Issue #4: Tragic Tale of Two Spiders

Hell's Kitchen Warehouse

Zeena, Zor and Zik wandered back to the Zeti Gang's base of operations, Zeena throwing a Chaos Emerald to Eggman, "Got it, now don't bother me again." she muttered, sitting down on a giant orb to finish her nails.

"About time you returned, having all six of you could've led to our final victory against the rodent and his friends," Eggman grunted.

Zik stroked his beard, "The blue hero arrived? Interesting."

"He did and the pitiful excuses you call students failed to do him in!" the doctor snarled.

Zavok pointed an accusing finger at the scientist, "Do not insult our master. I see you pulling no effort into this ordeal, 'Doctor'."

With a grin, Eggman said, "Tempt me again, Zavok, I'll be sure that conch leaves you and your Deadly Six a writhing mess on the floor."

Glaring, Zavok backed off, knowing one day he'll enact payback on the one who enslaved him. "Hmph. Fine, then what is the next step to this so-called plan?"

"Continue finding the emeralds, I'm starting to believe the heroes have us beat in numbers, so pretty soon we will have to strike and take out every bird with a single stone," Eggman revealed.

"The one known as Silvermane has been bested, Tombstone could be next…" Zik muttered.

"And Fisk remains none the wiser to what we're brewing, everything is working perfectly." Eggman declared in a sinister tone.

Brooklyn

"Okay so… I got a lot of questions." Spider-Man admitted to the mysterious Spider-Woman that was standing before him.

Crossing her arms, the White Widow said, "Go ahead, you probably won't believe half the answers but I'm gonna humor it anyway."

Peter asked his first question, "I only know of a few Spider-Women, but not you. Where the heck did you come from?"

Spider-Woman sighed and put a hand to her head, "This is the part where you won't believe me. Apparently I'm stranded in a different world, this… is not my home. As for why, I have no idea."

"Oh, that makes sense," Peter said.

In disbelief, Spider-Woman could only tilt her head and let a lense raise as she asked in a quiet mutter, "…Wait it does?"

Peter nodded, "Yeah, I've dealt with the multiverse before. Just before you got here, I was saving the world with 3 other me's, it was pretty cool if I say so myself."

"What the hell did I end up in…" whispered Spider-Woman to herself, "So that's what that old woman voice meant when she said this wouldn't come as a shock."

"Old woman voice? Oh, Madame Web. Yeah, she does that… annoyingly sometimes." Peter elaborated to the newcomer, "You get used to it. Believe me…"

Spider-Woman lowered her hood and rubbed the back of her head, saying, "…Right. Look I'm not exactly sure what's supposed to come next so…"

"You both know what needs to be done," called out Madame Web.

Peter groaned, "For the love of… Come on, Madame Web, can't you just not butt in on one of my adventures for once?"

"Not on this matter, it is of utmost importance this meeting happened, for it'll help you in the journeys to come." revealed the psychic.

The White Widow rolled her eyes under her mask, "…Right. Can you stop being vague and just spill the beans on what we're supposed to be doing?"

Spider-Man and Spider-Woman could sense the annoyance in Madame Web as she spoke, "Spider-Man, tell me… does this woman not sound familiar to you?"

"Kinda weird, but… I guess she does?" Peter admitted, putting a second into thinking about it and noticing she did indeed sound familiar to him in some way. But he did not want to fully piece things together just yet.

"And Spider-Woman, he also sounds familiar, correct?"

Spider-Woman answered in a confused tone, "…Yeah?"

Madame Web declared, "Remove your masks, for this partnership to succeed, you must bear witness to your identities. I will not interfere in what comes next…" she cryptically said before her voice faded, leaving the Spiders on their own.

"Oookay, I'm never getting used to that," Spider-Woman admitted.

Peter nodded, "…Yeah. Anyway, as weird as it sounds, she gets things right more often than not so… if you want to unmask, feel free."

"Egh. Fine, but only because I want to go home…" Spider-Woman replied, reaching for her mask and peeling it over her head. She revealed herself to be a young blonde woman, a person Peter seemingly recognized with his stunned silence, "…What? Don't get cross-eyed with me." she snapped at him.

Peter waved his hands defensively, "No no no, it's not like that! It's just… you look like someone I know."

"Does the name Gwen Stacy sound familiar to you?" Gwen revealed.

The sound of that name shook Peter to his core, images of his past flashing before his eyes. He rubbed his head and shook them off, already struggling to keep himself in check already. Spider-Man nodded, "Y-Yeah it does. So tell me this…" Peter removed his own mask, revealing his face, "Do you know anyone by the name of Peter Parker?"

Gwen took a step back, a reaction Peter wasn't expecting at all, "P-Peter…? No, it can't be… I watched you- That old woman didn't bring this up!"

"Whoa whoa, relax…" Peter calmly said, helping her in spite of his own emotions, "Breathe, what are you talking about?"

Gwen eyed him, "…Do you really want to know?"

Peter answered, "Gwen, I've been through a lot, as hard as it is, I think I can handle it."

Gwen sharply exhaled, trying her best to explain, "In my world, we were best friends… when I got these powers, you… you started to feel inferior, not helped that it looked like I was pushing you away… You took a serum to become 'better' and became the Lizard. We fought… only I walked out of that fight. The pain from watching you die is what pushed me to become a better hero. And to see you here alive with my powers? It's just…"

"Weird?" Peter finished her sentence for her.

"Yeah. Yeah, it is," Gwen admitted.

"…You… in this world… died. An enemy of mine kidnapped you," Peter inhaled sharply as he tried to ease his mind, "He dropped you off a bridge, I tried to catch you, the web I shot out reached your neck and… a-and I heard a loud snap. I killed you and I haven't forgiven myself since…" he revealed to his ex's equally shaken counterpart, a few stray tears running down his face as he told the story.

Gwen could hear the man sniffle and put a comforting hand on his shoulder, saying, "Guess we both have a lot on our chests… I can see why that old woman wanted us to meet…"

Clearing his throat, Peter said, "…I suppose. Follow me," he quietly said, putting on his mask. Gwen mirrored his actions as the duo swung to a destination.

"Where are we going?" Spider-Woman asked.

"I have a few choice words for Madame Web," Peter grunted in response.

Madame Web's Apartment

"What were you thinking?!"

Peter snapped almost immediately upon entering the psychic's room, Madame Web seemingly unfazed by his sudden appearance. She calmly sat still and allowed Spider-Man to continue speaking.

"It's bad enough that I'm basically racing a bunch of gangsters for the Chaos Emeralds on top of the grief I'm already dealing with, but you chose to orchestrate this whole thing and bring Gwen along when the city is at its most dangerous?! I'm already in a foul mood! What's your game here?!" Spider-Man yelled at her, trying to pry an answer out.

"Are you done?" Madame Web asked stoically.

With a huff, Peter said, "I guess. Now talk."

Madame Web spoke, "Yes, it is true that it is an opportune time. However, Gwendolyn was already in a stray rift as a result of your battle against Osborn and the Doctor, so I simply led her here. You are under duress, Peter and the same could be said for her. Dark times are coming and you must be prepared, even if it means closing this one wound."

"All this is doing is putting more stress on me! You brought someone from another world into our own in the middle of a stressful time and you just expect me to get 'emotional closure' or whatever?" Peter retorted in slight disgust, "Now I have to make sure she gets home safe."

"I can take care of myself you know," Gwen stated to Peter.

"…Okay maybe you can, but the rest still stands!" Peter said.

Raising a hand, Web responded, "Do not think this is simply for you, Spider-Man. Once your emerald hunt is over, she shall return."

"…What do you mean by it's not just for me?" Peter asked.

"It is not my place to say. All I can promise is that this will aid your future battles," Madame Web assured him.

"Right. Why would I expect anything else from you?" Spider-Man grunted, leaping out a window and swinging away.

Gwen turned her head, looked out the window and back to Web, saying, "I have a lot to catch up on. You better take me home after this."

"I will. Now do leave before he strays too far." Web said, observing that Gwen left.

Parker-Watson Apartment

A blue blur and a yellow blur swerved through the window, revealing themselves to be Sonic and Tails, "Yo MJ, we're back!" the hedgehog greeted the red-head.

"I can see that. Found anything?" Mary Jane asked.

"A lot more than we thought. We should probably wait for Peter though." Tails revealed.

"Did someone say my name?" Peter questioned, climbing on in with the Mobian duo. He immediately looked at his wife, "Hey, hon. I… hope you don't mind a surprise guest."

"Is it Felicia?" MJ asked.

Rubbing the back of his head, Peter nervously replied, "…Not quite. I think I'd let her do the talking."

Spider-Woman swung in, shouting, "Geez, slow down next time! I almost couldn't follow-" she paused at the sight of Sonic and Tails, "Are those- Are those cartoon animals?" she blurted out and pointed at them.

"Yep. Sonic and Tails, they're… kinda like my new friends." Peter admitted proudly.

Gwen raised her head and took notice of Mary Jane, "Whoa, wait… MJ is that you? You look so… different here."

"You know me?" Mary Jane wondered.

Removing her mask, Spider-Woman revealed her face, sending Mary Jane into a slight daze, "G-Gwen? Is that you?!"

"Yeah. I guess we were friends here too?" Gwen asked MJ, who was still shaken up.

MJ muttered, "It's… complicated."

"Just like home then," Gwen quipped.

"But I do miss you, and I regret any grievance I gave you. Tiger, is this a-" MJ started to speak but Peter answered for her.

"Multiverse stuff." Spidey said.

"I see," MJ replied casually, baffling Gwen.

"Okay seriously, none of you are weirded out by that?" Spider-Woman muttered in confusion.

Sonic shrugged, "I met another me right before coming here. Same thing with Pete over there. Seems we missed a lot though."

Peter sighed and placed his palm on his aching head, "You have no idea… Green Goblin, Chaos Emeralds, Black Cat was trashed by Tombstone…"

"She was? Is she okay?" Mary Jane wondered.

"Yeah, Boomerang's taking her to a safe spot, probably the Bar With No Name or something." Peter explained.

"Boomerang? Why is he helping?" Tails asked.

Sitting down and removing his mask, Peter said, "Don't know. He said something about wanting to keep the emeralds out of the big guys' hands, considering how he doesn't care about all these world ending adventures, I believe him."

"Still, keep an eye on him though," Sonic suggested.

"Of course. Can't be too trusting now." Spidey agreed, "All this multiverse stuff is giving me a headache… I'm taking a nap…"

"You do that, Pete," Sonic told his superhero friend.

Gwen placed herself down on the apartment sofa and slouched, "…You'd think I'd be used to seeing animal people like you…"

"Why's that?" Tails wondered.

The White Widow waved a hand, "A foe of mine, Koala Kommander… Long story…"

MJ was still ever curious about the mirror image of her old friend and said, "Sorry, I'm still in disbelief seeing you… with spider powers at that."

"Got bit by a spider, I'm sure that part sounds familiar." quipped Gwen.

"Yep. It does," Sonic replied.

"I hate to ask but… did you go through the same things Peter did?" Mary Jane asked.

Spider-Woman shrugged, "Don't know. I gained an ego, kicked bad guy butt… lost someone close to me soon after. I decided to honor him after that."

"Peter endured all that too." Mary Jane revealed, "But to hear you did, I hoped it was easier for you. Pete never wanted to share the burden."

"Neither do I," Gwen admitted, rubbing the back of her neck.

After a few moments of watching them converse, Sonic curiously wandered into Peter and Mary Jane's room, "Pete? You in here, buddy?" Sonic called out to his friend as he slowly opened the door. He fully opened it and saw that the bed was emptied, the only clue to Peter's whereabouts being an open window, "Uh… MJ? Peter just kinda bailed on us."

MJ heard the hedgehog and peeked into the room, her eyes widening, "Oh. I… may have an idea as to where he is."

"You do? Where?" Tails asked.

"This- This is gonna be hard to explain," MJ said, hoping she wouldn't have to open this up to the Mobians this soon.

Unknown

"O-Okay look… It's been a while, I know. I… I've just been busy with a lot of stuff. I should've come here after… everything. I-I didn't expect Web to pull this crap on me, to toy with me like this after losing… after losing her." Spider-Man spoke in one breath, sharply inhaling as he knelt down and removed his mask, wiping the stray tears from his face as he could only solemnly stare at the tombstone in front of him.

His tear-filled eyes kept reading the name: 'Gwendolyne Stacy'.

Peter continued speaking, "I don't know what to do, Gwenny. It's like seeing a ghost… I can only handle so much."

A familiar blue wind swept in his ears, making him put his mask back in response, "…Didn't think you'd find me here." he called out to his friends, aware of their presence.

Sonic took a slow step forward, Tails standing behind him equally as concerned, "MJ told us you'd be here."

"I-Is she here?" Peter wondered.

"We offered to find you since we're quicker. But she is worried about you," Tails explained. He eyed the tombstone, "…Is that…?"

"You know?" Spidey asked.

Sonic sat down, "MJ told us what she could. I'm sorry, Pete."

"It's not your fault. The only one to blame is me," Peter muttered, his lenses narrowing.

"Come on, Pete. You seriously can't think that," the hedgehog calmly replied to the web-head, who turned to him.

"Her neck snapped because of my web. I failed Gwen. I killed her. How am I supposed to protect this alternate universe version of her?!" Spider-Man yelled in regret, "Madame Web's dooming me to failure AGAIN!"

Tails shook his head, "You're not going to fail, Peter."

"How do you know? You guys only just got here… this isn't the only grave in this cemetery that I'm the cause of digging…" Peter muttered under his breath, every failure he's endured catching up to his mind, "Every time things go my way, something comes to rip that away, and I'm afraid this time is no different. The fact that MJ and I are fine is a miracle I refuse to take granted."

Sonic and Tails remained silent as Peter kept speaking, "And after everything with Goblin, I-I can't trust myself to do this right. To keep Gwen safe after I failed Aunt May…"

Sonic sighed, "I'm not exactly the best source of comfort for times like this… but Pete, the only thing I can promise is that you won't fail. The world may stink sometimes but as long as Tails and I are here we'll make sure you keep getting some wins."

"Yeah," Tails agreed, "We're not gonna leave you alone during this. Not now."

"I appreciate the gesture guys, but it's gonna take more than words to convince me." Peter mumbled.

The hedgehog frowned, "Then don't trust our words. Tails and I are men of action, we'll show you we can help. Even though things are heating up in the streets and it's looking dire, this time you're not alone. You have us."

Peter rubbed his forehead, "Yeah… Yeah, I guess you're right. Normally I'm out there taking this on myself. I guess a few extra hands… can actually give us a fighting chance to defy my bad luck for once."

"We know it can happen. We'll win and Gwen can go home safe." Tails assured his friend.

Sonic stood up, dusting himself off and offering a hand, "So Spider-Man, are you ready to teach that 'Parker Luck' a lesson?"

Spider-Man managed a smile under his mask and returned the hedgehog's gesture, "…You know what? I'll try it."

'Gwen. Captain Stacy. Aunt May. Uncle Ben. I promise… I promise I won't let you down.'

Parker-Watson Apartment

"Told you they can get through to him." MJ said to Gwen, who also witnessed the heroic trio returning.

"Yeah… sorry about that, honey," Peter apologized.

MJ replied, "No need to do that, Tiger. Just as long as you're okay. I know I should've been there, but I know those two could reach out to you while I explain everything to Gwen here." she embraced him, Peter feeling comforted just by her presence.

Gwen stood up and asked, "You feeling better?"

"…Kind of. It's gonna take a bit to adjust to, but I'll be fine. How about you?" Peter wondered.

Spider-Woman shrugged, "Shaken up still. Probably will be even after I go home but… look, I'll watch your back and you watch mine. Deal?"

"Deal." Peter nodded and composed himself, "Now… we got some gangsters and emeralds to deal with. Sonic, Tails, how'd your end of things go?"

"Not great. Eggman's back and we know who the Zeti Gang are. Turns out the name's familiar because they're the Zeti, a race of Yokai from a planet called the Lost Hex." Tails said.

"So that's the new gang… not at all what I expected," Mary Jane muttered in disbelief.

Sonic put his hands on his hips, saying, "So Egghead may have some super powerful demons under his control, knowing his luck that won't last long."

"We also ran into Daredevil, we couldn't beat the Zeti though." Tails sighed.

"Daredevil huh? Guess he also heard the Kingpin was up to his old tricks too. We should head down to Hell's Kitchen again." Peter said.

"Kingpin? Matt Murdock's a problem in your world too?!" Gwen blurted out.

"No no. Matt is actually a friend of ours," Mary Jane explained, "He's… well, he's Daredevil. He and Pete are the only ones aware of each others' identities."

"Matt Murdock is a hero here?! Man that's actually shocking." Gwen gasped.

"The Kingpin on the other hand is Wilson Fisk, a powerful tycoon who has a near tight grip on the city." Peter revealed, "But he's not the only crime lord we have here."

"As for what the heck is going on, we'll explain during the search. Hopefully Black Cat and Boomerang are fine." Sonic said.

Mary Jane raised a finger, "Actually it's good timing you mentioned her. She actually contacted me," she pulled out her phone and read the message sent, "Hey Watson, I'm sure the Spider's worried sick about me, but I'm only a bit sore. Boomerang has some intel he's willing to share, got him all wrapped up for him and his new friends just in case."

Peter rubbed his neck, "Huh. Leave it to Felicia to take care of things."

Spider-Gwen sighed, "You need to catch me up on who that is."

"Trust me, Gwen, I need a refresher too." Sonic quipped.

"The history there is… well I won't say anything. For now I'd say hurry," MJ insisted. Peter put a palm to his head, dreading the imminent discussion.