//------------------------------// // 11. Reunited // Story: Spider in Equestria // by DarkSpider //------------------------------// I was reading something on my phone, waiting to leave, when Twilight came into my room looking mad. “Dark, what's this?” She asked, holding up a newspaper. “Um, it's a newspaper Twi.” “I know that. Why are you on it?” “Wait what?” I grabbed the newspaper out of her hand and saw a picture of me on the wall of a building on the front page, with the headline being “Strange black creature swings around Manehatten”. The article talked about how I was first seen jumping off a building and was swinging around Manehatten all day, as well as nopony being able to catch me or figure out what/who I was. “Huh. Well what do you know….” “I thought you said you were just exploring.” “I was. I was using web swinging as my mode of transport.” “What happened to not getting any attention to yourself?” I shrugged and folded the newspaper. “That's just for Ponyville, where I now live. Here, in a city that I'm just visiting? And one big enough for me to actually web swing easily? You can't expect me to just stay put.” Twilight sighed. “Fine. Just be careful. Don't want anypony to think you're a menace like Peter Parker. Anyway, get ready. We leave in 10 minutes to get breakfast, then to the train station.” I nodded to her, a bit happy that she remembered what I told them. The day after Sebaste and Sasha left, they asked me a lot of questions about things like exactly what I knew about them and more info on Spider-Man. I put on my cloak and scarf and exited the room. I waited by the front entrance, just listening to “A Friend For Life” from the first Equestria Girls movie, until the girls all came down. After that, we left and went to a diner for some breakfast. When we were all seated, Twilight looked to me and said, “Okay Dark. How about you tell us EXACTLY what you did when you left yesterday.” I just sighed and told them what happened. (Cece's POV) I slowly woke up and yawned. After I got back to Coco’s apartment, I went to bed immediately. I'm happy that I know how to find Tito now, sort of, but I was too tired to do much of it. Now though? Now I'm going to see if I can find that trail again and actually find him. Huh. Maybe I can bring Coco along. Now that I think about it, I should check on her. I got out of bed, and put on my cloak. I didn't need to wear it in here, but I grown accustomed to it. Heck, besides my ring, it's the one thing I have to wear that has nothing to do with Amy. After I was finished getting ready, I left my room and saw Coco drinking some tea and reading the newspaper. Looking at Coco, I saw that she looked a lot healthier now. I guess the cold finally passed. Coco looked to me and smiled. “Good morning Cece. How are you?” I smiled back and prepared a bowl of cereal. “I'm fine. I see you're doing better today.” Coco nodded. “I am. It's nice to be able to use my nose again.” “So whatcha reading?” I asked, taking a seat in front of her. “Just this story of something found yesterday. Some creature that was sticking to walls and swinging around the city.” I immediately froze when I heard that. I put the spoon in the bowl and looked up. “What?” “Yeah. And apparently nopony was able to get close to it. Here, take a look.” She handed me the newspaper and I saw on the front page a picture of someone 2 stories above the ground, with its back sticking to the wall, and in a very familiar costume. “Strange looking thing, really.” “I KNEW IT!!!” Coco jumped when I yelled that and looked at me, shocked. “Um, Cece? Are you okay?” Sadly, I didn't hear her. “I knew it was him who took out those criminals. I just knew it.” “Um, Cece. What are you talking about?” Coco asked, putting a hand on my shoulder. I calmed down and chuckled in embarrassment. “Sorry. It's just...remember when I told you about my brother wearing a costume when we got separated?” When she nodded, I went on. “Well, that's the costume he was wearing. And last night, I saw a bunch of thugs trapped in webs in an alley. I only know two guys who can do that. My brother’s favorite hero, who wears red and is a LOT more obvious, and the person my brother was dressed as. Since Tito is the only one who came up with the last one, and the person in the picture is in the same exact costume, I figured he's who it is. And since I became Amy, who I was dressed as, it's not too crazy to think he became the person he was dressed as and have the same powers.” Coco blinked a couple of times before she was able process all that. “Okay, so, if you're right, how can we find him?” “Well it's not much, but I found those thugs after following a sort of trail. And that picture was taken in a place I was at yesterday, following said trail. If I'm right, maybe I could use that to find him. By the way, I wanted to talk to you about something.” “Oh? What is it?” “Well, I wanted to know if you'd like to join me on this. If I'm right, we should find him by tonight. If not, we could come back.” Coco tapped her chin for a moment, thinking it over. Then, about two minutes later, she replied, “I guess I could come along. I don't have anything to do today anyway.” I smiled at her response. After I finished eating and washing my dish, I pulled up my hood, got my bag, and we left. We were heading back to that alley I was at last night when suddenly, I felt the same thing I did yesterday. When I followed it, I saw a diner. Hmm. I guess he got hungry. But how did he pay for it? I shook the thought away and turned to Coco. “He was here.” She just nodded and I followed the trail, Coco following me, asking a few random questions about Tito. Before, I only told her the basics, like his love for comics and how he wasn't willing to make friends due to some past events, so it made sense that she was curious. We were just walking, me answering all of Coco's questions, until we reached the train station. We went inside and I followed it until it was in a bare track. He must've hitched a ride. Might explain why he only now showed up. We went to the nearest worker and I pointed to the tracks. “Where did the train go?” The worker looked at the track, and after looking behind the desk for the map, she said, “That train goes straight to Ponyville.” Ponyville? Sheesh, as if Manehatten wasn't already a weird name. “When's the next train there?” I asked. “Should be about an hour, hour and a half.” I sighed and walked away, Coco close behind. “So, I hate to ask this but, can you pay to tickets to Ponyville?” Coco nodded and said, “They're pretty cheap, so it won't be a hassle. Besides, maybe I could actually see Rarity and talk to her. That is where she lives after all.” I let out a sigh of relief, happy that I'll be able to find Tito, and that Coco won't be mad. I went up to the worker and said, “Two tickets to Ponyville please.” (Dark’s POV) I was sitting in my seat, humming “A Hero Forms”, and just waiting to go back to Ponyville. I found Twilight’s collection of Daring Do books and gave them a read. I'll admit, are pretty interesting and I wanted to continue reading them. “What exactly are you humming?” I looked up and saw Rainbow looking at me from behind her seat. “What?” I asked. “That song you were humming. What is it? I hear you humming it all the time, especially when you're training.” When she said that, I actually noticed that I've been listening to that song a lot more than usual. I shook the thought away and said, “Just a song I found back home. It's about one of my heroes. A guy who fights insane maniacs on a regular basis and is seen as the “Dark Knight” of his city, always protecting it from said maniacs.” Rainbow then got up from her seat and sat next to me. “Really? Cool. What powers does he have?” I chuckled. “That's the thing. He has no powers at all. He's just a normal human.” Rainbow’s eyes widen. “What?” “Not kidding. But despite not having powers, he can defeat a giant crocodile-like person who's at least 8 feet tall and 4 feet wide, with huge jaws, a guy who can inject a toxin that makes people see their worst fears, and a guy who can freeze people. Not only that, but he can go toe to toe with a guy who can shoot lasers out of his eyes, fly faster than light, pull entire planets, and could survive in space.” Rainbow stared at me in disbelief. “No way. How can someone like that survive against all of THAT?” “Simple. He's as smart as he is tough. He plans things out and uses a LOT of gadgets to win his fights. Not to mention he's an expert escape artist. Heck, maybe I can show you a video later that explains him and Spider-Man. And then has them fight each other.” “Sure. Though, I doubt he will win, if what you said about Spider-Man is true, but we'll see. So about this song…” I shrugged. “If you want, I can let you listen to it.” “Why not?” I took my phone out and unwrapped the headphones. I showed the girls my devices and while they were a little amazed, they didn't gawk over it, trying to figure out how they worked. Not that I'm complaining. Just means I could keep them without them annoying me about it. I handed Rainbow the headphones, and after she put them on, I started playing “A Hero Forms”. While it was playing, Rainbow looked like she was enjoying it. When it ended, I took my headphones back. “Not bad. It's pretty catchy. Maybe you should have Vinyl try and publish that.” I shook my head. “I don't think so. You girls knowing about this stuff is one thing, but everypony in Equestria? No thanks.” Rainbow shrugged. “Suit yourself.” We then felt the train stop. Looking outside, I noticed that we made it to Ponyville. Twilight got up and said, “Okay everyone, we're home.” We all got up and left the train. When we got out the station, we all went our separate ways. Pinkie skipped to Sugar Cube Corner, Fluttershy flew to her cottage, Applejack walked back to Sweet Apple Acre, Rarity went to Carousel Boutique, Rainbow flew off to practice a few tricks, and Twilight and I headed back to the castle. Before leaving though, Rainbow and Applejack said they'll come over later. “It's nice,” Twilight said. “What is?” I asked. “How close you and Rainbow are. Especially considering...you know.” “Ooohhhhh, that. I guess you're right.” And I have Sebaste to thank for it. Then I had an idea. “Hey Twilight?” “Yes Dark?” “Hearthswarming is in a few weeks right?” “Yes actually. Why do you ask?” “I wanted to know if I could invite a few friends over.” “Of course. It's always nice having friends help out with decorations.” She blinked. “Wait, what friends?” I chuckled softly. “You'll see in Hearthswarming Eve, Twi.” Twilight sighed, disappointed that I wouldn't tell her. We walked in silence for a moment before Twilight asked, “Dark? You ever had anything like Hearthswarming where you're from?” I nodded before saying, “It's called Christmas. Similar to Hearthswarming really. A day of peace. A day where family and friends come together. And then there's the presents under the tree.” I sighed, remembering the holidays I spent with my mom and Cece. “Heck, this'll be my first actual holiday without my mom.” Twilight put a hand on my shoulder. “Hey, don't be like that. I'm sure your mom will want you to be happy. And besides, hopefully we can find Cece by then. That way, you two will at least have family. And if not, you have us to celebrate with.” I smiled behind my scarf. “Thanks Twi. I...guess you're right. It's just...I'm used to spending all but one holiday with her, and that one isn't important. And I hope that Cece's okay.” We arrived at the castle not to long after that conversation. Twilight went to her room to read, while I went to the library. Once I got there, I took off my cloak, put it in a web bag, and hid it behind a bookshelf. Then, I grabbed the book I was currently on, climbed to the ceiling, put on some music, and started reading. (Cece's POV) Once the train arrived, Coco and I went in and took our seats. I went to sleep a little after it started moving, since I didn't want to just sit there and wait for a couple of hours to get there. When we got there, Coco shook me awake and we got out. Looking around, it looked much smaller than Manehatten. “Hey Coco, you said that friend of yours lives here?” She nodded. “How about you go find her and talk. This place isn't too big. I'm sure I'll find him in no time, then I'll get you.” Coco nodded and walked away. I followed the trail and looked around. The place looked nice, though I kept having a feeling like I've seen it before. I walked for a few minutes, barely paying attention, until I reached some weird tree. It looked like some weird crystal thing, with a huge house attached to it. Looking at the base, I saw there was a door. Wait, this is a building? How do you build THIS? I just went inside, figuring no one will mind. I walked around and saw that the place was HUGE. I swear, this place could house over a dozen families easily. I just walked around until I reached a room with seven chairs in a circle. Each chair had a different symbol on it. They had three red apples, three blue diamonds, three balloons, three pink butterflies (a lot of threes), a cloud with a lightning bolt with the primary colors, and a big pink star surrounded by five white stars. The last one was next to the latter, and it was smaller, with no symbol. *groan* I KNOW I've seen those symbols before. But where? Think Cece. Think. While I was hitting my head, trying to remember, I heard someone say something. “Um, who're you?” Said someone in a southern accent. Stopping myself, I turned around and saw a pegasus with sky blue fur, and a rainbow mane, as well as that mark of the cloud and the lightning bolt that was on one of the chairs. To her left was an orange earth pony with a blonde mane and a cowboy hat, along with three red apples for her cutie mark. So I guess these chairs are theirs. “Hello? You a’right?” The earth pony asked. I shook my head to shake away my thoughts and said, “I'm fine.” “What are you doing here?” Said the pegasus. I didn't know who these ponies were, but knew that Tito been here. I didn't know if I could trust them though, but I just gave a vague answer. “I'm looking for someone.” “Who?” They might know where he is. And if Tito was smart, he wouldn't have said his real name. Wait...did I just call myself stupid. Focus! “I'm looking for Dark. Where is he?” They looked at each other with a concerned look. “Why do you want him?” Okay, I'm getting annoyed. “That's none of your business, Skittles! Now I'll ask again. How. Is. Dark?” The pegasus looked shocked, and I swear I heard mutter “Skittles…?” But her friend took a step forward and glared at me. “Hey now, that enough of that. And I don't think we should take you to Dark with that attitude.” At this point, I started clenching my fists, my anger taking over. “Take me to him, or else.” The pegasus scoffed. “Or else what? No offense, but what can a little filly like you do?” That did it. That stupid horse just crossed the line. If there's one thing I hate about my transformation, it's that I'm over two feet shorter, making everyone think I'm just a little kid again, and it REALLY gets me mad. I just ran to the pegasus, faster than they expected, and punched her in the stomach, sending her flying to the wall. The earth pony stared at me in shock. “Wha-what did you just do?” “First rule to know about me, NEVER mention my height. And I told her that I'd do something if I didn't get what I want. Now, where is he?” Before she could respond, however, the pegasus flow right at me and held me in the air by my left arm. “Okay kid, I'll admit, that was one strong punch. But I don't want to hurt you. So, if you calm down, we'll take you back to your family, and maybe we won't mention how you punched me.” I growled. “Like I care what you do. If you're going to keep me from him, might as well fight you.” I reached behind my back and grabbed my Piko Piko hammer. But as I reached for it, my hood fell off, revealing my face. The second she saw me properly, she looked shocked, but before she can do anything, I hit her with my hammer and sent her flying again, letting me go in the process. I landed on my feet and grasped my hammer in both hands, not caring that my face is no longer under the hood. “I wanted to play nice, but you tried my patience.” The earth pony tried to get me, but I used the hilt of my hammer and jabbed her in the gut, before using the head of it in an uppercut, knocking her out. Right before I turned, though, a rainbow blur flew right at me and the next thing I knew, I was pinned to the ground by Skittles. “Look kid, you're really pushing your-” “STOP CALLING ME THAT!!!” I yelled. “My name is Cece for crying out loud, and I'm thirteen, so stop calling me a kid.” I then kicked her off me, got back to my feet and picked up my hammer. After she fell to the floor, she looked up and saw be glaring down at her, hammer at the ready. “W-wait, YOU’RE Cece?” “Yeah, and let's just say, you'll have quite the headache when you wake up. Good night.” I then pulled my hammer back, ready to hit her. But when I was going to bring it down, I suddenly felt pressure on the base of my neck and froze. I immediately dropped my hammer and fell to one knee. 'What the? How is this possible? The only person who knows my weak spot is-' “You know,” a male voice said behind me, before the pressure left and I can move properly again. “This is not how I expected to see you again. 'That voice…' I turned to the voice and saw someone dressed in a blue and black suit with his arms crossed, a scarf around his neck, black hair, brown eyes, and a silver spider necklace. “T-Tito?” I said, in shocked. My brother just smiled and said, “You know any other crazy in Equis that looks like this?” I immediately hugged him, tears welling up in my eyes. “It is you.” He hugged me back and slowly petted my head. About two minutes later, we separated and he walked to the pegasus I was fighting and stuck his hand out. She took it and he helped her up. “You okay Rainbow?” He asked her. “Yeah. Just a few bruises. Sebaste wasn't kidding. She hits like a minotaur.” “Yeah. Be happy I came in and stopped her before she gave you a concussion.” “Yeah. Thanks.” I stared at them, completely shocked at how they're treating each other. “Um, I'm sorry, but who is she and how do you know her?” Tito looked at me. “Oh, sorry sis. Forgot about introductions. Cece, this is my friend Rainbow Dash. Rainbow, Cece.” I stood there in disbelief, mostly because of one word he said. “I'm sorry. Did you say she's your “friend”.” They both nodded. “.....WHAT?!? Since when are you friends with a flying pride flag?” “Aaaand there it is. Honestly, I'm surprised I never actually heard that before now.” “Wait, what did she call me,” Rainbow asked. “You don't wanna know. And to answer your question Cece, I'd say about two weeks now.” I just stood there dumbstruck for a moment before I heard someone nearby. “Well, it's great that you want to help your friend find her brother, Coco. I'm sure if we look hard enough we might-WHAT IN THE NAME OF CELESTIA HAPPENED HERE?!?” We all turned to the door, and saw Coco with that unicorn from the window display yesterday and a pony with purple fur, and a horn as well as a pair of wings. Huh, wonder what those are called “Dark,” the combo pony said. “What happened?” My brother put his hands up. “Hey, don't look at me, Twilight. It was like this when I got here.” Coco stepped forward and looked at me. “Cece, did you do this?” I chuckled nervously, looking away from everyone. “Wait,” the purple pony, I think Tito called her Twilight, said. “Cece? As in Dark’s sister?” “Yeah,” Tito said. “When I got here, I saw Cece fighting Rainbow and stopped her before she left too much damage.” Coco stared at Tito in confusion. “Um, who are you?” “Oh right. Sorry, keep forgetting about introductions today.” He held out his hand. “I'm Tito, but most call me Dark now, and Cece’s my sister. It's nice to meet you Ms. Pommel.” Coco shook his hand with a surprised look on her face. Though, I realized something. “Wait, how do you know her name?” Tito turned to me and smiled. “She's the nicest pony in Manehatten. Not to mentioned she was in most of the episodes that were in Manehatten.” Me and Coco just stared at him, not sure what to say, but before we could, he put a hand up. “Now I know you have questions. So, how about we discuss it over lunch. You girls can go to the dining room. I'll wake up Applejack.” After saying that, he went to the earth pony. I followed Coco, who followed the other three. I had one last thought in my mind. What has he been doing these last couple of weeks?