Smoke was rising among New York City's skyline. Loud crashes and explosions mixed with car alarms and screams of terror invaded the streets, but the hero couldn't listen to them. A ringing in his ears, dizziness, and exhaustion was clouding his thoughts, yet the fight continued. The Green Goblin was towering over the wreckage with the most sadistic smile he could muster as Spider-Man kept gasping for air.
The fight had been prolonged for the past few hours and Spider-Man never thought it would give him so much trouble. The truth was that he was not able to concentrate on the enemy ahead while also trying to save many civilians from the explosions. The Goblin knew his weakness, the need to save everyone from danger. He was a superhero after all, what good was he for if he couldn't keep people -more people - from dying.
Deep beneath the spider suit, Manuel Parker's heart was so full of grief that he didn't understand how he still functioned. The Goblin had maimed his life in irreparable ways more than once. First with his clones, then, his girlfriend. Gwen's loss was still an open wound that wouldn't stop bleeding. Manuel believed that no matter how much time passed, it'd never stop hurting.
Along with the memory of her, Manuel remembered his dear friend Harry. The Globin had killed his own son, leaving Manuel in the deepest pit of loneliness and despair. He gathered all the strength he had left and stood up straight. There were deep cuts along his arms, legs, and torso, and the blood was soaking through his suit. There was nothing much he could do, but at least he'd try.
He shoot spider webs from his right wrist and swung in the air. There were many fireballs heading toward him at full speed, but he managed to avoid them. He needed to save the civilians, that was his number one priority. He managed to pull a fallen bus to block the street and people got a chance to run away using it for cover. Nevertheless, as soon as he was sighing in relief, sharp pain to the nape of his neck brought him down to the ground.
The ringing in his ears grew louder and his arms were lacking the strength to pull him back up. He noticed a shadow lurking loser and he managed to look up. The Green Goblin was hovering over him, laughing like the maniac he was. "You thought you could get away, spider-boy?" The villain asked before erupting in another fit of laughter. "You're week. You're no match for me!" A fireball landed right on the bus that people were using to cover themselves. "You can't save them all, they say." The Goblin taunted him. "But in your case, it'd be: you can't save anyone!"
Manuel tried to stand but he couldn't. Even though the adrenaline rush kept him awake, his body was drowning in pain. There was a pool of blood underneath him as the sticky liquid gushed from his multiple cuts. His vision was blurry, but even among everything, he could still hear the words coming at him as a cursed litany that cut him deeper than his external wounds.
"I'm- I'm sorry… Gwen."
He could only see the blinding ray of light before his body was taken over by heat. The pain lasted only a few seconds, and then, darkness. There was nothing around him, no sounds or sensations. Manuel felt as if he was floating underwater but without even the need to breathe. "Is this it?" He wondered. "I can't die now, I need to keep fighting. I- I need to…"
Suddenly, a speck of light appeared before his eyes. It was nothing bigger than a pea floating in the immensity, but it was definitely there. The light grew brighter and bigger. For a moment, Manuel considered the possibility of being in a coma of sorts, and slowly waking up. He'd be in a hospital bed in New York, banged up but still alive with the opportunity to defeat the Green Goblin once and for all. Instead, the light took the most unexpected shape.
A pegasus, bright and colorful was standing right in front of his eyes. Manuel had seen spectacular occurrences in his lifetime, but never something like this. "Manuel," she speaks his name with softness in her voice. She sounds wise and regal. "I am Princess Celestia, and I want to help you." That only confused him more.
"I need to wake up, I need to go back and keep fighting!" He said with such determination that it warmed the pegasus's heart.
"You can't go back, Manuel. I'm sorry but… you died." Her words were full of sorrow, still, she gave him a few seconds to work his mind around the idea.
"What happened?" He asked, looking for answers in the immensity of her eyes.
"There was an explosion, and even though your enemy was reached by it too, you got all the more damaged. Combined with your previous wounds, it resolved in a fatal outcome."
She sounded sincere, almost painfully so. "I can't die yet!" He pleaded as if she would be able to help him somehow. That's what she said she had come to do in the first place, right?
"I can not send you back to Earth," she explained. "But I can grant you a new life in my kingdom, Equestria. It is a magical kingdom in need of strong heroes like you. I know how much you've suffered and everything that you've lost. I want to give you a second chance."
"Will I be able to come back one day?" He asked, thinking about everything he would have to leave behind.
"I do not know that," she said. "But I can guarantee you a happy life surrounded by love in Equestria."
Manuel gathered his thoughts. He had a chance to start a new life, leaving behind his grief and the empty city behind him. He smiled. "Okay," he said finally. "Take me to your kingdom, Princess Celestia."
