"So, the Big Man beat you, huh?" Ned asked. Once again, they were discussing Spider-Man matters at Lunch Period. "I can't believe we're dealing with an actual criminal mastermind."
Peter put a hand to his face, "Tell me about it... I need to find out who else is involved with his business, or if there's other gangs, villains, or whatever involved in this. But, man, for a guy in a business suit, he sure knew how to kick my butt."
Trixie munched on her apple, "Well, he's called Tombstone, I'm sure he would live up to the name." she commented.
"Ugh. I gotta find a way to stop this." Parker moaned.
Ned sipped his juice, "If I were you, I'd go out there and see if there's any noticable patterns or something. Vulture and Shocker were your first two costumed villains, maybe there are more like them somewhere in the city?" he wondered.
Peter sighed, "Doubt it. I wouldn't even know where to begin with dismantling an entire criminal organization!"
"Don't." Trixie advised, "Seriously. Just don't. You barely survived Toomes when he brought down a building. What chance would you have against an entire empire?"
"...Thanks for the support, Trixie." groaned Parker.
The girl shrugged, "I'm just being honest. It's what I'm here for."
"To be fair, Peter. That's a seriously tall order. This city already has guys like Daredevil and Luke Cage fighting crime, and I don't know what they're doing. For all we know, there could be different factions, different sides that they deal with as well. You said it was a war. Woah. Now it sounds like we're in an epic criminal drama." Ned realized out loud upon hearing his own words.
Peter pinched his temple, "Trust me. I wish it was easier, I wish that it wasn't like this. But I have to."
"Have to what?"
The boy flinched when he heard the voice. 'I seriously wish my Spider-Sense could warn me when that happens.' he turned around and saw Sunset Shimmer, and he panted, "Oh, hey Sunset. Sometimes I wonder if our table is a sitcom set where random people guest star." he quipped to break the ice.
"Right..." chuckled Sunset, "Anyway, the offer from yesterday still stands. The girls and I plan to hang out at Romita's on Friday." she looked at the blue bruise on Peter's face, where Tombstone slapped him, "Oh man, what happened?"
"Uh..." Parker stammered, unable to come up with a believable lie, "I was, um, on my way to the Stark Internship when..."
"He was mugged by a big man." Ned finished. "He fought him off, but not without a few scratches."
Trixie muttered under her breath, "Oh brother... That's a little on the nose."
Sunset hissed and frowned, "Sorry to hear that."
Peter raised a hand, "It's nothing different from Flash Thompson's locker shoves or swirlies. I can handle a little bruise."
"Well, so long as you're okay. You know, you're both welcome to come..." Sunset paused and looked at Trixie with a slight glare, "Yes. Even you, Trixie."
"I knew you're band of friends couldn't live without me." bragged Trixie with a light snicker.
Sunset blinked, "Sure. If you say so. Just don't make another scene." she ordered.
Trixie waved her hands defensively, "Trixie has changed for the better. I will not start any trouble, though that rainbow-haired girl may start a scene for me." she joked.
"Ha ha." Sunset fake laughed, "Just don't... do anything..." she groaned. She then looked to Peter, "So, what do you say? Or do you have work then too?"
Peter looked to Ned, who gave him a thumbs up, "Alright. I think I can work something out."
The fiery-haired girl nodded, "Great. I'll let the others know."
And so, the week sped by. And it was rather uneventful for Spider-Man. Here he was, talking about it to Ned, sitting at Romita's while waiting for the others on Friday Night, the sun already down, "May's getting concerned that I'm obsessed with stopping this. But can you blame me? Nothing's happened since I ran into Tombstone on Monday!"
"It's not gonna come to you easily, Pete. These things probably take time to happen." Ned replied, dropping his bag on the floor.
"Trust me, I figured that out." said Parker.
Then, hearing the bell on the entrance open. Walking in were the girls the two sat around waiting for. Pinkie was the first to wave to the boys, "Hey, guys!"
"Hey, Pinkie." Peter chuckled.
Twilight was next to wave, nervously, unlike her chipper friend, "H-Hey, Peter..."
Peter inhaled, and he could hear Trixie snicker, "Hey, Twilight..." he cleared his throat, ignoring the growing heat in his face, "Anyway, why were you so late if I could ask?"
Rainbow sighed, "Well, we would've gotten here sooner had Rarity not stuck behind on picking clothes and makeup or some junk." he noticed Rarity frown and glare at her upon hearing her explanation. "What? It's true!"
"Only because I take pride in my appearance more than you." Rarity corrected.
Applejack raised a brow, "We're in a pizza shop."
"Trixie is not sure why she stuck around with you lot." groaned Trixie to herself.
Ned whispered to Peter, "Not what I had in mind."
"Same, dude."
After a few more moments of bickering, the girls sat down in the booth and three chairs on the end. It was big enough for all of them to sit comfortably luckily. Peter continued the pizza he ordered, with Rainbow taking a slice of her own, "Why didn't you wait for us, guys?" she teased, taking a bite.
"We were hungry." Ned replied. "Plus, we needed to if we wanted these seats. You're welcome."
"Aw, thanks!" replied Pinkie.
Applejack took a slice as well, "Glad we decided to come here."
"You and me both, AJ." Rainbow replied, "Anyway, Pete. Can I ask you something?"
"...I guess?"
The girl continued, "How does it feel to work for Tony Stark?"
"Is he actually that rich? Does he actually wear his suit? Oh, is he handsome?" Rarity shot out questions one after the other, much to Peter and Ned's confusion and Trixie's displeasure, judging by her eye roll.
Peter rubbed his head nervously and he shrugged, coming up with a good answer, "Um... It's alright, I guess. I mean, he's never really around and only shows up when needed, like after the Avengers Tower fiasco. He's rich and I cannot comment on his attractiveness. Mister Stark's an alright guy, I guess."
"Actually, can we back up for a second? Have you been reading the Daily Bugle?" Rainbow asked. Peter shook his head.
"Why?" Ned wondered.
Fluttershy answered, "They mention that everything is Spider-Man's fault." she explained.
"Oh that's right..."
"Like he said Spider-Man destroyed Avengers Tower and attacked that nice guy, L. Thompson Lincon." Rainbow added. And Parker instantly knew that was a lie.
"What?" blurted out Ned.
Sunset raised a finger, "I'm just glad no one knows about our magic problem. Jameson would have a field day with that no doubt." she laughed.
"Knowing Jameson's agenda, he'd somehow pin the blame on that stuff on Spider-Man." Peter joked. "And no offense, but I'd rather have no one know of your transformations. Cause you all look like random anime protagonists out there." that comment actually earned a few snickers, but that observation brought out another comment, "And hey, Twilight. I noticed you didn't have one. Did you have something like that?" he realized.
"Me? N-Nope!" Twilight stammered, pushing back a bitter memory, "I don't have one. Not at all!"
Sunset decided to speak up for the flustered girl, "She's more of an observationist. Twilight analyzes the magic we deal with, using her notes as reference, isn't that right?" she patted her friend on the back. Twilight was taken aback by the sudden praise.
"Y-Yeah..." Twilight answered while twirling a strand of her hair nervously.
'Okay, why is that adorable?' thought Peter, trying to keep himself composed. 'I mean, now that I realize it, I'm finally saying more than three words to Twilight. Now that's a record.' he noticed Trixie trying to ignore Pinkie's prodding, 'Eh. I'm sure she's proud, in her own weird way of course.'
"T-That's cool." studdered Parker. "I mean, all I do is help Mister Stark organize. The fact you can record magic showings is kind of interesting from what I saw."
"Really?" asked the bookworm, perking up.
The secret wallcrawler nodded, "Yeah. I wish I could do something like that."
Ned looked to the side as the conversation among the two continued, the sound of the bell getting his attention. Standing in the doorway was a burly man with a buzz cut, wearing a tank top, exposing his large arms. The oddest detail for him was the scorpion tattoo on his neck. And strapped to him was a chain with a hook on the end. "Oh, that's not good." he gulped.
As this happened, Peter clenched his head, feeling his Spider-Sense blare. 'Crap. What now?' he asked. He spotted the large man making his way through, and he could tell something was off, judging by Ned's reaction.
"Uh, excuse me sir. You're not allowed to have such a weapon in our restaurant." an employee said to the man wielding the chain. Before anymore words were exhanged, "AH!" the larger man wrapped his chain around the man and held him down, driving the hook into his shoulder, surprising every patron in the pizza shop.
The teens all got up from their chairs and they heard thr man speak, "I am here for one reason... The Spider-Man. I have heard of his impact in this city and how he patrols this area, and I wish to challenge him." he declared. "He seeks to be a big hero and it seems he needs a lesson." he released the employee and then yanked the chain forward, driving the hook into someone else's shoulder now as a threat. The girls cringed and grew concerned, wondering how to handle the situation.
"Oh, of course." murmured Peter. He turned around, and pulled back one of his sleeves, pressing a button on his hidden webshooters to catch the man off guard.
The substance stuck to the man's face, covering his eyes. "Okay, I think Spider-Man is here! I need all of you to go!" Peter shouted at the top of his lungs.
"Peter what did--"
"Just! Go!" ordered Parker, gesturing for each of them to run out the door.
"Are you crazy? You can't go back in there!" Twilight yelled.
Peter gripped his crush's shoulders, "I know what I'm doing. Just... Trust me, okay?"
Ned nodded, "Sure thing, Pete."
"I'm going in too!" Rainbow declared.
"Me too." agreed Applejack.
Parker shook his head, "No. We can't have you reveal your magic, you have to keep that secret. I'll sneak into the back entrance." the boy then ran off into the alley next to the building. Sunset glared at the boy and clenched her fist.
"I'm going with him." declared the girl.
Fluttershy's eyes widened, "W-What?"
Sunset nodded, "It's not right that we all would leave him hanging because of our secret. If one of us should go and run the risk of exposing our magic, it should be me. At least, no one would be able to track the rest of you and then the school. Plus, I want to figure out why Peter's acting so strangely." she explained. "But I'm going to need something to cover my face."
Digging into his bag, Ned held out a domino mask and handed it to Sunset, who looked confused, "Here you go."
"...Why do you have that?" Trixie wondered.
"Just in case." Ned replied.
Sunset placed the mask over her eyes and put her hair into a ponytail before removing her jacket. She inhaled and looked behind her into the dark, "I guess I'm going in. I'll let you know how Peter is once we clear things up."
"O-Okay..." gulped Twilight. And so, Sunset ran to follow Peter.
Ned gestured to the others, "Come on, we'll wait somewhere else. The cops may be here soon."
"Where?"
Trixie hummed, "Anywhere but here. Trust me, Parker and Sunset can take care of themselves."
In the alleyway was Peter, still changing into his Spider-Man suit with his clothes thrown away, 'Okay, whew... Hopefully, they all got to safety.' he held his mask before pressing a button, activating his suit once he finally put it on. 'Now to deal with this hook guy before he seriously hurts someone and get those he did hurt some medical attention.'
As Spider-Man double checked his costume, he heard a surprised gasp from someone else, "Spider-Man?" he immediately recognized the voice as Sunset's.
"What are you doing here?" the wall-crawler questioned, praying she didn't recognize him.
"I could be asking you the same thing. Where's Peter? I just saw him come through here." wondered Sunset, looking around.
Peter studdered, "Um... he's actually getting to safety as we speak. He actually came over here in secret to contact me. Luckily I was already nearby." he lied.
"...And how did you get here?"
"Like a streak of light, I arrive just in time." Spider-Man reminded the girl in an attempt to lighten the mood. "Now how about you go like Peter and leave before you get yourself hurt?"
Sunset shook her head, "No way. I want to find out why this guy attacked and why he's after you. I'm on your side. I got latent magic abilities if you didn't know."
A groan escaped Peter, "Fine. But just this once. Be lucky it's only him and not a gang."
Matt Murdock was walking by the darkened streets of Canterlot City on the way to his firm, Nelson and Murdock. His walking stick tapped on the sidewalk with each step, guiding his way around. The blind man was hoping to meet up with his friends and coworkers at his job. He was literally a block across from Romita's from where he was at.
However, he halted his pace once he sensed an oddity. His heightened senses warning him of something. He could even smell it... Metal, dirt, sweat... blood, and the sound of a sniper being loaded. He looked around, sensing that the streets were a lot emptier than usual and he held his cane directly in front of him.
Matt always thought it ironic in terms of what he does, ever since he decided to act against crime in a different manner. He's a lawyer that fights on the right side of the law while acting as a vigilante above it in secret. Foggy would be disappointed in him right now.
With no one else able to notice him, Murdock ran into another alleyway and removed his clothes. Underneath the suit was a red and black costume, armored for use. He opened his duffle bag and revealed a helmet, shaped like a devil. On his chest was a logo 'DD' and he placed the thick helmet over his head, acting as a protective cowl.
And he was going to need it, if his hunch was correct. Matt grunted and climbed as fast as he could. Daredevil needed to act as fast as possible, or someone would die. And he knew who it was judging from past experiences.
"Damn it, Castle..."
Leaning on the edge of the roof was a man holding a sniper, aiming it at the man with a hook right across the street, "There you are, you son of a bitch." he muttered, his voice gruff, speaking in a whisper. He looked to be worn down, aged from war. A war that would never end. A war against crime.
And his mission brought him to Canterlot City from across the country, chasing after a mercenary working for someone bigger. And he intended to finish the job he started to ensure no one else gets hurt or dies.
He simply wore a black shirt with a white faded skull on it. "Just stay still, Gargan..." Frank Castle muttered, ready to pull the trigger.
However, as he was ready to punish the criminal, he felt a foot collide with his face, knocking him back a little. Rolling on the ground next to Castle was a man clad in red armor, looking pissed off. The Punisher wiped the sore spot on his face as he scowled, "Been a while, Red."
"What's your game this time, Castle?" Daredevil whispered, holding up his billy clubs.
Frank stood across from Matt, unnerved by his sudden appearance. "The man down there is Mac Gargan, calls himself the Scorpion. That psycho works for the Kingpin and has killed a number of officials in the country. I gotta end him before more end up dead in his path. I've been tracking him and now I finally got him."
Daredevil shook his head, "You know I can't let you do that. He has to answer for his crimes."
Punisher gestured to the pizza shop, "Cut the shit, Red. Gargan's gonna kill those people and he'll keep doing it unless I kill him myself."
"Then I'll handle it and turn him over to the authorities where he'll be defenseless and unable to attack or provoke." Murdock replied as though it was simple, which to him it was. "And I'm not going to stand by while you shed more blood than there already has in this city lately."
Frank chuckled, "I'm doing this city and the world a favor. Putting him in jail ain't stoppin' him, Red." he inhaled, and reared his arm back intending to punch Matt, the Devil blocking his punch with ease. Punisher got his bearings and gave Daredevil a kick to the chest.
The two traded a few more blows, Daredevil pushing back Punisher with a shove. Castle grunted and punched Matt's uncovered chin, making him turn his head.
"I gotta do this. Since you're too much of a coward to do the deed yourself." Punisher nearly yelled. He flicked his long, black trench coat and reached both hands into the inside pockets, pulling out two pistols and aimed it at Matt, "Sorry, it's come to this." he then pulled the trigger.
"Bang."