To be fair, the Hellions blocking the front doors of the Xavier Institute was certainly a choice. Fortunately, their hostility evaporated into stiff, respectful apologies the moment they realized Storm was an original X-Man returning home. However, that courtesy did not extend to her companions.
They continued glaring at Spider-Man and T'Challa. Both were wearing their full hero suit.
"They are aggressively narrow," Ororo noted softly, adjusting her cloak. "Not quite at Magneto's level of human hostility, but they firmly believe mutants should handle mutant problems, and outsiders should stay outside."
She frowned slightly. She had no idea what kind of curriculum Emma Frost was feeding these students. It certainly clashed with Charles Xavier's dream of integration. Why Scott allowed this philosophy to continue in the school was entirely beyond her.
The Hellions lingered by the archway. They watched Spider-Man and T'Challa with narrowed eyes and crossed arms.
As they walked the grounds, Peter spotted a few familiar faces. He recognized Kitty Pryde—Shadowcat—and a few members of the New Mutants.
"Hey, Spider-Man!" Kitty waved, jogging over. "Logan said you were coming!"
Peter nodded, giving a two-finger salute. "Yeah, I got the invite. I was told someone had a Christmas present waiting for me."
Kitty tilted her head. "What do you think it is?"
"I'm really hoping it's not one of those yellow-and-blue Kevlar suits. No offense to Scott, but they look like a bad 90s cartoon compared to your New Mutants gear or the Hellions' red-and-white."
Kitty laughed, scratching the back of her head. "Wait, the Hellions. Did you run into Julian and his squad?"
"They formed a very welcoming blockade at the door," Peter said dryly.
"Sorry about them," Kitty sighed, her shoulders dropping. "They probably hate you guys because of us. The New Mutants have worked you guys before. Our two teams have a pretty intense rivalry. They hold a grudge by association."
Peter blinked beneath his lenses. "Seriously? High school drama spans cross-team mutant politics now?" He sighed, shaking his head. "Anyway, it doesn't look like Christmas threw up in here yet."
"Oh, we're just getting started," Kitty said, gesturing to the main hall where students were levitating wreaths and stringing lights. "It'll look amazing by tonight. You staying for Christmas? It gets pretty wild."
"I'm probably spending with my family. Sorry, Kitty."
After waving goodbye, the trio moved deeper into the X-Men's headquarters. Dozens of students were bustling around the corridors, hauling pine trees and hanging tinsel. Cyclops had claimed the Institute's numbers were down, but Peter conservatively counted a few hundred kids.
They finally reached the central teaching building. Peter stopped short.
A squad of senior X-Men stood in the corridor. Cyclops, Nightcrawler, Iceman, and a few others. They were fully armed, strapped into their combat uniforms, and entirely silent.
Cyclops stepped forward, his ruby-quartz visor catching the overhead light. "Spider-Man. You're here. We are very grateful for your previous help, therefore—"
The base of Peter's skull erupted in a white-hot buzz.
"Move!" Peter roared.
He shoved T'Challa. Ororo dove sideways. A crimson optic blast tore through the space where they had just been standing.
The false X-Men lunged.
BAMF.
The smell of sulfur flooded the air.
Nightcrawler materialized directly behind Peter's neck.
Peter didn't turn. He simply shifted his weight and launched a backward kick. His heel slammed into solid ribs. Nightcrawler gasped. He stumbled backward. Peter spun on his heel. He grabbed the furry blue tail. He hoisted the mutant off the floor. With a sharp grunt, Peter hurled him like a bowling ball directly into Iceman.
They crashed into the far wall in a tangle of limbs.
Ice shattered. Icaman didn't stand back up. The ice cracked away to reveal a towering, red-skinned demon with twisted horns. He hissed, revealing rows of needle-sharp teeth.
"A demonic X-Men roster?" Peter quipped, dropping into a crouch. "Did we accidentally walk into a heavy metal album cover?"
Peter tapped the multidimensional scanner on his wrist.
He froze.
The readings spiked wildly. These weren't just demons. They were a patchwork of X-Men pulled from entirely different universes.
"How is this happening?" Peter muttered, dodging another lunging demon. "Our reality barrier is the thickest in the Web. You can't just casually invade it!"
"Watch your flank!" T'Challa shouted. His claws extended with a sharp metallic snikt. "These are not our friends!"
"Then I don't need to hold back," Ororo declared.
Her eyes glowed stark white. Wind shrieked through the corridor. A localized hurricane manifested instantly. The gale swept the demonic X-Men off their feet. She compressed the vortex. The sheer pressure pinned the screaming creatures against the ceiling.
Peter stuck to the wall. "Okay, so where are the actual X-Men?"
T'Challa was already at the lobby's security terminal. His vibranium-tipped fingers flew across the keyboard. He brought up the most recent surveillance feed.
The footage showed a young blonde girl standing in the middle of a hallway. Violent, blood-red energy pulsed around her. The real X-Men sprinted into the frame to reach her. Then, in a flash of crimson light, everyone vanished.
"The girl is Illyana Rasputin," T'Challa said, reading the file. "Colossus's younger sister. The energy signature is uncatalogued."
Peter's stomach dropped.
Illyana Rasputin.
Magik.
He remembers her from his meta knowledge and had specifically warned the X-Men about this exact scenario.
Belasco. The Lord of Limbo.
The X-Men must have realized who was coming for her and mobilized. But Belasco had swept the entire team into Limbo in one shot. They were likely fighting for their lives right now.
But how did Belasco bypass his reality barrier? He wasn't Dormammu. He didn't have the juice to punch through that kind of cosmic shielding.
Peter clung to the wall, closing his eyes. He awkwardly traced a crude mystic mandala in the air with two fingers. He forced a small spark of magical energy directly into his spider-sense. The feedback hit him like a hammer.
Two fragmented visions burned into his retinas:
Nightcrawler dragging him toward a fiery, brimstone precipice.
Venom, roaring, tearing into a demonic horde.
Peter gasped, shaking his head to clear the afterimages.
"Your Majesty," Peter said, dropping lightly to the floor. "Call the Avengers. Tell them to contact Doctor Strange. This is a magical dimension breach. We need the Sorcerer Supreme."
T'Challa turned from the console, his mask retracting to show his serious expression. "And what are you going to do, Spider-Man?"
"Belasco sent these guys to drag me to Limbo," Peter said, rolling his shoulders. "I figure it's only polite I take the ride. I was planning on bringing the X-Men back anyway."
Before T'Challa could object, Peter shot a web. He snagged the pinned demon-Nightcrawler by the collar. He yanked the creature down to the floor.
Peter grabbed the demon's wrist.
"Take me to your boss," Peter demanded.
BAMF. A cloud of sulfurous blue smoke swallowed them both, and Peter vanished from the material plane.
PS: Marvel Fun Fact!
Illyana Rasputin is destined to become the mutant sorceress Magik! In the comics, the demon lord Belasco abducts her into the Hell dimension of Limbo when she's just a child. She spends years there learning dark magic, fighting for her soul, and forging the Soulsword before returning to Earth—where only moments have passed for the X-Men. She's easily one of the most terrifyingly powerful members of the New Mutants!