2- Another Spider Rider

The Spider Riders stood there at the arena, all silently wondering, but no one was quick to speak up. It didn't matter though, for that was when Buguese arrived, suddenly landing his transport near the group of Riders. And seeing all of them standing outside, he wasn't really sure what to think.

Of course, the Riders took notice of his arrival as well.

"Buguese!" Aqune exclaimed, as she ran to him. Although she was expecting him, she was very glad to see him now. Aqune clutched him tightly, burying herself under his cape.

"Aqune…" he said, not expecting that kind of reaction. "Are you alright?"

Aqune shook her head.

"No. I don't want to fight anymore. Not ever."

"You don't have to, my Aqune," Buguese said. "But, what exactly is going on?"

"I don't have a choice," she said. "Because it's my duty as a Spider Rider." Letting go of the Insector, Aqune thought she should try and explain properly.

"We were attacked," she finally answered. "By something unknown." Her eyes were trembling with concern.

"Are you hurt?" Buguese asked, gently brushing his fingers through her hair. He had simply come here to pick up Aqune, and seriously was not expecting any sort of conflict like this.

"No," she said. "None of us are. However…"

"Alright, enough with your public displays of affection!" Magma exclaimed. "This is serious!"

Hunter looked to Magma, annoyed. He knew of Magma's dislike for Buguese, but clearly, Aqune was troubled.

"You see… Buguese…" Hunter said. "There was this shadow thing, only it was solid. It looked like a Spider Rider. It attacked Magma. Then Igneous fought against it, then it went after me. After I defeated it, it just disappeared."

"The shadow of a Spider Rider?" Buguese wondered. "Why would it attack fellow Spider Riders?"

"That's what we want to know," Lumen said. "Or, if it even was a Spider Rider. Maybe, it was some kind of trick."

"Then this is indeed serious," said Buguese. "If it attacked you, it may attack Insectors as well. And that I cannot allow. I would like to discuss this matter with you further, Prince Lumen, but now I have no time to dwell here."

"Alright, perhaps another time," Lumen said. "I was a bit tired today anyway."

"Wait!" Sparkle exclaimed. "Brother, what if we go with them to the Insector lands?"

"Huh?" He stared at his sister, surprised.

"You're the prince, so it's important that you talk things over with the Insectors as soon as possible, isn't it?. And then I can go see Uncle Hop. I bet he'll come up with a great plan."

"Umm…" Lumen was at a loss for words, though probably, he realized, he couldn't exactly argue. Not with Sparkle, anyway. She was always his biggest soft spot. "Alright," he consented. "Buguese, is that alright with you?"

"It's fine," he stated. "But I did have other business to take care of, so let's not delay."

"I'm glad!" Sparkle said, excited.

Soon, Buguese departed with Aqune, Lumen and Sparkle. That left only four Riders remaining at the castle.

"Hopefully they can figure out a plan," Corona stated, though doubt showed in her voice.

"Yeah," Hunter agreed. "And I'm worried about Aqune. She seemed pretty upset."

"Isn't that natural?" Igneous asked. "We were all enjoying this peace, and she had a pretty hard life before this."

"Hello!"

The Spider Riders heard a voice calling them from a distance, and not a familiar one. And shortly after, the figure of a teenage boy drew closer. His hair was red, fairly long for a boy, as it passed his shoulders. He wore black pants, and a white shirt, covered by a jacket to match his pants. But the most striking thing about him was the manacle he wore on his wrist.

"Tell me who you are and what you're doing here!" Igneous yelled, as he ran to the boy, carrying his sword.

"Hey, what is your problem?" the boy asked, startled. He started to back away.

"Hey, stop that, Igneous!" Hunter yelled, running to catch up with him.

"Stop it? Why?" he asked, his sword a close distance to the new Rider's neck.

"I never thought saying hello would lead to my death," the boy mumbled, trying to crack a smile.

"We're not going to hurt you… I think," spoke Hunter, who glared at Igneous. Reluctantly, the blue-haired Rider lowered his sword, but still held onto it.

"Hunter, don't you think this is suspicious?" Igneous said.

Magma and Corona looked to each other. Though they were thinking the same thing as him, they chose to simply stay back for the moment.

"Just wait," Hunter whispered to Igneous. Smiling, he then looked to the red-haired boy.

"I'm sorry about that. We were just attacked by someone, only we don't know who. Can you tell us who you are?"

The boy looked surprised.

"Well, my name's Richter," he said. "I came here looking for the Spider Riders, because I heard this is where they live. But, maybe this wasn't such good timing, if you're being attacked."

"The person who attacked us may have been a Spider Rider," Corona said, as she walked closer to the others. "So, when you showed up here, that's why we were startled. By the way, I'm Corona."

"And I'm Hunter," her companion added. "That's Igneous, and over there is Magma. We're all Spider Riders."

"Good," Richter said. "At least I'm in the right place. See, I really don't know what I'm doing. I only just found this manacle, and became a Spider Rider."

"Wait, you just found the manacle?" Hunter wondered. Of course, it did make some sense. And if a new Spider Rider were to emerge, it couldn't have happened until recently, with Brade's disappearance, if there were only supposed to be eight.

"Hunter, this guy is way too suspicious," Magma said. "I mean, it's cool if there's another Spider Rider, but why would he just show up at a time like this?"

"We don't know he's responsible for sure," Hunter argued. "Corona, don't you agree?"

"Umm… well…" she began. "If you seriously trust him, then, I guess…"

"Okay, I get it," Richter sighed. "You guys obviously don't want me around. Plus, if you're fighting against bad Spider Riders, not to mention fighting among yourselves, it might be a bit too dangerous for a new guy like me. What a shame, though. I was hoping I could use these powers to make a difference, and I wanted to become stronger." At that, he turned away.

"Wait, don't go!" Hunter called. "Even if no one else will give you a chance, I will." He turned to face the other three. "Please," he said. "If I'm wrong, I'll take the responsibility. But, Aqune turned out to be good. Even Grasshop… and Buguese is kind of alright. What kind of heroes are we, to pass judgment before we get to know the guy?"

They all looked at him, feeling kind of guilty.

"Alright then," Igneous finally spoke.

"Yeah," said Corona.

"Then, guess I have to agree too," Magma added.

"Great!" Hunter exclaimed.

"Umm… hey…" Richter spoke up. He wasn't sure if he was allowed to just jump into the conversation at a time like this, but it was weird enough already, he supposed. "What do you know about this person you say attacked you?"

"Well, he was a shadow, for one," Hunter answered. "He did clearly look like a guy riding a spider. But, with the way he disappeared, it's almost like he was an illusion. Like somebody created it, instead of just attacking by themselves. It's weird, but we don't really know if it was a Spider Rider who caused this."

"That reminds me of something," said Richter, looking serious.

"Huh? You've seen it before?" Hunter wondered.

"No," said Richter. "Not the person you're talking about. I mean, someone I knew back then. Someone truly evil. I guess, just like where I come from, there's evil in this world too."

"W-wait, what are you talking about?" Corona asked. "In… this world?"

"I should probably tell you," Richter said. "I came here from Earth."

The other Riders reeled back in shock.

"You're an Earthen too?!" Hunter exclaimed.

"Mhm," said Richter.

"We really need to talk," Hunter replied.

"Yeah," Corona agreed. "Why don't we go inside?"

The boy was not just a Spider Rider, but an Earthen too? Certainly, the day was getting weirder and weirder.