Web of Shadows

Web of Shadows

Volume I: Lethal Protector

Issue 1 - Born Again

        Am… Am I awake?

        Where am I?

        Who am I?

        Name… Need… to remember… name...

        Name… Venom. I am Venom...

Feel… wrong…

Feel weak.

Feel empty. Like big hole is left inside.

Need to find something. Something to fill it. What was word… Word for it… Favorite word, once… Wasn’t always favorite… But it was when Venom came here…

Here… where is here?

Word… Uh… Uh… E… E… Execute? No… Not word Venom needs… Excelsior? No. Definitely not. So many words with E. But only need ONE word. Where is Venom?

Equestria.

Peace.

Harmony.

And… something else… Something else in there… Something else about Equestria… Something Venom hates…

        “Well, now! Sleeping in, are we?” Is this the thing Venom hates? If it wasn’t before, it probably is now. It’s… odd. Malformed. Part one thing, part another, part something else. Is… Is it the favorite word? No… No, certainly not. Too much… something. What was it… Magic. Yes. Too much magic. Would kill Venom if Venom touched it.

        “Hello? Oh, right. Probably can’t talk and all.” It flies, but it doesn’t move its wings. Taking that as a bad sign. Remembering something… Yes, remember now! Rule Venom told Venom when Venom came here… ‘If something flies without visible means of propulsion, it’s probably not a good idea to touch it.’

        … Venom has no idea what half that even meant. But get general picture. This isn't the favorite. Favorite word is something… Something Venom need… Something that needs Venom… Something that needs...

        Power. Favorite thing is something that needs Venom’s power. Yes. That’s it.

        “Okay, are you ignoring me?”

        Yes… and… favorite thing mixes with Venom… And we… we do something…

        “Oh. My. Goodness. You’re ignoring me. ME! It’s official. The Lord of Chaos is being ignored.”

        Favorite thing… almost got it… Is somewhere in mind. In thought-land. Yes… Favorite thing…

        “I. Cannot. Believe this. I come out of retirement after a thousand years, and let loose an old friend, and THIS is the reception I get?”

        Favorite thing… Is host. Yes. Need host. Need host… But for what?

        “Okay, you wanna be that way? Fine. Hmph. I’ll just have fun on my own.” It makes clicky noise with claw, and it’s gone. Good riddance. Can think clearly now. Think… Think…

        Oh. Remember now. Host needed to make whole. Bond with host… Make whole…

        Must be whole… for vengeance!

        Hiding. Easy enough. Things in hall look forward too much. Helmets don’t let them look up, either. Can move on ceiling easy. And they never look twice. Is almost fun.

        But things in halls weak. Too weak to be hosts. Too stupid, too. Need strong host. Make good Venom. But… hosts not this way. Why is Venom going this way?

        Yes. Now Venom remembers. They are there. Tore us apart. Took Venom away. Make them pay. Maybe make one of them into Venom. Kill other. Then kill remaining one. Eat both. Find real host. Simple.

        “We are gathered here today to celebrate the heroic accomplishments of these six ponies!”

        Yes. That’s the word Venom hate. Ponies. Stupid. Weak. Pathetic. And… they are here, too. Smiling, like nothing’s wrong. Everything is wrong because of them. Yes… Make them pay!

        Wait. That’s stupid. Too weak without host. Alone, not strong enough. Only whole Venom can get… revenge. But… No harm in saying Venom is back. Make them be afraid. Make them know Venom hasn’t gone away.

        “These six have shown true valor and have-” Oh, it hasn’t lost its eyesight. Good.

        “VENOM!” Great. The loud one’s still around, too.

        Venom drops to the ground. Yes, that’s the word. Drop. Drop. Funny word. Sounds like wop. What does wop mean? Ah, well. Will remember. Remember everything.

        “How are you here, vermin? I thought you were sealed up in the royal vaults?”

        Might as well make the best of it… Venom makes a throat. And then, Venom speaks.

        “Dooooooo… Noooooottttt… Caaaaaaaaaarrrrre… Freeeeeeeee… And… I… ssssssssshaaaaallll…. taaaaaaaaakkkeeeeee…. VEEEEEEEEENGEEEEEEAAAAANCE!” Venom stretches out, and makes Venom look bigger. That scares things, right? Being big is scary.

        “Princess Celestia! What is that thing?” Venom turns. Bright. Purple. Annoying. But… familiar. Never met… Would remember face… But scent… Scent is similar… Similar to… Who? Almost remember… A name… Yes… a name… Old host… Yes…

        “Stay back, Twilight!” Twilight. Name… No, does not make sense… Not old host… Not old host… Why does it smell like old host? Who IS old host?

        “This creature… This beast is none other than Venom, the parasite that haunted Equestria one thousand years ago during Discord’s reign of terror!” Loud one… Loud one is STUPID! Loud one is WRONG!

        “Nnnnnooooooo… Noooottttt… Riiiiiigggggghhhhhttt…. Wooooorrrrrrddd… Issss… Syyyymmmbbbbiiioooooootteeeeee… Join… With… Hooooooostttt… Make… Sssssstroooonnggg… Buuuuuuttttt… Yooooooouuuuu… Tooooookkkkk… Hoooooosttttt… Awayyyyy… Fffrrrrrooommmm… Veeeeennnnnoooommmm!” Make them pay, make them pay, MAKE THEM PAY!

        “SILENCE, CUR!” Loud one stomps. Stupid, as always.

        “Nnnnnooooo… Wiiiiilllll… Taaaaaaaaaallllkkkk…. Aaaaaasssssss… Iiiiiiii… Waaaaaaaannnnnntttt…” Venom grabs a pony. “Oooooorrrrrr… Veeeennnnooommmmm… Eeeeeaaaaatttttsssssssss… Iiiiiittttt...”

        “THOU SHALT UNHOOF THAT PONY OR THOU SHALT BE VANQUISHED HERE AND NOW!” The loud one’s head is glowing now. Why’s that, exactly?

        “Yyyyoooouuuu… Aaaalwwaaaayyysss… Aaaaaccctttt… Liiiiiiiiiikkkkeeeee… Tttttthhhiiiiiissssssssssssss…”

        Loud one raises its… eyebrow? Yes, eyebrow. “What doth thou mean, impudent beast?”

        “Yyyyyyyoooooouuuuuu… Aaaaaaaaccccccctttt… Liiiiiiikkkkeeee… Yyyyyyooouuuu… Aaaaarrreeee… Iiiiiiinnnn…. Coooooonnnnnnnntrrrrrrrooooollll… Buuuuuuttttt… Yyyyyyyooooouuuuuu… Neeeeeevvvveeeerrr… Aaaaaarrreeeee…” Always. Loud one… Moon, I think… “Mooooooonnnnn... thhhhhiiiiiiiinnnnnnkkkks iiiiiittt... caaaaaaannnnn shoooooouuuuuuttttttt aaaaaannnndddd...  Veeennooooommm wiiillllll listennnnnnnnn…”

        “We art a Princess of Equestria. We hath garnered respect through power and effort. Now UNHOOF THE PONY!”

        “Titlessssss… Meeeeeeeeaaaaan… Nothiiiiiiiing… To Venom… Iiiiii… Ssssssssseeeeeee... yooooooouuuu… Foooorr what… Yoooouuu are…” Venom coils around the pony tighter. “Veeeeennnoooommmm... caaaaannnn… ssssssenssssse iiiiitttt… Feeeeeeeeaaaaar… Paaaaaaaiiin… Doooouuubt… Yooooouuu are… Weeeaaak… And yooouu… Have noooo powerrrr… Ooooovvvvveeeeerrr Venom!” Venom feasts. Its flesh comes off its bone quite nicely. Its sides are rather scrumptious, but its screams are annoying Venom. Venom begins to chew away at its neck, and tear its windpipe out.

        “STOP RIGHT NOW!” Sun, yes, the other one is Sun… it hits me. Sun can use magic? Yes, Sun and Moon could always use magic. Yes, quite right. And Sun’s magic burns.

        Did Venom mention that Venom doesn’t like burning? “GRRRAAAAAOOOOGGHH!” I don’t even finish my meal. Now it’s sitting on the floor. Blood all around. “Ssssssuch… A perfectly… Good meal… wasted…”

        “You…” Oh? Now purple one is talking. “Why would you do that? That stallion… didn’t do anything wrong…”

        Sun moves. “Venom is a monster, Twilight, and he must be stopped NOW!” More magic. Easy to slide past. Sun and Moon aren’t really good at hitting Venom when Venom moves. Can easily escape, but not done talking yet.

        “Tttthhhiiiiisssss… Iiiissss… A waaaarrrrniiiiiinnngggg… Venoooom... Will retuuuuurrrn… And wheeeeennnn we doooo… Weeeeee willlllll feast!” Venom jumps to open space. Venom fails, somehow. Why can’t Venom go through this space? Is it more magic?

        “It’s... stuck against the glass?” Glass? Oh, glass. Clear. Fragile. Breakable. Easily done. Venom pulls back, and prepare to charge against it.

        Venom is suddenly flying… away from the glass. Venom didn’t do that on purpose... Wait… Oh. It’s a pony. Pony hit me. Pony has wings. Is many colors. Annoying to look at. Too bright.

        “Gotcha now, ugly! C’mon! Let’s go, right now!” I slap it to the side. It gets back up, and I slap it again. “Oof… That… all ya got?”

        “Nooooo… Buuuuttt… Pooonnyyy… Nooootttt… Wooorrrtttthhhh… Eeeeffffooooorrrrttt…”

        It seems to have taken offense to that. “Whassat supposed to mean?”

        “Poooonnnyyyy… Weeeeaaaakkk… Aaaarrrroooogggaaannnnttt… Caaaaannnnnn’ttt… Seeeeeee… Wheeeennn corneeeeerrreeddd…”

        “Huh?” Now Venom hits it again. Hard. And again. Very hard. Pony gets hit a lot. Stops boasting.

        “Stop right there, Venom!” Do they think Venom will obey?

        “Nnnnnooooo… Neeeevvvveeerrr… Obbbeeeeyyyyy… Poooooonnnniiiiieeeessss…” Venom breaks the glass, and Venom escapes.

        … Hmm, pretty long way down.

        … Wow, very long way down.

        … Second thought, Venom probably shouldn’t have jumped out the only window Venom saw. Or at least looked before Venom leapt. Well, here goes nothing.

        Twilight looks down from the window, “It just jumped out the window! Can it fly or something?”

        Celestia looks at the rapidly shrinking black mass, “No, Twilight. Venom was simply rash. Though I doubt a mere fall would be enough to stop this creature. I’ll have some guards descend to inspect the crash site.”

        Applejack tilted her hat, “Now, I don’t mean to pry, Princess… But what in the hay WAS that thing, exactly?”

        Celestia sighs, “It is a dark, and very horrific story from long ago. During Discord’s reign of terror, the creature we know of as Venom appeared mysteriously. Not even the Lord of Chaos knows how it appeared. It just did. Venom is a symbiote, meaning it bonds to another being and grants them great power, in exchange for feeding off of them. Venom was erratic, paranoid, and dangerous. Once it bound itself to a host, it unleashed a reign of havoc. Even after Discord was sealed away, it still operated on its own agenda. We eventually sealed it away too, but it looks like the beast is loose once more.”

        Rainbow Dash grins, “So… we just gotta find him and beat his flank before he gets a host. Simple, right?”

        Luna shakes her head, “Nay, Rainbow Dash. Even without a host, the Venom is still more than powerful enough to do damage. It still did plenty of damage to you. And we all saw what happened to the poor stallion in there…”

        A moment of silence passes.

        Fluttershy looks around, “Well… Uhm… Maybe we can try… talking to him? I mean… maybe he’s just scared, is all.”

        Celestia and Luna both look to the butterscotch pegasus. “Fluttershy, Venom is deranged. Psychotic. It acts not out of fear, but rather bloodlust. It enjoys hurting innocent ponies. It must be stopped.”

        Fluttershy nodded, “O-okay… But it just doesn’t seem right...”

        Venom is afraid. Very afraid.

        Not fun falling from high place. Reassembling after falling from high place not fun, either. Very long, and very boring.

        Almost completely together. Wait! Here comes more ponies! Hiding time! Venom crams into rocks. Very uncomfortable. Rocks are hard. And pointy. Well, they can’t stab Venom, but that doesn’t change how pointy they are.

        “See anything?” White pony. Has wings. Very close. Good host?

        “No. You?”

        “Nah, man. Thing’s gone by now.”

        No. Not good host. But could kill. Can do it right now. Eat throat first. Won’t scream. Then take time with brain.

        “Let’s search some more, just in case.”

        Yes… can eat quickly. Just need to wait… Wait… Wait with trap… Like a…

        A spider.

        Yes… remembering more. Venom was once with Spider-Man. Not this one. Other Venom. Real Venom. I’m… fake Venom. Wasn’t always Venom. Liked Real Venom, though… Yes. Remembering more… Made… costume. Looked like Real Venom. Went to big place. Lights. Lots of them. Lots of… people. Yes, lots of people. What else do I remember...

        Wait! Pony got away! Was thinking too much.

        Can always get meal later. For now, must go somewhere else. Find new host. Become whole Venom. Then worry about food.

        This is boring. Nothing in sight for miles. Just long tracks. Tracks for… something, forgot name…

WHOOOOOOOOOOO

        Oh, yeah. Train. Wait, Venom is on tracks! Oh, NONONONONONO-

        Trains hurt. But now Venom has way to move fast. Very fast. Venom moves along train. Gets into passenger section. Hanging in storage space above. Very cramped. Lots of ponies below. But is quiet. Quiet is good. Very good. Can sleep now.

Wait, recognize smell. Is purple pony? Pony that was with them? Venom peeks out of space. Yes. Purple pony. And five more. Six ponies. Same ones from before. Did they follow? No. Just also on train? Don’t know. Can wait. Can listen. Can learn. Do ponies think they can beat Venom?

“Aw, quit yer worryin, Twi. I’m sure the Princess’ll find that varmint, and then we can all go home.” What is varmint? And why does orange pony have funny hat?

“You’re right, Applejack. But still, I can’t help but worry. Venom is pretty dangerous.” Obviously. Venom is supreme.

“And terribly hideous.” White pony is ignorant. Power is all that matters. Will need to show that.

“Yeah right. I bet I can beat that ugly blob with one hoof tied behind my back!” Oh, really? Would love to see that happen.

“Don’t be so sure of that, RD.” Purple one again.

“C’mon! Why are you ponies thinking that he’s a problem? It’s just an ugly blob of black stuff! We beat Discord, for pony’s sake! We can beat this!” Venom isn’t Discord. Venom can’t be beaten. Venom will get revenge.

“Uhm… Sorry, but… Maybe… you shouldn’t think so low of him… the Princesses said he was a threat a thousand years ago… So… We probably… should be more cautious this time around…” Yellow pony isn’t stupid like others. Far more afraid, but still smarter. Fear isn’t all bad. Fear makes one think. Fear makes one intelligent. Fear keeps one alive. Yellow pony is afraid, but alive. Maybe yellow pony is useful. Certainly not as host, but… useful.

“Next stop, Ponyville!” Pony yelling. What is Ponyville? Can Venom eat it?

“Alright, girls, let’s get up.” Ponies get up. Get off train. Venom hides in bag. Yes, ponies will take Venom to host. Have ponies solve problem for Venom. Ponies make Venom whole. Ponies make their own death.

        Where is Venom now? Peek from bag. Smells… Lots of… smells. Good smells… Very, very good smells… Venom likes… Can Venom eat?

        “Hmm-hmm-hmm, HMM-hmm-hmm!” Venom is with… pink pony? But pink pony isn’t good host!

        Whatever. Venom will wait. Good host will come soon enough.

        Venom awakens. Venom smells… something. Something different. Is host? No. Is something else. Not good host. Is… strong. Too strong to be host.

        Is dark outside. No more day-star. Night-rock is high in sky. But inside pink place, there is a… thing. It sits at a… table. Yes, Venom remembers. Is a table. It taps table, and it smiles.

        Venom doesn’t even know what it is, and Venom hates it.

        “Hmph. You really can’t remember anything, can you, little guy?” It tries to reach out for Venom. Venom hisses, and pulls away.

        “Whoo! No need for the hostility! I simply want one of my pawns to get back onto the board, is all.”

        Venom stops. Pawn. What is pawn? What does it want with Venom?

It taps its hand on the table. Hand. How did Venom know that word?

        “You remember nothing? Imprisoned for a thousand years without a host. Tsk, tsk, tsk. Must’ve done a number on your psyche. Took you a while to remember the word ‘table’. Well, I can say with absolute certainty that if you find a host, you’ll remember more about yourself.”

        Really? Venom looks closer at it. “Iiiiittttt… Ccccaaaannnn… Hhheeellllppp… Vvveeenooooomm?”

        “Yeparooni. If you find a host and stick to ‘im, then you’ll remember more. But if you stay away, you forget. Now, the thing is, y’all can’t exactly… bond well with these ponies. You’ll find better hosts with the other Displaced.”

        Displaced? What’s a Displaced? “Wwwhhhaaatt…. Iiiissss… Ddddissssppplllaaaccceddd?”

        “What you are, buddy. Now, normally I wouldn’t interact with one of you after sending you on yer way, but you’re a special case.”

        Really? Venom is… special? Venom likes that.

        “Yeah. You need to go and find more Displaced, and latch onto them if you wanna do anything. Under normal circumstances, you would just send a little token and have other Displaced call you out. But you can’t make a token, so I’m gonna give you the gift of going out and finding people. You’re gonna go out and find other Displaced across the Void. You ready?”

        Yes! YES! VENOM IS READY! VENOM WILL FIND HOST! “YEEEEEESSSSSSS!”

It waves its hand, and Venom feels a… power. Venom can…feel something out there… Venom can feel… everything out there. Venom can… reach out… and almost touch it…

        “Woah woah woah! Not so fast! Not so soon, man! First you gotta get yer bearings first. Recover some strength. That’s all I can say for now, little guy. You’ll get your chance soon enough. Learn how to look out there without actually going out there. It’ll make things a lot easier. Trust me. This one time, I jumped without looking. Found myself in the middle of the The Last Supper. Literally. I warped into the Big J. Kinda messy. Ah, well. Good luck to ya, kid!”

It disappeared. So much for that, Venom can guess. But Venom shall listen. Venom shall find place to hide. To rest. To become strong, so Venom can find real host. Yes. That is what Venom will do. But not here. Venom will hide first. Go out where no ponies can hurt Venom. Go and hide. Go and gain strength.

        Venom is hiding where no ponies are. Out with… trees. Yes. Trees. Lots of trees. Venom can hide. Make webs. Like spiders… Spiders… Spiders… Spiderman…

        Venom remembers! Yes, now Venom remembers! Spiderman! Spectacular Spiderman! New York! Web swing! MJ! Goblin Green! … Wait, that’s not right.

        Anyways, Venom remembers… Spiderman! Spiderman was hero! Spiderman saved… Spiderman saved lives. Lots of lives. Spiderman was good. Was hero.

        Was my hero.

        Why does Venom hurt? Venom doesn’t like this feeling. Venom wants to go… back. Back to where? To them? Sun and Moon?

        No. Back further. Back home.

NO! Venom can’t go home! Venom is hated! Nobody wants Venom!

        Venom… is alone.

        Venom wants… What is word? Important word, important like host.

        Venom… wants...

Friend. Yes. Venom wants friend.

        *THUNK*

        What was that?

        *THUNK*

        … Oh, boy.

        *THUNK*

        Venom not like this.

        *THUNK*

        Is big… lizard. Very very big. And very hungry.

        It’s walking away. Oh thank goodness. Wait, why is its foot coming- OH NONONO-

        “Hmm… What me step in? Is all icky and nasty! Ugh, need to scrape off!” The large beast raises its foot, and drags it against a rock. The moment it begins grinding, an enormous screech fills its ears.

        “GGGGYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!”

        “AH! EARS HURT NOW! OOF! AGH!” The beast plants its claws against the side of its head, and wails in pain. It collapses, and glares at the black mass on its foot. “Grrraaaagh!” It stands up, and begins to stomp.

        “NO, WAIT!”

        “Hm? Who said that?”

        “Veeeeeeenooooooom! Vennnnoooom... ddddiiidd! Please. dooooonnn’t... sttteeeepp on.. Veeeeeeennnoooom... again!”

The beast glares at its foot, “Venom? What’s a Venom?”

        “Vvveeeeennnoooommm… Iiiiissss… Vvvveeeennnoooommmm… Vvveeennnooommm… Nnnneeedddsss… To hhhiiiiddddeee… Fffrrroooommm… Pooonniieessssss…” Venom slides out from under big foot. Venom looks at creature, and can se in full view.

        Big. First thing to say. Definitely big. Very very big.

        Is white. Very white. Second thing to say. With red eyes. Looks familiar.

        Is… dragon? Yes. Dragons in Equestria. Makes sense. But… something missing.

        Yes. Wings. White dragon has no wings. And short neck. But very fat head.

        Is very hunched, too. Almost like…

        T-Rex. Venom remembers. Dragon looks like T-Rex. But not T-Rex. Arms too big. Tail too long.

        “Ponies? Why hide? Ponies weak. Ponies can’t hurt nothing!”

        “Pooonnniieeesss… Haaaavvveee… Mmmmaaggiiccccc…” The thing laughs.

        “Magic no hurt me! Me strongest of all!”

        It is?

        “Whhhaattt… Iiisss… Iiittt?”

        “Me no have name. Momma no give name. Said ‘dragon with no wings is no dragon at all’. But me no care. If me no fly, then me just break everything!”

“Mmmaaayyybbeee… Vvveennooomm… Cccaaannn… Heeeelllpp…”

        “Venom? Help me? Really? Venom help me be strong?” It is happy. Very happy.

“Hhheeelllpp… Yyyyooouuu… Iiifff… Yyyoouuu… Hhheeelllpp… Vveennoomm… Sttaayyy… Aaawwaaayyy… Ffrrrooommm… Ponnniiieessss…”

        The thing smiles. “Okay! Me make sure Venom no see pony again! No worries!”

        “Gggooooddd… Vvennnoommm… Wwiillll… Mmmaaakkkeee… Yyyyooouuu… Sstrrroonnngggg…” Venom lashes up its body. Venom wraps and coils around its enormous leg muscles. Venom will have to stretch to make this work… But will be worth it.

        “GAH! WHAT VENOM DOING? NOT NICE! NOT NICE! STOP NOW! PLEASE! VENOM STOP!”

        “Ssshhh… Iiisss… Boooonndddiinnggg…” Venom latches onto neck. Reaches to arms and head. Tail is coated. Now Venom is covering the host. Host is asleep. Must wait for now. Must wait… until host wakes up.

        Until then, will sleep. Sleep with the host… That is a very good idea, I suppose…

        … Wait, what?

        Oh, dear me. My head… No, wait. Not my head. His. His head seems to be rather aching at the moment. I’ll have to remedy that as soon as possi-

        Hold on a freaking minute. What the hell’s going on? Before I slept, I couldn’t stop talking in third person! One nap later, and- holy guacamole, I know what guacamole is! Ha-ha!

        Still, I am connected to what amounts to a giant wingless dragon. Wait, I don’t do fire. May want to alter that flame chamber. Yes, let’s see… Reach in there, alter the respiratory tubes so I don’t get charred when he burns someone else… Yes! Now we’re cooking with peanut oil!

        I don’t even remember what peanut oil is, but I could care less!

        Okay, let’s review. A being… No, a human, was in that… Was it a bakery? I think it was. Anyways, it was in a bakery. Wait, he was in a bakery. Got to remember the pronouns. And he said he sent me here. More or less. And that there are others like me who I’ll bond better with? Hmm. Well, this connection is a little iffy. I had to pour more anesthetic than I’d like to keep him calm while I altered the flame chambers. Our synchronization rating is low. Maybe it’s because we just met up, and it’s an unfamiliar body type. That’s probably it. Yes.

        “Mmm… Me feel… funny. What’s with all the words?”

        “Ah, me wake now…” Oh. Forgot my current scenario. Might as well talk to the sucker.

Uh… testing, testing? One, two, three? Ah, can you hear me?

        “Who you? Why can’t Me see you?”

That’s probably because I’m on you, brainless.

        I use that term almost literally. I’m hooked up to it, and, let’s just say the lift doesn’t go beyond the mezzanine.

        What the hell is a lift? Or a mezzanine, for that matter?

        “AH! ME NOT LIKE THIS BEFORE! GET IT OFF! GET IT OFF ME!”

CALM DOWN! That shut him up quick enough. I am a symbiote. I have bonded to you. We are one now. I have made you stronger. You’re three times stronger than you were before. You’re much faster. You can climb walls with ease. You can sense things coming without seeing or hearing them. You have all the skills of the spider, and the power of a dragon. That is what it means to be my host. That is what it means to be Venom.

        “Me like this… But me feel… weird now.”

Well, I don’t take well to fire. So I kinda moved your flame chamber around some. Now when you breathe fire, you won’t hurt me.

        “Venom do that? Wow. Me likey.”

        If I had a mouth of my own, I would’ve sighed. Truly, my scenario is grim, locked in here with such a childish being.

        “Grim… lock?”

        Oh, bugger. Did I leave the communication channel open?

        “Me Grim… lock?” Well, not the worst name he could have. Although, I do wonder where I got it from… It seems… familiar.

        “Yes… Me Grimlock… And we are VENOM!” He breathes a stream of fire into the air, and roars triumphantly. The day-star shines upon us, and I take a moment to deploy a piece of myself to be an ‘eye’.

        Funny how I remembered that from a thousand years ago with my old host. I learned how to take a piece of myself to use as an extra ‘eye’. It fails if the string connecting it is severed, so it’s only useful for looking at myself outside of combat. But since I’m normally a blob of tar, I’m not exactly aesthetically pleasing. But now, I can gaze upon my host and my new upgrades to him.

        I’ve covered him in myself, so now he looks less scaled and more smooth, a somewhat rubber appearance (what the hell is rubber?). His head crest, I extend and add web designs along. Not webs in between the crest, but on each individual horn. His chest has my insignia upon it, with the limbs stretching back over and under his shoulders.

        Hmm, maybe the ‘all black’ look isn’t that appealing. I take the upper half, and revert it to white, and enlarge the insignia so it appears that the white of the legs ‘overtakes’ the back, but I leave ebony web designs all across his back, and outer sections. I extend the length of his claws, and include an extra elbow spike on each arm, and equip an extra web shooter in each of those. Looking at his tail, there can be definite improvements. I add a barb to it, and hide another web shooter there. I’m taking no chances. I add a menacing series of spikes along his back, topping off around his shoulder plates. I add various spikes and armor plates on his legs. Those are important, vital points, and I’d hate to have to heal them all the time. So, I prefer prevention rather than repair. That’s suitable.

Hey, Grimlock?

        “Hm? Yes? What Venom want?”

I’m gonna show you something. Don’t freak out, it’s just something I can do to my host. Alright, ready?

        “Grimlock ready!” I let him see through the eye. After his initial freak-out, which almost snaps the wire, I move the ‘eye’ around, letting him gaze upon his new form.

        “Is this… what Grimlock look like?”

No. It is what Grimlock and VENOM look like.

        “Wow. Is… Is cool! Me Grimlock, like this!”

Good. I hope you do. Now, let’s find some food. After all the biomass I had to expend straight from Grimlock’s own stomach, we need the protein.

        “Me Grimlock like that idea.”

Good. Now, ah, Grimlock? Would you mind not… talking aloud?

        “Why? Too loud for Venom?”

No, it’s just unnecessary. Don’t waste breath with me. We are one, Grimlock. Think what you want me to hear. I can hear it.

That make no sense. Venom not pony. Venom no use magic. How can Venom hear thoughts?

Because we’re one. I don’t need magic.

Venom heard Grimlock?

Apparently. And unfortunately for me.

Really?

Yes, really. Can we go get food now? We’re, like, really starving.

Okay~

One would expect a dragon to simply charge through a forest, and grabbing at every morsel they can find. One would expect them to be unstoppable, triumphant, and powerful.

Yeah! Dragons strong.

So why’re we atop a mountain and cowering in front of other dragons of which we’re larger than?

Because these dragons hurt Grimlock! And Grimlock no like them! These dragons mean!

So… why didn’t you avoid them? Go around them entirely?

… Grimlock no think of that.

        Of course he didn’t.

        “Hey, stupid!” Oh, no he didn’t.

“What’s with the costume, huh? You go to some namby-bamby pony’s costume party?” What kind of insult is that?

That not true! Venom not pony costume, right?

Obviously I’m not. Try to stand your ground.

        “G-Grimlock got this i-i-in forest! A-a-and Grimlock ma-”

“Look at this! The retard has a name now!” Call him that again, and I will RENDER YOU LIMB FROM LIMB, YOU INSIGNIFICANT WASTE OF FLESH!

“Why don’t you go over there with Crackle, huh? Hang out with the other stupid dragon?” I turn and generate an eye in the direction of where the younger dragons are pointing. Aw, hell no.

GRIMLOCK! You are too strong for these whelps to command you! You are stronger than them! Faster! Better! Prove yourself! Show me what you’re made of!

B-but they hurt Grimlock! They hurt Grimlock even when Grimlock no do wrong! Grimlock didn’t ask to do this! Grimlock never do anything wrong! Grimlock try to be strong, and other dragons make fun of Grimlock!

Okay, I’ve just about had it. I grab a hold of Grimlock’s chemical centers, and force feed him enough adrenaline and noradrenaline to cripple a dragon half his size..

You are done hiding. You are done cowering away. We are done waiting for these arrogant fools to toy with us!

WE ARE VENOM! AND WE WILL NOT BE DENIED!

“GRRRRRRAAAAAOOOOOOOGGGGGHHHH!” Grimlock charges forwards, and body slams the first one, a red dragon whose name is… let me scan through the memories... Garble? That’s… actually kinda pathetic. My host was already a massive beast before my modifications. And ‘Garble’ is his worst fear? I hope Grimlock doesn’t mind if we take a bite out of him.

Not at all.

Fantastic.

Grimlock takes his claw, balls it up into a fist, and slams it on the smaller dragon’s head. The smaller one, clearly stronger than I initially gave credit for, is only dazed by the strike. Grimlock rears back his other fist, and begins taking shots at the younger drake.

*WHAM*

“YOU!”

*WHAM*

“HURT!”

*WHAM*

“GRIMLOCK!”

*WHAM*

“NOW!”

*WHAM*

“VENOM!”

*WHAM*

“WILL!”

*WHAM*

“HURT!”

*WHAM*

“YOU!”

Now, Grimlock raises his claw, and grabs Garble by the throat. He tears the drake from the earth, and hurls him into the sky. He holds out his claw, and- YES! The web-shooters work spectacularly! Garble is now wrapped in a black web from head to toe, as if in a small cocoon.

Grimlock swings Garble around. Really quickly. Why do I suddenly think of plumbers and turtles… What’s a plumber, again?

“GGGRRRAAAAAOOOOOOGGGGGGGGGGHHH!” Grimlock slams the drake into the molten earth, and the satisfying sound of bones shattering can be heard.

Wh-what happened? Did Grimlock just… win?

Yes, Grimlock, yes! Your first fight, and you won it! You bested this pathetic waste of flesh! Now claim your reward!

I trigger his salivary glands, and rumble his stomach a bit. Hey, a little coaxing never hurt anyone, right?

Garble, now with a clearly broken leg, several ribs, and most likely a shattered set of wings, begins to crawl away like the bug he is, away from Grimlock. Grimlock steps on him, and applies pressure.

“GAH! I-I’M SORRY, DUDE! PLEASE STOP! I DIDN’T MEAN ANYTHING BY IT! WE WERE JUST JOKING AROUND, THAT’S ALL! PLEASE LET ME GO!”

Grimlock leans in close, and I retract the mask over his head. Garble recoils. Good for him. I can smell his fear. Literally. Pheromones and all. And it is delectable.

“Garble… bully Grimlock. Tell Grimlock that because he has no wings, and because Grimlock isn’t smart, Grimlock can’t be strong. Guess what? Grimlock not gonna listen to Garble any more. Grimlock’s only gonna listen to Venom now! Venom’s Grimlock’s real friend! And Venom’s gonna help Grimlock be the strongest there is!”

Garble begins panicking. Good, good. “Okay, okay! Can I just… talk to this Venom? What is it, a pony or something? C’mon, you can’t be listening to one of them!”

You mind if I take over from here?

Go ahead. Make it quick.

“Whhhhooooo sssaid Iiiii was a... pony?” Damnit, still got the snake talk. Ah, well. It’ll go away sooner or later. The mask reforms over, and I add in a dark echo over my words so as to not be confused with Grimlock. Every bit of identification helps, thank you very much.

“It’s dinner time!” Our fangs open up, and Garble disappears into the blackness.

Dragon? Actually not that bad.

Much better than gemstones.

Woah, woah, woah. Hold the fuck up. Dragons these days eat gemstones?

Yeah. All the time!

That does nothing for you! It’s a trick that the ponies began to implant years before even I arrived! I heard an old dragon tell me and my first host about it once.

Really? Grimlock picks out a talon from his teeth.

Yes, really! All the gemstones in the world have innate magic, so it’s enough to make a dragon think they’re full. But not enough to incur physical growth. So when dragons eat gems, they actually don’t grow at all.

Uhhhh… Right. Forgot.

Eating gems is a bad idea. If it came from the rocks, don’t eat it.

But they’re yummy!

Well… Maybe as a treat.

Yay! Grimlock cheers as he removes a rib in his fangs.

“Hey, you!” Grimlock turns, and his eyes show me-

Well, that’s just fan-fucking-tastic. Another dragon. This one’s bigger. He has a dark turquoise set of scales, with yellow accents on his spines, crest, and wings.

“You dare to eat my son? I own these lava pits, worm! A wingless despicable mutt like you doesn’t deserve to be here! If you run now, I might not kill you.”

Grimlock glares, and stands up. “Grimlock no do wrong before. Garble keep picking on Grimlock because Grimlock no have wings. But Grimlock strong. So if big meanie dragon wants to fight Grimlock because Grimlock stood up for himself, then so be it.”

Nice speech. You used over five words at once.

Thank you.

The larger dragon snarls, “Insolent incompetent beast! You dare to tromp on my hoard and my domain? I’ll kill you now! GRAGH!” The dragon charges quickly, but not fast enough for us.

“RRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAOOOOOOOGGGGGHH!” Grimlock opts for a tail slam, knocking the larger foe into a rock wall. it cracks, and lava pours out of it. Ah, crapbaskets.

“YAGH!” The dragon lunges at Grimlock, and tries to bite down on him. Grimlock raises his hands, and uses his webs. It works like a charm.

“GACK! GAHAUGH!” The dragon’s mouth is now webbed open, and he’s choking on the stuff sliding down his throat. Grimlock rears back his fist, and clocks the dragon in the very open mouth, with the sound of his teeth breaking barely being surpassed by his cry of agony.

Yes, more! More pain! More screams! Make him pay, Grimlock! MAKE! HIM! PAY!

Grimlock stays silent, and knees the dragon as he continues to cough. As he tries to recover, Grimlock takes advantage of my webbing to grab and pull the dragon back. He grabs the foe by his jaws, one hand on each, and begins to pry. Hard.

Oh, yes. Yes, I can feel it! His fear, his hatred, hisdespair! KILL HIM NOW, GRIMLOCK! KILL HIM NOW, AND BECOME THE STRONGEST AMONG THIS PIT!

*KRACK*

Flesh rends and tears as Grimlock keeps pulling, even past the head, until the serpentine neck of our foe is rendered in half.

Ouch. That’s gotta hurt. I look to the torn head of the former leader of this group. I suppose now would be as good a time as ever to say a cool one-liner or something to establish your dominance.

Grimlock turns to the other cowering dragons.

“Any other dragons that wanna play the wrong game?”

Meh. 6/10.

One dragon, a punk who was, ironically, with Garble and picking on Grimlock, spoke out first.

“What’d he say his name was?”

Much better. Now’s your chance to make a good first impression.

Grimlock’s face pulled into a sneer. “ME GRIMLOCK, ME KING!” He rears back his head, and roars triumphantly, unleashing a torrent of flame.

The other dragons begin to chant, “Grimlock! Grimlock! Grimlock!”

With all of this in mind, I think I’ll be just fine from here on out. Just… fine.

Yessssss…