Crime rates have shot up since the Goblin attack and Spider-Mane has made it his mission to reduce it. But Peter can't see that his drive is what's crushing his family's heart. Peter will have to learn that he can't do things alone and that he must be a more trusting person. He can't let the past be what defines him.
Peter spent his days putting away criminal after criminal since the Goblin attack. Exhaustion took over every part of his being, but he pressured on. Ever since the Goblin made his debut every criminal hidden away in Ponyville came out an about.
Even some old-timers that Peter had fought during his time in Manehatten were residing in his new home. Shocker and Electro were the familar faces that he--sadly--had to meet.
Peter climbs through his bedroom window, peeling the mask off his face. His red and blue costume was shredded, the shirt clung to his body, one of his boots were burnt off him, and his mask was barely even considered a mask. He rips off the webbing that he had wrapped around his face. His face was cut up. His left eye swollen, and---
"What the hell happened to you!?" Trixie yells. Peter tries hiding his face using the torn up mask. A blue aura wraps itself around Peter's body, forcing him to face her. Trixie pulls the mask away from his face.
"You're done. No more Spider-Mane."
"But Trixie I have to. Crime rates have shot up since the Goblin attacked! I have to go out there!"
"No you don't. Let me and Eddie take over."
"But---"
"Don't you dare go on about how this is your responsibility and yours alone. I'm sick of hearing it! You can't keep doing this by yourself and you know it!" Trixie's eyes water up. The tears begin pouring out. She puts herself onto Peter, the latter of which putting his arms around his friend. He rubs her back as she clings onto him.
"Trixie," she looks up to meet his gaze, "I'll rest up. I promise to you I will. But if you plan on going out there, be careful. I'll call Eddie." He pulls away from the embrace and picks up his phone from his desk. Trixie wipes her face as she leaves Peter's room. Seeing Peter's injuries get this bad brought back horrific memories.
"Sweet mother of Luna what happened to you!?" Trixie watches Peter stumble to the floor. His hoodie was badly burnt and was torn in other places. His mask rested on his bed, the side of it was gone.
"Is everything all right in there?" May called from the kitchen.
"Everything's fine May!" Peter says. Trixie helps him up onto his bed. That's when Trixie notices the blood dripping from his side.
"P-p-Peter? What happened?"
"Don't worry I'll be fine. It was....just....." He would lose consciousness and then....
Trixie blocks out the memory. She places the helmet over her head.
"Alright so Eddie says he's heading out. I told him to expect you to be out on patrol." Peter says while walking downstairs. Trixie nods. Peter watches silently as she leaves.
That's when his smile faltered. He sure hated lying. Especially to his family.
Trixie flies close to Eddie as they walk down the streets of Brock's apartment. Eddie couldn't see her face due to the helmet, but he could feel that something was off.
"What's on your mind Trixie?"
"Oh nothing." Eddie looks at her, worry written on his face. "What?"
"It's about Peter isn't it." Trixie stops dead in her tracks. She removes the helmet as she takes a seat in the grass. Eddie sits next to her, rubbing her back.
"I don't know what I'm going to do with him. Ever since Ben died he's been so stubborn. It hurts seeing him come home each day with bruises. And...and you realize that there's nothing you can do to talk him out of it cause it's---"
"His responsibility. Yeah I get it."
"And I know we'll see him out here again. He can't ignore danger. And I get it. He doesn't want the past to repeat itself."
"When is he going to stop destroying himself over Ben's death? He was---"
"That's not the thing I was talking about. The Stacy incident. That's what's driving him now. That and Ben's death." This caught Eddie off guard.
"That wasn't his fault though. Was it?" Trixie looks at Eddie. Tears were welling up in her eyes.
"That was my fault. I talked him out of stopping Goblin. Saying that it was just bad guy banter."
"I gotta find him Trixie; before he hurts anypony else!" Peter says while putting on his hoodie.
"That's just bad guy banter to get you shaking in your boots Pete. Goblin doesn't even know who you are." Trixie says while munching on one of the leftover wheatcakes that May had left in the fridge.
"We have to make sure of that."
"Petey; has anyone ever told you that you worry too much? Goblin doesn't know anything about Spider-Mane other than that he wears a crappy costume."
"You said you liked it."
"I lied, but that's not the point. If Gobby doesn't know who you are then he can't hurt anyone close to you. It's that simple." Peter stands there holding his "mask." It was true that Goblin didn't know who he really was, but maybe....maybe he did.
His Spider-Sense kicks in full gear, dropping Peter to a knee.
"Pete?"
"Something's wrong! I gotta go!" He throws his mask on as he jumps out of his bedroom window.
"Peter would come home bawling. That's when I learned that Goblin had killed Gwen and her family. Burned them all whilst they ate dinner. Couple of days later Peter told me that Goblin did that cause he saw that Spidey and Captain Stacy seemed to share a bond."
"Peter was right." Trixie nods.
"And it was my fault."
"But Peter blames himself for it I bet." Eddie says.
"No. He just had a reason to keep swinging. He didn't blame anyone for what happened to them. But since that day---"
"I've never stopped following my gut." Eddie and Trixie turn to see Peter. He stands before them looking disheartened. "I'm sorry Trixie. For lying. But Ponyville needs cleaning. I'm not going to stop till I've done that."
"Then let us help you. You don't have to do this on your own." Eddie says. "Please let us help you."
"I better not regret it." Peter says as he clips his web-shooters onto his bracelets. Trixie looks surprised. Eddie just smirks it off as the symbiote covers his body. Peter removes the jacket and sweatpants he was wearing, to reveal the new costume underneath.
"White spider?" Venom questions as Peter slides his mask over his face.
"Wanted to try something new." Venom inspects the new suit. The white spider on the front and a red one on the back. He kept the red and blue color scheme, with some of white cutting through the blue on his arms.
Trixie makes it to her feet. She looks between Venom and Peter. She smiles as she wipes away the tears that remained on her face. She places the helmet over her head.
"Let's go team!" Spider-Mane, Venom, and Trixie took to the skies ready to face the criminal underworld together.
If one were to look at the trio above them, they would notice Spider-Mane seemed to fall back a little. For Trixie and Venom, they didn't seem to notice. Peter had agreed to this whole team thing, but the way he was acting was off.
"How am I going to follow my lead with my friends on my back? If Trixie found out who I'm up against she would flip!" Peter's Spider-Sense kicks in. The danger was coming from his right.
"My Spider-Sense kicked in. Follow me!" Peter begins leading his friends to the source.
"If they are the ones from before then I'll have to play dumb. Can't let them get too involved with this."
A group of stallions, all wearing purple and grey jumpsuits with vests, were busily loading crates into a van. Peter knew who these ponies worked for, and sadly, so did Eddie.
"Woah these guys work for Fisk!" Eddie says.
"Who's Fisk?" Venom asked out loud. Trixie gives Peter a look, but he gave no indication that he knew who Fisk was.
"Fisk is the biggest crime boss since Tombstone! He gets away with a lot of illegal business," Eddie then forces his head out of Venom's side, "what are you doing picking fights with Fisk?" He asks Peter.
"That's who they work for? I had no idea. I just sensed danger and tried stopping it."
"Mhm." Eddie says as he goes back into the symbiote. He didn't buy any of what Peter was saying.
"Then what are they doing that gives us the right to stop em?" Trixie asks.
"That's what we're here to find out." Peter says before hopping into action. Trixie and Venom follow after him.
The stallions were all easily dispatched of and left in a web ball. Peter begins looking into one of the crates. Nothing, but metal pieces. This puzzles him. He picks one of the pieces up. After thorough examinations he turns to his friends.
"Hey Trixie; what does this look like to you?" Trixie stares at the piece, her brow furrowed under the helmet.
"Looks like a battery of some sorts."
"What would Fisk need a battery for?" Venom asks.
Peter looks over the battery one more time. No name of the maker. He looks at the crate. He moves the crate around looking for a brand name and there it was.