Chapter Thirty-Seven "Eyes in the Back of His Head, Part II

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Chapter Thirty-Seven "Eyes in the Back of His Head, Part II"

Eighteen Days Remain

The crystal ball's image grew blurry, threatening to fade from existence. Luna's trembling hoof slid back toward her, and she took a shuddering breath, as if clearing her head of awful memories. What was there was bad enough as it was. Considering Peter was in a chokehold, it stood to reason that he was losing consciousness or, worse, dying. However, in a bright series of flashes, images of various points in Peter's life appeared in the projection, finally settling on several adjacent images of Spider-Man dodging attacks from the likes of the Lizard and Titania in some kind of demented duel to the death; their efforts were far too close, tearing away shreds of his costume.

Rainbow Dash scratched the back of her head. "What just happened? Did it rewind or something?"

Celestia's brow furrowed, lowering further as the fights grew continually more violent. "I believe he is having flashbacks. This tends to happen when one is on the verge of death... or so I hear."

'Why am I here? Of all the people this 'Beyonder' guy had to call here, I just HAD to be one of them! I don't have time to fight! I have a test to study for! Seriously! 'Battleworld'? This guy had nothing better to do with his time? Dude! Buy action figures and make THEM fight!'

Thanks to Peter's persistent internal monologuing, everypony had a rather good idea what exactly was transpiring. After being teleported to a planet called 'Battleworld' by the cosmic entity known as the Beyonder, Spider-Man fought alongside fellow heroes against supervillains, who were also brought to this world against their will.

Trixie folded her hooves and raised her brow. "A cosmic entity? Is thereanythingPeter hasn't dealt with?"

Twilight's stomach lurched, a slight discomfort rumbling in her abdomen.'Another near-death experience,'she thought. Inhaling deeply, the mare shook her head and buried her face in her hooves. This was becoming too much to bear, but Twilight glanced up at the crystal ball again, looking at the image of Peter and feeling like a sad puppy.'I know I'm forced to accept the life you lead, Peter. I know this is in the past, but I can't stand seeing you get hurt.'

During one of the many, many battles, Peter ruined his normal costume beyond repair thanks to a direct blast from Volcana. The odd metahuman Earthling that Peter called the Hulk told Spider-Man about an alien machine operated simply by touching it and thinking of what kind of equipment you needed. When Peter thought of the new costume he wanted, the machine gave him a black sphere. When he touched it, Peter found himself covered in a new black costume. The only other shade was white, found in his blank lenses, top of his hands, and the spider emblem wrapped around his chest and back.

Pinkie perked up, her confusion evident as she tilted her head to the side like some sort of pink bird. "Wow! Peter looks just like Venom!"

"I believe you mean Venom looked like how Peter did -beforehe gained the symbiote," Rarity bemoaned, shuddering. "It peeled away, too, like some sort of horrid flesh wound. How revolting. I suppose Peter can't be blamed; he didn't know what it was at the time, after all."

Luna managed to collect herself enough to speak, "He truly resembles a denizen of the night." She felt a chill, but resisted the urge to shiver. "Is the darkness this vile to look upon from the outside? Was it this... hideous on me? I wonder if this is why ponies turn away from the night in contrast to the day? It certainly would explain why they fear me even now..."

Celestia leaned against her sister, nuzzling her slightly. "They will change in time. Do not fret."

Time rapidly progressed through the crystal ball, stopping sometime after the so-called 'Secret Wars.' Back on Earth, Peter learned that the costume could respond to his thoughts, change its shape, amplify his strength, and create an unlimited amount of organic webbing. It made him better. Stronger. Faster. And it increased his already impressive stamina to unbelievable levels. He felt untouchable. Peter's confidence rose, and his reservations diminished.

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