Chapters Spiders and Magic: After the Crisis
Spider-Man/Deadpool: Amending Fences
Peter Parker's life in Equestria grew more complicated lately.
After helping his successor, two clones he considered brothers and an old foe now reformed in stopping a mad scientist and an insane Jackal from ruling time and destroying reality, Peter thought that he could go back to living a somwhat normal life with his family and friends new and old.
He was wrong.
Turned out, Loki had allied himself with a team of supervillains from another world: The Legion of Doom as they were called. Heroes from both worlds allied with the Equestrians in order to stop the unified threat: Wolverine, Batman, the Flash, Quicksilver, Ant-Man, Superman, Star-Lord, Vibe, Human Torch, Iceman, Deadpool, Wonder Woman and many more aided the small team in saving the world.
But that came at the cost of Loki's life, casualties were deemed unnecessary by the heroes and hoped that it wouldn't have come down to anyone dying, especially by betrayal from Lex Luthor, who had gained the powers of Superman.
After a major beating, Spider-Mane and Superman, with aid from Wolverine, Batman and Future Sweetie Belle finally foiled his scheme, putting the three worlds at peace for the time being.
Now, with the barriers across the worlds broken once again, the heroes can celebrate and bond, especially those that missed Peter, though they may not admit it. Though, not all can stay in Equestria the whole time as they have other matters. But nontheless, they wished their friend the best and were hoping to meet his new friends at least.
"My biggest regret was ever knowing you."
"You don't mean that, you wanted to come."
"No, I didn't."
Spider-Man and Deadpool found themselves tied up on a pole where Chitauri walked by the city. New York was being invaded again and the Avengers were nowhere to be found, busy fighting in outer space with the Guardians of the Galaxy. "One day, I'd like to not get dragged into some bizzare adventure for the fate of the world. Especially when it's one involving working with you. And even worse when I'm tied up to you before my death."
Deadpool shuffled, "Yeah, yeah. It's a strange posture, I know. I just need to reach for it. Aha!"
"Don't tell me you popped a--" Peter's masked eyes went wide before he felt something poke his side. "Ah crap."
"Get your mind out of the gutter, Spidey." Deadpool scolded, using his katana to break the rope that binded them. "Heh, I said gutter ." he chuckled to himself.
Breaking the rope off his body, Spider-Man hopped up and kicked an alien, "You got anything for this, Wade?" he asked, creating a web hammer and bringing it down on a soldier. "Seriously, why didn't you bring Twilight or Luna with me? If it wasn't for you jumping into the ship and declaring war with Monopoly, these aliens wouldn't have invaded to begin with!"
Deadpool pulled out his pistols and began shooting at the Chitauri charging after them, "Duh! We gotta establish our good cop, bad cop dynamic with an epic fight! With the Avengers fighting the mothership, it's up to us two to fight the cliche b-list alien street army!" he put his guns away and unsheathed his sword, cutting apart the aliens.
Spider-Man used a web-strike flip combo to fight off more aliens, "Yeah, sure, where are the other heroes? We should've brought Rainbow Dash, Spike! Wolverine! Anyone! So I wouldn't get stuck working with you alone on this!" he shouted.
"Aw, you like me!" Deadpool cooed, throwing a grenade, blowing up a few aliens. "But seriously, we got captured, we're free. Get over it. We're doing this."
"Quite the opposite." Spider-Man mumbled. "I'm starting to hate this."
Then, the aliens suddenly vanished and the ship above them flew away once they disappeared. "Did you do that or is there something I'm missing here..." Peter asked.
"The Avengers destroyed the mothership! Awesome, we're Avengers now!" Deadpool cheered.
"Please let this be a dream..." Peter sighed.
Peter yawned, feeling the rays of the morning sun hit his face. He stretched his hooves as he sat up. "Ah..." he sighed, 'It feels great to wake up and not have the world at stake. No Sloan, no Jackal, no Loki and no Legion. Yep, today's gonna be a good day. Crazy dream though. I swear that Deadpool and I had to fight aliens before they blew up Phantom Menace Style.'
"Good morning, honey."
The stallion's eyes went wide and a frown instantly formed on his muzzle, not recognizing the voice of that of his wife's. Slowly, Peter turned his head, and found the other occupant of his bed.
He saw Deadpool lying there, with a wig made to look like Twilight's mane. Peter let out a shrill scream at the sight of Deadpool on his bed. The mercenary groaned, "Aw, come on. I want to have a moment with my bro and he screams. We totally kicked alien ass yesterday, and you were all tuckered out. And with Twilight out of the house, you just looked so lonely."
'Sounds like a repeat of what happens when we do it to Wolverine.'
'Minus the screaming. And this time there's no stabbing.'
As Deadpool was deep in his thoughts, he felt the force of something kick him off. Peter panted in fright as he literally kicked Deadpool out of his room.
Out the window.
Deadpool let out a goofy scream as he fell out of the top of the Treebrary, "Wheeee!" he cheered, before an audible thud could be heard from Parker's spot.
Peter shuddered, removing the covers off his body, "Ugh. I gotta burn these now. Maybe I'll ask Johnny to do the honors later on when I have the time." he sighed, getting up from his bed and opening the door, wanting to forgot what happened.
"Hey, Peter?" Deadpool could be heard yelling. "I kinda broke my ribs... And my legs. Can I get a lift until they heal?"
Peter gritted his teeth, "Just ignore him, Peter... Like you've done most your life."
The stallion made it downstairs, which was a lot more crowded. Something he'd have to get used to. He saw Scott, Logan, Eddie and Ben relaxing on the sofa, with Mayday talking to Scott about his helmet. The excited filly held up the gadget, "When can I use this, Scott?" she wondered.
Scott chuckled, "I dunno, kid. I'll leave that to your father."
Eddie raised a brow at Peter's scowl, "You alright, Pete? You look like you've seen a ghost."
"You have no idea, Brock. I wish it was." Peter mumbled under his breath in anger,
Turning his head, Ben peeked out the window, "...Why do I see Deadpool lying on the ground with his hooves broken in three different directions?"
Raising a hoof, Peter was about to speak before Logan cut him off, "You still raggin' on the merc, huh kid?" he asked.
"He popped up in my bed... I-I think he was spooning me." Peter shuddered the response as slow as he could. "Speaking of... Is Johnny here? I need him to do me a small favor."
Wolverine shook his head, "C'mon, kid."
"What? You would stab Wade if he hopped on your bed. That is, if you weren't brooding over a small picture frame. Why do you do that anyway?" the wall-crawler trailed off.
The sound of a door opening got Peter's attention. He saw Twilight, her horn lit, a purple aura surrounding the levitating broken body of Deadpool. "Hi, Peter." the alicorn greeted, "...Why was Deadpool outside with his legs broken?"
"In my defense, he can take the damage." Peter defended himself as fast as he could. "Where were you?"
Deadpool turned his head, "Thank you, Twilight. At least you have manners." he muttered sarcastically in disgust in relation to Peter.
"Anyway," Twilight cleared her throat, "Rarity wanted to see me about an idea you had. She mentioned a new costume. Was it for you?"
Peter shook his head, "I'll go into detail about that later, but no. For now, I need to find Johnny about something."
"He went back to Earth for a bit. He said something about the Fantastic Four coming back soon." Twilight explained. She released her magic grip on Wade, dropping his body down on the ground.
"Oh great." Peter grumbled, "I get up and I find out that he's not here." he shrugged.
Cracking sounds were heard, disgusting everyone watching Deadpool snapped his broken limbs back into place. Scott could be seen covering Mayday's eyes and ears the best he could in order to spare her the discomfort. Peter gave Lang a quick thanks while he watched Wade stand up.
"Hey, if it's a trip to Earth you want, I can take you guys there now!" Wade cheered. "Pack your things, gents. And lady. We're goin' right back to New York."
Eddie stood up, "No, Wade. We are not going to Earth for no reason." he scolded.
Deadpool sighed, "You're not as fun as Flash Thompson Agent Venom. At least he could take a joke."
"Wait what? Did you say Flash Thompson and Venom in the same sentence?" Peter nearly fainted at the sheer idea. His bully bonded with his worst enemy. Now that was something he could never believe in a million years. Twilight had to put a hoof on his shoulder in order to calm him down.
"Ease up, Parker. That's an alternate universe. Part of Thunderbolts, man. Me, Red Hulk, Venom, Punisher, Elektra, Ghost Rider. Man, meeting that version of me was so cool when we fought Dreadpool." Deadpool sighed in happiness.
'Obscure reference for the win!'
"Red Hulk? Are you kidding me?" Eddie groaned. "What are you even talking about?"
Deadpool looked at his weapons, "616-stuff. Something no one in this universe would understand. Now... Where do you keep the magazines? I need a toilet or something."
"Oh my God, can you shut up!?" Peter shouted, slamming his hooves into his own face. Silence filled the room at Parker's outburst, leaving an awkward situation. "You're so freaking annoying! Why are you even here?"
"Peter..." Twilight tried to say.
"Yesterday, you dragged me into a mission where we had to fight an army of Chitauri and nearly died as a result thanks to your stupidity! The day before that, you nearly burnt down the house with a bucket of water and a toothpick, which I'm still trying to figure out! And today you woke up in my bed like a creep lying next to me! Can't you take a hint? I don't want you here!"
"..." Deadpool was actually silent and no comeback was heard from him, "Open a portal, Strange... I don't care where." at that instant, a vortex opened up, where the Merc with a Mouth walked in. This left Peter to stew in his hatred.
Twilight frowned, "That was a little uncalled for, Peter." she lightly scolded.
"Oh, come on. He's been nothing but a nuisance to me ever since we first met." Peter reminded his wife.
Eddie shook his head, "Y'know, Peter. You gave me a second chance. That's something that still amazes me. The fact that after everything we've been through, after what I put you through. You welcomed me into your house. What makes Deadpool such a hated person that you'll forgive me before knowing him?"
"He's just... annoying. At least when you were Venom, I only had to worry about you hurting me and no one else! You never targeted anyone who didn't deserve it. Heck, you knew how to use the symbiote better than I could. I know that with you as a villain, I was the only one in danger, which I could accept." Peter explained. "And I could at least depend on you during that Lethal Protector phase you went through."
Ben raised a brow, "So, what does this have to do with Wade?"
Peter groaned, "He's reckless! He's annoying and won't do anything worthwhile with his powers without making a buck. He constantly takes nothing seriously and has no idea how to handle his powers responsibly." he elaborated. "Anyone could get hurt and I just... egh." he crossed his hooves in annoyance.
Sighing, Logan stood up, "Kid. Believe it or not, Wade looks up to ya. Like you do with Batman and Superman. Whether you trust me or not on this is up to ya, but he's been tryin' to be a better man with you no longer on Earth. He's been holdin' back on killin' and honestly he earned himself a spot as a hero and hasn't really done anythin' to piss me off greatly in a long while. Though, he's still annoyin' from time to time...." he decided to explain for Peter.
Peter's eyes gazed at the ground, he exhaled, and Twilight continued, "He betrayed the Legion just to see you again. Yes, he shot you woth that serum, but he didn't mean for that to happen. He actually felt regretful over what he did to you and Ben. I know my first impression with him wasn't great, but he seems he's not as crazy as you make him to be, honey."
The wall-crawler was silent. He went over his options and looked at Logan. "Open a portal. I think Wade and I need to talk." he faced the others. "Ben, Scott, Eddie. Stay here. We'll be back in a moment." he ordered.
"Sure thing, bro." Ben nodded.
"Be careful, Mommy and Daddy!" Mayday called out.
Twilight smiled, "We will, sweetie."
A portal opened up in an alleyway, revealing Spider-Man, the Amythest Sorceress, and Wolverine all in costume. Peter was the first to speak, "Why is it that portals opening up in different dimensions always take us to an alleyway?" he asked aloud, crouching down, seeing if his Spider-Sense was going off.
"Do you sense anything, Wolverine?" Twilight asked curiously.
The X-Man sniffed the air, "Hmph. Stench, grit, gunsmoke. Smells like Gotham..."
"Why would Wade come here?" Twilight wondered, "I would've thought he'd go home." she used her magic to light up the alleyway and give the heroes the ability to see in the area,
A familiar tingling sensation rang in Peter's head and he webbed up Logan and Twilight to the side, away from a dumpster bin. Twilight spotted something red fall in. "Wade." she realized, using her magic to gently lift him up.
"Yep. Blood and bullets." Logan assured, "Could smell his BO from here."
"Huh? Oh, hey, Twilight!" Deadpool greeted, "Logan!" his eyes narrowed, "Spider-Man..." he growled, feeling the magic leave his body once he felt the floor beneath his feet. "I'm a little busy right now." he revealed at last, holding his pistols.
"Busy with what?" Peter questioned.
Spider-Man ducked, seeing a strange projectile nearly hit his head. He turned around, seeing a batshaped projectile. "You picked a fight with Batman!?" he asked in disbelief, stomping toward the mercenary. He saw blood dripping from his body and swords and his guns were empty.
"Before you get your tights in a bunch, let me explain." Deadpool was cut off by Peter punching him.
"No! You killed someone didn't you? Logan smelled that! It was you! I knew you were reckless!" Spider-Man slammed Deadpool on the ground, kneeing his jaw.
Deadpool refused to fight back, instead allowing Peter to pummel him. It lasted a moment before Wolverine pushed him back and Twilight used her magic to restrain him. "Guys!" Spidey shouted, trying to move his fist, "Let me go! He needs to go to jail and learn his lesson!"
"Kid. It wasn't Wade that killed. I smell somethin' else. Smoke. Ash. No..." Logan muttered.
Deadpool panted, "If you would let me explain. Strange sent me here for some reason! I showed up here, found a crook trying to rob a bank. I tried to stop him nonlethally... But he blew up out of nowhere! And of course, Batman had to show up and I took the fall for it. Like always." he sighed.
Peter's gaze softened, "Wade... God damn it... But you still got Batman trailing you!"
"Leave 'em to us, kid." Logan assured.
Suddenly, another dark figure descended in the shadows, shoving aside Twilight and Wolverine as he lifted Deadpool by the throat, "Hey... Bats!" he choked, seeing Batman's eyes narrow.
"Why did you blow him up, Wade!?" Batman hissed, throwing him headfirst onto the ground.
"Always the skull!" Deadpool grunted.
"Batman! He's innocent!" Twilight pleaded, using her magic to restrain him for a second.
The Dark Knight frowned, "How can you be so sure? I heard reports of a hostage situation at the bank. I arrive and I see his burnt remains on the roof where Deadpool was standing.
"I can smell it." Logan explained. "I can sense the chemicals that caused the man to explode." he sniffed again, "Actually, it's a trail. What the hell happened?"
Deadpool slowly stood up, "He was about to blow up the bomb at the bank. I teleported him out to ensure no one died, I couldn't stop the bomb. He died on the roof. That's when Batman found me." he said sincerely, not a hint of humor in his voice. "I tried to save him. Honest. But the second it looks like something goes wrong and I'm around... I'm the scapegoat. That's all I'll ever be to you guys. A piece of shit that doesn't deserve anything." he threw the remains of the bomb on the ground, wire exposed. "Here's what I could scavenge. I tried slow, but it went off as I backed away..."
Silence was shared among the group. Peter sighed, 'If he is telling the truth... I hope to God he is. Because I may just regret what I'm about to say.'
"That's not true."
Deadpool looked up, "What?"
Spider-Man exhaled sharply, "You heard me. I wasn't here to witness it. But the evidence adds up. Logan can vouch for you. And you seem honest enough... I-I... What I'm trying to say is... I'm willing to give you a chance." he decided at last, a smile forming underneath his and Wade's mask. "That bomb you just threw here is proof enough that you're trying. Batman never mentioned he knew it was a bomber,"
"R-Really?"
"Yeah. I think so. You wanna hang out sometime? I want to know that this is worth my time. To know that you're actually changing for the better." Peter explained, putting a hand on Wade's shoulder.
Nodding, Deadpool spoke, "I-I'd like that."
Twilight smiled, "I'm glad to see you doing this, Peter. We can see if Pinkie can come."
"Yes!" cheered Wade.
Batman stepped forward, holding the remains of the bomb, "I should've done more research into the case. It was rash to think you were involved by your presence."
"Ah, even the best of detectives make mistakes." Deadpool assured nonchalantly.
"Welcome to the group, Wade." Peter introduced.
"I ain't a part of it." Logan joked.
Twilight chuckled, "It was nice seeing you, Batman. But we have to go back to Equestria." she said.
Batman nodded, "Alright. I'll be here in the meantime. I need to clean Gotham."
"You do that, Bats." Peter said with a wave as the portal back to Equestria opened. The four hopped back in.
A friendship had been formed. Spider-Man and Deadpool, two different people with different morals. But maybe with Peter as his friend, Deadpool can learn a thing or two to become a true hero.
Author's Note
The first of many slice-of-life stories about Equestria, Marvel and DC. This is just one part of a Spider-Man/Deadpool mini-arc about their growing friendship and is the only chaoters to have their names as a reference to the ongoing comic.
Next time, a pink pony is gonna make an attempt to befriend a vigilante.
Punishment is now Pink.
Spiders and Magic: After the Crisis
'Crime.'
A man with a skull shirt leaned down, a sniper rifle in his hands. 'That's all that ever goes on in this city whether the sun is up or not. Those superheroes like the Avengers think they can protect all of us, but they're too damn busy in their fantasy worlds fighting aliens and demons and laughing off in a world of friendship and magic.'
'Not me.'
The man closed an eye, focusing on his target parking his truck below. Even though it was night, he could still see perfectly. 'That's why I'm here. To punish the crooks that no one else can give two shits about.' he placed his index finger on the trigger, 'And while everyone else is busy having a party, I'm here to clean up the streets once again.' he thought.
The Punisher scowled, 'Ever since I took down Bushwacker, I've been getting intel that the Gnucci crime-family are planning a dealing here in the harbor.' he pulled away from the sniper and grabbed his binoculars in order to scout. 'Seems some people just can't stay away, and went to the first spot I'd look anyway.'
He pulled the trigger once he saw the gangsters walk out, shooting them in the hand. A smirk was seen on his face as he watched them pull out their own weapons in a panic, fearing for their lives. He ran down the halls of the building now as they figured out his location, grabbing his own pistols and holding them in both of his hands.
'Time to go to work.' he boasted in his head.
The Punisher pulled the guns out in his hands, seeing thr goons coming for him. As one aimed, Frank pulled the trigger, shooting them in the head, making them fall to the ground. He saw the second thug near him, a bat in his grip now. The man whacked Castle in the back of the head, making his vision blurry for a second. But Punisher got a second wind and stood up, hitting the man in the stomach with his elbow, knocking the wind out of him.
Punisher gritted his teeth, placing the bat in his own grip. He threw it down on the stunned man's head and he fell down, blood dripping from his nose and mouth after a second hit. "You want to live. I want answers." Punisher growled, holding the man by the head, kneeling down.
"G-Go to hell..." the man panted.
Now annoyed, Punisher slammed the man's head on the stone floor, making him scream in pain. "Don't tempt me..." he hissed, raising his head again.
"O-Okay..." the thug gasped, "W-What do you want to know?" he wheezed at last.
"Finally. Who the hell is your buyer?" Frank asked in a growl. "No normal man would want weapons that extreme!"
The man gasped, "I-I don't know! H-He calls himself--"
"Hey, Peter!" Pinkie called out. Peter was sitting down in a booth at Sugarcube Corner with Twilight, Kaine and Barry, as they wanted a quick bite to eat with nothing else to do.
The pink pony hopped to the table, "Can I ask you a quick question?"
"Uh, sir. Go right ahead, I guess." offered Peter.
"This is gonna be good." Kaine grumbled humorously.
Pinkie inhaled, "Who was that pony with the skull on his shirt again? It's been bugging me all week!"
The wall-crawler's eyes went wide, "The Punisher? Why would you ever want to know about him?"
"Because I thought he could use a friend!"
"No offense, Pinkie," Twilight began to say, "But I don't think he's one to make friends. He seemed cold. A little distant. You were there when he attacked Batman!"
Pinkie beamed a smile, "I know! He seems a little grumpy, but I can make him feel better."
Barry cleared his throat, "Pinkie Pie... Do you even know why he's so grouchy in the first place? It's not something he could just push away... Believe me I tried..." he mumbled the last sentence so nopony could hear him.
"What do you mean?"
Kaine crossed his hooves, "Did you actually forget what he said?" at the nod of the pink mare's head, he sighed, "Of course... I guess I'll be the blunt one. His family was murdered right in front of him. Gruesomely, from what I've heard."
Pinkie's smile instantly turned to a frown upon the revelation, "W-What? That's so sad!"
"As depressing as it is... That's exactly what happened. They were caught in the crossfire of a gang war. I know I shouldn't be telling you this, but being friends with the Punisher is a lost cause, he's too focused on ending crime to form any bonds with anyone. Heck, he tried to kill me the first time we met!" added Parker.
"He did?" Twilight asked.
Peter nodded, "Yep. Some guy told him I was a criminal, and thanks to my oh-so amazing reputation thanks to Jameson, he made me a major target."
"Jeez." Barry sighed, "In any case. That's why we're telling you this. I know it's hard to hear. Trust me, Peter and I feel his pain, but he's not known for being the friendly type and kind of has a reputation of a psycho criminal killer..."
Closing her eyes, Pinkie sighed before speaking again, "I want to help him now... He needs somepony to keep him happy and being a killer is not something he should do to make himself better."
"Oh no... We did not just convince her to reform the Punisher did we?" Peter hissed in self-annoyance, slamming his head on the table in deep regret over what he did.
"Looks like it." Kaine grunted.
"I'm gonna go make him a cake!" Pinkie cheered.
"Pinkie, wait!" Twilight called out, but the pink pony was already put of sight by the time the alicorn called out. The princess groaned, looking at Peter, "She's not gonna stop until she sees him. I don't want her to see what he does."
"You're telling me." Peter huffed, "At least with Deadpool, I know he wouldn't make her sad, since for some reason those two seem to have a connection. But Castle's an entirely different beast. I think Barry and I should keep an eye on her, and make sure she doesn't see anything she wasn't ready for should she actually fo through with this whole 'befriending Punisher' thing. Is that okay with you Barry?" he asked his new friend, who shrugged.
"Why not?" the speedster decided. "Hey, Kaine. You're paying the bill now."
Kaine spoke, "Yeah-- wait what?"
By the time the original clone heard what he said, Peter and Barry already zipped out, with Barry holding Peter by the neck so he could travel at his pace. "Those two..." Kaine growled. "I swear, I'm surrounded by idiots sometimes."
"It's not so bad, Kaine." Twilight assured with a small laugh.
A portal opened up on a rooftop, revealing Spider-Man and the Flash, both in costume and a bag strapped to Peter's back, which held something bulky. "Whoo! I'll never get used to that." Peter groaned, kneeling down for a landing.
"I do this almost every week." Barry bragged.
Spider-Man's lenses narrowed, "Yeah, laugh it up, Fastest Man Alive. You can run through time and space, all I have are stick-em powers and strength. That's not enought to open vortexes. Yet."
A third figure hopped out, already transformed and clothed thanks to Peter thinking ahead. Pinkie Pie stood up and dusted herself off, nearly losing her balance. "Woah! How do you stand with only two legs?" she asked curiously, leaning on Peter for support.
The Flash ran behind her, "Quite simple. Move one leg forward and do the same with the other one. It's like a dance I once heard." he quipped, seeing Pinkie do as he just said.
"Hey! I'm doing it!" Pinkie cheered as she figured out how to walk as a human.
Chuckling, Barry rubbed his head, "Hey, soon enough, you'll be running. Now, how about we go find Mister Castle?" as soon as he said that, he grabbed Pinkie by the neck and ran down the building. Peter could hear the excitment of the former pink pony and jumped down, shooting a line of webbing on a building.
'New York. Haven't been here in years. It actually does feel like old times now. If only I were here for better reasons.' Spider-Man thought, swinging and focusing his attention on following the yellow blur of lightning below him.
Punisher wandered in the dimly-lit hallway, rifles wielded in his hands. 'Got the information I needed. Brought me here to an abandoned warehouse. Typical. Now, it's time I get what I need... Whoever this guy is, he really wants powerful weapons. I'll make sure he never uses them. And never see the light of day again.'
The only sound heard was Frank's own boots stepping on the floor. The silence only made Castle more vigilant of his surroundings, his eyes turning left and right constantly, his head occasionally turning with his body in some instances. But something got his attention up ahead, making him tighten the grip he had on his weapons, 'Let's see what's here...'
It was an open door, the lights on, and a shadow seen on the wall next to him. Swiftly, he turned his body and aimed his rifle in front of him, but before he pulled the trigger, he heard a noise. The sound of something ringing as it bounced on the walls. It was a red cylinder object that passed his line of sight.
A red glove grabbed the object. Frank instantly recognized who it was, "Damn it..."
Daredevil shook his head, "I didn't think you'd be here... Oh who am I kidding? I had a hunch. I heard about the dealings and I was led over here."
Turning his head, Punisher looked out the door just in case, "I didn't need your help. Go back to that crappy apartment of yours."
The Man Without Fear crossed his arms, "I could say the same to you, Castle."
"I'm not in a good mood, Murdock..." Castle hissed. "Let's get this over with. And don't get. In. My. Way." he ordered, seeing Daredevil grunt in response.
The two walked in the hallways, finding themselves in an open room. A yellow blur of lightning and a shadow found itself coming from the ceiling. Punisher and Daredevil recognized the beings there with them. The Flash stopped, releasing Pinkie and Spider-Man hopped from the ceiling. 'Oh. Target sighed.' he thought. 'Let's see how well this goes.'
"Son of a bitch... How did you find out I was here?"
Peter pointed to Daredevil, "Got in contact with Daredevil on the way here. He said something was going down here and that you'd probably be around somewhere nearby. This is a more grounded thing. Thank God." he sighed in relief.
The Flash awkwardly waved, "I'm here to offer assistance."
"Who the hell is that?" Castle wondered.
"I'm Pinkie Pie!" the woman introduced herself.
"That's right... You're that pink pony I met when I was after Bushwacker. Why are you here?" Castle asked.
"To help you!"
That left both Daredevil and Punisher confused, "Help him?" the red-armored vigilante repeated as a question and pointed at Frank, making sure that he was hearing things right.
'What the hell does that mean? That's a new one.'
"Help me with what exactly? I prefer to work alone..." Punisher growled loudly.
"Too make you smile, silly!" Pinkie yelled.
"Are you goddamn kidding me?" Punisher growled in the question in disgust.
"Nope! I want to see if you can be better!"
Punisher gritted his teeth, "No... I don't want any of this."
"Okay, kid. You have three seconds to explain before I shoot you in the leg." threatened Castle, having shoved Pinkie aside and dragging Peter by the shoulder.
Spider-Man waved his hands defensively, "Alright. She brought you up, and I told her this was a bad idea for the record. Trust me, she would've done this whether I was here or not--"
"That's all I needed to hear. She shouldn't be here. The situation is about to get intense. I cannot afford a pedestrian like her in the crossfire." Castle whispered. "This is something she can't stomach. Get her the hell out of here."
"Easy, Castle. Flash and I are here with you. And Daredevil. In fact I think the two of them are becoming fast friends." Peter assured.
"So, you dress up like a devil? Cool!" Pinkie complimented.
Daredevil gave her a light smile, "You could say that. It's to strike fear into the criminals of Hell's Kitchen. I won't say anymore than that though. Honestly, you shouldn't be here. It's too dangerous and a little overboard in what we're dealing with."
"I can handle myself Double D." Pinkie insisted with a light salute, "And don't worry, Pun-Pun! I won't be a bother!"
The Flash shook his head, "Did she just call him Pun-Pun? Sounds like an anime character. Pun-Pun Kill-Chan... Has a nice ring to it." he stopped talking once he felt something whack him in the hip, making him falter slightly. "Ow..."
"Bad enough I have the kid and Red here. Now I have to babysit you two." Punisher snarled. "You haven't been here for five minutes and this is turning out to be a terrible night. Get the hell out before I make you." he stormed down into the basement door, seeing it finally, leaving the other heroes behind him.
"But Frank..." Pinkie called out.
Castle stopped and turned around, pointing an accusing finger at the woman. "Frank Castle is dead. I'm the Punisher. I don't need friends. Especially friends as annoying as you. Don't ever think about getting in my way again!" Pinkie was on the verge of tears after hearing this. "I do not need to learn magic of friendship or some bullshit like that! I operate on my own!"
Spider-Man crossed his arms, "That was harsh, Frank."
"Ask me if I give a shit." Castle muttered, marching back to where he was going.
"Should we follow him?" Barry asked.
Daredevil shook his head, "I say we should wait. As much as I dislike Castle, I'd rather not get into his crossfire again. He gets a little trigger-happy when angered."
"I-Is it something I did?" Pinkie whimpered, a tear falling from her eye.
Spider-Man responded, "No, Pinkie. Kaine and I told you this. Frank's not someone you can befriend. He's someone you can probably earn begrudging respect from, but that's probably it."
"Trust me, Pinkie." Barry added, "I know you want to make everypony happy, but Castle is a lost cause."
Daredevil sighed, "I gotta admit though. You must be really dead-set on making people happy if you want to become the Punisher's friend of all people. It's nothing personal, Pinkie, trust me." he comforted, putting a hand on her shoulder. "He just has too much baggage to truly move on from his mission."
"...But why is he so grumpy while you three act laidback? D-Didn't you all lose everything too?" Pinkie wondered, looking at the bag Peter gave her a moment ago.
"It's not that simple, Pinkie. Some people cope with loss differently than others. In a way, what we do is how we grieve. He just had it the hardest out of all of us." Barry replied, "He was a soldier and he finally came back home... Only to have his family taken away from him."
"That's why we wear these costumes. To Peter, it's a reminder, to me, it's a symbol, to Flash, it's an ideal." Daredevil added. "Now, how about we take you back before--"
CRASH!
Spider-Man hopped forward and made sure Pinkie was standing behind him, "Stay behind me, guys. Whoever's down there is causing some major damage."
A few moments ago...
The Punisher walked down the stairs with a noticable look of disgust on his face. 'God damn pony. She thinks she can act all bubbly in this type of situation. This is a battlefield, and I cannot make friends while I'm fighting. Too distracting.'
Finally, he made it to the basement, where he saw an armored person looking at a bunch of monitors. "So, you're the one who stopped the deal earlier? I admit... I was expecting Captain America, but you'll have to do for now." he stood up from his seat and turned around, revealing the details of the costume he wore.
He wore a skull mask as thick as a helmet and his vest had a white X on the chest. He had battering rams connected to his wrists and he flicked his arms, bringing them down. "I was hopin' to get them for what I had planned, but you of all people had to get in my way."
'The man the goon earlier described. He really did steal the skull look.'
The Punisher gritted his teeth, "So... you're Crossbones, I presume? Rumlow..." he lifted his rifle and held it in his hands, it aimed in front of him. "You'll be a pile of bones by the time I'm done with ya. I heard about what you've done before. Plenty of people gone because of you. I should've found you a long time ago."
Crossbones chuckled darkly, "Yes. Do it, Castle. Shoot me. See if you can end this now."
Without hesitation, Punisher pulled the trigger, but the armor-piercing round managed to barely scratch the armor. "I came prepared, Punisher. Heh, I guess you found your own worst enemy?"
Throwing his gun on the floor, Punisher held up his fists, "Bring it you son of a bitch. I'm not letting you get those weapons." he instructed, ready to fight. 'One on one. My kind of odds.' he threw the first punch, his fist colliding with Crossbone's mask, not putting a dent in it.
"Argh!" Punisher screamed, hurling his fist onto Rumlow's chest. Crossbones merely only took a step backwards upon feeling Castle's fist again.
"I knew the upgrades would work." Crossbones muttered, he swiped his arm upwards, hitting Punisher with the blunt object, making his head snap up in pain. With a weak cough, Frank lunged after Crossbones again, giving the assassin a right hook.
With a pained grunt, Castle punched Rumlow's helmet again, driving his fist into the plated material. "Stay down, damn you!" he ordered, performing a left uppercut to his stomach. Chuckling, Crossbones slammed the battering rams on his arms on Punisher's sides, hurling him across the small room.
Coughing some blood, Punisher stood up, but Crossbones punched him in the stomach, making him wheeze. Castle attempted to respond with a weak right jab, but Rumlow used his weapon to hit Frank in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him. He hit Punisher again. Again. His face becoming more bruised by the second. "So, Punisher? What do you have to say now?"
Instead of talking, Punisher spat on Crossbone's mask, leaving a small drop of red on the white skull. "Typical." he lifted the vigilante up by the collar of his coat. "Now... what should I do with you?"
"Hands off, Anti-Punisher!"
Spider-Man webbed up Crossbone's mask for a little bit, allowing Daredevil to whack him with his billy club. The wall-crawler hopped from the ceiling, driving his foot into the top of Rumlow's head. "Okay, seriously? A skull mask instead of a shirt? Are you merchandising again, Frank?"
"S-Shut the hell up..."
As Daredevil lunged forward again, Rumlow slammed his arms into Murdock's head, making him fall onto the floor with ease. Spider-Man's Spider-Sense went off, making him duck from Crossbones' attack, but Rumlow uppercutted him, making Peter hit his head on the ceiling painfully.
As Crossbones readied to end the three vigilantes, a yellow blur knocked him back slightly, revealing the Flash. "Okay, Reverse-Punisher or whoever you are, it's time to stop this. I can end you in pretty much a few seconds." he started to run, landing a few blows to Crossbones, making him move each time.
But somehow, Barry staggered for a split-second, giving Rumlow the opportunity to grab him and shoot him in the leg, making sure he wouldn't run. Barry yelled loudly in pain as he held his bleeding limb, hoping his regeneration would kick in soon. He then got shot in the shoulder, giving the same reaction. "Damn it..."
Luckily, for Flash, Spider-Man and Daredevil got a second wind, the former shot some web-balls to distract the villain, "Hey, hands off the heroes. They did nothing to you."
Crossbones looked down, finding Punisher's dropped gun. He picked it up and held the bloody, beaten Punisher up by the back of his leather jacket. "Make a single move, and I'll blow his freaking brains out!" he threatened, a clicking sound as he aimed the weapon down on Castle's chin.
"Easy, Rumlow. It doesn't have to be this way." Daredevil attempted to ease.
"Go to hell, Crossbones..." Frank could be heard whispering.
Spider-Man raised his hands, "Alright, dude." he pretended to surrender, his hand aimed up to the ceiling. He had a plan.
'The kid is hesitating. He's doin' somethin'. Probably got to do woth those web things he always kept.'
Then out of nowhere, something flew in and covered Crossbones mask, surprising him and made him let go of Castle, who fell onto the floor next to Barry. Now with an open shot, Daredevil grunted, "Had a feeling that would work."
"Did you ever doubt me when we worked together?" Spider-Man quipped, kicking Crossbones in the chest hard, giving Daredevil an opportunity to remove the icing covered helmet and repeatedly punch him in the face while he was dizzy, knocking him unconscious.
"Plenty of times. Now, where's Pinkie?" Daredevil asked.
"Right heeere!" the woman yelled in a sing-song tone, hopping from the top of the staircase. "Did we stop that meanie?" she gazed at his unconscious body.
"We sure did, Pinkie!" Peter cheered.
The Flash slowly stood up, leaning on Daredevil for support while he also helped up Punisher. Castle coughed, "W-What the hell did y-you do?" he asked.
"Simple. We used the cake Pinkie made in order to distract Crossbones long enough so that we could take him out. After all, when was the last time a supervillain had a cake thrown at their face like that?" Spider-Man explained.
Frank raised a brow, "C-Cake... What the hell for?"
"It was for you, Castle. She wasn't lying earlier." Daredevil elaborated. "She just wanted to make you her friend."
"Yeperoo! Now we should take you to get those bruises off of you! You look like Peter after fighting a dragon!" Pinkie gasped, a frown evident on her face.
"Trust me, he's had worse days." Barry joked.
'Well I'll be... Someone who actually gives a damn... Never thought I'd see that day.' Castle slowly turned his head to look at the remains of the cake the former pony made. 'Thought it was blackmail or somethin'. Guess I was wrong.'
The Punisher gave a light smile, "Pink... T-Thank you..." he coughed some more. Those words lightened Pinkie's mood and she gave him a pat on the shoulder. "D-Didn't think anyone would ever bother t-to do that..." he panted.
"Looks like having a soft side is killing him." Peter said humorously. "But seriously, we should get your wounds looked at or something. How about you come to Equestria so we can tend to those giant blue spots on your face?"
Punisher sneered, "You kiddin'? I'd rather--" he cut himself off once he saw Pinkie, who was giving him the puppy eyes. 'No, Castle... You won't fall for it. Not today, not ever.' he narrowed his gaze and looked away from the woman. "Fine." he answered in his usual stoic tone. "But only so I can get back to business."
Daredevil chuckled, "Sure. Fair enough."
The group walked out of the warehouse, seeing the police arrive soon, 'It may not be much... but I'll be back on the street by tomorrow night to continue my quest for justice. But for tonight... I need to rest. Pink is a strange one, that's for sure.'
Author's Note
Hopefully I did well writing Punisher. I wanted him to be the same vigilante we know, but with a small soft side that very few can reveal and based him off the comic, Netflix and Thomas Jane versions. Pinkie can probably bring out the best of the vigilantes: Who's to say Batman isn't on her list?
And I think at this point slice-of-life for me pretty much means less action. For some reason when it comes to these worlds, it just feels appropriate to have some action involved, but I'll try tone it down.
Next Time: A certain dragon and Boy Wonder are left to fend for and prove themselves against a criminal that escaped into Equestria with only the two of them on the case.
Spiders and Magic: After the Crisis
A knock was heard on the door, being the only occupant of the Treebrary at the moment, Spike walked downstairs as fast as he could, wondering if everyone else came back yet. 'Had to get my early afternoon nap in.' he mused, chuckling to himself as he made it down the stairs, slowing his pace down.
The dragon opened the knob, seeing who it was. He raised a brkw at the strangely-clothed stallion that stood across from him. He was a red pony with a black, spiky mane, a domino mask covering his eyes, a red suit with an 'R' stitched on it, a green cape strapped on his barrel and a staff wielded in his hoof.
"Uh, who are you?" Spike asked.
"Name's Robin. Is Peter around by any chance? Or anyone else?" Robin wondered.
Spike shook his head, "Nope. It's just me. They're all down at Canterlot or on Earth. I can see if they can come back if you need them." he paused, "Wait... I've heard of you from Peter. Aren't you Batman's partner? Why isn't he here with you?"
Sighing, Robin replied, "We don't have time to explain. Batman is busy with the Justice League, so I was left to track down a criminal with Nightwing. He stole this thing called a Warp Crystal and opened a portal accidentally, where I found myself here when I followed him. If no one else is here... Are you willing to help me?"
Spike crossed his arms, "I guess so. It's not the first time I've fought. What are we up against?"
Outskirts of Ponyville...
A portal opened up, and stepping out of it was a green giant creature of some sort. He staggered to his feet, feeling the whiplash of jumping into the rift, struggling slightly to stand. But he managed to get his bearings and smirked, "Hmph. It seems the rock lives up to its name. I have a feeling the Boy Wonder followed me... I gotta get him off guard." he hissed,
Killer Croc was ready for a fight.
"So, you're chasing after a guy looks like a giant lizard?" Spike asked, walking next to Robin. "I mean, I didn't think your world had crocodiles that were big."
Robin shook his head, "I didn't believe it either when I met him. Heck, there are some things I'm trying to figure out in Gotham. That's why I'm so unsurprised being here. Batman mentioned he was here when stopping the Legion of Doom."
Spike raised a brow, "Where were you?"
"Watching over Gotham while he was gone. In fact, I had some help from Spider-Man and the Scarlet Spider when they were there." Robin pointed out. "I had to help track down four of our enemies when they caught Batman off guard. I needed help that time because it was four against me, but I can handle Killer Croc on my own."
"Then why did you need someone here?" Spike questioned. "Seems this Croc guy isn't much of a threat."
Robin sighed, "I needed someone who has knowledge of this world so we can search. I don't want to find out he harmed other people just to get to me."
Nodding, the dragon replied, "Yeah, I can see where you're coming from. I guess we're on our own for this."
Then, the sound of something breaking apart got the duo's attention. On instinct, Robin stood to his hindlegs and held his staff in his hooves. He and Spike turned around at the source of the noise. Spike's eyes grew to the size of saucers at what he saw.
A giant crocodile panting, standing next to a hole he made through an empty building. The giant, scaly creature turned his head, seeing the two heroes. "Aw, the bird is now a puny pony. Where's your Spider-Friends at this time?" the creature laughed.
"I don't need them here. I can stop you all by myself." Robin boasted.
Killer Croc laughed, "Ha! You're just a sidekick, always having to call for help. Like that little baby thing standing next to you!" he roared, making Spike jump back in surprise.
The ponies standing around were frightened by the conflict, and did their best to leave. Spike gritted his fangs, "I'm not a baby dragon... I've saved a kingdom, and three worlds! You're lucky I'm not on Earth, otherwise you'd be toast!"
"But we're not on Earth are we, dragon?" Killer Croc reminded the teen dragon. He cracked his knuckles, "Guess I'll have to teach you a lesson for talking back to your elders."
Robin jumped in the air, bringing down his staff on Killer Croc's head, the villain refusing to budge. The Boy Wonder backflipped, his backlegs colliding with Croc's face. Croc grabbed Robin's hoof and slammed him on the ground instantly. The bird-themed hero instantly jumped back up, driving his hoof directly into Killer Croc's chest, making him take a step back.
Croc then uppercutted Robin, hurling him across the area into another building. "Alright, that's it!" Spike yelled, deciding to take action. He lunged forward, revealing his surprisingly lengthy claws. He slashed Croc, but his scales protected him. Killer Croc chuckled darkly to himself, kicking Spike back a little, making him lose his breath.
While he was panting, Croc jumped, bringing his foot down. Spike rolled to the side, watching as the creature's foot tore apart the ground a little once landed. Killer Croc's eyes narrowed as he saw the dragon stand up again. "Heh. I heard of ya from Scarecrow in Arkham... Yer the dragon that helped stopped him. I admit, I expected more of a challenge from you."
"You look like someone who can barely handle himself." Croc insulted, turning to the side to dodge Spike's punch, decking the dragon in the stomach with his fist. "Just a kid... Like the Boy Wonder over there... Sidekicks like always it seems..."
Spike growled, "I'm. Not. A. Sidekick!" he screamed, headbutting Croc in the stomach, pushing him back. But that proved to have minimal damage for the crocodile and he smirked, smacking Spike aside, making him tumble in pain.
"Hey!"
Killer Croc scowled, turning around at the sound of the voice that got his attention. He saw a gray pegasus with a yellow mane and cross-eyes. "Don't insult Spike like that! He's done a lot for us!" she warned him, flying in Croc's face.
"D-Derpy!" Spike called out. Getting a second wind, Spike pushed himself forward, shoulder-tackling Killer Croc before he could do anything to the pegasus. The crocodile person was pushed back again, kneeling down slightly.
"Heh. That actually hurt..." Croc admitted, "But not painful enough." he shoved Spike aside and hit his head, scratching his chest, causing him to bleed a little from the wounds. He kicked him again and made him lose his breath and he panted.
The crocodile turned around with a huff, "Now... I need leverage." he whispered, seeing Derpy slowly fly away. "Oh no you don't..." he growled, grabbing the mare by the tail. "I need to make sure those two don't come after me."
Derpy struggled in Croc's grip, unable to escape. A little filly with a mane of the same color screamed, "Mommy!" as she tried to run after her mother, but the monster's roar made her freeze in place out of sheer fear. "Now... Time to get out before they wake up." he said, running away, Derpy now his hostage. Derpy remained silent after being knocked unconscious with one punch.
Tears ran down Dinky's eyes as she tried to give chase, but Croc already ran deep into the forest. Ponies all came out to see what the commotion was, seeing the crying filly unicorn. She thought her mother was gone, taken by the monster. Sobs were heard as a few of the civilians tried to comfort her.
Spike inhaled, getting his breath back. He staggered to his feet, some bruises seen on his face. "W-What happened...?" he asked, rubbing his aching head.
"T-The monster t-took mommy!" Dinky sobbed.
The dragon's eyes narrowed, "He did what? O-Oh man... Where's Robin?"
"R-Right here..."
Spike saw the Boy Wonder limp next to him. "What happened while I was out?"
"Killer Croc took Derpy. This filly's mother." his friend revealed.
"No... I didn't think Jones could stoop so low. He doesn't want us to follow him most likely." Robin whispered.
"You have to save her!" Dinky pleaded. "You're heroes!"
Robin frowned, "We are going to save her, kid. Luckily, I planted a tracer on Croc while we fought." he pulled out a strange bird-shaped device, "With this tracker, we can pinpoint his location and give ourselves the element of surprise."
"A-And how do you plan on doing that?" Spike asked, still getting his bearings.
The Boy Wonder smirked, "I was trained by Batman. I come prepared like him. He and a bunch of other crooks call me a weak sidekick, yet he doesn't know what I have with me. A few smoke-pellets, spare batarangs I took from Bruce and a staff that can change into a shield are only some of the things I usually use."
The dragon nodded, "Alright, I guess I gotta stop holding back. He took Derpy, and I'm not sitting back while she's in his grasp."
Killer Croc stopped running, finding that the trees were able to provide quite the cover for him. Derpy slurred, her eyes snapping open at the sight of the monster while leaning on a tree. "W-What do you want with me?" she studdered the question in fright.
"Leverage... I won't kill ya so long as the Boy Blunder and Dragon Toddler don't follow me. Which they won't. Once this crystal recharges, I'm heading back to my world."
"T-They'll stop you." Derpy hissed.
Croc laughed, "Those kids? They're probably looking for Batman or Spider-Man to help them! The Boy Wonder always needs someone to bail him out! This time will be no different!"
As he was talking, a small sphere fell on the ground where he wasn't looking. Suddenly, the surrounding area was covered in smoke, leaving Croc blind and unable to track Derpy. "What the hell? Are ya here, Batman? You and the kid want to see me feast upon this mare's bones? Very well!"
"Nope, no Batman here!"
Jumping from a tree were Robin and Spike, driving their legs into Croc's head, making him fall to his side. "Yeah! You're not hurting anypony else today!" Spike boasted.
"Today, I only wanted Batman's annoying team of crime-fighters gone. But you're gettin' real annoying." the creature hissed, cracking his knuckles again.
Spike opened his mouth, unleashing his firebreath, which burned Croc's scales a little. "How's a little firebreath? You probably weren't expecting that?"
"Eh. Burned a little, but nothin' I can't handle!" Croc roared, punching Spike.
That was when Robin showed up, swinging his staff upwards to Killer Croc's chin. Croc responded by driving his fist downward, but Robin's shield blocked the attack, and the Boy Wonder smacked his arm aside, striking him in a nerve area. When the croc noticed that he was unable to move a shoulder, Robin smirked, "Bats taught me that one. Striking you right where it hurts, you can't move that arm for a while."
Spike came back and slashed Croc again, before adding a headbutt. He used his firebreath to stun Croc. "Son of a... You can't stop me! Not even Batman can!"
"News flash, Croc!" Robin shouted, smacking Croc around and numbing another arm, making him unable to strike. He but down, nearly ripping the Boy Wonder's face. "I'm not a meal and despite what everyone in the streets think, I'm not a joke! In fact, let Arkham know that! That Robin kicked your ass without Batman!" he held the monster's head up right as Spike hopped on his back and wrapped his arms around his neck.
"Yeah! Tell the bad guys that you got stopped by us sidekicks!" the dragon shouted, looking at Robin, who whacked him with his staff once more.
Then, Killer Croc tried to bite Spike who was on the floor again. The dragon scratched his face and allowed Robin to finish things off with a powerful uppercut. The monster was too weak to strike back once all the wounds he received added up thanks to the Boy Wonder's precise strikes and Spike knocked him out.
"Nice work, Spike." Robin complimented, holding his staff behind his head.
"It was nothing. Glad we shut him up. You taking him back to your world?" the dragon wondered.
Robin nodded, "Yeah, but first... Hey, miss!"
At the sound of the young voice, Derpy came out of her hiding spot. "It's safe. We'll take you back."
Derpy sighed in relief, "Thank you."
"Mom!"
Dinky cried out, relieved to see her mother safe and sound now that she saw her in Ponyville. She hugged the gray pegasus, who returned the favor. "Thank you both..." she whispered.
"You're awesome heroes!"
Robin nodded and smiled sheepishly with Spike, "Think nothing of it, you two. As long as you're all safe and sound, that's all that matters. Now, I have to return Killer Croc and put him in Arkham." he put a hoof on Spike's shoulder, "Thanks for helping me out back there. I couldn't have done it without you."
"Eh. I'm just glad we got something done. And if you ever want to hang out, you know I'm here." Spike offered. With one last nod, Robin opened up a portal with the Warp Crystal, dragging Killer Croc's body into it behind him before it closed. With a yawn, the dragon stretched his limbs. "Woo. Guess I'll head home now."
"Spike." muttered Derpy.
At that, Spike spun his body around. "Yeah?"
"Thank you again... You're a real hero."
Spike raised a hand, "Like I said, I'm just happy to help."
Canterlot...
Peter shuddered, earning an eyebrow raise from Twilight, "Are you okay, Peter?"
"Yeah, but I got the strangest feeling we missed out on something." Peter replied.
"It's probably nothing, Parker." Miguel insisted with a wave of a hoof nonchalantly.
Author's Note
A short chapter giving Spike and Robin some spotlight. Just something I felt needed to get done. I don't think it'll be the last we'll see these two anyway.
Next Time: We're taking a trip to an Alternate Universe, a different Marvel Earth. Peter and Twilight are going to find themselves in a world with a Spectacular Spider-Man, who could use some motivation.
Spiders and Magic: After the Crisis
'Tell me there's something better. Go ahead. Try.'
Spider-Man's thoughts ran through his head as he continued his aimless swing across New York. The young wall-crawler focused and extended an arm out, shooting a line of webbing onto the side of a building, which he swing off of, jumping off and repeating his actions, all while clearing his head.
'Okay. Maybe you can. My life can be summed up as a rollercoaster if that makes any sense.'
Peter crouched on the side of a building, seeing three purse-snatchers run into an alleyway. Without hesitation, he swung forward and hoped to catch the burglars off guard. 'So much happened... And I only have myself to blame. Then again... It kinda feels like years since my battle with the Goblin. Must be my mood.'
The wall-crawler jumped down, appearing behind the thieves. He shot a line of webbing in the farthest one's direction, yanking him into the shadows. 'Yeah, first I let Eddie Brock get a hold of a insane alien parasite, he seeks to reveal my identity, which failed luckily, but I think things fell apart before that.'
Spider-Man hopped and flipped, shooting more lines of webbing, making another strand so he could connect them. 'Okay... Let's go down the list. First, the criminal known as the Goblin shows up, Ock started a gang war with Tombstone and Silvermane, which I was happy to see Tombstone's empire meet its end. Then, there was the whole Master Planner Sinister Six goose chase.'
The hero punched and kicked the criminals, dodging each attempt at a counterattack, knocking them all out with ease. He tied them to the line he made and wrapped them in a web-coccoon. 'Oh boy... I found out the Green Goblin was my best friend's father, Norman Osborn, after having me believe that it was Harry.' his masked lenses narrowed at the memory, 'We fought long... It was without a doubt one of the most challenging things I've ever done.'
Spider-Man went back to swinging, his mind continuing the trip down memory lane, 'What happened to Norman... I had no idea he would fall in that silo... All those bombs went off. There was no body found. Harry blames Spider-Man and grew distant.' with a heavy sigh, Peter shook his head.
'That's not even getting into most of my personal life. I broke up with Liz... Because I knew how Gwen felt about me... Then she decided to stay with Harry after his dad died. Now, I'm a heartless jerk that can hardly balance his two lives. I should just head home. Things are looking pretty quiet anyway.'
Reaching a hand out, Peter jumped and released the web-line, continuing his web swing. His lenses widened, a tingling sensation going off in the back of his neck. 'Okay... Now what? I just said it was a quiet night! Is it Venom? Doc Ock? Mysterio?'
A white light appeared on a rooftop, prompting Spider-Man to change direction, 'Right. Go toward the bright light. It's times like this where I wonder how I'm still a hero.' he mused, landing on the edge of the rooftop to get a closer look.
Two figures stepped out of the strange swirling light, prompting Peter to get into a fighting stance, 'It better not be aliens. Please don't be aliens. Please...' his mind begged, a scowl forming on his mask and underneath it. He paused, getting a closer look at what the visitors are, surprised at their appearance.
'You gotta be kidding me.'
It was like looking in a mirror. Spider-Man saw a man wearing what appeared to be his costume and behind him a woman with purple hair and a strange spandex costume. "Looks like we're in New York, honey." the doppelganger said.
The woman nodded, unaware of the person near them, "Yeah... But something feels... off about it."
"You too? For some reason, I feel more... cartoony." the Spider-Man counterpart muttered. Then, he saw someone standing near them, clearly not amused.
"Another Spider-Man?!" both Spider-Men shouted at the same time.
"Okay, pal. You have some explaining to do!" the younger Spider-Man ordered, pointing an accusing finger at the other Peter, who sighed in annoyance. "There's only one Spider-Man in this town! Is this another trick, Chameleon?"
Shaking his head, Peter responded, "Chameleon? Huh, that's a name I haven't heard in years. Twilight, I think Strange accidentally warped us to the wrong world."
"I had a hunch." the woman, Twilight, huffed, "Seems the rest of the group are going to have to wait for us a little longer."
'For once, I'm actually kind of left speechless. I am looking at another Spider-Man. He looks older, tougher. But he still sounds like me? What gives puberty? And who the heck is this woman with him? A superhero friend or something? I've never seen her in my life. And who is this Vibe? So many questions...'
Raising his hands, the older Peter spoke, "You're probably wondering how this is happening. I'll do my best to answer. I'm a Spider-Man... from a different dimension it looks like. We just gotta wait for someone to figure out we're here and bring us back." putting his hands on his hips he continued, "You kinda look young. Are you still in high school or something?"
"I'm not gonna get lectured by an older man who looks like me." Young Peter chided. "How do I know you're even telling the truth?" he questioned.
"Is your Spider-Sense going off?" Twilight asked.
Both Peters rubbed their heads, "Well... No, but still!" they shouted at the same time.
Twilight crossed her arms, "Take off your masks."
The younger Spider-Man raised his hands, "Okay, I'm not taking orders from some random woman that showed up in a glowy portal thing. You have some explaing to do. Who are you? And why are you with this guy that has an unoriginal choice in clothing?"
"Okay, so this is another Rarity situation." the older Peter muttered under his breath, looking down. "Always going for the costume insults..." he grumbled.
"We're sorry about this... My name is Twilight Sparkle." Twilight intoduced herself. "It looks like we came to the wrong universe."
'Twilight Sparkle... Sounds like a hippy name or something. Kinda... cheesy if you ask me. Then again, I gave myself the name Spider-Man so who am I to judge?'
Spider-Man shook his head, "Woah. Did you just say wrong universe? As in you've travelled worlds before?"
Older Peter chuckled, "It, uh... Happens. It's a long story." he removed his mask, revealing his face. Young Peter's eyes turned to saucers at the reflection of himself. "So, I'm Spider-Man. Another Spider-Man to be exact. Are you able to trust me?"
Young Peter mused, 'Straight out of a mirror. Except he looks older. He may be telling the truth.'
"Okay. I'll play this game. This must not leave this rooftop." Young Peter ordered.
Twilight smiled, "Your secret is safe with us."
Then, the young Spider-Man removed his mask, the older Spider making a comment, "Wow. You're much younger and more cartoony than I thought. I didn't think that was possible after living in Equestria for so long." he quipped, annoying his younger counterpart and earning a chuckle from Twilight.
"Okay, wise guy. You don't look much better." Young Peter groaned, putting back on his mask. "What the heck is Equestria?"
"The world I'm from." Twilight spoke up.
'More worlds than just this one. With another Spider-Man. Just what I need. As if my life already wasn't so crazy already.' Young Peter thought and huffed.
Grunting, Young Peter spoke, "Listen... My life is so ridiculous that you can make a Saturday-morning cartoon out of it. The last thing I need is a doppelganger running around with my name and some girl from Equestria or whatever."
Older Peter raised a brow, his mask doing the same. "What's wrong with you? Besides the usual Parker Luck, that is."
"Is that your scapegoat for everything?" Twilight asked. "You've been using that term for years now."
"It's a thing!" the older Peter said.
Twilight hummed, "Yeah right..."
"Okay... You have no idea what I went through." Young Peter scolded. "Things aren't picking up for me anytime soon if that's what you're going to say."
Older Peter spoke up, "I lost my girlfriend, a friend, died, left my world, was missing for four years before staying in Equestria, watched everyone I love die in an alternate future, and Twilight and her friends had to pick me up from a terrible funk. Try me." he countered in a stern tone, glancing at his doppelganger.
"If you need help, just say so." he added.
"..." Young Peter paused. "I'm fine. I just need to wrap my head around a few things. That's all." he shot a line of webbing behind him, swinging away.
"Hey, wait!" Older Peter shouted.
Twilight put a hand on his shoulder, "Let him go, Peter. He sounds like he needs space."
"Yeah... If we're here, I'm going to keep an eye on him. I understand he needs space, but it really looks like something's bugging him." he replied sternly.
The former alicorn sighed, "I know you want to, but this is his world. We should stay out of his business if he wants."
Peter turned his head as did Twilight at the sounds of the sirens blaring. They looked down, seeing police cars speed by, as though something was happening nearby. The man looked to his wife, "You know I can't leave that alone. We have to go do something while we wait for a portal to get us."
"...Fine." Twilight said, putting up the hood to her costume as her wings appeared behind her. Spider-Man swung away while Twilight flew next to him.
'Who does he think he is? Just because he's another Spider-Man, doesn't mean he can just dig into my personal life.' Young Spider-Man thought in annoyance. He swung to trail the police cars that were going somewhere, wherever he was needed.
Peter sighed, 'Alright, world. What is it this time?' he thought, 'With Goblin and Tombstone gone, there is no Big Man. Is it Black Cat paying me back after the Vault incident in anger? Doc Ock making a comeback? A new Big Man taking charge? Can I just get a hint?' he thought, crawling up a wall before hopping off again.
After a few minutes, Spider-Man perched on a roof, seeing the cars converge in front of a bank. 'Okay. Robbery. That should ease my mind up a little.' he hopped down, making an effort to reach the vents in order to sneak in.
From the ventilation shaft, he saw two villains he recognized with bags of money in their possession. One of them wore a yellow quilt-like costume with large gauntlets while the other wore a green robe with a purple dome over his head. 'Montana and Fishbowl? What business would they have robbing banks like this?' he scowled, 'I'm not gonna get answers from in here.'
"Come on, Beck. You know the Big Man wants this money." Shocker scolded Mysterio. "And it seems the coppers are waitin' fer us right outside."
"You do not scold Mysterio, Shocker." Mysterio responded arrogantly. "The alarms were well hidden from my magic."
"Oh, what a bizarre team-up we got here!" Spider-Man could be heard shouting, hopping from the ceiling, dropkicking Shocker, but the man used his gauntlets to blast the wall-crawler back to the ceiling, making him hit it with a loud thud.
"Seems we caught ourselves a Spider, Mysterio." Shocker chuckled to his partner. Spider-Man grunted, picking himself up off the ground very slowly.
Mysterio raised his hands, creating purple smoke, "Yes, it appears that way."
"Now why would the two of you ever join up?" Spider-Man asked, webbing up Mysterio's hands, before swinging up, hitting Shocker in the chest before landing on a wall. "Wait, let me guess. Master Planner? You guys know it's probably Ock right? And Beck, I know about your little bot trick back at the Vault."
Mysterio shot some lightning in Spider-Man's direction, "Mysterio need not of your trivial quips, Spider-Man! We need this money!" he saw Peter hop and somersault, avoiding the bolts.
Hearing something ring in his pocket, Peter raised his mask so that his mouth was visible, reached into his pocket and grabbed a phone, pressing a button. "Hello?" he called out.
"Is he on the phone?" Shocker asked, blasting more shockwaves in Peter's direction, the webslinger dodging each one.
'Peter? It's Gwen.'
"Oh!" Peter said, surprised, "What's up?"
'You've been a little... moody the past few days. Is everything alright with you?'
Peter answered, "Who me? Never better! Yep, definitely!" he lied, going to a one-hand stand and flipping onto the wall again, nearly kicking Mysterio, who moved to the left.
'...Is this about me and Harry? Peter, I told you--'
Spider-Man spoke up, "I promise. It's not that. At all. I just need some time to myself is all. I understand. Harry's in a rough spot and you need to be there for him." he sort of lied. "In fact, I'll probably speak with him today or tomorrow about what happened."
'Good. I don't want to give you the look again.'
The wallcrawler chuckled, "Trust me. I won't need that... See you, tomorrow?"
'Sure thing.' he heard the phone go to static after that and put the phone away, lowering his mask.
"Okay. Back to business--" Peter couldn't finish that sentence because Shocker landed a hit on him, knocking him through the glass windows of the bank.
"What's the status?" Captain Stacy asked.
"We're not sure. The inside is covered in smoke. We can't get in without compromising." the officer spoke.
"Huh. Looks like a bank robbery. How clichè."
Captain Stacy turned around, seeing a familiar wall-crawler and a hooded female. "Spider-Man! And..." he paused, unsure of who was with him at the moment.
"Call me the Amythest Sorceress." Twilight introduced herself.
Twilight looked at Peter, who was still, seemingly in shock. "Peter?" she asked worriedly.
"C-Captain Stacy?" he asked in disbelief.
"Yes. You and I met before." Captain Stacy reminded him. "...Are you alright."
'Oh my God... He's alive in this world. Then that means...' Peter thought, his brain currently in freefall. "Nevermind that right now. What's happening in that bank?" he shrugged off.
"We're not sure. There's purple smoke. And we hear a lot of commotion, even though it should be empty at these hours." Captain Stacy revealed to the couple.
Peter's Spider-Sense went off, prompting him to hop in front of everyone instantly. "Get back!" he ordered loudly. Glass shattered as the younger Spider-Man was hurled outside, him landing on his side. "So, guess you didn't have this covered?"
"S-Shut up!" Young Peter huffed.
"Two Spider-Men?" Captain Stacy questioned in confusion.
Twilight shook her head, "You don't want to know." she flew up and hovered next to her husband. "You okay, Young Spider-Man?"
"Okay, that name is very demeaning..." grunted Young Peter, "...Call me the Spectacular Spider-Man."
"Then I guess I'll be Amazing if we're throwing out titles. Not the first tme an alternate Spider-Man called me that." Amazing Spider-Man quipped, "What's happening in there?"
"Didn't see this comin'." Shocker said, revealing himself at last. "Two wall-crawlers for us to squash. That's a new one."
Amazing Spider-Man chuckled, "Wow. I didn't think you'd sound like a male Applejack, Shocker." he said, getting into a fighting stance.
"This will be better than I thought." Mysterio added, shooting some lightning in his direction, prompting Amazing Spider-Man to flip in the air, shooting impact webbing into his hands, sticking his fingers together. That was when Twilight landed a hit on him with a concussive spell. "And is this your girlfriend?"
"Wife, actually!" Twilight corrected, hovering over to face Mysterio, who sent some miniature robots in her direction.
"Wife?!" Spectacular Spider-Man shouted, 'Even my alternate universe doppelganger has better luck than me!' he got up, kicking Shocker, his suit being reinforced allowed him to tank the blow. "Okay, Montana. Let's get this over with."
"Montana? As in Enforcers Montana?" Amazing Spider-Man questioned, "It's not like that in my world." he said. "Shocker's some other guy. A no name."
Captain Stacy yelled. "This city get crazier every darn day. Two of them..."
Spectacular Spider-Man turned his head back, "Everybody take cover!" he ordered. The cops nodded, evactuating the oncoming crowd surrounding the battlefield, ordering them to move back. Shocker moved an arm, creating a shockwave that knocked back two cars in the direction of thr crowd.
"I got this!" Amazing Spider-Man shouted, aiming a web-line to vault over to one of the cars. Spectacular did the same, moving onto the other car. They stuck to them and landed on their feet, holding the cars over their shoulders, gently putting them down on the ground. The people cheered them on.
'Woah! Actual recognition! That's new...' Spectacular Spider-Man mused happily, he and his counterpart jumping into the battle.
Meanwhile, Twilight used a forcefield to dodge each robot coming after her, each one exploding after hitting the shield. "Who are you supposed to be?" she asked.
"You have not heard of the Master of Illusion, Mysterio?!" Mysterio asked in disbelief.
"Okay. That sounds familiar." Twilight responded, teleporting nesr Mysterio, firing a bolt of magic out of her fingers, destroying another robot, the last one.
In response, Mysterio covered himself in purple smoke, hiding himself from Twilight's line of sight. The former alicorn turned around, elbowing Mysterio as he neared her. She blasted more magic in his direction, this time shattering the helmet. But she did not see a head underneath. "What in Equestria..."
It was a robot duplicate. Deciding she had enough, Twilight destroyed the rest of the robot, leaving the dome. She picked it up, having to explain to the younger Peter what happened.
Back with the Spider-Men and Shocker, the doppelgangers swung in and flipped, dodging another shockwave from Shocker. "It's about time I squashed the both of ya."
"Don't you villains sing any other tunes?" Spectacular Spider-Man quipped, landing on a police car.
"I feel your pain, Spectacular." Amazing responded lightly, standing next to him.
Their Spider-Sense went off, prompting them to dodge Shocker throwing a piece of debris at them. "Hey! Lay off the broken glass!" Amazing yelled, decking Shocker in the chest.
Spectacular Spider-Man shot two lines of webbing while upsidedowm in midair, the gossamer landing hitting Montana's gauntlets. While he was in freefall, the younger Peter crossed his arms, pulling on the lines and forcing Shocker to move his arms. The villain suddenly found himself unable to move.
That was when Amazing Spider-Man uppercutted Shocker, "Shoryuken!" he yelled, channeling the name of a move from an old ally of his. Montana was launched into the air. He hoped to land one last attack on the Spider-Men, but he realized that his gauntlets were jammed. The duo trapped Shocker in a coccoon, allowing them to question him.
Spectacular whistled, "Alright, Shocker. Why rob a bank with Mysterio? What's the plan there?"
Montana scowled, "The Big Man..."
The younger Peter chuckled, "Yeah, right. I trashed Tombstone's empire and Goblin's not here anymore. There is no Big Man anymore, fyi." he revealed.
"Big Man? That's a person I haven't heard about since my early days." the older Spider-Man added, "So, quilt-man. Who is behind this criminal empire? Doesn't sound like the one I know."
"I don't actually know." Montana revealed, "And even if I did, I wouldn't spill the beans to ya."
"Even if you're telling the truth. I'm gonna bring him down like I did before. Tell your boss that." Spectacular Spider-Man said in a deep voice, clenching his fists.
"Now where's his partner?"
"He's a fake." Twilight revealed, dropping the dome of the robot next to the Spider-Men. It was then Captain Stacy walked up to arrest the villain again.
"Well. I guess he doesn't want to reveal himself just yet. I'll take it from here you three." he shook his head, "Two Spider-Men."
Amazing Spider-Man cleared his throat, "Hey, Captain Stacy?" he called out. "This may be the last time you see me... Thank you for putting your trust in me. The other me."
The police captain tipped his hat, "It's an honor to work with you. You earned my respect despite what Jameson says about you."
Under his mask, Amazing Peter smiled. He swung away with his younger self and Twilight, who looked at him. "How do you feel?"
"Much better."
"Okay... So I may have a few issues." Spectacular Spider-Man revealed at last. "I was a little unfocused back there. If you're an older me, I'm willing to listen to some advice. I kinda need it right now."
"...Go on." Twilight gestured, "We just want to help. Like my friends and I did for this Peter."
The younger Peter sighed, "Okay. So basically, I was on a wild goose chase, found out the Green Goblin was my father's best friend, accidentally threw him into a silo of pumpkin bombs, killing him. My best friend won't talk to me, and the girl I have a crush on is dating him even though we know how we feel about one another, and I broke up with Liz Allan because of that. Now I'm being bullied twice as hard in school because they thought Liz broke up with me, and juggling my two lives is becoming harder than ever because of my brief stint with the Avengers." he gasped out.
"So, basically, I met Captain America after this whole Skrull invasion and fought some group called the Serpent Society, fought Kang with some New Avengers and fought off Galactus and became a reserve member, meaning my time is more thinned. I haven't made up with Harry yet and I'm on the fence about speaking to Gwen, and the Bugle's agenda is becoming bigger. As an older Spider-Man and another hero... Do you have any advice?"
"That was a lot to take in." Twilight admitted.
'Gwen's alive in this world... N-No... I can't complicate this world anymore. Gotta put those thought aside.' Older Peter thought.
"I've met Peter when he was depressed. He tried pushing us aside, though he was more than welcome in our world." Twilight began to say, putting a hand on the teen's shoulder. "He helped our world more than he thought. You should speak with your friend, make sure your bonds never die. Even if it's awkward, it's a start for you."
Amazing Spider-Man cleared his throat, "I was in a similar spot with you before. I thought I lost everything. That I had nothing left going for me. I couldn't have been more wrong. I fell in love with Twilight... That was when I started to realize things may not have been so bad, especially after her and her friends became mine. You're an Avenger, a title I never reached before I left. Unlike you, I never had the chance to make up with Harry. You do. We made mistakes before. Don't make the same ones I did."
"Basically, what I'm saying... Is that you can make this right. You gotta think positive. As Spider-Man, there are ups and downs. I'm living through them. But believe me. At the end, the pros outweigh the cons." he assured his younger self. Younger Peter nodded earnestly, understanding his doppelganger and Twilight's words.
"...I'll keep trying then. For your sakes as well as Uncle Ben's." Spectacular sighed. "I-I'll bring everything back together."
"That's good. Hopefully things pick up for you." Twilight said sincerely.
Suddenly, a portal opened up behind them. "That's our ride." Older Peter said.
Twilight looked at the wormhole, "Sorry, we can't stay. Good luck. You'll do great." she said before walking into the portal.
"Remember, kid. Be the Spectacular Spider-Man." Older Peter said before following.
"I will--" a ringing sound was heard, prompting Young Peter to pick up the phone. The older Peter chuckled before stepping in, the vortex closing behind him. He swung off, answering the message, "Hello?" he answered instantly.
'Peter?'
"Hi, Aunt May!"
'Are you alright? I heard about what happened near the library at the bank!'
"D-Don't worry, Aunt May! I'm fine! In fact, I'm better than ever! Sorry about worrying you, I'll be home in no time!"
He could hear his aunt sigh in relief, 'Thank goodness. Do be soon, dear.'
The teen chuckled, "I will. Love you."
He hung up the phone and thought while swinging, 'Well, starting tomorrow, I turn over a new leaf. No more brooding, no more isolation. I'm starting over. I gotta make up with Harry and Gwen tomorrow. And then I'm coming after the Big Man.'
'My journey's not over yet.'
Author's Note
Okay. This was a chapter I was nervous in doing and I'm still debating whether or not I succeeded. Mainly because I wanted to get the tone of Spectacular Spider-Man's character right and now I only hope that I did. I wanted to show some of his personal life, but I couldn't fit that in the context of the crossover, so I apologize.
The reason I did this chapter was because I felt that a mature Spider-Man meeting a younger version like this one had potential, especially one with an unfinished story like Spectacular. I hope I established that good.
Also, I had heard that Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes and this show may have been in the same universe which is why I referenced it. And it's something that I think is true (especially since Josh Keton was meant to reprise his role in EMH). If anyone is willing to correct me, go right ahead, I may have been misinformed. But I don't think anything contradicts it. Just my thoughts.
Next Time: A race among the fastest of three worlds, with Jay Garrick showing up.
Spiders and Magic: After the Crisis
Rainbow Dash descended as the Flash and Quicksilver stopped running, the cyan mare coming from behind the two. Lying on lawn-chairs were Peter and Scootaloo, who were watching the small race from the ground. "Hey, Skittles! Nice race." Peter complimented from his spot.
"Thanks, Pete." Rainbow replied. "These two make great competition. Soon, I'll be the fastest across all worlds!"
"Jeez. Godspeed much?" Flash quipped, shaking his head. "Don't go stealing our speed now."
"Another evil speedster?" Quicksilver asked. At Barry's nod, he shrugged, "Figured as much. These villains need another gimmick."
"Yeah, honestly when it comes to evil speedsters, we all have one. I have Reverse-Flash, Wally had to deal with Zoom while I was gone, Jay has the Rival, and Bart against Inertia." Barry elaborated, "But I fought Godpeed once when Central City got struck by Speed-Force lightning. It was a whole thing."
Peter crossed his hooves, "Yeesh. Remind me to make sure New York doesn't get spider-powers."
"How many Speedsters are there in your world? That are good?" Scootaloo asked.
"A few on my world. A bunch on different Earths. If you want, I can introduce you all to Wally and maybe Jay if he's not busy on the JSA." Barry suggested.
Scootaloo sat up, "I bet Rainbow's still faster than them."
"I dunno..." Flash hummed, "Wally has actually become faster than me in some cases. When he was the Flash, he showed skills that even I have yet to master."
"I'd like to meet them." Rainbow admitted, "It'd be cool to have all these fast ponies together. How about a race to prove who's the fastest?" she offered.
"You sure, Dash?" Maximoff said.
"Yeah! I'm gettin' bored. I could use a challenge." Rainbow said.
Peter got up from his chair and whispered to Barry, "Psst. Barry." he said, gesturing for the Scarlet Speedster to follow him. Once they were away from the others, Parker continued, "You know Rainbow gets a little into what she does... You sure you wanna race?"
"Yeah. I think it'll be fun. We don't have anything to worry about, but I kinda want to see if Jay's willing to come."
"Why Jay?"
Barry shook his head, "Because if anyone knows what it's like to have speed, it's him. He's kinda like a mentor to all of the Flashes."
Peter nodded, "Alright. How's Wally doing by the way?"
"He's fine. He was keeping an eye on Central City while I was helping you all fight the Legion. I'm sure he was wondering where I was at. Boy would he be in for a surprise." the Flash chuckled to himself, earning one from Peter.
Patting the speedster on the back, Peter replied, "Well, any ally speedster is welcome here, Barry. It'd be great to meet them."
A Day Later
Peter, Miguel, Kaine, Twilight and Rainbow awaited in the library for Barry to come back. "Oh man... Could he hurry it up?" groaned Rainbow Dash, clearly getting impatient. She trotted back and forth around the room, getting bored by the second.
"Holy shock. Is patience in your vocabulary?" Miguel muttered in annoyance.
"Yeah, Rainbow." Twilight added, "He has to see if the other speedsters are even able to come. We know first hand just how busy the two worlds are."
Kaine crossed his hooves, "Let's just hope the wait is worth it. Why am I even here?"
"Because you were already here. It's not like you have anywhere else to go, bro." Peter chuckled.
The heroes took a step back at the sight of the portal opening. The first to hop out of it were the Flash and Quicksilver, both in costume. "Sorry about the delay, mares and stallions. But we made an extra stop along the way." Maximoff revealed, removing his goggles from his eyes for a moment.
Another blur of lightning zipped out of the portal and stopped next to Rainbow. It was a colt wearing a suit with a similar design to Barry's, but it was yellow like the Reverse-Flash's. "Hehe. Yep. Heard about this world from Barry." he chuckled. "Gotta say, it'll take some time to get used to running on all fours, but I think I can handle it."
Peter extended a hoof, "You're Wally West, right?" he asked, getting a nod from the teen and a hoof shake, "Nice to meet you, name's Peter Parker: Spider-Man. That's my successor Miguel, one of my clone brothers Kaine, my wife Twilight Sparkle, and fellow speedster Rainbow Dash." he introduced.
Wally pointed at the wall-crawler, "Oh yeah! I always wondered where you ended up. Not a bad home, I'll admit. When Barry told me where you at, I didn't believe it. Looks like it was all true after all. Sorry I couldn't come with you during the attack, I had to work double time protecting Keystone and Central City."
"It's quite alright, Wally." Twilight replied. "Barry's told us about you. You two are partners, right?" she wondered.
Barry nodded, "Yeah. Flash and Kid Flash. Has a nice ring to it."
"Kid Flash? Sounds a little demeaning." Kaine muttered.
Kid Flash raised a hoof, "Well, Oliver's sidekick already took the name Speedy, so we had to adjust. Ironically since he's such a Robin Hood ripoff, Roy should've gotten the Robin title. I'm not sure how Batman's partner got that title. I mean, what do bats and robins have to do with each other?"
"I wondered the same thing when Spike said he showed up." Rainbow chuckled.
"Hold on. You said you had to make another stop. What for--" Miguel stopped once he caught sight of the pony stepping out of the portal before it closed. It was an older stallion, wearing a spandex suit with a lightning bolt covering the chest area. On top of his grey mane was a metal hat with wings. "Oh. Who the shock is this?"
Barry grinned, "Everyone. Meet Jay Garrick, the Original Flash. My inspiration."
Jay tipped his hat, "Hey there. Barry brought up this world and what happened. He came to Earth-2 for a visit and mentioned the Legion attacked. I decided to see this world for myself. The Justice Society of America sends their regards as well. We're sorry we couldn't involve ourselves in the war."
"It's alright, Jay. Barry mentioned you a few times as well. It's great to see the original speedster." Peter complimented.
Rainbow noticed something Barry was holding, strapped to his barrel. "Yo, Barry. What's that you have?"
The Flash gestured to the bag, "This? It's a surprise for after the race."
Jay chuckled, "That's right. Though, I may need time to get used to running like this. My body's not what it used to be, I'll tell you that much."
Twilight smiled, "You'll get to used to it, Mister Garrick. Peter and Miguel even had some hard time adjusting to it."
"Yep. You and Wally are honestly dealing with the change better than I ever did." Peter complimented. "How about we head outside though, lately, this place has been getting cramped more and more. At this point, I think every superhero ever has stepped in here at least once."
Quicksilver chuckled, "Never forget how packed it was during the final battle."
"Woah! You're all speedsters?" Scootaloo said with a wide grin. "Awesome!"
Wally pointed at himself, "Yep. Name's Kid Flash. Rainbow wanted us to race, and well here we are. I'm totally gonna win this race though." he boasted.
"Yeah right." Scootaloo scoffed, the orange filly rolling her eyes, "Rainbow's gonna come in first place!"
Peter chuckled, "Don't bother saying otherwise, Wally. She's Rainbow's number one fan, and adoptive little sister. Scoots will support Dash throughout this race. It's all for fun anyway." he patted the yellow-clad speedster on the back.
"I know. But still, I'm in an alternate horse dimension. This is a whole new level we're dealing with." he zipped away and came back a second later. "But I think I've gotten the hang of the hoof thing."
"Good." Miguel said bluntly, "Because I don't wanna be coach for long. Where the shock are the others at?"
"Well, Twilight and Kaine are picking up Mayday from Sweet Apple Acres and her visit with Aunt May. I have no clue where the rest are at." Peter replied with a small shrug.
"Right behind you." the sound of Quicksilver's voice suddenly behind him made the future Spider-Man jump in surprise, "Heh. Got you good, O'Hara."
"N-No you didn't. How the shock did he not surprise you, Parker?" Miguel asked.
Peter pointed to his head, "Spider-Sense. Works with even the most mundane things."
Rainbow Dash, Barry and Jay finally caught up with the others, "Let's get this show on the road!" the cyan mare declared, after landing on her hooves.
"Wow. Aren't you excited?" Barry joked.
"Just give us a minute, Rainbow. We'll be good to go soon." Jay waved off, stretching his hooves.
"Stalling?" Scootaloo said.
"No." Wally answered with a shake of his head, "More like preparing to win."
"Y-Yeah, sure." Rainbow muttered.
Peter and Miguel opened the lawn chairs they brought with them, an extra for Scootaloo as well. The Spiders and filly leaned back on them as Peter put on some sunglasses. "Alright, here are the rules. A single lap around Ponyville. Anypony with wings cannot just fly over the designated course and must stay on track with the others. There is to be no physical contact made among the competitors, so no hard shoving. Verbal throwdowns are fair game as long as they don't offend anyone. Anything you want to add, O'Hara?"
"Nah." Miguel decided.
Barry, Maximoff, Jay, Wally, and Rainbow all stood in a horizontal line. The DC speedsters crouched down, readying their hooves to run. Quicksilver knelt down slightly, putting on his headphones. Rainbow unfurled her wings, but Peter noriced that she was trembling a little and removed his shades for a minute, "Hey, Rainbow... You alright? You're shaking." he asked with concern.
"N-Nah. I'm fine, Pete! Just a little cold!" Rainbow lied through gritted teeth. "Just start the darn race!"
Jay turned to his allies, "May the best speedster win."
"Yeah, me." Wally bragged.
Barry rolled his eyes, "Sure, Wally. Remember, I'm the mentor."
"That may be true, but I'm still cooler." Quicksilver quipped.
"On your mark..." Peter began, "Get set..." he paused, "Go!"
And with that, the five speedsters vanished in blurs of yellow, silver and rainbow. Peter, Miguel and Scootaloo all leaned back, waiting to see who would return first. "Say, Parker. Who do you think's gonna win this?" asked Miguel.
"As a loyal friend to all of them. I must remain neutral."
"Cop-out." mumbled Scootaloo and Miguel.
In the race, the five were almost neck and neck. Rainbow and Maximoff gave each other a small playful glare. Ahead of them was Jay, who was sprinting as fast as he could. In front were Barry and Wally, who were striving for first place. "Not bad, Barry." Wally complimented, "But you're gonna eat my dust."
"Yeah. I'm the fastest man alive, remember?" Barry shot back.
Jay chuckled, "But who was the one who inspired you in the first place?"
Quicksilver trotted to the right of the original Flash, "Well, I never heard of you until today! So, I'm the odd man out."
"And I'm the fastest flyer in all of Equestria! Your point?" Rainbow scoffed.
The five turned constantly past buildings, became a blur to ponies unaware of the race, confusing them. They zoomed by the entire town in mere minutes,
"The point is..." Wally started to say, seeing the lawn chairs close by. He zipped past the Spiders and filly, skidding to a halt almost imstantly, "I win!"
"You got lucky, Kid Flash." Barry chuckled, patting his partner on the back after making second place.
Jay smiled, his hooves sliding on the floor as he attempted to stop, "Not bad, you two. You're really well-tuned with the Speed-Force huh? Guess I'm slow in my old age."
"Nah." Quicksilver complimented, "I'll admit, old timer, you still have it."
"What...?" Rainbow blurted out in disbelief. "B-But..." her jaw was agape. She was in last place. "I-I..." she trembled.
Peter sat up on his chair, "Rainbow... What's wrong?"
"Yeah, Rainbow Dash. It was an awesome race." Scootaloo complimented.
Sighing, Rainbow looked away, "I-I need a minute..." she sighed and flew away as fast as she could.
"What's wrong with her?" Kid Flash asked.
The original Flash, Jay stepped forward, "I'll go talk to her." he ran off, following the rainbow trail.
It didn't take long for Jay to find Rainbow. The older speedster saw the cyan mare sitting on her hind legs. A depressed sigh being heard from her. "Rainbow Dash?" he called out.
"What?" Rainbow muttered in disgust, "Come to brag about how you're faster than me?"
Jay shook his head, sitting down next to Rainbow Dash. "Of course not. What's wrong? You've been acting a little... jumpy since we first showed up."
"Why would it matter to you?" Rainbow grunted.
"Because I want to help." Garrick revealed.
"I-It's just..." Rainbow started to say, "I'm the fastest flyer in all of Equestria. I mean, yeah, I'm a Wonderbolt. But I worked hard to reach that title. Perfecting my speed and flying abilities. And yet here you all are, Flashes and Quicksilver, and you are all fast without even trying. It's like everything I did was just thrown away."
"Are you jealous?" Jay wondered.
Rainbow opened her mouth, "Jealous? Ma-maybe? I dunno. I'm glad I have Barry and Maximoff as friends, and yeah it's cool that I met you and Wally. But it's... How can you consider me a speedster when I'm slower than all of you!? I-I just feel... inferior when I'm racing with those two."
Jay frowned, "There's no shame in admitting this, Rainbow. They say I'm the original Flash. But yet Barry and Wally know more of the Speed-Force than I do, and I'm proud they're following the advice I gave them. Instead of feeling jealous over what you don't have, you should motivate yourself and focus on becoming faster. You're unique, Rainbow Dash. After all, you know how to utilize speed and flight better than all of us. Just because you're not the fastest doesn't make you worthless."
"Y-You sure?" the cyan pegasus asked with a soft smile.
Jay reciprocated the grin, "Of course. From speedster to speedster. Come on, we have a surprise for you."
"Oh, you're gonna like this, Skittles. You feeling better?" Peter asked.
"Yeah, much better." Rainbow sighed, seeing Barry put down the bag. "So, new Flash. What's in the bag?"
Barry chuckled, "Here it is." he opened it, revealing two articles of clothing. Rainbow noticed that the first was blue and had a lightning bolt on it, almost like Quicksilver's suit. "It's an upgrade for you, Quicksilver. The suit's better designed for friction." he revealed.
Maximoff held it, "Thanks, Barry."
"And Rainbow..." Barry grabbed the second suit. Rainbow noticed that it looked similar to the Wonderbolts suit, but on the center was a symbol that looked similar to the Flash and Kid Flash's. "This is yours."
"So, what do you think?" Peter asked.
"Welcome to the Flash Family , you two." Jay declared at last. "The Flash of Marvel Earth, and the Flash of Equestria."
Rainbow looked in awe at her costume, a tear escaping from her eye. "T-Thank you."
"You're in the Flash Family? That's great!" Scootaloo cheered.
"Congrats." Miguel said.
Wally raised his hooves, "How about we celebrate? Got a burger joint here?"
"No. But there's a sweet shop." Peter said.
Wally walked forward, "Well, let's go. I'm hungry."
"Wait for us, kiddo." Jay laughed.
"Beat ya there!" Rainbow bragged, flying ahead.
"Oh, it's on!" Barry and Quicksilver chuckled, catching up.
Author's Note
Sorry about the delay. But I pretty much replanned this chapter, as something didn't sit right with me. It still doesn't feel as good as it should.
Next: Batman has often considered himself a loner despite knowing otherwise, but with Spider-Man and Twilight Sparkle, can he see that he has gained more than he lost?
Spiders and Magic: After the Crisis
"Ah... This is the life." sighed Peter, slouching on the sofa. "Just kickin' back, relaxing and hanging out with my wife, daughter, my Spider bros and my friends." he said to himself, looking over to his fellow Spiders, who were enjoying a movie playing from Twilight's laptop on a projector screen. He had to admit, he should bring some DVDs at some point.
"Why am I here?"
The wall-crawler sat up, seeing Batman, in full costume, standing there. "Because I thought a trip to Equestria could lighten you up, Bruce." he revealed.
Ben nodded, grabbing some popcorn from the bowl. "Yeah. You could certainly use a vacation."
Eddie grabbed some from the bowl as well, "A shame we can't get television here. But I'll work with this."
Twilight nudged Peter, "What movie was this again? I like the idea of time-travel in the car. Pretty unique idea."
"Yeah, Daddy. We should get one." Mayday added.
"It's called Back to the Future. And yeah at that time, it was alright. But time-travel is more common than this. I say that because Alchemax just has a time-gate to use whenever they want." Miguel and Peter explained, the latter continuing to talk anyway. "I saw this on a hologram in my time and a few other old movies."
"We should show you Star Wars at some point." Peter decided.
"Ooh. That sounds fun!" Mayday cheered.
Batman narrowed the eyes on his cowl, "Well, I didn't want to come here if all we were doing was watching old movies on a projector. I have more important things to do than goof off in Equestria for a movie night with all of you."
"Like what?" Kaine grunted.
The Dark Knight pointed a hoof at Kaine, "...I need to make sure Gotham is protected. If I leave it alone, then something might happen while I'm gone and it'll be because I was here."
Trixie groaned, "Of course that's your excuse."
Ben rolled his eyes, "Nothing's gonna happen, Bats. Plus, isn't it daytime in Gotham? And last I checked, Batman doesn't operate during the day unless needed. And if anything were to happen, we'd pretty much know immediately thanks to Strange and Fate."
Instead of giving a response, Batman simply stormed out of the Treebrary in silence, fed up with the immaturity of the Spiders. Peter shook his head and got up as did Eddie. "We'll be right back, honey." said Peter, he and Eddie following Batman.
"Is Batman alright?" Twilight questioned.
Miguel nodded, "From what Parker told me. Yes."
"If only I had more popcorn." Trixie muttered, "Perhaps Trixie would see this... Eh."
'Of all the...' Batman thought, 'They thought they could waste my time. There are more important matters than watching old movies. I thought--' his thoughts were halted by the jarring intervention of a voice he didn't want to hear.
"Yo, Bats!"
"Not now..." groaned Bruce.
Peter and Eddie managed to catch up with Batman at the outskirts of the town, the former villain speaking first, "Do you want to explain the sudden attitude shift lately?" he asked.
Batman raised a brow, "My attitude shift?" he repeated, "You think that I'm being moody for the fun of it?"
Shrugging, Peter looked at his ally, "I dunno. Seems like it. Ever since the Legion of Doom was defeated, you've been acting more distant lately and don't even want to come here anymore. I mean, why is that, Bats? I thought you liked it here."
Narrowing his eyes, Batman growled, "Unlike you, I have another world to protect. I can't just sit around in Equestria and leave Gotham for even a little bit. I would never forgive myself if something were to happen." the bat hero declared.
Eddie paused, "That's unhealthy. That's kinda why we brought you here, Bats. We thought you could use a nice break."
"I don't need a break. I don't deserve one. The last thing I need is for you to distract me from what I have to do."
Peter spoke up, "Now hold on, you were perfectly alright with us when the Legion attacked. And now suddenly you want to pull the whole loner act again? Are you being serious?" he grunted, raising his head with a disgruntled sigh.
"Don't you dare pull that on me, Parker. When we first met, you were immature, a nuisance, constantly pestering other heroes and especially me. You never took anything seriously. Before you ended up in this world, you were just as much of a loner as I was. I thought being here and having a family would teach you to grow up, yet here you are watching movies and sitting down at home without a care in the world. So what did being here teach you? Absolutely nothing it seems." Batman questioned his ally coldly, a glare seen on Parker's face.
Angered by the Dark Knight, Peter stormed off, marching away from the confrontation. It was then Eddie decided to confront Batman, "Listen, Batman. I don't care how you do things in Gotham. But you have no business claiming that Peter is a terrible hero after all he's done to help you. He was only looking out for you."
"I don't need to be monitored by him and especially you , Brock. Now get out of my way." warned the dark vigilante.
Eddie snarled, "You wouldn't want to see my bad side, now would you?" he wondered. "Cause you're really starting to piss me off with this damn loner mood."
"Do it. Just know I can probably come up with five different countermeasures to your symbiote." Batman bragged.
Brock squinted his eyes and chose not to follow up on his threat, choosing to be the better man. This left Batman to ponder what was said about him, 'I need to be distant. It's for their sakes. The Joker was already here, and Killer Croc nearly wrecked this town had it not been for Robin. It's for the best I stay away from this world before something goes wrong.'
Before he could speak to Fate, a familiar yellow pony came to him, unaware of what happened.
"Peter. What happened with Batman?" Twilight asked.
Peter sat on the sofa and crossed his hooves, "He's having a loner phase again."
"Last I remembered, weren't you like that?" Twilight asked, a hoof being wrapped around her barrel."When you first came to Equestria, I remember you wishing to handle every problem on your own for our protection." she offered a soft smile.
"Oh, I agree with Sparkle on this one, Peter." Trixie agreed, "In fact, you still do that."
Ben nodded, "From the memories we share, there were plenty of moments you isolated yourself from anyone. Heck, for being a loner, Bats has a lot of people to depend on. Maybe you two aren't as different as you think?"
Miguel raised a hoof, "Parker. You have to understand, this is Batman we're talking about. He made being unsocial a semi-goal. According to the records in my time, he refused to work with any of the heroes of our world, he and Castle started a brawl and only worked with us because the Legion of Doom was involved. Other than that, he has little reason to relax in Equestria. You should know I get like that too."
"I'm back." Eddie called out, closing the door behind him.
"Did you speak to Mister Batman?" Mayday asked.
"Tried to, kiddo. He's a tricky hero, I can tell ya that much." he chuckled lightly.
"Why are you here, Sunset?" Batman asked.
Sunset pointed a hoof ahead, "I was on my way to Peter's house, they said they were having a movie marathon and invited me. But I'm surprised to see you here."
Batman turned away, "I was just leaving."
"...Did something happen?"
The Dark Knight shook his head, "No. I just have no business being in this world."
Sunset gave him a confused glance, "And why would that be? You know you're always welcome here Bats. And the heroes of your world."
"It's not that. It's the fact Peter invited me as well. I thought he'd see there are more important things than goofing off. He should be preparing for anytning that could threaten this world."
The unicorn shook her head, "Bats. Peter has worked his flank off to get where he's at right now. He had to adjust being here, his identity was secret from what I was told for a while, and fight off countless threats to this world."
"And it seems he's learned nothing. He's slacking off right now."
"Who cares? He's deserved it! Being a superhero doesn't require work and a costume twenty-four hours, Bats! I thought I could be something better, and I nearly let Green Goblin destroy reality because of it!" she revealed.
Batman gazed at the ground, "And even then. After what I said to him, he'd probably wouldn't want to see me again. I don't blame him. He's better off not knowing me. All of you are better off not knowing me." he whispered.
Sunset smirked, "Batman, if Peter is known for one thing besides responsibility; it's forgiveness. He forgave me, Kaine, Trixie and Eddie Brock for worse than a mere disagreement. And of course he likes to know you, there are moments where he'd bring you up. In fact, of all the heroes from your world mentioned, it's you mentioned the most." she explained.
"Me? I had heard from Twilight and Luna, but... Why? I'm not someone he should look up to."
The yellow unicorn shrugged, "I'm not sure. Perhaps you should talk to Peter." she turned away, "If you excuse me, I'm going to Sugarcube Corner to get a snack. I'll probably see you if you take my advice." she offered, leaving the Dark Knight alone again.
'Should I go... Do I really deserve forgiveness for how I've treated him?'
The sound of knocking prompted Peter to pause the movie. "I'll get it. It's probably Sunset." he hopped off the couch and walked to the front door, wondering who was knocking. He thought it to be Sunset who he had invited.
When he opened it, he saw a darkclad hero, "Oh. Hey, Batman." he mutfered in monotone, unamused by his presence.
"We need to talk. In private."
A sigh escaped Peter's lips, "Fine. Make it quick."
The two decided to discuss matters in Peter's lab. And so, the wall-crawler closed the lab door behind him, taking the entrance of the cellar to arrive. He and Batman stood across from another, standing on their hindlegs, with Peter crossing his hooves and leaning on a wall, "So, what do you want to talk about?"
Batman grunted, "I-I... I'm sorry."
"Hold on-- D-Did you say 'I'm sorry'? I wish I had a camera to record this moment." Peter joked.
The vigilante growled, "Don't ruin this."
"So... Why did you apologize? If anything, I should be sorry." revealed Parker. "I basically pestered you into coming here when you didn't want to. I-I just thought a hero like you deserved a nice little reprieve. Maybe you're right... Maybe I've learned nothing these few years."
Peter..." Batman began to say. He raised his hooves to his cowl and lowered it, revealing his face. "That's not what this is about. The reason I said those things was to get you to make sure I never come here again." he revealed. "You have matured. You're a better hero than the one I met those years ago."
Peter lowered his limbs, "But why? Why wouldn't I want you here? We all appreciate everything you've done in helping. Heck, of course I wouldn't stay mad. I look up to you, Bats."
Bruce shook his head, "I still don't understand that. How could you look up to me? I'm not a role model in the slightest."
"Remember what I told you back when we were fighting Lex for the last time?" Peter questioned, putting a hoof on Bruce's shoulder. "Despite having a traumatic childhood moment, you pushed yourself to help others. You gave up your happiness so others could have it, Bats. You focus too much on crime-fighting. Something I'm sure Alfred agrees with me on. I wanted to help you lighten up, show you that you can have some fun and be a superhero. After all, you're my friend!"
Bruce smiled, "Friend? I think only you, Clark and Dick have ever called me that."
Peter chuckled, "Of course you're my friend. Whenever our worlds crossed, we always had each other's backs."
"Friend ..." Batman repeated, "Huh."
"Yeah, honestly you and me are similar in a way. When things get dire we tend to push away the ones who care for us. I'm trying my best in avoiding this. After Gwen died, it took coming to this world to learn that perhaps having friends can help in the end. I just wish you'd understand." he elaborated.
Wayne frowned, "If only I learned that when Jason died..." he whispered. "I was in a dark place then."
"Jason?" Peter asked.
"Yes... My greatest failure. I thought Jason had potential. He was a street-rat, yes, but I wanted to turn his rage into something better. After Dick became Nightwing, he became the new Robin. It was a mistake. He was reckless, rash, violent and arrogant."
"Yeesh. But I thought he quit."
Bruce shook his head, "No... Joker captured him. He beat him with a crowbar... Left him for dead in a warehouse that exploded right as I found him. I cradled his dead body in my arms. For what felt like forever, I was in a dark place and blamed myself. I became more aggressive. I lost myself. It took Tim donning the cowl against my wishes to put me back on track."
Peter looked at his friend in concern, "I-I had no idea, Bats. I'm sorry. I wish I could've helped saved him. I was like that when Gwen died. I nearly killed the Green Goblin after the fact before he accidentally did the deed himself."
"It's fine, Peter. It seems we've both learned something from our failures. It's our failures that make us better, despite the costs. I just wish we could prevent them." Bruce sighed.
Peter nodded, "Me too, Bats. I wish. But how about we head back upstairs and watch a movie and remember what we do have?"
"I-I'd... Like that." Bruce replied. "Thank you, Peter."
"Wow. This is pretty good." Twilight admitted, "I'm so glad we have five more."
"Heh. Yeah, Star Wars is pretty good." Peter said.
Bruce and Miguel looked at one another, "Seen it."
"What? The two of you saw it? Don't spoil it!" Ben huffed.
"I'm from the future. I've seen Episode XX." Miguel boasted.
"Don't say another word." Sunset growled playfully.
Peter raised a hoof, "Hey! We're only up to Episode VII apparentally. We're seeing that tomorrow."
"Yay!" cheered Mayday.
"What do you say, Bats?" Ben nudged. "Wanna join us?"
Bruce nodded, "Sure. I'll probably come tomorrow afternoon."
"Alright." Kaine agreed.
Peter chuckled, "Didn't think you'd be scheduling. Maybe we could invite Logan?"
"Oh sure, and get a repeat of today?" Trixie quipped.
Bruce tuned out the two and pondered, 'Maybe this isn't so bad. I have Robin, Catwoman, Alfred, Oracle and the Justice League. Maybe letting a few more people into my life wouldn't be so bad. But once I get back to Gotham, then I'll focus on Batman priorities.'
Author's Note
And so, Batman learned the magic of friendship. He's still the same Dark Knight, just slightly more social. And for Peter and Twilight, it's a start.
Next Time: Miguel and Sunset. Unknowingly joined by Peter and some friends in the shadows.
