And here we are, with the massive finale of series three now complete, and the beginning of series four now upon us!
This story's endgame is now upon us. The greatest villain has now been revealed, and she is now ascendant in her plans. Our heroes have been battered, beaten, and bruised in their constant struggles against the forces of darkness, and now they find themselves to be an entire universe away.
For some, it is a return home.
For others, it is an alien world so much like their own.
For all of our heroes, what should've been a momentous occasion has now become a statement of their greatest defeat.
I present to you: Homecoming!
Peter and his friends look up to the Avengers as they lower themselves down from the Quinjet hovering above them, asking just where Peter has been for the last two years, and who his new friends are.
Peter doesn't answer. Can't answer, actually. He's still processing everything that has happened in the last few hours. The others try to get their own words out, but Ochako and Mei can't understand English, and Izuku and Momo only know a little bit of it. Keemia is their only point of real contact in understanding what has happened whilst Black Cat silently rubs Aunt May's back, Aunt May herself unsure of what's even going on anymore. Everything has just happened so fast.
The Avengers quickly gather up the new arrivals and take them to the Avengers Mansion, where Iron Man and Captain America, who can speak and understand Japanese, are able to communicate with the young former heroes, that being Izuku, Momo, Ochako, and Mei, and the four of them, along with Keemia, bring the lot of them up to speed on what's going on, from the two Wars of the Symbiotes to the rise of S.I.L.K. to the death of the Green Goblin to Cindy Moon grabbing the Infinity Stones, levelling an entire city, and what she plans to do with them. The four of them are still confused as to what happened, and can't believe that they've been transported to another universe, hoping, almost pleading, that they'd simply been sent to the opposite side of their own world.
But that is when they are greeted by a new arrival, Doctor Strange, who confirms to them that they have indeed been transported to a parallel universe, Peter Parker's original universe to be exact. What's more is that the barriers around that universe are already sealing themselves up. Travel between universes is already difficult enough as it is, but now that universe's Cindy Moon seems to be using the Infinity Stones to strengthen the cosmic barriers around her universe, preventing anyone from getting in.
It would take a lot of strength to break through that barrier now. Strength that even he, the Sorcerer Supreme, did not possess.
Recognising the threat that Silk poses in her home dimension, as well as the threat that she poses to the multiverse in general with her access to the Infinity Stones and the Anti-Venom Symbiote (likening it to the Incursion events that they've had to deal with before), Doctor Strange and the Avengers agree to do their best to monitor the situation and try and find a safe passage through the universe to confront the threat.
However, at this moment, there is nothing that they can do.
The best thing that Spider-Man and the other newcomers can do is simply take some time to rest and recuperate. They've been through a hell of a lot. They deserve some time to simply sit and come to terms with what has happened to them.
It's not what they want to hear, but for now, there's nothing more to be done.
So, Spider-Man and his group leave. As it turns out, Aunt May's and Peter's old home was repossessed and sold off by the city due to their going missing ages ago, meaning that they've lost the family home. Instead, Iron Man gets in contact with S.H.I.E.L.D., and is able to get them set up in an apartment in the centre of New York.
There, Spider-Man, Momo, Izuku, Ochako, Keemia, Mei, Aunt May, and Black Cat settle themselves in. All of them are silent and tense, with the kids shaking and filled with coiled nerves over everything that has happened. The new arrivals to New York, to Peter's home universe, are still unable to comprehend everything that is going on, their minds rolling and tumbling over everything that they've left behind.
Izuku, in particular, can't get the image of Bakugo... of what happened to him out of his head.
Peter, meanwhile, is simply staring at the black mask in his hands. His mask, his symbol, everything that he stood for...
And it had come up short in the end.
It had all been twisted. Perverted. Made into something monstrous...
And now people have died because of it.
Because of him.
The doors to the apartment open up, and they look up to see a girl the same age as Peter, with red hair and green eyes, make their way inside to greet them.
Her eyes widen as she spies Peter inside.
It's Mary Jane Watson, who is shocked and overwhelmed at the sight of Peter being back.
And Peter...
Suddenly, the realisation of what has happened finally comes crashing down onto him.
He breaks down, and just begins to cry.
And that opens the floodgates for Izuku, Momo, Keemia, Ochako, and Mei as well, and soon, the room is filled with the sobbing of children who have seen and lost more than any child ever should.
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And soon...
Two years will have passed by.
I wanted to continue on from here, but somehow it felt wrong to continue this chapter from that little segment. Instead, I'm going to split it up and release what was supposed to be the second part of this arc in the next chapter!
First thing I need to figure out though is what I'm supposed to call it.
I'm starting to run out of names.