A day had passed by, Tony Stark was in Canterlot going over some paperwork, mostly about the battle in Manehattan, plus any clues about the origins of this new gang that formed. He wasn't alone, Luna was right beside him with her assistance.
"To think something like this would start during the beginning of the Accords act," Luna said, checking over the reports. "It's so unusual though, I don't think I've ever seen or heard of something like this. Closest was Starlight's village."
"I'm used to this type of stuff happening all the time back home," Tony said. "I hope this isn't related to Earth but the possibility is high. Celestia won't like this."
"As long as it does not leave Manehattan, and that the heroes assigned to that city do their jobs and sweep the town for any information they could gather," Luna said.
"Yeah, Daredevil's good at this type of thing, he helped Peter keep the gangs under control back home," Tony said. "Those two regularly fought against The Kingpin, Wilson Fisk, a feat not many would dare attempt."
"Still, do you think there needs to me more heroes?" Luna asked.
"Maybe, but we're kind of stretched thin," Tony said. "I could ask Steve, Sam or Bucky to help here, but Steve might want to stay close to your sister, and I don't see Bucky listening to orders really well, at least not my orders. Sam I could probably work with, but he hasn't committed to The Accords yet."
"I hope we can get him to do so soon," Luna said. "Say that reminds me, who is officially stationed in Ponyville?"
Tony grabbed the file for that town, "Firestar, Black Cat and Peter are."
"What about the other heroes living there?" Luna asked. "Have none of them signed up?"
"Well Logan's out of the question, the guy is terrible at taking orders as well," Tony said. "Johnny is more under Spitfire's jurisdiction, but she likely left him and his wife assigned to Ponyville. Deadpool, I can't risk having a lunatic like that on the Accords. All that's left are Gambit and Iceman, and the X-Men have never been known for associating with any type of Government."
"Maybe not back home, but here they're much more respected and they have good graces from royalty, mostly Twilight," Luna said. "Maybe you can ask her to have a word with Gambit and Iceman and see if they're willing to join, that way we can spread out more."
"It's a long shot, but it couldn't hurt," Tony said. "Maybe some of the other X-Men will consider as well, though the only other X-Men that are regularly in Equestria are Jubilee and Nightcrawler, but they're teachers so they probably have no interest."
"Being teachers isn't stopping Twilight, Rainbow Dash or anypony else," Luna reminded.
Tony stroked his chin a moment, thinking over the idea, "I guess that's good point,"
"Also, doesn't Scott Lang live in Ponyville as well?" Luna asked.
"Oh yeah, maybe I can get him to do a few patrols too, if he's willing to listen," Tony said. "But speaking of Ant Man, I need to contact Janet, right now she agreed to watch over the Dragon Lands alongside Hercules, even if Ember isn't too keen on this just yet. If they keep turning us down, I might just have to ask Janet to relocate, maybe she and Spike can watch over Manehattan."
"I would think Spike is better suited at The Crystal Empire," Luna said.
"Carol's there, and she insists that she and Kamala are enough," Tony said. "Probably an arrogant mindset but she has proven her strength so I think I can trust her."
"Alright, now what of the other heroes you have in mind?" Luna asked.
"Right now, the only ones left that are considering are Spider-Woman, Moon Knight and Cable," Tony said. "But, if I'm being honest, I don't have a lot of faith in them. Spider-Woman has always been a bit sneaky, Moon Knight is practically insane and Cable is more of a mercenary type, similar to Deadpool. I don't have all the heroes I would have liked and I'm worried this plan might fail."
"Well what about Mr. Fantastic and his team?" Luna asked.
"Reed's working on something with Doctor Hooves, Susan and Ben don't seem too interested, plus they insist they have work back home," Tony said. "I couldn't even get Bruce to join, according to him, some heroes need to keep the peace on Earth, he's one of the only major Avengers still there since most of them are here and Thor went back to Asgard. I can't blame them, Earth needs heroes too, even if some of us have lost the trust from the public."
"Due to the Green Goblin and his prior invasion," Luna said. "Why do you blame yourself for something you had no control over?"
"Because a hero should be better than that, I felt so ashamed knowing that Osborn misused my abilities, same with my friends," Tony said. "Same thing happened later with Wesker and his goons getting the drop on us and turning us into weapons yet again. Even if I couldn't help it, I still did bad things and I need to make things right."
Luna pitied Tony, understanding his plight, "I know the feeling, for years I was ashamed of what I've done as Nightmare Moon, I even considered punishing myself with a spell that would give me endless nightmares."
"That sounds harsh," Tony said.
"It was, fortunately Peter talked me out of it," Luna said. "Tony, it's admirable that you want to make things right, just try not to let it lead to your self destruction."
"I'll do my best," Tony said.
"I'll take that answer," Luna said. "Plus you won't be alone, I shall assist any way I can."
"Really appreciate that Luna, I can see why Peter likes you so much," Tony said. "And why you're the Godmother of his daughter."
"Yes, it is an honor that he and Twilight have bestowed upon me," Luna said. "I take great pride in it."
"You should, Mayday's adorable, and it's good to have such a reliable pony ready and willing to care for her if, God forbid, something bad happened to them," Tony said. "Plus I bet she likes you, Peter told me your name was her first word. Honestly if her first word was my name, I would be ecstatic."
"You seem really fond of Peter," Luna said.
"He's like the son I've always wanted, that's another reason why I'm doing this, I want to make a better world for he and his family to live in," Tony said. "Peter does so much for others and expects nothing in return, but that kid deserves the world, you agree don't you?"
"Most definitely," Luna said.
"So let's work together to ensure a bright future for Peter, his family and all the ponies in Equestria," Tony said. "With any luck, this can even extend to Earth, and both worlds will relish in Peace and Harmony."
"To the future," Luna said.
"Yes, to the future," Tony acknowledged.
Outside Steve was overseeing some training among potential recruits for Equestria's Avengers division, one of the ponies in training was Thunderlane, who was seen sparring with another hopeful in Lightning Dust.
"Remember to exercise patience, even in the middle of battle," Steve instructed. "Eagerness can lead to downfall if you're not careful."
As the two continued to spar and take Steve's advice to heart, mostly Lighting Dust, Sam appeared beside him, taking note of the sparring as well. "So how's it going?"
"These two have potential as Avengers, but there's still something off about them," Steve said. "One is a bit of a show-off and the other is trying too hard."
"Think either one can improve?" Sam asked.
"I can see immediate improvement for the stallion, he has recently turned his life around after some prior mishaps involving Peter," Steve said. "The mare has always had these issues though, seems like a really bad habit for her. She has tried channeling those issues through stunt shows with other former Wonderbolts, but that does not seem to be enough. Even Logan worries about her being an Avenger."
"So you already know these two," Sam said.
"Sort of, I've had unfortunate encounters with both myself," Steve said. "But whatever mistakes those two made in the past, they seem to want to rectify them, and I am giving them that chance to. I really do wish for the best, especially the stallion. The poor guy is a single father after all, so I know he wants this the most so he can have a successful career to substantially provide for his daughter."
"Single father huh? I respect his determination then," Sam said. "If I mayb be so bold to ask, did he mention what happened to his wife? Is that like another factor for his over-eagerness?"
"Uh...well, he wasn't exactly married, but his baby's mother is alive and well," Steve said. "She's actually patrolling Ponyville right now."
"Wait for real?" Sam asked. "So we got a local pony already on The Accords."
"She's not local, she's from our world," Steve explained. "The woman was Black Cat from New York."
"Wait, he got with a girl from our world?" Sam asked. "Also that name sounds familiar."
"She's a burglar that Peter normally engages with," Steve said.
"A burglar!?" Sam shouted in surprise. "If she's a thief then why the hell is she on The Accords list!?"
"To be fair, Hawkeye and Gambit started off as thieves and they've turned things around," Steve reminded. "But Black Cat is technically not on the Accords, she was personally deputized by Princess Celestia, like I was."
"Oh, so she's clean then right?" Sam asked.
"Far as I know," Steve said. "We're keeping an eye on her to make sure she doesn't take advantage of her power."
"Hope so, for the sake of that Princess," Sam said.
"Celestia is very wise, I trust her judgement," Steve said. "She has been ruling Equestria for over a thousand years after all."
"Hey you know her better than I do, so-" Falcon's eyes widened a second. "Wait, did you say 'thousand'? How old is that woman!?"
"You know not to ask for a lady's age Sam," Steve joked. "Don't let it fool you though, she's still quite young at heart, not so bad on the eyes either."
"Pfft, if you're into old ladies you should have just stuck with Peggy Carter," Falcon joked, getting a good laugh. Of course once he noticed Steve's glare, he lightened up a bit. "Kidding Steve."
"Haha..." Steve mockingly laughed, "My relationship with Celestia is strictly professional."
"Not what I've been hearing," Sam said. "Word on the street is that you and the Sun Mare have been pretty friendly with one another."
Steve turned away, hoping to hide a blush, "It's gossip, just ignore it! Look she's not interested in a relationship and neither am I."
"Please, I've seen the way you've glanced at Romanoff, you would not turn down a chance to be with a girl," Falcon said.
"That 'girl' is The Princess of Equestria! I can't just go in and ask her out on a date or anything," Steve said. "If she was interested in dating or marriage, I think she would have done so by now. I mean how many guards has she had over the years?"
"Most of these guards probably grew up seeing her as this ruler or a mother figure, you however came in from another world, just knowing her as Celestia, you have a better chance than you realize," Sam said. "I mean, I'm still getting used to being in this world so I can't tell how attractive a pony is, but even I think she might be a good catch for you."
"Sam, I know you're trying to be helpful, but I really need you to dial that type of talk down a notch," Steve requested. "Think you can do that for me?"
"Alright, your call," Sam said, then looked over Steve's shoulder. "Here comes Bucky."
Steve turned to his closest friend, "Bucky? Thought you'd be resting."
"I'm good Steve, just needed to kick my feet up a second," Bucky said, then looked down. "Or rather, my hooves."
"As long as you're doing alright," Steve said.
"Well I came by because some ponies seemed interesting in joining your ranks," Bucky said, gesturing to four familiar ponies. "Said they have experience when it comes to villains from our world."
"I know you four. Double Diamond, Party Favor, Sugar Belle and Night Glider," Steve said.
"That's us," Double Diamond said. "We want to join your Equestrian Avengers. Got room for four more?"
"We might," Steve said, then called out to the two in the sparring section. "Thunderlane! Lightning Dust!"
"Wait, their names are literally Thunder and Lightning?" Sam joked.
Steve rolled his eyes a second, "You two step aside, I have other recruits I want to train!"
"Sure thing!" Thunderlane said as he and Lightning Dust made room.
Steve turned to the four, "So who wants to go first then?"
Later on, Twilight was seen walking downstairs, but she still felt pretty tired and exhausted, "I have no energy left, this baby is taking a lot out of me."
"Don't push yourself too hard," Trixie called from the room below. "You know Peter is going to worry!"
"I'll be fine!" Twilight insisted as she arrived at the bottom of the stairs. Of course she still felt really sluggish. "Won't be long until I give birth, maybe I can move around much better again."
As she got downstairs, she heard a knock on the door, something Trixie went to attend to, "I got it." Opening the door she found the typical trio, "Susan, Franklin, Derpy."
"Hi Trixie, back for our daily visit," Derpy said, making her way inside with the two. Upon entry she also noticed Twilight having come down the stairs. "Hey Twilight, you look out of breath."
"Do I really?" Twilight asked.
"You're sweating a lot, that's for sure," Susan said. "Also we heard you threw up yesterday."
Twilight blushed in embarrassment, "It wasn't intentional, it just happened."
"Well obviously it wasn't intentional, but you don't need to be ashamed, it's part of pregnancy, I've gone through it myself, and this is your second child so you're no stranger to it," Susan said.
"I get sick sometimes too, and I still have about six more months until my baby is born," Derpy said. "Of course this is also my first child on top of that."
"Being a mom is tough, but rewarding, even during the pregnancy days," Twilight said. "Well I should go and get Mayday."
"Hold on, Franklin has something for you," Susan said, looking to her son. "Go on."
Franklin walked over to Twilight, holding a flower to her, "This is for you."
"Aw, how sweet," Twilight said, taking the flower with her magic. "Thank you Franklin."
"Sure thing," Franklin said, going inside. "I'll go find your daughter."
"She should be in her room, remember to knock, she hates intrusion," Twilight said, then turned to Susan. "This is for decorative purposes, correct?"
"Well yeah," Susan said. "What else do you use flowers for?"
"Keep in mind that we're ponies, human like as we are, flowers are part of our diet, just like equine creatures back on Earth," Twilight said.
"My favorite are daisies," Derpy said.
"That's nice Derpy," Susan said, then focused back on Twilight. "Does your biology change when you're on Earth?"
"Yes, it does change, including diet," Twilight said. "I usually only eat meat when I'm on Earth, even if I prefer not to."
"Well you have the option, even humans can be vegetarians, even if it's not the healthiest diet," Susan said.
"I'm aware of that, I did study a lot about Earth culture, I even shared some of my knowledge with Lyra Heartstrings, that girl is such a human fanatic," Twilight said.
"Who's Lyra? The name sounds familiar," Susan asked.
"Green fur, green mane, you might have seen her with her friend and Bon Bon, beige fur and blue and pink mane," Twilight said.
"Actually they're more than friends, they recently got married," Derpy said. "Still, any of this ring a bell Sue?"
"I think..." Susan said. "I should get to know some of the ponies in town more."
"If you want help with that, there's Pinkie Pie," Twilight said. "Knowing her, she'll throw a party to help you get to know other ponies."
"Pinkie's parties are the best," Derpy said.
"That is what Johnny tells me," Susan said. "So where is Peter?"
"At the School of Friendship," Twilight said. "He's just checking on the students and teachers, he hasn't been that active since I took a break."
"Which Peter had to practically beg for," Trixie said, making her way over. "Twilight was insistant on teaching even though she was this pregnant."
"I still say I could have handled it," Twilight said.
"You are hard-headed enough to try," Trixie said. "Even you need breaks now and again Twilight."
"If you need more teachers, I can offer some assistance," Susan said. "I have a teaching degree, I used to teach during a time when me, Reed, Ben and Johnny ran into money troubles."
"That would be nice, but my school is a bit different from the average school," Twilight said. "We're more about Friendship than anything, but we do have a proper curriculum so I can work something for you too."
"I'm no expert at Friendship, but I do know something about Loyalty and Family," Susan said. "I'd be more than happy to pass down my knowledge about that as well."
"Excellent idea," Twilight said. "Why don't you have a seat and we'll discuss this more."
As the mares continued on with their conversation, later as classes were letting up, Peter was seen walking back home, with the Student Seven following after him.
"Hey Peter! Wait up!" Sandbar called, getting the hero's attention.
"Hey, need something?" Peter asked.
"Not really, we were just hoping you could tell us how Miss Twilight is doing," Silversteam said.
"Oh is this about her getting sick?" Peter asked. "She's fine now, she just overexerted herself before but she's doing a lot better now."
"That's good, we've really missed her these last couple of weeks, so it was alarming when we were told she really got sick," Ocellus said.
"Well remember, she's very pregnant, she's due any day too, so it's very common to get sick, which is why more than ever I would prefer she stay in bed and get some bed rest," Peter said. "Though after that, she's going on a little learning adventure, one she might turn into Friendship Lessons. I'd expect to hear her talk about Starswirl and his Pillars."
"Starswirl?" Sandbar asked.
"And Pillars?" Silversteam finished.
"Starswirl had his own Elements of Harmony, or Avengers as I would put it," Peter said. "They were Flash Magnus, an old Pegasus that Rainbow Dash knows about, Rockhoof, am Earth Pony that Applejack knows about, Mistmane, a Unicorn pony Rarity knows about, along with Mage Meadowbrook and Sonambula, we're still trying to learn about them."
"Golly, that sure sounds pretty neat," Cozy Glow said.
"Twilight wants to study a bit more about the latter two, but I'd prefer if she had our baby before she went out exploring again," Peter said. "Lets bring in new life before going back to old life."
"Hey is there anything we can do for Twilight?" Ocellus asked.
"If you want to stop by later you can, after you get your work done," Peter said. "The best thing you can do for her is to keep up on your studies."
"Sure thing Mr. Parker," Silversteam said.
"And remember, you can just call me 'Peter', at least outside of school," Peter insisted.
"You got it Peter," Sandbar said.
"Well I gotta get back to my wife, you kids can go on with your day," Peter said.
"Not kids, adults," Gallus said. "Except Cozy Glow, she's a kid, who hangs out with us for some reason."
"You know you like me Gallus, I'm fun and perky," Cozy Glow said, putting on a cute pose.
"And cute as a button," Peter said. "And she fits in quite well the six of you. I mean seeing you hanging around together, you're like Twilight and her friends."
"You really think so?" Silverstream asked.
"Oh yeah totally, I mean Silverstream, you're as fun and perky as Pinkie Pie," Peter said.
"I have been told that," Silverstream said.
"Gallus, you're quite loyal to your friends, and you act like the coolest person in the room, just like Rainbow Dash," Peter said. "Guess it's not an act though, you really do look cool."
"Huh, that's really nice of you to say," Gallus said, feeling a bit flattered.
"Yona, you have that strong presence to you, and like Applejack, the biggest muscle is easily your heart, got that true Apple Family dependency," Peter said.
"Yona never considered herself Apple, Yona like idea," the yak girl stated.
"Smolder, you remind me of Rarity in a few ways, plus something tells me you're pretty fabulous among dragons," Peter said.
"Pfft, yeah whatever," Smolder said, trying to not show emotion.
"Ocellus, you were so shy when I met you, still are, but since then you've worked hard to come out of your comfort zone, which is great because you've been smiling more, and you have the cutest smile since Fluttershy," Peter said.
Ocellus briefly took the form of the pony she was compared to, "Thank you Peter, that's so Kind of you."
"And I guess it's easy to figure out which of you reminds me of Twilight," Peter said.
"Yeah, it is easy to figure out," Cozy Glow said. "And you really flatter me Peter, I try my hardest to be the pony Twilight is and I'm so happy to know it's going to good use."
"Uh...Cozy..." Peter awkwardly began. "I was thinking more of Sandbar than you."
"...Huh?" Cozy asked, looking annoyed.
"Sandbar has that leadership vibe Twilight has, and he's a real hard worker, just like she is," Peter said.
"Wow, thanks Peter," Sandbar said. "Never thought I'd be compared to a Princess."
"You mean that as a compliment right?" Peter asked.
"Yeah," Sandbar confirmed.
"Oh good," Peter said, then focused on Cozy Glow. "And don't worry Cozy, I can think of a certain someone who you're like as well, someone close to Twilight and someone who means a lot to me."
"Is it Trixie?" Cozy Glow asked, her curiousity rising. "Or Starlight? Or Sunset?"
"No, it's Spike," Peter said, Cozy's eager demeanor immediately deflating. "If Sandbar and company are like Twilight and Company, that makes you the Spike of the group, and that's a very prestigious honor. After all, he's the helpful little assistant you are at the School of Friendship, and you're just so darn adorable, even more than Spike actually."
"Golly gee, that sounds so...swell," Cozy Glow said, trying to hide her disappointment.
"Yeah it is, you should be honored," Peter said, aiming his hoof. "Whelp, I gotta get running, see you kids later."
"We're not kids!" Gallus reminded as Peter swung away. "Aaaaand, he's gone."
"Oh don't worry about it, Peter doesn't mean anything by it," Silversteam said. "But it's so cool that he thinks we're just like the professors! Imagine what that means for our future!"
"I like Peter, he nice, and not scary like other spiders," Yona said.
"Think he'd be offended if you told him you didn't like spiders?" Gallus asked.
"Probably not, he seems understanding," Sandbar said. "Well you heard his advice, let's just go and study up."
"Sweet, study group!" Silverstream said. "Come on, let's hit the library!"
As the students began spreading out, Cozy Glow actually stayed behind a moment, something noted by Ocellus, "Uh Cozy, everything alright?"
"Huh?" Cozy looked at her friend. "Oh yeah, I'm fine."
"You're not bummed about being compared to Spike are you? I mean it's meant to be a compliment, Spike is the hero of The Crystal Empire," Ocellus said.
"Yeah, he is, and it's great," Cozy Glow said. "I just...really wanted to be like Twilight, I thought I was off to a good start."
"Well, I think you have what it takes to be like Twilight," Ocellus said. "But you know what's better than being like Twilight?"
"Being like Peter?" Cozy asked.
"Being yourself," Ocellus said. "Focus on what makes you, well, you. Keep it up and one day ponies will be the comparing themselves to you."
"Golly, you really think so?" Cozy Glow asked.
"Of course, now let's hurry before Gallus starts wondering where we are," Ocellus said as she flew in.
"Huh...me, being better than Twilight," Cozy Glow said, smirking to herself as she followed her friend. "That does sound nice."
Elsewhere Applejack is seen pushing some barrels into the barn, getting ready to process them into various desserts.
"Whew!" Applejack said, having gotten a barrel in place. "Another one down."
"You really shouldn't be working too hard," Remy said as he pushed in a barrel of his own. "You need to rest more, you due in a few weeks after all."
"Ah can handle it," Applejack insisted. "Keeps me in shape, plus it needs to be done."
"I mean you could call in Braeburn or something," Remy said, wiping off some sweat. "But whatever makes you happy, just be careful.
"Ah will," Applejack reassured, checking her stock. "Glad we're getting these picked, might be snowing soon. Rainbow Dash said that snow clouds coming in."
Remy had a thought pass by his head, "If y'all can control weather, why do you need snow?"
Applejack was about to answer, but drew a blank, "You know, I'm not really sure. Rain ah understand, helps with plant life. Guess that's something we'll have to find out fer ourselves one day."
Remy placed the barrel down, "Hm, something don't seem right."
"What is it?" Applejack asked.
"Didn't we have more apples than this?" Remy asked, looking over the barrels. "Thought there were more."
Applejack scanned over the supplies. "Hey yer right, ah know we had more in here last time."
"Think your grandma used any?" Remy asked. "Or did Big Mac sell a few?"
"Can't say fer sure," Applejack said, then turned to her brother as he popped in with another barrel. "Hey Big Mac, you didn't sell any apples recently, did ya?"
"Nope," Big Mac answered.
"Didn't do anything with them?" Applejack asked.
"Not a thing," Big Mac replied.
"We can ask Granny Smith then, or even Apple Bloom, probably used a few for them potions she's been working on," Remy said. "I heard she's been trying to grow the food."
"That girl sure is ambitious," Applejack said, making her way out of the barn. "Well we'll get to the bottom of this soon, first let's make sure we get all the apples in."
"Right behind you mon cherrie," Remy said, following after his wife.
Back in the city, Daredevil and Elektra had taken down yet another thug, still trying to find answers as to who is behind the strange happenings in the city. As they continued to search, Martin was taking a stroll down the streets, taking everything in as Suri walked by his side, reading off some reports.
"Things see to be going smoothly with our investors, not only do they expect this store to be successful but we might be able to start branching out to others towns," Suri explained. "Guess they saw just how much potential I had as a business mare. It's a gift, one I absolutely cherish, and it's going to make us loads of bits. I already have plans to spread this out, like maybe a store in Las Pegasus, oh the income we'd make there."
"We would need to hire managers for those stores, do you have anyone in mind?" Lee asked.
"Not at the moment, but it shouldn't be too hard," Suri said. "Actually if this store is successful enough, maybe we can buy off some managers from local stores and chains. Our biggest competition would be the Carousel Boutique, we'll just swipe some employees from there and bring them down to size."
"While I understand the concept of business competition, doing something like this feels rather harsh," Martin said. "Wouldn't it be easier to just focus on what we can do rather than who we can hurt?"
"You are being way too nice, okay. If you want to get anywhere in life, you have to be willing to step on a few ponies," Suri said.
"I like the attitude from this one," came the internal voice of Mr. Negative.
Martin shook the voice away and focused back on Suri, "Perhaps you have a point."
"Of course, I am your partner for a reason," Suri said. "So any town you want to try opening a store in?"
"Hm..." Martin tapped on his chin, suddenly feeling a bit of a headache. "Ah..."
"Hey you alright?" Suri asked, feeling a bit concerned. "You getting another headache? Need an aspirin?"
"I'm fine," Martin insisted. "Tell me, what town does Spider-Man live in?"
"Ponyville, why?" Suri asked. "Wait, did you just use his Earth name?"
"Uh...slip of the tongue perhaps?" Martin said, trying to cover up. "Maybe it's because those heroes nearby use that phrase a lot."
"Oh yeah, they came by last night, asking questions like, what's the deal with those weird ponies outside our building," Suri said. "I mean I had no idea what they were doing but I hope they don't think you or I have anything to do with that."
Martin nervously wiped away some sweat, "Yeah, very strange."
"Well to answer your question, Spider-Mane lives in Ponyville, along with Rarity," Suri said, frowning at the sound of her name. "Wait, is that where you want the store to be or something?"
"Perhaps, lots of ponies must visit that town to see him, giving us not only local revenue, but tourist revenue as well," Martin said.
"That...actually isn't a bad idea," Suri said. "I mean certainly a bunch of ponies want to go see Spider-Mane. I personally never had that much interest in his goody-goody attitude, but he at least isn't bad to look at, so I think I can tolerate being in his presence."
"Alright then, we'll make plans to visit Ponyville in the coming days," Martin said.
"Great, we'll put it in our planner," Suri said. "Not much longer before we-"
Suri stopped when she noticed a mare nearby, that being her former assistant, Coco Pommel, who was standing out in front of Stark Industries, talking with some potential customers. Martin looked a bit curious, "Something wrong Suri?"
"Nothing, just a traitor up ahead," Suri said, gesturing to Coco. "She used to work for me, until Rarity ruined it."
"What happened?" Martin asked.
"Several years ago, Rarity came to town for some fashion show, I ran into her and politely asked if I could borrow some of her fabric, which she allowed," Suri said. "Later she had the nerve to complain that I used her fabric in the fashion show, despite saying that it was alright to do so. Eventually Coco sold me out and sided with Rarity on that, taking an undeserved win and nearly ruining my career as a Fashionista. That's why I detest Rarity and Coco, they both caused a downward spiral for me, one that took me years to come back from!" Suri turned away with some hurt in her voice. "Plus I lost a friend, I mean I thought Coco and I would reach the top together, lot of good that hopefulness did for me."
"Sorry to hear that," Martin said. "To be betrayed by a friend must sting."
"I'm glad you get me," Suri said. "Listen Lee, I'm not one for sappy Friendship sayings but, I'm glad you've been such a good friend to me, Loyalty is hard to find in this city, and I know it's only been a few days but you've stuck by me from the moment we met, and I thank you for that."
"Of course Suri," Martin said.
"I feel like I could tell you anything too, it's such a relief," Suri said. "Not sure if you feel the same way yet. I hope I can hear more about your past."
"It...was not a pleasant one," Martin admitted. "I don't want to alarm you with any truths."
"Hey whatever happened, it's in the past, okay?" Suri said. "But I won't pester you, everypony probably has some regrets they're not comfortable discussing, I hope one day you can tell me all you can."
"One day, perhaps," Martin said, worry lingering in his voice.
"Wow, you look more bummed than I was just now," Suri said. "Look, for being a good friend, how about I treat you to a drink. I don't do this for just anypony either, so consider yourself lucky."
"I would like that, thank you," Martin said. "Perhaps one day, we can mend your broken Friendship with that Coco girl."
"I doubt it, but I know how optimistic you usually are," Suri said, leading Martin to a nearby diner for their drink.
Later in Ponyville, Peter was grabbing food for Twilight, having left the market with bags and bags of it. "Probably the last time I'll need to buy this much food for Twilight, hopefully the baby comes soon."
"Peter," came the voice of Zecora, the zebra trotting over to the hero.
"Hey Zecora, what brings you here?" Peter asked.
"A quick trip for materials to brew, quite a surprise to run into you," Zecora said.
"Same, you don't really come out of the Everfree Forest much," Peter said. "Must be interesting living alone, I mean I never have, I usually lived with either my aunt, my roommates and now Twilight, not that I'm complaining. Must be nice to have some alone time."
"Alone time does not cause fret for me," Zecora said. "But even I occasionally get lonely."
"Well you know you're welcome to come to our place, maybe you can even teach at our school, show a little bit of Zebra culture to our students," Peter explained.
"An interesting offer you propose to me," Zecora said. "To enlighten your school about Farasi."
"I don't think I've ever actually been there, think you can show me around sometime?" Peter asked. "Have any friends from there?"
Zecora looked a bit surprised, trying to remember those she knew. "Yes, of course. Medley, Crystal, Dust Devil, Cactus Rose, and my closest friend, Marini."
"Did...did you just speak without rhyming?" Peter asked.
"Did I?" Zecora said, shaking it off. "Uh, perhaps. I was at a loss for words, I have not seen my friends in years. We had a disagreement and things have gone downhill for us."
"Oh, well what was it about?" Peter asked. "Uh, if you don't mind telling me that is."
"Well, I once yearned to learn magic, it was my foalhood dream," Zecora explained. "My friends however, they found such an idea strange, how can a Zebra like myself learn magic? For a while I believed them, until I read about a pony known as Mage Meadowbrook."
"Did you just say 'Mage Meadowbrook'!?" Peter asked. "Twilight and I wanted to learn more about her, she was one of Starswirl's Pillars."
"It is an interesting tale, one of an Earth Pony who learned magic," Zecora said. "If you wish, I can accompany you back home and explain what I know to Twilight."
"That would be awesome, thanks!" Peter said. "Let's hurry back!"
As the two started going back home, they unknowingly passed by Rumble, who walked by with a baby Felicity on his back.
"Was that Zecora with Peter? Wonder what that was about?" Rumble said.
"Petah?" Felicity said.
"Yes Peter, your mommy's former crush," Rumble joked.
"Cute," came Felicia's voice, her presence spooking Rumble.
"Felicia? What are you doing here!?" Rumble asked.
"I patrol Ponyville squirt," Felicia said, taking note of Felicity. "So you have my daughter today?"
"Yeah, Thunderlane is training in Canterlot and since I'm your daughter's uncle, I figured I could watch over her today," Rumble explained.
"Well it's good that Thunderlane told you about our daughter, he seemed pretty reluctant for a while," Felicia said.
"Well he did have a foal with a mare who, supposedly, is not really into stallions," Rumble said.
"Is it that hard to believe?" Felicia asked.
"From what Twilight's told me about you, kind of," Rumble said. "You crush on Peter for years, and suddenly you're into mares? I mean if you liked both that's one thing but suddenly realizing you don't like a gender is strange."
"Hey you discover things about yourself along the way, like ever wonder if you're actually into stallions?" Felicia asked.
"Not really, I know I like mares, I got a marefriend, and she's smokin' hot," Rumble said. "Years of apple bucking really toned up the finer parts of her body too. Plus aside from her, I see other pretty girls like Sweetie Belle and Scotaloo, even Wanda Maximoff looked good to me. I would never cheat on Apple Bloom but boy was I tempted."
"Wow, you sound so proud of yourself," Felicia said, sounding bemused.
"You had a kid with my brother and broke off with him with some bullcrap 'I'm into mares' excuse, so you don't get to judge me," Rumble said.
"Well what if I'm not into just mares? Maybe I am into both, and your brother just couldn't cut it for me," Felicia said, then gently stroked Rumble's chin. "You look kind of cute, maybe you'd be a better guy for me."
Rumble took a step back, "I don't think so. I mean, you're pretty hot yourself, but you're also my brother's age. Plus like I said, I'm taken, so I'd appreciate if you didn't play homewrecker."
"Well I do hope that Apple Bloom girl feels the same, I've seen her with some other colt, one that is apparently teaching her to dance, along with Wolverine's clone," Felicia said. "He looks pretty sexy, he might be after both girls."
"Hey stop trying to get into my head!" Rumble said. "Look I really don't care if you prefer the plug or the outlet, just keep me out of this. I am not getting with my brother's ex-girlfriend."
"Shame, with a face like yours, you'd satisfy both curiosities," Felicia taunted.
"I'd...what!?" Rumble shouted. "Just buzz off!"
"Fine, have it your way," Felicia said, then pat her daughter on the head. "Mommy loves you, bye honey."
As Felicia left, Rumble angrily stomped off, "What a tramp. I hope you never grow up to be like your mother Felicity. Imagine, thinking I would cheat on Apple Bloom, or she would cheat on me." As Rumble walked, he did consider what he just said, and how he seems to be around other girls. He shook it off, "Nothing wrong with looking, as long as I don't act on my desires. And I trust Apple Bloom not to act on hers."
At the Parker-Sparkle home, Zecora was seen explaining the story of Mage Meadowbrook, "It was stated that her first major accomplishment was curing what was known as the Swamp Fever. A dangerous disease that could cause tree branches to grow on you. She used honey from Flash Bees to make the cure and from there she was known as the ultimate potion master. She was a wise shaman who kept many cures in her Journals, along with many other experiments, ones I hope to find for myself someday."
"Amazing, do you know what happened to her?" Twilight asked.
"I do not I'm afraid," Zecora said. "She disappeared one day, no one has seen her since."
"Just like Starswirl and the others," Twilight said. "All that leaves is Sonambula."
"We'll figure that out later," Peter said. "At least we're one step closer to figuring out what happened to Starswirl."
"Why are you so concerned again?" Trixie asked.
"I want to know what could have defeated such powerful ponies, and the odds of it coming back," Twilight said.
"We'll figure it out, and if whatever the danger is does return, it's nothing that the heroes of two worlds can't handle," Peter said.
"If it does come soon, maybe you should consult with Future Sweetie Belle," Trixie said.
"Huh? What for?" Peter asked.
"If this thing does come soon, wouldn't Future Sweetie Belle know about it? I mean, we still haven't reached that future," Trixie said.
"That's a future caused by me disappearing, I'm still here, so things are already different," Peter said.
"Are they? I mean you still have Chrysalis as an enemy, just because some Changelings turned good doesn't mean they all did," Trixie said. "Maybe it's that power that allowed Chrysalis to take over."
"That's actually a good point," Peter said. "I have been meaning to go back to that future soon too, so it works out."
"You miss Sweetie Belle?" Twilight bitterly asked.
"Huh?" Peter couldn't help but detest some venom in Twilight's voice. "No, that's not it, I just wanted to check up on...things."
"Right, Sweetie Belle did become a mother, wonder who the dad could be?" Twilight said.
"Twilight..." Trixie lightly scolded. "Not the time..."
Zecora looked uncomfortable, "Am I missing something?"
"Don't worry about it," Peter said. "You should head back home, we got some things to discuss."
"Uh...alright," Zecora said.
"And one more thing, maybe go back to rhyming, it sounds weird when you don't," Peter joked.
Zecora couldn't help but smile, Peter had his quirky ways, "Well of course I could still rhyme, even if I don't all the time."
"That's my Zecora," Peter said. "I'll see you soon, maybe we'll plan that trip to Farasi."
"Luxury or business?" Trixie asked.
"Luxury, I don't think any of them care about being part of The Accords," Peter said.
"Do you think it is wise?" Zeocra asked. "Or has Tony Stark told lies?"
"Tony is always honest, with me at least," Peter said. "But I can't promise it's the best idea, we in Equestria are still struggling."
"Very well, I take my leave," Zeora said as she walked out. "We'll test the bonds that we all weave."
It wasn't that long after Zecora walked out that Twilight immediately rushed over to hug Peter, "Sorry for that outburst, I guess I'm still in shock over what Sweetie Belle told me."
"It's fine, I know you're just a little stressed," Peter said.
"Just knowing that you probably got Sweetie Belle pregnant, knowing you had a baby with another pony, it just...irks me," Twilight said.
"Hey you don't know if that was Peter's baby, I mean that Leon Kennedy guy was in the future, maybe it's his baby," Trixie said.
"I doubt it," Peter said. "It was probably me, and I do want to see that baby, I feel responsible for it."
"Just don't let it get to you," Twilight said. "Whatever happens, we'll figure it out together."
Trixie shrugged it off, "Such unusual problems. I wish you both the best."
Later in Canterlot, Tony is running his paperwork by Spitfire, Luna, Celestia and Steve. "So Rain Shine is still considering my proposal, she wants to interview some heroes for the position. I'm expecting to hear back from the Dragons soon as well, they're a little later. But we definitely got Thorax's approval, I'll be sending some heroes there soon."
"Who do you have in mind?" Steve asked.
"I was thinking, Jen Walters," Tony said.
"She-Hulk?" Steve asked. "You think she'd go for it?"
"I could ask Bruce to help me in recruiting her, but I think it can work," Tony said. "Maybe I'll tell her Logan's in Equestria, that will pique her interest."
"Logan's married Tony," Steve bluntly reminded.
"Yeah, bad joke, I know," Tony said.
"All you know are bad jokes," came Janet's voice as she walked in with Spike. "Sup Steve, Luna, Celestia?"
"Didn't expect to see you here Janet," Tony said.
"Ember sent us, she's down for this Accords thing," Janet said. "Hercules got through to them."
"Oh, he actually made it work?" Tony asked.
"Yeah, though to prove himself, he had to fight a bunch of them, and I think he gained their respect," Janet said.
"They don't just respect Hercules, they love him," Spike said. "He's like this super big deal for them now."
"Well glad old muscle head pulled through," Tony said. "So I trust the two of you to help protect The Dragons."
"Well we can protect ourselves too, but we don't mind Hercules around," Spike said.
"One step closer to total world unity at least," Spitfire said. "And thanks to Rainbow Dash and Johnny Storm, we might have the Griffons on our side."
"Good thing she has connections," Tony said. "That's a great quality in someone. Maybe she can even convince Daring Do to come aboard."
Spitfire shook her head in annoyance, "Don't even, she's already asking about that, personally I do wonder if those adventures are real or just some publicity stunt to sell her book."
"You never know," Tony said. "Anyway Janet, I appreciate you coming by and letting me know this. I know out boy Hercules probably has a grip on this but maybe I can think of any other assistance he needs, I mean even Superman needs help running The Justice League."
"Think he has any to spare?" Janet asked.
"I already considered that, but we can't even access another world," Tony said. "Shame because Steve told me that Goku's son was a superhero, I bet he'd make an interesting addition to our squad."
In the Dragon World.
"Achoo!" came the sneeze of Son Gohan.
"You alright Gohan!?" Came the voice of his significant other, Videl.
"I'm fine, just a strange occurrence," Gohan said. "Why do I have a sudden urge to go see another dimension?"
Back In Canterlot.
"Let's keep the Saiyans in their world for now," Steve insisted. "Or should I remind you that Goku did cause a lot of structural damage to the castle."
"You know, speaking of other worlds, we never resolved that issue with those other villains," Janet said. "Like Loki, Sephiroth and The Storm King. Shouldn't we be trying to go after them? I mean they could just show up again out of nowhere."
"I'm also kind of worried about Sunset Shimmer and Thor," Spike said.
"Sunset Shimmer has Ryu protecting her, and she's happily exploring these other Dimensions," Tony said. "Thor is capable of protecting himself, and he doesn't want our help anyway."
"I hope he's successful in stopping Ragnarok," Steve said.
"Can't you send someone to check on him Tony?" Celestia asked.
"Hey I'll contact Star-Lord and see if he and his A-hole buddies can have Thor's back, now let's not lose focus here," Tony said. "We still need to-"
"Janet?" came a voice all to familiar to the girl. She turned her attention to the stallion who just entered the room. "Is that you?"
Janet's eyes widened in the shock and realization of who was standing there. "Hank?"
Spike also turned to the man turned stallion in question, "No way..."
While this was going on, Discord had gathered a few villains around in Tartarus, ready to present something to them.
"So, what's going on Discord?" Shocker asked. "Why did you want us gathered here?"
"Is it regarding the plans?" Adagio said. "Any chance you moved up this invasion? Kind of itching to go kick some flank."
"Not yet, though Adagio, I may have something for you and your friends relatively soon, keep your eyes open," Discord said. "Now this is about potential new recruits for us, but I'm changing things up a bit. Instead of sending them out there to potentially get beat up and lose, I'll open the portal here and let you bunch test out their abilities, before deciding if you want them in our team."
"For real?" Electro asked. "We get to fight?"
"Of course, it's also a good chance for you to be battle ready," Discord said. "Now all in favor?"
"Of course!" Electro said, charging himself up. "Bring them on!"
"I could use a bit of practice," Adagio said.
"Excellent, I shall fetch them," Discord said, opening up the portal to Earth and quickly teleporting two villains out.
"What in the world!?" one asked.
"Hey what's the big idea!?" the other said.
"Those of Earth might remember these two, might," Discord emphasized. "But to those in Equestria, I present to you, Scorcher and Wizard!"
The two now ponified villains stood before the Sinister Squadron, unsure of what was happening, but they knew to be ready for anything.
"Ready for this Electro?" Adagio asked, stepping forward.
Electro stretched his limbs, "You bet, let's charge in!"
A battle in Tartarus was about to begin.