My little Pony:Spider And Magic

Chapter Thirty-Two "Lunar Landing

Chapter Thirty-Two "Lunar Landing"

Nineteen Days Remain

Gathered in the throne room were five of Equestria's top authority figures. They sat at a round table with their gazes fixed on the crystal ball at the center before them. Shining Armor powered the orb with his magic and memories, allowing Princesses Celestia, Luna, Cadance, and Twilight to watch the battle between King Sombra and Spider-Mane in its entirety. This meeting started nearly an hour ago, but it remained discreet, known only by those in attendance.

Sombra's tendril wrapped around Peter's body, lifted him from the ground, and whipped him high into the air until he crashed into the force field surrounding the temple, sending violent tremors coursing through the magical projection. Twilight slammed her eyes shut, cringing sharply at the sight. However, Spider-Mane shrugged off the blow, free-falling back into the fight.

Cadance nodded, biting her lip. "He's so resilient."

Leaping into the air with his legs pulled to his chest, Spider-Mane thrust his lower hooves forward and delivered a vicious double-kick to the side of Sombra's face. The force of the impact sent the black stallion careening through the stone walls of the temple. The image faded, shifting to another point of the battle. With the swiftest of maneuvers, Spider-Mane dodged every attack each statue threw in his direction, but upon reaching the last, the stallion retaliated with an overhead strike, shattering the living rock to pieces.

"Such raw power," Luna declared, unable to suppress her awe within her voice, "and grace to match."

That image dissolved like the one before it, morphing to reveal another moment in the fight. Stunned from the light of the miniature crystal heart, Sombra staggered and fell to a kneeling position, but before Spider-Mane could follow with a counter strike, the black stallion commanded his tendril to lift Shining Armor in its grasp and throw the prince over a perilous drop into the surrounding black void. Peter skidded to a halt, inches from Sombra, and dove over the edge in pursuit of his friend in a free fall.

Wrapping his hooves around the larger stallion's waist, Spider-Mane placed Shining Armor over his shoulder before landing perfectly on the nearest stone platform. Twilight felt her heart skip a beat, prompting the mare to place her hoof over her chest. Though she was asked by Princess Celestia to attend this meeting for professional reasons, the young alicorn wanted to learn what Shining and Peter had dealt with on a personal level.

Her big brother and coltfriend were thrust into severe danger, and Twilight only found out about their situation well after the fact. It frightened her, watching Peter save Shining Armor's life multiple times through the playback. She could have lost her big brother, but Twilight felt a sense of relief. Peter was truly as heroic as she believed. The images within the crystal ball changed once more, revealing the climax of the battle. Twilight's eyes widened as Spider-Mane dove into the tornado Sombra generated, dodging every obstacle that came his way.

Inhaling deeply, Twilight edged closer to the crystal ball, resisting the urge to strangle the image of her coltfriend. "That's... That's just so... so reckless!"

Finally, the finale of the battle appeared within the crystal ball. After striking Sombra down soundly with a stone column, Spider-Mane offered the dark entity mercy. Luna's, Cadance's, and Twilight's mouths fell agape at the gesture, but Princess Celestia merely closed her eyes and lowered her head. Surprisingly, Sombra, while declining Spider-Mane's offer of mercy, yielded and respectfully acknowledged the younger stallion's strength. Once Sombra's dark essence vanished into the crystal heart in Peter's grasp, the projection ended, wiping away all images from within the crystal ball.