//------------------------------// // Fading Trust and Darkness // Story: Spiders and Magic: Avengers Assemble // by Masterob //------------------------------// In the Capcom world, just beyond the portal leading into her office, Chun-Li had placed down a cup of tea she had prepared for herself and Sunset, little concerned by the events she had told her. "So a handful of Peter's villains attacked huh?" Chun-Li summarized. "Along with a few others." "From what I've been told, there are many more powerful villains that can pose a threat," Sunset said. "Yes, and it seems like you're letting one live in your world," Chun-Li said. "I really hope you're keeping a close eye on Magneto, he's caused trouble in our world as well as his." "We are, Cyclops was very adamant about that," Sunset expained. "Celestia's just very concerned by all this, I mean this is the reason she didn't want the portals between these realms to be opened after all." "She originally didn't want the realms opened?" Chun-Li asked, placing her tea aside. "This is new to us." "Sometime after your tournament with the Marvel Heroes, Celestia told them they had to go home forever," Sunset explained. "Twilight didn't want that to happen since many of them had fallen in love with her friends, so she took it upon herself to make sure they stayed." "I take it she's not very trusting of other worlds," Carlos said, leaning against a nearby wall. "She isn't really, she won't say it but she doesn't fully trust that the Marvel Heroes will keep Equestria safe, though the reason why she continues to allow the portals to stay open is a bit of a mystery," Sunset said. "Some believe it's to save face since the heroes are so popular, some say it's to prevent a panic, that if Celestia can't trust the heroes, can anypony trust them." "Who are 'some' if I may ask?" Chun-Li said. "Mostly the guards, just some gossip usually," Sunset said. "Nothing major." "Really don't think anypony should be gossiping about their world leader," Carlos said. "That just doesn't sound smart." "Celestia doesn't rule over the world, just Equestria," Sunset said. "It's more of a country rather than a world, there are parts even I don't know about." "So what do we call that world then?" Carlos asked. "For a while we've just been calling it 'Equestria'." "We'll worry about that later," Chun-Li said. "I don't know why Celestia is so mistrustful of other worlds, I mean I know they have danger, but doesn't yours? Like this King Sombra fellow?" "Well, he's dead, but yeah we've had our share of trouble," Sunset said. "I mean Wesker even got one of our own to help with his plan, who's to say more can't turn on us like that. I can't say for sure if the villains are a major reason for her lack of trust, but I personally feel like there's one reason she'll likely never send the heroes away." "Oh? What would that be?" Chun-Li asked. "Rumor among the guards is that she's in love with Captain America," Sunset explained. "And from the way she behaves around him, I can definitely see that as a possibility." "Oh, more Pony and Human relationships?" Chun-Li asked. "Seems like Marvel Heroes are popular among pony girls, and one dragon boy." "It is funny how that worked," Sunset stated. "First Peter and Twilight, then Johnny and Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and Logan, we somehow ended up with so many different weddings." "Too bad we couldn't be there," Carlos said. "I would have gotten you but I don't think anypony was ready to see Capcom again since your world heavily rivaled Marvel's," Sunset said. "Plus it also would have been a bit difficult accessing your world." "It's fine, we'll come to the next one," Chun-Li said. "If Celestia and Cap do get together, you know where to find us." "I'd like to think Celestia wouldn't mind having you," Sunset said. "As long as no one gets too rowdy." "Are you under the impression we're just a bunch of fight crazy warriors?" Chun-Li playfully asked, getting a nervous reaction from Sunset. "Oh no! Not at all!" Sunset insisted. "I mean I can believe there are civilized people in this world too, like Ryu for example!" "Don't worry, I'm just teasing you," Chun-Li said, amused by how easily frantic she got. "I know our reputation, that we all crave a good fight. We do enjoy competition but we have other hobbies." "Even Dante knows when to be chill," Carlos said. "Though I hear he was worse when he was a teenager so I guess now's even better for him." "Plus things between our worlds have gotten better, and no one on my side would really try anything foolish," Chun-Li said. "I mean I will admit, there are some that still look down upon Marvel or still want to do battle to prove themselves but with Ryu, Chris, Dante and myself around, they won't do anything of the sort." "Speaking of which, we should probably tell her about that ninja girl who wants to spar with Wolverine," Carlos said. "Ninja girl?" Sunset asked. "What ninja girl? Who wants to fight Logan?" "A fellow Street Fighter, her name's Ibuki," Chun-Li said. "She's a ninja currently training with Strider Hiryu, she has the goal of doing battle against Wolverine. Since Marvel vs Capcom started with the X-Men and the Street Fighters, Ibuki belives that Wolverine would be the perfect warrior to test her abilities." "Why Wolverine and not Cyclops?" Carlos said. "Isn't Cyclops the leader? He gave Ryu a run for his money so we know he's leader for a reason." "I don't know why she picked Logan, my guess is that he has more experience and is just more well known," Chun-Li said. "Well I hope this girl is good because Logan is definitely a league of his own," Sunset said. "She helped fight off the Green Goblin after all, he also helped me out when I first switched sides." "Ibuki's strong but I personally don't think she's near Logan's level, but she'll have to see for herself, telling her won't be enough," Chun-Li said. "Plus she might benefit from the experience," Carlos added. "It's not like we're sending her off to fight this ultra dangerous creature." Carlos thought a moment. "Well Logan's pretty dangerous when he wants to be but I don't think he'll do anything bad." "She'll be fine, if she wants to come spar, then she's more than welcome to," Sunset said. "Oh, tell her about that one girl who wants to spar with Spider-Man," Carlos said. "There's another?" Sunset asked. "Wait, you're not trying to slowly make another Marvel vs Capcom tournament are you?" "No, that's not it at all," Chun-Li said. "Wait why? Think they'd be interested?" Sunset glared awkwardly at the experienced fighter, "Are you serious?" "Sorry, couldn't help it," Chun-Li said. "We just enjoy sparing with the Marvel Heroes, they really pushed us to our limits each time we fought, every battle made us stronger." "Not just in strength," Carlos added. "Yes, they're so unique in their own ways, they offer something much different than one would expect," Chun-Li said. "Especially compared to other worlds." "How many other worlds have you actually done battle with?" Sunset asked. "Who else was there?" "Well, there was Namco, specifically all of us battling the King of The Iron Fist warriors," Chun-Li said. "Which was a total let down," Carlos said. "It was not!" Chun-Li shot back. "It just had a few bumps in the road but it was still a lot of fun. Plus that team-up Mega Man did with Sonic and his world, of course they got to spar with each other as well." "Plus that Smash thing," Carlos said. "Ryu and Mega Man showed up and showed those Nintendo guys how it was done, plus the other guests that showed up." "You mean guys like Cloud Strife, who also appeared at the Equestrian Marvel vs Capcom tournament," Chun-Li said. "I hope I can join the next Smash tournament that comes out." "Same, though I doubt I'd make it, this Tournament is Invitation only, it's hard enough for warriors in that world alone to get in, for warriors outside that realm, very rare," Carlos said. "Point is, Marvel, Sega, Nintendo, Namco, they all gave us great challenges, and it's because of each encounter that we grow as warriors," Chun-Li said. "Plus we like seeing other versions of Earth and whatnot, see how things are different." "That's all so amazing, I really need to get back to opening the portals once more," Sunset said. "Hey, isn't there another world you should tell Sunset about?" Carlos asked. "The world that has the King of Fighters Tournament?" "King of Fighters?" Chun-Li asked. "Oh yeah, we call that world SNK...I wish I could remember why, I wrote it down somewhere." "SNK? I don't believe I've heard of that world," Sunset said. "Yeah, we haven't really talked about it, weird," Chun-Li said. "It's another world with Martial Artists, but boy are they a lively bunch. The fighters of the World Warrior Tournament, along with some of the Darkstalkers joined to take part of the King of Fighters Tournament, and boy was it an experience. Myself, Ryu and Ken met our greatest rivals outside of Marvel, those being Mai Shiranui, Kyo Kusanagi and Terry Bogard." "Thinking about it, what would happen if those SNK Fighters spared with the Marvel Heroes?" Carlos asked. "Man, imagine a fight between Spider-Man and Terry Bogard." "Talk about a dream battle," Chun-Li said. "The Spider vs the Wolf." "Maybe I should look into that SNK world," Sunset said, then checked her watch. "Oh, I should get back and report to Celestia." "You have a watch?" Carlos asked. "Didn't think Equestria had those." "We're not as primitive as you think you know," Sunset said, glaring slightly at Carlos. "Plus I need a watch to let me know what time it is in my world in case of any time differences." "Makes sense," Chun-Li said. "I have my own work to attend to as well, I'll let you back to your world." "Thank you for your time Chun-Li," Sunset said, then turned to Carlos. "Good-bye Carlos, I wish you luck on your invitation to Smash." "Gonna need a lot more than luck, but thanks," Carlos said. Sunset made her way back to her portal, Chun-Li having thoughts of her own at the moment. "I might need to contact Celestia soon myself, see if I can fix whatever trust issues she may have," Chun-Li said. "Hey wait, I think you forgot to mention that Tatsunoko world to Sunset Shimmer when she asked about the worlds we've encountered," Carlos said. "Uh...kind of don't want Peter to know we've fought other superheroes," Chun-Li said. Carlos raised his eyebrow in confusion, "But what difference does it make, he thught we were gonna fight Superman at one point." "Just take my word for this, I mean the difference between Tatsunoko and The Justice League is that Peter at least knows and idolizes Superman, if he hears about this other world I don't know how he's gonna react," Chun-Li said. Carlos shrugged it off, "I don't get your logic but fine with me, he's your rival , not mine." "Technically if I had a rival it would be..." Chun-Li thought a moment. "Wait, I don't think I have an official rival...maybe I can ask Miss Marvel to be my rival? Or maybe Captain America!" As Chun-Li listed the possibilities, Carlos shook his head and walked off, "Weirdo." Back in Equestria, the rest of the Brotherhood were gathered around Wanda in the living room, relieved to see that the poor girl had finally awoken from her slumber. "Man, can't believe you took on a powerful sorcerer," Avalanche said. "Must have been one hell of a field trip." "How you holding up girl?" Boom asked, rubbing Wanda's shoulder. "I've been better," Wanda answered. "Baron Mordo was much stronger than I would have guessed. Though I should have expected better after all I've heard about him." "Haven't you encountered him before?" Toad asked. "Then again I don't really know much about wizards and stuff so I don't know who you would have met." "It's weird, we came to Equestria to learn about Friendship and Harmony, yet there have been two villain invasions since we came here," Avalanche said. "Mysterio, Annihilus, Mordo..." Boom listed. "Who's coming next? Ultron? Loki?" "With any luck, those two will stay the heck away from Equestria as long as possible," Peter interjected. "Sup everyone, I know you're all worried about Wanda, like good friends..." Peter did an overexaggerated wink, much to everyone's confusion. "But it's getting late and Twilight wants to close our doors for the evening. She needs to prepare tomorrow's friendship lesson." "Let me guess, more villain fighting?" Avalanche joked. "Well given what's been happening, I suggest all of you prepare for a villain to show up," Peter said. "This world unfortunately isn't always as happy and peaceful as it seems." "Then why'd the old man drag us here?" Avalanche asked. "The way he talked it's as if this world was some type of paradise." "Dude you knew about our world and Capcom's invading this one, what about that gave you the impression this world is any safer?" Peter asked. "Well it sounds like the only reason it's not safe is because of the villain attacks that came from our world, so if anything Magneto is partially correct," Scott chimed in. "Dude, go home," Peter said, then turned to the others. "You can see Wanda tomorrow, if your assigned Elements are fine with it." "You heard the man," Applejack said. "Let's go y'all. Avalanche, we got some more work to do tomorrow, if you finish fast enough you can come see yer friend." "Ugh, more farm work," Avalanche said, following Applejack and Remy out of the library. "We have a ton of cakes to bake Boomie, it'll be fun!" Pinkie said. "Can I taste test them?" Boom asked. "Of course, that's the best part," Pinkie said, bouncing off with Boom and Deadpool right behind her. "Let's get back to the critters Toad, I'm not too comfortable leaving Laura alone with them for too long," Fluttershy said. "Especially after what happened last time." "What happened last time?" Toad asked. "She...got hungry, and my chickens started looking tasty to her, there's still one I haven't found yet, but she's at least been trying to look for it," Fluttershy said. "Well, maybe I can-" Toad was nudged by Logan, who shook his head, mouthing something to Toad which made him a little concerned for Laura. "I mean...I wish her luck." "I'm very postive she'll find her, she's got good tracking senses like Logan," Fluttershy said with Logan and a somewhat gloomy Toad behind her. "Come now Pyro, I'll need your help modeling some scarves," Rarity said. "Scarves? The hell? Come on how much more modeling do I have to do? It's not manly," Pyro said. "What's the worry? Bobby models for me too," Rarity said. "Like I said, not manly," Pyro repeated. "Dude, wanna turn into a pony sized icicle?" Bobby warned, generating some ice. "Wanna melt?" Pyro asked, summoning some fire. "Boys, enough or no dinner," Rarity warned. "He started it!" Bobby and Pyro said simultaneously, glaring at each other right afterwards. "I don't care who started it, I will end it myself, now march!" Rarity ordered, pointing her hoof for emphasis with the ice and fire mutants right behind her, bitterly shooting glances at each other. Last was Pietro, Rainbow Dash and Johnny, the speedster looking quite concerned at his sister. Rainbow Dash caught on of course and nudged him to get his attention, "Hey if you want to stay to check on your sister, that's cool with me." "Uh, no I'm good," Pietro insisted. "She'll be fine, she's had these moments before and bounced back like nothing." Pietro started trotting off, "She just needs some breathing room, that's all." Rainbow Dash just followed after Pietro, "If you say so dude." Johnny wasn't sure what to make of Pietro at the moment, still seems like he's trying to hide his softer side. Johnny knows when a brother is worried about his sister, he could tell Pietro was worried about Wanda but unfortunately the speedster's pride was getting in the way. Johnny might need to teach him a bit more about family and when to drop one's pride and ego. "Yo Peter, if anything else happens, you know where to find me, Dashie and the rest of our friends," Johnny said. "Well yeah, we all live in the same town, we see each other everyday," Peter said. "You know what I meant bro," Johnny said, a smug look on his face. "Just keep an eye on things." Johnny joined Rainbow Dash and Pietro on their trot back home. Scott also started making his way home as well. "Well I guess I'll be seeing you tomorrow, tell your family Your Friendly Neighborhood Ant Man says 'bye'," Scott said, trotting away. "Yeah I'll..." It took a moment for Peter to realize what Scott had said. "H-hey don't steal my catchphrase! I have lawyers!" All that was heard was Scott's mocking laugh as Peter groaned in annoyance. "Better not start spinning webs anytime soon...then again Ants don't really do webs so I have nothing to worry about." "You know, for insect based heroes, you don't seem to get along that well," Wanda said. "Spiders are arachnids, not insects, common misconception," Peter explained. "Of course Scott being an Ant would make me the dominant predator, making us even less likely to get along." "Uh, sure, alright Spider-Man," Wanda said. "It's Peter, you can call me Peter," the web hero sat beside Wanda. "So, crazy day right?" "I still have a major headache," Wanda said. "Well you did exert a large amount of power, I know even Twilight can get exhausted after something like that," Peter said. "Or she did at first, now she's got a better handle of it, especially after becoming an Alicorn." "How do you become an Alicorn?" Wanda asked. "Uh, not sure really, Twilight got her wings after figuring out some ancient spell from a guy named Starswirl," Peter said. "She's not the only one who transformed, Cadance did too, the girl from the Cystal Empire, but she had to do something different. Celestia and Luna I think were also born as regular ponies, but they transformed like thousands of years ago so I have no idea how that happened." "So it's a Transformation, you can't be born an Alicorn?" Wanda asked. "Usually no, the only exception being my adorable little niece Flurry, Heart" Peter said. "Of course I once thought Luna and Celestia were born Alicorns, then they looked so surprised that Flurry was born as one, which is when I found out they were born as normies." "So, there are only five alicorns?" Wanda asked. "Well, in Equestria at least, Thor's also an Alicorn since he's a God in his world, and I think when Wonder Woman came to Equestria a few years ago she was also an Alicorn," Peter said. "Wait, why was Wonder Woman in Equestria?" Wanda asked. "She came with The Justice League to see the Marvel vs Capcom tournament we held," Peter said. "It was a pretty big event, heroes from other dimensions came. Sega, Namco, Square, Nintendo...Also call me crazy but some of those guys like video game characters from my world, in fact their world sounds like a video game." Peter tapped his chin, "I wonder..." "So you and Capcom had one more tournament, amazing how long this rivalry lasted," Wanda said. "To think it started with the X-Men joining that Street Fighter tournament thing. My father teamed with Shadoloo to take both groups down." "Yeah we heard that story quite a bit, but it is where it all began," Peter said. "I'm just wondering if Capcom's really done, last time Marvel won, and while they were cool with it, I wouldn't be surprised if they wanted another shot at us." "If they did, would you accept?" Wanda asked. "Eh, maybe, I'll think about it," Peter said. "I mean, I'm not one to fight for the same reason Ryu would, but I will admit it's fun sparring with them sometimes, at least when they're not being jerks." "Some of them got too competitive?" Wanda asked. "I think so, it was so weird, Ryu's always been chill," Peter said. "I mean he's better and has apologized to me, numerous times, but it seems like he himself didn't know what came over him, I'm kind of worried, especially after what I heard from Luna." "Luna? What did she say?" Wanda asked. "Uh I never told anyone, but not too long ago she told me she didn't trust the Capcom Warriors because she sensed darkness within them," Peter said. "My guess was that she was talking about Dante, but she kept looking at Ryu specifically when she mentioned it, or she would constantly bring him up more." "Hm...my father did say there was a man in Capcom that fought similarly to Ryu and Ken, but he didn't seem human, he seemed more like a demon," Wanda said. "That sounds like Akuma, I barely know the guy but I know he's Ryu's rival, and they have the same style," Peter said. "I wonder...is Ryu gonna turn into someone like that? Is that what came over Ryu during the invasion? Is that why he seemed so worried?" "Maybe you should contact Ryu, see if you can do anything to help him," Wanda said. "He's probably turning into a monster, and he doesn't know how to stop it." "Turning into a monster huh? I can relate to that," Peter said, thinking about both the symbiote suit and the brief moment he was overtaken by The Nightmare. "Yeah, I'll try to get into contact with him again soon." "Oh, one more thing," Wanda said. "Would I be able to see your niece anytime soon? Her name's Flurry Heart right? I know you said she's alright but I'll feel better if I see her for myself." "Sure thing, I'll talk to Twilight about it but I know she won't mind," Peter said. In the kitchen, Trixie, Twilight, Aunt May and Mayday were putting the final touches on dinner. Aunt May handled most of the cooking with Twilight supplying the recipes and Trixie helping with keeping things sorted. Mayday was setting the table, wanting to help out her mother, aunt and great aunt. "I'm done mommy!" "That's good sweetie, mind pouring some drinks?" Twilight said. "Alright!" Mayday went to grab some left over Apple Cider to give to the family. "I'm happy that your friend Wanda's doing alright," Aunt May said. "I was worried when she came back as exhausted as she was." "I'm just as relieved," Twilight said. "I feel terrible for bringing her into that, but my orders are clear, I have to keep Wanda with me at all times." "Couldn't you just leave her with one of your friends?" Trixie asked. "Does it have to be only you?" "I didn't want to risk disobeying Celestia, plus Wanda wanted to come anyway, and I figured a little extra help couldn't hurt," Twilight said. "Baron Mordo was very powerful though, Doctor Strange had quite the nemesis. But what matters is she's safe and I can continue being her teacher." "You do seem to like teaching," Aunt May said. "I do, I've thought about opening my own school, to teach Friendship," Twilight said. "You know what, maybe that's what I'll do. I'll talk to Celestia first chance I get, maybe tomorrow. I'll start my School of Friendship, the perfect way to bring peace across Equestria." "That's a great goal my dear," Aunt May said. "I wish you luck on that." "You might even be able to ask Logan the other X-Men a few tips about running a school and getting the right teachers," Trixie said. "Oh yeah, Logan himself was a teacher at Professor Xavier's school, that's a perfect idea!" Twilight said. "What better than friends to help run a school of Friendship," Aunt May said. "Yeah, you're absolutely right about that May," Twilight said, then heard the oven ding. "Looks like the food's ready, we should let Peter and Wanda know." "I'll get them," Aunt May saud, then called out to the two. "Peter! Wanda! Dinner's ready!" "I helped in the kitchen!" Mayday called out from the kitchen. "Aw, dinner from my lovely wife, my caring aunt, my darling daughter and Trixie," Peter said. "Don't make sound like a fourth wheel! Especially when you know I hate wheels!" Trixie called from the kitchen. "Huh? Why does she hate wheels?" Wanda asked. "I have absolutely no idea," Peter answered. "I try not to question things when it comes to Trixie." At the Storm-Dash home, Pietro is gazing out the window, thinking about his sister and her well-being. In a way, he wishes he was at The Crystal Empire when Mordo invaded, figuring if anything he could have kept a watchful eye over his sister and at least see his power for himself. "Pietro," Johnny said, getting the speedsters attention. "Look dude, I know you're all about pride, but part of Loyalty is putting your pride aside and being there for someone, and not being afraid of looking weak for it. I know you're worried about Wanda, so just say so." "What's worrying gonna do?" Pietro asked. "Not really gonna help." "If Wanda knew you cared then maybe she'll relax more," Johhny said. "Just throwing it out there bro, happy sister might mean less danger, I wasn't there to see what happened but I sure as hell would think you wouldn't want to be on the other end of that." As Johnny went to his room, Pietro had thought over what he was just told. Maybe he could lighten up around his sister, at least bit by bit. Pietro wasn't the only one thinking about Wanda, as Magneto back in Canterlot was floating over the city, gazing in the direction of Ponyville. "Wanda..." Magneto felt some concern for his daughter, but at the same time, very curious. He knows that Mordo is a powerful being, to know his daughter had taken him down really raised his curiosity toward his daughter's true power. "Hey, if it isn't my good buddy Eric Magnus," Discord said, popping into view. "Do not call me by my birth name so casually," Magneto said. "Wow, what is it with you Supervillains not wanting to be called by your own name, just like old Herman...or should I say 'Shocker'," Discord said. "Even Osborn was alright being called by his name." "I really couldn't care less Discord," Magneto said. "Now tell me this, was it you who allowed Baron Mordo access to this world?" "Oh yeah, guess you would have found out about that," Discord said. "I really didn't expect your daughter to get caught up in that fight. I mean after Mysterio and Annihilus...neither my doing, at least not entirely my doing, I figured that Wanda and her friends would want to stray away from danger." "Well given that Wanda is tasked to always be around Twilight Sparkle, and the Empire that Mordo attacked belonged to her older brother, it stands to reason that Twilight Sparkle would of course venture out there, and that Wanda would of course accompany her," Mangeto said. "Sounds like poor planning on your part Discord." "Eh...alright you got me there," Discord said. "Maybe it was a foolish idea to do that." "Yes, perhaps, or perhaps it was pretty ingenious," Magneto said, much to Discord's confusion. "Wait, are you dissatisfied or pleased?" Discord asked. "While I am of course worried about my daughter, this was actually a good way for her to test her abilities," Magneto said. "In fact both villain battles have been perfect for testing the abilities of my pupils." "So you're alright with me allowing more villains to join in on the fun?" Discord asked. "I mean I still have some recruiting to do, and these fights have been a good way for them to audition for my grandest show." "Do what you please, just make sure no harm comes to my children," Magneto said. "Very well, I'm off," Discord then snapped away, Magneto making his way back down. The following day seemed like the perfect day for many in the different realms. Ibuki and Makoto were continuing their training, Twilight was making plans to go to Canterlot and finally get her school set up, Pietro was considering what to do regarding his sister, and Discord was making plans, as usual. "Time for the next part of the show to begin," Discord said. "Alright Mr. Masters, are you ready?" "It ain't Mr. Masters," a man in a skull mask said, making his way through the portal. "It's Taskmaster." "Gee, didn't see that coming," Discord joked, then flew through the portal, the next fight about to begins.