//------------------------------// // Divide and Conquer, Part III // Story: Spiders and Magic: Dimensional Crisis // by MetalJrock //------------------------------// Ponyville... Twilight sighed, crouching down slightly. A faint glow illuminated itself on her horn, but before she could use any magic, it faded away. The alicorn groaned, slamming a hoof on the floor before screaming in annoyance. At that moment, Trixie poked her head out of the other room, hearing the princess's very brief, yet loud outburst. "We're worried about Peter too. But that's no reason to break every window in this place." Trixie chuckled. "Now calm down..." she tried to ease up Twilight. With another groan, Twilight sat down on the floor, the blue unicorn moved herself as well, "It's not fair, Trixie. Peter and the others are out there risking their lives in Canterlot! And we can only sit here, do nothing and wait for them!" she exclaimed, feeling disappointment in herself and her inability to help. "You're starting to sound like Peter." Trixie smiled, wrapping a hoof around her roommate, "He would just spend the entire fight worrying about us if we were there in the condition we're in right now. He has a whole group of friends helping him anyway." she comforted. Twilight sighed, "I know, but still... The last thing I want to tell Mayday is that something happened to her father and that I wasn't around to help him." she raised her hooves, leaning her head on them. "She's already feeling bad for Ben's state and Kaine running away... I just can't bear another loss right now." Trixie shook her head, listening to every word, "Trixie understands. But I have faith in them, despite them not being the... how should I put this delicately?" she paused, "Not the brightest. And even then, they can depend on each other in battle like you and your friends would." "You're right..." Twilight perked up, "But I still feel terrible about all of this." she added. "We're still here, Twilight. If anything gets out of hoof, Eddie will help and maybe even Kaine will come back." Trixie assured. "Kaine." exhaled Twilight, "I can't believe he just left like that right when we were needed for help." "I am aware he's not the most sociable pony, Twilight. Trixie can relate of course." the unicorn said, muttering the last part quietly so it remained unheard. "But as Peter said, he'll probably come through to us when he's needed." "What?! There's a battle I'm missing?!" Rainbow shouted, sitting up on her hospital bed. She tried to move her wing, but flinched in pain upon feeling the stinging that resulted from moving too quickly. Sighing, she laid back down, a frown seen on her face. While, Twilight and Trixie were back at the library, Sunset, Pinkie, Fluttershy, Eddie and Rarity decided to visit Applejack and Rainbow Dash, who were still recovering after Peter's violent, yet brief assault. "Easy there, Dash." Applejack said, "Last thing ya need is to sit here even longer. I've been hearin' how yer bored every wakin' minute of the day and last thing ah need is to hear more of it." "Sorry, Rainbow." Sunset chuckled at Applejack's comment, "But there's already a large amount of heroes there to begin with. I say it's getting crowded."  "Yeah, that's kinda why I stayed behind." Eddie admitted to Sunset, "Something tells me they can handle whatever's happening in Canterlot just fine, anyway." "Exactly! I don't think Luna can handle teleporting more ponies than necessary!" Pinkie chimed in. "Are you feeling any better?" Fluttershy wondered. Rainbow shrugged, "Kinda. The doctors said another day or two and we're free to go. I'm surprised Peter could pack that much of a punch." she chuckled, "It's why I'm glad I'm not a villain to be honest. That spider can hurt." Eddie cringed upon hearing that, but chose to not say anything, recalling how he and Spider-Man fought in their past. "Even so, Parker and us has a tendency to hold back our true power. Heaven forbid we ever meet a Spider-Man with no such restraints." Eddie groaned to himself. "You mean a Superior Spider-Man?" Pinkie wondered. Sunset raised a brow in confusion, "What made you think he'd be called the Superior Spider-Man? That seems like such an odd title." she questioned Pinkie's choice of words. "Well our Spidey is Amazing! If this one doesn't have morals, he'd consider himself superior to Peter!" Pinkie explained, moving her eyes left and right suspiciously, a nervous smile seen on her face. The ponies remained silent at the pink mare's explanation and odd behavior, wondering how to even respond. Eddie crossed his hooves and shook his head, "I'll never understand Parker's titles. I swear if he ever gets merchandise on my world, they'll use each of the adjectives for different purposes." he said. 'And even if there is a so-called Superior Spider-Man, he better stay away from Equestria. This world has too many Spiders as is, the last thing we need is a whole multiverse of them in Equestria.' "So, Amazing Spider-Man action figures?" Sunset questioned while chuckling. Nodding, Eddie continued, "Yep. Even before he left he had plenty of theme songs for some reason. If I go back and find out they made a movie, I'll probably scream." he said, 'Then again, it can't be any worse than the time someone decided it'd be a smart idea to make a video game about Carnage of all people.' "A movie?" Fluttershy wondered, "Um... What is that? If you don't mind explaining." "Back on Earth, they would film a big budget production. Think of it as a play on a screen of sorts, but not live on stage and a bigger budget for effects." Sunset explained. "Like for instance," Eddie added, "No actor can have my powers, so they use technology to change the actor's look so it looks like he has my powers and also to make things that aren't normally there. It's not really something I can explain. But they can match our adventures if done right." "Well, I say our dear Peter deserves a movie." Rarity added. "After all he's been through, he could use something like that." Rainbow spoke up, "It won't be as awesome as a movie about me though!" she boasted, "Though, I would still watch it." she admitted with a grin. "Let's not get any ideas here, ladies. Last thing we need is a franchise about the wall-crawler. A movie about each of us and only Spiders? That'd be crazy." Eddie laughed. Sunset smirked, "You mean an Anti-Venom movie? Or a movie about O'Hara?" "Basically." Eddie said, not noticing Sunset's red face, her thinking about Miguel Watchtower, DC Earth... Meanwhile, on the other Earth, the remaining members of the Justice League gathered at the Watchtower. Wonder Woman, Martian Manhunter, Green Lantern, and Robin all warped in there at the same time. Robin held his staff at his side while he lowered his black hood, which hung over his cape and red costume. "Has Batman given you any updates, Robin?" Hal asked the red armored hero. Tim sighed, "Nope. You know him, always silent. Though, I've spoken with Green Arrow when he showed up in Gotham." he revealed. "So, Oliver's back?" Diana asked. "Did he say anything about his disappearance?" "Yeah, actually. He was under mind control and was warped to Equestria like the Legion of Doom. Batman is there and the Flash is there as well, safe and sound. They already allied with Spider-Man and Wolverine as well as the heroes of that world. Now, if only I can get Batman to talk and give a more recent update." Robin groaned. "I'm sure he'll talk eventually. They have a lot of ground to cover in that other world. But we still haven't found Superman!" Green Lantern responded. "It is peculiar. He was most likely the first victim of this war." Martian Manhunter commented, "He knows something, which is why Lex wanted him gone." he hovered from his spot and went to the Watchtower computer to perform another scan. "I'm still getting no signs of Kal-El anywhere." "Cheery." Hal sighed, "I'm going back there and get an update from Stewart. I need to make sure none of the other Lantern Corps got involved in this mess." his lantern ring began to glow, "Yo, John." 'What is it, Jordan?' John said from the other side in Oa. Hal continued, "You're still on Oa right? Wait... First of all, did anyone tell you what's happening on Earth right now?" he wondered in a curious tone. 'Yeah. Batman mentioned it to me sometime ago. He said something about the Legion of Doom attacking another Earth and some other dimension after Superman disappeared.' Jon answered. 'What about it? You need me to come there for backup?' "Not right now. We need you in Lantern Space in case some other threat makes itself known. The Lantern Corps have to keep watch as of right now, despite what the Guardians may think. Has the Sinestro Corps made a move yet?" 'No. It seems without Sinestro, they're a passive lantern corps. We'll give you an update on whether the others decide to get involved in this interdimensional mess.' John commented. 'Hm. I should probably go now. Tell the others what I said." "We already heard, Lantern Stewart." J'onn responded. 'Great. Remember, I'll be on standby in case you need another Lantern on the frontlines. Good luck.' John said before Hal turned off the communicator. "At least the other Lanterns aren't involved." Robin commented, "I don't think we'd be able to stop them with who's left." "Indeed, but at least we have that cleared. Now to the topic at hand, Superman's disappearance." Wonder Woman spoke. "After days of searching, it seems we still can't find him. I can only hope Batman has information." "Knowing him, he probably does. He's just too dark and brooding to talk about it." Robin joked. "I should go to Doctor Fate soon. Especially since Nightwing went missing as well." he sighed.  "Batman's first ward went missing as well? He's most likely under the Legion of Doom's control." J'onn said. "Yeah, that's what I was thinking." Robin replied, "In that case, I'll probably leave that to Batman if he actually is there." "I'm still wondering why the Legion of Doom would ever bother with this third world. Spider-Man shouldn't be that much of a problem to eliminate directly. No offense to him, of course." Wonder Woman questioned, crossing her arms. "Yeah, a magical world of horses doesn't seem like something on Luthor's or Sinestro's list." Hal retorted. "We shall worry about that matter later," Martian Manhunter said, "Right now, we should get back to finding Superman. He can possibly give us information if my theory involving his disappearance is correct." Everfree Forest, Equestria... 'Stupid goddamn Legion of Doom...' thought First Spider, swinging from the trees. 'Peter... He's too caught up in his superhero fantasy teamup to realize that the Legion of Doom should be taken care of right away! That idiot Wade put Ben in a coma and I'm not taking that lightly until this ends!' Kaine stopped swinging, perching himself on top of a tree, his adhesive abilities keeping him still. "I shouldn't have snapped like that." he whispered. "But I can't go back. Not until the Legion of Doom pay for what they did to my brother." he hopped down, revealing his stingers while standing on his hindlegs. The First Spider swiped his hooves upwards, slicing a tree with his hoof blades in anger. He sheathed his stingers again, sighing as he hunched down. 'Those bastards... I was actually enjoying how calm this world was, but of course, nothing seems to last. I can't keep fighting if this is what I have to show for it. A world in constant danger. Maybe I should just stop fighting once I go to Earth... The world will be better off without me having to protect it. I failed my brother, I failed Peter and Twilight, I'll only fail everyone else at this point if I keep going.' Then, Kaine's thoughts were cut off by the sound of a gunshot. A bullet seemed to graze the clone's side, barely missing him and creating a hole in the trunk of the tree. The First Spider looked up to see a pony wearing black and orange battle armor holding a rifle. "You got lucky there, Spider." "Who the hell are you?" Kaine asked. The armored stallion jumped down, allowing the clone to hear him. "Name's Slade. But you may call me Deathstroke." Slade introduced himself, holding a sword in his hooves. "It seems you're all alone, like Peter when he found us." Kaine scowled, gritting his teeth. "You're on the Legion of Doom! I'll rip off your head for what you did!" "Oh, you mean your brother? Lex wanted some of you out of the picture for his plan." Slade smirked. "You son of a bitch! The others are gonna kick your ass once they find out you're here! But not before I do the deed myself!" Kaine yelled. "Oh they won't be showing up. Those heroes are busy in Canterlot dealing with another assault." Deathstroke informed the dark-clad clone simply. "An assault that you'll never get to see." The First Spider hopped up, raising a hoof in middair as he descended. Slade jumped away, causing Kaine's punch to collide with the ground. Slade moved forward, giving the clone a right hook, the First Spider parried the attack, delivering a kick to Deathstroke's mask, making him grunt in pain. The assassin once more attempted to punch Kaine, this time he punched his shoulder before grabbing his neck, tightening his choke hold. Kaine groaned, elbowing Slade with a free hoof and flipping around the assassin, grabbing him by his shoudlers, before flipping his entire body in the opposite direction. At this point, he had already released two strands of webbing on Slade, yanking himself to hit Slade with both of his hindlegs. Deathstroke flipped himself, countering Kaine's attack with a roundhouse kick, knocking the clone into a tree. Luckily, Kaine got his bearings in time and flipped, his hooves landing on the trunk of the tree so that he was in a wall-crawling position. He pushed himself off and drove his hooves to hit Slade, but the terminator revealed his sword, aiming it in front of his face. The First Spider responded by unsheathing his stingers, using them to block Deathstroke's sword swipes. "So, you got some weapons of your own. I wasn't expecting that." admitted Slade, pushing his blade down, the clone keeping it away with his hoof blades. "This'll make ending you so much more satisfying." he grunted. "I'm not dying today!" declared Kaine, forcing his stingers upwards, "Not until I deal with all of you!" he shouted, pushing up one last time, causing Slade's sword to fly out of his grasp. While it was in middair, the First Spider shot a stream of webbing at it, grabbing it and holding it with his own hooves. "Now let's see you deal with your own weapons." he jumped up, slicing vertically, but Deathstroke managed to jump away from the swipe in time. "I see you're more pragmatic than Spider-Man." Slade said, pulling out a pistol. "But I think it's time I ended this." he pulled the trigger with a hoof tap. The First Spider used his newfound blade to deflect the bullet before it hit him. "And you have reflexes as fast as him. I'm gonna have fun with this." he smirked under his mask. "Stop comparing me to him!" Kaine shouted, the clone threw the sword away and lunged after Deathstroke. He tackled the assassin and two were tumbling on the floor. The First Spider grunted as he punched Slade in the face repeatedly.  Slade performed one last move. He headbutted the clone, forcing the First Spider to shake his aching head to remove the cobwebs that plagued his brain. "Alright. He's good to go." he said. Before Kaine could wonder what Slade meant, something hit him in the back, knocking him out. Smoke appeared on his back, a tear seen on his costume, revealing a small burn mark. Loki laughed, placing his staff at his side. "You did well, Slade. Now the citizens of this town will witness the wrath of my army." he declared. The trickster god raised his staff, summoning a bunch of strange creatures by his side. "The heroes will be devastated when they see the ruins of Ponyville at the hands of my Chitauri army." he poked the First Spider with his staff, his eyes glowing red now. "As well as this First Spider." "I'm coming as well. It's about time I did something." Slade ordered. Loki nodded, "Very well. You may join me for this attack." Tartarus... "Nicely done, Loki and Slade." Tirek complimented. "The seeds of mistrust have been planted, and with the heroes gone, Ponyville will be an example of what's to come." "Oh, you know how to enjoy a show Tirek." Discord said, before appearing behind Lex. "And how goes this little pet project of yours, hm Luthor?" Luthor never took his gaze away from the beaker. "It's almost done. Even if the heroes free Superman from his prison, they'll never be able to counter my ultimate power." "Grundy want ultimate power." Solomon Grundy commented. Luthor gritted his teeth, "It's not for you, anyway. I need a little more time to perfect the formula." "Hey, Luthor." Morris said. "When can this nullifier be removed?" "Right now, actually." Luthor responded. Discord snapped his fingers, the brace around Hydro-Man vanished. "You're welcome, Mister Bench. Your time will come soon, I assure you. In fact, we're nearly ready to reveal ourselves once more." Hydro-Man laughed, feeling his own body morph into a liquid state. "Oh yeah! Spider-Man won't know what hit him!" "Finally!" cheered the Joker, "When can we do it?" "Once the heroes get back from Canterlot, they're most likely heading to Earth. While that's happening, we can enact phase two." Luthor revealed. Meanwhile, back in the Golden Oaks Library, within the dark room where Ben slept. The oddest thing happened while nopony was around to witness it. A sign that things may finally lighten up after a conga line of drama. A hoof twitched under the covers. And a quiet voice spoke in its sleep. "Parker..."