All was silent in the crystal castle. Twilight paced back and forth the throne room. She managed to thaw out Vibe, Shining Armor and Cadance, who tended to the injuries of the other heroes with Bruce Banner, who had everything explained to him. Iron Man broke apart his suit of armor in order to move freely, the suit taking most of the damage. Flash and Quicksilver had their hooves broken a little, but with their accelerated healing, they'll be running at full speed in about a day or two. Wolverine and Ghost Rider managed to heal, freeing Trixie, Sunset, Star-Lord, Applejack and Rarity from their icy prisons, all of them too cold to do anything.
Despite his injuries, Batman did his best to examine the injuries of the other heroes, relieved to see that none of them were killed by Luthor. He exhaled sharply, ignoring the pain in his side, which began to leak red through his kevlar suit. Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Billy, Spike, Winter Soldier and Falcon were unconscious, bruises and cuts seen on their faces and bodies.
The anxiety ran through the room, everyone wondering if Spider-Mane and Superman succeed. Miguel lay close to Sunset, who nearly passed out from being too cold. Ben and Kaine panted as they sat, seeing Eddie lying down, beaten even with the symbiote. Kaine grunted, not saying a word about his doubts, choosing to bite his tongue.
Deadpool lay on his back, Pinkie keeping an eye on him. His hooves were already beginning to grow back, slowly but he will make it out alive, his limbs back by the end of the day. Human Torch and Iceman were recovering as well, taking the least of beatings.
Twilight was especially worried. Her friends were beaten by Lex, she watched Loki die helplessly, and her husband was out there fighting that madman that killed the god. The princess of friendship turned her head and saw Thor, who sat in the corner. Realizing his sadness, she neared him and patted his shoulder, getting his attention.
"Are you okay, Thor?"
The alicorn shrugged, his gaze on the ground. "I am not sure, Princess. I know my brother was... less than pleasant. But to me he was still an Odinson. He believed that since he was adopted and I wielded the mighty Mljnoir that he didn't deserve to be an Asgardian. For years, I have pleaded for him to change his ways... And now it is too late. I wish I had brought him to our side sooner..."
Twilight held back a tear, hearing Thor's story. She had only heard in passing from Peter that the two were brothers. But she had no idea Thor still cherished him as so despite his many crimes. She wrapped her hooves around the god, comforting him. "T-Thank you, Princess. I'm just not sure how to tell Father Odin the news. Despite him being King of Asgard, he had hope for him deep down. At some points, maybe more than me."
The lavender alicorn gave Thor a soft smile, "He was your brother until the end... You really are a kind god. The hammer was right in choosing you." she sniffled.
The sound of a crash got everypony's attention. The conscious heroes gasped at the sight that awaited them. Batman and Wolverine were ready to fight instantly, as well as Ghost Rider.
Lex Luthor hovered in the room, holding the beaten bodies of Spider-Mane and Superman with the staff on his back, using it to remove the aliens from the Crystal Empire. "You all shall be the first to witness... The destruction of your heroes. It's done. You may have stopped the Legion, but I am superior."
"This has gone too far, Lex. What do you gain out of this?" Batman growled.
"Power, Batman. For years, superheroes like Superman and vigilantes like you have plagued our worlds, halting the progress of humanity to a barbaric state. I intend to change that." Lex boasted. "With the destruction of you heroes, humans and ponies alike will usher in a new era. One without you heroes plaguing it."
"But as heroes... We do what's right. We don't want to take the world, only protect it from nutcases like ya!" Wolverine shouted.
Twilight nodded, "Yeah! It doesn't have to be this way, Lex!"
Luthor chuckled, "It is too late. I am making an example of these two. And I'm showing how helpless Equestria truly is at this point." he then flew out the castle, prompting Twilight to follow him.
"Wait!" she called out, seeing that Lex was already gone. She looked down, seeing Spider-Mane's mask. She used her magic to lift it up and take it back inside.
"So, this is it, huh? We just gonna sit down and Lex take over our worlds?" huffed Wolverine.
Star-Lord took off his mask, "Sorry, but I'm not letting that happen to these ponies. We have to do something."
Twilight scowled, "I may have an idea where to start." she glanced over to Vibe.
Batman spoke, "Of course, you need Vibe to track Lex using his abilities since he has Peter. From there we can attack. Are you up for it, Ramon?" he asked.
Cisco sighed, "I-I think so... Just give me a moment to prepare. My head's still throbbing like crazy." he rubbed his head before adjusting his glasses and putting on his gloves.
Suddenly, a white light appeared on the ground next to Twilight. The alicorn looked down, seeing a closed beaker and a piece of paper where the light once was. Shining Armor raised a brow, "What the hay is that supposed to be?"
Opening the folded paper, Twilight read it aloud, "'To the heroes, this is the serum Lex Luthor used to give him Superman's powers. It is magically enhanced and immune to Kryptonite. You know who to give it too. He has gone too far and needs to be stopped. Sincerely... Guess Who.'" she finished.
"Can we trust it?" Cadance wondered.
Batman held the beaker, using his Detective Vision to scan its chemicals and properties. "It's legitimate. I see traces of Kryptonian DNA, based off my records and strange traces of magic. Nothing I have ever seen before..
"Then we have to give it to Peter." Twilight decided.
Wolverine nodded, "If Superman is beaten like that, then Luthor probably had Kryptonite on 'em. I say we give him hell."
"Literally." Ghost Rider said.
Cisco looked at the group, "Good to know we have a plan. Give me a minute to get my bearings and the few of us will head out."
Ponyville...
Black Cat, Zecora, and Gamora stood over the beaten Chitauri aliens, all tired and worn out from the fight. Felicia huffed, standing on her hindhooves. "Finally."
"Let's hope that's the end of them. If I see another one, I might justmrip it apart with my bare hands." Gamora muttered.
Zecora sighed, "I am drained too. Let's hope that this over soon."
"You might be lucky there."
Felicia growled, instantly recognizing the voice. But she and the other two heroes went wide-eyed at Lex holding Spider-Mane and Superman in his hooves. "You monster. Let them go..." she revealed her claws, ready to pounce.
"If you value your pathetic lives. You will listen. I now have the powers of Superman himself, without the weakness of Kryptonite. I feel that since this is where he resides, you should be the first to witness the new age besides the heroes themselves." Lex revealed. The ponies shuddered and were terrified at seeing the beloved hero and Superman at an inch of their lives.
Leaning on the window of the was Mayday, Wells and Fluttershy, the filly was brought to tears upon witnessing the state her father was in, and she feared for her mother as well. Fluttershy wrapped the child in a hug, hoping to calm her down. Wells shook his head, "Damn it... This isn't how it was supposed to end..."
The Cutie Mark Crusaders gasped, all of them scared. Wells gritted his teeth. "They better be alive and with a plan, or I may just go out there myself..."
Feeling satisfied, Lex flew away again, dragging the bodies of Spider-Mane and Superman with him in the air. The ponies could only watch as they believed their last hope to have died.
Canterlot...
Celestia and Luna shot down the last of the alien snipers with assistance from Future Sweetie and Pinkamena, who used Twilight Arms to kill them instantly. The alien bodies piled all over the city and Celestia could only look at her sister to speak, "How did a mastermind achieve such an army?"
"Reminds me of Chrysalis' swarm." Pinkamena muttered, hoping the princesses wouldn't hear her. She got an agreeing nod from Future Sweetie.
"It is a pleasure to see the two of you again, though." Luna admitted, "How long should you be here for?"
Waving a hoof, Future Sweetie answered, "Until we know this whole mess is cleared up. We're not leaving until we are sure that Luthor's plan is failed. I'm sure our friends back in our timeline would understand our absence."
"Speaking of them, are you able to explain why they are not here battling with us?" Celestia wondered.
Pinkamena growled, "Fine, but you better not tell Peter. We'll tell him when we're ready."
"You have our word of secrecy." the Moon Princess assured.
Future Sweetie exhaled, "It's degeneration." realizing that the two have no clue what she meant, she elaborated, "It's a fault in the cloning process. Basically, their DNA is breaking apart. We looked at Jackal's notes from his lair, and we found out he hadn't perfected the cloning process for ponies despite having Anti-Venom. We have tried to cure them countless times, but... They don't have much time left. We wish to see Peter one last time though when we know they are well enough to go... I'm sorry." she whispered.
Luna and Celestia were taken aback by the revelation but the former spoke, "Do not be, Future Sweetie Belle. You did your best to help your friends. We will be sure to let you tell Peter when you want to. We promise."
"Thank you, Princesses."
Pinkamena, out of nowhere, shoved the three out of the way of something. A red beam coming from the sky. The four looked up at the source, frightened.
"Ah, the capital of Equestria. Home of the Royal Sisters. And... Some familiar faces." Lex realized, spotting Future Sweetie and Pinkamena, "How are you here? And I swear you were smaller."
"Time-travel..." Pinkamena growled, "So, you're Lex? Release my friend. Now." she unsheathed her sword. "If you wish to remain in one piece." she commanded.
Lex chuckled darkly, "You cannot harm me. I have the powers of Superman, the strongest being across the multiverse. Even the powers of the Royal Sisters cannot hope to harm me." he tanked two beams of magic shot by the sisters after declaring that, getting bruised but still in the same position. "It is no use. Nothing can stop me and Equestria will be mine to control."
He was about to vaporize the four, but then a portal opened up. A flaming chain revealed itself, whipping itself around Lex's neck, forcing him to drop Peter and Superman. The future ponies caught the two as they met the ground. While Luthor was distracted, the princesses flew up and threw him onto the ground. Ghost Rider revealed himself, as well as Vibe, Twilight, Batman and Wolverine. "Go! Give Peter the serum! We'll make sure Superman recovers!"
The Kryptonite Lex had dropped when the sisters attacked him. Wolverine and Ghost Rider managed to catch it. "No!" Lex jumped up, but Pinkamena hopped in front of the two before Blaze could counter and swung her glowing hoof at Lex, stopping him in his tracks for only a moment.
"Pinkie?" Logan asked.
"Call me Pinkamena. I'm from an alternate timeline. Long story." the pink mare revealed, seeing Ghost Rider use his flame breath on the superpowered individual. Ghost Rider moved his head upon Lex punching it, feeling some pain.
"Sweetie Belle?" Twilight wondered. "Wait... You're older... Then that means..."
Sweetie groaned, flipping over Lex and throwing him. "I assume he told you... I'm sorry you had to hear that." she muttered to the lavender alicorn.
"I-It's alright. I may not forgive you, but I think I can at least start." Twilight assured. Leaning toward Peter, with Batman flipping Superman on his back, making him face the setting sun. Twilight cringed upon seeing his beaten, battered face. She was ready to give him the serum, but then a blur shot past them, revealing that Lex had stopped her before the serum was given.
"You..." she hissed.
"I need the serum... I am not sure how you got your hooves on it, but I will make sure Spider-Man never uses its abilities." Lex snarled, nearly hitting the alicorn. Wolverine stood in front of Twilight, using his claws to block Luthor.
Batman then used his REC to shoot Lex, and despite his injuries, he was willing to fight to his last breath. The Dark Knight growled, catching Lex with his Batclaw. Lex chuckled and threw uppercutted the Dark Knight, launching him. Celestia caught him in midair and he panted, clearly worn out.
"He will, Twilight. Seeing him fight in the future. Knowing what he's capable of, he'll make a comeback." Future Sweetie assured with a sigh of relief. "What was that you were going to put in him anyway?"
"The same thing that gave Lex his powers." Batman revealed, observing the pony and recognizing her, yet not at the same time, "You must be a time-traveler like O'Hara. I'm sure Peter's mentioned me, Sweetie Belle. I'm Batman." Future Sweetie could only blink at Batman's deduction, though relieved she wouldn't have to explain herself and Pinkamena once again.
Back with the fight, Pinkamena charged after Lex and he blocked her sword with his hoof. While he did so, Ghost Rider used his chain to grab the limb and slam him on the ground, creating a miniature crater as a result. "I hated Loki... But even I admit, I wouldn't have killed him like that." admitted Blaze, surrounding Lex in an aura of flames. Once the smoke subsided, Luthor elbowed him using his superspeed to his advantage.
Celestia shot Luthor in the back, and Wolverine stabbed him in the back, the wounds doing nothing to hurt him. Lex turned around and uppercutted the princesses and Wolverine. Pinkamena struggled in his grasp once he held her. "Don't struggle. I'll make you suffer." he said, his eyes glowing red. Vibe attempted to attack, the vibrations only damaging him slightly though.
"Twilight. Warp Lex and I far away from here." Batman growled, rolling onto his stomach to avoid Lex's hear vision, throwing more batarangs in his direction. He tossed a Sonic Batarang, and it made a loud ringing sound, irritating Lex greatly. He covered his ears, giving Wolverine and Future Sweetie a chance to hit him while the ringing still lingered in his ears.
Twilight nodded, focusing her magic, warping Batman, Lex, and accidentally Wolverine and Future Sweetie as well. The distance and number of people she had to warp drained her greatly and she almost collapsed, prompting Pinkamena to hold her up, "Where did you send them?"
Badlands...
Batman, Wolverine, and Future Sweetie landed face-first onto the rocky floor. They picked themselves up and noticed Lex hovering above them. "You will give me the serum if you know what is good for you three." he warned.
"You ain't gettin' another drop of it, Luthor." Wolverine snarled, unsheathing his claws.
Batman nodded, "That's right. I can tell that its effects are starting to wear down." he spat. He looked up at the sky, "It seems we are in some kind of heated area. The clouds here are thick. That means your powers aren't going to last long without exposure to the yellow sun.
Lex gritted his teeth, "I'll kill you if it means having the serum back to continue having this power." he used his heat-vision, Sweetie countering with a magic beam shot out of her horn. "Hm. You're a lot stronger than I took you for, time-traveler." he admitted with a growl.
"I've been fighting nutcases like you for most of my life." Future Sweetie quipped, hitting Luthor to no success.
Batman backflipped, avoiding a dive Lex made, and he created a crater as a result. "We have to draw out time and destroy the serum. Follow me you two."
Wolverine and Future Sweetie nodded, following Batman. Lex followed their trail, the three heroes countering each attack and dodging without ever stopping. "You three can't escape me! I will have ultimate power!" he screamed.
"Sweetie Belle. Warp us to the top of the volcano." Batman, pointing at the mountain. Future Sweetie lit her horn up and the three disappeared, prompting Lex to give chase.
Peter's Mind...
'You are weak, Peter...' said a strange female voice in his head. The conscience that represented Spider-Man within his own mind was unconscious, unable to hear the unknown voice that bellowed to him at this time. 'Beaten within an inch of your life. You are lucky I can only gain control in times like this until you release me from the prison of this mindscape.'
'Soon, I, the Nightmare will be free... But I now fall under your pathetic limitations as a unicorn. Once you free me, I will have full control once more. Like when Osborn angered you.'
Peter's eyes snapped open, but for some strange reason, they were glowing blue before fading back to normal. The wounds on his body began to heal and he staggered back on his hooves. He saw Superman and picked him up on his back, holding him toward the sun. "Peter? You're awake? How?" she asked the stallion.
The wall-crawler put on his mask in order to conceal his face. "No time to explain. I need to go find Lex. Where is he?" he asked in a surprisingly angry tone. The others assumed it was because of Lex and chose to ignore it.
"I sent him to the Badlands where Batman plans to destroy the serum." Twilight explained. "I only have energy to send you back there, are you sure you can fight him? You nearly died!"
"I'll be fine." Spider-Mane declared, "Now send me there."
Relunctantly, Twilight nodded, focusing her magic and teleporting Spider-Mane away, collapsing again. Pinkamena wrapped a hoof around her shoulder, Easy, Twilight. Don't exert yourself..." she warned, hearing the alicorn panting from exhaustion. Vibe woke up, still recovering from Luthor's assault and walked to the ponies. "Hey... You holding up?" the pink mare asked.
Cisco nodded, "Y-Yeah, I think so. Aw man... Wait what's he doing?" he looked down, seeing Superman's unconscious body float up, the wounds on his body fading away as he neared the sun. He hovered upright, his face twitching as he regained full consciousness. Superman then descended from the sky and landed, facing Twilight, Pinkamena and the princesses.
"What happened to Luthor?" he asked.
Luna pointed outward, "Princess Twilight had brought them all to the Badlands not too far away. Unfortunately, it will be quite a while before we have energy to teleport you there safely. We have all drained ourselves in fighting Luthor and Twilight nearly exerted herself."
"And my head is pounding... I can't focus on holding a portal." Vibe revealed.
Superman raised a hoof, "Then don't worry, I'll fly there myself." he took to the skies again and flew after the heroes fighting Luthor.
Batman blocked a punch from Luthor, his gauntlet nearly shattering from the force of the attack. The Dark Knight used his Gel Launcher to cause an explosion on the floor to distract Lex. While the smoke cleared, Future Sweetie hopped and scissor-kicked Luthor, flipping him across the rocky floor. The unicorn stood up and shot a bolt of energy in his direction and he was launched back, still able to fight.
"Stay down!" yelled Wolverine, bringing his claws down in order to strike the scientist.
"Never!" Lex screamed back, hitting Wolverine with his wind breath, the X-Man using his claws to stay on the ground before falling into the crater of the volcano. Logan grunted, lunging after Luthor and tackled him, the two tumbling on the small platform. Logan took a kick from Lex on his stomach, making him lose his breath.
Coming back into the fight, Future Sweetie gave Lex a right hook to the face, his face actually moving from the attack. She then smacked his side, bringing her right hoof directly into his jaw, almost breaking it if he hadn't used the serum to absorb the damage dealt. Lex snapped his head back down and grinned, Sweetie being visibly shocked, "You're a freak." she growled.
"I'm not a freak. I'm a genius."
Then, a white light appeared, and before Lex knew it, a familiar red-clad hero had held him down onto the ground, "It's over, Lex! You thought yiu weakened me! But I'll make you suffer the same way!" boasted Spider-Mane, punching Luthor as hard as he could, his hoof cracking at the feeling.
"Peter?" Sweetie wondered, recognizing the red-clad hero.
Peter ignored her, gritting his teeth under his mask as he continued to pummel Luthor. He then got up, worn out from the brief assault, seeing the mastermind unharmed, "Once the serum wears out, I will end you myself." he growled. Batman, Sweetie and Logan all looked at him confused by his new attitude. 'I must have them not know of my true state.' Nightmare said quietly to herself from Peter's mind, not until he is conscious. In the meantime, I will make this scientist suffer.'
Luthor chuckled, "I would like to see you try."
Spider-Mane and Wolverine attacked first. Wolverine used his claws to try to tear Luthor's skin, but it was unbreakable like Superman's. The X-Man headbutted the scientist, his head able to take the blow and recover. While he was stunned, Spider-Mane shot a web-line on his leg and yanked, tripping him. He then pulled again, pushing Lex in their direction, and he kicked him while he was down. He then used his impact webbing to cover Lex's face, aiming it perfectly.
Using his heat-vision, Lex burned the gossamer from his eyes. But he was unprepared for Future Sweetie using her magic to hold him up and throwing him on the ground. She then released him, hitting him with a beam of magic, the scientist using his ice breath to counter. Sweetie's magic proved powerful and managed to hit Lex, launching him across the small ring. He got his bearings and flew forward, grabbing the mare in the process.
Batman threw a batarang and used his Batclaw, aiming it s that it grabbed Lex by the hoof and he spun slightly, making him release Future Sweetie while he attempted to shake off the bat. For some reason, he struggled in the claw, meaning that the worst outcome is beginning to happen to him. "Losing your power, Lex? I expected it." Batman boasted, slamming him on the floor.
Future Sweetie and Spider-Mane attacked Luthor together. The future unicorn backflip-kicked the madman and drove her hoof into his barrel, allowing Spider-Mane to use the last of his webbing in order hit Lex woth his impact webbing, making him stumble backwards from the force of the gossamer. He then pummeled Luthor again and again, blood actually appearing on Luthor's face and his own hooves. 'He shall suffer for his false godhood!' said Nightmare.
"Kid, stop!" Wolverine ordered, grabbing Peter's hoof.
"The serum is wearing off. That's enough." Batman revealed.
Panting, Peter looked down, seeing the actually bruised and beaten Lex Luthor. The scientist opened his eyes and were glowing red. For the first time in a while, his Spider-Sense went off and he flipped backwards, avoiding the beam. 'My time is over... Peter... You will free me soon enough.' the Nightmare said before fading away back into his head, giving Peter control.
Then, something happened in Peter's mind and he shook his head. 'Woah... That was weird... Did I just black out? Wait, why am I standing on top of a freaking volcano?!' he realized, freaking out inwardly at his situation. 'Lex still has the serum in him, so I'll focus on the whole memory loss thing later.'
Lex tried to fly, but he was only able to hover before he fell back down. "N-No... Not now." he used his ice breath, the power still working for the moment. Future Sweetie erected a forcefield in order to cover the group, stepping in front of them. She then created a magic sword and swiped at Lex, the magic blade cutting him a little as a result.
Holding his shoulder, Lex managed to jump foward and reared his hoof back, where Wolverine deflected with his claws, "Seems yer magic juice is wearin' out, Lex."
"No... I must have more." panted Lex.
"Nope! Sorry, but this is an intervention!" Spider-Mane quipped, uppercutting Lex.
Batman threw two batarangs in Luthor's direction while Peter held him down, driving his projectiles into his shoulders, making him scream in pain as a result.
Lex headbutted Peter, making him yelp in surprise. Future Sweetie swerved her body as Lex neared her and drove her hoof into his chest, making him lose his breath. He panted, feeling himself get weaker by the second.
"You cannot beat me... I am a god now... I have killed Loki... These worlds shall be reborn." he panted heavily, staggering backwards. Unknown to him, another pony descended from the sky. He bumped into them and he turned around, his eyes going wide at the sight.
"Surprise." quipped Superman, being the one to knock Lex unconscious at last, the serum finally wearing off. He dusted off his hooves and looked at the heroes. "So, it seems it finally wore off. Nice to see you're all--" he was cut off by the sound of rumbling.
The volcano shook, surprising Batman. The serum he had fell off his person and landed on a small platform surrounded by lava. Spider-Mane, being the closest to the edge, fell down, Batman making a run for it and grabbing his hoof. "Clark! Take Logan and Lex back to Canterlot! Sweetie, warp yourself to safety!" he ordered, "The two of us will be fine when you get back!"
Superman nodded, "I'll be back as soon as I can, Bruce." he grabbed Lex and Wolverine, flying away. Sweetie glanced at the two before gulping and warping away. This left Spider-Mane and Batman to survive as the volcano began to erupt.
"Bats! The surface here is too hot for me to stick too! Let me go and I'll use the serum!" Spider-Mane yelled, Batman never letting go of his hoof at all.
Batman gritted his teeth, "It's too risky, Parker! You won't survive the heat!"
Spider-Mane snarled, "I can use the serum! I can study it, replicate it! That way, I can use the power Lex had, but have it be handled responsibly in my possession!"
"I'm not letting you do that!" Batman shouted back.
"Don't you get it!? Once you leave, I'll pretty much be back to protecting Equestria on my own! I can use the serum to ward off any threats! That way I can handle anything that threatens this world without putting my family or friends at risk!"
"Give me your other hoof! I won't let you use it!" Batman shouted.
"No! I won't fail anyone else like I've done before! I lost Uncle Ben, Gwen, Captain Stacy, and so many others died because of me! Just let me do this! Lex almost won because he had this power!"
"Peter..." Batman began to say sincerely, "Let it go... You're not in this alone! Your friends and family are always by your side, you have a wife, a daughter to care for. They're always willing to join you in battle, they know the risks and so do you. I'm not letting you risk your life for this serum. I'm not letting you end up like me. A loner without anything to fight for but the city he lives in. You're not a failure, Peter, far from it. Don't do down the wrong path of wielding selfish power."
Peter began to frown, "Bruce... You wonder why I look up to you? You have no family besides Alfred, you lose sight of yourself sometimes, and you live in one of the dreariest cities in existence, but you always continue to fight the good fight unlike me, who is willing to quit at the firxst chance something goes wrong. You say you have no friends, yet you have an ally in Superman and the Justice League, and you have an entire group of crimefighters willing to stand by you. Heck, I like to think you as a friend." he raised his other hoof, "I'm not letting you down."
Batman gave Peter a soft smile and helped him up, the volcano rumbling again. "I'm glad you made the right decision."
"Thank you, Bats." Peter sighed.
Superman flew back as they spoke, landing near them in a rush. "Hold on you two. We're getting out of here." he wrapped his hooves around Batman and Spider-Mane and flew away right as the volcano erupted as they got away.
The battle was over. All that was left was to go celebrate.
Tartarus...
Discord whistled innocently as Green Goblin stepped up to him, "Why are you giving me that cold stare, Norman?" he wondered, a halo appearing over his head. "I have done no wrong."
"You were the one who gave the heroes the serum. Tirek believes that Loki left a spare in case of betrayal, but I can see through your act." he poked the draconequss. "You have gone soft for the ponies, haven't you?" he whispered.
The spirit lowered the Goblin's hoof, a scowl on his face, "No, I have not. Think about it, Osborn. If Lex had won, then he would have killed Spider-Man and conquered Equestria. With that, the Sinister Six plan would have fallen apart and you would not have gotten another shot at tormenting your old enemy. So, you should be thanking me, Norman. By quietly intervening I have given you the chance to kill Spider-Man once again and our plot may continue to fruition." he revealed. "That, and he killed Loki. He and I had a mutual respect for one another, and I wanted to make sure he was avenged."
"I see... So, should I keep shut about this to Tirek?" Norman asked, realizing the draconequess had a point.
"Correct, Norman. If he were to find out about my role in this, he would no doubt betray us. In the meantime, I will alert Starlight Glimmer of a new friend of ours once our Sinister Six invasion begins. Once we're done, ai'll allow Sigma to have his fun with the wall-crawler."
Nice work!
part 1:
it's not over yet...
part 2:
you know, this Dr. Wells might not be the Reverse Flash, but he can still be pretty scary when he feels like it...
part 3:
first off, it a sad sort of way, it makes sense that the clones of Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Trixie are dying, though I still kind of hope that they find a cure; secondly, needless to say... ...that battle was AWESOME!!!
part 4:
my response in a nutshellOkay, I really don't like this climax. Giving Spider-Man Superman's powers (even if it's temporary) is just driving the OP level over the edge. This is what I really hate. Making heroes, that already have their own powers and strength, overpowered than they should be (whether it's Superman powered or goddamn super saiyan powered) and it just makes me not care anymore. And need I remind you that the Nightmare Force is within Peter at this time (thought at the time to be Peter's PTSD) and she could've made Peter black out and take control of his body during in his weakest moment, and with Superman's powers combined with Peter's spider strength, she would've used Peter's strength with no limits and that would be very devastating.
Also, I feel like I should point out that the story doesn't feel like it has an actual focus, what with the many filler plots you've put in. And you've added a lot of characters that it feels like that most of them are just there for show and really have no reason to be there at all other than to be attention grabbing ( I'm looking at you Future Sweetie and Future Pinkie).
Okay, that just throws the continuity out of balance. Tirek shouldn't know that Discord helped the heroes, it would be stupid of Discord to just tell him like that. At that point, Tirek would've just turned on Discord right then right now. Discord always worked behind the scenes on both sides to make sure that Peter survives, that his game worked the way he wanted and that Tirek doesn't know what he's doing, considering that this Discord knows what happened to his canon counterpart when the canon Tirek betrayed him. Also it's very hypocritical of him saying he doesn't want a bloodbath considering that he has Carnage and Goblin, two psychopathic maniacs, on the Sinister Six.
7797337 Thanks.
7797476 1) Not until the fish jumps.
2) E2-Wells was a dark yet fun character.
3) Thanks. The clone degeneration was supposed to be in Edge of Time (and I should've done that).
4) I love TFS Cooler. Discord wanted revenge for his bro, Loki.
7797938 Thank you again for the honest critique of the story. Honestly, I had a feeling that it derailed at some point especially once they reached Earth and progress slowed. My biggest problem was trying to balance three universes full of characters, and I feel I failed in that regard and only did fan service without substance for characters. The future ponies were really only here to foreshadow the clone degeneration for the future ponies which I wanted to do since Edge of Time.
Honestly, I was considering Nightmare Spider for the final battle (in fact I may just give this chapter a massive rewrite just to do that and the serum would heal Superman instantly), but I was unsure of how much control she would have at this point to take his body, but I'll make an attempt once I fix this chapter up.
And Discord, I'll definitely fix that part up. I should've just had him kept quiet and had Green Goblin or Adagio figure it out instead of Tirek. Where Discord would point out that he wanted revenge for Loki, and that if Spider-Man dies and Equestria is ruled by Lex, their plan falls apart and he had to play behind the scenes to ensure the Sinister Six plot continues. And I would also take out the bloodbath line as it does sound hypocritical.
7798374 Well here's what I think could perhaps work for a better climax.
When Luthor realises that his power are weakening as the serum effects start to slowly wear off, Batman (despite his injuries) reveals to Luthor that he has the other serum and has Twilight teleport him away to the Badlands in a volcanic area (where the ash clouds block most of the sun, so Luthor would be unable to recharge his power with yellow sun radiation in his weakening state), counting on the fact that Luthor would not resist the temptation of keeping his power and would chase him to get the serum off him and hoping that he can distract Luthor long enough until either the serum wears off or Spider-Man and Superman recovers and arrives in time to help before Luthor gets the serum off him, dead or alive.
Spidey awakens (the Nightmare in control while Peter's mind is unconscious) and has Twilight, who only has enough magic to teleport one more, teleport him to where Batman and Luthor are. After that, Superman also awakens, flies up into the atmosphere to heal himself where the yellow sun radiation is strongest and flies off to help Spider-Man and Batman.
Spidey arrives in time to stop Luthor from killing Batman and then Superman arrives in time to help. It then leads to a three-on-one battle with the fight on even terms for the heroes as the serum has almost reached it's expiration. The fight leads them to an active volcano which begins to erupt, Luthor is knocked unconscious (after serum's effect have worn off), the serum Batman had is dropped landing near some lava, Spider-Man (now conscious and the Nightmare returning back to her dormant state) is hanging by a ledge, out of web fluid, while Batman holds on to him trying to pull him up after the latter tells Superman to take Luthor out safely and then come back for them.
Batman tells Peter to give him his other hoof so he can pull him up while Peter tries to reach for the serum, too tempted by the idea of studying it and using it to help keep his loved ones safe and tired of failing so many times. Bruce, calling Peter by his first name, convinces Peter to let it go, telling him it's not worth the risk and reminds him that he's not alone. With his spirits ups, Peter gives Bruce his other hoof and is pull up as they watch the serum get consumed into the lava. Superman comes back in time and flies Spidey and Bats to safety away from the erupting volcano.
And that's my thoughts here. Whether you choose to take this into consideration is up to you.
7798637 That... Is brilliant! I'll probably work that into the rewrite, with credit of course. The only things I'll probably add would be that Wolverine and Future Sweetie join Batman so they could do something, explain why Vibe can't create a portal, and of course change Discord's ending to have more fitting dialogue.
Should I just republish this chapter or separate it as an alternate? I'll probable alter the Discord scene on both versions anyway, because to me that was the biggest flaw in this chapter.
Also, have you written a story yet? Because you can probably make some good stuff judging by the two ideas you've brought up (Edge of Time and this). More emotional than anything I can come up with.
7798788 Well I'm glad you like my idea, and I approve of giving Wolverine and Future Sweetie something to do. I think it would be best if you republished the chapter with the rewrite.
And to answer your question. I honestly haven't written any stories. I have thought of a lot of ideas in my head, such as one-shot parody of HISHE's Superhero cafe where Peter and Twi recap the events of Part I-IV to Clark and Bruce at a inter-dimensional cafe while poking fun at some things from the story (such as the fact that we keep being reminded of Uncle Ben and Gwen's death over and over again and the amount of feels and crying present) and a one-shot prequel focusing on Mary Jane and detailing how her life was affected after Peter's disappearance, hinting her presence during Part I when Peter and Twilight came to Earth and her becoming the Scarlet Spider during the Spider-Island arc to setup for a follow up I have in mind. I'm quite imaginative when it comes to thinking of ideas. However, trying to write them down... I'm afraid that is not one of my strongest talents.
7798828 Good to know. And I'd like to see your ideas come through someday. The Scarlet MJ one in particular sounds interesting.
Oh, and you mentioned Super Cafe... I may have something in mind involving the four (although not as self-aware)
Now that is a much better climax! The fight now looks more balanced and Spidey is not acting Superman OP here, instead having the Nightmare temporally take control of his body for the majority of the fight and the heroes present all working together to beat Lex as his powers are diminishing. Fitting to have Superman knock out Lex, and all it took was a slap on the face.
And I gotta say, the moment between Bruce and Peter at the end there gave me feels. Peter still has a lot to live for and Bruce doesn't want him to fall down the same dark path he fell into.
Great job on fixing up this chapter using my idea and thanks for giving credit.