All-New Spider-Mane
By Krisstofer O'Brien, Edited by Nicholas King and Aaron Garcia
Chapter One: Out of The Darkness
I'm not sure how much longer we can hold out for. This is insanity!
The tropic of hellfire stormed, Spider-Man feeling in its' midst he'd made a bad decision. A routine mission on the world of Apokolips became a skirmish with its' denizens, such as he'd found himself incapable of handling; the Leaguers and Avengers took on Parademons in their overwhelming multitude, finding their relative lack of strength the backbone of a numbered difficulty nonetheless. As could be reckoned through a sudden sharp pang in his side, Spider-Man was reminded of worse behind him than they. "Ow, God! What the hell is in me?"
Looking to its' direction, he'd seen a small chunk of his lower rib incinerated almost to bone. It was with fortune the injury wouldn't bleed out due to its' driest of abrasion, but it certainly wasn't less painful by the fact. A black figure appeared from before the rocks Spider-Man used for disguise, Peter asking, "Hey, Bats! How's it goin'?"
"Parker! What the devil were you thinking? We agreed we'd all fight him together, not rush him like fools!
'He' was Darkseid, whose palace was planned for invasion for his subsequent arrest by both teams on the basis of information doled out by various galactic authorities; New Genesis the sister of Apokolips had offered their service to his capture, knowing it wouldn't be easy to such. The whole plan fell ashambles on arrival, the heroes knowing full well that they should've taken maximum precautions.
Peter was in immense pain, as Batman riffled through various parts of his utility belt and happened upon white solution. "Morphine; only thing that'll dull the pain. And don't tell me it doesn't hurt."
Rather than try to argue with him, Spider-Man just pulled up what was left of his suit's torso region for treatment. The needle's unfortunate sting still existed for him, causing him to grind his teeth while gripping the rock; he'd started breaking it with his sheer strength, the sound of its' cracking causing Batman to flinch at how he remembered his teammate's strength.
"That adaptable DNA of yours better get to work, fast. No telling how long Darkseid will sit around while we attack his fortress. Unless, you managed to get his attention already?"
Spider-Man glared the Dark Knight through his mask as he was bandaged, knowing the next thing to come out his mouth wouldn't be taken lightly. "Well, does it count if I blasted him in the face and drew some blood? That might get his attention."
Just as the last words came out of his mouth, Spider-Man felt another sharp pain from Batman punching him in his wound. It was clear he'd said something stupid, as once the pain weaned the two stared each other down and Batman with anger through his armoured cowl. "How could you be so reckless? You're damned suicidal!"
"Huh", Peter muttered as Bruce followed, "It's like you want to die, Peter! I don't understand!"
"I don't expect you to, Bruce!"
An air of silence fell between the two, as much as was possible per the carnage surrounding them. After a few minutes he asked, "Is this about Clark and Gwen?"
"Bruce, now is not the time for this. Please don't do the whole psych evaluation on me, right now."
A large explosion set off near their current hiding spot before Batman could even respond, taking out their cover in the process. Both heroes were hurdled toward the edge of the canyon before stopping, nonetheless overlooking a pit of fire as was endemic to Apokolips. Gathering their senses, they both looked back to see what the cause of the blast was and saw Darkseid's rogues atop a hellish war tank.
These included Granny Goodness, Desaad, Kalibak, the Furies and last but not least, Darkseid himself. Batman readied an electrified Batarang as Spider-Man took position, at least as could be done, given his injury. It was all too much in that instance, collapsing him under his own weight as Batman ran over to him with defense on his mind. "Sure you don't want to talk things out, before we fight?"
Spider-Man got onto his feet, mostly due to his partner's support; he was now unable to stand up on his own volition due to what was more than likely internal damage. "If we're going to talk about how shitty our lives have been, we should probably wait until we're outta here… 'Cause it'll be a long tale and I want a stiff drink, for it!"
There appeared the rarity of Batman's smile, one he couldn't help himself as the end seemed imminent and certainly without rescue. Sharing one last look at each other, the two then turned to Darkseid as he said, "I hope you appreciate, Saiyan, that what is about to transpire is all on you. You invade my palace, believe that you are worth my time and effort, and somehow actually manage to harm me; something that only the Kryptonian managed to do… but he isn't here."
The last sentence was maliciously put in upon his advancement, his eyes becoming infused with Omega Beam energy. It seemed that their demise awaited regardless of their gestating subconscious goals; unbeknownst to them the sky pulsated with a mirage of colors, the tearing of space around this new anomaly.
Meanwhile, in an unknown location that was faraway from the violent conflict, a violet winged, dark skinned woman, walked across a grassy area near the village of Ponyville, heading towards a crystal like castle that was in the form of a treehouse. Princess Twilight Sparkle, had just returned from Canterlot after a second visit to rekindle with some old friends she knew before she moved to Ponyville. While the majority of her old friends were more than happy to see her again during a previous visit, the same could not be said by her former classmate, Moondancer. While it was no easy task to consul her and ease her bitterness about having left Canterlot without saying goodbye at the time, eventually she was able to have her come to an understanding on why she was not able to see her. As a way to compensate for lost times, and to ease the tension that occurred on the last visit, Twilight had been invited to a sleepover by her old friends, which she happily accepted. As the princess approached her relatively new castle, she was soon greeted by her friend and assistant, the young dragon named Spike.
"Morning Twilight. How was your trip? Are things good with you and Moondancer now?".
"Everything is amazing, Spike. Believe it or not, she's becoming more active with the others than she has been in years. And it wasn't an easy thing to bring this up, but me and Moondancer felt we needed to talk about the last time we were visiting her. In the end, we exchanged our apologies to each other, and decided to have a fresh start with our friendship again. All in all, I feel like a big weight has been lifted from my shoulders. So, did I miss anything important while I was away?"
Spike being Spike, had been prepared with a list in hand. All the years of living with the lavender mare had given him a sense of foresight for certain things that would occur at times. Opening the scroll up, he gazed up and down the list to see what were the more pressing matters to bring to Twilight's attention.
"Well, here's a few things to bring you up to speed with. To start off, Pinkie's off visiting the Yaks again. It looks like they took a liking to her pretty fast after that welcoming party she made for them last time. Second, Rainbow's gone back to the Wonderbolt Academy for some training. Third, Fluttershy's gone somewhere unknown with Discord. Heh, I can't help but think that they're on a secret date of sort. And finally, Rarity and Applejack are pretty busy. Rarity's been talking about making plans to open a new boutique in Canterlot, so Applejack decided to lend her a hoof in the work. So yeah, pretty much everypony is gone today."
"That's fine. Considering how busy I've been lately, I could use a few days to myself. Is there anything else?"
Doing a quick lookover of the list, Spike had noticed one last thing.
"Oh yeah, I almost forgot. There's something that the princesses wanted you to look into. There's been reports of weird magical disturbances all across Equestria, but it's not any magic they're familiar with. So, they figured that you being you…"
Before Spike could finish his sentence however, he was suddenly enveloped in a purple aura and brought into Twilight's grasp, coming face to face with a rather excitable woman.
"New magic?! There's new, unknown magic discovered in Equestria?! Oh my gosh! This is something I really need to check out! Quick, show me where these disturbances are occurring, while I go pack up some supplies!"
The woman then dropped the young drake and ran into the castle. Spike stood up and dusted himself off, slightly annoyed that he had mentioned that news at all.
"Maybe I should've kept my mouth shut. When it comes to magic, Twilight's got a one track mind."
He then proceeded back into the castle, not taking notice of the flow of colorful auroras forming in the sky.
"Y'know, Darkseid old chum, could you do me a favor and not talk before you kill me? I'd rather the last thing I hear not be your grating, bombastic voice!"
Peter was now stood before his foe the godly tryant, as much as could be managed through his wounds. He wondered how much of a chance he stood against stacked odds, and it certainly wasn't doing Batman any favors to have to battle the Furies- three incredibly skilled and powerful women, each the equally insane. All of them tore into him, slicing and shocking him as was desired while Peter could do nothing but watch. Any attempt to help would be fruitless through a months-lost will to fight, so he fell to his knees with a likely acceptance of his fate.
"How unimpressive, my old foe. There was a time I considered you a challenge, a worthy rival alongside Kal-El… but now he is dead. And you? You may as well have shared the same fate as he did."
"Yeah, yeah, just get it over with, you over-bloated sack of shit."
Darkseid's charcoal face gleamed at his futility as he reached for the helpless hero's neck so to lift him. He was applying force to the deprivation of Spider-Man's oxygen, the latter making no attempt to free himself; even so, Darkseid couldn't help but feel somewhat disappointed. "I honestly expected more from you, Saiyan. I expected a better attempt to stave off your end, one final cry against the night, but no. Here you are. Your fate is in my hands and you do nothing!
The lord of Apokolips tightened his grip, nary a whimper arriving as he continued, "I had wished one last battle with you, but you have robbed me of that. You may die in a manner best fitting your lack of conviction."
Spider-Man had truly given in with no desire for his own self-rescue, the clench's furtherance bringing a fade to black and blurry sound from the periphery. As he took one last look at a dying Batman, fear came over both of them for a time seeming arrived. "Spider-Man, don't give up!"
These were deaf-eared pleas, the young hero falling unconscious with the claws of a Fury piercing his teammate's leg. The injury left him unable to stand and at mercy with no other option, pleading once again before Darkseid muttered, "Come now, detective."
Looking up, he was greeted with the terrifying visage of Darkseid, still holding Spider-Man's corpse aloft. His eyes glowed a menace of Omega Beam energy, having all possibility of Batman in his next crosshairs. "Your cries for assistance are in vain. The Saiyan is dead, and in such an unceremonious manner… Such a worthy rival, dead without a fight. And now, Batman, prepare yourself to share the same fate."
Lowering the corpse, Darkseid focused upon the helpless Caped Crusader and fired; suddenly, a fist diverted their usually tracking trajectory to a wild skirmish with none other than Kalibak his son. An ear-piecing scream followed through their searing fury, Granny Goodness wasting no time attending to him. The Furies kept on their guard regardless, as their lord failed the threat's dispatch and was forced to regain his composure.
"Impressive, Saiyan, I figured you dead. I see your comrades cries for help didn't go unheard after all. You are still outmatched and you two wounded… You will not survive."
Despite not being able to show his face under mask Peter remained explicit through laughter, to the chagrin of Darkseid and the worry of a crawling Batman. His own escape from the Furies was proving helpful, as though continued torture was less than a true fight.
A red aura flared around Spider-Man and caused currents of air to encircle. Even with his will to resist, his throat remained grappled as he mustered momentum. He began to spin around while held, allowing his legs in kicking distance of Darkseid's head and capitalizing it as such. Using all of his remaining strength he successfully struck him on the cheek with his right knee, disorienting the dark ruler to his own grip's release.
Immediately taking advantage of his freedom, Spider-Man jumped back several feet to ready himself for further onslaught approaching from the Furies themselves. Despite their fluid skill and teamwork, they weren't as capable as he was through injury.
Though it was implicit to him not to go easy he quickly found himself on the receiving end of Stompa's punch, forcing him to keep focus with an uppercut to her stomach. This keeled her over in pain, the remaining two Furies taking place of her in a dual offensive. Lashina's electric whips and Mad Harriet's razor claws left little room for error on his part, every successful attack a burn, scratch or both. The stress was finally getting to him, as out of sheer desperation he grabbed one of Lashina's whips and forcefully pulled her over.
The leader of the Furies attempted to free her weapon, but it turned out to be an unwise and futile effort once she was in his arms' reach. He grabbed her and with no sense of hesitation wrapped her whip around her neck and tightened it, thus leaving her without protection from her own weapon. She ended up taking the full electric current most couldn't take, writhing with agony to her unconscious failure and a scream like a siren. This had not killed her, but as Mad Harriet was preparing to take her place Darkseid held her back. "My… my lord?"
"Stand down, Harriet. Regardless of his condition, the Saiyan is more than capable… I must handle this personally", Darkseid said, to a bow of his servant. He advanced toward his prey with the same molten glare, Spider-Man's own red aura to its' cue. Unfortunately injury caught up with him, forcing him to end his attack and crash to the ground below while stomping on Darkseid's feet. Clutching his side and attempting to get back up, his attempts to stand were thwarted by the same boot as previously he stood on. "Under my heel, Saiyan!"
Hurling in its' crash, Spider-Man yelled, "Can you sit your ego down for one God damn second!"
Out of sheer frustration he freed himself from under, his eyes forming a cyan green color through broken mask lenses and his hair forming a golden from its' brown. The sight as well as its' power caught Darkseid's attention with an ensuing pause. "Fascinating. I had heard news of a strange power you could call upon since your last encounter with Osborn. The very last time, from what I've been hearing… If this power draws out all your hidden rage, then by all means use it. I shall defeat you at your best and show your adoptive world that all its' defenders can be slain."
"Maybe you should wait until it's me that's the corpse, and not the other way around!"
The aura increased ferociously, shattering its' ground below and projecting intense winds. Even Darkseid was caught off guard, being slightly tipped of the current. The Apokolyptian lord couldn't be thus deterred, advancing toward his opponent as it kept him at bay. Unfortunately for him, his duration of movement would be quickened with Peter closing the distance through a mighty fist's upheaval. Darkseid's face was hit without major damage, but Spider-Man's speed stood the superior of the two. Flurries of punches all found their marks, the attacks somehow making their effect through opposite direction of their intent.
The more that Spider-Man attacked, Darkseid found it easier to locate proximity whereby a bone-crushing maneuver could be installed ground-ward. The counterattack didn't end there, as his gloved fist came down on Peter's rib cage, breaking several upon impact. Blood began rushing in a darker crimson than his mask's red, the hurt sustained more painful than could be motivated against.
Peter fell unconscious, the dark lord unsure of his condition until he notice the reversion in his hair. "Intriguing. The transformation can only be sustained through consciousness."
Grabbing his foe, Darkseid began to drag him to the edge of the fire's canyon. The Furies had recovered from their own defeat and watched with malicious grins while dozens of ships flew off in retreat. On one ship were Justice League members, all too injured to do the more as they spectated in terror.
The servants of Darkseid gathered along the same edge, eager to watch as their master was prepared to end his nemesis. His shake would become a swing as eventually the unconscious hero would be thrown off, nonetheless making a speech all the while: "I would have preferred you retain that power in your corpse, but the clone I've heard of you should suffice upon my arrival to Earth. A shame you were my last worthy challenger… goodbye, Saiyan."
As he let go, Darkseid was caught in stupefaction with the web-crawler grabbing him by the neck in a forward pull towards the canyon. Both had fallen over and yet Peter had flipped onto Darkseid's back, jumping onto solid ground and to the Furies' shock. These had been open to sucker punches in respective regions as could knock them out, Peter saying, "You know what? I'm out… Peace!"
"… Were it so easy, Saiyan."
Out of sheer disbelief Peter froze when turning to face a living, angry Darkseid; it didn't help his mental state any more when this interstellar devil was bathed in fire, like a true lord of Apokolips. Knowing he would have to fight again, Spider-Man drew on his last inner echelon to power up and reach a limited Super Saiyan. "I admit, I'm surprised… If I didn't know any better, I'd say you just attempted to kill me."
Peter fired a blue beam of energy, which was countered by Omega Beam radiation and subsequent clash to follow. The shockwave would affect him most, as he began to lose ground with a final question. "Has Kal-El's death shook you so much, that you would give up your morals? Or was it the girl-"
All of a sudden the air swirled with colors and a crackle; the struggle began igniting the surrounding energy, opening further fissure in their immediate dimension. Despite his best efforts, Spider-Man's injuries took toll once again and the Omega Beams arrived intact. As the heat began to sear and contort his being to an oblivion, a tear opened behind him, enveloping him in its' light. Before Darkseid's final onslaught had won, he'd fallen somewhere far abound.
-Fin