Black Cat huffed, "Will these things ever stay down?!" she sliced the head of a robot off with her claws while saying this, then she moved to do the same to another robot.
"It's not them stayin' down that's the problem!" Applejack reminded Felicia, kicking apart two robots as hard as she could, "It's the fact that they keep comin'!"
Pinkie Pie looked up to see Rainbow Dash hovering with a robot in her hooves. She threw it down, and allowed Rarity to hit it even harder by tossing it to a few more robots in their path. "Woo! Teamwork makes the dream work!"
"What does that even mean!?" Trixie wondered. The blue unicorn having hit the robots with her offensive spells.
Pinkie shrugged, "I dunno!" she said while hopping on top of the androids Fluttershy shoved aside. The yellow pegasus even managed to destroy a few by ducking and having them move too far, much to her surprise and the relief of the others. She still wondered how she could do that.
With the robots' numbers dwindling with the absence of Doctor Octopus, Black Cat decided to finish this off by jumping around and slicing off the heads of each robot, with Spike providing a way to burn through their wires and circuits. Eventually, the ponies saw her plan and aided her as much as they could.
Trixie saw one last robot stumble to get up, and she used her magic to hold it down. Rainbow Dash and Felicia nodded at one another and punched its motherboard out, destroying it for good. The ponies panted, relieved that the inorganic beings were gone.
"Gotta admit... You're pretty cool." Rainbow admitted to the Black Cat, who chuckled.
"You gals are not too bad, either." replied Black Cat.
"We should tell the others that Doctor Octopus lady vanished when they get back." Rarity reminded them, "I just hope they're fine wherever they're at."
Everypony else nodded in agreement, but deep down something in their minds told them that something was off.
Spider-Man 2099 grunted, trying to hit Kaine with his claws. The First Spider hopped back before the attack could hit him. 'Shock it. He must have a Spider-Sense also. That's just great...' he thought. Kaine reared his right arm back, curling his hand into a fist. As he was about to punch Miguel, the future hero caught it in his palm.
"We're wasting time! Sloan could be doing who knows what right now!" Spider-Man 2099 yelled, not in the mood to fight the dejected and violent clone.
Kaine scowled, "Stop trying to get yourself out of this! I'm supposed to stop you! You Spiders should know about loyalty more than I do!" he moved his arm down, making O'Hara lose his grip. The clone kicked Spider-Man 2099's chest, launching him to the wall. While he slid down, Kaine marched forward, releasing his stingers again to finish what he had started.
Miguel's head snapped upward, "Actually I do, you son of a glitch!" he shot two strands of webbing out of his wrist, the First Spider using his stingers to cut the gossamer before they could make contact. He ignored his Spider-Sense, not knowing that Spider-Man 2099 had gotten up and was ready to uppercut him. "You know your creator is wrong! Why stick with him?!" he asked once Kaine landed on the metal floor.
"I have no choice!" declared Kaine, jumping back on his feet. "I shouldn't have to explain this to you again!" he growled, pointing at the future Spider-Man.
"You always have a choice." Miguel revealed, holding his hands up as a declaration of peace. "You're a clone... How much of Parker's memories do you truly have to assume that he would treat you as a monster."
Kaine paused, looking at the ground and he crossed his arms in silence. "The memories I share with him diverge after his final battle with the Green Goblin before he left to that other world... I've seen faint visions of those too. He's a hero. Something that I would never become at this point of my existence."
"What do you think about those visions? The ones you can recall?" asked O'Hara.
Exhaling, Kaine looked at Spider-Man 2099, "I feel... burdened. As though I have a sense of responsibility t-to these people that I don't even know! I wanted to live my own life, free from Parker's shadow... But I don't know where to begin."
"That's why you're still here. You believe you can't find a purpose beyond helping your creator." Spider-Man 2099 explained, "You may share the body and some thoughts of Peter Parker, but you've proven that you are you're own person. If you help us, we can help you give you the life you wanted." he offered, holding out a hand for the clone to shake.
The First Spider paused again, looking at Miguel's peace offering. Something tugged at his heart, telling him that it was for the best he followed his own path. This future Spider-Man has been pleading with him, 'How can I really trust him to save Ben? The only way is if I deal with Anti-Venom and to do that is join forces...' he grabbed Spider-Man 2099's hand and shook it back.
"Glad to have you on board, Kaine." said Miguel sincerely.
Kaine removed his mask, an honest smile was seen on his lightly scarred face. "I can trust you. For now. What of my brother? The clone that became Tarantula?" he wondered.
"Once we find him, we'll find a way to revert his mutation. I promise." Miguel responded. "Now how about we get the glitch Sloan and stop his shocking plans for good?"
"I'm with you. I need to have a few words with my 'Father' as well." Kaine agreed. 'On my own.'
"Alright." Spider-Man 2099 nodded, "Let's-"
"NO!"
The Spider-Men looked out the doorway, "Oh shock! That was Twilight!"
"That girl that Parker seems to be attracted to? She's here as well?" asked First Spider as they started to sprint.
"You have those thoughts too, huh?" Spider-Man 2099 wondered.
"Yeah. That scream can't be good! We gotta hurry! Anti-Venom is too dangerous!"
"Oh shock..." Miguel muttered. He and Kaine saw Anti-Venom's unconscious body. But he looked down, seeing Sunset try to comfort a sobbing Twilight. "Jam it!" he whispered. He saw Spider-Man's unmoving body.
"Twilight... What happened?" asked Miguel.
The two sorceresses looked at Spider-Man 2099, and Sunset explained things for the former alicorn, but tears still ran down her eyes. "Anti-Venom drained Peter's powers... And we tried to fight him off. Brock was too powerful and we were left unconscious. By the time we woke up, i-it looked like Peter gave it his all to stop him..."
"Damn it!" yelled Kaine, kicking the ground in frustration. "This is all my fault!"
"Who are you?" Sunset questioned.
The First Spider spoke and removed his mask, Sunset's jaw agape at seeing the scarred mirror image of Peter "My name is Kaine. I'm a clone created in Peter Parker's likeness... I-I'm the one who brought Anti-Venom here by orders and put him under mind control."
Twilight heard that and shot a concussive blast at the clone, launching him across the room. "You did this!" she shouted, "You killed my husband!" she pointed at the clone. Her alicorn wings formed on her back as magic began to surge through her body.
"Easy Twilight!" Miguel tried to calm the sorceress, but she ignored his plea. Sunset tried to hold her back, but even she couldn't do much to stop Twilight.
"He deserves no sympathy!" she roared. "My daughter will have to live without a father because of him!"
"You don't think I'm sorry?" Kaine asked, causing the powered-up woman to pause for a moment. "I share Parker's memories until he left for good. I know how much he cares for each of you... To have a hand in taking that away... And now knowing you two have a daughter to care for and love, is now my biggest regret."
Twilight lowered her hand, her wings folding back, as he continued, "I saw myself as a monster. That will never change, but I wish to at least help you if it means saving my brother." Kaine said, "It may not be something Ock or Sloan would tell you, but there actually is a way to save Peter at the state he's in."
"You can? How?" Sunset wondered, looking at the clone. "He was already brought back once before."
"The cloning room..." Spider-Man 2099 realized.
Kaine nodded, "It can also double as a regeneration chamber thanks to his DNA being on record. We still have time to heal his fatal wounds in there. But we gotta be quick."
After hearing the clone's words, Twilight calmed down, and softly lifted Peter's body in her arms, bridal style. Kaine and Miguel lead the two to the cloning room, and gently placed Spider-Man's body inside of the capsule. The First Spider typed something on the keyboard then looked at the two, "It's gonna take some time, but he'll get better. I promise. Now we have to free Anti-Venom."
"He'll probably be up again soon, leaving us to fight him. Twilight, Sunset, can you watch Parker while he recovers?" asked Spider-Man 2099.
"You can count on us." Sunset assured. "Kick Anti-Venom's ass for us, will you?"
"Heh. Can do."
As the two walked away, Twilight looked at the capsule Peter was lying in, "Hey, Kaine...?" she called out, prompting the clone to stop. She gave him a teary smile.
"I-I'm sorry for what I said earlier... Thank you for doing this. For saving my husband and the father of my daughter. You're not a monster... You're a hero."
Under his mask, Kaine smiled, "Thank you. For you to say that... Means a lot. What's your daughter's name?"
"Mayday."
"Beautiful name. I promise that she'll have a father and mother to have come back by the end of today." he assured. Sunset beamed a grin at the clone.
"Stay safe, Kaine. We'll be here in case you need help. You're okay in my eyes as well." said Sunset.
"Can do, Red." replied the Scarlet Spider, shooting a web-strand out the door and swinging away to catch up with Spider-Man 2099.
Twilight placed a hand on the capsule, relieved to know that Peter was going to be alright in the end. Sunset exhaled, "Let's just hope those two can handle Anti-Venom on their own."
"They can do it. I know they can."
As they were conversing, the two sorceresses began to hear cracks, alerting them of something. Twilight and Sunset readied their magic just in case. Some creatures broke out of the capsules, revealing themselves to be Scorpion clones.
"This isn't what I had in mind while we waited..." said the former unicorn, taking the first shot at the creatures.
"Same here." replied Twilight.
There were at least five Scorpion clones ready to kill them, but they faced worse odds. Sunset shot a small ball of fire at one, burning it up in contact and turning it to ash. The fire managed to hit another one's claw, prompting it to freak out. This allowed the former unicorn to shoot it into pieces.
Twilight raised her hands, hitting two Scorpions with a concussive blast hard enough to tear it apart. She and Sunset finished the ladt one by holding it back and hitting it with one last offensive spell, emptying the room for good.
"Good riddance." Twilight sighed.
Sunset nodded, "Yeah. Luckily, it wasn't too much. Whoever made these must've ran out back in Canterlot."
"U-Ugh..." said someone through a microphone of sorts nearby,
The noise prompted Twilight and Sunset to face the capsule. "T-Twilight...? Sunset? W-Where am I?" he asked, his voice distorted through the capsule.
"Peter!?" Twilight asked aloud, "Y-You're alive!"
Peter let out a quiet chuckle, "I-I died...? Heh, guess death couldn't handle the Parker Luck. What happened?"
"Miguel went to go free Anti-Venom with the help of Kaine." Sunset explained.
"Kaine...? Never heard of him."
"He's a clone. Of you." Twilight revealed.
"Clone...? That's a n-new one..." he said, staying silent, "Man, now I know how an omelet feels." Spider-Man joked.
Anti-Venom clenched his fist as he started to awaken. He held his head and roared, getting back to his feet. "Where are you, Parker!?" he asked aloud.
"He's not here right now!"
The symbiote turned around, spotting Miguel and Kaine. "More Spiders. You two shall be cured as well!" he lashed his tentacles at Spider-Man 2099 and the First Spider, but they bounced off the two. "What happened!?" he wondered.
"My powers aren't radiation-based! They're genetics!" explained O'Hara.
"And I was created with them. They can't be removed easily." answered Kaine.
Anti-Venom held a hand on the floor, charging after the two Spiders. Kaine flipped out of the way, while Miguel rolled, using an Accelerated Decoy to trick Anti-Venom into thinking he grabbed him. While he was charging with the fake, the clone shot a strand of webbing at the symbiote's back and yanked it, removing a small chip planted on the monster's back.
"There's three of them. It should be easy." Kaine explained.
Spider-Man 2099 nodded, roundhouse kicked Anti-Venom and did a backflip-kick, hitting the creature in the face. Eddie never stood a chance to the combined prowess of two Spiders. "Stay down!" hissed the monster.
"Make us." scoffed the First Spider, who delivered a left hook to Anti-Venom's chest, stunning him. O'Hara released a web-line and released another chip, leaving one more in order to free Eddie Brock.
"Die!"
Anti-Venom tried to grab Kaine, but the clone used his stungers to tear about the tendrils coming at him. Miguel slashed Anti-Venom's head with his talons and dazed him. The future Spider-Man flipped over the creature's shoulders and removed the final chip.
Eddie screamed, feeling his mind loosen. His body began to morph as it began to shrink and thin out. He held his head while he struggled to get his mind back together. Miguel and Kaine stood by him, making sure the process went well.
"What happened to me?" asked Anti-Venom.
"Sloan put you under mind control. Made you kill Spider-Man and us." explained Kaine.
"Parker? He's here?" Eddie wondered.
"Weren't you two enemies?" Kaine questioned. 'While he's talking, I'll make my exit. I can handle the Professor myself and Sloan's endgame myself.'
"I've moved on. Ever since the Venom symbiote was removed... I just hope Peter believes me."
"I'm sure he will." O'Hara replied, "Parker's one to forgive pretty easily. It's something that I scold him for every now and then."
Anti-Venom agreed, "Perhaps we should see for ourselves?"
Spider-Man 2099 nodded, "Yeah, let's go check on him and see for ourselves." he turned his head, noticing that a certain spider was missing now. "...Where the shock did Kaine go?" he heard the sound of the portal blaring, as if someone jumped in and he instantly knew that the clone had left the scene.
Anti-Venom hissed, "Do not be concerned with him... We have more important matters, such as Sloan snd Parker..."
"Easy, you two. He's on our side."
Miguel assured the two magic users to lower their glowing arms. Anti-Venom managed to remove the symbiote from his head, revealing his true face. "My sincerest apologies. Sloan had put me under mind control to stop you all."
"B-Brock...?"
Eddie faced Spider-Man in the capsule and sighed, "Yes, Peter, it's actually me, the real me. You don't have to worry about me getting to your loved ones or anything like that anymore. Ever since Venom was taken from me, I changed me ways in your honor. Especially learning of everything you've endured."
Peter coughed, "T-Then how did you... get that...?"
Brock looked at his reflection, "A man named Martin Li. He's considered the Saint of New York and showed up sometime after you left... But like everyone else, he also has a dark side. Turns out he was a crime boss called Mister Negative. He had this weird power whenever he turned... When he touched me, he cured my cancer and released all the dormant symbiote traces left in my DNA, turning me into Anti-Venom. Ever since, I decided to fight the disease called crime."
"So, you're no longer evil?" asked Twilight with some curiosity over his behavior.
"H-He was never really evil, Twi... He just really hated me. I remember when he went through a Lethal Protector phase as Venom.' Peter revealed slowly, coughing again, "Heard him and the Hulk call out some guy called Doctor Badvibes on the radio one time. Heh... That was actually pretty funny." he paused, "...Can I get out now? My suit's starting to itch in places it shouldn't."
Miguel nodded, "Sure thing." he replied and opened the glass. Peter collapsed to a knee, where Twilight held him up with an arm wrapped around his shoulder. But not before trapping him in a hug and kissing his face.
Spidey chuckled, "E-Easy, Twi... I just came back from the dead." he quipped.
Sunset looked around, "Where's Kaine?"
"...Who the heck is Kaine again?" Peter asked.
Spider-Man 2099 folded his arms, "Your clone. And not the only one either. He helped heal you after Anti-Venom beat you to a shocking pulp earlier, then ran off into the portal to Equestria. Not sure why." he grunted to himself. "There's another clone... Transformed into Tarantula, and he's desperate to save him. And I thought I was getting through to him too." he exhaled.
Twilight frowned, "He really did sound sympathetic over his mistakes... but it's not your fault, Miguel. He probably needs time to himself to think things over."
Sunset put her hands on her hips. "Well, at least we don't have to worry about him killing us, I guess. But he shouldn't be out there alone."
Spider-Man sighed, "Another clone like Kaine? That's not gonna sound convoluted later on." he inhaled, "Alright... Guess we gotta go after him and that Tarantula... thing." he turned his head, "Hey, Eddie. You up for helping us?" he said, 'I can't believe I just asked Eddie Brock for help. That's just bizarre.'
Eddie shook his head, "Not yet." the symbiote shifted back onto his face, "I have a bone to pick with Sloan first and make him pay for using me." he snarled, raising his arm and allowed it to become a sharp blade.
"Should we head back then?" Sunset suggested.
"Looks like we have no choice for now." Peter responded, "Eddie can handle Sloan while the rest of us deal with the new Ock, and find Kaine and Tarantula before things get even worse."
Sloan folded his hands as he looked to the monitor then over to the many capsules scattered around the laboratory he was in, "It seems Anti-Venom was another failure." he pursed his lips, "No matter, I did not need him anyhow."
The scientist typed on a keyboard, removing the fog from the capsules. In them were strange bodies that were kept covered in duplicates of Spider-Man's costume, all torn and all of them with what looked to be burnt, green skin. "And Mister Brock is on his way for his revenge... I cannot be halted here... Not yet." he whispered to himself in displeasure.
Sloan looked to the capsules, seeing that the subjects were still alive despite their... flaws. They would no doubt come in handy in stopping the Spiders and ponies that followed him across time and space.
"I hope the Professor doesn't mind me unleashing the Imperfects for this moment." he smirked, watching the capsules open slowly and the fog cover the room. Moans were able to be heard as the Spider-Man clones dropped to the ground on their feet, ready to fo their bidding