapped around him instinctively leaving William with a minute to process. He chuckles, returning the gesture in full before they part. "What are you doing here?" She asks.
"Well we somehow got lucky and were asked to preform for the wedding! Sing a few songs here and there, the whole Fazbear shebang." Answers William with a look of glee and surprise.
"It's kinda odd that a band from a pizzeria joint is preforming for a wedding." Twilight states bluntly while checking over her list once more, with the help of her assistant Spike.
"Are you saying we're not qualified for this? We're qualified right Mr. Uchiha? I mean I know we only preform in front of kids but we gotta be good enough if we're--" Freddy was pulled aside by Vinyl Scratch to cool off. Twilight raised an eyebrow at this before being met with a scowl from William.
"These guys got talent. I didn't just hire Gabe and the others to only be actors you know. You can judge us all you want after the wedding, but please don't drag my teams morale down."
"I'm sorry Mr. Uchiha, I didn't mean--"
"It's fine." Fluttershy takes note of William's pale face. A look of concern finds its way onto her features. Thankfully before things could get any more awkward between the groups, the train arrived. They boarded the vessel, loading their luggage in the back, making sure to take only what they needed to their seats for the ride to Canterlot. The mares all found their seats rather quickly: Fluttershy sat with William and the Fazbear band, Twilight and Trixie sat together, so did Rarity and Applejack, and Pinkie and Rainbow Dash shared their seats. That left Peter with multiple conversations to join in on throughout the ride, or he could chose to sit by himself and play music through his headphones. Peter opted to sit further up from the rest, taking a seat next to the small dragon he knew as Spike.
"So what did that do?" Peter asks as he watches Spike's game.
"That allowed me to level up my character. See; they're much stronger now. It'll help with getting through missions." Spike answers with a toothy grin. He's never been able to really find someone who had at least a little interest in gaming. There was Rainbow but she became more and more busy over the years. "Do you play much Peter?"
"I dabble in the realm of mobile games. Couldn't really play any PC games though, never could build a better computer than the scrap at home." Peter stared in amazement at the screen.
"Well uhh...why don't you give it a go!" Spike hands Peter the laptop. "I've already selected a mission for you. It's rather simple if you've been paying attention. Just move the cursor to an enemy so you can select them, then click on one of your characters and choose an action. The people you're working with are mostly attackers. This mage right here does range attacks but also heals your other characters."
"Interesting. So I'll have our brute...go on over to this guy and attack." Peter brings the command to life with a few clicks, his brute dealing -30% damage to the enemy. "So what else do you tend to do Spike? On your free time I mean." Peter asks whilst commanding his mage to perform a range attack on the enemy from before.
"Oh, uhh...I cook, read comics, play video games, and hang around Rarity."
"Cool. How often do you get to do those things?"
"Only when Twilight doesn't need me. Or when she's at work. Cooking is an all day thing though. I get to hang out with Rarity like two times a week, three if I'm lucky."
"Nice nice. So, just between us, why do you hang out with Rarity?" Peter asks in a whisper.
"Well...umm....we're friends and all so it's normal to want to hang out with your friends right?" Spike replied with a nervous chuckle.
"I mean sure, but I just noticed a twinkle in your eyes when you mentioned Rarity. Do you perhaps have a crush on her?" Peter asks with a smirk. Spike stays silent, rubbing his claws together as sweat slides down his face. Peter simply chuckles at this. "Don't worry, your secret is safe with me." He gives Spike a rather cartoonish wink, which knocks the nerves out of the young dragon.
The train finally begins to move, the sudden motion drawing excitement from the party pony in the back.
"Attention ladies and gentlecolts, we are now on our way to Canterlot! We hope you enjoy your ride. If any of you lovely attendees need anything, press the small red button in front of you. One of our prestigious workers will be with you shortly to handle any of your needs. We aim to make your experience the best experience! I will say again we are now departing for Canterlot! Enjoy yourselves everypony."
"We're finally going. I still can't believe this. Me, going to Canterlot! May would flip. May....I should check in on her." Peter hands the laptop back to Spike, thanking him for allowing him the opportunity to play his game. Parker pulls out his phone to quickly shoot a text to aunt May.
"Me and my new friends are going to Canterlot for a wedding. Just wanted to let you know. I hope you're doing well!" After a few moments he received a reply from his beloved aunt.
"Wow, that's amazing! Make sure to be yourself. Stay safe and stay out of trouble if you can. Love you."
"Aye aye cap'n! Take care May. Love you too." And with that Peter tucked away his phone returning to his previous conversation with Spike.
An hour had ticked by. Spike had decided to shut off his laptop and catch a few extra zzz's. Peter sat there with Spike's head resting on his shoulder. Lost in thought Peter hadn't noticed or even sensed the presence of Rainbow Dash. Not till she brushed her wing across his snout.
“What was that for?” he asks.
“You weren’t responding. You're a heavy daydreamer.” she says, chuckling. Peter scoffs.
“Anyways, what did you want?”
“Come here. I wanted to talk to you about something.” Rainbow ducks behind the seat afterwards. Peter could only smile, thinking about the possible hero questions she had for him. Ever since learning of his identity Rainbow Dash had been learning about his past endeavors as Spider-Mane. After gently positioning Spike’s head on the window, Peter swapped seats.
“Alright Dash, what more do you want to know?” Peter asks in a hushed tone.
“What?” she looked at him confused.
“You wanted to talk about hero stuff right?”
“Yeah, but like…in the now.”
“Oh, okay.”
“Anyways, I was wondering if you wanted to possibly show up to this little event the Cutie Mark Crusaders are having after school. Because I kinda told the little ones I knew you and that I could get you to make a surprise appearance. So could you please show up to this event? It would mean so much to them.” Rainbow looked at him with these pleading puppy eyes. Peter took a minute to process what had been barfed into his ears. After letting everything register he took in a deep breath before whispering back.
“Sure I’ll do it.”
“Yes! Thank you! They’re going to be so happy dude!” A grin rested on her face as she squirmed in her seat thinking about the bright faces of the foals.
“Now can I ask you something?”
“Huh? Uh yeah sure.”
“Who are the Cutie Mark Crusaders?” Peter asks, chuckling nervously. Rainbow’s reaction didn’t help much either as it looked like his question stabbed her through the heart.
“How do you not know who they are?” Peter could only shrug. “Hmph. For a friendly neighborhood hero you sure suck at knowing who’s in your neighborhood.”
“Okay that’s not fair I know Velvet, Ditzy, you guys, Mr. Uchiha—”
“You know Derpy and her sister?”
“Velvet’s her sister!?” Rainbow nods. “Oh sweet Celestia I crashed through her shop when I first got here.” Peter groans recalling that painful memory. “Anyway yeah I know Velvet. I just met Ditzy today.”
“Oh okay. Cool. They’re good ponies.” Peter nods in agreement.
“Are you going to tell me who the Crusaders are or not?”
“Right, sorry. The Crusaders are a trio of foals. Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo. You already know Apple Bloom I’m sure. Sweetie Belle is Rarity’s sister and Scootaloo is kind of like mine. Anyhow they call themselves the Cutie Mark Crusaders because they’re trying to get their cutie marks.”
“Hence the name.”
“Right. Most of the time you’ll find them doing something incredibly dangerous and stupid in order to get their cutie marks. Other times you’ll see them doing something harmless. They’re a small batch of chaos those three, but I love em to bits.”
“Yeah I can tell. You have a glint in your eyes when you talk about them. Seems like you’ve been around them for a while now.”
“Yeah, way before you ever showed up. They’re great. Keep your eyes peeled the next time you go zipping around. I’m sure you’ll spot them. And if not, you can find them in their treehouse the next time you visit Aj.” Peter nods, taking a mental note of everything said.
“I’ll be sure to stay alert and be more of a neighborly hero.” he chuckles.
“Stop, I was just messing you with man,” a laugh escapes her, “you’re doing a wonderful job dude. Everypony that I’ve talked to has felt safer with you around. Especially now that you’ve ditched that dark suit you were wearing beforehand.”
“I’m glad to hear it.” Rainbow nods as she digs through her bag. She pulls out a Daring Doo book before zipping up her bag.
“It’s gonna be a long ride man. Hope you brought something to keep you occupied.” Rainbow says whilst cracking open the book.
“Oh don’t worry I did. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to get more acquainted with our fellow passengers.”
“I left Pinkie just a few seats up ahead.”
“Cool. Why aren’t you sitting with her anymore?”
“Can’t read a book if your friend is bouncing around with excitement.” Peter couldn’t help, but chuckle. He gets up from his seat and moves forward in the train. Sure enough, Pinkie Pie was five seats in front of Rainbow Dash. Parker plopped his rear in the seat next to the party pony, taking her by surprise. Again, being near her triggered a slight tingle in his cranium. Pinkie twitched in her seat in a bizarre way for a few seconds before calming down. He looked at her with a worried expression.
“You good?” Peter asks.
“Mhm!" Pinkie answers gleefully.
"Does that happen often?"
"Yeah, but this was a new one. Had it earlier today when you came into the shop."
"And why's that?"
"I'm not sure yet. My Pinkie Sense has never really done this before. It's like that time when Twilight accepted my sense as what it was. I reacted in a similar way to how I'm reacting to you."
"So you have your very own Peter radar now."
"Yup! And you have your very own Pinkie radar!" a bright smile stretched across her face as she stared at Peter, the latter of which could only give a nervous laughter.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Oh don't give me that. Every time I show up you always look like you get a headache. Now I would be hurt, but it only happens when we've been apart for a while. Then we meet up and it happens again. So, you have a Pinkie radar!"
"Maybe I do have a Pinkie radar. My spider-sense only goes off before I'm about to see her. Like this morning. Before I entered the shop it kicked in as if alerting me to her presence. Why is this one power never simple?"
"Anyways we're good now. So, I've been meaning to ask. Do you like my cooking?" and with that, Peter was kicked out of his head.
"Huh?" he blankly asks.
"My cooking. You come by the pastry shop as much as Eddie yet you always eat on the go. I don't get to know if you enjoy it, but I'd assume you do considering you keep coming back for more, but you can't be too sure ya know. For all I know you could be giving it all to Trixie or handing it off to some foal that's giving you the puppy eyes—"
"Your cooking is amazing Pinkie!" Peter exclaims. "Sweet mother of Luna I've never a met a pony who talks that fast!"
"I'm so glad you think so!" she gives him that innocent smile again.
"I'm guessing you really like cooking."
"I like making ponies happy. Cooking is my second favorite thing. What do you like to do outside of the science stuff?"
"Oh, well I like to build things. When I was in Manehatten I'd go dumpster diving for parts when I was free," realizing what he said, his face turned red, "maybe I shouldn't have said that hehe."
"No it's fine! No judgment here. Heck, when we get back from this wedding I'll show you what I've scrounged up after my shifts." a cheeky smile plants itself on Pinkie's face. Peter on the other hand had this foal like twinkle in his eyes. "You'd be amazed with what ponies are willing to throw out because they deem it as unusable ."
"Yeah! I mean, I was able to make my computer out of the scraps in my local dumpster."
"Oh that's small compared to what we'll be making later. You know that party cannon I use..."
Peter and Pinkie had continued their talk for a good thirty minutes before they parted ways. Now, Peter was busy pulling himself out of the restroom. They had been on the train for about three hours now. The orange hue of the sun beamed through the windows. Peter yawned as he began heading back to his seat.
“Peter?” a voice called out. Peter stopped and turned to find somepony he honestly didn’t expect to see after his departure to Canterlot.
“Ditzy! Wh—what are you doing—are you heading to the wedding too?” He quickly takes the seat next to her.
“Oh no. I’m here to meet a friend of mine. He was very adamant that I hurry over.” Peter nods. “I almost missed the train hehe.” The two share a chuckle. Silence befell the two afterwards. Ditzy rubbed her hands together whilst Peter looked at the floor. There would be the occasion where one of them would steal a glance at the other. Ditzy bit her bottom lip, cursing herself for being trapped in her shell. All she had to do was talk to him. He seemed nice. So far he hadn’t made any remarks about her. “Then again, it’s not like he can see my other eye. Maybe he’ll be different? Or he could just—”
“So how long have you been in Ponyville?” Peter’s voice breaks through Ditzy’s thoughts. She looks back at him before responding.
“For about four years. It was the only place I could afford…and the only place willing to give me a job.” Ditzy said, keeping the last part to herself. Peter however picked up on it. He decided to steer clear from that talk, at least for now.
“What do you do outside of work?” he asks.
“Well I…umm…spend time with my daughter Dinky…” she pauses as if expecting Peter to interject in surprise of the news. Parker would’ve if he hadn’t picked up on Ditzy’s earlier statement. Instead he opted for a different approach.
“What’s she like?” To say Ditzy was taken aback would’ve been putting it lightly. Her gaze lingered on the stallion sitting beside her. Questions flooded her mind. Why wasn’t he surprised by her having a daughter? Why hasn’t he mentioned the style of her mane? It was clear she was hiding her eye with this style. Did he not know? Why wasn’t he like everypony else?
“She’s amazing. Outgoing, kind, smart, she’s my pride and joy. I’d do anything for her.”
“She sounds like a good kid. And you sound like a good mother.”
“Th—thanks,” her face heats up at the compliment, “she’s with my sister Velvet while I’m away. If she didn’t live here I don’t think I’d be able to go on this trip on such short notice. I owe her one.” She looks to Peter again. “Do you have any siblings?”
“Trixie. She’s the closest thing I got to a big sister.” Ditzy nods. “Without her I wouldn’t have a place to stay back in Ponyville. She really saved my hide.” Peter smiles as his mind races back to old memories of his foalhood. Ditzy could only smile as she watched him. Maybe this time wasn’t going to be like the others. "Hey I'm gonna move back up front, get to know the others a bit more. I hope to see you around."
"Yeah, me too." Peter got up and began making his way back up to the front. Ditzy looked out the window, her lips curling into a smile.
"Ditzy," she turned to see none other than Peter again, "could you uhh..." He handed his phone over to her. "I almost forgot to ask hehe." She took his phone in her hands as her face was turning red. She tapped away at his phone before handing it back. He quickly shoots her a text. "Alrighty; you should've gotten a message from me. I'll see you around." He said, nervously. As Peter left, Ditzy quickly added him into her contacts under Petey . Her heart raced as she read his text. It was just a simple text, but to her it felt like the first step in a new direction.
Applejack had called over Peter when she noticed him returning from his talk with Ditzy. The young stallion had made his way over and took a seat next to the farm pony.
“I see y’all are getting acquainted with everypony on this train.” Applejack said.
“Yup. Might as well, right?”
“Yeah. Say, this ride sure gives us a nice view huh.” Peter follows Applejack’s gaze out the window. The orange hue in the sky mixed in with a light blue and the white of the clouds made it all look like a painting. “I like these kinds of things. Allows ya to take in everything and just be in the moment.” Aj pulls away from the window and looks to Peter, who was enthralled by the artpiece before him. Aj giggles at Peter’s foal like stare.
“Have you ensnared Peter with the gorgeous view from outside Applejack?” Rarity’s voice cuts through the two, prying Peter’s gaze away from the window and to the fashion designer.
“Well I did till you went ahead and ruined it.” Applejack chuckled.
“Oh hush.” Rarity said whilst holding a smile. Suddenly, a lightbulb turned on in Rarity’s mind. “Peter dear, Trixie mentioned that the two of you lived in Manehattan before coming here. I have to ask, what was it like living there?”
“Oh, uhh…,” Peter scrunched up his brow thinking of ways to describe his old home, “very noisy. Couldn’t go a day without something exploding in your neighborhood. The ponies were nice though. Majority of them were friendly, even on their bad days. I knew most of everyone on my block.”
“Do you miss it?” Applejack asked.
“Can’t say I don’t. My aunt is back there taking care of everything on her own. I don’t like the idea of letting her overwork herself. But she insisted I move to Ponyville when Trixie agreed to let me stay at her place.”
“Manehattan sounds like a roller coaster of a place to live in. Your aunt probably wanted you to live in a more quiet neighborhood.” chimed Rarity.
“And I wouldn’t worry too much about yer aunt sugarcube. If she’s anything like her nephew, she’s no doubt one tough cookie.” Peter shared a warm smile with the mares. The trio sat in silence, staring out the window, admiring the scenery. As the ride continued, the warm colors were slowly being replaced with cooler, vibrant, blues.
“The nightly colors are so soothing. I like to spend these moments working away in my boutique.” The words escaped Rarity with little to no thought. She hadn’t even realized her thoughts had been spoken aloud.
“Speaking of, how did you get into fashion design?” Peter asked.
“Oh well I’ve always loved the idea of making the most fabulous outfits for ponykind—by the way I do need to get your measurements dear—so when I was old enough my parents bought me my first sewing kit! My first outfit was a disaster, but little me sure loved it then. It still holds a special place in my heart if I’m being honest.”
“Her first successful one was given to Sweetie Belle. If you ever see her she’s usually wearing it.” Applejack chimed in.
“Yes; it’s her favorite out of all the things I’ve made. Hopefully my next gift blows that one out of the water!” Rarity chuckles. Peter smiles at her enthusiasm.
“It’s nice that you’re thinking of your sister.” He said.
“It’s no big deal really. It’s what big sisters do.” Rarity gives Aj a knowing look, the latter nodding in agreement. A mild tingle rang in Peter’s cranium, pulling him away from the two mares. He sat more upright in his seat, the tingle feeling stronger when he faced the front of the train.
“Uh I think I’m gonna check up on Fluttershy and Mr. Uchiha. It was nice getting to know you a little more Rarity. Hopefully we can continue this soon.”
“Thank you dear for sharing a bit about Manehattan. Though next time, I hope to learn more about you personally Peter.” Rarity said.
“Yeah, sorry about that. Next time though.” Peter got up and maneuvered his way to the couple, swiftly taking a seat behind them. “Everything okay?”
Fluttershy jumped in her seat. She placed her hand over her chest, taking in a few gulps of air.
“I am so sorry Fluttrtshy! I didn’t mean to spook you.”
“It’s alright Pete. Flutters has always been jumpy.” William said. “And to answer your question, everything’s fine. I just have a really nasty headache.” He groans as he rests his head in his palm. Fluttershy rubs his back.
“He said it’s been this recurring thing that happens sporadically.” Fluttershy chimed in.
“That’s not good. You should get a doctor to check up on you. Make sure you’re not sick or something.” Peter said.
“I’m fine. It’ll pass, it always does.” Fluttershy and Peter look at each other worryingly. William lifts his head up with a small smile. “See? It passed,” he turns in his seat to face Peter, “so how’s Ponyville been treating you Pete?”
“It’s been good. Some very crazy things have been happening lately. Not as bad as Manehatten though.”
“Not having to deal with super-pony activity every day must be a breath of fresh air.” Fluttershy says.
“Yeah, it really is.” Peter says, chuckling. "So, William, how did you get into the whole pizzeria thing?"
"Well, me and my pal Henry always wanted to run our own business one day. And hey, Ponyville was short on pizza restaurants. So we started a small little diner, Fredbear's Family Diner we called it. We hired some actors who could sing and perform on stage for the kids. Then after a while, we struck gold! Now we have various Freddy Fazbear's all over Equestria."
"That's really cool. Whatever happened to Henry?"
"He retired young. All the bits we made, it was enough to keep him and his marefriend going in life. Now it's just me and Fluttershy running the pizzeria in Ponyville."
"How did the two of you meet?"
"Well," Fluttershy chimed in, "we met during the last Grand Galloping Gala. I got cold hooves and stumbled my way into this beautiful garden they had outside. So many lovely animals congregated there. And that's when I met William." She smiles, nudging into him.
“Why were you there?” Peter asked.
“Some prick kept annoying me. Needed some fresh air. Best decision of my entire life.” William answered. Peter nodded.
“Well I’ll let you two get back to chatting amongst yourselves. It was nice talking to you.”
“Likewise.” William said with a small smile. Peter returned to the back of the train, taking the seat next to Spike once again. The young dragon was still fast asleep, though his head was resting against his shoulder. It looked rather uncomfortable. Gently, Peter lifted Spike’s head and began moving him to the window.
“Hmm.” Spike murmured in his sleep causing Peter to freeze in place. Spike shifted out of Peter’s hand and rested his head on his shoulder. He immediately went back to sleeping soundly. Peter could only chuckle. After getting into a comfortable position for the two of them, Peter took one last look out the window. Nightfall would overtake the skies, clearing away the orange hue the sun gave. Now was a good opportunity to get more sleep and Peter was more than happy to take it. Closing his eyes, he allowed the blanket of sleep to begin wrapping itself around him like it did Spike. By morning they would be in Canterlot; and he wanted to be awake for the new sights this wedding allowed him.
Morning came and so did Canterlot. Peter and Spike were woken up by the chatter within the train.
"What's with all that racket?" Peter asked.
"Are we here already?" Spike added.
"Look out your window!" Rainbow Dash called out. Peter and Spike did so and were amazed by the sight of a large castle resting on a mountainside in the distance.
"Woah." The two said in unison.
"Come on you two; Twi has already taken off, gotta keep up with her to the best of our ability." Applejack called out. As Peter and Spike begin to grab their things, Twilight had already far outpaced her friends. Understandably so, she was beyond excited to see her brother's bride. Especially since the two had a long history together.
"Cadance!" Twilight exclaimed, catching the attention of the aforementioned princess. Cadance turned to face Twilight, a stoic look plastered on her face. "It's been so long!" Twilight embraced Cadance, much to her surprise.
"It's nice to see you too….umm?"
"It's me Twilight! Don't tell me you've forgotten about me. You were my favorite foalsitter; remember this?" Twilight began doing a little dance to go along with her little song. "Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake. Clap your hooves and do a little shake!"
"What are you doing?" Cadance asked, now completely puzzled with Twilight's antics.
"You don't remember? We always did this when you sat for me." Twilight looked up at Cadance with hurt and confusion. "How could she forget? Why is she acting like she doesn't know me?"
"I'm guessing those are your friends?" Cadance asked only to receive no answer. Twilight just stood there in shock as her friends caught up to her. "It's nice to meet you all. As you know I'm Princess Mi Amore Cadenza." She walked up to the group standing before her and offered her hand to whomever.
"I'm Applejack. Thank you for invit'n us." She accepted the handshake.
"I'm Rarity."
"Fluttershy."
"Pinkie Pie!"
"Rainbow Dash."
"Trixie Lulamoon."
"Peter Pa—"
"Danger!" Peter looked to his right. Fluttershy tried finding what he was looking at, hoping it wasn't her.
"Sorry. I thought I heard something. It's Peter Parker; thank you for allowing me to tag along." As Peter took Cadance's hand, the voice returned.
"Princess. Threat." His body grew cold as his fur stood up. That tingling sensation courses throughout his whole being. The handshake wasn't making matters any better as he felt like he was freezing. After their greeting Peter moved away, now next to Twilight who was still frozen in place.
"How is she a threat? I mean I understand she's powerful, but I doubt she's going to hurt any of us. So why is my spider-sense making me react in such a way?" Peter no longer paid attention to anything else other than Cadance. Everything about the wedding and what she wanted didn't make it into his ears. That cold feeling never left him as Cadance continued to speak.
"There's something up with her." Peter and Twilight said in unison. The two looked at each other, with Twilight being puzzled. "What makes you think that?" They scoffed at having done it again.
"Well it's a gut feeling for me. She just seems so…off putting for some reason." Peter said.
"Well she was my foalsitter and now she's acting like she doesn't know me. She didn't even remember the dance we used to do!" Twilight exclaimed.
"You guys had a dance?"
"Yes. I was a filly when we did it." Twilight pouts as a blush forms on her face.
"No judgment here. Anyways, if you think there's something up with Princess Cadance then we should look into that."
"You don't think I'm just fuming smoke out of my rear?"
"No. Again, gut feeling."
"Riiight."
"It doesn't matter. Let's just keep an eye on her, make sure she doesn't do anything crazy." Twilight nods. The two followed their friends as the group began to move.
The day had continued on with a lot of snooping from both Peter and Twilight. Whilst their friends did everything they could to make Princess Cadance's day special, the two scientists tried to gather evidence in favor of their hypothesis. Sadly, however, the two had come up short. The two were currently sitting at a table outside a restaurant, each having an ice cold drink sitting before them.
“This is all becoming pointless!” Twilight exclaimed. “We can’t make a case against her with trivial things. Not liking the food Aj prepared, saying the dress Rarity had spent hours was horrible, telling Shy and William that their band’s songs were garbage—”
“Don’t forget her hating Pinkie and Trixie’s decor and festivities.” Peter chimed in, taking a sip of his Sunkist soda.
“And even with all of that it means nothing since it can be chalked up to her being picky about her special day. No one would fault her for that.” Twilight was exasperated to say the least. The mare who she had practically grown up with was acting so out of character, yet only one pony believed her and it was due to a “gut feeling.” She groaned, removing her glasses to rub her eyes.
“You two seem to be in a sour mood.” A strong, but soft yet unfamiliar, voice spoke to the two. Well, unfamiliar to Twilight. Peter was as bright as the moon upon looking at the owner of the voice.
“Smallville!” Peter practically flew out of his seat and into the fairly dressed stallion. He hugged his friend with all his might, all the while Twilight sat with a confused look on her face. After ending the embrace, Peter turned to Twilight. “Twilight, this is Clark. Clark Kent of the Daily Planet. I met him when I was working for the Bugle back in Manehatten. Despite being on the rival team we became good friends.” Clark offered his hand to Twilight, the latter taking it with a smile on her face.
“It’s a pleasure to meet one of Peter’s Manehatten friends.” Twilight said. Clark too now shared a smile.
“And it’s great to meet one of Pete’s new friends.”
“So are you covering the wedding for the Planet?” Peter asked.
“Yup. Perry had me assigned to this one whilst Lois was working on a missing pony’s case.” Peter and Twilight found themselves intrigued by this information. Though they couldn’t stay on this subject forever, as Twilight remembered their current predicament.
“As much as I’d love to continue talking, me and Peter have important matters to discuss.” Twilight said.
“Oh right. I’ll let y’all get back to that. Hopefully we can talk more later before we all head back home.” Clark replies with that smile never faltering. Peter and Twilight nodded. As Clark took his leave Peter’s spider-sense went off. He was getting a strong chill from the opposite end of the street. Upon looking over, however, he was only met with a stallion in rather fancy attire eyeballing him and Twilight. Confused by this behavior, Peter waved at the guy, grabbing Twilight’s attention. Now she too took notice of the stallion staring at them.
“What the heck?” Was all that escaped her lips as the stallion awkwardly turned and walked down the street. “That was a little unnerving. How long had he been standing there?”
“Y’know that’s a great question.” *thud* Peter and Twilight’s attention was torn away from the stallion on the street and towards the flipbook in the middle of the table. Immediately Peter grew cold again.
“Your check.” The mare said in a monotone manner.
“Oh? But we were going to order—”
“We’re closing up the restaurant miss.” The waitress interrupted.
“Really? But we have another two hours, don't we?” Twilight was growing a little nervous with the way the mare seemed to stare past her very being.
“We’re closing up early, miss.” The waitress said. Peter pulled out a few bits, throwing them on the table. He grabbed Twilight by the wrist and began dragging her up to her hooves.
“We’ll get out of your mane. You guys have probably been busy all day hehe. Let’s go Twi.” Peter scurried off quickly, dragging Twilight along the way. Peter’s body grew warmer and warmer the further away they got. Once he didn’t feel cold anymore, he slowed his pace.
“What was that all about?” Twilight asks.
“The vibe didn’t feel right.” Peter answered.
“You're telling me. It felt like she was looking into my soul with that gaze.”
“She was pretty freaky. Didn’t help that we noticed some guy was just staring at us for Celestia knows how long.” As they continued their walk, that cold feeling returned to the right side of Peter’s body. That cold sensation started creeping up behind him, making him shake.
“Uhh Peter.” Twilight was whispering now. “I think we should head back to the hotel.”
“Don’t gotta tell me twice.” Peter and Twilight began to run down the street just as the cold spiked on Parker’s back. He didn’t even bother to look back. He had seen enough horror movies to know that he had to keep running in situations like these. And upon the thought of horror movies, the realization that it had been just him and Twilight out late at night settled in. And it only made him run faster.