AN: I always thought if SR had a sequel, everyone would have to travel to the Outer World at some point. Because, so much potential. And yes, by "everyone" I include Buguese, even though Insectors in the real world would get super messy. Maybe someday I'll try a different sort of Outer World story.

16- The Outer World

Just as quickly as they'd disappeared, the Spider Riders reappeared in an alleyway between two tall buildings. With Hunter and Richter as the exception, everyone was already in awe.

"The sky is blue!" Lumen said in shock. "What a weird color."

"Actually, that's the normal color," Richter replied.

"I don't see a sun here," Corona added. "Where is it?"

"Oh, it's here," Hunter said, as he squinted up at the sky. "Just, you can't see much of it, because it's behind those clouds." A sliver could be seen peeking out, which he pointed to.

"W-wait… the sun is that small?" she asked.

"My world is pretty different than the Inner World," Hunter commented. "But this is definitely it. We're really back!"

"Everyone!" Richter called, sternly. "Before we step out to where people can see us, I have one important rule."

"Which is?" Igneous asked, somewhat concerned.

"Everyone must keep their spiders in the manacle," he said. "That goes for this one too." He pointed to Hotarla, the only one which was currently out.

"Huh?" Sparkle said. "But, Hotarla always stays out of the manacle."

"Kyu…" whimpered Hotarla.

"Actually, I have to agree with Richter," Hunter said, looking at her sadly. "Sorry Sparkle. But in this world, spiders are tiny. We don't really want to scare anyone."

"Oh, alright," Sparkle said. "I'm really sorry, Hotarla. I'll make sure to play with you a lot when we get back." She lifted her manacle. "Spider in."

"Spiders are tiny?" Shadow wondered. "What a twisted world."

Once that was dealt with, Hunter was the first of the group to step into the streets. They were actually rather bustling with people.

"Why are the buildings here so giant?" Magma asked.

"This is a city," Hunter replied. "It's full of tall buildings. But, not all of them are so big. Skyscrapers might not be as impressive as the castles in the Inner World, but I guess they are pretty neat."

'Hunter seems really happy to be here,' Corona thought to herself. She recalled when she first returned to her home of Nuuma, and how uneasy she felt back then. But for Hunter, if he was troubled by anything, he didn't show it.

"It's really crowded too," Igneous spoke, as he was trying to get his bearings straight, and not having much luck.

"I agree," replied Lumen. "But, at least the ladies here are just as lovely." Spotting a girl who was walking alone, he walked up to her.

"Hey, beautiful," he said. "What are you doing, on this fine day in the Outer World?"

Igneous immediately put his hand to his forehead in exasperation.

"Wh-what are you talking about?" said the girl. "And, what are you wearing?"

"Hm? These clothes are fitting for a prince," Lumen replied. "I am a prince, you know? Would you like to be my princess?"

"What kind of geek are you?" asked the girl, disgusted. "There's no Comic Con this week, so get away!" She ran off.

"A geek?" Lumen wondered. "What's that?"

Hunter sighed. He was glad they were enjoying themselves, but hopefully they wouldn't do anything too stupid.

"Hey, Hunter!" Glint shouted, grabbing onto his arm. "In this strange world, what kind of things do people do when they date?"

"Well, actually I've never been on a date in this world," Hunter replied.

"I'm surprised! Still, you must have heard stories," Glint continued, and finally let go, to Corona's relief.

"Let's see…" began Hunter. "I guess you can do things like go out to dinner, or go to a park. One thing that's pretty popular is going to the movies."

"What's a movie?" Sparkle asked.

"Uh…" Hunter paused. How exactly was he going to explain that one? "Basically, it's kind of like a play. But, it isn't live. It was filmed in advance. And usually the effects are much better."

"A play that isn't live?" Shadow wondered.

"Eh, I can't really explain it better than that," Hunter said. "How about this? One day, when all of this is settled, I'll take you all back here and show you around. But now isn't a time for play."

"Exactly," said Richter, looking irritated. "We need to hurry and find my father!"

"Wow, the clothes here are strange," Igneous and Magma were looking into the windows of a department store.

"What is that?!" Sparkle had taken notice of a lady walking a big fluffy dog, and was pointing it out to Lumen.

"I'll round them up," Richter declared, charging off. "Even if it kills me!"

"Hey, Hunter," Corona said. Somehow, just the two of them were left waiting.

"Yeah," said Hunter.

"I can't help but notice how happy you seem. You must really like your home."

"Well, yeah, I am happy," replied Hunter. He looked to the girl, curiously. She seemed to be troubled by something.

"If you like it here, why did you leave?"

"Oh, because I always wanted to find the Inner World," Hunter said. "More than anything, I wanted to prove that my grandfather was right. And I did!" He grinned.

"And once you proved it, you still didn't want to go back?" Corona asked. Even when Spirit Oracle gave Hunter the chance to return once before, he had chosen to stay in the Inner World.

"No, not really," Hunter answered. There was an unusual sadness in his voice, Corona noticed. But she wasn't sure if it was her place to question him about it. She merely watched him.

"Gramps was actually the closest family I ever had," Hunter continued, to Corona's surprise. "You see, my dad was pretty sick, and always in the hospital. My mom had to work all the time. So, I spent a lot of time with Gramps, while he was still alive."

"Oh…" Corona said, still unsure if she should say much more.

"Of course, I heard all sorts of cool stories about the Inner World. I knew it was real, and that I had to go there one day. My mom, well… she didn't believe. Or, if she did, she was dead set against me going. She would always talk about how Gramps was a bad influence on me, that I should just give up on going, and live like a real person." He paused. "Now, I wonder. Do she and Dad even know if I'm alive? Did they realize that I made it to the Inner World?"

"Hunter…" said Corona.

"It's nothing to worry about now," replied Hunter, now smiling.

"Aqune!" Buguese had been searching the building, but had yet to locate the girl. Realizing she wasn't on the top floor, he headed down the only stairway, which led to the basement. "Aqune, where are you?!" Nonetheless, she wasn't answering, which only served to worry the Insector further. Was she even in the building at all? Was she alive?

Downstairs, he discovered a locked door. Getting past the problem of the lock was simple, as he could blast his way through.

It was the room he was seeking after all.

"Aqune!" he yelled, running up to her. He took her into his arms, gently shaking her, in hopes that she would wake up. "Can you hear me?" It was all in vain.

"You're… Buguese," The Insector was surprised to hear a feminine voice. But it wasn't Aqune's.

"Portia?" Indeed, it was Aqune's spider, who was still in the manacle. "What happened?!" the Insector demanded.

"That man said he wanted to awaken Spirit Oracle," Portia answered. "I can't reach Aqune. Please… save her."

"I will," Buguese replied. "I swear I will, somehow! And Siegfried will pay!"

"Sorry, I didn't mean to take so long," Richter said. It was hard to tell how sincere his apology was though, when his voice sounded so irritated.

"Hunter, we should be apologizing," said Igneous. "We got caught up in looking around at everything."

"Yeah, I should have been supporting you," Glint added.

"Really, it's fine," Hunter answered. "As long as we're all together now. We can't keep Aqune waiting any longer."

By chance, a certain woman was on a walk in the same part of the city as the Spider Riders had landed. And when she caught a glimpse of the group of Spider Riders, she stopped.

"That boy is…" she stared at Hunter, wondering.

"Mom?!" Hunter exclaimed, as he also noticed the woman's presence.

"What?!" Corona yelled.