Spider in Equestria

by DarkSpider


40. Perplexing Hexes

“I can do anything!”

“REALITY BENDS AT OUR WHIM!”


“Rewind.”

The cloaked pony beside him nodded, reaching over to the television and pushing one of the buttons. He only had to wait a few seconds for the recording to end up right at the time he wanted to watch it.

“There, stop.”

The earth pony pushed another button, letting the footage stop right when the fight was about to begin.

“Play.”

With a press of a button, the image on the TV moved, allowing the jester in the recording to resume talking.

“My little pony, the Fool does not surrender! Especially when he has the winning hand!”

For the third time this night, the dragon-like creature watched the thief pull out a pair of dice.

“Tell me little filly, are you ready to take such a gamble on your life?”

The creature watched the recording of Fool’s fight with the new hero, Toxin, with great interest. Multiple times he ordered the pony to stop the footage and rewind it when the jester pulled off an amazing new feat. The creature raised his gloved claw and scratched his scaly head. “I would’ve never thought the Fool to be capable of such feats. Had I known, I would’ve had sent someone to talk to him earlier.” He leaned back onto his chair and turned towards the only other occupant in the room. “What do you think?”

The cloaked earth pony turned towards him, allowing him to see the thick yellow chintin that replaced her fur, her eyes completely blue with no visible pupil, a pair of mandibles on her cheeks. “He’s a trickster for sure. His illusions are powerful, and had it not been for the fact that this Toxin figured out the trick, he would’ve won the fight.” Her fist clenched. “Not to mention… his power is similar to mines…” She gritted her sharp teeth as her pincer like mandibles clicked together. “Yet he did not suffer the mutations I had, it’s… annoying to say the least.”

“Yes… I wonder why that is…” He turned back towards the recording, watching as Toxin’s form became more monstrous allowing for Fool’s dormant power to activate. “Your powers seem to activate the same way, from times of great stress.” He hummed and tapped his head. “Perhaps it simply depends on how great the stress is?”

The insect-like pony merely shrugged her shoulders, no longer paying attention to the TV screen on the desk, instead seeming to stare at the moth flying above them. The creature hummed. “How is your control by the way?” He asked. “I remember when you first got your power, all of the insects in the building simply went wild.”

The earth pony merely stretched out her arm, allowing for the moth to land on her palm. “It's gotten better, I can control any and all insects within the block.” She then flashed him a feral grin. “I can also make new insects.” She said the last part with a hiss.

“New insects?” The creature said, leaning forward in interest.

“Yes.” She hissed, with a wave of her hand a large green pod appeared from the floor. The pod pulsed and from it hatched a large green spiked beetle-like insect. The large creature was at least the size of a dog, the spiked beetle skittered across the floor and stopped right at the pony’s feet. Bending down, she picked up the beetle and started petting it, letting it rest on her arms. “I can create them by simply spending some of my energy. Not only that, but I can also turn ponies into them.”

The creature raised an eyebrow. “You’ve tested this out?”

The pony nodded. “Yes, one of my enforcers was trying to leave the gang for his family.” She shrugged her shoulders and smirked. “So I brought his family closer to work, as some of my new pets.” She chuckled as the insect on her arms screeched.

The dragon like creature laughed softly. “I see no issue in stopping you, continue experimenting with your powers. I can’t have my right hand being overshadowed by some clown.”

“Do you doubt me?” She asked, her eyes narrowing.

The creature raised his claws up. “Not at all, after all you’re still my number one, not the Fool.” Seeing that the pony was no longer glaring at him, he decided to go back to the previous topic. “Speaking of your gang, have you decided on a name yet? Can’t have the leader of the Swarm remain nameless forever.”

The pony frowned, looking down on the insect. “No, I haven’t. Many names that relate to my powers simply sound too childish or foolish for my liking.” She turned back towards her boss. “I do not see why I need a name, you’re having me run a gang, not to play dress up like that Spider.”

“My dear, a name is necessary in this kind of work.” He answered. “You don’t want to get a name stuck to you that the public gave you, it wouldn’t do your reputation any good. They could give you a demeaning or childish name like Lady Bug, Beetle, Butterfly, Skitter or Broodmother.” He paused. “Though the last two are at the very least respectable if you wished to use them.”

The pony snorted. “Not respectable enough.” She went silent and thought about a possible name for her villain persona. Getting frustrated, she shook her head. “The only ones I thought up off is Hive and Queen, and it would be disrespectful for me to take a name like queen when you’re here in the city.”

The creature hummed, tapping a clawed finger against the wooden desk. “What about… D’Vorah?”

“D’Vorah?”

He nodded, shrugging his shoulders. “It’s something from back home. I have to admit the name suits you. It's a strong name, a good one, one that can be said with pride.”

The pony blinked at his words before smiling softly, going back to petting the bug. “I like it, I shall be D’Vorah for now on.” Suddenly her smile fell, as her eyes turned towards the door in front of them. “Someone’s coming.”

The creature nodded and reached over to the black biker helmet on his desk. Grabbing it, he carefully put it on, making sure his bull like horns made it through the helmet’s holes. “Must be Prowler, let him in.”

The insect-like pony, now named D’Vorah, walked towards the door. Before she opened it, she gently put the bug down and had it hide in the corner of the room. Turning towards the front door, she opened it. “The Kingpin is expecting you.” She said, moving to the side to allow the Prowler inside.

Their guest was a diamond dog wearing a purple and black costume that covered his body, tied around his neck was a black cape. On his hands were a pair of gauntlets, his feet were covered by a pair of metal boots. The mask he wore was purple, with a black spot around the eyes, the eyes of the mask was white. The Prowler bowed lightly, then immediately went to take a seat in front of the desk, briefly looking at the tv with interest, he turned his attention back to the Kingpin.

“If you don’t mind me asking, what is that?” The Prowler asked, pointing at the TV.

“It's something from my homeland, I had the Tinkerer recreate it so I can monitor the city from here. It's called a television, or TV for short.” The Kingpin replied.

The diamond dog nodded, satisfied with the answer. “Speaking of the Tinkerer, is he here?” He raised up his gauntlets, Kingpin just now noticed how damaged they looked. “That toad showed up again. She’s stronger than she looks. Tricky too.”

Kingpin scowled, taking a calming breathe, he shook his head. “Unfortunately no, I have him busy equipping my newest investment.”

D’Vorah’s eyes narrowed. “Making another gang?”

Prowler frowned behind his mask. “I thought the Swarm was gonna be the last gang?”

Kingpin waved away their concerns, shaking his head. “It's not another gang. Recently I came into contact with a trio, a pegasus, a diamond dog, and someone in a costume. They’re hoping to create a mercenary team, but are in need of equipment.” He explained. “Of course, in my generosity I decided to loan them some equipment and finance them. In return they owe me a couple of favors.”

D’Vorah smirked. “Basically you own them.” She summarized, chuckling. “And since it's a mercenary team, they can take jobs from any potential rivals and give you an influence outside the city, quite devious of you Kingpin.”

“Thank you D’Vorah.”

“Speaking of gangs and the city,” Prowler began, catching the two’s attention. “What are we going to do about Shocker and his Thunderbolts? Do you want one of us to break him out of prison? I doubt the Thunderbolts will last long without him.”

The Kingpin shook his head, “No, as far as everyone is concern, The Thunderbolts, Black Hounds, The Swarm, and The Lost Hex are all four different gangs ran by rival leaders, not co-workers.”

D’Vorah nodded, “Shocker surrounded himself with idiots just to feed his ego, and even with the shock gauntlets that the Tinkerer gave him he still got caught rather easily.” She scoffed and crossed his arms. “I say we leave him there to rot.”

“I’ve already contracted the trio of mercenaries to free Shocker from prison as my first favor.” He explained to them. “Not only will this boost their reputation, but it will also allow us to remain anonymous.” The two nodded, seeming to be satisfied with what was explained to them. “Now then, onto more pressing matters.” The two stood straighter. “Prowler, what can you tell me about this toad creature?”

Prowler raised up a damaged gauntlet and took it off. “As I said before, the creature is strong. I believe she has super strength.” He placed the gauntlet onto the desk, and began gesturing at the various dents and damages around it. “Using her tongue she was able to crush the gauntlet.” He then brought up the second gauntlet in his right hand, showing off the massive dent that practically flattened the metal device. “She did this with just a kick. I was lucky to be able to block it, otherwise I would’ve no doubt had some damaged or broken ribs.”

“Super strength, mostly centered around her legs, and an extendable strong tongue.” Kingpin leaned back on his chair. “Sounds useful, anything else noteworthy?”

“She looked like a street rat, maybe some runaway.” Prowler growled, “She was young too.”

D’Vorah chuckled. “Young you say? Don’t tell me a filly managed to get the best of you?”

Before Prowler could snap at her, Kingpin raised a claw, causing the two to stop bickering. “Do you think we can recruit her, Prowler?”

The Diamond Dog stood silent for moment before shaking his head. “No, it's very unlikely we’ll be able to recruit her willingly.” He said, hesitating a bit.

D’Vorah frowned. “Then we must capture her.” She said, not sparing Prowler a single glance. “The creature is strong and resourceful, it would be a waste to kill her. We must simply give her an offer she can’t refuse.”

“I agree.” The Kingpin said, leaning forwards and placing his arms on the desk. “D’Vorah, as your first assignment as the leader of the Swarm, I want you to find this frog girl and bring her to me. This city is becoming a breeding ground for supers like us. We can’t afford to be lenient with any of these new arrivals. We’ve spent for too much time and resources getting to the position we are in now. I will not tolerate failure, is that understood?” The two nodded, satisfying their boss.

“Sir, what about the Spider? He may travel a lot, but this city seems to attract his attention the most.” Prowler questioned.

Kingpin didn’t give it much thought, he already knew what the Spider’s stance was. “If you see him, ignore him. Only attack if he comes after you, and if he does, kill him.” He answered, surprising the diamond dog. “I know how the Spider thinks. He’s the self sacrificing type, a “real” hero. He won’t join us. So the first chance you get, kill him.” D’Vorah nodded, accepting the answer without question. Prowler only hesitated for a second before nodding.

“Good, now that that’s settled...” Kingpin grabbed the side of the television and moved it so the screen was facing the two of them. “I want you to meet Toxin, and the Fool.” He said, playing the security footage. Prowler watched the tape with interest, being the only one in the room to have yet seen the footage.

Once the tape was over, his eyes narrowed. “That Toxin, she looks a bit like the Spider doesn’t she? Any relation between them we know of?”

“None at the moment.” Kingpin answered. “But don’t let that look fool you, it's no ordinary costume. We don’t know much about this new player, but what we do know is that she has a weakness, fire and sound.” He grabbed the gauntlet on the desk and looked it over. “When you go to the Tinkerer to get these repaired, tell him to add some type of sonic function onto them. You’ll need them to beat Toxin. Also tell him to build several containers, I’ll be sure to tell you why once they’re done.”

Prowler only nodded, taking the gauntlet and putting it back on. “What about the Fool? What are we going to do with him?”

Kingpin smiled behind his helmet. “Why, recruit him of course. Unlike Toxin and the toad creature, the Fool is only interested in money. He’ll join us, provided we can give him a good price.” He chuckled. “Might as well throw in a few toys his way to really sweeten the deal.”

Prowler nodded, “After we recruit him though, who’s going to keep him?” He asked. Suddenly D’Vorah became more alert, glaring at Prowler. “Will he be joining the Hounds? Hex? Swarm? Or Thunderbolts?”

“None of them,” Kingpin answered, briefly shocking the two of them. “I want Fool to remain as an independent. He’ll be free to do as he wishes, but will be taking jobs from all of us. To the public, it will seem like Fool has decided to become a mercenary.” He explained. “The Fenrir Mercenaries won’t be in this city forever, and will be traveling around Equestria quite a lot, so I need someone here who can help us remain anonymous when needed.”

The two nodded, accepting his reasoning, if they had any complains, they didn’t show it. “Excellent, this concludes our business for today. Thank you for coming Prowler, see yourself out will you.” The diamond dog nodded, getting up from his chair and making his way to the door. “Before you leave, please tell Valkyrie and Scarlet that I wish to speak with them about their mission.” Once the diamond dog left, D’Vorah got up from her seat and made her way to the Kingpin’s side, standing behind him protectively. It only took a few seconds, but the door once again opened, revealing a pegasus mare wearing a silver painted version of the royal guard’s armor, and a rather thin man wearing a black and red costume, a costume that fitted him rather loosely. Behind the two was a tall burly diamond dog, wearing a green vest. “Ah, my friends welcome! I hope I didn’t make you wait too long!”

The tall thin man wearing the black and red costume bowed. “The Fenrir Mercenaries thank you for agreeing to meet with us, Kingpin.” He stood straight up and stared at Kingpin in the eyes, despite both wearing items covering their faces. “Now, what is our mission?”

The Kingpin took out a newspaper from a cabinet and set down on the desk. “I need your team to free an associate of mines, recently he was put behind bars by the Spider.”

The thin man eyes widened behind his mask. “The Spider?” He questions.

The Kingpin reached over and plucked out a couple of other newspapers and set them down in front of them. “Yes, a traveling hero who goes by the name Spider.” Kingpin chuckled. “The name sounds familiar doesn’t it? You seem to be quite the fan yourself.” Kingpin laughed softly at the joke, gesturing towards the black spider emblem on the man’s chest.

The man walked towards the desk and picked up one of the newspapers, his eyes narrowing behind his mask. “So there’s another spider…”

“Yes, he’s been all over the papers since he first appeared. He not only defeated Shocker, but some other costumed pony named the Vulture over at Canterlot the other day.” The Kingpin said, leaning back on his chair as he stared at the man.

The armored pegasus took a step forward. “What can you tell us of the Spider?”

“Not much I’m afraid, though I may be able to find something interesting by the time you get back from your mission.” He answered.

The pegasus’ eyes narrowed, knowing what he was implying. She gave a nod. “Then let us smooth over the details of our contract.” She said, taking the seat closest to him.

“I trust this isn’t going to change anything between us is it, Scarlet?” The Kingpin asked, turning his head towards the tall costumed man.

Taking only a moment to respond, Scarlet shook his head. “No. I don’t know him anyways, was just curious. Not everyday you find out you’re not the only one.” He walked towards the seat next to his partner and sat down, placing the newspaper in front of Kingpin. The diamond dog behind him took a seat at one of the couches in the middle of the room.

“Yes it must be quite a shock. I remember when I was first stranded in this world years ago.” He shrugged his shoulders. “Don’t worry though, you’ll get used to it. Now…” He leaned forward. “What is it that you want, Scarlet Spider?”