Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Abacus Cinch was a respectable woman. Or at least she used to be until "that" event.

The cursed Friendship Games.

Just by remembering them, Cinch could feel her blood boiling with rage. Therefore, Abacus Cinch had begun using all her resources, obtained after years of being the Crystal Prep principal, to investigate magic and how to counteract it. And now she was obsessed.

Obsessed with ending the people who had ruined her life.

But during her investigations, she discovered something that she thought impossible.

It was true that even before "that" event, Cinch knew there were tons of strange people, and that included the criminals everyone considered heroes, such as the Avengers, or Spider-Man and his cronies, or those who were even worse, like Nick Fury, Victor Von Doom and the Red Skull.

However, during her research and experiments to discover a way to counteract the magic of the students of Canterlot High, she discovered that humans also possessed their own magic, but only a few hundred had been able to use it. Among them were people who she believed were legend, such as Merlin, and even more recent people like a man who was previously a neurosurgeon, whose name was Stephen Strange.

After that, Cinch dedicated her research to investigate further about human magic, finding various books of spells, manuals of mystical objects and several others.

And now, the former Crystal Prep principal, was in the small apartment that she had had to get, after having to sell almost all her belongings to pay for her research, reading a magic book while using a dictionary to translate the parts she didn't understand at all.

At that moment, someone knocked on the door, but since it was usually her annoying landlord or someone else who came to charge her for her bills, she simply ignored him and continued her investigations. But whoever was outside her door kept insisting for several minutes, which started to annoy her.

"Abacus Cinch, we know you're in there!" Said the voice of a woman. "Open the door!"

"Go away and leave me alone!" Cinch snapped before covering her mouth.

"Under the authority of S.H.I.E.L.D., open this door or we'll bring it down and we'll arrest you." Another woman snapped.

'S.H.I.E.L.D?!' Cinch thought. 'But what did I do?!'

Moved under the instinct of survival, Cinch walked up to the door and opened it, finding four people in front of it, two women, one with tanned skin and dark brown hair in a S.H.I.E.L.D. uniform, another one with white skin and a weird green hair in a uniform similar to that of the first woman but in green and with a different logo, a Caucasian man with brown hair and a few gray hairs on his temples, who wore a S.H.I.E.L.D. uniform, and a strange reddish humanoid creature with a head similar to that of a dog.

"May we come in?" The man said.

"Y-Yeah..." Cinch stuttered.

Cinch moved aside and the four people entered the apartment, but out of the four, only the humanoid made a friendly gesture.

"Good afternoon." The humanoid said.

"G-good afternoon..." Cinch stuttered again.

The three humans and the creature sat in the few chairs that Cinch had and asked Cinch to sit with them, with a gesture. Once she did, the man sighed a little.

"Well, Mrs. Cinch..." Said the man. "To begin with, I think we should introduce ourselves. My name is Phillip Coulson, I'm the Head of Operations of S.H.I.E.L.D."

"I am María Hill, Deputy Director of S.H.I.E.L.D." Said the tan-skinned woman.

"My name is Abigail Brand, I'm the Head of Operations of S.W.O.R.D." Said the green-haired woman before she gestured at the humanoid creature. "And he's our Head of Investigations, Sydren."

"It is a pleasure." Said the creature with a kind gesture.

"Now that that's done, you're probably a little surprised by our presence here." Coulson said.

"A little is an understatement..." Cinch let out.

"The fact is that since your statements a year ago in Equestria, Ohio, S.H.I.E.L.D. has kept an eye on you and on the students of Canterlot High." Hill explained.

"How...?"

"In organizations such as S.H.I.E.L.D. and S.W.O.R.D. we know everything and we know everyone. We never take our eyes off those who may be a threat." Coulson snapped. "Not much less to those who can be useful to us."

"What do you mean...?"

"We mean that we've kept an eye on Canterlot High since their little incident during the Fall Formal, aside from discovering a few strange events in the cities of Angel Grove, Echo Creek, Whitechapel and Gravity Falls." Sydren said while he showed Cinch four holograms about the four cities.

"What does that have to do with me or those weird girls at Canterlot High?" Cinch asked.

"All the events that Sydren mentioned have supernatural, paranormal and/or mystical origins." Hill explained. "Unfortunately, all those involved in those events have managed to elude us and the people of those cities will not even talk about them. Because of it, we have taken the task to find an expert in mysticism who could help us to clarify everything that has happened and, if need be, prepare a contingency plan."

"And there's where you come in, Mrs. Cinch. You have spent a whole year studying different volumes about magic and mysticism, you have obtained data that none of our best researchers have even begun to discover." Brand explained. "And since experts like Dr. Strange, King T'Challa or Thor have not even the slightest intention of collaborating with Fury or me, we came to offer that opportunity to you, Mrs. Cinch."

"How?"

"Since we were founded almost immediately at the end of World War II, S.H.I.E.L.D. has been given the task to study the potential threats and have contingency plans for any sort of attack." Hill said. "And that is the reason why our sister organization, S.W.O.R.D., was founded, focused on protecting us from extraterrestrial threats."

"Unfortunately, although we know a lot about mutants, Inhumans, supervillains, superheroes, the Kree, the Skrull and others, there is still a subject that eludes us; magic." Said the humanoid creature. "And that's something that our superiors do not like."

"That's why a new sister organization is being formed, one focused on studying mystical threats and stopping them." Explained Coulson. "As such, we want you not only to be part of the organization but to direct it."

"M-me?" Cinch stuttered again, this time out of excitement. "D-do you... do you really want me to be the director of this organization?"

"That's right, after all, you have the ability to understand magic and mysticism with ease, along with all its variables, as well as being able to give an opinion about the use of magic, since you have developed those skills yourself."

"You're wrong... I don't..."

At that moment, Hill pulled out a blaster and fired at Cinch, who simply managed to make a quick movement with her hand and create an invisible barrier, which stopped the shot of the Deputy Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. without any problem.

At this, Cinch looked to one side and tried to cover her face.

"Calm down, you're not the only one here with extraordinary abilities." Brand chuckled. "But we would like to know your answer, Mrs. Cinch, I am not a very patient person."

"O-of course!" Cinch said with a smile. "When do I start?"

"You already did, Director Cinch." Hill said before she gave her a card. "A team will come to take all your equipment and belongings to your new headquarters."

"At the moment I ask you to come with us, there are some data that you must provide us, documents to sign and you have to receive your uniform and badge." Brand said as everyone stood up.

Abacus Cinch felt joy for the first time in a long time.

Maybe thanks to the strange girls of Canterlot High, she had lost her beloved school, but that was only for her to have something better.

And while Brand, Coulson, Hill and Sydren left their apartment, Cinch checked the card that Hill had given her and noted that it was an ID that had a blank space where her picture had to be put and the name of her new agency.

"Wizardry, Alchemy and Necromancy Department." Cinch read out loud.

"Call it W.A.N.D." Coulson said as he gestured Cinch to leave. "It'll be better to leave, Brand is not patient at all."

Cinch nodded again and followed Coulson, closing the door of her apartment, as she thought about how she would use her new agency not only to protect people from the influence of magic, but also how she could make Sunset Shimmer and her friends pay for what they had done to her.

After all, they possessed magic and as such, they were also a threat.

Chapter Text

(Three weeks after the events of "The Director")

It was a rather calm morning, the sun was shining, there were few clouds in the sky and the water was calm.

And yet, aboard the Stan o' War II, Stanford Pines was uneasy. As the scientist cleaned his instruments so that he could decide where they should go next, he couldn't help but feel as if something dark was coming, something that while it may not be nearly as alarming as the Weirdmaggedon, it still worried him because he had had that feeling for quite a while.

Since he had returned to his universe, which he had cataloged as MU-95, he had investigated the history of the last years, finding that there were many things that surprised him, such as the fact that they had found and thawed Captain America, who was thought dead since World War II, that the gods of the Norse, Greek and Mexica mythologies existed, that there were mutated humans and some others who were born with amazing powers, as well as organizations on a global scale that investigated said humans, and what truly intrigued him the most was that magic actually existed.

And since the United States government had already been after him, or rather his work in the hands of his twin brother, it was more than obvious that organizations like S.H.I.E.L.D. would target him for being a threat, just like that girl who had appeared from another dimension and whatever had attacked a town, both in California, or the strange occurrences in Ontario, or the school with magical girls in Ohio; and therefore they would seek him sooner or later.

And in case what he felt was related to that, it would be sooner rather than later.

And while the smart twin was doing a good job at hiding what he felt, his brother Stanley walked by his cabin door and could see perfectly well that there was something that worried Ford, since he was an expert at spotting phonies and liars.

"Hey, Ford, what's going on?" Stan asked his brother as he entered his cabin. "And don't try to fool me, I know that there's something bugging you."

Ford quickly thought on a lie but dismissed it soon, since Stan would see without a doubt that it was a lie, so he sighed and turned to face his twin.

"All right, Stanley..." Ford sighed. "I'll tell you what's going on. Surely you know well everything that has happened in this dimension since I left, but not me, so I began to investigate what had happened since the incident with the portal until today, and the truth was I was surprised by many things."

"Bet there's nothing you hadn't seen already."

"Well, you're right, even the Avengers are not that impressive next to what I have seen, but there's something that worries me and it's the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division."

"The what now?"

"You know them as S.H.I.E.L.D."

"Oh right... why do you care? It's not like this Fury and his goons are after us, I mean, yeah it's kinda weird that you have six fingers, but I doubt it's that bad."

"It's not about that, Stanley, it's about your crimes and my investigation. We stopped those agents, but surely S.H.I.E.L.D. had backups of that information and they're tracking us."

"You worry too much, there're other more important things that'll keep Fury busy."

"And that's why I'm in charge of investigating you." Said a woman's voice.

At that instant, the Pines drew their weapons and pointed them at the cabin door, but a bluish energy snatched the weapons from their hands and threw them against the wall, while a purplish-haired Caucasian woman who wore glasses and a reddish-colored uniform similar to the one used by SHIELD agents, entered the cabin, forming a smirk that chilled their blood.

"Stanford and Stanley Pines, it's a pleasure to finally meet you." Said the woman with the sinister smirk.

"So you were right, S.H.I.E.L.D. was after us." Ford said.

"Not quite." Said the woman. "You see, Doctor Pines, my name is Abacus Cinch. I'm the Director of an organization dedicated to studying and controlling paranormal and/or mystical threats, known as the Wizardry, Alchemy and Necromancy Department, or W.A.N.D. for short."

"Whatever you're looking for, you won't find it here, Director Cinch, we have nothing mystical nor paranormal." Ford said.

"Au contraire, Doctor Pines, I'm seeing just what I'm looking for."

Cinch snapped her fingers and the Pines were forced to take a seat as Cinch did the same.

"You're a witch... quite literally..." Stan said.

"I prefer the term 'mistress of the mystical arts.'"

"That only applies to magic users who learn under the Ancient One's tutelage." Snapped Ford.

"I learned by myself, with books written by several of his pupils, in addition, it would've been impossible for me to learn from him, he was murdered a couple of years ago."

"Get to the point, ma'am, tell us what you want." Stan snapped.

"Very well, you have been studying paranormal and mystical anomalies for years, Doctor Pines, so much so that your only equals on Earth are Doctor Stephen Strange, Mrs. Evelyn Weir and myself, and as such, I have come here to recruit you for W.A.N.D."

"My answer is no, Director Cinch, I've already had many unpleasant experiences with the government of this country and its agencies." Ford said.

"You get me wrong, Doctor Pines, it was not a job offer, it was a heads up. From this moment, you work for W.A.N.D., a team will come to take you to the Siege."

"My brother already said it, we don't accept." Stan growled.

"The thing with this is that you're in no position to refuse."

Cinch made a hand gesture and a tablet appeared in her hand, displaying a photo that made the Pines gasp as it showed their grandnephew and grandniece, Dipper and Mabel, leaving school.

"We took this photo a few days ago, the girl doesn't interest us in the least but young Mason, on the other hand..." Cinch said with a smirk.

Ford and Stan rose to their feet, raging and glaring at Cinch.

"If you dare to get close to them..." Ford threatened.

"What will you do? Use any of your weapons against me? Neither of you can handle a sorceress who is on par with the Sorcerer Supreme." Cinch laughed. "The choice is yours, Doctor, one way or another I will get the information I seek from you, such as all about Bill Cipher and the... What did you call it?... Ah, yes, Weirdmaggedon."

"That never happened..."

"Dr. Pines, please, I have seen girls with dark magic open portals to a land of colored ponies, alien warriors fighting for Earth, the Avengers in action and I have even fought with the Supreme Sorcerer and Iron Man, and now I have access to several of the most advanced and complete databases in the world, with surveillance satellites and all, do you really think I don't know about Gravity Falls, at least what's visible on satellites?"

The Pines twins looked at each other, knowing Cinch had them between a rock and a hard place.

Neither of them wanted to give in to the witch, but they knew they had no choice if they wanted to protect their family.

"Fine, but on one condition, Cinch." Ford sighed in defeat.

"I suppose that would be fair, but it depends on your condition, Doctor Pines." Cinch snapped.

"I want you to get away from Dipper permanently, and for my brother to work with me, we're a team and if we're investigating paranormal phenomena together it's to make up for lost time between us."

"Your conditions are acceptable." Cinch said. "Now, I suggest you pack your things, a team will come in a few hours to take your belongings to the Siege."

Cinch stood up again and handed two W.A.N.D. blank IDs to Ford.

"Welcome to the Wizardry, Alchemy and Necromancy Department, Deputy Director Pines." Cinch said.

With that said, Cinch snapped her fingers and a strange ring appeared oh her hand, then she put it on and turned her hand several times, opening a portal in front of her, which she went through and disappeared a few seconds later, leaving Ford quite confused by the statement of the Director of W.A.N.D.

"At least you have a high position." Stan blurted out.

"Yes, sadly I can only hope to be Cinch's pawn in whatever she's planning... I just hope we don't have to do anything immoral or that Cinch breaks her promise."

"If she does, I don't care if she's a woman or if she faced Iron Man, I'll break her neck."

"You know I always admire your courage and your ability to risk everything for family, Stanley, but this time Cinch has us both tied..."

"If there's something I know how to do is break contracts and exploit weaknesses, Ford, calm down, this time I'll be the hero and I'll be the one who saves you, me and the kids."

Ford couldn't help but smile.

Definitely having his brother by his side would make it easier to have to work for someone like Cinch.

Now it only remained to hope for the best and get ready for whatever Cinch had in store for them.

Chapter Text

(One week after the events of "The Director")

Abigail Brand was not a woman who liked doing field research very much. She was more of a woman who liked to run operations from the comfort of the newly rebuilt Damocles Base or to be on missions that required action.

However, her boss, Henry Gyrich, had been very specific.

'I want you and some agents to go to Angel Grove.' Gyrich had said. 'The problem that Fury detected was not mystical but from alien origin, so it's in our jurisdiction. Find out what happened, what caused it, and if it will have long-term or short-term consequences.'

For this reason, the Chief of Operations of S.W.O.R.D. and several agents from the same organization were walking undercover on the outskirts of town, where Brand was receiving a strange energy reading.

In front of a gold mine fence, Brand pulled out some kind of radar from her pocket and used it to scan the surroundings, receiving common readings.

"Sydren is not usually wrong, besides, Angel Grove was devastated not long ago." Brand let out. "So the source of everything should be around here somewhere..."

Brand sighed, took off the cap she used to be inconspicuous, and wiped the sweat from her forehead. After putting the cap back on, the Sentient World Observation and Response Department Chief of Operations noticed something out of the corner of her eye.

Something that caught her attention.

A teenage girl was sneaking in not far from there.

Taking advantage of the various local police vans that were around her, forming a fence to prevent vehicles from entering the mine, Brand hid behind one of them and observed the girl. Moments later, Brand watched in amazement as the girl flexed her legs a little and managed to jump high enough to pass over the fence, seemingly effortlessly, and then run off at superhuman speed.

Right after, Brand jumped over the fence and ran after the girl, hoping she could even see where she was going.

After a couple of minutes, Brand managed to see the girl plummet through some kind of crack on the ground.

However, she managed to hear the girl let out a cry of joy when she threw herself, so she doubted that she had committed suicide. As such, Brand approached the rift and was able to glimpse a small pond at the bottom of the rift, as well as the slight waves caused by the girl's fall.

After examining it for a couple of minutes, Brand noticed that there was no sign of the girl, so she deduced that she had probably submerged, indicating that the pond led to a place where there was either a cave or an entrance to some kind of hideout for the apparently-superhumans.

With that in mind, Brand pulled out some kind of cellphone and a small device, which she dropped into the crack, causing it to emit a series of laser beams, which were scanning the place and sending the image to the device in Brand's hand.

After a couple of minutes, and getting surprised as she discovered that the water was magically suspended over an underground cavern, Brand activated her communicator.

"Damocles, this is Brand." Said the green-haired woman through her communicator. "I have a lead to the possible lair of the vigilantes known as the 'Colored Warriors.' Requesting reinforcements for their capture and interrogation, over."

"10-4, Brand." A voice replied over the communicator. "Director Gyrich is dispatching Agents Danvers, Morse and Johnson."

"Negative, don't send Agent Johnson, the lair is underground, her skills could end up burying us."

"Negative, Brand, it's too late to cancel the reinforcements, so I'll try not to use my powers." Daisy Johnson's voice said over the communicator.

After hearing Agent Johnson's voice, Brand couldn't help but let out an exasperated sigh.

Seconds after finishing the transmission, a S.H.I.E.L.D. jet landed not far from Brand and out of it emerged three women wearing colorful, tight outfits, which distinguished them as the heroines Mockingbird, Miss Marvel, and Quake.

"Where's the lair, Agent Brand?" Miss Marvel asked.

"Hope you're ready to swim." Brand said.

With that said, Brand leaped into the crack and began to swim to the bottom of the pond and fell gracefully to the ground.

Moments later, Miss Marvel, Quake, and Mockingbird fell after her in a less than graceful manner, then Brand pulled out a scanner and used it to guide the team through the underground cavern.

"This place is creepy." Miss Marvel said.

"Just stay alert, Agent Danvers." Brand said.

Minutes later, the agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and S.W.O.R.D. were in front of what appeared to be the entrance of some kind of ship, but when they tried to get closer, the entrance closed, releasing a sealing mechanical hiss, a series of red lights turned on and two warning lights illuminated the four women, who covered their eyes and growled as the intensity of the lights hurt their eyes. Seconds later, some kind of holographic projections of what appeared to be the creatures that had attacked Angel Grove not long ago surrounded Brand, Danvers, Johnson, and Morse.

"Intruder alert." Said a mechanized voice. "Leave this base quietly and calmly at once or you will face the security system."

"Well, I suppose we'll have to set subtleties aside." Miss Marvel said while she covered her hands with energy.

At that moment, Brand took out her blaster, Morse took her staff and Johnson charged her hands with seismic energy, then the creatures let out some sort of roar and lunged at the agents, to be quickly destroyed by them.

However, more and more holograms were replacing the ones that were destroyed, causing the agents to become annoyed and, in Morse and Brand's case, to tire.

"Take cover!" Miss Marvel yelled as she covered her body with intense golden energy.

Morse, Brand, and Johnson didn't reply, they simply managed to slip through the crowd of holograms and take cover behind some rock formations. On the other hand, Danvers extended her limbs as far as she could and let out a cry as a powerful blast of energy emanated from her body, destroying everything in its path.

After getting rid of the holograms, Danvers fell to her knees, exhausted after using most of her energy, then grunted in pain as she was kicked to the face, sending her crashing into the cavern wall.

On the other hand, Brand snarled and fired at whoever had attacked Miss Marvel, while Morse and Johnson got into combat stance as they noticed other attackers around them.

"Surrender or you'll force us to hurt you!" Said one of the attackers.

"By orders of S.H.I.E.L.D. and S.W.O.R.D., surrender!" Brand yelled.

"You're not in a position to make threats." Said another of the attackers.

"I wouldn't be so sure..." Miss Marvel growled.

Suddenly, Agent Danvers roared and lunged at the attackers, being covered in a golden aura, which increased her speed and strength.

Despite having the surprise factor and knowing the environment better, the attackers were quickly defeated by Miss Marvel, who threw five humanoids wearing similar but different colored armors, in front of Johnson, Brand and Morse, then she landed next to her allies and charged her hands with golden energy.

"Surrender now." Brand snapped as they surrounded the humanoids.

"Hell... I didn't know Miss Marvel was here..." Said one of the attackers, who had yellow armor and a female voice.

"You attacked her and you didn't realize it?" Asked one of the arrested, who was wearing black armor.

"Reveal your identities right now." Danvers said.

"Stop, stop, stop!" Snapped a shrill voice.

Suddenly, the entrance opened and a small robot of red and silver colors, with a head in the shape of a gold-colored plate with a dome-shaped center that was apparently made of glass, and large eyes protruding from its head, appeared and walked over to the female agents, causing confusion among them.

"What are you?" Brand asked.

"I'm Alpha-5, an alphormic lorcaid persona android." Said the robot. "In short, I'm a talking robot."

"What are you doing here?"

"First, I beg you to put away your weapons and calm down, the Rangers will not hurt you."

"Speak. Now." Danvers demanded while she aimed her hands with energy at Alpha-5.

"Interesting." Alpha blurted out suddenly. "Your physiognomy and genetics are human, but the energy signature you emit is of Kree origin."

"How do you know that?"

"I have special sensors and scanners, thanks to them I also know that the green-haired woman is not human, that the black-haired woman is an Inhuman and that the blonde is the only normal human in this place."

"What is your origin?" Brand asked.

"I was manufactured just over 65 million years ago, designated to serve and assist the Power Rangers in all their informatic and investigative needs, as well as provide emotional and medical support when required."

"65 million years?" Morse said. "Shouldn't you be... I dunno, done?"

"I've had to give myself maintenance a couple of times, but I must admit that I've extended my operational time for quite a long while."

"Enough chattering." Brand said as she aimed her blaster at Alpha-5. "I want answers. Who are they? What are they doing here? What is the cause of the events in Angel Grove? And what are the Power Rangers?"

"I will answer your questions once your agents have calmed down and put their weapons away.2 Said the robot.

"Alright..."

Reluctantly, Brand and the rest of the agents put their weapons away, letting the armored humanoids rise to their feet.

"Who are you?" Brand asked.

"I already introduced myself, and they are the Power Rangers, a group of warriors who defend life in the universe." Explained Alpha-5. "And before you ask, their identities will remain secret, no matter what your CO from the Sentient World Observation and Response Department says."

"How the hell do you know about that?!"

"The ship is connected to all communication networks and databases on the planet, except for much of the Damocles Base, those created by Ultron, the ones on the Avengers Mansion, the Baxter Building, Cerebro, a home in Paris, and the nations of Wakanda and Latveria, their systems are even more advanced than I am and that is incredible, it's great to know that you humans have made so much progress in all this time."

"Is he calling us stupid?" Morse whispered.

"Sounds like it..." Danvers snapped.

"What happened in Angel Grove and why did they appear to defend the town?" Brand asked.

"As I said, the Power Rangers defend life in the universe, and what happened was that an old enemy from a previous generation of Rangers returned to complete her plan to remove the portion of the Zeo Crystal that is on the planet, which would end all life on Earth."

"What happened to that enemy?"

"I gave her the most incredible slap in all history and sent her into space." Said the humanoid in red armor.

"You slapped her?" Danvers asked.

"Yes, yes he did." Said the humanoid in the blue armor with a laugh. "And um... uh, well, no one except Ja... I mean, Red and I get the funny thing about that..."

"Anyway, what are you doing here?" Brand asked.

"Well this is our base, so to speak, the ship's engines have been ruined for 40 million years and I don't possess the resources to repair them, so for now, the Rangers and I will have to stay in Angel Grove."

"How do we know that they won't cause problems?"

"As I said, the Rangers are protectors of life and justice, just like your Avengers or the Nova Corps, I assure you that we'll cause no problems for S.H.I.E.L.D., S.W.O.R.D, W.A.N.D. or the local authorities."

"I can't just take your word for it, you six will come with us. And we can do it the easy way or the hard way, you choose."

The Rangers looked at each other, thinking of the possibilities they had. Sure, Quake, Mockingbird, and Brand were a piece of cake for them, but Miss Marvel was too powerful for them to beat and she had already proven it. Perhaps with the Zords they'd have a chance to flee, but neither knew how fast Carol Danvers was for sure, or if the Zords would endure a fight with someone who challenged Thor and the Hulk for the title of the mightiest Avenger.

However, Alpha-5 had already run through all the variables and knew for a fact that the chances of escape were nil, so he could only negotiate a deal.

"Fine, we will, but under certain conditions." Snapped Alpha-5.

"You're in no position to make demands." Morse snapped.

"And you are in no position to reject them."

With that said, several cannons came out of the ship and aimed at the agents.

"This doesn't help what you said about not being a problem, Alpha-5." Quake blurted out.

"My intention is not to help our image, but to protect the Rangers and their loved ones." Said Alpha-5. "If their identities were discovered by anyone, it'd be catastrophic for their friends and family."

"We can protect them." Brand said.

"No, I know your methods, Agent Brand, I tapped into W.A.N.D.'s communications and I know what they did to the Weirs and the Pines families, as well as into Director Fury's files of his capture attempts against Spider-Man. I won't let you blackmail my Rangers in the same way."

The cannons began to charge, causing Johnson, Morse, and Brand to clench their fists, but Danvers simply sighed heavily and gestured her fellow agents to calm down.

"We accept your conditions, Alpha-5." Danvers snapped.

"Danvers, you don't have the authority to...!" Brand snapped.

"Brand, I know you don't like me, but I know a threat when I see it." Miss Marvel said. "Yes, the robot is aiming weapons at us, but I see that he truly fears for the safety of these Rangers, so I'll give them the benefit of the doubt and if you don't want to, then let's see how you fare alone against the cannons of this ship."

"This is insubordination, Agent Danvers..."

"I call it being an Avenger, if I happen to be wrong, you can say that you told me so and even kick me out of S.W.O.R.D. yourself, but if I'm not, you'll gain new allies. It's a win-win situation for you, Brand."

"Fine, have it your way."

Brand sighed heavily and pulled out her communicator.

"Agent Brand to Damocles Base, we found the Colored Warriors, we head out to the transport to return to the base. Over and out." Brand said.

"Understood, Brand, we await your return." Sydren answered through the communicator.

Brand gestured at the Rangers and the agents, then they all sighed and followed Brand out of the cave.

(Later)

The Power Rangers were now in front of Henry Gyrich, Abigail Brand, and Carol Danvers. And ever since they had arrived at Damocles Base, Gyrich and Brand glared at Danvers while the Rangers only looked at them in doubt about what was going to happen.

"Well, that's enough, stop looking at me like that and just do what you're going to do, I have to go to the Avengers Mansion to talk to Iron Man about a problem they detected." Miss Marvel said before she left Gyrich's office.

Once Danvers left the office, Gyrich and Brand turned their attention to the Rangers, who sighed heavily as Alpha-5 walked over to Gyrich's desk.

"Nice to meet you, Director Gyrich, I'm Alpha-5, the alphormic lorcaid persona android in charge of the Power Rangers' medical, emotional and informatic support." Alpha-5 said as he literally extended his hand to the Director of S.W.O.R.D.

Gyrich looked disdainfully at the little android's hand, then drew it away with a pen and sighed.

"According to Agent Brand's report, the five of you still haven't revealed your identities." Gyrich said while he ignored Alpha-5. "Take off your helmets immediately and identify yourselves."

"I'm afraid that won't happen, Director Grunch or whatever your name is." Said the Red Ranger. "Your report should also say why my Rangers and I refused to comply with your request..."

"That's an order..."

"A very stupid one and we refuse to comply it." The Yellow Ranger let out.

"You are in no position to refuse."

"I differ, Director Gyrich." Said Alpha-5. "Although impressive, the systems of your Damocles Base are easy to corrupt for artificial intelligences... In fact, there are two in your database, one quite aggressive and one very friendly."

"What?" Gyrich said.

"Don't worry, the friendly AI is encrypting your data, anyway the point is that if you don't want me to turn your base against you, you will leave my Rangers alone, we are not looking for problems, but I won't let you put them in danger."

Gyrich narrowed his eyes and frowned, then sighed and said:

"Fine, but under the condition that you work under the supervision of S.W.O.R.D., we already have enough with the X-Men, the Avengers, the Fantastic 4 and Spider-Man and his friends, to allow you to also to be loose around there."

"Your proposal is acceptable, as long as you don't have more info about us than we're willing to reveal." Said Alpha-5.

"Alpha!" The Rangers snapped.

"Don't worry, I make sure that none of them does anything inadequate, I don't trust Agent Brand or Director Gyrich much."

"Brand, take them to register and get a team ready to set up an outpost in Angel Grove." Gyrich ordered.

Brand only managed to nod and made a gesture for the Rangers to follow her.

Meanwhile, Jason Scott, the Red Ranger, could only ponder Alpha-5's decision and hope that the android was right, since the last thing he wanted was to put his family, his friends and their families at risk.

Meanwhile, Alpha-5 was talking with the friendly AI that he had found in the S.W.O.R.D. database, considering the option he had made and questioning the AI if it had really been a good idea, receiving a yes in response, as long as they played along for the moment, they might get out of S.W.O.R.D.'s control once and for all, they just needed certain conditions to be met that would undoubtedly, taking into account what was happening, would happen.

Chapter Text

(Three weeks after the events of "The Interdimensional Traveler")

It was a warm summer morning in the rather peaceful but strange city of Equestria, Ohio.

After the very varied events that occurred at Canterlot High, a group of seven of the students from that school were now heading to the mall to grab something to eat and take a walk to begin planning the activities they'd do during the summer break, while Sunset Shimmer was still making a couple of entries in a book.

However, neither of them imagined what was about to happen.

As the Canterlot High girls walked without any concern, they were being watched from afar by a purple-haired woman who smirked maliciously.

"Move." Said the woman as she lowered her binoculars.

"Director Cinch, with all due respect, I think this is an abuse of power." Said an elderly man who wore glasses.

"I'm not going to arrest them, far from it, Doctor Pines, we are only here to give them a warning."

"It's a very cowardly tactic of you, Cinch." Snapped an old woman.

"Like I said, I didn't come here for revenge, Weir, I'm here to speak with Sunset Shimmer in person."

"About what? ABout how you're going to force them to join W.A.N.D. like you did with my grandson, Ford, McGucket and me?"

"Please, I want to keep them as far away from me as possible. And your grandson Benjamin joined on his own, he wanted the resources to find Ethan Morgan."

"And you haven't given them to him yet, Cinch."

"He will have them when he completes training, until then, keep quiet and don't bother me."

Evelyn Weir and Stanford Pines frowned and growled, then Cinch started her car engine and began to slowly follow Sunset Shimmer.

A few minutes later, Sunset Shimmer arrived at the Rainbow Falls Mall, so Cinch entered the parking lot of the same, then got out of the car and ran quickly through the place, until she managed to spot Sunset Shimmer and her group of friends in the fast-food area, all of them smiling and chatting while Sunset Shimmer was immersed in writing in her book with a strange symbol.

A few moments later, various agents from the newly formed Wizardry, Alchemy and Necromancy Department, or W.A.N.D. for short, got around the Canterlot High girls, surprising and scaring them a bit.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing and who are you?!" Snapped one of the girls, who had rainbow-colored hair.

"Rainbow Dash, you'll get us in trouble!" Snapped a blonde with a country accent, while nudging the rainbow-haired girl.

"Can we help you with something?" Asked the girl in the book.

A laugh was heard, a laugh that Twilight Sparkle recognized almost immediately.

"It can't be..." Twilight said.

"Of course it can be, Miss Sparkle." Abacus Cinch said as she walked towards the girls.

"Principal Cinch..."

"Former principal." Rainbow Dash corrected.

"Actually, I was recently appointed as Director Cinch." Cinch said as she showed her badge to the girls. "Director of the newly formed Wizardry, Alchemy and Necromancy Department."

"Wait, that spells 'W.A.N.D.'" Pinkie Pie blurted out.

"That's right, Miss Pie, but anyway, I want you to join me right now." Cinch said. "And since you're surrounded by my men, I would suggest that you do not try to resist."

"This is an abuse of authority, Cinch, and you know it." Sunset Shimmer said.

"You think so, Miss Shimmer, but it's really just a protocol interrogation." Cinch said nonchalantly. "So please keep quiet and follow me immediately."

"We don't have a choice, girls..." Twilight sighed. "Not if we don't want to get in trouble."

"We have superpowers, we can take 'em!" Rainbow Dash said.

"Rainbow dear, even the Avengers would think twice before facing S.H.I.E.L.D. agents." Rarity snapped.

"No, actually, they wouldn't..." The athlete muttered.

"Very wise, Miss Belle, but time is ticking and I am not a patient woman." Cinch snapped.

Very reluctantly, the Canterlot High girls walked up to a black van that was opening its doors, while Cinch smirked with malicious satisfaction.

(Much later)

Sunset Shimmer and her friends were in a room where the only source of light was a lamp placed above a table in the middle of the room. Each of them was sitting differently in the chairs around the table, waiting for Abacus Cinch, the Director of W.A.N.D., to enter the place to begin their interrogation, as it had already been almost an hour since their encounter at the mall.

Suddenly, the door opened and Cinch entered the room, carrying a folder in her hands. Then, the Director of W.A.N.D. sat down in the only free chair and opened the folder so she could read its contents.

"Rainbow Dash." Cinch said while reading a report. "16 years old. 5'3 feet tall. 107.4 pounds. According to the report, her hair actually is naturally rainbow-colored, in addition to being able to run at no less than 186 miles per hour and resist all the damage that a normal human being would receive if exposed to the damage and physical strain that superspeed entails. She's a high-performance athlete, at least by high school standards, tends to act without thinking about the consequences, has an impulsive, explosive, and somewhat narcissistic temperament, and possesses average intelligence. Threat level: Medium."

Rainbow Dash snorted and put her feet up on the table, causing Cinch to look at her contemptuously for a second, then move on to the next page of the file in her hands.

"Applejack Apple." Cinch said again. "16 years old. 5'7 feet tall. 123.4 pounds. Super strength and super endurance, able to lift no less than 5 tons effortlessly and maintain heavy physical activity without rest for hours. Honest and sociable but impulsive and with a slightly strong temperament, good at business and good at resolving conflicts, average intelligence. Threat level: Low."

"That's me." Applejack sighed as she lowered her hat a little to cover her face.

"Rarity Belle. 17 years old. 5'4 feet tall..."

"I'd rather you didn't mention my weight, Director Cinch..." Rarity pleaded.

"I'll just omit it because you asked nicely. Well, as it was shown just now, the report describes Miss Belle as self-centered, spoiled, and a diva in every sense of the word. Good for fashion and business, very persuasive in getting what she wants. As superhuman abilities, she can create seemingly magical shields and use them in various ways. Slightly higher than average intelligence. Threat level: High."

"Wait, why is Rarity more dangerous than me?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Fluttershy Shy." Cinch said, olympically ignoring Rainbow Dash. "17 years old. 5'2 feet tall. 83.7 pounds. Incredibly shy and calm, unusually good-natured and kind, she knows how to control and care for all kinds of animals, even before gaining the skills to communicate with them, average intelligence. Threat level: Nil."

Fluttershy just looked at her hands and tried to look as calm as possible.

"Pinkamena Diane Pie." Cinch said with a contemptuous tone. "16 years old. 5'3 feet tall. 42 kilograms. Outgoing, enthusiastic, optimistic, smiling, fun, friendly, does not know the meaning of personal space, privacy, secrecy, sadness or pessimism. She has abilities that equal those of Wade Winston Wilson, possesses some kind of sense similar to the Spider-Sense of the masked vigilante known as Spider-Man, the ability to make all sorts of candy and pastries charge up with energy and explode... none of those abilities can be explained by any method, even with the study of magic. Surprisingly privileged intelligence. Threat level: Very high."

"Hey, I can't heal fast like Deadpool, all I do is break the fourth wall." An annoyed Pinkie Pie snapped while she read some kind of book that said 'Script.' "Oh, it seems like it won't be long before I meet him... I hope he's in a good mood."

"Twilight Sparkle. 17 years old. 5'5 feet tall. 88.2 pounds." Cinch said after she flipped another page and ignored Pinkie. "Incredibly intelligent, good with technology, a certain taste for keeping order at all times, somewhat obsessive when it comes to it, calm, patient and not very tolerant of pressure, as demonstrated in the Friendship Games. Privileged intelligence and basic magical abilities. Threat level: Extreme."

"You should add that what happened at the Friendship Games is your fault..." Twilight muttered.

"And finally, Sunset Shimmer." Cinch said as she glared at the leader of the girls. "17 years old. 5'4 feet tall. 92.6 pounds. A born leader, kind, strong and intelligent, but has a tendency to lose patience easily, as well as to be aggressive with those who hurt her friends. She possesses unknown magical abilities, agility, speed, strength, and combat abilities nothing out of the ordinary for a teenage girl who practices Tae-Kwon-Do regularly. Threat level: Unknown on her own/Extreme in the company of her friends."

"Get to the point, Cinch." Sunset Shimmer snapped. "It's been more than an hour since you arrested us, what do you want from us?"

"As always, straight to the point, Miss Shimmer." Cinch chuckled as she closed the folder. "Well, as Miss Pie said not long ago, I'm the Director of the Wizardry, Alchemy and Necromancy Department, a new branch of investigation of paranormal, mystical or similar phenomena, in order to protect civilians from any threat of that kind."

"So you're like S.H.I.E.L.D., but instead of annoying the Avengers and other superhumans, you annoy those who have magic." Sunset blurted out.

"From your point of view, yes. Anyway, I guess you already know why you are here."

"We're here because you went to investigate cities such as Gravity Falls, Mexico City, Whitechapel, Echo Creek and Paris, learning about the various phenomena related to magic and recruiting several of those involved in the events of Gravity Falls and Whitechapel, but receiving refusals and even threats from the Sorcerer Supreme, the Avengers, two very kind elders, Spider-Man, Ladybug and Chat Noir, the Mexican Government and the monarchs of a kingdom outside this dimension, in New York, Paris, City from Mexico and Echo Creek respectively." Pinkie Pie said happily. "And now you want us to work for your evil agency, sister of S.H.I.E.L.D. and S.W.O.R.D."

At Pinkie Pie's abrupt response, Cinch and the pink-haired girl's friends gasped and got shocked, especially the Director of W.A.N.D., given the accuracy of the response.

"How the hell did you know about that?!" An alarmed Cinch demanded.

"I guessed it." The smiling girl with pink hair replied as she put the Script inside her hair.

Cinch cleared her throat and adjusted her glasses, then looked sternly at the seven girls in front of her.

"Fine..." Cinch said. "Now I imagine that..."

"The answer is no, Cinch." Sunset snapped.

"You should reconsider... After all, both you and Miss Sparkle are Alpha threats to national security."

At the smirk that Cinch wore on her face, Sunset couldn't help but feel as a vein bulged on her forehead, as she was furious that Cinch was blackmailing them into joining the most-likely-evil organization that she was in charge of.

"You're a witch!" Rarity snapped. "Excuse my language, but this is utterly unacceptable!"

"Actually I was gonna tell you that you were bein' too nice to this vermin." Applejack snorted.

"I don't care what you think of me." Cinch said with the smirk still plastered on her face.

"What's stopping us from kicking your butt and escaping?" Rainbow snapped.

"Good thing you bring it up because in the year that we haven't seen each other, I have acquired certain... skills."

At that moment, Cinch made a gesture and fired some kind of energy ball from her hands, which caused a hole when it hit a wall.

"And it's not to show off, but I managed to face the Sorcerer Supreme and Iron Man at the same time." Cinch said.

"Don't try to frighten us with your witchy stuff, Director Cinch." Sunset snapped. "Your sad attempt of a blackmail won't work on us."

"You can try to escape, but you won't be able to. The Siege is the third most guarded location in the world, behind only S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Helicarrier and S.W.O.R.D.'s Damocles Base."

"I think you forgot to mention Wakanda and Latveria." Pinkie blurted out as she pointed to both countries on a world map that she had gotten from who knows where.

"Anyway, you choose: You can either give up your powers or join W.A.N.D." Cinch snapped.

The girls looked at each other, thinking about their options and the consequences of both.

For one thing, they didn't know much about Doctor Strange, but Dash and Twilight had Iron Man as one of their idols and they knew the extent of his abilities, so they could get an idea of how much power Cinch possessed. Not to mention that she had an entire agency under her command, so if they tried to fight, she would undoubtedly defeat them.

And on the other hand, if they joined W.A.N.D., Cinch would have them at her mercy and could order them to do something they didn't want to, and in case they didn't want to, Cinch could find a way to blackmail them and force them to do it.

At that moment, Sunset looked at Cinch with narrowed eyes, then her eyes glimmered for an instant, then the gold-and-red-haired girl sighed deeply and said:

"Alright..."

"Good choice." Cinch agreed with a sinister smirk.

Cinch left the room for a moment and the girls leaned closer to Sunset, hoping they could whisper without being overheard, although they knew in advance that the chances of that were practically nil.

"Are you sure about this, Sunset?" Applejack asked.

"Just trust me, I just had a vision and we need to play along with Cinch, and even though I know she's hearing this, there's nothing she can do to stop us from winning this bout." Sunset agreed.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that, Miss Shimmer." Cinch's voice said through a speaker. "Come to my office to start the paperwork, Deputy Director Pines will lead you here."

As the group of girls left the interrogation room to be enrolled in the W.A.N.D. database, Cinch couldn't help but feel great joy as everything had gone just as planned. What Sunset Shimmer had said raised a doubt, but she was completely sure that even if Stephen Strange himself supported them, they would not be able to escape her agency.

As for Sunset, she was worried, from what she had seen, while they might escape Cinch's control, she and her friends would end up going through hell, but she was sure that as long as they stayed together, they could get through anything.

Chapter Text

(A week after "The Alien Warriors")

Wang Fu was enjoying a calm afternoon, although he had had a bad feeling for a while (to be precise, ever since Strange had stolen the Fox and Bee Miraculous), he had learned to enjoy the calm moments in between all the problems that could arise in life.

Thus, the old man was drinking a cup of tea while he continued to analyze the copy of the Grimoire that he kept on his tablet, trying to think of what would be the last ingredient to activate the aquatic powers, when suddenly, someone knocked on the door of his home.

Since his schedule as masseuse was empty and there weren't any akumas or pixies causing trouble, this puzzled the old man, but he still put his tablet aside and turned it off, while Wayzz went to hide.

"Come in." Master Fu said.

The door slowly opened and a purple-haired woman wearing glasses and a uniform similar to that of S.H.I.E.L.D. but in red color, entered the master's abode, causing the old man to gasp.

"Abacus Cinch..." Fu blurted out.

"Ah, I see you already know me." Cinch said with a smirk. "Well, that saves time on introductions, Master Fu."

"What are you doing here?"

"You should already know that."

"I'm not going to reveal the identities of Ladybug, Chat Noir and Spider-Man."

"Oh, my dear master, you don't need to..." Cinch said as she covered her right hand with magical energy.

"I wouldn't be so sure..." Said the voice of another woman.

Suddenly, the room was filled with some kind of mist, whereupon Fu and Cinch found themselves floating in a purple and black mindscape, facing an elderly woman wearing reddish sunglasses, a black dress with a large white spider on her torso, who was sitting on some kind of chair with a structure similar to a large spider web on the back.

"Madame Web..." Cinch said with narrowed eyes.

"I don't like the tone in which you're speaking, Cinch, so I suggest you to calm down." Madame Web said. "And before you try to use your magic, this is not the astral plane, it's a mindscape and I'm the only one who can control it."
Cinch grunted and cursed herself under her breath for not anticipating this situation.

"Now that we're on neutral ground, how about we chat in a civilized way?" Madam Web asked.

"Very well..." Cinch reluctantly agreed. "I guess you already know why I'm here."

"Indeed, and the answer is no, Director Cinch." Master Fu said.

"I'm afraid you don't understand, the security of the world depends on us knowing well the capabilities and identities of all the Miraculous holders."

"You can fool whoever you want, Director, but not a telepath." Madame Web said.

"My intentions are not..."

"Please stop trying to fool me, like I said, you can't fool a telepath, I can see what you're up to with those poor girls from Ohio and what you've already done with the Pines twins."

Finding herself exposed by Madame Web's words, Cinch sighed.

"Fine, I'll admit it, I planned to join the holders to W.A.N.D. just like I did with the girls from Canterlot High." Cinch said. "But still, it is imperative that I do so, the Council will not take no for an answer."

"I'm afraid you'll have to appeal to their good side, Cinch, because you won't get the identities of the carriers from us for any reason." Fu snapped.

"That's impossible."

"You are Abacus Cinch, I doubt you can't make it." Madame Web said. "Now, if you're looking for information, I'm afraid none of us know much about the Miraculous."

"What...?"

"The thing with the Miraculouses is that the Order of the Guardians, founded by a Sorcerer Supreme much prior to Stephen Strange, was destroyed almost two hundred years ago in an unknown event." Master Fu said. "To be honest, I never finished Guardian training due to that event."

"And what are you supposed to do now? What's your function exactly?"

"Give emotional support and advice to the bearers, since it is the only thing we can do in the face of our lack of knowledge about their powers."

"I know there's a Grimoire and I have a copy of it thanks to the copy you made on your tablet, Master Fu." Cinch said. "You know how to decipher that code, I want you to tell me immediately how to decipher it."

"I can only partially decipher it." Fu said. "Like I told you..."

"Don't play dumb with me, Fu, I know perfectly well that you're alreay deciphering the water powers of Spider-Man, Ladybug, Chat Noir, Queen Bee and Rena Rouge."

"Yes, and as I told you, it took me a long time to figure out how to understand them, I don't know all the code."

"I'm very intuitive."

"And the Grimoire itself has a protection that prevents anyone who is not a bearer or a member of the Order of Guardians from deciphering it."

"I see that you do not understand the importance of this matter." Cinch said as she took off her glasses to clean them.

"Indeed, Director Cinch, since it has none." Madame Web said. "We already told you, you can't and won't know anything about the holders."

"One way or another, I'll get that information."

"I doubt it, the Grimoires and the books that showed how to decipher them were destroyed, and the very few that remain are hidden in the Sanctorums, under the protection of the Chaste and the Sorcerer Supreme." Master Fu said.

"The Chaste?"

"An organization so secret that not even the Guardians knew much about it, only that they act as the answer to the Hand." Madame Web said. "And if you don't have any more questions, I'd appreciate it if you would leave us alone. And I'm warning you, Cinch, Strange isn't the only one who will protect the teens if you try anything against them."

"The Avengers are not something that scare me, Webb, but as you like." Cinch said with a sigh. "Clearly I wasted my time, you two are nothing but a couple of decrepit elders."

"Be very careful with that tongue of yours, you could bite it or choke on it by mistake." Madame Web snapped. "And about my threat, I didn't mean the Avengers, but something worse."

"You can't always protect them."

"I wasn't referring to us either, but since you mention it, there is someone who can and does so."

"Now, I insist with what Madame Web said, I ask you in the most attentive way to leave the teens alone and leave my home."

Cinch only deigned to chuckle and close her eyes as she turned around.

"As I said, you two are of no use to me, and I will get the information I seek, even if I have to force it out of Stephen Strange himself." Cinch declared.

"Be very careful with your search, Cinch, all those who have tried to obtain the Miraculous and use them as weapons, have ended badly."

With that said, the mindscape slowly disintegrated and Abacus Cinch slowly opened her eyes, finding herself face down on the floor in Master Fu's home, watching as the old man turned his back on her and stowed a tablet in a compartment underneath his futon.

Cinch stood up and fixed her glasses and uniform, then she gave Master Fu a defiant look as he returned a frown.

"Leave, Cinch." Fu said.

"I'm curious, Master, who was Webb referring to when he mentioned that there was someone, besides you two and the Avengers, who would protect the kids?" Cinch asked.

"Honestly, Madame Web is a lady of many secrets, one of them is precisely that, she can see the future and she knows how she should act so that the best scenarios are the most likely to occur." Fu said. "And that includes not telling anyone everything she sees."

"Hmm, figures." Cinch said. "Well, she's not the only one who can play that game."

"Don't tempt fate, Cinch, seeing the future is not a sure way to know what will happen, even she is only able to see a possibility of what can be."

"I know, now, one last question, why have you told Ladybug that you're the last Guardian?" Cinch asked. "In W.A.N.D. we've located two others, and several holders."

"Because I am the last one to come from the Temple of K'un-Lun, the others were trained in the Sanctorums of New York and London."

"Hmm... K'un-Lun? You mean the city where the vigilante Iron Fist comes from, right?"

"You said it would be your last question."

"Well, I guess that's enough to figure it out." Cinch said before fixing her glasses again. "Thank you for your time."

"It has not been a pleasure." Said the displeased Master Fu.

Cinch sighed and turned to leave Master Fu's home, thinking of a way to get around the magical masking of Spider-Man, Ladybug, Chat Noir, Queen Bee and Rena Rouge's DNA samples in order to find their identities, as well as why no one could ever find any security camera footage showing where the heroes went after defeating their enemies.

'I guess Stark has something to do with it, after all, it wouldn't be the first nor the last time he breaks into top-secret databases, especially those involving S.H.I.E.L.D.' Cinch said in her mind. 'I'll have Sydren and Pines check the database entry logs. In the meantime, I think I have the right agent for a mission here...'

As Cinch walked away from Master Fu's home on the banks of the Seine River, Spider-Man was swinging on one of his daily patrols when suddenly, his communicator began to vibrate and buzz.

Puzzled, the spider-themed hero stopped on a nearby rooftop and took the Spider-Signal from his belt, activating his communicator and finding himself even more surprised to realize that it was Madame Web calling him.

"Madame Web? How come you can call me on the communicator? And more importantly, why? You usually just pull me into a mindscape." Said Spider-Man.

"Listen carefully, Spider-Man, Master Fu and I have had an unpleasant encounter with a new branch of S.H.I.E.L.D." Madame Web said, ignoring the hero's questions. "The Wizardry, Alchemy and Necromancy Department, or W.A.N.D. for short."

"That doesn't answer my questions, so I'm gonna assume this is worse than I thought."

"Your guesses are correct, kid, because this agency is investigating the Miraculous holders. The Director of said department is a witch in every sense of the word, and she almost forcibly obtained the information of the identity of Ladybug, Chat Noir and you from Master Fu."

"Damn... I don't like this."

"I'm just calling you to alert you to the possible presence of Cinch, so that you stay alert for any suspicious person."

"Well, for now I will rule out my hero friends and Black Cat as possible helpers of this Cinch."

"Your instincts have developed a lot since you started your career, Spider-Man. I must admit that I am really impressed."

"I had to grow up because I have to stop the Green Goblin and neither S.H.I.E.L.D. nor even Cinch, are gonna stop me from doing it."

"You will, I assure you. For now I must go, do not fear Cinch's actions, but do not let your guard down either, she is a dangerous woman with many resources, including other teenage superheroes."

"I can deal with whatever she throws at me, especially having my team to back me up."

"You make me proud, boy. Remember, stay alert, keep your friends close, and keep any suspicious people away from you."

After those words, Madame Web cut off the communication and Spider-Man put his Spider-Signal back on his utility belt, then he sighed in annoyance and said:

"Where do so many ruffians come from and why do they always end up going after me?"