It's been a little over a week since three worlds had been saved. The villains of the Capcom World had been taken in and promptly imprisoned for their actions. The Capcom heroes had made peace with the Marvel heroes, for the most part at least. Not to mention Capcom found new allies in the world of Equestria.
The Capcom heroes and most of the Marvel Heroes had gone back to their own dimensions. The only Marvel Heroes staying around being Johnny Storm, Logan, Bobby Drake, Remy Lebeau, Laura Kinney, Wade Wilson and Janet Van Dyne.
Or as alternatively known; The Human Torch, Wolverine, Iceman, Gambit, X-23, Deadpool and The Wasp.
They stayed for a few reasons. Reason one was to spend a little more time with their friend and ally Peter Parker, also known as Spider-Man. Two because they hope to spend time with residents of Equestria, including Princess Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy.
Of course Peter and his friends wouldn't mind the Marvel Heroes staying around before the portal had closed, sealing Peter from his friends for a good measurable amount of time.
With the mess of the Invasion cleared up, the heroes had gone on to enjoy their time with the ponies in various way.
Logan had spent extra time with Fluttershy. The kind Pegasus Pony had been caring for Logan's Weapon X clone, Laura, to the point where they hope to get as close as sisters. Logan in turn had assisted Fluttershy to make sure Laura didn't do anything too bad and to help keep her anger in check.
Laura had grown to love and care about Fluttershy, despite her still occasional anger issues. She sees Fluttershy as a sister, or hopes to get close enough to Fluttershy to consider her one.
Logan himself had started to bond with Fluttershy, to the point where many believed the two to be potentially romantically involved with one another, though they would deny it for now.
Bobby had bonded with Rarity a bit more, he had taken a liking to the Fashionista. Likewise his X-Men buddy Remy had bonded really well with Applejack, he had hoped to become closer to the Apple Farmer. The two X-Men buddies believes they could have something special with the two Element ponies, they just hope not to screw things up.
Janet had also bonded with Spike a bit more, taking a liking to the young Dragon. Spike had wasted no time in trying to woo this free spirited hero, much like he had tried to do with Rarity once before. Except this time, Janet seems a little more interested.
Deadpool and Pinkie Pie also bonded very well, for obvious reasons. I mean it's Deadpool and Pinkie Pie, what other reason do you need?
Finally there's Johnny Storm, who had formed a romantic relationship with one of Equestria's top flyers, Rainbow Dash. The two had originally started with an average friendship before it blossomed into something that Johnny and Rainbow Dash didn't initially expect.
Johnny vowed to be with Rainbow Dash as much as he could before he had to go back to his world. He didn't know how long he would have to wait to reunite with her, and as much as he would like to stay, it just didn't look too good for the cocky young hero.
Though Johnny wanted to stay to be with Rainbow Dash, there was a little bit more to that. Rainbow isn't the only one he wants to spend as much time as he can with, after all there is one other he would miss deeply after all this is over. One he considered to be like family, and while he won't say out loud, it's one he really cared for a lot.
For when it's all said and done, Johnny might have to be separated from his best friend in the world. He would be separated from Peter Parker.
And to Johnny, that just sucks so badly.
One day the gang were all at Sugarcube Corner. Applejack and Rarity were chatting with Remy and Bobby, Fluttershy was having a smoothie with Laura, Spike and Janet were enjoying some sundaes, Peter and Twilight were on a mini date with Mayday and Rumble nearby eating their own sweets and Johnny boasting to Rainbow Dash about some accomplishments.
"So I went in to deal with the Skrulls. It was tough but not to tough for yours truly," Johnny did an arrogant smile as he said that.
Rainbow Dash giggled a bit, she liked Johnny's arrogance, it brought out his more attractive side.
Peter, who was listening nearby with Twilight, Mayday and Rumble, couldn't help but roll his eyes. He likes Johnny, the two are good friends, but he sometimes Peter hates Johnny's show-off attitude.
"So what happened next?" Rainbow asked with an eager grin.
Johnny continued on with his story, "So I went in fire blazing, taking out every skrull in my line of sight. Shortly after that I-"
"Got your milkshakes!" Pinkie said, interrupting Johnny for the moment. Johnny looked a bit annoyed at the interruption but knows by now that Pinkie just does things. He simply grabbed his milkshake and paid little mind to the annoyance.
"Thanks Pinkie," Rainbow said as she grabbed her milkshake and continued listening.
"Yeah thanks," Johnny said and focused again on Rainbow Dash, "So as I was saying-"
"Hey are you telling a story?" Pinkie asked.
Johnny raised his eyebrow, "Yeah, I am, now if you don't mind-"
"Can I listen!? I love superhero stories, I can't get enough of Peter's, especially the ones I was there for, it's like seeing it again!" Pinkie said with her usual enthusiasm.
Johnny groaned, "Fine, but just sit down and let me talk."
"Okie dokie loki!" Pinkie said as she sat and did a squee smile.
Johnny raised his eyebrow again and looked to Rainbow Dash for some answers.
"Don't mind her, just keep speaking," Rainbow Dash said.
"Right, so anyway I-"
"Wait! Was Peter there too!?" Pinkie asked, further annoying Johnny.
"No, it was me and The Fantastic Four," Johnny explained.
"Oh...wait just wondering, has Peter ever been in the Fantastic Four!?" Pinkie asked.
Now it's Rainbow Dash's turn to raise her eyebrow. "Pinkie, it's called 'The Fantastic Four', Peter wouldn't be-"
"Actually Rainbow Dash, he has tried to join. We definitely would have made him a member, but he kinda screwed up big time," Johnny said.
Rainbow leaned in, "Now THIS story I have to hear, then after that you can finish your other."
Johnny nodded, "Ok if you insist."
Peter heard this nearby and his eyes widened a bit. "Oh no, not this story."
Johnny proceeded to explain, "What happened was that one week I was away, so Peter filled in for me. And as much as he meant well, he screwed up over and over, knocking over Reed's inventions, touching things he shouldn't, nearly opening the negative zone, honestly if he hadn't caused the place to be locked in temporarily, Reed would have tossed him out then and there."
"Hey I did the best I could!" Peter shouted from across the room.
"I know you did bro! We still love you, but you can cause a bit of a headache!" Johnny said.
Rainbow Dash giggled, "Wow, that's quite a story."
"I got tons of stories about Peter, some more humiliating than the last," Johnny boasted.
Peter groaned and glared at Johnny slightly. Sometimes Johnny can be really annoying to Peter. Despite their friendship, the flaming superhero has caused his own share of headaches for the webbed warrior. He'll get him for that soon enough though, he's got some stories on Johnny himself.
Twilight could sense that Peter was getting annoyed. Not wanting to see him agitated she spoke up a little to the flaming superhero, "Johnny, tone it down, I don't think Peter enjoys this."
"Hey, it's my job as his best friend to tell stories like this," Johnny said as he flew towards the webbed hero and grabbed him for a noogie, "Isn't that right Peter? Who's my favorite little guy?"
Peter struggled a bit, "Johnny! Knock it off! This is really annoying!"
Twilight couldn't believe what she was seeing. Why was Johnny seriously giving Peter a noogie in front of everypony? Even Mayday and Rumble seemed surprised. However while Mayday found humor in it, Rumble could sense Peter's annoyance and he himself found Johnny to be a little annoying.
"But you look so cute when you're angry," Johnny jokingly cooed at the very annoyed Peter. Johnny then turned his attention to Bobby, "Hey Bobby, doesn't Peter look cute when he's angry?"
"Yeah, he totally does," Bobby said with a sly grin, much to the humor of Remy, Rarity and Applejack.
"You're not helping Bobby!" Peter shouted with an angry blush.
Twilight groaned again, "Johnny, please let Peter go, he's not enjoying himself."
Johnny decided to let up, "Ok there you go you big baby, no more big scary noogies. Honestly for a guy who's fought the likes of Green Goblin, King Sombra and Albert Wesker you sure are surprisingly weak towards noogies."
Peter pouted a bit as he crossed his arms, it didn't help that Bobby, Remy, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Spike, Janet, Laura and even his own daughter Mayday were having a laugh at his expense. Rarity and Applejack also looked to be holding back a laugh.
Johnny went to Rainbow Dash, "Let's head back to your place, I'll finish my story there and tell you some others, then you can tell me a few."
Rainbow nodded, "Sounds awesome, come on."
She got up and walked out the front door with Johnny, leaving Peter still very frustrated.
"I can't believe him! What was that about?" Peter complained.
"Dude, he's just messing with you, he always does that," Bobby said.
"Yeah but that was years ago when we were teenagers, it's not really funny these days," Peter insisted.
"I agree, Johnny was being very out of line with that," Twilight added. "Not to mention it's a bad influence on the children."
"Yeah seriously, I don't want Rumble and Mayday playing like that," Peter said.
Rumble raised his eyebrow, "I wouldn't play like that with Mayday, she's really small. Besides I know how much those hurt, my big brother used to..."
Rumble had stopped talking mid-sentence. Just remembering his older brother Thunderlane had brought back some hurt feelings, "Yeah, Johnny shouldn't play like that, at all."
Twilight sensed Rumble's hurt and brought him in close for a hug and a kiss to his head. "There now, we're here for you."
Peter also patted Rumble's back but maintained the topic on hand, "I know Johnny means well and he's just being friendly but there's just certain things he really shouldn't be doing these days."
Meanwhile with Johnny, he's walking and talking with Rainbow Dash when they realized something.
"Damn, we forgot the milkshakes," Rainbow said.
"You go on home, I'll go back and grab them," Johnny insisted.
"Cool, thanks, see you back home."
As Rainbow Dash flew to her place, Johnny went back to Sugarcube Corner to get the milkshakes.
Meanwhile back in Sugarcube Corner, the group is still discussing the Johnny Storm situation.
"Dude, Johnny's your best friend though, once in awhile he's gonna mess with you, like all best friends do. I'm sure Twilight and her friends mess with each other," Bobby said.
Pinkie nodded, "Yeah, sometimes me and Dashie like to play pranks, it's super fun!"
Bobby raised his eyebrow, "Pranks huh? Gotta invite me next time you do that."
Peter sat back with a sigh, "There's messing with a friend, and making him look bad in front of his wife and kids."
"Besides technically Peter's best friend is Harry Osborn, not Johnny Storm," Twilight added.
Bobby scoffed, "Seriously, that the best answer you got Twilight?"
"She's not wrong Bobby, Harry technically is my best friend. He's always been there for me after all," Peter said.
Bobby's humorous demeanor dropped in favor of a more serious one, "Come again?"
"It's true, I even told Twilight this one night when we were in bed. She couldn't sleep because she was 8 months pregnant at the time and little Mayday was being restless," Peter ruffled Mayday's mane a bit. "Even before you were born you kept us up late with your silliness."
Mayday giggled a bit, "Sorry daddy, you too mommy."
Peter kissed Mayday's head. "That's alright, you're worth my little pal." Peter refocused on the topic at hand, "But I remember that Twilight asked me one night who my best friend was and I told her it was Harry," Peter turned to Twilight with a loving smile. " Kinda makes me happy you remember."
"Because I love our talks Peter, it's one of my favorite things to do with you," Twilight added, causing a blush to form on both their faces.
"Aw Twilight, you're the-"
"Hold up with the mushy crap," Bobby said, rudely interrupting Peter. "What do you mean you don't consider Johnny your best friend?"
Peter looked at Bobby with bit of a surprise. Bobby usually isn't that rude. At least not in that aspect. "Johnny wasn't really my best friend so to say, we were mainly rivals. I mean I always respected him and he's usually a good friend. It's just that Harry is my actual best friend so-"
"Harry Osborn is a piece of crap Peter, and you know that!" Bobby emphatically said, causing Peter to angrily turn his full attention to Bobby.
"Listen I know I had my issues with Harry shortly before I came here but calling him a 'Piece of Crap' is uncalled for!" Peter sternly said.
"Dude, after all that crap with his old man, he's become very distant. The last time I saw him he didn't seem too interested to talk about you, quite honestly he's just another spoiled rich kid," Bobby said very bluntly.
"As oppose to how Johnny acts sometimes?" Peter pointed out.
"Like Johnny acts? Seriously? He's goofs around, big deal. You, me and Johnny love goofing around together, it's our thing. That's why when we teamed with Deadpool those higher ups labeled us 'Team Shut up Already'," Bobby said.
Deadpool popped up from behind the counter, "I remember that!"
"Shut up Deadpool!" Bobby said.
Deadpool held his hoof up like if he's symbolically giving Bobby the Middle Finger and went on his merry way.
"That was the past, Johnny is a good friend but Harry has always been closer to me. Like I said he was there for me when I really needed a friend, Johnny isn't necessarily the type to be like that honestly," Peter said.
Bobby stood up and marched toward Peter, "Tell me something Parker, when Wesker and his allies came to this world, who was there almost immediately to bail your ass out of danger? That's right, Johnny was! When Johnny was invited to the Wonderbolts who did he think to invite straight away aside from Rainbow Dash? He picked you because he wants you to be there! When some mare tried to woo you or some stallion tried to woo Twilight, who stepped in to tell them to buzz off? That's right, Johnny did!"
Peter held his head, a headache almost starting to form, "Look Bobby, I-"
"I'm not done!" Bobby shouted, then his voice darkened a bit, "When Vega and Shocker destroyed this town, leaving everypony-"
"Bobby!" Twilight shouted, "We would appreciate if that wasn't brought up!"
"Oh I'm bringing it up, because it's gonna drive my point home!" Bobby turned to Peter, "When they attacked this place and hurt everypony here, who do you think was the first to lead the charge to get revenge on Vega? That's right, it was Johnny! He cares about you despite how he acts! For you to say that Harry is your best friend and ignore everything that Johnny did for you is just low. You of all people, or ponies, should know better!"
Peter huffed a bit, "Who I consider my best friend isn't any of your business Bobby. Also, don't put words in my mouth either."
Bobby put his arms out with some attitude, "I'm just calling it like I see it."
Peter stood up and glared Bobby right in his eyes before turning away and heading toward the door. Twilight grabbed the foals and followed, though not before shooting a glare of her own to the arrogant X-Man.
"Honestly Bobby, between you and Johnny, maybe Peter does need to re-evaluate who he should consider a friend."
"Maybe Peter should re-evaluate his attitude, apparently marrying into Royalty changes a person, or in this case a pony," Bobby coldly stated.
Peter stopped and turned toward Bobby once again, he looked like he wanted to say something but couldn't get the words out. Twilight approached him and gestured to the door.
"Let's just go, nothing here is worth the headache honestly."
Twilight walked off with her family, leaving Bobby behind. Bobby just glared in disappointment as he went back to his seat with Remy, Rarity and Applejack.
"Bobby, what was all that about?" Rarity asked, obviously a little displeased in what he had done.
"Seriously Mon Ami, you shouldn't get on Peter's case, you know he's a very stressed out boy," Remy reminded.
Bobby didn't say anything, he just sat back with his arms crossed, feeling very disappointed in Peter's answer.
Outside Sugarcube Corner, Johnny was actually at the door. He had the door creaked and heard just about everything. The main thing that stuck out was that Peter didn't seem to consider him a best friend, plus Twilight's words hit him hard as well.
Johnny felt like trash, he cared a lot about Peter, so to hear this he can't help but feel a little betrayed, but wonders if maybe he deserves this. Johnny then flew up, not wanting Peter to see him when he walked out the door, avoid a potentially awkward moment.
At that moment approaching Sugarcube Corner were Trixie Lulamoon and her friend Lightning Dust. The two had grown a bit closer since Trixie managed to help reform Lightning Dust and pull her away from Wesker's group. Lightning suffered a lot but Trixie is confident she can help her get through some stress.
"Come on Lightning Dust, you should be out more. Nopony's gonna hold a grudge over what you did forever," Trixie offered.
"I'm not sure though, I mean what if they still hate me. What if he's there?" Lightning said with obvious fear in her voice.
Trixie knew who 'he' was. She knew that Lightning Dust was afraid of Peter after what happened at The Crystal Empire weeks back, the time he assaulted and nearly killed her. Lightning never fully recovered from that, both physically and mentally.
"Don't worry, I'm here for you. Besides Peter's a nice stallion remember? He was just in a REALLY foul mood, one that has since passed. He's not gonna hurt you," Trixie reassured.
As the two approached the door, Peter had just opened it, his face showing nothing but pure anger. Lightning Dust got a good look at his face and that was all it took for her fear of Peter to resurface and she ran away in an instant.
The webbed hero groaned that that scenario. "Great, now I gotta deal with that again!"
Trixie looked taken back, "Peter, what's wrong? You sound a bit angry."
"I'll talk about it later Trixie, I just need to blow off a little steam right now," Peter said as he made his way back home.
As Peter walked, Trixie got Twilight's attention, "What happened to Peter?"
Twilight looked back toward Sugarcube Corner, "Something really stupid. Anyway try not to pester Peter about this, let him clear his head."
Trixie nodded, "Ok then Twilight," She then turned towards Lightning's direction. "I better get Lightning Dust back."
Twilight felt a surge of sympathy for the once villainous mare. "If you can, get her to come over. Maybe I can try talking to her, she could use the guidance."
Trixie nodded and ran in Lightning's direction.
Mayday got Twilight's attention, there was something she needed to know. "Mommy, why is that mare afraid of daddy? He's a superhero, you're not supposed to be afraid of a superhero."
Twilight sighed, "It's complicated sweetheart, let's just go home. Maybe we can help daddy calm down a little."
Twilight started making her way home, though Mayday turned to Rumble. "That mare is so weird, why is Auntie Trixie so concerned about her?"
"She's not weird Mayday, she's just trying to adjust to life with the good ponies. Remember she used to be with the bad ponies, so things are just weird for her," Rumble said.
Mayday looked toward Lightning's direction, "Right, she was bad. Maybe that's why she's afraid of daddy, she's still not used to being good."
Rumble had a look of uncertainty, he wasn't too sure what happened but he knows it's something bad. "Sure, let's just go with that."
Once they all left, Johnny came down and looked at the family's direction. He almost wanted to let a tear out but he knew that wouldn't be manly, so he dealt with it and went inside.
"Hey Johnny welcome back!" Pinkie greeted. "Did you forget something?"
Johnny nodded, "Yeah, mine and Dashie's milkshakes, I'll get them."
While Johnny grabbed the milkshakes, Bobby couldn't help but notice Johnny's demeanor. He knows Johnny well enough to tell when he's happy or not, and Johnny didn't look too happy. Considering he came in almost as the Parker-Sparkle family left, he had to wonder if Johnny overheard the conversation that happened not too long ago.
Part of Bobby wanted to just go ask Johnny, but another part knew not to bug him about it. He just let Johnny do what he needed to.
Johnny flew off and caught up with Rainbow Dash, not too far from her place.
"Sup Johnny, you got the milkshakes?" Rainbow asked.Johnny nodded and gave Rainbow her shake.
"Thanks, let's go back to my place and talk, then maybe do something else afterwards," Rainbow said while shifting her eyebrows.
Johnny nodded, "Yeah, sure thing."
Rainbow looked surprised at Johnny's tone, he didn't sound too excited. In fact he seemed pretty down on himself.
"Hey Johnny, you ok? You look a little glum."
Johnny looked at her while doing his best to hide his concern. "Who me? Pfft, no way, I'm just fine," Johnny tried to get a laugh out, but it sounded too fake.
Rainbow Dash knew Johnny was hiding something, she was gonna get to the bottom of it soon enough.
"Well if you ever do need to talk, I'm right here for you," Rainbow reassured.
Johnny put on a more genuine smile this time. "I know you would be, you're just that awesome Dashie."
The two then locked in a kiss, Rainbow hugging Johnny close to her while doing so in an effort to make sure whatever's bothering him would simmer down.
After a while the two broke off and flew to Rainbow Dash's place, where Johnny had some serious thinking to do.
The next day, Twilight had left her Treebrary with a checklist and Peter by her side.
"Thanks for coming with me Peter, normally Spike is supposed to be helping me, but he's been too busy with that Janet Van Dyne lady," Twilight said, her voice showing signs of annoyance towards the end of her sentence.
Peter nuzzled against Twilight, "You don't need to thank me, I love doing things with you, even if I would rather be sleeping right now."
Twilight sighed, "Peter, it's late morning, why do you even insist on sleeping so late, it's not a good idea to constantly just stay in bed."
Peter thought a moment, "Yeah, you're right. At least not by myself, it gets lonely." Peter then gave his wife a love gaze, "Maybe you should sleep in with me more often. Though we probably won't do much sleeping."
Twilight giggled a bit, "You're always so romantic, to think we've been together for about 5 years and I still love you as much now as I did then. Maybe even more so."
The two then engaged in a romantic kiss before moving on with what Twilight needed to do.
"I just need to go to these locations and help organize a few things for some ponies, shouldn't take too long," Twilight said.
As they made their way to their first location, Johnny flew overhead. "Yo Peter, Twilight, hold up!"
The Power Couple rolled their eyes a bit before turning their attention to Johnny. They hoped that he wasn't gonna start annoying them or bugging them about something.
"What is it Johnny?" Peter asked.
Johnny touched down and looked at them with apologetic eyes, "I'm really sorry if I upset you yesterday, I was just goofing around, I didn't mean to cause you any grief."
This took Peter and Twilight by surprise, Johnny actually apologizing for being a goofball? This is even more surprising to Peter than Twilight since he's known Johnny longer. They just stared at him, trying to look for any sign of deceit. While neither of them were the Element of Honesty, for someone like Johnny, it's easier to tell if he's being truthful or not.
Thus far, Johnny hasn't shown any signs of being suspicious, and it seems likely that he does indeed regret his actions. They're not sure what caused this, they only hope he's finally maturing a little.
"Um, it's fine Johnny," Peter finally said. "I know you're just playful, just please take it easier next time alright pal?"
Johnny nodded, "You got it bro, now how about I make it up to you? I see you're both busy so I figure why not help you with your tasks."
Peter and Twilight glanced to each other, unsure of that idea and then glanced back to Johnny.
"Johnny, it's sweet of you to offer but me and Peter are just fine," Twilight insisted.
"Yeah, but I feel like I need to. I am Peter's best friend after all, it's time I prove that," Johnny said.
Peter sighed, again with the 'Best Friend' thing. Why is Johnny so adamant on proving that? He and Johnny had always been friends, though they were mostly rivals. But Johnny seemed determined to make things right, and Peter knows that feeling all too well. So why not cut him a break?
"Alright Johnny, you can help. But please try not to cause too much commotion, and don't do anything to agitate Twilight," Peter said.
Johnny nodded, "You can count on me Pete, I won't let either of you down!"
Peter and Twilight had a nervous sweat, they just hoped they wouldn't regret this decision.
They started making their way to their first stop, where Octavia lived. Twilight had offered to help make sure all her musical supplies were in check, especially since she had a concert soon and needed to make absolutely sure she would be ready.
In return Octavia had even offered the family tickets to the event, though Peter isn't too keen on going. He doesn't wanna sit through hours or boring classical music, and he wasn't alone on the matter. His daughter Mayday also protested but Twilight insisted that they all go. And when they tried denying again, Twilight had put her hoof down, giving Peter the angry wife stare and Mayday her angry mom stare while explaining that they ARE gonna go or they won't like the punishments.
Peter and Mayday had no choice but to give in, Peter wouldn't want to incur Twilight's wrath, and Mayday wouldn't want to be placed on a very long time-out. Trixie and Aunt May had no problems going, and though Rumble also hated the idea of going, he knew better than to anger Twilight. He had only been living with them for a few weeks but he knows by now not to upset Twilight.
Logan really doesn't give a damn if he goes or not, though he has a pass not to go. Even though Logan is just staying at the home, Twilight still considered him family, but she knows he might need to be around to keep Laura in check.
Within minutes they had arrived at Octavia's house. She eventually greeted them at the door seconds after knocking.
"Peter, Twilight, good to see you both," she then raised her eyebrow, "And...Johnny Storm?"
Johnny nodded, "Yeah, I'm here to help my pal Peter and his awesome wife with their stuff, it's something a friend does after all."
Peter raised his eyebrow at Johnny, "Yeah, he's just here to help," He refocused on Octavia, "Anyway just tell us what you need and we'll do our best."
"I'm sure you will," Octavia then let them into her home and brought them to her music room. "I just need help organizing some music sheets, they got a bit scrambled and I just need to get them in order. They're all numbered and properly labeled so that should assist you," Octavia explained.
The trio looked around and saw paper scattered all over her desk.
"No problem, if the four of us work together we should have this done within minutes," Twilight explained.
Johnny stepped forward, "Let's get to it!" He rushed in to grab the paper, but he grabbed so much at once and caused some of them to float away.
Twilight face hoofed, "Johnny, you're causing more of a mess, please put the papers down so we can sort this rationally."
Johnny put the papers down and formed a sheepish smile. Octavia stepped in, "If you want to help, maybe you can go make sure my cello is properly sound."
Johnny nodded, "Sounds good."
Johnny approached her cello and started strumming the strings, "Doesn't seem like something to rock out to."
"It's a cello Johnny, not a guitar," Peter explained.
"You need the bow, can you handle that Mr. Storm?" Octavia asked.
Johnny raised his eyebrow, no one really calls him 'Mr. Storm', not an ideal name either. He chalked that up to Octavia's fancy lifestyle.
"I'm pretty sure I can handle a bow and a cello," He insisted.
He grabbed the bow the best he could. He still had some trouble holding things in his hooves but he was able to manage. He strummed the cello a bit but made a screechy sound, much to the annoyance of the ponies nearby.
"I really hate this thing," Johnny complained. He continued strumming the bow while the others sorted the sheets. He tried adjusting the strings a bit while strumming but accidentally caused one of the strings to break.
"Oh crap," Johnny said in a low tone, a bit nervous about the string breaking.
The sound didn't go unnoticed by Octavia, "What was that?"
Johnny panicked and stood in front of the cello. "What was what?"
Octavia gave an unconvinced stare, "I heard a bad note and you said 'Oh crap', what happened?"
Johnny looked nervously to both sides, "Question, how much do you value the strings on your instrument?"
Twilight groaned, "Oh for crying out loud. Just go sit in the corner Johnny before you break anything else."
Johnny felt a bit dejected, he hadn't meant to cause any damage, though it seems so far he's off to a bad start. He did as Twilight asked and waited for them to be done.
Peter pitied Johnny a bit, he can tell Johnny wants to help but he's a bit over eager. Maybe he'll do better on the next stop.
After everything was done and Octavia reattached a new string to her cello, the group decided to make their exit. Before that Octavia had something for them.
"If you don't mind delivering this harp to Lyra, I got it straight from Canterlot at a decent price much like I promised her."
Peter grabbed the harp and nodded, "I'll get right on it Octavia."
Octavia giggled, "Oh Peter, even outside your Spider-Mane suit you're still so helpful."
Peter did a sheepish smile, "I'm just doing what I can. Friends help friends after all."
Octavia nodded at that statement. Peter has never let the hero status go to her head, that's something she can respect.
Johnny then approached her with an apologetic face, "Sorry about your string."
Octavia pitied Johnny a bit. Despite his rough start, she can tell he just wanted to help and she did appreciate that. "It's fine, Vinyl does the same thing sometimes."
That got Twilight wondering. "Speaking of Vinyl, how has her attitude toward Peter been lately? I get the feeling she hasn't been too fond of him."
Octavia had a look of concern, "Let's just say that Thunderlane got to a few ponies, and Vinyl may have been one of them."
Peter groaned at the mentioning of Thunderlane. He turned out to be quite a troublemaker, and to know that more ponies might follow in his example could make things a bit tougher not just for him, but for his family.
"I'll deal with it Octavia, don't worry," Peter insisted.
Octavia nodded and bid the group farewell as they made their way to Lyra's house.
Johnny approached Peter, "Need help with that harp? I can fly so I can use my hooves to hold it."
Peter had a look of uncertainty, "I can handle it Johnny, you don't need to-"
Peter didn't even get to finish his sentence, Johnny just grabbed the harp off his back.
"See, I got it bro," Johnny said, effortlessly holding the harp.
Peter sighed and offered a smile of good will to Johnny, hoping that this goes a little bit better. Twilight on the other hand wasn't too sure about this.
They arrived at Lyra's house not too long later. After ringing the doorbell, the eccentric mare answered the door. "Peter! Twilight! Great to see you! What brings you both here?"
"Hi Lyra, we're just here to drop off a harp that Octavia got for you," Twilight said.
"Yeah, something about it being from Canterlot," Peter said.
"And I got it right here!" Johnny said and flew down quickly, accidentally emitting some fire. "A nice harp, ready for usage for whatever you-"
"Johnny the harp!" Peter said, referring to the fact that Johnny was burning it a bit.
"Oh crap!" Johnny shouted and let it go quickly, causing it to hit the ground with a thud.
Twilight groaned a bit, "Johnny look what you did!"
Johnny freaked a bit, "Sorry, I didn't realize-"
"If you're gonna help, try not to make a mess of things! Now the harp might be ruined!" Twilight said.
Lyra noticed that Johnny looked a bit distraught. Out of pity for him, she levitated the harp and tried to sooth things.
"Don't worry, it's fine. Just a little damage, what matters if it plays well. That's the important part of an instrument right?"
That seemed to calm the tension a little, though Twilight still looked pretty annoyed.
"Anyway we need to get going, we'll be seeing you," Twilight said.
Lyra made her good-byes, but not before Johnny approached her. "I'm really sorry about that. Sometimes my fire just comes out randomly when I'm a little over eager."
"It's fine, don't worry," Lyra gave him a convincing smile. Once Johnny left she dropped the smile and looked to her instrument. She wasn't too happy it got damaged but she can't be mad at Johnny. She could tell he only wished to help, she at least appreciates that much. Still, her poor harp.
The trio continued on, though Johnny stayed more toward the back, not wanting to incur more wrath from Twilight.
Peter noticed this and turned to Twilight, "He's only trying to help."
"I know but he's causing some trouble so far," Twilight said.
"Give it time, we all make mistakes. Look at me," Peter reminded.
Twilight wouldn't compare the situations much but she understands Peter's point. Though her patience with Johnny was already on thin ice, these mishaps are just making things worse.
"Let's just hurry over to Rarity's, maybe he can handle something over there," Twilight said.
Within minutes the trio arrived at Rarity's and knocked on the door.
"Come in!" They heard a sing-song voice say.
They entered her Boutique and looked around.
"Rarity!" Peter shouted.
"Over here!" They heard from deeper inside. They went into a large room where Rarity was working on some clothing.
They also noticed Bobby there, he seemed to be sorting some of Rarity's supplies. Future Sweetie was also there, working on her own design.
Rarity approached the trio, "Hello Twilight, Peter and...Johnny? I'm surprised to see you here."
"Yeah, I'm helping Peter out," Johnny said.
"You see Rarity, he felt guilty for what he did yesterday at Sugarcube Corner, making me look bad and all. So he wanted to make it up to me by helping with the tasks," Peter explained.
Rarity found that so sweet of Johnny. "That's so nice of you Johnny, you at least have your heart in the right place when it needs to be."
Johnny blushed a little, "Thanks Rarity."
This raised Bobby's curiosity, Johnny is almost never regretful when he goofs around. Did he really overhear Twilight and Peter? Something was up, and Bobby wanted to find out what it is.
Peter looked around the shop at Bobby and Future Sweetie working. "Looks like you have quite a bit of help here already. Wait where's Sweetie Belle? The little one I mean."
"She's off with her friends and that Laura mare, still trying to earn their Cutie Marks," Rarity explained.
Peter chuckled, "Oh yeah, Laura's still pretty peeved about that. I just know she wants to cause me so much physical pain."
"You do have that charm dear," Rarity stated, much to Peter's confusion. What exactly was that supposed to mean?
"Anyway Rarity, we're just here to help sort some stuff for you. Spike was supposed to come and help," Twilight looked to the side a bit annoyed, "But he'd rather be with Janet Van Dyne."
Rarity had a look of disapproval, "Something about that mare rubs me the wrong way. Are you sure she's not any trouble Peter?"
Peter shook his head, "She's a little wild but she's no trouble. Besides nothing wrong with Spike having a friend, might be good for him to have a nice mare he can show around."
"Anyway, just tell us what we can help you with," Twilight said.
"Well Johnny can help Bobby sort some of those supplies. Twilight you can help me sort out my orders so I know where and when some things must be given to their owners. Peter you can sort my cloth and fabric by color," Rarity explained.
"Aw, how come I have to work by myself?" Peter asked.
"Because there's nopony else here, little Sweetie is with her friends, and Future Sweetie is working on something she insists is important," Rarity explained.
Twilight looked interested, "Really? What is it?"
Future Sweetie shook her head, "Not telling, you'll just have to wait and see."
Rarity rolled her eyes, "Anyway Peter, just be a darling please."
Peter nodded, "Ok, anything for my favorite seamstress."
Future Sweetie chuckled, "Is she your favorite because she's the only one willing to stitch up your suit? Honestly she could make a fortune off that alone, if she hasn't already."
Rarity glared, "Sweetie Belle, that's improper to say."
"Only because it's true," Future Sweetie retorted with a mischievous smile.
Rarity groaned, "I should warn you, she's become pretty perky lately, just like the Sweetie Belle of this time, except this Sweetie Belle has a little more sass to her."
Peter chuckled at that, "Wow, being away from all that fighting has really helped her I guess, it's good to see her happy."
"Any reason she's still here though?" Johnny asked.
"There's no rush for her to back to that dreadful world, let her stay here and feel safe with her family after all," Rarity insisted.
Peter nodded, "Yeah why not, she deserves it."
"Right, anyway, let's get to it," Rarity said.
Soon enough everyone got to their jobs. Twilight helped sort things with Rarity while Johnny helped Bobby.
Bobby figured now's the time to ask some questions to Johnny about this.
"So Johnny, trying to make peace with Peter over yesterday?" Bobby asked in hushed tone.
Johnny nodded, "Yeah, no big deal. Just wanna help my boy out."
Bobby raised his eyebrow, "Any chance you heard what Peter and Twilight had said?"
Johnny froze a moment and turned to Bobby, just staring a moment while trying to figure things about.
"Well bro?"
Johnny sighed, "It really doesn't matter Bobby."
"So you did hear them. Didn't you?"
Johnny groaned, "It doesn't matter dude."
Bobby sighed, "Just know that you're fine the way you are. I like the Johnny that knows how to have fun. Please don't be another Peter in regards to being oversensitive about the opinions of others."
Johnny raised his eyebrow, "Peter's not oversensitive about the opinion of others. If he was he never would have stayed being Spider-Man, if anything I should probably be a little more like him. You know, the great power and responsibility stuff."
"Are you listening to yourself!?" Bobby said loud enough for the others to hear. Noticing this he toned it down, "We'll talk later, but you're being ridiculous."
Johnny rolled his eyes and kept working.
Meanwhile Peter had been working close to Future Sweetie Belle and got curious as to what she was working on, so she leaned in a bit closer.
"So, any chance you can let me in on this little secret?" Peter asked.
Future Sweetie grinned, "Just a little surprise for you, I'll show you later though."
Peter grew even more curious, "A surprise? Aw come on, show me now."
"Don't you have work to do? I'm sure you don't want to slow the pace down and upset my sister and your lovely wife do you?" Future Sweetie asked with a playful mocking tone.
Peter pouted, "Fine, but when I have a secret and you wanna know, I'm gonna keep you waiting too," Peter turned away defiantly and resumed working.
Future Sweetie chuckled, "He's so cute when flustered."
A little bit later, Bobby and Johnny were done.
"Sweet, just gotta move this into the other room," Bobby said.
"Leave that to me," Johnny insisted and grabbed everything in his hooves. Basically he had sewing supplies, and the machine among some spare clothes and had two arms full of them.
"Dude, that's a lot, let me help," Bobby said.
"Hey I got this, I'm the freakin Human Torch Remember? Or rather Equine Torch in this world, I got this," Johnny insisted.
"What does that have to do with-"
Before Bobby could finish his question, Johnny started making his way to the other room. Twilight noticed this situation, "Johnny, that's too much for you to carry!"
"Hey I've carried heavier, who do you think helps the Fantastic Four-" before Johnny could finish, he tripped over a loose piece of clothing and stumbled into Peter, who in turn stumbled into Future Sweetie, which caused her to stumble back toward a wall and cause a crack in it.
Johnny stood up, feeling a bit disoriented and stumbled back a little, causing him to trip over a roll of sewing string, causing him to fall on the table, breaking it a bit and scattering some info that Twilight and Rarity had been working on.
This also caused Twilight and Rarity to quickly back away and stumble into some shelves and knocking them over as well, causing them some degree of pain.
Twilight groaned as she started to stand up, "Johnny..."
Johnny shook his head a little to regain his composure and beheld the mess he made.
"Oh crap..." he looked around and saw that everything was on the floor, sewing strings and cloth scattered everywhere, and he saw that he caused a crack in the wall and the shelves to fall.
Peter shook off his dizziness and noticed that he was over Future Sweetie in an awkward position, causing a blush on them both.
"Oh, Peter, this is quite unexpected," Future Sweetie said in a flirtatious voice.
Peter quickly got off Future Sweetie and scurried away towards his wife, causing her to pull him in for a possessive hug.
Johnny stood up and was met with glares from everypony in the room, none of them were the least bit happy.
"I can fix this, I just need-"
"LEAVE JOHNNY!" Twilight shouted while pointing to the door.
Johnny was gonna protest but the look in Twilight's face showed that it wasn't the best idea to do so. He simply left dejectedly.
An awkward silence fell upon the room after that. Although Peter, Rarity and Sweetie Belle were themselves annoyed at Johnny, they still pitied him a bit.
Bobby, unlike the others, wasn't gonna be quiet about it. "He was only trying to help Twilight. For a Princess of Friendship, you're very rude and unfriendly."
"I don't need a lecture from you on how to be a Princess Bobby," Twilight said.
"You need a lecture from someone. I wonder how Peter manages to put up with you," Bobby said.
Twilight's eyes flared a little, "What did you say you little..."
Rarity quickly stepped in, "Let me handle this Twilight." Rarity approached Bobby with a stern look on her face. "Bobby, I know you care about your friends, and that's a great quality to have, but please don't start a fight with Twilight over it. She's a good friend of mine and a great wife for Peter. Accidents happen and Johnny will be forgiven, but for now it's best that he just stays on the sidelines. Ok dear?"
Bobby huffed a bit before giving in to Rarity. "Fine, but only for you."
Rarity pecked Bobby on the cheek and patted it a bit, "Thank you darling. Now we have a mess to clean up."
It was a quiet clean up for the most part. Bobby had no interest in speaking to Twilight or Peter, Twilight had no interest in speaking to Bobby, and Peter really didn't wanna engage Future Sweetie in a conversation.
Future Sweetie herself wouldn't stop flashing occasional glances to Peter while she worked on her project. Something she was sure Peter would like, and something she wouldn't mind seeing him wear. Her blush filled her face at the mere thought of Peter wearing this.
Later on Peter and Twilight finally finished up but were a little bit behind schedule due to Johnny's screw ups.
"Hopefully there's not much left to do, otherwise we're gonna be at this pretty late," Peter said.
"Don't worry, there's just Sweet Apple Acres, helping Derpy with some mail and Sugarcube Corner, it was a pretty light day at least," Twilight said.
"That's a relief, best to hurry up, then we can go home and I can spend some time with my favorite little colt and filly," Peter said.
"There will be plenty of time for that Peter, for now on to Sweet Apple Acres," Twilight said.
As The Power Couple made their way to the Apple Farm, Johnny is seen sitting on a cloud watching over the two.
"Sweet Apple Acres huh? Looks like I'll have one last chance to prove myself to them."
Johnny stood up and prepared his wings for take off, "Wow, this world has really gotten to me. Never thought I'd be this determined to be Peter's best friend."
Johnny chuckled a bit, "Oh well, that's the Magic of Friendship for ya, I honestly don't mind it either." With that, Johnny flew off to Sweet Apple Acres.
A bit later at the farm, Applejack was giving the orders to The Power Couple.
"Just help me take the apples to the barn so that me and Remy can sort them out," Applejack said.
"You don't want us to help you count them?" Twilight asked, paying little mind to Peter's silent objections.
"If ah asked you to do that, you'd be here all day. Ah could never do that to either of you, especially you Pete," Applejack said, much to Peter's relief.
"You're a good pal AJ," Peter said.
"Thanks Pete. Besides it's good for me and Remy, we love talking while doing that. It's our own little bonding time," Applejack said.
"Aw, are you two hitting it off?" Twilight asked.
"Sorta, ah wouldn't call him mah coltfriend, but he's really nice to be around, not to mention we really have a thing for each other's voices. He likes mah country accent and ah like his cajun talk," Applejack said.
"That's sweet. How do Apple Bloom and Big Macintosh like him?" Twilight asked.
"Apple Bloom likes him, and he's really nice to her. He often plays some cards with her and he loves telling her stories about his adventures with them X-Men," Applejack said.
"Looks like I might have some competition," Peter said. "Now me and Remy are gonna be competing over who Apple Bloom likes best."
"Don't forget that Dante fellow," Applejack added. "The short time he was here, he really bonded with her. He even told me she's like the little sister he's always wanted and even asked me if ah wanted to swap siblings."
Peter chuckled, "Imagine Vergil as an Apple Farmer."
"That would be something," Applejack said. "As for Big Mac, he's ok with him but he hasn't bonded with him that much," Applejack explained.
"Remy takes some getting used to. It's easier for Apple Bloom I guess because she's just friendly by nature," Peter said.
As the trio walked, Johnny quietly flew overhead to hear what they were all saying. "Alright, just gotta help them at the first opportunity."
Applejack approached some wagons and buckets of apples. "There they are, just load them up and get them moving."
The trio quickly went to work on that task, with Peter using his strength to get several in the wagon at once, Twilight using her magic to levitate and Applejack using her natural strength to load them, though Peter offered his assistance once he was done with this own.
"Much appreciated Pete," Applejack said.
Once the wagons were loaded, the group went about transporting everything. Johnny quietly floated overhead, waiting for his opportunity to help,
As Peter walked, a wheel on his wagon suddenly broke off when it banged against some rocks, the contents inside nearly spilling out.
"Aw man. Twilight, AJ, hold up, I lost a wheel," Peter said.
The two mares unstrapped from their wagons, leaving them near the top of a hill that led straight to the Apple Family barn.
Applejack checked the wheel and the place it popped out, "Don't worry, this happens sometimes. Ah can place it back in and get this thing rolling again."
While Applejack was working on that, the wagon she left was starting to move a little, close to rolling off the hill.
Applejack popped the wheel back in and moved the wagon a little to test it out, "There, all fixed."
While this happened, Applejack's wagon finally rolled off the hill and toward the barn.
"Applejack! Your wagon!" Twilight urgently said, pointing to the runaway wagon.
Applejack noticed the situation, "Land Sakes! Mah wagon!"
"I'll get it!" Peter said as he rushed after the wagon. The two mares then noticed a fire streak overhead.
"Was that Johnny? He's here too?" Applejack asked.
Twilight's eyes showed great concern, "Oh no, please don't tell me he's gonna 'help' again!"
Peter ran far enough so he can stand in front of the wagon's path and stop it.
"Ok, once that thing comes I just gotta-"
At that moment Johnny landed next to Peter, "Sup bro?"
"Johnny?" Peter said with a raise of his eyebrow, "What are you doing here?"
"Helping you out, being a friend, nothing new," Johnny said.
"Johnny I got this, you don't need to help," Peter said.
"Don't worry, it's no trouble, that's what friends do after all," Johnny said.
Due to them talking they weren't paying attention to the oncoming wagon.
"Peter! Johnny! Watch out!" Applejack said.
Peter's spider sense went off, so he quickly grabbed Johnny and tried to jump but Peter didn't get high enough and he was caught by the wagon and the two were on top.
Applejack and Twilight watched in worry as the two heroes sped off on the wagon, going straight to the barn.
"Peter! I think we're in a bit of a situation!" Johnny said.
"Gee ya think!?" Peter shouted in annoyance as he tried steering the wagon enough to the side in an attempt to pass by the barn.
Remy and Big Macintosh were delivering their own wagons to the barn when they noticed the situation.
"Uh, is that Peter and Johnny on a runaway Apple Wagon and about to crash?" Remy asked.
"Eeyup," Big Mac replied.
Peter was able to steer the wagon to the side but they were still heading towards town. Not too far behind, Applejack and Twilight were following in hopes to catch up to them.
"Is that Applejack and Twilight Sparkle chasing after Peter and Johnny in that Runaway Wagon?" Remy asked.
"Eeyup," Big Mac replied.
The two stood there a moment to assess the situation.
"So, should we go assist them?" Remy asked.
Big Mac thought a moment before responding. "Eeyup."
The two unstrapped from their wagons and pursued the heroes alongside the two mares.
Peter and Johnny were still going through town, trying to avoid colliding into anything.
"Watch out! Wagon coming through town!" Johnny shouted at the ponies.
All the ponies quickly cleared the streets to avoid the heroes, either running into their homes or into a nearby shop.
Some things weren't so lucky to be removed from the path in time. Vinyl Scratch was moving her stereo system when the wagon collided into it and knocked the stereos everywhere.
"My wubs!" Vinyl said and angrily turned into the wagon, "Great work Spider-Dork!"
Dr. Hooves was moving some of his science supplies when the wagon hit them as well, scattering a lot of technology.
"Blast!" He turned to the wagon, "Spider-Mane you will lead to our destruction one way or another!"
Even a cart of supplies Bon Bon was moving got knocked over by the wagon, all the treats spreading everywhere.
"No! My Candy!" She angrily turned to the cart. "I'll make you regret this Peter Parker!"
Peter face hoofed, "Amazing that Johnny's right next to me, and I'm still catching all the heat for this."
"Dude I got heat too," Johnny said and showed off his fire with a chuckle, "Get it?"
Peter shot a furious glare at Johnny, causing the Fantastic Four member to immediately shut up.
The wagon was getting very close to the Golden Oaks Library, much to Peter's concern.
"Oh no! Not the Library! My kids are in there!" Peter shouted and desperately tried to turn, but this time had little luck.
"Dude, we're kinda screwed, what now?" Johnny asked.
"There's only one course of action left Johnny," Peter said with a dark and serious tone.
"Really? What's that?" Johnny asked.
Moments later, the two are seen holding onto each other while screaming in fear of the collision.
Meanwhile at the door, Lightning Dust is knocking, waiting to see Trixie. While waiting she heard some screaming and turned around to see the wagon, with the two heroes on top and screaming in fear while holding onto each other for dear life.
Lightning started to freak out and scream as well, getting the attention of Logan and Trixie from within the home.
"What the hell is going on out-" Logan noticed the oncoming wagon, "Oh crap!"
Trixie also noticed the situation, "Logan, you gotta stop them!"
Logan nodded and rushed in front of the cart and stood his ground as it clashed into him. He was able to stop the cart after it skidded a bit and stopped short of the library.
Logan took a breath of relief, though he was met with the sounds of the two heroes in the cart still screaming in terror. Their eyes were shut so they hadn't realized the cart had stopped.
What's worse is that Lightning Dust is still screaming too, her eyes also shut and unaware that the impact hadn't happened.
Logan's temper was running low and he resorted to a very loud, "SHUT UP!!!"
That was loud enough to get the attention of all three screaming ponies, though Lightning quickly embraced Trixie for a sense of security.
Peter and Johnny realized they were holding each other and quickly backed away from each other, a blush of humiliation apparent on their faces.
Soon other ponies gathered around to see the commotion, including Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Octavia, Lyra, Rarity, Iceman, Future Sweetie Belle and even the Cutie Mark Crusaders, joined by Laura.
Also arriving on the scene were Rumble and Mayday, the latter looking really cranky having been woken up by all the screaming.
"Mayday was taking a nap, why is everypony screaming?" Rumble asked, obviously annoyed for his adoptive sister.
"I'd like to know myself, what the hell were you nimrods doing?" Logan asked.
Johnny stood up, "I can explain, you see-"
"JOHNNY!"
Johnny turned around and saw a very angry Twilight flying towards him with rage in her eyes.
"Oh crap, not again!" Johnny quickly took to the skies to avoid the wrath of Twilight.
Rainbow Dash groaned, "I'll go help him, all of you deal with this situation."
Rainbow Dash took to the skies to go stop Twilight from hurting Johnny while Peter watched in annoyance as he got off the wagon.
"Great, more trouble, we're obviously not gonna finish what we need to do today," Peter complained.
Applejack patted his shoulder, "Don't worry about it, I'll take this back to the farm and finish the rest of the work with Big Mac and Remy. We can handle it, you just clear your head a moment."
"But we promised Derpy and Pinkie to help them," Peter said.
"Don't worry Peter, it's not that important right now," Pinkie said.
"And I can tell Derpy you can't make it, though I'm sure she herself is wondering what the commotion is, so you might see her momentarily yourself," Octavia said.
Peter nodded as he turned to Logan, "I have some explaining to do now it seems."
Logan nodded, "It would appear so."
Peter managed to explain the situation involving Johnny not only to Logan but to a few around him. Lyra, Octavia and Rarity also confirmed a few things on behalf of Peter and soon this mess was figured out.
"Sounds like Johnny really wants to be yer best friend or something," Logan said.
"Yeah, but it doesn't make sense, why is he acting like this?" Peter asked.
"Actually it does," Logan said, earning a look of curiosity from Peter. "You see kid, when you left Earth for this world 5 years ago, people started to miss ya. A lot of the superheroes started to appreciate what you meant to us, including Johnny. Despite his rivalry with you, he always had a ton of respect for you, so once you left for good, he just felt down about it. He didn't realize it then but you were like his best friend, the brother he's always wanted, and when you left, that's when he realized how much he missed you and how much he did care about you."
Peter looked a bit surprised from what he was hearing. He had no idea that Johnny missed him so much.
"Here's another thing kid," Logan continued, "When I came to this world to stop Wesker and his allies, it was originally supposed to only be me. Johnny actually pushed to join me, he really wanted to come. He tried covering up saying that he just wants to show off his awesome skills to the villains, but Reed knew that he only wanted to come because he wanted to see you again. Now granted he acted like a jackass when he came here, it was mainly to hide his true feelings. It was either be a total jackass or pull you into the biggest hug he can muster. Obviously he choose to be a jackass, but I'm sure it was a close decision."
Peter couldn't believe this, now he feels a bit guilty for the way he's treated Johnny. But he understands fully now. If there was one thing Bobby was right about was that Johnny has been there for him a lot lately, even if he was a moron half the time. Peter needs to fix this, make things right.
"I gotta go, I have some stuff to think about," Peter said and swung away, leaving the town behind.
Logan just watched as Peter swung away and then noticed that a few around him had some tears in their eyes.
"Seriously? The story was that sad?" Logan asked.
Rarity wiped her tears, "It's not that, it's just so beautiful."
Trixie nodded, "Yeah, Johnny really does have a good heart and it seems like he just wants what all of us need, a good friend." Trixie then turned her attention to Lightning Dust, "Don't you agree with that Lightning Dust?"
Lightning nodded a bit, "Yeah, sure thing Trixie."
Logan groaned a bit, things were getting sappy again, but it can't be helped. Fluttershy approached Logan and nuzzled him a bit, "You're a good friend too Logan, after all I'm sure you came not only to stop the bad guys, but because you cared for Peter as well."
Logan looked to the side to hide his blush, though there was no place to hide it. He paid no mind to his awkwardness and wrapped a foreleg around Fluttershy, "I guess so."
Soon the other ponies decided to head home, Mayday went back to bed with Rumble tucking her in and staying nearby to make sure she's not disturbed again.
Later in the day, Peter looked around in hopes of finding Johnny. He knows that Rainbow Dash managed to calm Twilight down but that Johnny is still off on his own.
He searched around until he saw Johnny sitting at the edge of a cliff, looking out to the sea.
Peter quietly approached his friend, and spoke in a low tone. "Johnny?"
Johnny turned around and slightly waved to Peter, "Sup bro?"
Peter felt concerned at Johnny's response, it lacked it's usual enthusiasm. Instead Johnny just seemed rather glum.
Peter took a seat next to his friend, "Quite a day huh?"
Johnny nodded lightly. "I guess so."
Peter grew even more concerned by the second. "Did I ever get to thank you Johnny?"
Johnny turned to Peter, "For what?"
"For your help, you really helped me, my family and this world. I know it's your duty as a hero, but I really do appreciate your work," Peter said.
Johnny wasn't too sure where this came from, he wasn't too sure what to make of it. He just gave an average response, "Thanks I guess."
Peter again looked a little down, "Come on Johnny, I shouldn't be in this end of this situation. Normally I'm supposed to be the glum one and you're the fun one. Can you tell me what's bothering you?"
Johnny shook his head, "I'd rather not."
Peter groaned slightly and gave a more stern state, "Johnny, you said you want to be my best friend right? Well best friends talk to each other. Now I know you have your ego and you want to be cool, but you can talk to me and tell me anything. I'm here for you Johnny, don't you trust me?"
Johnny looked Peter straight in the eye, he can tell that Peter meant this and he owed Peter that much.
"If I tell you, promise you won't laugh or think I'm weird?" Johnny asked.
Peter nodded, "I swear, just talk to me, I wanna help you."
Johnny took a breath, "Truth is Peter...When you first left our world, I didn't know what to think. I knew you were dealing with some crap. I at one point thought you had enough and decided to move away from New York, no longer deal with the bullshit that the city has dished out to you. Looks like I was partially right, except you had little say in the matter."
Peter nodded, recalling the day he was first teleported to Equestria.
"So at first I didn't think much of it, you needed to get away from it all and move on. Then I realized that without you, things quickly became boring. At first I didn't understand it, I figured maybe I just need a new rival. Someone else to compete with, race around New York with. So I tried doing that with Bobby, after all he's a good buddy too."
Johnny sighed, his eyes looking at the sea below, "But it wasn't enough. Bobby was fun to be around but he lacked something you did. At first I thought I just needed some getting used to but that wasn't the case. I just didn't get what it was. Eventually you came back to New York and I thought I could finally see for myself what was missing, but unfortunately I wasn't able to meet up with you. Then you were gone again."
Peter listened intently, waiting to see where Johnny was going with this.
"It was during that five year gap you were gone is when I really started to appreciate what you meant to our world. What you meant to me. Truth is I only rivaled you and did all that stuff with you is because I actually grew fond of you. You were fun to be around, plus I was slightly envious of you."
Peter raised his eyebrow, "Envious of me?"
"Dude, you're smart, probably smarter than Reed. You have friends, real friends who like you for you. You are more respected among the other heroes than I am. You have so much, I should be jealous but at the same time, I am so happy for you. But I also knew how much you were hated by the public, yet it never stopped you. I developed a ton of respect for you for that, something I didn't realize the first time around, something I didn't appreciate. Once you were gone again, determined to stay here in this world to marry Twilight and start a family, that's when I realized I lost out on something special. To be more than just a rival, and not just a friend, but like a brother to you."
Peter felt a bit touched by Johnny's words, something he's surprised at, he never thought Johnny could be this deep.
"When I had the opportunity to come here and see you again, I just had to take it. Granted I was a bit of a jackass to you, it was just my way of showing affection. Plus I wanted to look cool in front of your friends and family so I didn't wanna be all mushy."
Peter chuckled a bit. He can't blame Johnny, he does value his image. He was right to make that comparison between him and Rainbow Dash.
"Maybe I could have handled certain things better, maybe it's also because I thought we always were best friends, just not yet official. Truth be told, I kinda overheard what you said to Bobby about Harry, so that's one reason I acted all crazy today."
Peter patted Johnny's back a little, "I'm sorry you heard that, like I said, I do value your friendship."
Johnny smiled, "You're always so nice Peter. Right now there's just one thing I want, it may sound sappy and it sounds like this world is getting to me, but it's something I'm sure of.
Johnny looked straight into Peter's eyes and spoke from his heart, "I just want to be your friend Peter. I missed you so much on Earth, and I might have to go back home soon. I may never see you again..."
Johnny took the time to wipe a tear from his eye, any other tears he evaporated on contact with this face, "I just want to spend the next few months with you...and Rainbow Dash, but you as well."
Peter chuckled at that. Johnny loves Rainbow Dash so he can't blame him for saying that, but he's still touched.
"Johnny, you are my friend, you don't have to be my 'best friend', because you're still a friend I can trust with my life. But you have been there for me so many times, it's only fair that I'm there for you. Now while I did consider Harry to be my best friend, keep in mind that Twilight has 5 best friends, 7 if you count her brothers," Peter said.
Johnny looked confused, "Brothers? I thought Shining Armor was her only brother?"
"Spike counts too Johnny, not the point. If Twilight can have multiple best friends, so can I, and I would love it if you were my best friend," Peter said.
Johnny had a nice genuine smile, "Wow, thanks bro, you mean it though?"
"On one condition," Peter said and extended his arms, "You still owe me that hug."
Johnny remembered when he first arrived in Equestria and Peter wanted to hug him. Truth be told, he was close to doing so, but like he said, he had a rep to keep. However that doesn't mean a thing now.
"Fine bro, you earned it," Johnny said.
The two heroes embraced in a nice hug, throwing male stereotypes out the window and just enjoying each other's friendship and embrace. Johnny wonders if this is the magic of friendship, to finally have someone who can bring out the best in you and to have someone he would always be there for. Doesn't matter, he just wants to enjoy the moment.
That came to an end when they heard the click of a camera and some snickering. Both turned their attention and saw Rainbow Dash with a camera, smiling at the two.
"Sup boys?"
Peter and Johnny looked a bit worried on the sight of Rainbow Dash's camera and her smile.
"Um Rainbow Dash, what are you doing?" Peter asked cautiously.
"I just came to find Johnny, make sure he's alright, but I see you two are having a nice moment. One I wanted to capture so we can relive it with all our friends for years to come," Rainbow taunted.
Johnny slowly approached her, "Dashie, be serious now, do you really wanna do that to your two favorite stallions? Especially the one who knows how to make you happy?"
Rainbow thought a moment, "Ok, I won't show anypony...if you can catch me."
Just like that, the rainbow maned pegasus sped away with a taunting laugh.
Johnny turned to Peter, "We gotta stop her!"
"On it!" Peter said as the two rushed after Rainbow Dash.
"Come on Skittles! This isn't funny!" Peter shouted.
"Yeah seriously, get back here!" Johnny shouted.
"Come on! You're both supposed to be faster than that!" Rainbow taunted.
The two chased Rainbow Dash for a good while, desperately hoping to catch her, though it would not be an easy feat.
The next day Johnny once again apologized for his screw ups and promised it won't happen again, mainly because he's gonna leave that stuff to Twilight and Peter.
Of course the towns ponies forgave him, even when he stated that he makes no promises that he won't screw up again. The towns ponies reluctantly accepted that and decided to move on with their business.
After Peter and Twilight were done catching up on what they needed to do, Peter went to go see Johnny at a nearby meadow. The brash hero had been waiting there with Rainbow Dash, the two nuzzling against each other.
"You're not mad about me taking that picture right?" Rainbow asked while nuzzling him.
"I could never be mad at my favorite pony," Johnny said while returning the nuzzle.
Rainbow rubbed her muzzle against his, "I'll make it up to though."
Johnny grinned, "I know you will."
The two started passionately making out a bit before Peter got their attention with a clearing of his throat.
"Did you invite me here to watch you both make out or something?" Peter glumly asked.
Johnny broke away, "Later babe, let's do what we came to do."
Rainbow nodded. "Hell yeah," She turned to Peter. "This is gonna be fun."
Peter raised his eyebrow, "What's going on?"
Johnny approached him, "Peter, you and me, one more time, a race."
Peter looked taken back, "A race?"
Johnny nodded, "Yeah, from here to Ponyville and back."
Peter thought for a moment, "Ok, why not?"
The two got into position as Rainbow set it up. "Ready, GO!"
The two heroes engaged in their race, their friendship ready to start building again. Peter knows that Johnny isn't so bad, plus it's nice to have a little guy time. For now, the Spider and the Flame have gotten closer, and are learning the meaning of the Magic of Friendship.