Ultimate Spiders and Magic: Episode VII "Sting of the Scorpion"

Chapter Five “Battle Royale”

Along the outskirts of the park, tremors coursed through the earth and shook the surrounding trees with enough force to dissolve some of the leaves. The sound of explosions echoed across the air, all while shockwaves erupted throughout the vicinity. With each blow ruptured some of the earth, sending shards of grass, rock, and dust flying into the breeze. A chunk of bark broke from a nearby tree, unleashing a barrage of splinters as it disintegrated from impact.

An individual stumbled onto the scene, lowering their head defensively while another concussion burst a few yards away and sent their body to the ground. With a bewildered gaze, they crawled into the safety of nearby shrubbery, until the entirety of their body was concealed from sight. Slowly, but surely, they peeked through an opening in the leaves, before finding a peculiar sight. A group of girls were grouped together, alternating their gazes about, as if they were struggling to locate something.

Suddenly, another shockwave erupted at the center of the vicinity. A pair of blurs briefly materialized within, their images clearing momentarily while the world around them slowed to a halt. Spider-Man slid a finger over a hidden compartment within his chestplate, retrieving a tiny crimson, spider-shaped object. Just as Scorpion spun in place, whipping his tail out, Peter flipped directly over the attack.

The world slowed, as the boy soared with a narrowed gaze, extending his hand as he passed, before flicking the device with a finger. The spider latched onto the back of Scorpion’s armored neck, magnetically staying in place, without the man noticing. Time resumed once the boy landed on his feet, with him swaying his upper torso to the side accordingly out of Gargan’s range, as he thrust the sharp end of his tail forth multiple times in a frenzy. Rainbow Dash watched from a distance, slack-jawed as seemingly multiple afterimages of Spider-Man blurred together before clearing. Disbelief slowly faded as frustration engulfed her, evident as she clenched her fist tightly.

“I have super speed! I should be faster than you, but I’m still too slow!” Rainbow growled, narrowly ducking underneath Scorpion’s wayward tail as it swung by. “No! I know that I’m faster! Just watch!”

Meanwhile, Spider-Man threw his body back, springing from his hands, and Scorpion towered over him, throwing his opened claw into the ground, where the boy previously stood. A fissure gave way, splitting the rock until cracks surface and exploded. A crater spread under Scorpion’s weight, leaving the man to sink several feet into the earth, and Spider-Man dove back, managing to perch himself at the top of a lightpost.

Rainbow Dash appeared in a flash, skidding to a halt until she stood next to Scorpion. “Are you okay? Do you need help?”

Gargan jumped in place at the girl’s sudden appearance, yelping. His thoughts raced uncontrollably, reminiscent of the winds of a tornado. However, a piercing bolt surged through his cranium and screamed demands into the forefront of his mind. Screaming, Scorpion’s vision blurred, while everything descended into a haze. He clutched at his forehead, howling as intrusive thoughts burrowed further. Suddenly, silence swept over the man, and he stood still, as the color in his eyes faded to an empty milky tone.

“Kill them,” a voice whispered, repeating while growing in volume each second, “KILL THEM ALL!”

Time slowly resumed, as Gargan freed himself from his self-induced trance. The armor creaked in protest, while he slowly turned to the girl standing under his towering frame. Her bright rainbow-patterned hair faded, as a sea of crimson flooded his train of thoughts. A visceral scream escaped from his mouth, filling the airwaves, and Scorpion reared a claw back, thrusting it towards the girl.

Rainbow’s eyes widened as the blow approached, seemingly slicing through her frame, but her image faded from sight, causing Gargan to stumble forth for several meters. Scorpion dug his free hand into the earth, using his momentum to spin in place until he refaced the intended target. Dash was soon revealed, having shown to be in a ducked position. However, just as she began to turn her head, Scorpion lowered his stance and pushed his weight forward with all of his might. His image dissipated in a violet and emerald blur, all while the ground beneath him ruptured with enough force to reveal the rock within.

Once inches apart, Scorpion threw a barrage of slashes, each aimed with deadly accuracy at the girl’s torso. Rainbow Dash backpedaled, frantically yelping as each attempt drew closer, and she spun around, planting her feet before breaking into a sprint. A wayward slash narrowly missed her head, cutting away the end of her long ponytail. The world slowed around them, as several colorful strands of hair danced in the breeze, with Rainbow racing off in a blur, and Scorpion chased her in pursuit. Spider-Man watched from his perched position, following their movements with a narrowed gaze, until both had ran out of the vicinity for the moment, all while the outside world’s timing resumed at a normal pace.

“There’s got to be a way to calm him down. Scorpion will tear these girls apart if I don’t get them out of here. Maybe if I– Oh, God!” Spider-Man blurted out, his masked eyes widening as an alarm blared off within his cranium. He turned to the side, seemingly unable to react as a large rock soared through the air towards him mere feet away. However, the boy reached out, capturing the stone with both hands, while managing to hold his perched position on the lamp post. Spider-Man narrowed his gaze at the source beneath him as she hid behind a building. He tightened his hold on the stone, steadily rearing it high overhead. “Hey, Blondie! I think you lost this!”

Applejack pressed her body against the wall, blinking before slowly peeking her head from around the corner at the boy’s comment. However, the stone flew with the speed of a bullet and the force of a missile, rupturing the walls mere inches from the girl’s face. Applejack recoiled, stumbling to the ground, but she hopped back to her feet, raising her fists defensively. The blonde rushed forward, throwing a punch. However, Peter extended his hand, capturing the blow with his open palm, and a shockwave erupted at the center, freeing many of the leaves from the trees within a few yards.

Spider-Man stood undeterred, squinting at Applejack’s arm before lowering it. “Wow! You’re definitely from the country! How’d you get so strong? You tip cows or something?” The girl strained, attempting to free herself from Spider-Man’s grip. Faster than she could react, Spider-Man fired a ball of webbing onto her hand. The gossamer spread upon impact, enveloping her entire limb, while sticking steadfast to the ground. Spider-Man chuckled, shrugging. “All of that strength doesn’t do you any good if you can’t hit the broad side of a barn. No offense.”

“W-What in tarnation? Is this coming out of you?” Applejack strained, blinking dumbly at the substance as she pulled, to no avail. She pressed her free hand against the ground, pushing until the earth underneath her palm caved. Pausing, Applejack bit down on her lip. “Just what is this stuff made of?”

Spider-Man raised a finger. “Like it? I don’t want to bore you with the details, but I use proteins that use large quantities of nonpolar and hydrophobic amino acids, like glycine and alanine, along with a few extra ingredients. Once bonded, it’s ten times stronger than steel, and–”

Applejack exhaled, ceasing her struggle momentarily, before shooting the boy a bemused glare. “While I appreciate the science lecture, I don’t think there’s usually this much talking during a fight.”

Pausing, as if considering the blonde’s words, Spider-Man shrugged, before aiming his hand at her once more. “Right. Sorry. Well, don’t take this personally then.” However, magical energy materialized into existence and enveloped his hand, locking his fingers in place. Spider-Man’s masked eyes widened once the sparkling matter spread, until his entire arm was engulfed instantly, and he blurted out in response, “Nani?”

A force snatched his frame into the air, levitating him in place, while holding his arm overhead. Twilight clutched at the glowing geode around her neck, managing a smirk. “That’s far enough! It’s finally time that you answer for what you’ve done!”

Spider-Man ceased his squirming, placing a free hand over his hip. “So, what did I do exactly? I mean, sure, there’s probably a laundry list, but…” He pressed a hidden button on his palm, prompting a tiny hatch to open from underneath the armor plating within his chest plate. A tiny shadow crawled freely, blending with the crimson along his attire, before taking flight unbeknownst to Twilight. Spider-Man groaned at the girl, as he continued to hover in place for what seemed like an eternity, in spite of only seconds having passed. “I feel like we’ve started off on the wrong foot. What if we started over? You seem like a nice gal under that sunny disposition. I’ll reintroduce myself. I’m Spider-Man. There’s no ‘The’. I’m a person, not a thing, so…”

Just as he continued to prattle, colorful energies materialized into existence, before spreading. Suddenly, they joined together and surrounded the boy, morphing into the shape of a shield. The substance hardened, as the sun reflected off of its blue surface. A light ignited, illuminating before finally dissipating, and Spider-Man stood entrapped within a diamond, hovering in the center.

“Diamonds? Really?” Peter questioned, exasperation filling his voice. He stared at the girl for what seemed like ages, eyeing the diamonds designed along the side of her skirt and matching emblems etched at the top of her boots. Spider-Man’s masked eyes furrowed, matching his growing annoyance. “Like, really?”

Rarity walked up until she stood by Twilight, extending her hands as she glowed with sparkling energy. “Excellent work, darling! We’ve got him!”

Spider-Man tapped a finger against the surface, mumbling under his breath. “I hear diamonds are a girl’s best friend. I’m betting you’d make a killing during Valentine’s Day. Or Mother’s Day. Or Christmas. Or birthdays. Oh, don’t forget anniversaries. Is this real? Or is it just a construct of energy that takes a physical form but dissolves when you lose concentration?” he trailed off, inhaling sharply once a thought came into mind, and a gleeful squeal escaped from the boy, “Hold on! Are you a Blue Lantern?! Dude! That’d be so cool! Can you say the quote?”

Blinking, Rarity stammered. “W-What? I don’t understand.”

“Hold on. Ahem! In fearful day, in raging night, with strong hearts full, our souls ignite!” Spider-Man stated, his voice much deeper than usual. He raised a hand before clearing his throat, grinning sheepishly while straightening his posture momentarily. “When all seems lost in the War of Light, look to the stars, for hope shines bright!”

Exasperated, Twilight rolled her eyes and exhaled at the top of her lungs. “Ah! Do you ever stop talking?!”

“I mean…” Peter murmured, raising a finger, as if ready to go further into detail.

Twilight’s eye twitched involuntarily, while a vein throbbed over her temple. “Stop! That was rhetorical! Bah! How do you get anything accomplished?!”

“Simple. With a plan,” Spider-Man chuckled, pointing to the side.

That same moment, a small crimson mechanical spider materialized behind Twilight and unleashed an electrical charge onto her leg. The girl yelped involuntarily. as her muscles locked and hair stood on end. The force holding his arm captive diminished completely, allowing the boy to press his hands against the diamond around him. He reared a fist back, alternating his gaze between it and the blue-haired girl holding it together. However, he paused before pointing at Rarity.

She paused, arching a brow, but something landed on her shoulder, prompting the girl to glance towards the source. Rarity’s blood grew cold as the Spider-Tracer whirred, dancing in place mere inches from her face. The energy holding Spider-Man in place dissipated from sight, all while Rarity dove away into the nearest bush. The vigilante dropped to the ground on his feet, before immediately unleashing an array of webbing onto Twilight’s body until only her head was exposed. She dropped to the ground, snarling as her glasses fell from her face. The drone landed near the girl’s head, bouncing in place triumphantly.

Spider-Man smiled inwardly as Twilight strained, smugly crossing his arms. “Not gonna lie. That felt really good.” He trailed off, his masked eyes furrowing as Pinkie rolled her cannon into view, pausing to retrieve a can of sprinkles from her pocket. As the girl loaded the tool with the entirety of the toppings (all while eating some of her ammunition), Peter involuntarily blew a raspberry under his mask in a weak attempt to stifle his laughter, and he shook his head, turning to the side while breaking into hearty guffaws. The boy clutched at his aching sides before, throwing his hands up in a mock surrender. “You’ve got to be kidding me! She uses actual sprinkles! Oh, please! Don’t decorate me like one of your cupcakes! My blood sugar can’t take– Why am I in danger?”

Peter’s laughter ceased instantaneously as a blaring alarm erupted in his cranium. Suddenly, the cannon unleashed a thunderous boom, recoiling while a spiraling orb of glowing energy whirled forth. Spider-Man leapt to the side and into the air, just as the ball struck the earth where he previously stood. However, a tiny spark ignited once the charged shot struck, triggering a large detonation. A shockwave generated at the center, sending Spider-Man’s body pinwheeling, while he screamed at the top of his lungs. The surrounding trees swayed, as some of their roots and leaves came undone from the force. A dust cloud spread, engulfing everything in sight, and it rose high above the park, stretching through the airwaves.

Applejack pried her arm free from the ground, before running up to the girl, slack-jawed. “Pinkie! Are you trying to blow us all to kingdom come?!”

“Oopsie! I’m sorry! I overdid it just a little bit. I’m still getting used to my power. Do you think anyone noticed?” Pinkie obliviously questioned, trailing off once Applejack’s frown deepened, and her glare narrowed. A broken branch fell from a tree, as magical embers continued to crackle. Reaching into her pocket, the girl retrieved a can of sprinkles, but her eyes widened once she turned the item over, revealing its empty shell. An awkward silence filled the air, before Pinkie haplessly shrugged, tossing the can behind her shoulder. “Out of ammo.”

Inhaling deeply before sighing, Sunset stepped between the pair, while brushing the dust from her clothing. “Maybe that’s for the best. Besides, it looks like you got him,” she stated, pointing in the distance. Spider-Man laid on his hands and knees, groaning while his head spun. Meanwhile, Sunset held out a hand, gazing at her palm, before sharing a glance with her friends. “Applejack, go help Twilight, and Pinkie, um… Try to calm Rarity down.”

Both girls nodded, splitting off to attend to their friend respectively. Thoughts raced through Sunset’s head as she ran towards Spider-Man. The surrounding dust compromised the entire vicinity still, obscuring everyone’s vision within. However, Sunset managed to navigate through the trees and shrubbery, eventually reaching the masked vigilante.

Meanwhile, Spider-Man held a hand over his throbbing temple. The buzzing bore with the precision of a scalpel and the velocity of a chainsaw, visceral in tearing its way through the brain. Like an alarm, its blaring heightened and echoed, increasing in density. Soon, a high-pitch beep endlessly looped, overtaking the outside world’s sounds. His senses only heightened further, causing Spider-Man to nearly bore his fingers into his skull in a vain attempt to cease the buzzing.

Sunset stood over the boy with a furrowed brow, reaching out before pausing briefly, but she pushed her hesitation to the side, placing a hand over his exposed shoulder. A bright light illuminated from her eyes, covering her irises, and a wave of static rushed into the forefront of her mind. All images blurred, distorting to the point of being illegible and unrecognizable. The buzzing of the static grew louder until it reached a fever-pitch, nearly rupturing the core of the girl’s cranium. Sunset staggered back, standing upright while throwing both hands over her eardrums, and she screamed, as if trying to drown out the commotion overtaking her bearings.

Suddenly, a bolt of lightning tore through the void, crackling violently before striking Sunset. The outside world flashed back into existence, while Spider-Man’s senses cleared, as evident from his masked eyes widening. Just as he turned, a spark ignited from Sunset’s hand, and an unknown force knocked her off balance, soaring for a few feet until she landed on her back. An ill silence filled the vicinity as reality came rushing back to Peter, but he brushed his own panic to the side, rushing to the redhead. However, a sigh of relief escaped from his mouth as Sunset stirred, holding a hand over her closed eyes.

“Geez, I really hope you didn’t see anything,” Peter whispered, lifting the girl bridal style. The shrubbery close by shuffled, prompting the boy to glance in its direction, but his shoulders relaxed upon seeing a familiar flow of pink peek her head out. He walked over, easing Sunset to the ground by her feet. However, he looked to the side with a furrowed gaze, not sure of what to say, but a sense of warmth had spread over him as Fluttershy simply wrapped her arms around his waist. Without a word uttered, Spider-Man exhaled and nodded, relishing in the brief yet welcomed sense of understanding amidst the surrounding chaos. “Thanks. I needed that. Are you okay?”

Fluttershy nodded, sharing a glance with Spike as he walked free from the bushes. “We’re fine. I’m sorry that they’re attacking you. I wanted to stop them, but everything happened so fast.” She trailed off, holding a softened gaze at Sunset, before lowering to a knee by her side. “What happened?”

Slow to respond, Spider-Man scratched the back of his head, before shrugging. “I don’t know. It feels like Sunset was trying to read my mind, but something on my end blocked her.” He rubbed at the aches throbbing through his temples, groaning. “Everything’s been cranked up since I had my Were-Spider night, and I think Sunset just got a taste of some of that feedback.” A realization came into mind, evident by his widened lenses, and he glanced to the side, spotting several silhouettes in the surrounding fog slowly walking towards their position. Peter soon walked towards Fluttershy, holding a hand over his mouth. “It’s dangerous here. I have to stop Scorpion before he hurts someone. I have an idea, but I’ll need you to play along.”

Blinking, Fluttershy pondered the boy’s request with a bewildered gaze, but she soon nodded, cupping her hands together. “Um, okay. What can I do?”

After a brief duration, Applejack and Twilight approached Fluttershy, while scanning their surroundings. The blonde immediately noticed Sunset’s hindered form, lowering by her side before hoisting her onto her shoulders. Before long, Pinkie and Rarity reached them as well, all sharing a glance with each other. The entire group coughed, attempting to wave off the dust clouds filling the vicinity. Twilight retrieved the spectrometer, holding the device out, while aiming it in various directions. However, a figure suddenly dropped from the sky and landed mere feet away from the girls. Spider-Man remained in a lowered stance, hunched while paused in a crawling motion.

Twilight stumbled in place, clutching at both her geode and spectrometer, before aiming them at the vigilante. “Hold it right there! We have you this time!” As if on cue, everyone took a defensive stance, all while magical energies illuminated from their respective pendants. Even Fluttershy poked out her lower lip, weakly growling as she attempted to force a threatening tone. Twilight’s gaze narrowed into a glare, but the corner of her lips managed to curl into a confident smile. “Just surrender! Then, you can–”

“The spiders,” Peter hissed, raising a hand before twirling his fingers.

Rarity’s entire demeanor faltered as her mouth fell agape. “I beg your pardon. What?”

Spider-Man leaned forward, twitching in place while extending his hand. “I’m summoning the spiders.”

Slow to respond, Twilight’s eyes widened at the comment, but she laughed dismissively (albeit nervously), before alternating her gaze about. “Nice try! Y-You can’t do that!” she trailed off, blinking, as if considering the possibility. “R-Right?”

His low hissing slowly turned to growling, and with every step on all fours he took forward prompted the girl to backpedal. “I’m Spider-Man, and you’re making me mad. I’m summoning the spiders. They will come to my call.” He paused mid-crawl, laughing maniacally. “There’ll be hundreds of them. No! Thousands! All at my command! What will we do first? You will make fine sacs to hold our eggs. Yes… Delicious.”

“Y-You’re bluffing!” Twilight declared, her arm shivering uncontrollably.

However, Fluttershy held a hand over her head and inhaled dramatically, pointing to the side. “I hear their voices! They’re coming!”

A sense of absolute dread filled the area, and the air grew thin, making the simple act of breathing a near impossibility. Twilight and Pinkie shivered involuntarily, whimpering amongst themselves, while Applejack shifted her gaze about frantically. Lastly, Rarity’s posture stiffened as her muscles ceased to function. A hint of blue filled her cheeks, while the blood in her body grew cold.

With one last push, Peter’s masked eyes narrowed, before he leaned forward until his face was mere inches from Rarity’s. Placing a hand over his mouth, the boy bellowed, “Because I’m Spider-Man!”

Like lightning to a rod, all fears rushed into a singular point, and Rarity threw her hands overhead, releasing a guttural screech from the deepest confines of her chest. “GET AWAY FROM ME–!”

Faster than anybody could react, Rarity blitzed through the group in a practical blur and never relinquished her screaming. Her voice echoed throughout the airwaves, growing in pitch by the second. The rest of the girls soon followed, trailing behind Rarity in a frenzied state. Fluttershy took a step, ready to follow, but she calmly turned back to Spider-Man, as he stood with a straightened posture.

She held a hand over her chest, nodding before departing. “Be careful.”

Spider-Man watched as Fluttershy chased after her friends, letting out a low sigh once he was certain to be alone. “Yeah. She’s great. Hopefully, we can go on a date after this is over. Maybe it’s wishful thinking, but…” he whispered, shaking away the intrusive thoughts creeping into his thought process. Holding out his hand, Peter pecked away at the hidden button concealed within the armor plating on his wrist. The Spider-Tracer returned to his side, levitating by his shoulder before taking flight. An indicator appeared within the lenses of his mask, prompting the boy to trace a finger along the side of his temple. “Okay. Scorpion’s close. Time to initiate the tracking beacon.”

Elsewhere, Rainbow continued to evade Scorpion, narrowly dodging each strike he threw. However, she took in bated breaths and wheezed, skidding to a halt. The strength in her legs faded, causing her legs to shake uncontrollably, before she collapsed to the ground. Sweat dripped from her forehead, while her chest pounded, barely able to contain her rapidly beating heart. Rainbow could only lift her gaze, as Gargan stomped towards her with gritted teeth, no fatigue evident in his movement. The voices in his mind continued to scream, fueling the bloodlust plaguing his thoughts. Scorpion slowly reared his hand back, before thrusting it forth, ready to pierce the girl’s chest cavity.

“Stop!” a voice called out, echoing throughout the confines of Gargan’s mental capacity.

Scorpion immediately heeded to the call, holding the sharp end of his fingers mere inches from Rainbow. The intruding voices’ volume slowly dissipated, in spite of their adamant screaming. A feminine silhouette materialized before Gargan, standing firmly in spite of their height difference. It extended a hand, causing the man to instinctively lash out, but the strike only phased through, like a stick through smoke. Scorpion raised his eyes and lowered to a hunched stance, as if waiting for the inevitable.

However, the silhouette simply placed its hand over the center of Scorpion's forehead, specifically the fresh scar tissue. Suddenly, a light spread out and engulfed everything in sight. The color in Gargan’s eyes returned, and the man staggered back, holding a hand over his head, as the outside world returned to normal. The voices in his head had completely ceased, all while memories of recent events came rushing back to him. Scorpion sorted through the fragmented puzzle, piecing them together to form the first coherent image he could understand in ages.

Gargan lowered his gaze, spotting Rainbow Dash, but he shook his head, growling under his breath. “You’re not the one I want,” he whispered, turning to face in the opposite direction. Scorpion lowered, before propelling himself forward in a sprint, rupturing the earth underneath him. Each step sent tremors coursing through the ground, and Gargan’s form faded in an emerald blur, all while he released a visceral snarl. “Jameson! I’m going to make you pay!”

Rainbow watched with an arched brow, pressing a hand against her knee as she forced herself to stand. “What was that about?”

“Don’t worry about that. Your friends need your help,” a voice calmly stated, echoing within the reaches of Rainbow’s mind.

Blinking, Rainbow stiffened, before shifting her gaze about in an attempt to find the source of the calling. She paused, brushing a hand through her now shortened hair. “That voice. It sounded like… Sunset’s, but since when could she–?” she questioned, snapping to a halt once a realization struck her mind, “The girls! I’ve got to get back!”

From a distance, an individual watched with a distant gaze, before disappearing into the park. However, just as Rainbow Dash sprinted through the vicinity, a mechanical screech echoed across the airwaves. A Spider Slayer emerged from the shadows, its crimson eyes glowing. Just as it marched forward after the girl, others followed, and before long, their mechanical steps could be heard for yards.

To be continued…