//------------------------------// // Aqua Ambush, Part I // Story: Spiders and Magic: Dimensional Crisis // by MetalJrock //------------------------------// Spider-Man did his best to avoid the giant drops of water falling towards him. The wall-crawler, while spinning in midair webbedup his right hand, curling it into a fist. He reeled his hand back before punching Hydro-Man, who had turned his head back to normal while his body continued to tower the city. Peter's fist collided with Bench's face, and in retaliation, he changed back into water. Hydro-Man grabbed Peter and slammed him on the roof he had jumped from. Spider-Man groaned as he sat up, "Did anyone get the number of that hand?" "Get up, kid." Logan ordered, slingling an arm around Peter's shoulder to help him stand up. Hydro-Man shouted, "It's no use, Spider-Man! Aquaman is giving me quite the power boost! Power I've never felt before! Now, not only can I destroy you, but..." During his pause, the waterdrops that fell from Hydro-Man began to grow, giving an appearance of his watery form, but more normal sized in comparison, "...I'm able to do this! You're all outmatched!" "Son of a glitch!" cursed Spider-Man 2099, slamming his hand over his head. Deadpool cooed, "Aw, wook at the wittle Hydro-Men! It makes me want to blow them up." "Alright, in that case, I'll just get Iceman to freeze you up!" Peter shouted back. "Sounds simple enough!" Hydro-Man cackled, "Yeah! If you do, Aquaman will only bring me right back to full strength. He can control water, remember? Plus, I got a friend who can make sure I thaw," "Damn it." mumbled Spider-Man. "We ain't got time fer banter. Those Hydro-Men are gonna tear apart the city." Wolverine growled, unsheathing his claws, "Just when I thought the day was over." with a snarl, he leaped down, driving his claws into the shoulders of a miniature Hydro-Man, turning him into pure liquid at the touch. "...The hell?" Spider-Man 2099 jumped down as well, using his talons to slice through another Hydro-Man, getting the same results, "At the very least, these things aren't as shocking strong as the actual Hydro-Man. We just need the others to show up." Sighing in relief, Spider-Man shot some webbing at a Hydro-Man charging after his successor, Miguel seeing it absorb the webbing somewhat, still seeing the gossamer on it. "What kind of webbing is that?" he questioned aloud. "Water-proof webbing. While in Equestria, I've had a lot of free time to tinker with the gossamer design. You should know this by now, Future Spidey." Peter explained. "Right. How stupid of me." Miguel muttered sarcastically, kicking the water-being. "If the two of ya can shut up..." Logan growled, tearing through the water clones. The Hydro-Men kept growing in numbers, and Deadpool was running out of bullets. The mercenary groaned, "Wonderful... All outta bullets." he threw his machine guns onto the street, then grabbed his sai, which were attached to his belt, "Luckily, I came prepared!" Deadpool sliced a few water clones, using his teleporter belt to take more down, "It slices, it dices, it chicken fired rices!" 'What does that even mean?' 'Uh...' Hydro-Man cackled loudly, his voice echoing across Washington DC, "All the good that'll do, heroes! I got plenty more Hydro-Men where that came from! We've never fought like this before, Spidey! Now, it's about time you see what it is I'm truly capable of!" More Hydro-Men began to form from the ground, morphing into a very eerie watery state. As they began to circle the four heroes, a yellow blur sped by, destroying the clones one by one. The group watched as the Flash skidded to a halt, "Hey, everyone. Did I miss anything or am I on time?" "Flash?" Peter asked. The Flash chuckled, "Who else? I heard about what was happening on the news back at S.T.A.R. Labs and headed here as soon as possible. I just wish the rest of the team could help me right now." the speedster crossed his arms. "Well, Hydro-Man over here is controlling the entire sewer system and is getting a power boost from Aquaman, who is enhancing his abilities with his own." Spider-Man 2099 elaborated. "Oh, and did I mention his Atlantean army?" Barry nodded, "Hm. I would say Aquaman would be a bigger priority, but we need to make sure these mini Hydro-Men don't cause any damage first. And the small army under mind control." "That's what I was thinkin'," Wolverine said, "If anything, the others would'a caught up to us by now. Once they do, we can split our efforts from there." A loud roar in the sky got their attention, Spider-Man grinned under his mask, "Looks like they got the idea." he said. Spike was flying overhead of the city, with Johnny and Luna hovering next to him, as well as Ant-Man riding on a Spider-Slayer he hacked, "Hey, giant water guy! You're going down!" the dragon declared, flying in his spot. Hydro-Man crossed his arms, "You're a lot bigger than I expected. Never mind though... You'll all die anyhow." The Human Torch smirked, "Sorry, pal. But that's not happening anytime soon. My greatness needs to be known--" he was cut off by Morris punching him, stopping his flames and making him fall, with no way to change back fast enough. "Johnny!" shouted Spider-Man, ready to slingshot his way upward. Luckily, Luna flew down in time to catch the man, who looked at the night princess. "So... That was embarassing... Don't tell anyone that this happened." he pleaded. Luna laughed, "Maybe." Johnny huffed in response and continued, "Especially, Peter and Bobby. I have a reputation to keep up after all." Back in the air, Hydro-Man threw his down at Ant-Man's hijacked Spider-Slayer, the hero gulping in response. Without hesitation, he used his helmet to call some flying ants in his direction and he started running as fast as he could. He jumped out of the eye right as the water-being's palm collided with the metal and Scott managed to hitch a ride on one of his swarm. "I have no regrets!" he shouted, though no one was able to hear him. Back on the ground, Peter sighed in relief, "Now... Where were we? Oh right, impending Hydro-Man invasion. Where the heck are the others at... Why is my Spider-Sense going off now?" he wondered, turning around, seeing an Atlantean leaping after him, a staff in his hand. Barry and Logan was ready to counter, but something else happened that made him wait. A bow was shot at him, making the soldier fall on impact. Spidey pulled out the arrow, seeing that it hit a nonvital organ, "Three guesses as to who it was. And it probably wasn't Hawkeye." Deadpool chimed in, raising a finger. "Well I'll be..." Logan said. Green Arrow stood on a rooftop, a whole supply of arrows strapped to his back. He gave the team a thumbs-up, "Sorry about the wait... But I wanted to be dynamic." "I'm the one who picked you up. What took you so long?" Barry questioned the archer. "Like I said. Awesome entrance." Oliver quipped. Miguel rolled his eyes under his mask, "Oh joy. More ego..." "The more to help us the better. Somethin' tells me these Hydro-Men and Aquaman's forces aren't gonna let up. So less with the entrances and more with the kickin' ass." Wolverine scolded, revealing his claws once again. Green Arrow gave Logan a salute before drawing his attention back at the evergrowing army of Hydro-Men rampaging through the streets. "Wished I packed some appropriate ammo for this." he drew his bow back then released the projectile. The battle against Hydro-Man had begun. Nearby... Twilight sprinted, leading the others into the city. Batman ran next to her and he scowled. "This is the last thing we needed..." he groaned, seeing Hydro-Man tower over the city. The Dark Knight pulled out a batarang from his utility belt and threw it, activating his Detective Vision after the fact. "What in Celestia's name is that?!" Twilight blurted out, seeing the gaint water-being. "What are you doing?" asked Scarlet Spider. Sunset looked at Batman's eyes, "I think he's using his Detective Vision for something... I'm not sure what though." Then, the batarang flew back, the detective catching it with ease before turning off his Detective Vision. "I used the batarang to survey the city. It seems Hydro-Man got a power boost from Aquaman, who's also under the Legion's control. He's also got an army of water clones and mind-controlled Atlanteans. I also saw Peter, Miguel and the others, they're fine and with Oliver and Barry fighting off the clones." Twilight and Sunset sighed in relief. At least the others were safe for the time being. Bobby raised a finger, speaking up, "Alright. So, should I just go up there and freeze Hydro-Man?" "It wouldn't work. I sensed a very high heat signature nearby. I can only hope it's not who I think it is." Batman noted. "Well, who else is here?" Ben wondered. The clone's Spider-Sense went off, and he spotted a fireball coming in their direction. With no other option, the Scarlet Spider used his webbing to pull back the group, making them dodge the oncoming burning projectile. "What the hell was that? Now's not the time to pull a prank, Johnny!" Bobby groaned, rubbing his head, and making sure his ice form wasn't melting. Twilight and Sunset landed on their backs as did Batman, "Warn us next time you do that, Ben..." the former unicorn grumbled, rubbing her aching back. Scarlet Spider shrugged, "Sorry for saving your lives." Batman narrowed his gaze, "Of course. They got to him as well." A man descended on the ground. Most of his body was on fire, mostly his head and arms, but the flames surrounded his yellow and red suit. And on the suit was a strange device. Batman narrowed his gaze at the flaming figure. "Firestorm..." Firestorm's red eyes confirmed the Dark Knight's fears, meaning that he too was under mind control. Twilight raised a brow curiously at Firestorm. "Who is he? Is he like Johnny?" she asked. "Not quite. Yes, he has fire abilities and manipulation of fire, but they come from a different source. Firestorm is actually two people bonded together thanks to the Particle Accelerator accident in Central City. I'm not sure how Professor Stein is doing inside his head, but I'm assuming Loki's magic is just that powerful." Batman explained. Ben raised a hand, "Hold on... Two people? There's another person in that body?" Batman nodded, "Yes. He usually guides Jefferson in battle, using brains and brawn together. I assume that Johnny can transmute matter, so he has a similar set of abilities. Minus the second person." "Transmute matter? As in contain an explosion?" Twilight wondered, "I didn't know these two can be so powerful..." Bobby looked at the group, "Are we seriously questioning science right now? We got like two mind controlled superheroes and two armies as well as a giant Hydro-Man! If only we can get him and Sandman to merge again, this could all be over." "I have faint memories of Sandman... Isn't he pretty much like this?" Scarlet Spider asked. "Yeah, pretty much." Iceman answered. "I can hold him off. The rest of you, go find Aquaman and stop him from doing this." Sunset declared. "My magic should be a good counter for his abilities." "It's for the best. Aquaman is more durable than Firestorm." Batman elaborated to the others. "If you say so..." Twilight quietly gulped in worry for her friend, "Good luck, Sunset..." she followed the others ahead, seeing a small group of Hydro-Men in their direction. Sunset smirked, "Yeah..." she turned her attention back to firestorm, who created a burst of flames from his hands in silence, "I imagine you as talkative as Johnny. So, this conversation is pretty much one-sided whether controlled or not." she quipped, getting ready the magic needed to fight. Back with Twilight's group, they fought off the Hydro-Men standing in their way. The former alicorn took notice of something, "Hm. The molecular structure of these clones are weak... They go down a little too easily." she noticed. "English, Twilight?" Bobby joked. "It means that these are weaker versions of Hydro-Man." Batman explained. "It makes our workload lighter." Scarlet Spider looked up in the sky and saw something coming right in their direction, "Hey, is that a bird?" "Is that a plane?" Twilight continued. A thin smile was seen on Batman's face as he finished the statement, "No... It's Superman." Superman descended, revealing himself to the heroes, "Hey, everyone. I've heard about what was happening. It seems a little too big to leave alone this time. Any idea as to who that is?" "Hydro-Man. A member of the Legion of Doom." Scarlet Spider answered. Superman crossed his arms, "Figured it was the Legion. Should we call the rest of the JLA?" Batman shook his head, "No. Green Arrow and the Flash are here as well. Spider-Man, Wolverine and a few others as well as us are tending to the Hydro-Men, while Sunset Shimmer holds off Firestorm and brings him back to our side. Since you're here, you and Twilight should recover Aquaman." "And what about Hydro-Man?" Superman asked. Twilight looked up, "Spike and Princess Luna are distracting him for the time being. By the time they stop, we should have the upper hand to stop him." The Man of Steel nodded, "Very well. Let's go then, Twilight. Aquaman shouldn't be too far ahead." "Right." Twilight nodded. "Was that Superman?" Peter asked. "Seems that way." Logan replied. The two heroes were doing their best to dwindle the number in Hydro-Man's clone forces. Deadpool had decided to take a direct approach and use his sai to slice them up. Spider-Man 2099 stuck to a wall, driving his feet into a clone. "After this... We still have the shocking Atlanteans to worry about..." he muttered, flipping into a crouching position, his talons digging into the ground. Spider-Man grumbled, "Don't remind me. At least we have most of the Justice League here." The Flash zipped by, uppercutting an Atlantean, allowing Green Arrow to shoot an arrow strong enough to pin them to a wall. The archer hopped from his spot on the roof and whacked another soldier with the blunt end of his bow. "Yep. The more the merrier." Oliver quipped. Barry chuckled, elbowing a Hydro-Man hard enough to morph into a puddle immediately. "Wow. These things are weak. Weaker than you would think..." he noticed. "Whatever makes it easier for us." Spider-Man joked, driving his knee upward to the chest of another Atlantean soldier, making him collapse in pain. A familiar tingling sensation ran through the back of his neck and he rolled his eyes, "Okay, what now? What could possibly show up to stop us this time?!" Suddenly, something jumped down, hitting Spider-Man as hard as possible, making him fall into a wall. Peter rubbed his head, while the other heroes stopped for a moment to see who did that. "Woah... Feels like I got hit by a train..." "Oh crap..." Wolverine said. "No way. Why now?!" Miguel shouted, Deadpool pumped a fist, "Sweet Christmas!" Standing on the streets were Luke Cage and Iron Fist, their eyes also glowing red. "Oh come on!" Peter yelled to the heavens, shaking a fist. "Parker Luck... Always screwing me over." he got back to his feet, facing the Heroes for Hire. Wolverine frowned, "A shame this happened to 'em now of all times. But we have to fight them, kid. I'll handle Cage, you do the same to Rand." "Right... Either the man with unbreakable skin or the one with the magic punch." Spider-Man shrugged in a dejected manner. "Why not? Things are already up the creek." he clenched his fists in anger and lunged after Iron Fist. Tartarus... "You have created quite an ambush, you two." Discord complimented, passing out gold star stickers to Loki and Luthor, who held them in their hooves. "Here you go!" "You have picked a strong opposition." Sinestro admitted. "Indeed we have. That gives us plenty of time to continue. The heroes will be worn down, so they'll be delayed in returning to Equestria. By tomorrow, they'll be facing their greatest opponents." Luthor chuckled, facing said enemies, all familiar to the Legion of Doom and Sinister Six standing around. "Clever." Captain Cold smirked. Loki held up his staff, "No matter what. The Legion of Doom will reign surpreme. Tomorrow, we attack Ponyville. That's where the calvary is at now."