//------------------------------//
// Issue #6: Vulture Clash 
// Story: Spider-Man: Web of Magic 
// by MetalJrock 
//------------------------------//

Night began to fall upon Canterlot City. Luckily, this gave a certain wall-crawler the advantage of not being seen as he snuck around, looking for the last location of Vulture's tracker. After some searching, he finally wound up across from a warehouse. 'This looks to be where Toomes is hiding out in...' he thought, leaning on the side of another warehouse in the dark. It was far enough from the city to not be noticed by the common eye, making it a good hiding spot.

Peter whispered, "Bingo..." he zipped upwards to the warehouse. "Of course it's in a secret warehouse. I guess cartoons can be right sometimes." he muttered, opening a bent shaft with a web-pull, the lid dropping into the surface. "...Let's get this over with." he said, crawling through the ventilation.

'Ugh. You'd think a bunch of supervillains would clean out their vents. I can already feel the dust enter my mask.' Spider-Man moaned inwardly, holding back a sneeze. He coughed instead, "Hopefully the warehouse itself is cleaner than this. One day I'll invent supervillain lair health inspection."

He finally saw an open shaft and quietly crawled out of it, making his way to the ceiling. There was barely any light in the room, with the exception of a single lamp. He saw three people. One clad in green, one in yellow and someone wearing a lab coat. 'The one in green must be Toomes. Yikes, he certainly is a Vulture.' he commented in his head, noticing Shocker with him, 'And there's his best pal, Shocker it seems. It's about time I ended this.'

"We're takin' Avengers Tower tonight?" Schultz asked.

Adrian nodded, "That damn bug is forcing me to draw my hand. Luckily, with the Avengers still fractured and the rest across the planet, it should be an easy heist."

'They're gonna break into Avemgers Tower? That's where that Damage Control corporation stores their goods from past battles. If they were to get their hands on that and sell it on the black market, that's bad news for everyone.' Peter jumped down and cleared his throat, "Hey there! So, uh, am I in the wrong lair?"

Toomes turned around and narrowed his eyes, "You! How the hell did you find us here?!"

Spider-Man got into a crouching stance, "I have my ways. This is the big HQ, huh? Gotta say, I'm a little disappointed."

Adrian growled, "Mason. Go. Shocker, hold him off."

Schultz chuckled and held out his arms, "With pleasure!" he shot a vibration blast put towards Peter and he flipped to the side, thankful that the warehouse was larger than it looked on the outside. Phineas managed to exit in those few seconds, leaving Toomes and Herman to deal with Spider-Man.

Peter groaned, "Two on one? You guys are really unfair!"

"Life's unfair, kid." Toomes declared, seeing Shocker blast another beam after Spidey, the wall-crawler clinging onto a wall to dodge it, Shocker walked closer to him, hoping to get better aim. "Let that be known here and now, Spider-Man."

Shocker raised his arms, but before he could attack, Spider-Man performed a dropkick and held Shocker's shoulders, leaping off of him and landind behind him. "Yeah, I figured that out years ago, Toomes. What about you, Shocky? What's your story?" he asked, rolling around as Herman attempted to punch him.

"To be recognized." Shocker stated simply.

Spider-Man shot some weblines on Shocker's gauntets, the villain blasting them to ashes as they came closer, forcing Peter to dodge once again as a result. "Really? This is the worst possible way to do that! Did you fire that PR agent like I suggested?"

The Shocker managed to charge his gauntlets again and moved his arms as Peter moved, surprising Spidey as he was hit by a beam, his body flung across the room. "Ah!" he screamed, tumbling on the ground and hitting a table leg. He crawled foward and shot a webline onto Shocker's leg, yanking his foot and making him trip on his back as a result, a loose blast hit the ceiling, causing some debris to fall.

"Get up, Schultz." Toomes demanded.

Spider-Man got back up, seeing Shocker do the same. "That felt good to do. Got anything to add, Toomes? Cause it looks like you're a little... unarmed right now. No wings, nothing." he bragged, dodging another one of Shocker's blasts. He crouched down when he landed, performing a roundhouse kick onto a chair that Herman deflected with his gauntlets' power, breaking it apart.

"Oh, I don't need them on me." Toomes revealed.

Peter paused and blinked under his mask, "...Huh?"

A booming sound was coming closer to Peter, his Spider-Sense going off again. On instinct, he performed a backflip, the Vulture harness swooping past him, tearing right through the wall. "Holy crap! Your suit's alive! The robot overlords are here!"

"Remote control, Spider-Man." Adrian stated simply, "It seems you're a little overwhelmed, hm? I gave you a warning, now you brought the consequences on yourself."

The wallcrawler scoffed, "Yeah, as if I'm the bad guy here."

Peter perched himself onto the wall and ran on it, avoiding the flight harness as it sped towards him again. However, as he jumped off the surface, Shocker hit his back, launching him forward through the wall, creating a large hole as a result. Peter backflipped again, avoiding the wings as they neared him, destroying a support column of the building, his eyes widening, realizing that if he wasn't careful the whole building could collapse.

Spider-Man noticed a purple glow again and he swung forward, driving his feet towards Shocker, kicking his face, the suit offering resistance to the attack, though. "Here you go!" shouted Spidey, turning his body while leaping so that he clinged to the ceiling, facing the ground. "Can we just call this a draw please?" he asked with a shrug, his feet still stuck to the ceiling.

"No."

As Spider-Man remained there, Toomes pulled out one of his weapons and aimed it at Peter, a blue aura overtaking his body before he could react. "What the heck?!" blurted out Spider-Man, unable to move his body now. He struggled and descended as Toomes lowered the gun, bringing him face to face with Shocker again. The harness finally connected itself to Toomes, the weapon still held in front of him.

Shocker pointed his gauntlet directly into Spidey's face, "Uh, hi there. I kinda can't fistbump right now..." he gulped. "AAAAHHHH!" he screamed, feeling the aura vanish. But as a consequence, the blast hit him directly, launching him across the warehouse. His hearing was gone, replaced with an obnoxious ringing sound, he cringed at the feeling, his hearing slowly coming back to him. He tumbled onto his stomach, teeth gritting as he mustered all the energy he could.

Unfortunately, Vulture, with his helmet and suit on now, used the anti-gravity gun again, holding the already stunned Peter in midair. "Ow..." he muttered, still unable to hear his own voice. He could tell that his two enemies were conversing, but their voices were faint, overtaken by the ringing. He saw Herman stepping in front of Vulture again,  the bird-themed criminal activating the jets on his wings so he could hover at the very least.

Spidey's body was rotated as that his feet were near the ground now. Instead of using his gauntlets, however, the Shocker simply punched Peter in the face. "That's for being a pain in the ass." he declared, Spider-Man able to hear his voice again, the ringing beginning to fade. Another punch, causing Peter to hiss in pain. "That's for getting in our way." he added, dishing out a right hook to the wall-crawler's stomach, "And that's for thinking you could stop us."

"S-Stop..." gasped Peter, losing his breath. Vulture finally released him and he collapsed on his knees, heavy panting heard as he held his chest now. "P-Please..." he begged.

Vulture growled and pinned Spider-Man to the wall with two blades from his wings, the gun dropped and still on, holding him, "A-Ah!" he screamed again. He struggled again, his body unable to move, "J-Just stop..." he whined, seeing Toomes step closer, looking him straight in the eyes through lenses and visors. Peter gritted his teeth and tried to move again, to no avail. Vulture punched Peter in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him as he exhaled. 

Then, Toomes raised a hand and reached for Spider-Man's mask, "N-No... I'm begging you! Please no!" screamed Peter, seeing his homemade mask in Adrian's hands. His eyes widened as he saw Toomes and Schultz tilt their heads. Peter hung his head in shame, realizing that his secret identity was exposed.

"A kid...?" Vulture realized, "A damn kid has been in the way of our little market?!" he growled in anger, driving his fist directly into Peter's face, bruising it. "You son of a bitch!" he shouted, "I saw you in Oscorp! How could a little brat like yourself do so much?!"

"I'm not telling you..." spat Peter, glaring at Toomes.

Despite the helmet, Parker still heard a dark chuckle from Vulture, "It's funny. Osborn told me that I had nothing left to live for, that my research wasn't worth being credited for. I was on top of the world with the money gained from marketing Avengers weaponry with help from the Big Man getting them. But you... You kept getting in the way." he announced. "A kid. You have so much left to live for unlike me."

Vulture cracked his knuckles and grabbed his gun, pinning him down on the ground now. Peter gagged, feeling his talons keep him still. "I see your face... I can use that. You have friends, a family. Once I get what I want from Avengers Tower, I'll kill you and everyone you love." he declared, holding him by his costume, deactivating the gun now.

Peter's eyes twitched into a scowl and he roundhouse kicked Vulture's helmet, forcing him to be released. "That's it! You're n-not going anywhere near them!" he announced with a slight cringe, his body still sore, shooting two lines of webbing forward, but they were deflected. Vulture swooped forward and was about to tackle Spidey, but he somersaulted to the side and dodged him.

However, while he was focused with Vulture, Shocker knocked him back surprisingly with a vibration blast. Parker got his bearings and performed a handstand, flipping in the air and kicking Shocker back. "Don't think you're off the hook, Shocker!" he shouted. "All this... this oncoming destruction, finding these weapons? Selling t-them... Because of a-a grudge?" he studdered in disbelief. "I can't believe you guys!" he growled in rage.

"Damn right." Shocker declared, his gauntlets primed again, pushing Peter back. His body stuck to the wall before he collapsed on the floor again, coughing and wheezing as he growled in agony. Vulture kicked him as hard as he could, his metal talons grazing his body. "Should we go now?" he asked his boss, seeing his head nod. Peter struggled to move at this point, his body sore beyond belief.

"Yes. But first, leave no evidence." Toomes announced. Shocker knew what he meant and aimed his gloves upward and in various directions, destroying the ceiling and the support beams holding the building up. Vulture hovered and then carried Shocker with his talons, carrying his gun as they flew out the window. They left Spider-Man alone, his mask on the floor in front of him.

Spidey struggled to move, barely able to lift his arms to crawl. He grabbed his mask as he made his escape. But he could barely move, 'Come on... I can't lose... Not now... I have to get out.' he thought, his mind scurrying to get some energy. He dropped, his body aching. He wheezed as he felt a stinging sensation on his stomach. "U-Ngh..." he grunted, trying to pick himself up.

Then, it happened, the building collapsed, leaving a chasm in its wake. Debris and rubble were everywhere. All hope seemed lost as there was nothing left of the warehouse. 

Underneath a large pile of concrete and steel was Peter, unable to move once again. He was panting, tired, beaten. He clenched his eyes shut as he tried to push the debris up. Nothing. He dropped before doing it again. Nothing.

"Ngh... Help!" screamed Spider-Man. "Anyone!" he shouted at the top of his lungs, hoping someone heard him. No sound came from above him. He was alone, trapped. He looked around throughmthe darkness. Nothing again.

Tears escaped Peter's face, scared. This wasn't something he's done before and now his body was struggling to pick itself up. "Help me! Please! I was stupid! I thought I could do it! I was wrong! Help!" he cried out, "Mister Stark! Anyone! P-Please!" he cried again, closing his eyes as he sobbed. "I'm just a kid!"

"N-Ned... Tr-Trixie...! Can you hear me!?"





Ned and Trixie sat down on the bed, laptop ready and headsets over their heads. "Okay, let's see how Peter's doing." said Ned, looking over the phone tracker. "...He's at a warehouse in the edge of the city. That can't be good."

"Oh dear. That must be Vulture's hideout." Trixie muttered, turning on her headset with Ned, hearing grunts and cries from the other end. "...Huh? What is it?"

'T-Trixie...?' Peter gasped out from his end.

Ned held a finger to his ear, "Peter? Peter, what's wrong?!"

'Vulture... Shocker... Unmasked me... Raiding Avengers T-Tower... I-I'm stuck underneath a building!' Spider-Man sobbed, 'I can't move! Send help, get anyone! I can't do this on my own!'

The two friends shared a concerned look, hearing how broken Peter sounded from his side. However, before they could respond, they heard the bedroom knob creak open and they froze, turning off their headsets now, seeing May open it, "Hey, I'm back early..." she paused, "...Where's Peter?"

"Mrs. Parker?!" Ned practically shouted, "W-What are you doing back this early?"

May replied, "The organization ended the feast earlier than I thought. Now, where is Peter at?"

Ned and Trixie both gave each other a worried look, then back on the laptop. A scowl began to form on Peter's aunt's face, "Where is my nephew?" she asked with both concern and slight anger.

"U-Uh... We can explain..." Ned started to say, before May scrambled to look at the laptop, seeing the phone tracker. "That."

May held her head, "Was he kidnapped?! Oh my God..." she whispered, tears threatening to run down her cheeks. "Peter, no..."

Trixie gulped, "Mrs. Parker... There's something we should probably tell you. Something Peter should've told you..."

Hearing that, May instantly turned around, intending to listen to every word she had to say.





Peter punched the ground, "Ne-Ned! Trixie! Can you hear me?! Did you get help?!" he cried out, still struggling to move the debris from his back, which continued to hold him down.

'U-Uh, we're trying. Something popped up.' Ned answered at last, 'Listen, someone needs to talk to you.'

The wall-crawler raised a brow, "W-Who..." he exhaled. "Ow..." he blurted out, still slightly sore.

'Peter...!' came the voice of an older female, someone Peter knew all to well.

Spidey's eyes widened, "A-Aunt May?!"

May could be heard holding back a sniffle, 'Oh, Peter... Why didn't you say anything about this?! I can't believe you would do something this stupid and not tell me!'

"I-I'm sorry..." cried Peter, more tears running down his face now, hearing the voice of the woman who raised him. He was both relieved and disappointed in himself, his aunt seemingly knowing his secret now. But now was not the time to dwell on that.

'Look, we'll discuss this Spider-Man thing later. Ned and Trixie just told me what was happening. You have to get up, Peter. Get out of there anyway you can!'

Peter sobbed lightly, slowly getting more comforted as he heard his aunt, "May... I c-can't. There's too much debris over me! I-It's too hard!" he whined. "I was too rash, I was stupid! Now I'm gonna die because of my stupidity! I thought I could stop them, but I just made you all targets instead!" he shouted, putting his head to the ground in shame.

May replied, 'Don't say that to me, Peter. I can't lose you like I did Ben. You acted rash, yes, but that's because you're too determined to give up. Ben and I raised you to be good and to not give up. Especially now! Please, Peter!' he looked down, seeing his mask, covered in dust. It reminded him of why he wore it. Hearing his aunt... It eased him. He couldn't let her, Ned, or Trixie down. Not now, not ever. Especially at this point.

As May begged for him, Peter growled, "Ngh..." he coughed, his back pushing on the debris, it moving up, "Nghh... Ugh!" he shouted, finally, he moved as arms, raising them over his head. The debris began to lighten up as more pieces of rubble and concrete fell. "Grah!" he growled, pushing himself to his knees.

It took everything Peter had to not drop dead from exhaustion. His arms were raised over him, holding the debris up. "Agh!" he hissed out through gritted teeth. "Almost..." he muttered, feeling the pile begin to lighten up as he moved it.

'Come on, Pete!' Ned cheered. Peter opened his eyes.

'Don't give up now, Peter! Trixie will never forgive you if you do now!' Trixie demanded. Peter's arms were raised even higher.

'Peter... Come home please...!' May shouted. A smile appeared on Peter's face.

Finally, with one last push, Peter stood up and dropped what was left on the floor. "Here... It goes!" he screamed as he did so. Once he was in the clear, he dropped to his knees and panted. "I... Did it... I did it...!" he repeated proudly with a growing grin, tired. He looked at his mask, seeing his reflection in his goggles.

Spider-Man heard three sighs of relief from the other end and he chuckled lightly, "Sorry about that guys." he apologized, his voice cracking from exhaustion.

'Never do that again.' Trixie said.

"No promises."

May said, 'Don't say that, young man.'

"R-Right... Sorry." Peter apologized.

Ned lightly laughed in relief, 'Thank God you're alright, dude. Vulture and Shocker must've roughed you up though.'

"They did." Spider-Man put his mask back on, "And this time I'm ending it. They're attacking Avengers Tower and they threatened you. I can't sit by anymore."

May exhaled, 'Go get them, Spider-Man. Then we'll talk.'

Spider-Man nodded and shot a webline, "You got it, Aunt May! I'll be home soon!"

And so, revigorated, Spider-Man swung away, his destination, Avengers Tower, where Shocker and Vulture said they would be. He had to end this battle. Too much was at stake now and Peter couldn't let his friends and family down.