From there, the madness accelerated. Cartoon characters, some of them Mariana and company recognized, began to take shape and fly across the room. Their Spider-Sense was the only thing saving them from being flattened by a bus. As they split up, it was the new Spider-Person who had to be left behind. Mariana had to use quick thinking and her strong webs to cushion herself from debris. The madness encompassing the field left her unable to join her friends. Had she looked just a bit left, she would have seen her father, Juan Carlos Reyes, looking on in shock. His mission had led him to Glomgold's basement, and he was open-eyed, staring in disbelief at what he witnessed.
Though all of the Spider-People were engaged in combat. Yusuke was facing a two on one with some of Glomgold's thugs. Though his martial arts skills seemed to be to his advantage. "Come on, ready to go?" He boxed at the air and encouraged them to fight. When they mobbed him, he just used a blast from his fingers to push them all back. "Works every time," he blew the smoke like a pistol. "Ghost training on top of spider training will do that to you."
Hilda charged with Twig taking the lead. Using their mind link, Hilda was able to direct Twig across the battlefield, ripping apart everyone in her path. But it was Sendak who held her down, breaking the link. Twig darted and frolicked, unimpacted by the mind link, but Hilda strained from underneath. Just as Sendak pulled his knife, a beehive fell on his head, misdirecting him. Falling from the roof was Piglet, strategically searching for any honey-based implements he could use.
Ripping off the hive, Sendak shouted in disgust at Piglet. "I will not lose now to a cartoon pig!" He spat.
"You have a p-p-problem with cartoons?" Piglet asked, dejected. Then, he snapped into a rage. He took out a stray honey jar and splashed the honey at Sendak. The bees were provoked by the smell and allure of honey, and swarmed Sendak. He ran and ran far away, and then was pounced on by Twig, who bit his pants. A whack from Yusuke holding a crowbar and Sendak fell unconscious. "How's THAT for a cartoon?!" Piglet taunted Sendak.
Marco moved up to Mariana, and together they fought Medusa. "I like your suit," Marco complimented. "You look pretty!"
"Thanks," Mariana giggled. She swung a glistening web in front of her, and Marco rushed alongside. Shiro was there to supply backup just in case. He offered a web, winked, and encouraged the younger two Spider-People to do the same. Of they swung and together, they punched Medusa in the face. She growled and registered a counter.
"Duck!" Marco warned just as she came in for a hit. With the Spider-Sense on for all three, they dodged an 18-wheeler which careened right into Medusa.
Wasting no time, Mariana stood tall above her friends. She was the captain now. It was her who had to stand firm and win the day. "I got this," Mariana cautioned her friends away. "I can do this."
"But the whatzit?" Shiro asked.
Mariana revealed the whatzit, hidden in her fist, as Shiro's jaw dropped. "Remember, watch the hands!" Mariana reminded Shiro of his trick as she waved her own hands around in front of him.
Mariana took off, swinging on her dazzling crystal web to the collider. She remembered a few tricks her Spider-Man had showed her, and decided to do a few aerial flips and spins with the skill of a ballet dancer. Mariana pulled them off perfectly, without a bobble or sway to be seen. "Beautiful!" Shiro called from below.
"You'll do great as Cinderella," Marco assured.
Meanwhile, Hilda looked on her deerfox in sorrow. Twig's paw had been hurt, and he whimpered on the floor. She hugged him close, and turned to Yusuke. "It'll be okay, kid." Hilda nodded. Yusuke turned his web in Shiro's direction and bolted off with his friends in tow.
-
All the Spider-People had gathered to see the collider still moving. Mariana assured them all it was working properly and inserted the whatzit to gain control of the beam. Flintheart Glomgold himself watched from behind the glass, enraged at his defeat.
"So...is this goodbye?" Marco wondered aloud.
Mariana punched in a code. "I think so. But...I'm glad we all got to meet each other." She punched in a code and opened up a dark void. "Alright, the portal is open. Let's have Hilda and Twig go first."
"You were a credit to us all, Mariana." She smiled weakly at Mariana, waving Twig's injured paw. "Twig and I thank you. We will never forget you."
They vanished into the void. Another redirection and the signals indicated it was Yusuke's turn. "You...you people were a great help to me on my journey. Thanks." He did not have the motions for a longer speech. Holding up his Rubik's Cube, he alerted everyone to his progress. "I'll tell you if I solve this back home. I think I'm almost done." With one last salute, he too fell into the portal.
Next to leave was Piglet. He gave Mariana a honey jar with her name written on it in Sharpie. "I made this for you special. Even when the others b-b-beat you up, I still believed." A tear in his eye, he gave a thumb up and curled into a ball. "Goodbye, Mariana. And thank you!" Spinning around, Piglet followed his comrades.
Marco looked backwards next, but before he left, he had a confession for Mariana. "I'm too young for you, Mariana. I mean, it's about fourteen months, but still. I don't think this would have worked out."
"That's okay," Mariana laughed. Despite the hug and the attention-seeking, she had seen Marco as just a friend. Someone she would like to know better, but had no romantic interest. Offering her hand, she asked, "So what do you say, Friends?"
"Friends!" Marco shook her hand. Giving one last glance, he promised, "I'll see you later, Mariana." And with a smile and a wink, he thrust his whole body in the portal.
Shiro stalled. He couldn't seem to be able to move. In his old age and hesitance, he could not go through the portal. Then, Glomgold came and fought back. Shiro tried his best to hold him off, and cautioned Mariana to shut off the machine.
"No," Mariana refused. "I won't. You need to go."
Mariana did not wait. She webbed Shiro and held him over the portal. "But how will I know I will make it?" Shiro complained.
Mariana smiled beneath her mask, and offered the same advice Shiro had offered her. "You won't."
"It's a leap of faith," Shiro mouthed. Nodding, he prepared himself for the collapse. As Mariana let go, Shiro smiled as he fell back into the portal. He was going home!
-
Now there were only two: Mariana and Glomgold. Figures and silhouettes of cartoon characters fizzed in and out of existence. "Yes," Glomgold shouted. "It is I, your new ruler!" But the characters just backed off and fizzed away, uncertain of what to say. They were all too scared of the duck.
Mariana's dad Juan Carlos watched in horror as Glomgold advanced on the Spider-Woman. He didn't know it was his own daughter, but was still rooting for her. "Spider-MAN couldn't defeat me alone," Glomgold taunted as he threw Mariana to the ground. "What makes you think you can, Spider-Girl?"
Mariana lay prone as the colors turned dark black. Weakened but not down, she stood to her feet and shook her head. Spitting out the side of her platform, she answered. "Because I am not alone. Though my family may not be here, the lessons they taught and the ideas I've learned are still with me." Remembering Lotor's advice, she bent down, tilted her arms to her side, and held onto Glomgold. Just as she had done with Marco.
"Like this," she sneered. Using all her Spider-Strength and crystal powers, she thrust Glomgold way from her in one bold motion. He hit the green button, dead on the mark! A giant black hole sucked everything back in. IT was loud, roaring, and uncertain in the void. Everything seemed to make a loud crunch. But when it was over, Mariana was suspended from her dazzling web, free from the carnage. She had survived. Juan Carlos looked up from the wreckage and saw the web residue, but Mariana herself was gone!
-
Juan Carlos returned to his car to see his phone ringing. He recognized the number as Mariana. "Sweetie, Mariana Honey, are you okay?"
"Yes," Mariana answered. "I'm fine, Dad. Nothing wrong with me. Are you able to talk now?"
"Yeah, I can talk," Juan Carlos answered. "You see, your uncle Lotor..."
"I know," Mariana sighed. It sounded like she had seen the death for herself. "I am so sorry." Juan Carlos said nothing, himself saddened by his brother's loss.
"Did you find out the culprit?" Mariana wondered, breaking the silence.
"No, the case was inconclusive. We saw a Spider-Person, but she was cleared," Juan Carlos affirmed. "But remember what I said at the school, hon? It wasn't just empty talk. I meant it all. And I bought space for a mural. We can paint something together..."
"Cool, Dad!" And then, the phone went dead.
Juan Carlos sat confused as the busy signal blared in his ear. He was so disappointed at what happened. Then, a Spider-Person in a cyan blue suit glistening like crystal popped up in front of him. "Excuse, me sir..." she started. Her voice sounded familiar, but Juan Carlos couldn't quite trace it.
"Oh, hello. You're the new Spider-Woman, right?"
Spider-Woman looked at her feet and stalled before her rebuttal. "Actually, I prefer the name Crystal Spider. I don't want something generic. Crystal Spider has some flair. I like flair."
"Okay, well, Crystal Spider," Juan Carlos continued. "I appreciate what you're doing and I feel you are a service to our city."
"Thanks," Crystal Spider answered.
"I may not entirely understand you and I feel the Spider-Man Phenomenon needs more research at my department," Juan Carlos continued. "But...I am glad to have you as an ally."
"No problem, sir." Crystal Spider webbed off. But before she did, she told Juan Carlos to turn around to see a special gift. Juan Carlos looked and saw in dazzling webs the words, "Thank you, from the new Crystal Spider" written on the walls to various buildings in impressive calligraphy.
Once she was out of the way, Crystal Spider was hounded by paparazzi. Everyone was happy for her, thanking her for saving the city, wanting to be just like her. She received compliments for her suit and her courage. Under the suit, Mariana felt for the first time like she was welcomed. Anywhere.
- Alright, let's cover this one last time. For real. Here's the end... My name is Mariana Reyes. I was bitten by a radioactive spider. And ever since, I have become my own Spider-Person. The Crystal Spider. I made some friends, saved the universe, nailed my ballet audition... (Shows Mariana dancing as Cinderella.) ...Of course I got the lead! Then, I got hit by a drone, painted outside with my dad... (Shows Mariana and Juan Carlos painting a mural in tribute to Uncle Lotor.) Slapped a sticker where Dad will never find it... (She does.) And I also met my roommate, finally... (She is seen high-fiving her roommate for the first time.) Her name is Jae-Yoo. She's really nice, and knows quite a bit about Spider-Man. Which is a huge help! But whenever I'm feeling down, I breathe in and reflect. I look up and realize...I'm not alone... (Montage of the other Spider-People. Marco hugs Star to reform her, remembering Mariana's first meeting. Shiro has a new boyfriend and brings him flowers to their first date. Yusuke has solved the Rubik's Cube. Piglet is eating honey on the way to Pooh. Hilda is nursing Twig to health with her elf friends...) I have friends who get it. People who showed me the way, as I showed them. We helped each other overcome our problems and it was a good time. But in our uniqueness, we showed anyone can step up and be a hero. Anyone can wear the mask. Anyone can be Spider-Man, including a fifteen-year-old Salvadoran girl in dance academy. I am the Crystal Spider. I'm me! But even though I'm an original. I was NEVER the only one... (Playing "Cuando Pase el Temblor", Mariana relaxes on the bed. A colored vortex opens up around her as the other Spider-People call out to her. Fade out as Mariana smiles.)
(Comic cover showing "Crystal Spider" Mariana on the cover in a cool pose. Mariana's narration begins like all the other characters.)
Epilogue
In the far-off future, Mariana's story was watched by yet another Spider-Man. Visions and messages from Mariana's final battle played on big screen TV's. A woman named Mirage flickered into view, talking to her boss. "And this was how the multiverse was saved, Mr. Mallard."
"Perfect," the avian billionaire echoed. It was Darkwing Duck, having acquired Spider Powers among many others, watching the progress. The attack on the Multiverse all those years before had led to breakthroughs in parallel universe technology.
"And this watch allows you to accomplish what they did so long ago." Mirage handed him a watch and encouraged him to try it on. "Want to give it a whirl?"
"Of course I do," Darkwing answered. He put it on and set the dial for Earth-67. "And I know just where to go." In a flash, he was gone.
Darkwing found himself in an odd world. Where the colors were pastel and the movements of people were limited in bizarre ways. He stood in front of someone he recognized, and sought to welcome him like an old friend. It was the original Spider-Man. But the original Spider-Man had other ideas. "Whoa, a talking duck? What is this!" He pointed right at Darkwing to signal his presence.
"No, you don't get it," Darkwing pointed back. "I just wanted to talk to you. I'm a Spider-Man too, and I need to see the original."
"Don't point at me!" Spider-Man continued. "It's rude to point!"
"You pointed at me!" Retaliated Darkwing. And on they went, around and around in circles.
Two officers were watching in confusion. Unsure of what to make of this nonsense. "So...who pointed first?"
"I don't know," the second one replied. "But I think it was a Spider-Man."
And they continued to argue, in what was sure to be called the dumbest and most built-up inside joke of all-time.
The End