//------------------------------// // Chapter 41 // Story: Spider in Equestria // by DarkSpider //------------------------------// "So, ready to return after so long?" Venom asked as Dark packed a few of his things in his bag. "Well yeah," Dark answered. “Hopefully this idea of Twilight’s works…” “Surprised none of you thought of it sooner.” “Same,” Dark said as he put his bag on his back. After a few seconds, Venom said, “It’d probably be a good idea to tell them.” “Yeah. I know. I'll tell them after. Don't want them distracted.” “If you say so.” Dark sighed as he looked pulled out Bri and Mike's pokeballs from his pocket, the pokemon inside them at the moment. After placing them back in his pocket, he stood up and walked towards the door to wander the castle while he waited. A second later, he felt a small pull inside him. “Oh boy,” he muttered before he fell into a portal. The emblem shined in a bright light and a figure fell from it. The figure was humanoid, in a concealing blue and black cloak and hood, and landed on its feet lifting up a hand. The light faded and the emblem fell, landing in the cloaked figure's open palm. Slowly, the glass-like magic barrier faded away as Sunfire raised her wing. She stared at the cloaked figure, her expression showing a mixture of confusion and hostility. Before the person could say anything, Sunfire reacted with motherly instinct, rushing in to pin the newcomer against the wall. Elwood appeared to be confused as well, yet scared of what just happened. “What the heck?” The figure said, its voice male. A moment later, a black substance started coming from its chest, surrounding its body completely. When it was done, it looked like a black creature with no visible mouth and narrowed white eyes. “Let me go you overgrown iguana!” “You’re in no position, intruder.” Sunfire said as the horn on her head glowed a gentle yellow glow. Elwood become even more confused than ever when he saw Venom. At this point, he was reaching into his backpack and shuffling through it just to get his camera. “Intruder? You think we wanted to come here? I was summoned here, lady. Not something I can actually control.” The figure said. “What do you mean summoned?” Sunfire said, demanding an answer. Click, flash. A light of flash lit up the room as Elwood took a shot. The figure briefly looked at Elwood in confusion before turning back to Sunfire, brought up its right hand, and opened it slightly, revealing the emblem. “Someone threw this, so now I'm here. Simple as that really.” “But no one threw it.” Elwood answered as he put away his camera. “It was dropped by Sunfire here.” he said. Sunfire continued to keep the figure pinned. The figure's eyes widened a bit. “Seriously? So just dropping it summons me too? Sheesh, I need to find a way to fix that…” Sunfire raised an eyeridge at him. “That doesn’t explain how you got here. This place is fortified with a spell that prevents any magic except my own.” she said. The figure paused for a moment, briefly looking away from her before muttering, “Probably…” He then looked back at Sunfire and asked, “Any of you guys hear about Displaced?” Both Elwood and Sunfire’s silence was a good enough answer for the figure. He sighed, his eyes narrowing in slight annoyance. “What about the multiverse?” “Wait, that’s a thing?” Elwood asked as he gave the figure a puzzled look. “What do you think?” The figure asked simply, looking at Elwood. “You're in an alternate dimension that's part of some TV show.” He then looked at Sunfire again, only then paying attention to her coloring. “...well, maybe some differences.” Sunfire applied pressure to the cloaked figures mind, probing around his memories. “He’s not lying... Which is concerning for me,” she said as she let go of him. The figure landed on his feet and dusted himself. “Can you please not read my mind again? It's bad enough having one person see all my thoughts and memories,” he said as the black substance slowly subsided til he was just in his cloak again. “Sorry for jumping conclusions. It’s just those eggs are very dear to me.” Sunfire said as he backed up to give the figure some room. “So basically I’m in one of those dimensions you said and there’s more out there?” Elwood asked as he walked up to him. “Tons more,” the figure said. “Many rather intense. Or messed up…” he then shook his head. “So what were you doing before you ended up here in Equis?” “I was just going through the forest taking pictures, I found a cave, the gems glowed and here I am. The rest of the history, well. It’s been crazy.” Elwood explained. “Crazy? Dude, tell me, did you end up fighting a pack of large wolves made of wood, get kicked in the back of the head by a pegasus, get attacked by giant bees, almost bleed out from a psycho Conduit, or forced to leave the town you call home because they think you're a demon?” Elwood blinked. “No? Other than me being scared out of my mind to be somewhere else and that dragons were the main population…” he said. The figure paused for moment. “Dragons are the main population? Where are we, the Dragon Lands? Never been there before to be honest.” “It is a huge island of dragons, yes. You are currently here in Clawterlot.” Sunfire said with concern in her voice. While the mind probe revealed that he meant no ill intentions, she didn’t completely trust the cloaked figure yet as to reveal what the room is. The figure did a double take before looking at Sunfire and lifted a gloved hand up to the side of his hood to move his ear to her direction. “Currently where?” “Clawterlot.” Sunfire repeated. The figure lowered his hand. “Clawterlot? That named after Canterlot or something?” “No, just Clawterlot. I’ve never heard of Canterlot, is that something in those multiverse things you mentioned?” Sunfire asked. “It’d be best not to question it. A lot of the places here are named with dragon puns.” Elwood whispered to the figure. “So... I guess in your Equis, it's more Spider-manish?” he asked in a normal voice. “Dragon puns? Wow. Where I live it's pony stuff. Canterlot, Las Pegasus, Ponyville, Manehatten, etc. Never heard of a universe where dragons are the main driving force of the world. As for the question...kind of. More Marvel in general.” “Will there be more of those summon artifacts be appearing?” Sunfire asked with concern in her voice. “Pretty much,” the figure said. “Especially with this guy now in the world,” he added, gesturing to Elwood. “Me?” Elwood asked questioningly. “Well yeah. Displaced are magnets for tokens,” the figure said before tossing the emblem in his hand to Elwood. He fumbled with it a bit before catching it. “I thought this was all an accident because of me being in that cave?” Elwood said. He was starting to question the universe now. “Is there a way to prevent this?” Sunfire asked as she looked around the chamber. The figure shrugged. “Sorry. I'm not the most experienced in the multiverse stuff.” “So... I’m a magnet for those tokens, they’ll only come to me, right?” Elwood asked. The figure nodded. “Pretty much. On the bright side, you can choose whether or not to actually summon the Displaced. Though word of warning, if you find a feather that is both red and blue, be wary. The Displaced is decent, but summoning him allows an evil version of himself to come here.” Sunfire’s worries were now at ease. “So they’ll only come if Elwood summons them?” Sunfire asked. “Usually.” Sunfire’s attention is drawn when she looked off in the corner of the room. At that moment, the figure started to feel a small voice in his head. “...That can’t be right...” She looked at cloaked person. “You’re not exactly human and yet..” she looked back. “One of my children are calling you...” “That why I feel someone else poking through my head right now?” He asked her. “Yes. Usually only humans are chosen. Seems he finds something special about you, Dark.” Sunfire said with a smile. “You know I am human right?” The figure, Dark, said. “The spider DNA just gives me powers.” “Yes, but when I sensed those other things inside of you, it made me question of who and what you are.” Sunfire said as she rubbed the side of her head in embarrassment. “Especially that weird… black stuff.” The small presence in Dark’s head started to sound impatient, he could also see the light blue egg shaking softly. After thinking it over for a moment, he walked to the egg and picked it up. “So this is an egg? Looks more like a rock.” “It’s to protect the unborn inside. You will find that the shell is of a very hard material, nothing can damage it other than magic spells.” Sunfire explained to Dark. “Sunfire? How long will it take for them to hatch?” Elwood asked as he held the orange egg in his arms. “When it feels it is safe and ready.” Sunfire answered before looking at Dark. Dark shrugged before placing his egg inside the bag on his back. When he was done, he looked at the two of them. “So what can you two tell me about this world besides being the main race instead of ponies? Pretty sure Twilight would want all the details I can give her.” “That’s quite a tall order you’re asking, Dark.” Sunfire said as her horn lite. With a brief flash, a book slowly floated down to Dark. “This will give you the history of our world. What it doesn’t tell you is our magic, this’ll would be a topic for another day.” Dark shrugged. “That's fine. This is basically what I asked for.” “Soo... how does one get summoned?” Elwood asked with nervousness in his voice. “I’d hate to wake up somewhere else…” “Well you won't be summoned unless you make yourself a token.” “Token? You mean like your spider thing?” Elwood asked as he looked at the emblem in question. “My medallion,” Dark corrected. He then reached into his suit and pulled out a necklace with a matching medallion and a small rock with a hole on it.’ “Oh, so I’ll only be summoned if I have one of those?” Elwood asked. He had a lot of questions, but he knows he won’t get answers for all of them. Dark shrugged. “Pretty much. My sister Cece doesn't have one for just that reason. She just follows me when I'm summoned if she's close enough when it happens.” “Ok, good. So I’m safe. “ Elwood said as he let out a sigh of relief. “I'd say it's not that bad, but my first summon involved me facing Beedrill and another had me and Cece end up in a fire fight. And then there was another time where a dragon pinned me to a wall.” “I’m deeply sorry for that, Dark. As you can see, this is a chamber containing my eggs, so I must protect them with my life.” Sunfire said as she smiled, hoping it won’t cause issues in the future when it comes to an alliance. Having an ally from across worlds can be beneficial. Dark shrugged. “More understandable than Rainbow attacking me a while ago.” After a few moments, he randomly said, “There's a difference between forgiving and forgetting. I forgive her for that, but I'm not forgetting it anytime soon.” “Is there a way for you to return home?” Sunfire asked as she raised his claws. “I mean I don’t mind your company, it's just the guards would freak out.” “If they're anything like the guards I've seen, I can beat them even when they're dragons. As for your question, yeah. This guy just has to…” he then looked at Elwood. “Okay, I'm rather embarrassed now…” “Oh, sorry. I’m Elwood, nature photographer.” He introduced himself as he held his hand out. Dark shook it. “Tito. Though most call me Dark.” After removing his hand, he continued. “Anyway, as I was saying you just have to say our contract is complete. That either sends the summoned Displaced back or spawns a portal for them to return. The latter is what happens for me.” “My name is Queen Sunfire. Royaler of Dragon Island.” Sunfire said as she smiled once again. “Understandable. So...who do you know that is an expert on this whole displaced business? I mean it’s something I never knew about till now and I’m a little scared.” Elwood asked as he rubbed the back of his head. Dark looked down at his necklace and grabbed it, staring at the rock. After a few seconds, he looked at Elwood. “This guy. Link Displaced. He's the most experienced guy I've met yet who seems to understand the void and all that insanity. Even gave me a new power and taught me some tricks.” “First Spider-Man, now Link?” Elwood asked. “Well, he did say multiverse.” Sunfire said. Elwood started to rub his head at the endless possibilities. Dark chuckled. “I also met a few Halo Displaced, an Ivy Valentine Displaced, Team Rocket, a Kamen Rider, some assassins, and robots. And I heard of a guy who became Nemesis from Resident Evil and another guy who has his own Omnitrix. And who knows how many more is out there. Basically if the person is popular enough that one will dress as them for a convention, then there's a chance there's a Displaced who became that person.” “What about me? I mean I’m still me though.” Elwood asked with questionable look. “Well, except that Queen Sunfire says I’m one of those rare humans.” Dark shrugged. “Got us there. Probably has something to do with the world, since mine has Marvel elements.” Elwood was quiet for a moment as he thought about what has transpired so far. “I have a question for you, Dark. Is there a way to know who those Displaced are without needing to summon them? I’d like to know if they are good or evil. That way, I’ll know who to trust if Elwood summons them.” Sunfire said as she looked at Elwood. “I d-don’t think I would, Sunfire… I mean you heard Dark. All of those things are real, what if I summon something dangerous even if they can be trusted? I feel that this world isn’t ready for them..” Elwood said as he breathed softly. “Yes, Elwood but I believe this is a better course of action to see my children hatch and give new  lineage of dragonriders once I judge them trustworthy, you can pass on the knowledge onto them of what it is to be one, Elwood.” Sunfire said. Her voice was full of hope. “...I suppose so, Sunfire. I mean one of them did speak to Dark here..” Elwood said as he took a moment to calm himself down. “Uh.. How does one make a Token?” he asks. Dark shrugged. “From what I understand, you take something that has some connection to you, like me with my medallion, or your character like Link with a miniature Howling Stone. Then you “place part of your soul” in it. Personally I don't know how to do that, but most seem to figure it out on their own.” “Ah, so I’ll need to figure it out then. At least that answers a few things.” Elwood said with a sigh. “And it does explain how that old cave’s portal activated when it did, Elwood. With you being a Displaced, you must have activated it somehow. I believe that once we learn more about the Displaced, we can find a way to reconnect the bridge.” Sunfire said as he stroked her chin in thought. “I'm sorry, what?” Dark asked. “I did explain that I got here just from finding some cave, afterwards I haven’t been able to return home.” Elwood asked. “Read the book when you return home, you’ll understand it’d be important for us to reactivate the gate.” Sunfire explained. “Okay…” Dark said before looking at Elwood. “And I know this won't help, but don't be surprised if you can't go back. Many Displaced tried, and I haven't heard of any who succeeded. Really I'm just telling you this so you don't get your hopes too high.” “What? Why is that?” Elwood asked with his voice full of concern and denial. “I mean it can’t be one way in and not a way out…” “Well most of us go through something different than you. Personally my sister and I were at a convention for the first time and bought some stuff from a guy. Next thing we know, we wake up in Equis in different parts of the country. Many other Displaced have a similar fate. Though I know a few who showed up pre-Nightmare.” After a brief pause, he chuckled in embarrassment. “Sorry. Got off track. As for your question, hell if I know. Again, nobody I know has been able to go back and I ain't gonna bother trying. Not like I care really.” “We’ll still try though, but Elwood may stay here if he’d like.” Sunfire said as she looked at Elwood. The human appeared to be thinking at this point, what if he really was stuck here? All those picture’s he’s taken is going to end up being a waste since he can't return home. Elwood takes out his camera turns it on, the screen flashing its logo before booting up the main menu. The power was currently reading at 35% power.   “I hope this isn’t the case. I have people who will wonder where I went, especially the people who buy my photos…” Elwood said as he let out a sigh, he starts to rub his forehead. It had been crazy so far in his life, it would take him a long time to adjust to this world. Dark looked away for a moment before looking at Elwood. “Random question, but need a hand with the battery of that?” “Oh uh, yea. It does need a charge but considering if there’s ever a chance I can’t return home? What i’ve taken up to this point,  might end up being useless. I can’t transfer them to my computer or even print them out.” Elwood explained. He believes it would be a shame for them to not be shared. Dark shrugged before putting down the book and grabbing the camera and looked at it. A moment later, his hands started to glow in a blue aura and the camera did too. After a second, they both stopped glowing and Dark leaned over and started panting. When he finished catching his breath, he tossed the camera back at Elwood. Elwood catches it in his hands, staring at it curiously. “What did you do?” he asked as he looked at the screen. “A spell Twilight used for me a few times,” Dark said. “Taught myself how to do it so I wouldn't need her. Basically makes it that that thing doesn't die. Guess it uses more magic than I thought.” Elwood stared at his camera, noticing that the battery life was suddenly at 100%. He shook his head to get rid of his bafflement. “So it won’t run out… ever?” he asked as he looked at  Dark. “Pretty much. Twi did that for me a few months back and my stuff still haven't died.” Sunfire raises her head, her ears swiveling around. “Elwood. There is something I need to address, “ She said as she turned to head on out. She looks over her shoulder. “When you’re done talking to this young human and you’ll like to leave, just speak this word. Ládrin “ She said, causing the chamber doors to open. “It will close and lock on its way. Once you’ve returned to me, we’ll begin your training as a Dragon Rider.” she said with a smile. She turns to leave the egg chamber. Dark picked the book back up and looked at Elwood. “So you have anymore questions?” “Not at the moment, no. As you said, you don’t know how tokens are made so I’ll need to figure it out on my own.” Elwood said as he slid his finger across the screen to check on his pictures. “Maybe a magic spell on an item I own.” “Well I may not know how to make a token on my own, but I have something that can help.” Elwood turned his camera off and placed it away in his back before giving Dark his attention. “What would that be?” he asked curiously. Dark reached into his pocket and pulled out a small blue gem. “This thing here. Basically a gem infused with chaos magic that can help make tokens. Also helps me make replicates of my token.” “How do I use it after I’ve decided on one?” Elwood asked as he sat down on the floor. Dark shrugged. “My best understanding is just hold both it and your token and concentrate on making it your token.” “Alright, sounds simple enough.” Elwood said nervously as he held out his hand, Dark tossing the gem to him. “So I just say the words and you’ll be sent home?” he asked as he held both the gem and the copy of Dark’s medallion. “Woah!” Dark said. “Sorry, but I'm not exactly offering for you to keep the gem. That's my only one and they aren't a thing in my universe.” “I really don’t have anything to use as a token and I’d rather not use my camera or any of my gear.” Elwood said with a small frown. Dark shrugged. “Fine. If anything, you can just call me when you figure out your token and I can help you with it,” he said before he took the gem back with a web. “Oh, right. Good idea...” Elwood said as he rubbed the back of his head. “I’m just a nervous wreck at the moment, what with me being here and finding out the multiverse is a thing.” “Again, be happy you haven't been through what I've been through.” “Just one last question, why is your name Dark?” Elwood asked with confusion in his voice. Dark chuckled. “Short for DarkSpider. An OC I made a few years back, which I technically became. When I got Displaced, I figured Dark is a better name than Tito since it fits Equestria more.” “Oh, makes sense I suppose. I guess that’ll be all until I need you again.” Elwood said before pausing for a moment. “The words were your contract is complete, right?” “Aye.” With a gentle breath, Elwood utters the words “Dark, your contract is complete.” A portal then appeared by Dark. After looking at it for a moment, he turned to Elwood. “Hey, before I go, mind if I take a pic of you?” “Sure. With what though?” Elwood asked with a raised eyebrow. Dark tossed the book to the ceiling before webbing it there without even looking. He then reached into his bag and pulled out a camera. “Gift from a friend. First time actually using it since I got it.” “Alright, where should we take it?” Elwood asked. Sunfire’s voice entered his mind. “...Sunfire is suggesting we take it with the eggs in the background?” Dark shrugged. “Sure, whatever you like.” Elwood moved to a spot where the eggs were in plenty of view. “She has a lot of trust in you for some reason...” Elwood said to Dark. “What do you mean?” Dark said before putting the camera to his face and taking the picture, the camera glowing for a moment. “She’s suggested we take a picture with the eggs in the background and the fact she’s protective of them?” Elwood explained as he scratches his head in though. Dark shrugged. “Just a pic.” He then put the camera back in his bag and approached Elwood before extending a hand. “Well, it was nice meeting you El.” “Likewise.” Elwood said as he extended his hand to shake Dark’s. Dark then turned around and walked towards the portal, the book falling from the ceiling when he was below it, with him catching it. When he reached the portal, he took a step back before running towards it and jumping through, the portal disappearing moments later. Dark landed in his room in Canterlot before placing the book on the nightstand and the egg on his bed. "Wonder how long it will take this one to hatch," Venom commented, his voice echoing in Dark's head. Sitting down next to the egg, Dark shrugged. "Who knows, Bri took a few days to hatch." He glanced at the egg. "Surprised at how I was able to bring this egg with me though.” “How do you think the others will react to this one? A dragon egg from an alternate Equestria, now under your care?” “Hopefully it'll be fine,” Dark said before going through his bag and pulling out his laptop. “But yeah, it can hatch in a few days, maybe even a few months.” The next moment, they heard a small noise. Looking to the source, Dark saw the egg starting to crack from one of the sides. As the crack grew larger, more started to appear as a blue claw popped out of the egg, followed by another before the top half of the egg broke open as the dragon's head went through, revealing its body to be a royal blue color with feathered wings, the dragon itself roughly the size of a small kitten. After shaking its head, it opened its eyes and looked at Dark's, its eyes the same color as its body. “Or it can hatch now…” Dark muttered. Shrugging his shoulders, he placed his laptop on top of the book and leaned closer to the dragon to observe it, the small drake tilting its head as it stared back at him. After a few seconds of staring, Dark slowly lifted up a hand. When the dragon didn't seem to object, Dark slowly placed his right palm on the dragon's head. Immediately after doing so, he felt a sharp a sensation as though he was just dunked into river of freezing cold water, the feeling tingled and snapped through Dark. Unable to withstand the rush, Dark ended up fainting as his world blacked out.