Spiders and Magic: Civil War

by Masterob

Reunion in Manehattan

At the Parker-Sparkle home, Twilight laid in bed, still feeling a bit sick from earlier, the mare taking more out of herself than she expected to. Peter of course stayed by her side, wiping her head with some tissues.

"You really wore yourself out today," Peter said.

"I'm fine, I'm just a little tired," Twilight said.

"You nearly collapsed out there, you should take it easy for a bit, at least wait til the baby's born before you go out looking for info on older civilizations," Peter suggested. "Starswirl and his friends can wait."

"You make a good point and I should follow your advice," Twilight said. "But this type of thing is hard for me to put aside, the chance to learn more about the pony I admire most is too grand to put on hold."

"You're gonna have to work on that willpower then," Peter said. "You stay here for now and don't exert yourself. I'll go grab you some mineral water in the meantime."

"I appreciate that," Twilight said as she laid back in bed. "You know the kind I like right?"

"Regular," Peter said as he made his way out the room.

"He's so attentive," Twilight said, then rubbed her pregnant belly. "Maybe I should take it easy a bit, I'm due any day now after all. Still, this is a big chance for me, and the wait is going to be torture. Oh what to do..."

---

Meanwhile in Manehattan, both Steve and Falcon had reunited, Falcon having gotten the family to safety and Steve taking the villains to the proper authorities.

"Got rid of the bad guys Cap?" Falcon asked.

"Yes, I brought them to a police carriage, what about that family?" Steve asked.

"They're good, not the first time they've seen danger, apparently one of them even knew Spider-Man," Falcon said. "The little girl, she said he's a fellow 'Cutie Mark Crusader', whatever that is."

"Cutie Mark...oh right, that group Applejack's little sister started when she was younger," Steve said.

"She mentioned an Applejack too, and she also seemed to know Gambit," Falcon said.

"That girl might have been one of the Apple Family relatives, which means Gambit is essentially an in-law to her," Steve said. "Wow, small world."

"Well let's move on, we still gotta find Daredevil or whoever else is here," Falcon said, the two walking down the street.

As the two strolled through the streets, unbeknownst to them, one figure seemed to be tailing them, one who knew the two pretty well, especially Steve.

Falcon took in the sights, noticing how similar the city was to Manhattan. "It does kind of look like New York, but the fact that there's those horse pully things instead of cars makes it look so old fashioned."

"It is interesting that ponies don't use cars, but when you have Unicorns that can teleport, Pegusai that can fly and Earth Ponies with their natural strength and endurance, a car is not that needed," Steve said. "Though the horse carriages and chariots are a good indication that they do need some form of travel, but cars are not that form."

"I'm surprised that Stark hasn't tried bringing that over to Equestria by this point," Falcon said.

"He has probably tried to," Steve said. "I do remember him mentioning it to Princess Celestia, but she turned it down, saying it was pointless, and that Equestria lacked the proper resources to support cars anyway."

"I can't even imagine a pony driving a car," Falcon said. "That would just look plain weird."

"Ponies are more capable of human things than you might think," Steve said. "I wouldn't be surprised if some of them were capable of bipedal walking or standing, though the only Equestrian born pony I've seen do that was Pinkie Pie."

"Who's she?" Falcon asked.

"Local baker in Ponyville, has a wacky pink poofy mane, super excitable and is married to Deadpool," Steve explained.

"How the hell could someone marry Deadpool?" Falcon asked. "I mean, it's freaking Deadpool."

"Well like I said, she's a bit wacky, not to say she's not a good judge of character and believe it or not, Deadpool has been a great husband for her," Steve said. "He's a strange man but he is incredibly loyal and faithful to his wife, and that's all that should matter in a man."

"Man this world really is magic if miracles like that can happen," Falcon said.

As they walked up the street, they heard some fighting in an ally, moving quick they spotted Daredevil knocking some guys out while Elektra held a sai to one pony's neck.

"Who are you working for!? Who's your boss!?" the former Hand member threatened.

"If I told you he'd come after me!" the pony pleaded.

Elektra was having none of this, she lightly pressed the point against his neck, "You have more important things to worry about."

"Elektra, take it easy, we're not here to kill them, we just need answers," Daredevil said.

"Yes well..." Elektra then happened to notice the new company present. "Captain America? And is that Falcon?"

"Huh?" Daredevil turned to the two Avengers. "This is a surprise, did Stark send you?"

"No, I came here on my own free will," Steve said. "Looks like you're having trouble getting them to talk."

"They're stubborn alright," Daredevil said, looking over an unconscious pony. "But something about them is very familiar, like I've encountered this before."

"Hey someone get this crazy mare off me!" the gangster pony pleaded.

"Elektra, if I may," Steve said.

"He's all yours," Elektra said, throwing the pony to Steve. "Good luck getting him to talk though."

Cap stood over the pony, somewhat intimidating him but also trying to show a bit more openness, "Listen, if you tell us any information we need to know, I will personally guarantee your safety. No one has to know you said anything, just be straight with me. Tell us who you're working with."

"I...really can't answer, it's some weird pony who looked like a black void," the pony said. "I swear that's all I know."

"Black void?" Falcon repeated, looking confused. However that did ring some bells for Daredevil and Elektra.

"This black void pony, does he manipulate emotions?" Daredevil asked.

"I don't even know what he does, it's some weird freaky magic, like I've never seen in this world!" the pony said.

"Thanks," Steve said, then knocked the guy out with his shield. "This information will be very useful to us."

"Black void pony?" Falcon asked. "Is that normal here?"

"Maybe not, but I think I may have figured out who might be behind this, and if it's who I think it is, then that means there's been another dimensional breach between this world and ours," Daredevil said.

"And Celestia will be very displeased, let's rectify this situation before it gets worse," Cap said.

"Daredevil! Elektra!" came another voice. Skating in was Night Thrasher, the hero from Stamford riding in and encountering the new guests.

"Oh good, you're here," Daredevil said.

"Just in time, see..." Night Thrasher noticed the two Avengers. "Is that Captain America? And Falcon?"

"That's us, good to see you again," Steve said. "I'd love to catch up but for now, do you have any useful information for us?"

"Right, I saw a few more of those ponies, but this time they seemed to be glowing for some reason," Night Thrasher said.

"That common in this world?" Falcon asked.

"Not really, unless it's a Unicorn casting a spell," Steve said, then focused back on Night Thrasher. "Take me to them."

"You got it Cap," Night Thrasher said, leading all the heroes away as Bucky continued to follow from a distance.

---

From his office, Martin Li looked through a window across the city of Manehattan, taking in the sight of all the ponies roaming the streets, some using carriages to travel.

"So many ponies to control, so many ways to build our empire..."

Martin shook his head, trying to expel the evil thoughts, "That's enough out of you Mr. Negative."

"Oh don't act so self righteous, you know you want this power, that's why I exist, I am your desires manifested."

"Get out of my head!" Martin shouted. "Away with you demon!"

"So long as your desires remain, I shall keep my power over you..."

"You have no power over me, I control my own fate!" Martin shouted, trying to shake Mr. Negative away. "I control it! Not you!" He turned around in a huff and surprisingly saw Suri standing there with a list.

"Do I even wanna know?" Suri asked, feeling a bit suspicious.

"Apologies, I am just very stressed out," Martin said. "Worries over this new gang has me filled with doubt."

"Well we have heroes working here don't we?" Suri said. "If they do their jobs then we should have nothing to worry about."

"You have faith in them?" Martin asked.

"I mean, I guess I should since they're suppose to keep us safe, though it is strange how this gang appeared just when the heroes got assigned to this city, seems kind of fishy if you ask me," Suri said.

"Do you believe they had something to do with all of this?" Martin asked.

"I mean, I wouldn't be too surprised, I bet this is all one big publicity stunt to push this Accords thing I heard about," Suri said. "Something about Tony Stark comes off to me as completely arrogant and likely devious enough to try this."

"What makes Stark so different than us anyway? What makes any of these so called heroes different? They yearn for control even more than we do."

Martin shook his head to focus on Suri, "I can't say for sure, I don't know Mr. Stark well enough to judge."

"I gotta teach you to see through people Lee, sometimes you're way too nice," Suri said. "Not good business etiquette."

"A little Kindness goes a long way," Martin said.

Suri rolled her eyes, "You get that from Rarity's goody little friend Fluttershy? The Element of Kindness as they call her?"

"You do not seem very fond of this Rarity pony, perhaps you should put your differences aside, and don't focus so much on the negatives," Martin said, feeling strange as he admitted that.

"Yeah, I'll consider it," Suri said. "Anyway I came by to let you know that some investors are here to help spread out our business."

"Oh wonderful, I shall meet you momentarily," Marin said.

"Sounds fine with me, just as long as you sort out whatever...that was you just had," Suri said.

"Yes, of course," Martin said, feeling a bit embarrassed. "I won't let you down."

---

As the two went to meet with the investors, things were getting more intense in the city. The heroes had encountered the gang of ponies that were bothering the civilians.

"Let's settle this quick!" Steve said, grabbing his shield and tossing it at one pony's head. Falcon flew in with a kick to another, Daredevil used his rod to knock a couple back as Elektra swooped in with a double kick. Night Thrasher rode in and performed a jumping dive kick off his skateboard to one, landing back on his skateboard right afterwards.

"My balance in getting better at least," Night Thrasher said.

This continued for a bit more until all the ponies were knocked out, except one who tried crawling away. Elektra tossed her sais near him, causing him to freeze in place as the other heores surrounded the last of the pony gang members.

"Start talking," Daredevil warned. "Who are you working for?"

"I won't talk, I'd rather die than betray my brethren," the pony said.

Elektra pulled her sai on the ground, "I can help you with that last part."

"Elektra, enough," Steve said, then focused on the pony. "Look, I don't know why you're behaving like this but even as a non-native I can tell this is unnatural, why don't you just cooperate and we'll have this all straightened out and ponies in this city can go back to living peacefully."

"There is no peace, only misery, Friendship barely reaches this city, you think it's a surprise that some of us decided to rebel and remold the city under his leadership!?" the pony said.

"Who's leadership?" Steve asked. "Explain!"

"Our master," the pony said, causing some frustration for the heroes.

"How about some specifics!" Falcon said warned. "Enough with this vague crap, it's getting on my nerves!"

Within seconds, more ponies came to attack but the five heroes quickly dispatched of them as the one they were interrogating escaped.

"After him!" Steve ordered, the five in hot pursuit down the streets of Manehattan.

As they moved through the city, Steve ordered a halt, confusing the heroes beside him, Falcon being the first to speak up. "What's up Cap?"

"That pony..." Steve gestured ahead. "Does he look familiar to you?"

Falcon looked ahead as well, same with the others, "Kind if, is that..."

Stepping forward to the group of heroes was of course Bucky Barnes, aside from his distinguashable front left leg being metal, Steve would instantly recognize his best friend just about anywhere, but something seemed different about him.

"Bucky, what are you doing in Equestria?" Steve asked. "Did Tony send you?" Bucky had no immediate response, aside from getting in a fighting stance, to the confusion and worry of his friend. "Bucky? What's wrong!?"

"Hey you recognize us, don't you?" Falcon asked. "It's Steve and Sam!"

"Don't forget about us," Night Thrasher said.

"Something's off about him," Elektra said. "Be ready for a fight Captain."

"A fight?" Steve asked in confusion. He tried getting through to the Winter Solider again, "Bucky! It's us! Do you recognize us!?"

"Of course, you're my targets for today after all," Bucky said, whipping out his assault rifle. "Sorry Cap but it's just business."

"Did your ass get mind controlled again!?" Falcon asked in annoyance. Bucky opened fire, all five heroes dodging out of the way before taking a hit. "Like clockwork!"

"Daredevil, Elektra, Night Thrasher, go after that pony, Falcon and I will deal with Bucky," Steve said.

"None of you are escaping!" Bucky said as he grabbed a grenade, tossing it at the ponies again, though Steve was quick to whack it into the air, completely out of danger. He threw his shield at Bucky, knocking him in the face and stunning him briefly.

"Let's move!" Daredevil said, quickly trotting off with his allies.

Bucky recovered and attempted to pursue them but Falcon rushed in and kicked Bucky down, "Gonna knock some sense into you!"

Bucky tried to attack but Steve was quick to grab his shield and whack Bucky. As he went for a second strike, Bucky whacked the shield out of his hooves and punched Steve back. Falcon flew in to attack again but Bucky jumped out the way and landed a strong blow, knocking the flying hero through a building.

Bucky lunged himself into the air and tried to slam a punch down on Steve, but the experienced hero rolled out the way and delivered a jumping back kick to Bucky's face and then rammed him into a telephone pole, knocking the whole thing over and landing on an empty taxi cart as the loose cables began sparking near a building.

Bucky kicked Steve back and went for another punch, but Steve was quick to dodge and judo throw his old friend through a mailbox. Falcon swooped in and grabbed Bucky, lifting him into the air and dropping him on top of some garbage cans.

"Think we'll get him to talk?" Falcon asked as Steve made his way over.

"About to find out," Steve said, approaching his friend. "Bucky, I don't know what's gotten into you but you have to snap out of it!" Bucky shook off the cobwebs and immediately lunched at Steve, the hero sidestepping and knocking him down.

"Think it's Hydra?" Falcon asked. "Or magic from this world?"

"I don't know who in this world would want to corr..." Steve remembered something. "Discord..."

"Discord?" Falcon asked.

"He's basically the Loki of this world, a being of chaos," Steve said. "He might be the one controlling Bucky!"

"Not quite..." came a voice. "But you're close dear Captain."

"Is that you Discord!?" Steve asked. "Show yourself!"

"I still got a lot to learn about this world it seems," Falcon said, looking around for the voice. "Was that suppose to be Discord?"

"What did he mean by close?" Steve asked.

"All I heard was that he had something to do with this, let's find him and beat the answers out of him," Falcon said.

"It's not that easy, remember he's as tricky as Loki, he'd be hard to track down," Steve said, as he pulled Bucky up. "Look let's just find a way to-"

Bucky immediately pulled away and punched Steve into a fire hydrant and then back hoofed Falcon, stunning him long enough to punch him down the street, right past some panicking ponies.

"I won't be taken in by you!" Bucky turned back to his old friend. "We're going to end this Steve!"

Shaking off the dizziness, Steve pessimistically glared at Bucky, "Why can't this ever be easy?"

---

Downtown the trio of heroes led by Daredevil were still in pursuit of the one pony, unfortunately he seemed to have vanished that not even Daredevil's radar could find him.

"Well he's blended in," Daredevil said. "We were finally getting somewhere too."

"What was The Winter Solider doing in this city anyway?" Night Thrasher asked. "Think he's connected to all this somehow?"

"That raises a good point, these ponies we've been rounding up could be mind controlled," Elektra said. "When Daredevil and I checked the precinct they were taken too, many of them seemed unaware of what they had done."

"Which means if we don't get to the source of the problem fast, this city's going to fall apart," Daredevil said.

"Between the three of us, I think we can figure it out," Night Thrasher said.

"Yes I think so as well, we just need to find the right clues," Daredevil said. "For now we'll keep searching."

"What about Captain America and Falcon?" Elektra asked. "Should we go back to help them?"

"I think they can handle one man, or pony rather, we have a bigger focus," Daredevil said.

"Excuse me! Hero ponies!" Came the voice of Manehattan resident, Blueberry Curls. "I just saw a group of them gangster ponies gathering near a building a few blocks down, I think they're up to something."

"Can you describe the building?" Elektra asked.

"It's like an old building that they're revamping or something, think it's bringing in clothes and stuff," Blueberry said. "Been under construction for a while, think it started around the time heroes first started coming to this city."

"That's interesting..." Daredevil said. "Come on team."

While Daredevil led his group to this new location, back with Bucky, the mind-controlled hero was still fending off attacks from both Steve and Falcon. Bucky had uppercut Falcon away however and engaged solely with Steve.

"I know you're in there somewhere Bucky! You need to snap out of it!" Steve urged as he blocked some strikes.

"Just fight me!" Bucky shouted, trying to go for a punch. "It's nothing new! We're probably just destined to do battle!"

"What? No!" Cap parried a punch and hit one of his own. "We're not rivals Bucky! We're friends! I don't want to fight you!"

"Come on Steve, we both know out of the two of us, I was the disgrace," Bucky said. "You went on to be a hero, leader of The Avengers and loved by everyone, even Royalty, while I barely scrapped by as the guy who could have brought everything to ruins!" Bucky punched Cap through the glass of a diner, the ponies running out the back in fear. "We both know I can never be the hero you are, my past is enough of an indication to that."

"That's not true Bucky," Steve said as he stood up. "It's never too late to want to be better. It worked for so many others, in our world and this one. You can't change the past but you can change your future, is this the future you want for yourself?"

"Huh?" Bucky had a moment of realization, though struggled to accept it as he still felt some resentment toward Steve. "I...I can't!"

"You mean to tell me you're fine being someone else's puppet!?" Steve asked. "Is that what you are now!?"

"No!" Bucky said, holding his hooves to his head. "I am no one's puppet!"

"Then prove it! Be a man Bucky! Fight through this!" Steve said. "Or do you want to be a disgrace!? Do you want to prove everyone who did not believe in you right!? Take control Bucky!"

"Take...control!" Bucky's eyes glowed a second as he started fighting off the Negative energy. Within seconds, it felt like he was in an alternate world where he saw an image of himself, only this version was a black void with some white outlines.

"It's foolish to persist," Negative Bucky said. "You and I both know you're just going to end up hurting others again, it's your true calling after all. How many times have you been through this honestly?"

"A few, can't deny that," Bucky said. "Sometimes a person's worst enemy is themselves, that's a lesson I've had to learn the hard way many times."

"How much have you learned? You still let yourself get controlled," Negative Bucky said. "Just accept it, you're no hero. You're just a little solider who does what his commander says, and from your experience, that can be just about anyone. You have a job to do, I suggest you get it over with."

"A job huh? Is that all this is? Well then, I guess I'm quitting," Bucky then delivered one swift punch to the Negative version of himself, hard enough to completely destroy it, a shockwave going straight back to Martin, the man looking impressed.

"His willpower is stronger than I would have expected," Martin commented. "Not bad."

Bucky snapped back to reality, holding his head in pain, Steve being quick to check on him, "Bucky?"

The man shook his head, turning to his friend, "Hey Steve." He took a look around the mess in the diner, "Did it again, didn't I?"

"Nothing that can't be fixed," Steve happily reassured. "Good to have you back Bucky."

"Good to be back," Bucky said. Suddenly some birds started pecking at his head, much to his annoyance and confusion. "Ow, what the hell!? Get off you stupid pigeons!"

"Ha! Got you now!" Falcon said, making his way over with more birds. "Cap, now's the chance to-"

"Sam stop, he snapped out of it!" Steve quickly urged.

"He what?" Falcon's eyes widened as he called the birds back. "Whoops, my bad."

Bucky glared at the winged hero, "Knowing you, you'd probably would have done that on purpose anyway."

"Do you want me to send them back at you?" Falcon asked in a slightly threatening tone.

"Let's not fight again," Steve pleaded. "We need to find Daredevil and the others, see if they found any more clues regarding that pony."

"Lead the way Cap," Falcon said as Steve rushed out, his two allies following.

"Also what the hell are you? Did you actually turn into a giant bird?" Bucky asked.

"I'm a Griffon, pony boy," Falcon said, flying off with an annoyed Bucky following after him.

Meanwhile the trio of heroes found the building that Blueberry Curls alerted them to, Daredevil using his radar sense to scout the area. "There's definitely a bunch of them, question is what are they planning?"

"Maybe its their hideout, should we go after them?" Night Thrasher asked.

"Too risky, we don't know for sure what this place is," Daredevil said. "I can detect others inside, they might be unrelated."

"I think I hear some construction noises, this place may be a legitimate building," Elektra said. "If we're not careful, we'll potentially be putting innocents in danger."

"What do you suggest then?" Night Thrasher asked.

"It may be better to get some recon to know for sure what this building is," Daredevil said. "Then we can relay the information to Cap, assuming he's done with his Winter Solider problem."

"Now that we know this place has those ponies, it would be a good time to go check on Cap and help him out so he can give us some back-up," Night Thrasher said.

"That's not a bad idea," Daredevil said. "It would certainly help things move along much faster, plus get more information on that Black Void pony."

"Alright, you can stay and keep an eye on the place Night Thrasher, Daredevil and I will go find Captain America," Elektra said. "If you get spotted, make a run for it, you don't need to go in alone."

"I'll be fine," Night Thrasher said. "Alright, you two get a move on then."

Both Daredevil and Elektra made their move while Night Thrasher stood by, though one thing that caught his eye was that some of them were leaving again, after being chased away by a mare with pink fur.

"Go find some other place to gather around!" Suri shouted. "Punks!"

"Did she just scare them off?" Night Thrasher asked in amazement. "Who is she?"

Suri noticed Night Thrasher nearby, the mare feeling more irritated. "You're not with them, are you!?"

"Uh, no?" Night Thrasher said. "Say what is that place anyway?"

"A clothing store I'm trying to make, but now a bunch of punks think they can loiter around," Suri said. "Are you a hero!? Were you standing there the whole time!?"

"Hey easy lady," Night Thrasher said. "I was just-"

"Just what, huh!?" Suri asked, getting in his face. "I want answers!"

"Holy shit she's scary mad," Night Thrasher nodded in agreement. "Alright, I'll tell you what I can."

---

Not too far off, Steve, Falcon and Bucky were getting closer to where Daredevil was going, having asked a few ponies along the way if they spotted them.

Falcon searched the skies to aid in the assist, spotting Daredevil and Elektra making their way back, "Yo Cap! I see them, or at least two of them!"

"Captain!" Daredevil said, making his way over to the Avenger leader, then sensed Bucky beside him, "You got your friend to snap out of it?"

"Yes, Bucky's back to normal," Steve said. "What about your progress?"

"We may have found a hideout but we're not too sure," Daredevil said. "It's just a few blocks down."

"Excellent, let's go then," Cap said, following after Daredevil and Elektra.

It wasn't long before the group met up at the store, where Night Thrasher was still trying to explain things to Suri.

"Night Thrasher?" Steve said, getting the attention of the hero and the fashionista. "What's happening."

"Hey, you wouldn't believe this, but this lady chased off those guys we were after," Night Thrasher said.

"Do you know anything about those guys and why they're constantly roaming the streets!?" Suri asked. "Including the store I'm trying to build!?"

"We're gathering information right now ma'am," Daredevil said. "Those ponies though, do they come by often?"

"Yes, they do, and I'm getting annoyed with having to constantly chase them away," Suri said. "Every other day I spot them here, my partner doesn't want to bother them because he's a goody-four-horseshoes, but I want to run a business and I can't do that with ponies like them making things harder for a filly like me."

"We'll get to the bottom of this ma'am," Steve said. "That's why we're here after all."

"Yes, well you being here just invited all this nonsense in the first place," Suri said. "In fact everything started the moment Spider-Mane showed up, I mean since then we've had nothing but trouble in Equestria because one so-called hero showed up."

Elektra looked a little displeased by Suri's comments, though Steve was the first to speak up. "I've known Spider-Mane since he was a young hero back in my world and he has always done his best to help others, it really is not appreciated when you blame him for troubles others cause when he is just trying to fix it."

"Yeah, great job fixing it, he created a mess so bad that you other annoying heroes showed up," Suri said.

"I suggest you watch your tone, unless you don't want us keeping your frilly little store safe," Elektra said.

"Don't let her get to you," Daredevil said, then turned to Suri. "Ma'am, please just try to cooperate with us. Any additional information you can give me will be a great help."

Suri groaned in annoyance, "Whatever, not like I have anything else to do."

"You do that, I need to make a call," Cap said, walking off and hitting the radio. "Tony, it's Steve, you'll never guess who I found here."

In his building, Martin was looking over, almost displeased by what he was seeing. The heroes seemed to be onto him and his plans, he had to do something fast.

---

Later on, while the heroes were investigating the store, Steve, Falcon and Bucky were waiting near the location of their previous fight, many ponies had come to fix up the mess that was made, including a fire that had started sometime after the telephone pole fell. Of course Bucky felt terrible about this, hoping no one got hurt, or worse.

"Captain America..." came the voice of Carol Danvers, the hero flying in.

"Carol? Didn't expect you," Steve said.

"I offered to come, Tony had a lot on his plate, between contacting S.H.I.E.L.D. and trying to convince these other countries to help with his Accords thing," Carol said. "Seems like quite the mess you made though."

"A side effect from battle," Steve said. "Fortunately no one was hurt."

"This time, but it could have been worse," Carol said. "Buildings could be wrecked, pipelines bursting, innocent ponies in the hospitals, and the potential loss of many lives, just like it's happened before, both in this world, and ours."

"We're aware of that," Falcon said. "We've had our share of battles."

"And it's those battles that actually shake the resolve of the citizens, I mean how many times has the Daily Bugle slandered Spider-Man because of the troubles he seemed to have caused?" Carol asked.

"Most of the time Peter's careful, that blowhard Jameson just wants to stretch things out of a proportion like any other dumbass journalist would," Falcon said.

"Even you can't deny that there is truth to what he says, or was the damage done during Peter's fight with The Green Goblin just 'stretched out exaggeration'?" Carol asked.

"I wasn't there but I'm ninety-nine percent sure that most of the damage was already caused by that freakish Goblin," Falcon said.

"Not just Osborn," Carol pointed to Cap. "You were there too. I know you were mind controlled, just like your friend Bucky usually is, but you still allowed that to happen. A weak will makes for a terrible hero."

"Watch it!" Bucky warned.

"Easy Bucky, she's not wrong," Steve said. "I've let myself get controlled, and it was foolish. If I want to keep others safe, I need to work not just on my physical strength, but mental as well."

"Glad one of you has sense, fitting that it's Captain America," Carol said. "I respect what you can and have done Steve, but I also expect you to keep up that good work. Right now all this is a bad start for the Accords, you were not even assigned to this city and you got it wrecked in your fight, I warned Tony to be more strict, I hope this sends the message he needed to hear."

"You really think being assigned to this city would lessen the damage?" Falcon asked. "Explain that logic."

"Lack of order leads to chaos," Carol said.

"Lack of...the hell are you saying?" Falcon asked. "If Cap and I were assigned here today, it wouldn't have changed the fight outcome. Sometimes things happen, do we want this to happen, no, but our job is to keep things from getting worse and getting assigned to cities isn't going to magically reduce damage or any of that crap."

"Why was Bucky here anyway?" Carol asked, then turned to the solider. "Were you sent here randomly, or by strategy?"

"I just remember being told to find Cap after being transported by some freaky goat thing," Bucky explained.

"So you came here because Cap was here, which he should not have been," Carol said.

"This would have happened regardless of where Cap was, if he were in Canterlot then this fight would have happened in Canterlot!" Falcon said. "Nothing's going to change that!"

"Are you assigned to Canterlot?" Carol asked.

"No, I'm not assigned anywhere," Falcon said. "Not sure about Cap though."

"I am deputized by Princess Celestia to help but I am not officially assigned to Canterlot," Steve explained.

"Well then, I suggest you both find a city and stay there, or just go back home," Carol said. "And Cap, even if Celestia did deputize you, if she herself was serious about keeping this world safe, she'd get in gear too."

"Noted..." Steve said, trying to hide his annoyance.

"Well things don't seem to be too bad here, so I'll let Tony know that it's good and we'll let it slide," Carol said, taking off. "But make sure this doesn't happen again. Canterlot is still recovering from damage, and a big part of that damage was caused by that Goku guy, who was suppose to be on our side. Let's try to be on the side that doesn't cause mayhem."

As Carol flew off, Falcon let out a massive groan of frustration, "Who the hell does she think she is? She cuts her hair, changes her hero name and suit and suddenly she's all hot shit? Like she's never done stupid crap in her life, girl was once as much of a drinker as Stark was, at least he's a bit more tolerable."

"For now," Bucky said. "Wouldn't be surprised if Stark was next, coming in with his lectures."

"Tony just wants what's best for this world, I'm sure once we see him he'll be more grateful that we stopped this mess before it got worse," Steve said. "Let's just help these ponies out and find out more information on that gang."

"Sure thing Cap," Falcon said.

"You got it Steve," Bucky added.

---

Later on in Ponyville, Rumble, Jubilee, Cozy Glow and the Student Six were returning from their buckball game, Rumble boasting about his skills.

"If I don't become a Wonderbolt, I bet I can get into Buckball, should be awesome," Rumble bragged.

"Just wait til we play actual teams," Gallus said. "See how well coordinated you are."

"Hey I'm down with that, you be captain of your team and I'll be captain of mine," Rumble said.

"That would make for a great day out," Jubilee said. "I'll ask Twilight if there's a spot we can play, and maybe we can invite more students from school, or out of school."

"I'm ready whenever," Rumble said.

"Rumble, if you pick teams..." Cozy Glow flew over. "Can I be on yours?"

"Of course," Rumble said, then turned to Gallus. "I call first dibs on Cozy Glow!"

"Fine by me, I don't want her anyway, she was lousy today," Gallus said.

"Gallus!" Jubilee scolded. "Don't say that, Cozy Glow did her best."

"Yeah dude, lay off," Sandbar added.

"So unprofessional," Ocellus added.

"Alright! Alright! Geez!" Gallus shouted in frustration. "I guess Professor Applejack's Element doesn't mean squat to any of you."

"Honesty is good, just be conscious of how you use it," Jubilee said.

As they made their way past the Parker-Sparkle home, they took note of Thunderlane being there with his daughter riding on his back along with Doctor Hooves and Reed Richards.

"So what is it you guys are making exactly?" Thunderlane asked.

"We cannot go into specifics, but according to Mr. Stark, it will greatly increase the patrol potential of this world," Doc said.

"It might come off as a bit weird at first but Tony himself has helped provide us with the transcripts we need," Reed said. "With our own inputs as well."

"And this is not something ponies like me should worry about?" Thunderlane asked.

"Of course not, we would not do anything that would endanger our world," Doc said. "On the contrary, this will ensure the safety of all pony-kind, and perhaps this can be used for the human world."

"Human, as in just Marvel or those other worlds?" Thunderlane asked.

"Marvel for now, I can't imagine the other worlds will be too accepting yet," Reed said. "But if they change their minds, then I believe it can benifit them as well."

"Alright, but how effective is it?" Thunderlane asked. "I mean Marvel Earth has some pretty dangerous bad guys, not too long ago one of Spider-Mane's villains showed up here along with one of the Fantastic Four's enemies."

"Which I apologize for, it happened under my supervision," Reed said.

"You're good, Dash and your brother-in-law put a stop to him, but it wasn't even that long after that Magneto, a supposed friend, came and started wrecking the place," Thunderlane said. "Plus that Canterlot Invasion led by Thor's brother. Did you guys even see or hear about what that Saiyan Goku did? And he's on our side!"

"I know how worried you are, I mean you're a father, just like my comrade here," Doc said. "I too will be blessed with a child soon, and I have another young filly to protect, that's why I am doing this. I want what's best for my wife and children, Reed wants the best for his wife and children, and I know you want your daughter to grow up safe and happy. Trust us Thunderlane."

"Well you guys are geniuses," Thunderlane said. "Speaking of geniuses, is Peter helping?"

"This is just between us," Reed said. "Peter has his own work he's attending to. That and his wife is expecting soon."

"Oh yeah, I heard she got worn out pretty bad today, poor mare threw up in Rarity's store," Thunderlane said.

"She what!?" Rumble asked, getting his brother's attention.

"Whoa, where'd you come from little bro!?" Thunderlane asked.

"What happened to Twilight!?" Rumble asked, not acknowledging Thunderlane's question. "Is she alright!?"

"She's fine, she just got sick, pregnancy thing," Thunderlane said.

"She's recovering right now," Reed said. "You need not worry."

"That's a relief," Rumble said. "Well anyway, we just got back from a Buckball game."

"Buckball?" Reed asked.

"It's baseball for ponies," Jubilee answered.

"Oh, interesting," Reed said. "Did your team win?"

"We didn't play teams, there weren't enough players," Ocellus said. "We just took turns hitting the ball or catching it."

"Sounds clever," Doc said. "Well it's good that you all had fun."

"It was oodles of fun sir!" Cozy Glow said. "Next time we're doing teams. Team Gallus vs Team Rumble."

"And I'm gonna win," Rumble boasted.

"No way, I'm wiping the floor with you," Gallus said.

"I look forward to seeing that," Thunderane said, then gestured to his daughter. "Felicity does too."

"I'll you do you both proud," Rumble said, then turned to the others. "Alright, let's hit Sugarcube Corner!"

Everyone seemed to like the idea, even Jubilee, "That sounds fun, I'll skip out though, I have some things to attend to."

"It's all good," Rumble said, leading the pack away. "Let's go."

As he led the ponies away, Jubilee turned her attention to the three stallions, "So, big plans for the future?"

"Yes...and Jubilee," Reed began. "If you see something uncomfortably familiar, just know that you'll be completely safe."

"Huh? What does that mean?" Jubilee asked.

"You'll see in due time," Reed said. "Now I need to check on my wife and son."

"Same, minus the son part, though my child might be a boy so who knows," Doc said.

The two went inside, Jubilee looking very concerned, which Thunderlane caught on to, "Hey are you doing alright?"

"Yeah, just worried," Jubilee said. "What could Reed have meant?"

"I wouldn't know, let's just hope for the best," Thunderlane said.

"I do that all the time, whether it comes true is always a big game of chance," Jubilee said.

---

In Tartarus, Discord was at work with his next plan of action, "So many more to pick from, who should I bring over next?"

"How about someone who doesn't need to be mind controlled," Shocker said, making his way over. "How about no more heroes what so ever, or at the very least make sure it's not another Saiyan."

"You and the Saiyans again, it's like you have an obsession," Discord said. "Most of the Saiyans are extinct anyway."

"Well I guess that's a relief," Shocker said. "Don't know what I would do it-"

"In Universe 7, bit in Six they are flourishing," Discord said.

"UGH!" Shocker groaned in annoyance. "Just...please don't make things worse for us."

"I'm with Shocker," Adagio said, making her way over with The Dazzlings and Mysterio. "It just seems like you're doing things at random."

"Casting is very important when it comes to a performance, at least allow for an audition before the current cast," Mysterio said.

"Alright my little Deviants, if that's what you desire," Discord said.

"And stop calling us 'Deviants', it's not happening!" Adagio said.
boil
"Yeah it's just plain dumb," Aria said.

"Let's just go with Electro's idea," Sonata said. "Sinister Squadron."

"I'm not totally on board with that, but it is a hell of a lot better than 'Discord's Deviants'," Shocker said.

"I just want you all to know that...you're all jerks," Discord said. "But maybe I should take a step back for now and let Martin have his fun. Plus I'm hoping for less distractions, especially with Twilight being so close to figuring out what happened to Starswirl and his Pillars. Let's see where things go from there."

"I'd like to know myself," Adagio said. "What did happen to you Starswirl?"

The villains eagerly awaited what was to come, big surprises that even they may not expect. Plus the boiling tensions between The Avengers may also prove to be the start of a catalyst for them to enjoy.

Comments

[spiders123]

Oh will there be gang wars?