Patient 0

''SCP-299, cheer up, now. It is your birthday, today after all.''

''Get bent.''

''Oh, how I love your sense of humor. You do know that escape is futile, do you not? The last two times, indeed were because of the incompetence of others; and I'm talking to you, Jerry!''

''Yes, sir. . .''

''He's lucky I didn't skewer him either time.''

''That does beg the question of why you chose to kill 17 scientists and guards, but not dear Jerry when he was the first in your sights on either occasion?''

''Hmmph. Kill is. . .overrated to me. Just simple self-defense, plus I like Jerry. He's not a massive dick, unlike you.''

''If exploding the bodies of my colleagues from the inside out is considered defense, I shudder to think what applies as a fair fight.''

''You know I'll just escape. There's always a backdoor you guys don't account for.''

''You may try, but we have found a way to quell your rage; for if you do not, then she. . .will die by your hand.''

''What? You. . .no. You didn't. You didn't. HOW COULD YOU TURN HER INTO A FREAK?!'' the cell rumbled and shook as he growled, using his massive claws to swipe at the plexiglass, to no avail. Every single swipe resulted in the force almost negating the momentum entirely. He punched, again and again, if he could make the smallest crack then he could make something happen.

''Oh, no, no, no. My dear boy, you misunderstand. We have elevated her, to an entirely different level than you. She stands at the pinnacle of what we are attempting to accomplish. She is the one who will lead the new world order, and you are becoming more and more obsolete. It is the natural way of things; Alpha and Beta.'' a bout of snickers echoed before exploding into a cacophony of laughter that swallowed up the entire room. ''She is no more a freak than you are normal.''

One final slam against the glass did nothing as he trembled, enraged and confused at why this was happening to him. Why did he have to be in this position? To kill those who were deserving, and those who were not?

And why was he his own worst enemy?

''Sleep, now SCP-299. You may wish to save your strength for the main event; you and that filthy host of yours. . .''

''For the last time-'' the room began to rattle and shake but failed to perturbed the individual who walked away. The different sensors were firing off, blaring, and warning of something. The floor began to creak as the riveted panels began to become undone and fly every which way, nearly decapitating the heads of a few of the scientists that stood and watched in horror as his mental state began to spike. ''WE ARE VENOM!!!!!''

6 months ago. . .

Ah, social gatherings. How I love and hate them. It was always good to help and make new friends and build connections, but also a bit unfavorable as sometimes people can be a drain for even the simplest of things. The turnout rate every always seemed to increase. All of the stalls were packed to the brim with people, wearing different costumes from tv, movies, game, and anime.

Against the better wishes of my friend, Cecil, I chose to attend the festivities as the Venom Symbiote. He always was given the short end of the stick in the comic books, and while most consider him a villain, I see him more as misunderstood.

Granted those who he killed originally did not help his case, different iterations of him however did. My costume itself was definitely not cheap either, it mostly was comprised of wetsuit material, so clung pretty close to the body, and the giant white splotch on the back resembling Spider-Man's symbol took time to get just right. I debated against wearing shoes or boots, but boots called out more to me as they were more practical in giving me a more edgy look. My eyeholes were about as good as you would expect with the white eyes, but I made it work.

My friend, Cecil however chose to go as Hawkeye from Marvel's Avengers. And it fit the overall look of his build. He chose to play the bit as close as he could all the way to the thin, purple shade down to the boots. He even had an actual bow and arrows. If security actually stopped and questioned us, I feel we would be kicked out. Ever since I could remember, this guy was the man with the plan; every time we got into any kind of trouble, he would always have some rhyme or reason to get us off scot-free.

If not for him, I would more than likely not be here, at least not in one piece.

''So how long you thinking we should pursue the booths? You know we can't be here for long,'' Cecil commented to me as he draped his arm over his neck. That was true. This year we couldn't stay long because of the bus routes conflicting with our schedules for tomorrow. Ugh, I hate working sometimes. Why can't Monday just not exist?

I adjusted his crooked glasses as he parted from me and walked down the narrow strip of carpet that was flanked by booths and other event-goers squeezing in and out to their own destinations. ''Probably another hour,'' I sighed out, feeling some of my breath reach my eyes due to the lack of proper ventilation in this mask. We had gotten a few items and ordered some others to be delivered to our places, got some comics signed, and even made some new friends for our online gaming team. So, in all, it was a good day for me. ''I just want to see if there's anything else that may catch my eye before we get ready to leave and-Cecil?'' I asked, seeing my friend fawn over a girl dressed up as Hsien-Ko from Darkstalkers.

''Yea, yea, you go ahead. I just found a villain I need to consult,'' Cecil grinned like a pervert, slowly stalking over to the girl who hopped to the other end of the hall with her friends dressed up as Morrigan, Chun-Li, and Korra. ''If I don't make it back in time, you why.''

''Ok, gross for one.'' I pointed a finger at him as I shot him a look of disappointment. ''And two; you know she's actually a hero, right?'' that only further fueled him to laugh and wave his hand in a go away gesture. Should have kept my mouth shut.

''Be that as it may Vincent, that ass of hers is diabolical, and as a hero and member of The Avengers, it is my duty to investigate that booty,'' Cecil jogged after the girls. ''Call me before you get ready to leave!''

Oh my goodness. ''The friends I surround myself with,'' I facepalmed, catching the attention of a smaller guy dressed up like Toad from Mario.

''I know that feeling.'' Toad responded, shooting me a look of knowing as I continued on my own way to see what else was there.

''Oh, what do you know? You're Toad,'' I commented, making him deflate.

"Aww. . .''

Putting that aside, I weaved in and out of various costume wearers as I looked around and failed to see anything that would instantly catch my attention. Only in my spaced-out mind space, was I not paying enough attention to the booth I ended up hitting my knee into as I leaped back and hissed. Damn it!

''Gotta be more careful, my friend,'' a very deep, but calm voice filled with mirth called out to me as I wiggled my leg to shake off some of the pain if possible. ''I don't think you have extra knees to go swapping out.''

Great, we have a grade a smartass here. Manging to look at who spoke to me, I saw a booth that was relatively barren. It was shoddily put together with nails, what appeared to be glue, and just with luck. On the blackened tarp sat. . .cards?

''And you are?'' I looked to the man who was monstrously sized, appearing like a pure mountain of muscle with almost no fat. He wore a dark grey cloak on his person, which I couldn't see what else he was wearing, but something felt. . .off. The look of indifference in his brown eyes did little to calm me from wondering what the heck he was selling. He reached and took the hood of his head, the small weighted beads on his braided auburn beard dangled around as he showed me his head, bald and very, very shiny. A tattoo of some kind of symbol sat just under his right eye died in dark blue, green and

''It's Celtic; it's the symbol of the Triquetra, not that I expect you to know what that means.'' the man folded his arms and stared at me as I must have stared too long. It was hard not to. ''And my name is Evander.''

Quickly apologizing, I stepped back some and watched as Evander swept his hands out in front of the cards as if to show them off to me. The cards were all face down, adorned with more symbols, which I assumed to be Celtic as well. ''If you so desire, I will read your fortune and tell you what it is that you can except for the future,'' Evander said as he began to shuffle the rest of the cards in his hand, waiting to hear my answer.

I very much held a doubt that my future could be told, in any accurate way. And from the look of Evander, it seemed like he wouldn't just let me walk away. Plus him being very large also worried me a bit. Plus, what could it hurt? ''Ok, lay it on me.'' I walked back to the table, looking at Evander's handwork like lighting as he shuffled and laid the cards down away from me. ''What is your name?''

''Vincent Josiah,'' I replied, folding my arms and observing as he whispered to the cards before flipping the first card over, showing the image of an angel with their eyes closed and wings extended, hovering above a small body of water. The white robe they wore portrayed a square outline with a yellow triangle in between two chalices that were held in their hands, connected by what looked to be water. One foot was dipped in the water.

''The first card, Temperance is possibly the most important of the three. It represents balance, the perfect harmony that comes from the union of dualities. The advice here would be to test any new waters, before jumping in.'' Evander said, pushing the card towards me as he turned his attention towards the second card.

''So I should tread carefully?' I asked, the shushing of Evander making me a little bit miffed. Next, he placed his hand on the second card, slowly turning it over and letting a sound curiosity out as he read.

''Ah. The second card; The Chariot. This card is the embodiment of overcoming any challenge securing victory through maintaining control and power. This perfect balance will cause you to emerge victorious in any encounter. The use of strength and willpower will ensure that you overcome the challenges that lie in your path. This message comes to make you stronger as you strive to achieve your desires.'' Evander slid the next card towards me, though once he did, I began to feel a bit light-headed. I shook my head to regain my focus, and I could have sworn that I saw him crack a smile.

''S-So. . .I need to be strong and in control?'' my head began to pound. My eyes started blurring as Evander began his last reading.

''And lastly, we have the card of Death. Possibly one of the few things that will never be tamed. Death is a part of life, and also the catalyst to birth life anew. One must learn, overtime to not fear it unless one wishes to accelerate that which has already been decided. It is the culmination of all things in the world that will eventually come full circle and paint the picture of the next life to come,'' I began to slowly slump over on the table, Evander managing to catch me with one of his gargantuan hands. I was able to crane my head enough to see the look of pure and unadulterated bliss on his face as he slid the last card towards me.

''W-What did you d-do?'' I weakly clawed my hand towards him as he laid it on the table. My vision began to black as the sounds around me were drowned out. I felt the heat of something creeping through my entire being before one last thing that he managed to say came through my ears.

''When you wake, you shall have the power of what you wear, and that will be all the better for them,'' I slowly closed my eyes, and all feeling soon disappeared.

When I awoke, the first thing I was able to make sense of was. . .a feeling of being constricted? I felt like the body of a Boa Constircotrs had its grip on me, but it was more of a cylindrical grip versus being that of a cone. I could barely move as I barely was able to pick up the sound of conversation. The sound of buttons being pressed and the faint sound of screams as I listened in more intently.

''And how well do you think this batch will be, Dr. M?''

''Very well, Jerry. Very well. After our scouts were able to subdue the subject as well as dispose of the infected one, we managed to secure a new subject; this one certainly has more kick to it than the others. Somehow it managed to bond to subject A and defend the filly from the infected one. The compound appears unstable, and there have been some side effects from the reports.'' Dr. M commented.

''Such as?'' Jerry asked, scribbling down what Dr. M was saying for the record. ''Any cellular degradation?''

''Not that we could witness in the field right away. But we have been noted of unbridled aggression at the point of separation.'' Dr. M scoffed. ''Note this for the logs; subject denomination A; SCP-299 and denomination B; SCP-299 A. Place them both in level 6 holding until further notice.''

''Yes, Dr. Right away,'' Jerry responded loud and proud. ''To The Collective.''

''To The Collective. And may Celestia bless us with success.'' Dr. M said a prayer and continued. ''For the good of Equestria.''

Death Knell

View Online

The sound of screams filled the halls, accompanied by the harsh crack of a whip against the skin. PSSH! PSSH! PSSH!

''P-Please. . .'' a timid voice begged, the cracking of their voice making the individual holding the torture weapon stop for a moment. Did they dare to ask to stop? To stop the work of the world; of the greater good, as well as their own absolution? ''Spare me.~''

Sacrilege. Complete and utter sacrileige.

''I would laugh at that statement if I possessed that ability. Unfortunately for you, I do not. You may have been spared for the moment. But only just.'' the Unicorn trotted closer to the broken human on the ground, the drips of fresh blood and the dried splotches on the ground long staining the pure white tile of the room. By now, most others would have succumbed to the pain and revealed any pertinent information. This one, however. . .was different. More resilient, more free-thinking, and that would only make breaking his spirit all the sweeter. ''Come now, SCP-99 A. Where is the 'glorious' strength you possessed earlier when you took it upon yourself to lay your filthy hand on that poor filly?'' the glare from his glasses masked the mirth in his emerald green eyes. Another crack of the whip resulted in the human violently jerking back, clutching at an imaginary object to hopefully quell the pain.

''I-I saved. . .her. She was i-in trouble-OOOF!'' a cough of blood and spit exited his mouth on the floor next to the Unicorn, narrowly missing his hooves. The stinging pain from his front hooves slamming into his jaw made him wince and almost cry out. He was certain he had broken a few teeth with the force if suddenly feeling loose clattering around his closed mouth was any indication.

The Unicorn clicked his tongue and glared at SCP-99 A, who clutched the dirty blanket covering his body as some sort of protective shield. He would not be safe, not until he got away. Away from him, away from this place.

Anywhere where there was no pain was more desirable, even being in a waste canal seemed like heaven compared to this.

''Do you know why I am referred to as one of the greatest scientific minds of Equestria's history, my dear SCP-99 A? Why I, Dr. Mitchell Magnus is possibly considered to have the highest amount of power and influence that could even rival Princess Celestia and Luna?'' Dr. M turned around, walking towards his Pegasus assistant, Jerry as he watched from behind a wall of a reinforced concrete room with a one-way window as he nodded to the glass and stopped for a moment, using his scarlet magic to remove his white lab coat and swap it out for a rather thick, blue apron. A robotic control arm that appeared from a panel underneath the floor brought out a small metal device that was shaped like a pear. On its rusty exterior were curved pieces of metal that formed to form a mouth at the bottom.

''W-What are you doing?'' SCP-99 A scrambled back to the corner of the spacious white room, completely bare of anything aside from a lone metal toilet where he retreated to. ''I told you; I didn't hurt her! I saved her!''

Dr. M only scoffed as he ventured back towards the human who began to wince in pain from the many cuts on his body as he began clutching his brown hair as he screamed in anger once he made the very easy connection.

He was being framed.

''My dear boy, of course, you did save her, but that's not according to my own brand of logic,'' Dr. M waved the contraption around in his magic a few times before narrowing his eyes and smiling with the glee of a child on Christmas Day. He would enjoy this way more than it would hurt SCP-99 A. ''But, the way I see it, you did more harm than good by scarring that poor girl. So, I must render punishment where punishment is due. But fret not, I have an incentive for you as well.'' Dr. M said as he stared down at the human in front of him. ''I won't have you beaten to the point where you can no longer remember where you are, at least not for today.''

“AHHHHH-MMMMPH!” Dr. M shoved the object into SCP-99 A’s mouth, using his magic to turn the screw, which resulted in the metal strips to expand and open, painfully stretching his mouth and tearing the gentle skin inside.

“As per my previous question that you failed to produce the answer for; I am possibly the best at what I do because I get results, no matter the cost. And those who dare withhold anything that I wish to know will be eviscerated.” Dr. M heard the tearing of flesh as a pained whimper came from the human who began to have spasms.

“Uh, Dr?” Jerry asked over the intercom, a curious tone to his voice. Of course Jerry would be the one to ruin his monologue.

“Yes, Jerry? What is it?” Dr. M asked as he looked back at the window.

“The Enrichment Lab has just reported in with the new specimen discovered in The Everfree that we catalogued earlier.” Jerry said, as Dr. M’s perked. The new specimen? Has it. . .evolved? He must know. This took precedence. “It appears to be responding to outside stimulus.”

Wonderful, wonderful! This was just the news that he wanted to hear. The report stated the rather colorful depiction of the specimen appeared animalistic in nature, and devolved a bond of sorts to its temporary host before collapsing upon itself in a pile of black ooze.

“Has it breached containment?”

“No, sir. It’s just moving as if it’s alive. It’s attempting to change shape from what we were told.” Jerry pressed a button and the speakers linked to the connection that was incoming.

“Specimen appears to respond to sounds, more specifically, the sound of a voice and directs its attention in that direction before remaining stationary.”

Galloping towards the door, a look of pure joy and sadistic realization hit his face as he came inside the room with his assistant. SCP-99 A could wait. He would have Jerry conduct follow up examinations later. “Tell them I am on my way, and nopony is do anything else until I get there, is that understood?”

“Yes, Dr. I will inform them immediately.” Jerry saluted and watched Dr. M go off and exit the room after changing back into a fresh lab coat. Another day of just being the assistant. He never was able to partake in the more riveting bits of research and experiments. Always the clean up pony for Dr. M’s. . .messes. “I wish I could only get the respect I deserve. I have been there since the beginning, and this is how I’m treated?” Jerry mumbled to himself, stomping his hoof on the tiled floor before he spied SCP-99 A, which was often too much for him to recite, so he opted to give him another name.

Only he had no idea of what. And granted, interacting with them in the same capacity as a regular pony could be seen as treason. Humans. . .were the enemy, at least that’s what Jerry had been fed for years, but he never saw any flaw in them; nothing to the degree in which the majority stated, at least.

He wanted to understand them better, but no book in any classroom of any school actually held any concrete knowledge beside the tried and true expression of them having less worth than a pig. He wouldn’t admit it openly. But he hated doing this. The experiments. The torture. It borderline committing the gravest of sins. “I may never receive mercy for what I have done, but what other way is there to get any closer to the truth?” Jerry asked himself as he heard the whimpers of the human in the room by himself.

His heart aches for him. To see him on the brink of losing his mind. The blood, tears and foul stench of oppression. But what could he really do? He was merely a cog in the machine.

But for how much longer?

“Mmm? W-What are you-“ SCP-99 A asked, crawling back further as he spied the grey Pegasus come over to him with a vial of purple liquid. “P-Pleash don’t hurt me!” Dr. M’s tool had torn a bit of his mouth open and cut his tongue a bit, which made speaking difficult.

“Hey, hey hey! Ssssh! Sssh!” Jerry hushed the broken human who had wiped the stinging blood
and tears out of his eyes so he could see better. Would they strike him again? “I’m not the Dr. I won’t hurt you.”

“Liesh!” SCP-99 A spat, cowering in fear. Sigh. Dr.M’a tactics were sometimes too good. He wouldn’t be so easily swayed. But Jerry would not back so easily either.

“Fine, fine. At least take this,” Jerry set down the vial he watched the human flinch. “It’s medicine. It should heal your mouth and help your cuts to clot faster. See? I’m backing away,” Jerry went back about 15 meters and watched as the human in front of him were swallowed with uncertainty. This would take longer than he thought. “At least tell me your name? I know it must be hard to be called just letters and numbers.” Jerry laughed a bit, but received no such thing in return from the human.

. . .

“I’m Jerry, by the way,” Jerry introduced himself as he cracked an awkward smile. His orange eyes darted in between the vial and the human on the ground. Had he come on too strong?

“E-Edward Brock. . .” Jerry heard the human whisper.

“Can you say that again, please?” Jerry asked. There was a moment of hesitation before he spoke again.

“E-Edward. . .Brock. But my f-friendsh call me Eddie.” Eddie said in a pained voice as he never took his eyes off Jerry.

A thought came to Jerry. “Does that mean we’re friends, then?”

Eddie laughed as much as he could without hurting himself anymore than he already was. He pointed a weak finger to the vial and then to himself. “If thish stuff works, maybe. Justsh maybe.”

Enrichment Labs

Sound came to him, thought distorted. There were voices talking about some kind of breakthrough. Of what, Vincent has not the slightest idea. His head pounded, and his entire body felt like jelly. If he could open his eyes, maybe he could see what they were talking about.

Only he couldn’t. He couldn’t do anything. Where he tried to speak, no sound came. Where he attempted to move, no muscle response. And where he attempted to think, only muddy and discombobulated fragments came to him. From wherever he was, he felt no temperature, only pressure.

“I think you’re going to need a smaller scalpel there, Dr.” a female voice called to his right. Or was it behind him? “And you sure about testing it so soon without further observation?”

“Nonsense!” Vincent recognizes that voice from earlier, it was that doctor figure, only he sounded very excited. And that scared Vincent a little. What in the world was going on? “The future waits for none, my dear Starlight. It is only a small enough sample to test whether it can bond like it did prior with SCP-99 A.”

Bonded? And who was-

“-Processing of subject SCP-99 is now in the preliminary stage, commence extraction. For the record, the time is 13:47 on the day of the 6th in the 8th month of the year. Note any prior knowledge to be withheld from conclusion until further evidence is gathered,” Vincent heard the hiss of air being released as the pressure on him was lifted some. While he couldn’t exactly describe what was happening, he knew something was being taken from him.

“Close capsule. Quickly, the dish. Easy, easy. Keep it steady. . .lower, lower. There we go. Extraction complete,” Vincent heard this Starlight character sigh in relief. “Prepare test subject. What did you have in mind today, Dr?”

A curious hmm came from Dr.M’s mouth before he shouted eureka. “One specimen from the Latrodectus Hasselti genus.”

“You want to use a Redback Spider?” Starlight asked. Was he being serious? What was it about him and using spiders for almost every experiment he conducted first? Why not a rat? Or a monkey?

“Indeed, unless you think you have a better idea that could trump my genius?” Dr. M challenged Starlight, who coughed and chuckled. Seems he won that argument.

“Very well, introducing Test Subject RS to SCP-99 to gauge reaction. . .both are in the containment area. Monitoring reaction at 13:54.”

. . .

Vincent felt nothing happen. Did the experiment fail?

“Hmmm,” Starlight said, writing something down on a clipboard. “No initial response from SCP-99, however the RS subject is attempting to eat SCP-99, to avail. It doesn’t look like it’s working, Dr. M.”

“What?! You must have taken too small a sample. Try again.” Dr. M sounded off very angrily. What happened to the report from earlier? It should be doing something. “How long could it possibly take?”

Vincent would have laughed if he could. The sound of the scientific minds having a breakdown was indeed something to behold. He didn’t know how much time had passed, but he figured it was well enough to make the good doctor lose his cool. What he wouldn’t give to see the look in his face.

If he had eyes.

“How is this happening?!” Dr.M groaned and cursed in a language Vincent was unsure he known. Possibly Russian? “We have went over 52 different species and nothing has happened! What could you be doing wrong?” Starlight gasped and pointed a hoof to her superior. How dare he blame her? She was still new this particular field.

“My fault? How? The only thing we probably could do different would be to do a full induction of SCP-99. That could make the difference.”

Full induction? Was this crazy mare serious? Did she not know the first thing about being a scientist?

“That could destroy SCP-99, you silly girl. We only have the one sample, and you know it.” Dr. M said, Starlight rolled her eyes and looked over the small notes she was able to take.

Wait.

Starlight smirked. She had him now. “Oh, but we’ll never get any conclusion if we keep doing it in this fashion,” Starlight responded sarcastically, causing Dr. M to grind his teeth and eat up the snarky look she gave him. “I mean, it is your call, Dr. your genius versus mine.”

Snatching the current arachnid out of her magic, Dr. M stared down look of smug victory with his own of anger. This mare would not be given the satisfaction of being right. He knew exactly what to do. “Very well, Starlight. But if anything goes wrong, you shall be personally held responsible for any issues that arise, since you wish to be smarter than me.” Dr. M stared at the mare who stumbled on her words and tried to think of a good way to turn the situation around. She had nothing. “Remember; you are only as strong as your weakest thought, which I have seen plenty of.”

Vincent would have hissed at that burn if not for feeling the pressure that he soon grew accustomed to release him and for him to be dropped onto something flat. It failed to hurt him, but he still could not make heads or tails of what was going on.

“Very well, this shall be the last test for the day, if this fails, Dr. Starlight will resign immediately. Introducing Sparassidae to Petri dish along with SCP-99. The time is noted as 15:32. Observations have begun.”

Vincent waited to see if anything happened as he heard the small pitter patter of the spider’s legs. It stopped, possibly looking at him. He was sure it should have tried to bite him by now. He was bigger than a spider. For them longest time, nothing happened until a ringing began to sound. Vincent heard it as clear as day; it resembled a gong being hit or a light dinner bell being shaken.

“What is-HISS!” Vincent heard the spider fight against something as he was pulled around and around. The change in direction did not affect him; he didn’t feel dizzy but something was holding onto him, trying to bite him? Quick rocking motions and the sound of webbing being weaved made him think the spider tried making him a meal. Until he felt the movements slowly die and stop.

“Oh, my. . .” Dr. M sounded amazed. A light thump sounded from the floor as Starlight dropped her clipboard.

Had something happened?

Opening his eyes, he looked to see-wait. He could see? And in almost all the way around him. A few angles was blurry, and it actually felt strange to more than one thing at a time. His brain must be having a field day. He could make out a room, laden with. . .glass? Wait, those were tubes. Big ones too. And why did everything appear bigger?

He turned around, only to stumble on his eight legs.

Eight?

And why did mouth feel smaller, but teeth bigger?

“Am I still fired?” Starlight asked fearfully.

“No. . .far from it, my dear. Far from it. We may have just witnessed the birth of something great.” Dr. M said. “Let me see something; Sparassidae!” Vincent managed to turn at the voice as he spied. . .a horse? “It worked! Cancel cancelling the experiments for today! We have even more to go over before the day is done.” Vincent saw the scientists scramble and pull out all manner of dissection tools. Something told him that this would hurt.

A lot.

The Scientific Method

View Online

''Do it again!'' Dr. M shouted out in glee as he continued to experiment on SCP-99. The previous results were more than substantial. The melding of the two organism's DNA seemed to be happening on a near lighting speed level as the spider was no longer in control. It moved too erratically to be considered normal. It seemed almost of that with a creature with a mind of a higher mental capacity for decisions making and reason.

''Are you sure, Dr?'' Starlight asked as she held the tray of tools for Dr. M to use on the black blob that only resulted in violently and suddenly clutching onto any specimens that were put into the small containment cage that it was put into to help mitigate risk.

''I said. . .again!'' Dr. M carefully observed SCP-99 taking control of another arachnid as it struggled and fought to rid itself of whatever was trying to kill it, only to fail. Just like with the past 6 instances, before separating, the mass jutted in every direction outward in a pitch-black display of spikes before retreating and laying there, as it stared with its. . .'eyes'. Two small white splotches adorned the blob, making it seem as if it could see the pair as it looked in their direction every single time before attempting to lunge forward.

Only to be stopped by the containment field.

Dr. M wrote down more information by the minute, intent of dispersing the secret of SCP-99 and using it for the betterment of Equestria. He would be even more rich and powerful than he already was. And nopony before long would be able to stand in his way once that happened. This discovery was just the thing he needed. His previous work became mundane, lacking focus. . .but this would provide him with all he would need for the foreseeable future. ''Perhaps we should try and introduce new stimuli to the area.''

Starlight was not so sure of that happening right away. With these specimens, it was more manageable to keep track of what was happening, and should something bigger be introduced, it may just be the thing that can be negative. However, Dr. M did hold more authority over her, so it would be quite the task to convince him otherwise. SCP-99 appeared to essentially reject every specimen that it was presented to, so it would difficult to discern to see what would be beneficial or detrimental.

Before long, the blob began to become mildly more aggressive, bouncing against the reinforced containment box, aiming at the metal corners that were protected with a layer of magic. It impacted the corner, again and again, similar to a ball hitting the wall repeatedly with no effect. It was kinda cute how quickly it rebounded and tried again as if nothing happened previously. ''Maybe we should try clearing out some of the failures, Dr. It is starting to pile up in there for the little thing,'' Starlight dared to get closer to see more of what comprised the blob of black matter. It appeared to flow somewhat like captured oil or gelatin, the slightest of movements occurring as it stood still for a moment.

Clicking his tongue and setting his notes aside, Dr. M looked at SCP-99, the 'eyes' appearing to squint at him as he glared and carefully poked a hoof on the plexiglass and watched as his little marvel of science lurched forward right at the point of contact. ''Oh, what fun we shall have, my dear SCP-99. Dr. Starlight is correct. But we must exercise the utmost caution in doing so, we would not anything to happen we would not be ready for. But-'' Dr. M paused as he looked over his previous notes of the attack in The Everfree Forest. SCP-99 A was indeed a figure of interest as he and this. . .mass managed to merge together.

The result was rather unsightly, resembling a demon of some kind and neither seemed to be fully aware of what was happening at the moment, but somehow managed to diffuse the situation by using brute strength before separating. SCP-99 shrunk to a much smaller size while SCP-99 A was barely conscious to resist capture. The notion of them bonding together this time, though under more controlled circumstances may yield a much better result than before. If the more practical application of said properties would rocket his research further ahead, and produce further results, the better. And results meant more experimentation.

The intercom came to life, buzzing with a static hum before the voice that came through sounded rather alarmed. It was from Jerry. ''Uh, Dr. M. We may have a small issue,'' Jerry said in a small flurry of worry. What could have possibly gone wrong while he was gone? Unless Jerry had taken it upon himself to goad SCP-99 A in his absence. He was only to observe!

''Define small. And issue.'' Dr. M said, going over to the small speaker console and pressing the button to respond back to his assistant.

Jerry chuckled nervously and swallowed. Things did not sound so good from his side of things, but if it was not as serious as he was going to make it out to be, then it would be by the time his assistant got done explaining. ''So, you know about our newest subject, right? He, uh. . .is not looking so well over here.''

''And that concerns me why Jerry? He is but an animal, as long as he has not expired, I care not much for his body's state.'' Dr. M walked back over to the containment area that held SCP-99. Hearing that SCP-99 A was in less than the bare minimum of health was not entirely his fault, but even he did not want to have something that could be avoided be avoided. And he did have the idea of introducing SCP-99 again under a more controlled and watchful eye to monitor for any behavior unwanting of the experiment. Decisions, decisions. ''Very well, Jerry. You may administer any aid you may deem fit at the moment to keep him stabilized until we get there. I will have Dr. Starlight prepare the area for another experiment, only this will be done with the utmost amount of security.''

''How much security are we talking about, Dr?'' Jerry wondered. What was he possibly planning this time?

Dr. M merely shook his head and set his goggles on a nearby desk, opting to switch back to his glasses as he signaled for the two attendants monitoring from the booth to come in and begin the clean-up process. ''Do you not have a filthy mongrel to attend, Jerry? We shall be there posthaste.''

''Yes, Dr. M,'' Jerry replied with a less than chipper tone, the intercom cutting off soon after as Starlight quirked a brow at what Dr. M had said about introducing the pair once again in such a short amount of time. Something in her wanted to question this, but another side of herself told her that if anything did backfire, the first thing that she would do would be to save her own flank if nothing else. If there was one thing that she could tell from working with him for the few weeks that she had, it would be his lack of care at life if a being of intelligence was concerned, be it greater or even lesser than his own.

The little blob still tried its best to get free, but it wouldn't have to for much longer by Starlight's account of what was hinted at happening.

''Sorry, little guy,'' Starlight looked at the blob to stop for a second to look at her. She knew she wasn't going crazy, this thing could somehow understand her, or at least recognize the sound of a voice. It only stood still for the moment before going back to thumping against the plexiglass in vain.

Sound came to him first. It resembled a pressure being released of something, deep and quick.

FWISH!

The clinking of locks locking and doors being shut did little to unnerve him. Each barrage of noise sounded like nails being jammed into his ears and spun around, scrapping every delicate part of cartilage before heading to his brain and causing his mind to light up like a lightning strike. His eyes opened slowly, and feeling began to come back to him. Ugh, everything hurt, and his mind swam with uncertainty. The cool touch of the floor made his body shiver.

If only he was given better-insulated clothing.

The seas of colors that meshed together began to undo itself and discern itself. He was looking. . .at. . .

''Nggh!'' Eddie fought to sit up, the borderline numbness in his legs and arms making the simple maneuver the most difficult thing ever. Still, in that room with the wall as white as the glow of judgment of one's life. And was he. . .suspended in the air? ''What the?''

''Ah! You're finally awake, SCP-99 A!'' Dr. M cheered with a smile a mile wide as he looked upon his specimen. ''I hope you can be of the utmost assistance to us, not that you have a choice in the matter.''

Eddie analyzed his surroundings without moving too much to hurt himself. He had to be a few feet off the ground, with plenty of cameras with very big lens zooming in and out of the room drenched in white. A divider separated him and another part of the giant see-through box he was in. ''W-What is. . .this?'' Eddie observed a small, black blob in the other area, moving about lazily. It seemed to be looking for a way to get out of where it was before settling on just sitting still.

''You will be the answer to that question, my little test subject,'' Dr. M chuckled and resigned himself to looking over the notes he was able to gather. This would be risky, that much he knew. But the level of compatibility that the scouts observed and reported to him gave him a sliver of a chance to hope that the introduction without any outside elements may result in the complete bonding of both specimens with hopefully next to no side effects. This would be a true case of playing it off by ear. ''You see, we ask you to make possibly the biggest sacrifice in the name of science!'' Starlight and Jerry looked at him beginning to go off on a tangent like he seemed to have a knack for doing so.

''You're. . .a monster. W-What makes you think-COUGH! I would want to do a-anything to help. . .you?'' Eddie felt the sweat pour down his forehead and drip on the floor. His skin tingled, firing off of every inch of his body registering the feeling to something akin to wickers of flames coating his body. He wasn't sure, but he could have been overheating. Or maybe the food spoiled. . .or it was a chemical he. . .he. . .''Mmph.~'' Eddie slowly faded out of consciousness, slumping over on the wall.

''Drat. He passed out, again.'' Dr. M groaned, waving a hoof as he wanted nothing more than complete this experiment to take note of the results. Being passed out shouldn't skew the test too much. ''Do it.''

Pulling on a red lever and pressing a small button, Jerry watched as the orange warning lights flashed and a buzzer sounded for a few seconds, the divider slowly opening up akin to a pair of doors and making the two rooms one as the blob quickly began to attach itself to the human, who appeared to be swallowed entirely whole by the black abyss as it started to expand rapidly. The look of pure euphoric joy displayed itself on Dr. M's face as he trembled in anticipation of what was to come. This would be the beginning of a new age. One where-

''-Dr. Something's going on!'' Starlight pointed at SCP-99 growing even larger in size. It began to take up space like a flood of water, hitting every corner and swirling in a mass of enraged goo. SCP-99 A was nowhere to be seen, was he perhaps being suffocated? ''We need to-

CRACK! The plexiglass began to violently crack and flex, the sounds of the metal corners creaking doing little to reassure the trio. Jerry scrambled to possibly to close off the containment area with a reinforced wall, but it was too late. A dull thump sounded with the mass jutting out of the hole it managed to make and landing on the cool tiled floor with a wet, sticky bounce that caused it to fall in on itself before slowly rising up. Starlight took a step back while Dr. M remained in the spot he was, intent on restraining the experiment with his magic.

''W-What blasphemy is this? Why does my magic not affect you?!'' Dr. M stomped a hoof and tried again to hold SCP-99 down, only for his magic to grab onto nothing when he pointed his horn in his direction. The magic seemed to dispel itself in a mist. Slowly, bit by bit, the dark mass began to morph into the overall shape of SCP-99 A's body, though be it with a slightly lankier size to it as the material clung very tight to the body. In the moment of silence Dr. M was able to find himself in before everything turned upside down, the head of the creature stared right at him.

The two white splotches that stood in place of actual eyes narrowed before his maw opened, revealing rows of wickedly sharp and serrated teeth that were coated in the saliva of the almost foot-long tongue that lolled out of its mouth. The sickly grin, broken and ever-growing was accompanied by a low grumble and hiss that managed to utter out a single raspy word that drug on just as long as the tongue caressing the unicorn's cheek before speaking.

''Noooooo. . . .~''

Escape, Escape, Escape!

View Online

''It's on level 3!''

''How fast is it?!''

''We need to-AUUUUGH!''

SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!

Blood pooled out on the floor, dirtying the white, pristine floor as the smell of iron hung in the air. It all happened so quick, slash after slash. Broken neck here, puncture to the heart, decapitation. One after the other.

It all began as a blur, nothing more than lights and splotches soon revealing themselves to be the shocked faces of the creatures that dare to stop him, stop them.

The nerve.

“Dr. M, we need to contain this thing before-Uuuuuuwaaaagrk!~” the unfortunate Earth Pony was lifted up by a slender tentacle and had the black substance forced into its mouth, soon coming out the other end with a violent pulse of bodily fluids and excrement along with the substance. The stallion never stood as a chance as his eyes rolled inside his head, the snarling of the beast resembling happiness before slinging said pony over his shoulder and at a plexiglass window as he exploded on contact.

“Hehehehehe. . .” Dr. M stood warily, standing back and observing the specimen. SCP-99 had melded with SCP-99 A, becoming this. . .grotesque, mindless creature that already killed 6 scientists and 3 guards. Its assault was ruthless, every movement filled with the energy of a cornered animal trying to break free from its prison.

He recognized it all too well from his previous experiments.

“Jerry, what are you doing? Prepare the inhibitors!” Dr. M shouted at his assistant, who was miraculously not the first one to be slaughtered by the creature even though he was one of the first ones it saw. But, it chose not to attack him. The warnings lights and alarm sounding bathe over the creature, the red and orange lights mixing together as the creature jumped from wall to wall, tearing off panels and ripping out cords that soon stopped the noise.

The appearance of intelligence could have been attributed to the combination of the two, possibly speaking to the different opportunities that would present themselves later on down the road. He would have to document that for the record. And he would also have to change the denomination after seeing them join together.

''Dr, where are they?!'' Jerry scrambled back and forth like a chicken with its head cut off. Everything was happening so quickly that he was unable to find the simplest thing that was supposed to be used in a situation like this.

''You failure! I'll do it myself!'' Dr. M resigned to fire Jerry once this was all over. ''Activate the walls, quickly!'' Dr. M ran over to the booth that contained most of the lesser grad safeguards from any unforeseen variables. A press of a button began to shift the hallway the creature was running down, the intent of finding a way out of that literal hell. ''Stand fast!''

Running with no sense of rhyme or reason, the creature swung its arms wildly, beginning to form crude, white claws that scraped along the sides, the sound assaulting the ears of everypony around the general area. Turning a corner, more of them stood in the way, using small box-like items to shoot some kind of liquid in the hopes that it would slow the creature down some. ''HISSSSS!'' the fluid dissolved on contact, making the efforts of the Pegasi utterly effortless.

Before another step could be taken, the hallway suddenly became a small box, both ways of travel being cut off by a raised piece of the floor rising up and forming a door with a deafening click. No, no. Nooooo. Nothing would hold them now!

Hunching over, the thoughts of every little thing began to swirl through, slowly but surely. The only feeling that could be fully understood was anger, in its purest form. Nothing else mattered, just escaping this place, making the noise stop, and getting to a place where none of this existed. A low thrum echoed in their mind, seeming to guide the next set of actions as spikes jutted out in every direction, piercing the heavily reinforce metal like butter, causing the guards to whimper and back away.

''What the hell is that thing?'' an Earth Pony asked, dropping his restrainment device. This was waaay above his pay grade. This thing. . .was unnatural. It was more violent than anything he had ever seen, and it looked to enjoy every second of it. Something had to be done before it got out of the facility. ''Why aren't the walls working?!''

''You think I know! Just. . .keep your wits about you before it-ACK!'' the Pegasus was struck in the neck with a stray spike, his breathing cut short and blood beginning to pool out of his neck before the hardened protrusion wormed its way out of his neck, causing his body to go limp and fall over.

''Wind Wave!'' the Earth Pony shouted, reaching a hoof out to his colleague who lay limp with his own blood staining his white lab coat before reaching his own hooves, the smell making his nose scrunch in disgust. This thing had no favoritism, it just killed whatever was in front of it and whatever it considered being a threat. He should run, he was way in over his head, he only wanted this job because it paid good and had benefits.

He really should have read the contract through instead of just signing like an idiot.

The doors creaked, the blackened spikes retreating inward before a wave of the fluid assaulted the door again, slowly pushing down as more reinforcements came, spreading out and aiming their weapons.

''What's the situation?!'' A Unicorn asked in a gruff shout, staring dead ahead at the wall, his tan magic wavering as beads of sweat trailed down his forehead. ''What is that thing? How many has it killed? How-'' a loud screech cut off any further questions.

''Nggh!'' the group fell to their haunches, cradling their ears as the shout resembled that of literal knives being jammed into their ears. The mass broke through as it slowly rose up from the floor and reformed into its humanoid shape. It screamed as loud as it could, spit and the substance comprising its body spiking wildly in all directions. The intercom buzzed to life as Dr. M's voice rung out in commands.

''Capture SCP-99 and SCP-99-A! They must not leave the facility!''

Most of the group failed to properly decipher what the good Dr. M had just said. The creature ceased its yelling once it saw that what it did had worked. Launching one of its semi-solid arms in front, the group in front being sent away with a violent push of force.

''Essscape. . .'' the thought came with the low thrumming of a heartbeat, consuming every inch of its mind. Escape indeed. Another second here would only end in the death of more of these oppressors.

But, another part spoke out; almost in a goading thought; one that told them to continue the carnage. Slowly, a thought began to form, the vivid imagery flashing through its mind, seeing bright colors and shapes of various people, thievery. . .abuse. Punch after punch, flashing red and blue lights, and pain. . .of a loved one.

''Ngggggh!~'' the black mass began to rumble and slowly began to almost melt off, revealing the shape of a human male, scrunching his face, the folds of his scrunching up as the black mass began to leak from his eyelids and mouth, the most animalistic shout coming out of his mouth before the mass began to conform back to his body shape.

''What are you idiots doing?'' Dr. M's voice shouted again, the shout of the Dr causing the mass to jut outward at the sound, striking where it was at, only for it to do nothing. ''Contain the subjects before I come down there and make you regret being born!''

Another lurch forward with another high-pitched scream only made things worse for those who dared to come and try and detain the creature without major loss of life.

Every security measure that was put into place failed, from tranquilizers to more walls and even using holes in the ground to make it fall in, but it all failed. Nothing could stop the creature, not even in the slightest. Magic proved to be completely ineffective, only making the black mass all the angrier. Dr. M only could watch as SCP-99 as it continued to run about, it seemed to almost be surreal; the power. . .the raw emotion, the soulless look that filtered in the white splotches that resembled eyes as it reveled in each kill that it took.

On one hoof, he could actually put some more of his available resources to possibly keep SCP-99 and SCP-99 A at bay for the moment, but one the other; it could possibly be against his best interests to let them go, but only just.

''Dr. M, what are you doing?'' Jerry asked, looking back and forth at the footage and his superior. Was he okay with this. . .thing and Eddie to go about killing ponies? Would that be wise? And how far would the hole of murder and confusion go? ''Shouldn't we be mobilizing the Artorious units? They may be able to stop Eddie,'' Jerry said in a panicked tone, looking back at Dr. M with his brow furrowed.

''What did you just say?'' Jerry realized his mistake in what he said. Dr. M was certainly a stickler for referring to all of his subjects by his denomination.

''Mistake, Dr. M. But are we actually considering letting SCP-99 and SCP-99-A go just like that?'' Jerry looked to see Eddie run through the halls unabated as Dr. M initiated an emergency override order to every able-bodied pony to stop what they were doing and to get to safety while disengaging the safety protocols that barely kept the creature in limbo for the small amount of time it explored around, randomly swiping and attacking the smallest thing that stood out to its almost crazed state of mind.

Even he had to admit; nothing about this seemed to make any sense right away, but it soon would when explained in the right set of circumstances. He was indeed, sure about allowing this to happen would yield one of two results based on his own interpretation of the events so far. And in either outcome, it still would benefit him.

''Let them go. It will only be a boon to us if we do this,'' Dr. M rubbed his chin with a hoof. The whole situation would be touch and go, but it would help to make things all the better. Of course, SCP-99 and SCP-99-A would be watched, only under the strictest of orders to observe and collect any pertinent data. Before long, his two specimens would be back in his care, only under the more strictest of watch with any and all precaution taken. He was given the task to find out what manner of creature SCP-99 was, where it came from, and everything else in between.

He essentially was told to make this more of a weapon than it already was.

But, it would be on his own terms with his own assets covered, and of course; to the highest bidder possible. He was a scientist first, and a business pony second.

''Won't there be massive casualties because of this?' Jerry wondered about the fate of any unsuspecting ponies who were unfortunate enough to come by Eddie's path. And there also existed the fact that any repercussions from that point on could potentially be thrust onto them for letting a freak of nature run amok in a place that should have normally been depicted as safe and free from any corruption.

''Worry not, my friend. The only I say this is because if you had noticed SCP-99's movements, you would take note of the specimen being sluggish; it is only a matter of time before it will need to rest and replenish itself, as well SCP-99 A-'' Dr. M made a mental note to create a dietary spreadsheet for both of the specimens moving forward. If there were any inconsistencies after viewing a trend, it may allude to what food are beneficial or harmful, and that could be the very key to controlling this horror of a creature. He levitated a clipboard and pencil over to Jerry, who took it and looked on with mild curiosity. ''Commence amendment to specimens SCP-99 and SCP-99-A. From this moment on, until further notice or if any variables change; the new denomination shall be known as SCP-299.''

''How original, Dr.'' Jerry muttered under his breath. Dr. M certainly was one of the more special ones that Jerry had the privileges (sometimes rotten luck) to know this stallion. Jerry looked to witness SCP-299 blow through all manner of door that was not already open; it looked to be ecstatic at the sight of being left alone. One last push down a final hallway was met as a blur to the camera as SCP-99 used its crude claws to climb up the elevator shaft, ripping the metal like butter and causing a few of the sensors that monitored the state of the elevator to go haywire, sparking madly. ''And there it goes.''

''Excellent, excellent. This will help our cause greatly, dear boy. The time of innovation is now, and we are the ones who must take it by the horns and ride with the success that is sure to come.'' Dr. M's eyes slowly closed as he relished the thought in his mind,

''Even if ponies could die?''

''Even when they will,'' Dr. M replied in a sadistic tone, the rumble of his voice going to that of a whisper. This began to scare Jerry a bit. He attempted to shy away from the hoof his boss put on his shoulder, but he couldn't literally resist moving away once Dr. M had that look of euphoric bliss in his eyes. He appeared to be eating every second of this up. ''There is a saying that those savages mentioned to me once before that, upon further thought of the more literal meaning, made all the more sense to me; 'To make an omelet. . .you have to break a few eggs.'' Jerry, the success of SCP-299 is the omelet and the suffering of few are the eggs that have to be broken.''

Jerry managed to find the power to push back his boss a bit, asking a question he should have on his first day. ''You don't care about their lives? At all? Even the ones we just lost? They probably had families, friends, other commitments! How can you be so nonchalant about it?!'' Jerry found a bit of his voice rising at the question. Admittedly, it did feel weird to speak out of turn about something as sensitive as this, especially with most of his claims or pleas being put on the back burner, but he was able to fund a spot where he could do as such.

But with that, came another question; was he truly doing the right thing by being in this line of work?

What Dr. M said next could have pretty much been the final nail in the coffin for the young scientist.

''You're young. I don't expect or care if you do understand. But I will at least tell you just for the record; after so long. . .you lose the ability to care. You chose this line of work, so I expect you to act like it,'' Dr. M poked Jerry in the chest roughly, causing him to drop the clipboard on the floor. ''If anytime, you feel like this was the wrong choice of career, then you should hope for SCP-299 to come back and finish what it started,'' Dr. M knew he had caught the young one in his own trap.

SCP-299 would return, but it would be the worst experience for him. While others writhed in their respective vices, SCP-299 would come to play the fool and distort the design, as he possessed hope for. The proverb had come to him, once before; fight fire with fire.

Abomination with abomination.

Come Forth

View Online

The rain sprinkled with haste, blanketing the once silent earth with mud. Ahead lay a seemingly never-ending slope leading down to a dip in the foundation of the small village a bit of a distance away. Every so often, the cackling sounds of thunder and lightning were the only sounds for miles. Three figures, two Equine in nature whilst the other was draconic in stature overlooked the ridge with their gear, eyeing what they would hope to be their prize.

''So, how many do you think we can get?'' a gruff voice called signs of fatigue present.

''Depends on how many were stupid enough to get caught in the line of fire,'' a female voice muttered, a slight tinge of pride accompanying it. ''We need the numbers to be better than the last time, you know.''

''Don't remind me,'' the third voice replied with a tongue of anger, hacking some of his spit in an off direction. ''We only lost that order because we didn't account for them being-''

''-Actually intelligent for once?'' the Unicorn cut off the dragon who snarled, stepping forward as he adjusted his armor.

''Lucky. I would have wrung the lot of them and left their bodies to dry in the sun, were it up to me.''

''Which is exactly why it is not; otherwise we wouldn't have a livelihood to come back to every week,'' the other Earth Pony replied with a click of his tongue. He knew if he left anything remotely to his. . .partner without any kind of supervision, they would end up doing more burying and traveling, and the rain often made for longer trips with the lingering possibility of their cargo slipping on the roads and being damaged or worse;

Escape.

''Anyways, we can all agree that we need to head down there. From the looks of it, any defense they had was wiped out completely, so we should be able to get a good haul for the hike over here.''

''True,'' the Earth Pony checked the harness that carried the cart with a reinforced cage, complete with chain cuffs and neck restraints. The aged contraption had seen better days, caked with mud, water, and broken wood littered with dried blood. He really should make a note to clean it out, but every time the thought came and he attempted to do so, it ended up right back in its deplorable state. ''Fanout; non-lethal techniques. That means you, Garble.''

Garble rolled his eyes, sniffing the air and narrowing his eyes at the nearest shack they could clearly see from this distance. ''Yea, yea, I got it. Just don't come crawling to me if they end up making things harder for themselves than just laying down and letting me put them in their place.''

''I mean it; keep your shit together this time.''

Garble groaned and poked a claw to his 'boss.' He wouldn't openly admit it, but Garble only followed this pony because he was strong; strength was everything in this world. His methods were slow going and often made him think if what he planned would actually work until they did, leaving Garble to shut his yap every single time. A few tussles here and there about certain arguments made him reconsider taking him head-on.

That would be a death sentence. But he would have his chance.

''Garble, can you please try and not piss the big guy off? You know he can kick your ass in 3 seconds, six different ways to Sunday, so why tempt him?'' Garble growled at his other partner if he could even call it that. It was more akin to an annoyance that he would have stamped out long ago, if not for her talent. And her know-it-all attitude was the one thing that drove him over the edge every single time.

Garble stared her down, noticing her cold and calculating stare back that wanted, rather begged him to do something so she could have the excuse to put him down. She would do all too quickly, and none would be the wiser until the last second. He was determined to not lose this battle of wits; it would be disrespectful to him as a dragon to accept defeat this easily, and from a namby-pamby pony, no less.

''Your move. . .'' her eyes appeared as hollow as the never-ending abyss of the different ways she would be able to inflict pain onto him. They thrummed to life, reaching out, almost whispering a taunt to him; try it.

''Alright, alright; fuck it! You win this one, just stop with the eyes!'' Garble turned away, covering a claw to his eyes until he felt her murderous gaze dissipate slowly. ''Damn it, Trixie, can we just get this over with?''

''Gladly. Big Mac?'' Trixie looked to Big Macintosh, who merely huffed a small breath out, the wheat head stick in his mouth managing not to fall out as he looked at his two employees. Even into his old age, Big Mac still stood as a giant to most, only rivaled by Bulk Biceps, but he was no longer of the living, making Big Mac the new titan among pony folk.

Unhooking the cart from his back, Big Mac stepped with caution, wincing a bit here and there as he had to bend his joints; standing for too long sure did make them ache with uncertainty and straight-up pain. His pale red body resembled an old sock left out in the water and his mane greyed in some areas, making consider if he should just have it cut to avoid him having the deal with the natural process of it falling it. He sighed, securing a few of his bolas. ''Trixie, take the left, Garble, the right. I'll go down the middle, and we meet up in the village square. Watch your backs, slow is smooth-'' Trixie and Garble interrupted him.

''And smooth is fast, we get it.'' the pair sounded at the same time. Contrary to what the other may think, they did manage to have a few of the same thoughts, at least when it concerned Big Mac's tried and trued advice.

''As long as you both know,'' Big Mac walked forward slowly, paying attention to every little thing he could. Even with all of the experience between the three of them, there always existed a chance for something to go wrong. For one of these animals to attack back and to leave a scar. . .

And for him to lose another member of his small family.

The village was nearly decimated, no doubt for a Pegasus overhead strike, leaving the majority of the few defenses left completely inoperable, as well catching some unsuspecting Humans by surprise by not giving them even an inch to breath. From the reports, there would be a few choice products here for them to pick out.

It was always a game of cat and mouse with Humans; most were either took weak to fight back or so headstrong to come charging with all abandon.

A lot of skulls were crushed underneath his hooves because of that fact.

Garble and Trixie were certainly a godsend. They each looked out for each other, even when times were at their utter worst, they still managed to come out on top. He had been doing this too long by himself even since they took her from him, took his joy and reason for living, now he only continued on to honor her memory. . .and to get revenge, one Human at a time.

Big Mac looked left and right, keeping his head on a swivel as he held a bola in his mouth, slowing his breathing as the rain continued to come down by the bucketfulls, causing him to blink his eyes quicker than what he would have liked to keep the water out. The squishing of his horseshoes into the wet mud made his charge slow and more cautious.

He cast his attention to Trixie as she slowly came upon a house with one it’s walls caved in, a few of the bricks that barely managed to keep the foundation steady laying on the ground as dust. The roof long collapsed in on itself, resembling jagged spear of metal and wood.

Garble took to stalking forward, his claws extended for the chance to grab his prey and to break them into pieces. The borderline sadistic grin on his face told Big Mac what he wanted to do.

Another clap of thunder and lighting followed, the sound long doing little to startle the three, only causing them to focus even more as times like this-

“-Ah!” Trixie saw the attack coming, using her magic to suspend the knife that came nowhere near close to meeting its target, the unamused look on Trixie’s face doing little to be changed by the panicked anger of the Human girl who grit her teeth, blood pooling from a head wound that got into one of her eyes, causing it to shut as mud caked her clothes that looked to resemble sewn together potato sacks. “You no. . .kill me!!!!”

“You’re right,” Trixie agreed, increasing her magical grip on the girls wrist, prompting her to drop the knife in pain, rubbing her wrist only to be forced to the ground with her neck being surrounded by Trixie’s magic, drowning her face in the mud as a pair of handcuffs found themselves on her wrists and legs. “I won’t kill you; you’re possibly too valuable for that.”

The girl writhed and screamed as she fought to turn over, spitting out the mud that got in her nose and mouth, breathing heavily as she missed her chance to kill. To be free. To. . .do something.

The tussle alerted another of her comrades as Garble lurched forward, capturing a male in his grip, sending him through a downed wall with a shout of pain. Clawing at his captor only made his grip all the tighter as he was hoisted in the air to dangle hopelessly. “Tell me why I shouldn’t take off your arm for trying to step to me!”

“Mmmph. . .” Garble narrowed his eyes at the male who continued to claw weakly, settling for him to rush his up against the wall again, dazing him. Going to work quickly, another pair of handcuffs came out as his tails held his prey still. “N-No.~”

Big Mac set his hoof down, knowing he wouldn’t have to move to either of them, they were skilled enough, but being cautious never hurt any pony. The house in front of him appeared to be the least damaged, mostly hit by debris, but standing overall. Pushing the door open as Trixie and Garble finished restaining their targets, Big Mac began inching forward slowly, figuring this a good a time as any to announce himself.

''If any of you Humans are in here, come out now, and you won't be treated too roughly.'' Big Mac said, listening for any sound to pop out at him, and when he heard none, he pushed again. ''Again, if any Humans are in this here house, come out where I can see your hands, and you won't be harmed too badly; if my partners or I find you when you could have come clean, you're only making it all the worse for yourself,'' another distant thump from his left sounded, followed by a muffled shout; Trixie. He would have to get a bit rough. ''I told what would happen if you. . .'' Big Mac paused as he rounded the corner into the living area, spying something amongst the overturned furniture.

''M-Mommy? Daddy?'' a small girl called out, clutching a tattered and unsightly plushie that resembled a baby chick. The clothes she wore, if they could even be considered such a thing were non-existent, a long dirty shirt appearing like a heavy blanket as she tripped over it, struggling to stand back up, the sound of Big Mac's voice making her continue forward, not knowing what laid in front of her not because she was not old enough to comprehend.

''Celestia help me; why did she have to be blind?'' Big Mac's voice drew down to a whisper, the feeling of dread washing over him as the situation appeared all kinds of messed up to the old stallion, no matter how he sliced it. Adults he could deal with easily enough, numbers more than what he had, and even if they possessed weapons, he would be able to find a way out and around it.

But children always plucked at his strings.

''Daddy.~'' the little girl said, managing to crawl over to Big Mac while he was in thought, clutching onto his foreleg in a nurturing manner, the slight rise of excitement in her voice as she rubbed against his leg relentlessly.

The urge to punt this child came to him because she was Human, but her being young also counteracted that as well. He was. . .unsure what came next.

“Yo, Macintosh! You find any in there?” Garble shouted as he walked over to nearby window, unable to see much besides the top of his body look back at him with a mouth a bit agape. “Whoa, you good?”

Big Mac huffed a bit, caught off guard by the emotion he had not felt in ages. It threatened to consume him if he didn’t get it under control. They had a job to do. “Yeeup.” Garble laughed at his iconic one word quips. He must have found it funny because of the very ambitious tone he left behind each time he uttered those words. “How are the prisoners?”

“Contained now, finally. The female kept screaming and spitting at Tri-mix, and the male kept saying this word over and over again; Nona.”

Big Mac widened his eyes, not enough to where his partner would notice, but he made the connection instantly; those Humans were this little girl’s parents.

And they wanted to protect her. Big Mac understood that cause a mile away, but it didn’t make his job all the more easier, or their suffering all the less relatable.

“Well, we should head-“

“-Uh, guys!? Something’s heading this way.” Trixie called her, her tone a bit panicked. Trixie never was a easy scare, so this could have only been something worth the feeling.

Looking at Nona, who playfully tapped Big Mac’s hoof as Garble rushed to the center of the village to his partner, Big Mac made a choice. He hoped it wouldn’t be one he would regret. “Stay here, sweetie, I’ll be right back.”

“Okay, Daddy!” Nona replied, settling for sitting on her butt and dragging her chicken plushie across the ground. How she thought he was her dad, he wanted to know, but that could come later.

Big Mac bolted out of the room and towards the front doors, turning on a dime as he charged into the rain once more, the mud squishing and splashing everywhere as he spied Garble touch bases with Trixie who stood at the ready with her horn ignited.

Between the flashes of lighting, a distant shape could be seen, but only just. It appeared as black as night, with the only identifier being two white blotches. The shape, definitely Human in stature ran forward wildly, flailing its arms every which way as it let out a screech that sounded over weather, causing everyone’s ears to curl backwards.

“What the hell is that thing?” Garble crouched down low, keeping his entire eye on the thing that charged at them.

“I don’t know, but if it gets any closer, and I’m gonna blast it to Canterlot and back,” Trixie readied herself as she dug into the ground in the hopes of gaining more traction. “Big Mac, what’s your plan?”

Standing in between the both of them, Big Mac figured they would have seconds before the creature would be upon them from how fast it appeared to be going. He would have to act fast.

“Garble, you can’t fly when it’s wet, so stick to your fire if you can overcome the rain, but don’t overheat. Trixie, give that things everything you got when we give you the window.”

“And what are you going to do?” Trixie asked, making sure her hat was secure on her head.

“What I do best,” Big Mac replied simply, charging akin to a steam locomotive, his gaze focused and head cocked downward. He would ram the living daylights out of the thing, no creature could withstand the force of his attacks, not even Iron Will.

The creature noticed what had Big Mac was doing, seemingly running faster and baring its long tongue as it seemed to laugh in joy. The sky began to dance a show of lighting, the pair’s advances towards the other appearing like stopped moments in time before they finally connected.

And Big Mac felt pain.

“Ooof!” Big Mac was hoisted up after managing to impact and push the creature back, the cold, slimy grip began to seep over his face before he was slammed to the ground, sending mud flying every which direction, the shockwave it made afterwards spreading out and knocking down loose rock brick.

“Big Mac!” Garble ran forward, his claws out as he zig-zagged, aiming for the thing’s legs to immobilize it. The creature saw the attacking coming and hoisted Big Mac up again, launching him to the dragon who barely managed to slide
underneath the behemoth Big Mac as he soared into a nearby house, breaking down the wall with ease.

Garble struck, his left claw instantly latching on. He expected it to go through and possibly tear some tendons, but it stopped short as if it was in some kind of heavy duty glue. “What the-“ Garble was cut off by the creature speaking, though in a broken and pained voice.

“Try again.” Garble was plucked out of the creature, as he was given a slash of his own across his chest by the it’s claws that looked sharper than razors. His scales barely protected him as they were sliced through like butter, leaving his skin underneath cut lightly.

Garble groaned and opened his maw, breathing a stream of fire. The rain hissed against it, creating steams as the rest instantly irritated the creature, causing him to drop the dragon as it screeched and hollered. Garble fell to the ground, his chest aching and his head down as pain flooded his senses.

“Take this!” Trixie used her spell, sending a magical blast forward, the effect doing nothing at all besides dissipating on impact. “What? It didn’t work? Garble, watch out!”

The footsteps came too quick, followed by another, more animalistic screech that trailed behind the mangled and broken support beam that laid on the ground, smacking the wind out of him as a slimy appendage latched onto its head.

“F-Fuck!~” Garble coughed and was thrown to the wind towards the same house as Big Mac, the splintering of wood against his back adding to the pain. Ok. . .I’m hurt now.”

Big Mac fought to get up, pushing the debris off of him as anger filled his thoughts. He already was hurting, and this did not make it any better. They were cold, wet, broke, and he was having having a miniature crisis the entire time. He looked to see the creature go after Trixie, her dodging and leaping away doing little to deter it as her spells proved non-effective. “Well, then. Let’s dance.” Big Mac charged forward again, diving in and delivering a forward buck that did little to faze the creature beside the growl of protest he heard from it.

“Rah!” Big Mac continued his assault, the creature taking exaggerated jumps and ducking to avoid Big Mac’s hooves until he caught one at the end of him overextending, the pause of anger replaced by genuine fear. This abomination was relentless, fast, and attacked far better than the Humans although the style was far more primal. It was a dance of chaos, in a way.

SMACK! Trixie was cut off from the attack she attempted by a rock crashing into her skull, courtesy of the creature as she fell to the ground and stayed there. Big Mac growled and tried to free himself, only for the creature to screech again and use that same rock against his head, the impact feeling as if his brain was shot out of his body as he fell the ground.

His head swam with pain, and he could only watch as the creature moved forward, in the direction of the house that held Nona. He was able to figure out what it wanted. “N-No! Stay back!” Big Mac’s pleas fell on deaf ears as the creature kept waking forward, hunched over and spit dripping from its mouth as stalked around the front, venturing inside of the house.

It stopped and looked around, singling it’s gaze on what it knew was here.

“Daddy?” Nona asked, stumbling forward and falling on her face as she clutched her chicken plushie in a death grip.

The creature lolled its tongue out of its mouth, it’s spit covering the already wet and damaged carpet. It slowly knelt down and rubbed a slimy hand on top of Nona’s dirty, brown hair.

And then her screams ended as quick as they started.

Big Mac could only growl and shout at him
and his teammates being hurt, the job going south because of the creature, and the internal turmoil that brewed in him.

Until there was silence.

Who?

View Online

It began as a sound.

“You’ll only be as good as you can be. . .I guess.”

Over and over and over.

“I-I didn’t mean to!”

Pictures of vibrant light, the cold touch of the ground, and the faint smell of gunpowder was in the air.

Faintly, Eddie Brock could remember. . .the pain of his childhood. He knew his life was one of the more explicit ones, no matter how he tried to lie to himself that it wasn’t. His mind ached and racked itself trying to remember the last thing before he was set in this predicament.

“Ugh. . .”Eddie felt his voice muffle, trying to stave off the mother of all headaches. He wanted to sit down in a bed, be it of leaves or feathers. Something to help him relax and take the load off of him. “Where. . .am I?”

He opened his eyes, only to see no light refract to show him anything; just darkness. Strangely, this felt different than just the lights being turned off or the sun no longer in the sky. Scared was not the correct term to use in this situation, but wary was more applicable. Eddie attempted to rub his eyes and possibly give him some better clarity. “What the?”

Something held a grip on him; not restricting, but definitely holding on. It made him walk, and he didn’t know where he was going. He slowly began to fight, the feeling resembling thick, cold jelly. Eddie certainly felt more resistance than just the material, though he powered through it and managed to move his feet a few inches.

The rumble from within, the disoriented feeling of not knowing if he was oriented correctly, and if he would be stuck this way began to eat at his mind.

In the midst, a different voice sounded that almost alien.

“N-Nooo. . .~”

Eddie’s heart wanted to stop for a moment, but couldn’t.

“What?” Eddie asked, muffled, but still able to hear his own voice only just.

“No, no. G-Get. . .out. . .” the voice called again, only sounding pained and and angry. It reverberated and hissed like a wild animal.

Eddie moved again, only much more wildly, and with a tense gait as he fought to regain the small amount of control he was able to. The mass refused, crashing into trees, boulders and anything it could as it voiced protests all the while as Eddie wanted nothing more but the nightmare to stop.

“Out, out, out!” Eddie felt another surge of pressure and the mass pull at itself. Was it attempting to pull him out?

One last push of power proved to be the most difficult, and almost impossible. Eddie almost gave up, but falling over a stump afforded him the opportunity he needed to gain some better control. Slowly, he could see light, or the lack there of as Eddie’s eyes observed the gloom and rain of a clearing with thick vegetation. It felt strange, like this mass that surrounded him was also inside of his body.

Something else Eddie was able to notice was the fact that he was able to talk normally without the flayed skin of his mouth being an issue; as well as the lack of any pain he felt from being tortured.

Thanks to. . .that monster horse bastard.

Had this thing healed him, too? More importantly, what was this thing, and what did it want with him?

Managing to forced heavily uncoordinated steps forwards, Eddie searched, turning his head left and right, intent on finding a source of reflection to view himself.

SQUISH! SQUISH! SQUISH!

“N-Noooo. . ” Eddie heard the voice hiss again as it fought back, occasionally stopping Eddie’s advance before he took back control, the rumbling and rippling of its malleable flesh doing little to deter him from his goal. Everything about the situation felt wrong.

Another push causes Eddie to keel over and fall to the ground, the sound of the rain being drowned out as a headache seam through his mind, thumping, thrumming and pounding across every each of his head. In the wet, muddy earth, he could faintly feel vibrations that caused the mass to ripple faster.

The mass felt confused, angry, and strangely enough. . .empty.

“W-What the hell. . .are you?” Eddie gasped, finally observing his reflection in a puddle of water; he could it. The substance that covered him, as black as night, easily enveloping his forms he spied the monstrous rows of teeth that jutted outward away from his face in almost suspended animation:

Tendrils and strands of the material clung tightly to his cheeks, the look of surprise on his face as the injuries that he sustained in that place of torture were non existent were the only thing he clung onto.

Raising a hand in front of him, he gasped at the long, pristine white claws that jutted from his ‘hand’. Just with the rest of the organism, it felt alive. The rise in his breathing became muffled as the mass surrounded him again, the tendrils latching onto to just above and below his eyelids.

In a moment of darkness came light. Eddie viewed the same puddle he stared at, only in a much better clarity than anything his own eyes could provide. He could see the very faint ripples as each raindrop incorporated into the puddle, the sight appearing as a miniature typhoon if were scaled down to a rice grain.

But the one thing that caught his attention the most had to be the giant white splotches that resembled eyes; unblinking, unmoving, but seeming to bore a hole into Eddie’s mind.

“W-What. . .are you? W-what am I?” Eddie heard the mass speak again, using the mouth to articulate the words, though a reverb was present alongside the snarl that came out of its throat.

“I. . .” Eddie said, at a loss for words, completely dumbfounded and detached from everything that was going on in that moment.

Enrichment Labs.

Dr. M walked down the narrow catwalk, flanked on either side by huge cylindrical pods decorated with genetic information about each specimen that was put in, the pale yellow fluid inside used to help preserve and enhance the basic genetic structure until release. Each pod came equipped with a top and bottom scanner and suppression system in the event any specimens got out before deemed necessary. Each pod hung suspended on an assembly line conveyor by brackets on the the top of the pod.

SCP-299 was certainly a cog in the machine that could fit, but merely had to be shaven down to mesh together properly.

“Dr. M, why are we here? Shouldn’t we be using the survey equipment to see if we can obtain any traces that SCP-299 may have left behind?” Jerry asked, frowning and grimacing a bit at the subjects that had their genes spliced, mechanical or mental augmentation, or just plain out evisceration. He hated coming down to The Vault.

“Nonsense, dear boy. We will need to observe how SCP-299 behaves in the wild; to put it against the more medium to higher tier predators of this world, and how it will handle each confrontation,” Dr. M looked over his clipboard, looking for a particular pod.

“What if it dies in the process?” Jerry looked at Dr. M as he stopped at a small lift elevator to take them to a different level. “Then it will be a waste of time, and money, if I’m being honest.”

Dr. M huffed at Jerry’s naivety. He was never without a backup plan of some sort. The escape of SCP-299, while unfortunate, was not completely uncounted for. He did say he would ensure SCP-299’s survival, growth and compliance.

For The Collective.

“Science is the one thing in this world, dear Jerry, that is only as difficult as material and information is readily available to come by. This-“ Dr. M draped a hoof around Jerry’s back as they stopped for a moment to let the information sink in. “-I was wholy unprepared for what SCP-299 did for escape, that was admittedly an error. . .on your part.”

“What?!” Jerry asked, a raised hoof quieting him.

“But I always have a contingency of sorts, we need only implore the means.”

Jerry began to notice something the further they went, and it would be more against their mission than anything. Did Dr. M finally lose it, or what? “This section is for the genetic fetuses, they’re still in conception, and won’t be ready for a few more weeks to begin the preliminary testing.”

“All except one, I took the liberty of keeping this one away from the other members; for the sake that they were. . .not ready to behold it. Until now,” Dr. M used his magic to separate two of the pods from their security harness as he moved them off the side. A panel stood before the, just with the rest of the room, which confused Jerry even more until a hoof print from Dr. M caused the panels to shift and pull apart, revealing another pod, though smaller in size, filled to the brim with purple liquid that bubbled and fizzed every few moments.

“What is that?” Jerry asked, approaching the pod until he was stopped by a hoof. Dr. M shook his head as he ventured forward, inputting a few numbers into a keypad as the figure inside floated about aimlessly, unaware of anything going on. Warning lights began to flash as the fluid began to bubble and fizz even more, showing that something indeed was occurring. “A fully developed specimen?”

“Indeed. What you see before you was bred in a distant sector of the laboratory, clone from fossilized and superb remains that retained its original abilities over the span of time. I discovered these while on my expedition to Mexicolt, The Flame Geyser Swamps, and Mt Everhoof, respectively.”

“Dr, what did you create?” Jerry began to back away from Dr. M began to laugh and prep the pod for release.

Dr. M clicked his tongue, only settling for regaling his assistant with a small tale of his past. “The future. . .the name was certainly something I had a bit of an issue deciding on, but then it came to me one day in a small restaurant in Applewood as a colt was playing music; like a light shining in the darkness. I found it. It was cast forth. And the sound of destruction will drown all else out. I call it. . .call her. . .Lyra.”

For Worth

View Online

How long had it been? Hours? Days? Ugh, none of that mattered.

What did was understanding the current situation that Eddie found himself in. One minute; almost akin to a bolt of lightning striking him on the head provided the last few accounts of his suffering, his humiliation, and his mind being fucked 3 ways to Sunday.

Something happened to Eddie that caused him to be in this situation; one moment. He was sitting in his apartment, seething with rage and thoughts of revenge against the world.

Countless hours, money, and doing favors he would not speak of to anyone, all for the chance to get the scoop of the century. To his own account, he already knew that he sinned plenty of times for this one moment, only to fall.

Sin was his undoing.

The Sin Eater: an entire hoax of a string of murders that were perpetrated at the time by a man known as Emil Gregg. His violent rampage of killing and defiling his victims did little justice to the concept of mercy.

Eddie could faintly remember being told off by James Jonah Jameson after the real truth came out and his ‘truth’ was but the first of many that would lead him to this point in time. The last time Eddie could remember, his list of 'truths' was far longer than that of any book.

And then, all of it gone. . .by a child, no less.

By Peter Parker!

He almost had everything he could have ever wanted and for someone like Peter Parker to swoop into the fray and steal all of the glory. The look of subtle smugness on that brat's face made him want to strangle the life out of him. Something about the entire thing was nearly too easy, but he had no evidence to prove it. He fought tooth and nail. . .

And it was gone.

''Spider-Man,'' Eddie thought, growling and forming plenty of ideas of what he wanted to do if he had even a minute to be in the same room as the web-slinger. ''One day, I will have my revenge. . .''

But now, he had something a bit more important to attend to at the moment.

“W-What the hell. . .is this?” Eddie asked, slowly beginning to feel more of what was essentially around him, and what exactly it was. It felt cold; distant, yet somehow alive? He could almost feel some sort of emotion from the swirling black mass, watching it contort to the slightest touch.

He clawed at it with his hands, watching the white of what he assumed to be eyes widen before it fought him, stopping his advances. The mass shook, fighting with Eddie until both met at a stalemate of movement.

“S-Stop!~” Eddie heard the mass hiss again, sounding afraid as a whine sounded from it, the rest of its body swirling and peaking in every direction.

“N-Ngh! Hey, what the?” Eddie’s screams were muffled as his body shook inside this. . .thing. A lunge forward made the both of them trip and fall into the puddle, seemingly stopping the conflict from happening right away.

Eddie huffed and puffed, sure as ever that his face was caked in sweat as he looked up at the grey, rainy sky. He. . .was sure that whatever this thing was, that it needed to go.

“Okay,” Eddie took a moment to go through the situation in his mind as best as he could. “What. . .exactly are you?”

The mass seemed to ripple at the question, settling once a few moments had passed. ''I. . .do not remember.''

''What do you mean, you don't know? Aren't you the one attached to me or something?'' Eddie asked, seeing the white eyes almost close before the fluid that resembled its mouth part before Eddie viewed its wickedly sharp teeth in the puddle's reflection.

''I don't know. . .what am I? Who. . .are you? W-Where-''

''-I don't know, but whatever is going on, we have get away from wherever that fucked up place was,'' Eddie said, his head beginning to form a headache at the thought of what occurred to him. The pain, the tests, the. . .invasion of self. ''That Dr. M or whatever his name was means business, and I don't have the slightest idea of what he wants, but we need to do something.''

''We?'' the mass asked, sounding very confused with a hint of anger behind. ''You can deal with that.''

Eddie scoffed, uncaring of any actual effort the thing wanted to put in. If it wanted to die, then so be it. He would survive. He would get back to his home, and he would make things right and crush Spider-Man.

''Then get the fuck off of me, and we can go our separate ways, I can deal by myself if you won't help,'' Eddie waved his hand surrounded by the mass, eating to be free from the confines of this. . .goop.

''Fine by me,'' the mass said back, agreeing.

''Good.''

. . .

''Are you going to get off of me?'' Eddie asked, feeling nothing happen after a few moments.

''Yes, I am,'' the mass responded, sounding a tad bit unsure. He would figure it out, just needed a bit of time was all. He didn't expect him to leave that very second, did he? ''I just. . .need to get my bearings straight, is all.''

''Well, get them straight after you get off of me,'' Eddie responded, folding his arms. Any second now, and he would be free from this thing.

Another few moments passed as the rain sprinkled on, and still, nothing happened. Was this thing fucking with him, or did he need to pry it off himself? Would he have to go that far? The mass looked to expand some and almost pull off of him, only for it to rebound and knock the both of them on their feet, making Eddie groan. What the hell? What was going on?

''I-'''

''-Look here, you black sack of venom-spewing shit, if you don't get off of me in the next two seconds, I will burn you off of me and bury you 12 feet deep. I've been nice, but now; get the fuck off of me!''

''I can't.''

''Huh?'' Eddie asked, becoming enraged. ''What do you mean you can't get off?''

''I can't get. . .off.''

''Bullshit,'' Eddie said, not buying the argument for a second. ''Maybe you aren't trying hard enough. Let me try,'' Eddie took hold of one of his arms and began to pull with all of his might, the action proving futile as the material resembled insanely tightly woven fabric, even at the smallest of tugs. ''Nggh! Getttt offfff!~'' another bout of thunder sounded.

''Not so easy, now, is it?''

''S-Shut it,'' Eddie said, assessing the situation. They couldn't easily separate at this rate, and they couldn't stay here out in the open with the looming threat of Dr. M and this so-called Collective.

They would have to do something to fix this, otherwise, they would be both be in trouble in this world that either of them knew next to nothing about. Eddie didn't have the first idea of what in the hell this thing was, and even less of this world. It was something about this mass of black and somewhat mangled personality, but something had to be agreed about.

''Ugh, fine. . .I guess we'll have to work together until we-''

''-Can be safe; I don't really know who you are, Eddie Brock, but I know that we are all we have at the moment, so we should make the best of it.''

''Wait, how did you know my name? I never told you.'' Eddie said, confused about the thing knowing his name.

''I read. . .your mind. . .wait; how did I do that?''

''Hell if I know, that's creepy. And also something we're going to have to figure out later. But what do I call you?''

That indeed was a good question. The mass itself held no actual name. It was. . .nameless. It would need to have a worthy name, one that speaks emotions with a single utterance.

. . .

Venom. . .that sounded adequate.

''Call me Venom.''

Ante Up

View Online

The skies were a dull grey, followed by bouts of lighting before the rain pilfered the ground, revealing the shape of a figure slashing at the sky, before turning and doing the same in a different direction. A violent pulse of strength followed before the nearest tree was dented, sending pieces of wood splintering in every direction.

''Again.''

Another torrent of slashes and punches at the trees in the immediate proximity occurred once again, the small grove around them appearing more the aftermath of an explosion. The surrounding sounds began to drown out by the ferocity in Eddie's mind but did not go unnoticed by Venom. Each increasing heartbeat was amplified with each raindrop; each punch fueled the next; and the breaths being held filled the man-turned animal with pain.

And the measure of-

''-Pest.'' Venom hissed, impaling the closest squirrel with a crude tendril, seemingly disgusted with having the animal be anywhere near him, flinging it off with a final hiss as it impacted one of the dented trees. ''And again.''

Eddie shrugged from inside his. . .partner and continued to test the limits of what they could do in prepartion of any enemies that would be foolish enough to challenge them after leaving the facility from the experiments that Eddie was more than certain would go on without end, even had it killed him.

Venom, on the other hand, had trouble adjusting. . .to whatever the hell he was, and why he was subjected to what he was, and why he had to be paired with Eddie. But more importantly;

Both of them wanted revenge, no matter what.

''Remind me again how you know what to do,'' Eddie said, the cowl parting to reveal his face, visible bags looking over his being swallowed by the mass as a second skin, that formed perfectly to his being whenever he moved, but still contained enough mystery to know that it was the furthest thing from humanly able but humanly made. ''And how do you know who's chasing us exactly?''

Venom hummed, the feeling reverberating through Eddie as the mass thought, wanting to take time to articulate his thoughts beofre speaking. Any laspe in judgment would be detremental to the both of them, so it wou;d be wise for the pair to take a more careful approach until they held the higher ground over their enemies. ''I said nothing like that; just instincts. If it had been anyone else, it would be the exact same set of circumstances to where fleeing and gathering more informaton would be the normal thing to do.''

''So, why am I praticing when you're the blob of whatever you are that can make claws and shit like that?''

''For the possibility that I am unable to do so, and to possibly devlop your own style of fighting for when we are able to seperate.''

''If we can,'' Eddie quipped, thinking back to what Dr. M said to his many assistants during his torture. The mad doctor's quest for knowledge was only outweighed by his devotion to this. . .Collective. ''The Dr. and The Collective are serious problems that we need to take care of before they-''

''-Whatever those. . .creatures will do is beyond my care, and it should be beyond yours,'' Venom cut in, turning the face Eddie as his face contorted in a frown. ''I know not why the two of us are together, and why we are in this world, but we will have face this if we are to survive this.'' Venom said, wanting to understand the relationship between the two of them so nothing would no be left out.

Eddie continued the motions, as Venom began to probe through some of the memories of Eddie that were available, from seeing the recent torture of his partner to some vague flashes of light that were accompanied by the feeling of depression, sorrow, pain, and the colors red and blue. Parts piqued his interest while others left him feeling strange. It was something he would probe later to understand.

''But another question; what exactly are you? Are you human, an alien. . .or what?'' Eddie asked, finished a two swipe combo, followed by a punch, concentrating on his right hand to deform some of the material into a different shape, the process taking a bit of time to move the material around to form a crude version of what Dr. M used on him to flay his mouth open. ''And how do I know you won't betray me the second what you get what you want?''

Venom merely hummed, seemingly confused by the question, but still curious of the nature of the question itself. What was he? Was he even a he? Did he have a heart? ''I am. . .unsure; but I do know that we have more questions than answers, and we know to some degree, who we have to torture to get those answers.'' Venom said, hissing and attempting to formulate a plan of action.

''Then we had better get better at this,'' Eddie said, clutching his clawed fist and looking to the distance, flashes of memories of his past going through as breezes of wind. ''Where should we start first? We're by ourselves, and we-''

''-We will take each part of this as we have to face them. . .partner.'' Venom said, before going silent, Eddie taking the hint as he began to pratice once again, though with a slight renowed vigor as the feeling began to sink in of what he had to do in order to survive in this new and strange world, and with this. . .thing no less.

''And whenever we find this Dr. M, he will be the one we take our time with; the things he did to me that I remember just. . .can't be forgiven,'' Eddie grunted, impaling both his claws into a tree, struggling to pull them out as he flexed his arm close to the breaking point before stopping.

Shall Not

View Online

Dr. M and Jerry finished the release protocols for his newest. . .project. It was in his own words that this new revolutionary entity would be at the forefront of tracking and destruction. Bred in the lab with the highest grade of genetic material melded together in order to form an almost unbeatable apex predator with all of the needed skills to make short work of anything that came in its direction.

''Are you sure about this, Dr?'' Jerry asked as he watched the abomination known as Lyra come out of the tube that it was cultivated in for however long it had been given life in this world. The almost gangly, monkey-esqe form slimmed and formed into that of a pony around the size of the average female, the dark black sclera focusing on the pair as Dr. M smiled, using his magic to ensure the containment collar around it's neck would stay on there, and not come off unless Lyra got out of control. ''That thing looks hungry.''

''Hungry for death, my dear boy. And this 'thing' is the culmination of my genius into physical form! The codename L.Y.R.A. stands for Lifeform Yearning for Relevant Assimilation,'' Dr. M chuckled, approaching his creation with fervor, completely confident that he would not be in any danger at all; not when the prospect for Lyra to live a mildly determined life filled with no pain versus the constant anguish he would subject her to, should she deny his will seemed all the more alluring. ''You, from this moment on, are in control of a great many things. State your directive.''

Lyra finished adjusting her cellular structures, down to the different colorations for what would become hair and the other things that would need filling in the blanks to appear of this world when she was not. Her mind immediately attached itself to the nearest color combination, which was the blinding white of the room around her where she did not know where she was or to extent the room stretched and the red of Dr. M's mane. ''To discover all that is able, to crush what opposes, and to preserve the mission of higher learning.''

Dr. M patted her bright red mane, the action unaffecting her as her nervous systems that relayed information to her brain had yet to fully develop as of yet, so the action was literally unfelt by her, though she understood what was being done to her. In his magic, Lyra observed the saddlebags that were fitted with various supplies she instinctively knew she would need on her journey and mission. Two vials, one black and the other red were presented to her, the optical relays beginning to analyze. ''Behold, techno-organic Nitinol mesh intertwined with the latest cutting edge processors, giving her a calculation speed far greater than any other specimen.'' Dr. M said, ensuring any possible failsafe that would be prevalent within her programming would always neutralize any attempted changes and reroute to the original objective. It would take something highly unpredictable to make her break her programming and instincts, that he both had a hoof in designing to his specifications.

''Aren't you literally giving essentially a newborn the keys to a high-powered smart weapon that can think of pretty much any way of killing you the full reins without ANY consideration as to what could go wrong? Kinda like you're asking for a one-sided war,'' Jerry disagreed, not really wanting to go too far with the. . .opinions he knew would possibly get him fired, or worse. ''And who's to say she can even find the missing subject-'' Lyra walked forward, staring at Jerry very intently as he wanted to back away, fighting his muscles not moving to immediately send him in any direction except by this. . .creation. ''Uh. . .''

Lyra was torn between what she wanted to say first beyond her directive. This would. . .be a new sensation to get used to; being out of the containment tube, feeling the filtered and cooled air, and to know that she would be able to that which she held very faint ideals about, day after unclear day; hour after dragging hour, and second by precise second. She had a multitude of insults, facts, and otherwise word and phrase the one known as Jerry would not like, but she only settled for this. ''Shut up.''

''Ha! She got you there, dear Jerry! You almost look ready to defecate on yourself at the mere sight of her!'' Dr. M laughed, knowing that Jerry would only settle for doing what would make the most sense to him, which would be to flee in this case. It would take mere moments before his mind caught up to his emotions before he decided against what he knew to be wrong, depending on the situation. ''I say again, dear boy; she has a calculation far greater than anything seen before. The fact she settled on that meant that she could have said literally anything else to hurt your feelings, so take solace in that knowledge,'' Dr. M watched as Lyra flexed her muscles and looked herself up and down before her light blue eyes shone all colors of the rainbow as she analyzed the samples before her. ''Commence the hunt.''

Jerry took another step back, watching as Lyra's body shook, her back beginning to bubble and hiss, the smell of burning flesh and leather from the saddlebags fusing to her causing him to gag and shy away from as the mad doctor grinned from ear to ear, watching his creation take form according to his design. A light shone from Lyra's back, producing a small pack laden with lines that glowed blue before two small cylinders appeared on either side, the sound of propulsion being heard as she hovered in the air, her form tilting to move vertically in line with the ceiling as she zoomed upward, causing the small section in the lab to cave in from her exact shape as a few cables hit the floor in a tangled mess.

''Dr, I don't think letting subject Lyra out so soon without any preliminary training or supervision is the wisest thing to do, even for you,'' Jerry said, watching the proverbial gears in Dr. M's mind turned before he looked at Jerry, smirking.

''That is an opinion you are having. Lyra has been outfitted with the sum total knowledge of the number of predators in this land that we have been able to categorize and how they fight, their special traits, and instincts to a point that she will be able to handle even SCP-299, even with any hidden tricks that may come with the two of them,'' Dr. M said, knowing that Lyra would complete its mission before long, and by any means necessary. His pursuit of knowledge would be to not only sate his own curiosity but that as well as the princess and her agenda of power.

He would not be so foolish to give it all to her.

''Another question, as well. Where is Starlight? She has yet to report in the past week.'' Jerry's worried comment made Dr. M frown and groan as he would have to explain that to him, as well. ''Did you fire her?''

Dr. M did not want to use too much of the precious time that he had to study Lyra and all her capabilities in the practical sense versus entertaining his less than exuberant assistant about a project he had undertaken designing before the two of them came into any sort of contact with each other. Starlight was bright, brilliant, and if he were to tell another; beautiful mare who he would love experimenting with and seeing the true her, outside and especially in. ''If you must know, I sent Starlight out into the field to gather more samples, as well as to in a way, track Lyra should any of the instruments we possess not be up to the task of monitoring her movement in most conditions.''

''What happened to the trust in what you already did to her to essentially bend her to your will? I thought there was no worry, so-MMMPH!'' Jerry shrieked, feeling Dr. M stick a literal sock in his mouth, the unamused look dong little to make the whole situation any amount of better.

''I like you, Jerry; really I do enjoy your company and your afraid attitude at times, but trust me when I say this; grow out of this mindset before long. Lyra will stay the course, and Starlight shall be our eyes and ears for more than one reason. . .I sense betrayal brewing.'' Dr. M said, shaking his head in annoyance. ''From who, I am unable to tell, but I know that it shall come before any of us can understand the true severity of it.''

''MMph! Bleh! So what do we do until, Dr?'' Jerry asked, wanting to seriously have a talk with the good doctor about how to descale certain situations or properly express how one should feel besides stuffing a sock in another's mouth.

''We wait. . .and study.''

Red Root

View Online

SPLASH! SPLASH! SPLASH!

Big Macintosh was too old for this kind of work.

The uneven path ahead was laden with dips filled with dirty and polluted water that splashed against Trixie and Garble's hooves and claws. Big Mac continued on, pulling the weathered, rickety cart past the pair.

''Ugghhh.~ I'm really not trying to get Lockjaw,'' Trixie shuddered, maintaining a cautious eye on each hole in the ground and taking care to avoid any stray nails or wire. The area ahead of them had been known for a great many attacks in recent years, and the lack of defenses allowed the recent Pony Fighting Alliance to bombard the highlands and push the 'line of defense' until it was no more. ''How bad do you think it'll be this time around?''

Garble nursed the cut on his abdomen, wincing when the pressure dressing Trixie put on his chest shifted. ''Not trying to; the fact we failed means our pay gets cut in half, and that half's cut in half, so we might not be able to afford food this week unless you want to eat shit again.''

Big Mac grunted, knowing that the 'might not' in that sentence meant that they were going to. The majority of their missions ended with relative success, and though the three of them were formidable together, some of the recent Humans were beginning to show minimal signs of . . .intellegence to retaliate against some of their traps. Checking in with the guards at the outpost's entrance, the newest arrivals were posted in the gated enclosure while those poised to be set out to the market were opposite of them, the shouting, yelling, and spitting doing little to deter the trio. ''Seems like they're getting more rambunctious by the day.''

''Yea, try being animals that have no rights; I would be the same, but the main difference is we got the jump on them first,'' Garble said, sneering at a few of the ones who tried to size up the dragon who chuckled. ''But what the hell was that thing that attacked us?''

Trixie also needed to have an answer to that question, and another ice pack to nurture her headache. It moved so. . .erratic; almost as if it held next to no regard for any amount of life, but still held a blip of intelligence to evade their attacks. The loud screeching; the claws, the smile all but painted a picture of a sick experiment. Even Big Mac was unable to get a good hit.

The trio continued on down the poorly paved road, the sight of the central tent that housed the boss of the camp. Big Mac was sure he would be yet again upset at the lack of numbers this week. Humans were sometimes more trouble than their worth to the one in charge, but that attitude all but disappeared with the production of steady income. A thick plume of tobacco smoke clung in the air the closer Garble and Trixie walked across the bridge above a deep moat with large, weathered logs. ''One of these days, that's gonna kill him.'' Big Mac said.

Trixie huffed, turning her nose up at the idea. ''He smokes enough a day to make a smoke signal from 100 miles away, I don't think a forest fire would phase him.'' the joke made Garble crack a smile and chuckle, leading to his wound opening up with a hiss of pain.

Big Mac unhitched himself, breathing a labored breath and motioning for the two of them to follow behind past the seas of hanging multi-colored beads and smoke clouds that prompted a coughing fit from the two. Two of the Unicorn guards draped in gunmetal gray chainmail walked forward when the trio came from under, guiding them to the particular spots where they would stand; each time, without fail, Big Mac in the middle with Garble on his left and Trixie on his right, flanked by the guards, who looked on, uncaring.

"I am. . .most displeased at your apparent lack of progress.'' Big Mac frowned, knowing the calm before the storm by the torches on either side of the wolf skin throne flaring up before settling.

Garble and Trixie's eyes narrowed when the guards each stomped their hooves to wake the pair from dozing off. Big Macintosh figured no time would be like the present to explain what happened earlier; if the story would be believed. ''Well, it boils down to-''

''-Stop.'' Big Mac hissed, the throne rotating to show the front, showing the face of restrained fury only by a hair-trigger. ''You should know by now that money is king; and when I am unable to make that, the three of you are unable to live comfortably. So tell me. . .Garble. What happened?''

Garble froze, hoping he would be left alone this time, but knowing the luck of the draw between him and Trixie would only be so good for so long. All eyes would be on him. ''We ran into some trouble on the way back; we found two Humans and a kid, and we had them until. . .''

''Until?''

''Well, you see-'' Trixie interjected, digging a small hole in the dirt. She would-

''-I said Garble; unless you suddenly became a dragon?'' Trixie lowered her hoof to the ground when she felt the stare of smugness upon her. ''Continue, Garble.''

The red dragon coughed into his claw, looking forward and finding the power to tell the tale about their failure. ''It was this thing. . .this black thing; with claws and teeth. We tried to fight it off, but it was too fast. It almost seemed Human.'' Garble said, hanging his head with shame.

. . .

''And how the mighty have fallen,'' Big Mac's eyes darted to and fro with each passing second. The sound of his heartbeat in his head, the pulling tension on his neck, along with the confusion that could span a mile all compounded into a guttural growl that elicited a hum from their boss. ''When I gave each of you a job, I expected the best. Your 'resumes' spoke for themselves, but with this? This, this, this spat? For shame. Garble's hurt, Trixie's having a silent crisis, and you Big Macintosh, were supposed to be the leader. But you only have lead to shit on this one.''

''Boss,'' Big Mac called out, hoping to fix the issue with ample time. ''We can fix this.''

And so they could be decently compensated.

''Oho? Can you? And what assurance do I have that you will?''

''We almost never fail,'' Trixie chimed in, tapping a hoof onto Big Mac's back. ''We're the best hunters this side of Dodge Junction and you know it. Why else keep us around?'' Garble shifted his dressing as Big Mac gave her a side-eye, silently questioning her methods in front of the one figure they wouldn't want to.

''Entertainment at times, but your other point does stand to a degree. Fine, fine.''

''Really?'' Garble and Big Mac asked, noting the chuckle that came from their boss, but the pair was unsure if it stemmed from confidence or pity.

''One more chance. No help from the camp. Make up the numbers you were supposed to get plus 75%. You have one week.'' Trixie's ears nearly fell off her head at the numbers.

''That's almost impossible! We can't do that with just us!''

A snort followed by an ear-splitting bellow quieted any resistance. Ugh, he hoped he wouldn't have to get up, but here he was.

Clip Clop. Clip Clop. Clip Clop.

''Nothing is impossible if you want to eat. . .and if you work for a creature like me, Iron Will. You all signed the blood oath, you all swore you would pay off what you owe me and in exchange, I don't quarter the three of you while you make just enough to get by,'' Iron Will pressed his forehead to Trixie's, being mindful of each other's horns. Trixie's nervous chuckle made him pull her closer when she tried to shy away. ''The second you start to prove useless to me, is when you'll all be in those cages fighting for your lives or the first option. Whatever that thing was that 'caught' you by surprise? I want it, on top of the numbers you owe. If it seems Human, then it probably is. And that means I can use it.''

Power Of One, Power Of None

View Online

A confusing feeling swept over Venom as he kept watch over his partner as he slept. With much trial and error, he found that while he couldn't fully separate from Eddie, he could branch out a certain distance like some kind of elastic rope before he reached a point where he would be sucked back into his partner. He managed to keep a relatively close perimeter around the small cave where they managed to find shelter for the time being. It felt. . .quiet.

Too quiet.

In the depths of his mind, Venom knew something was brewing, just not what and where it would come from. There was much he tried to piece together, but the further away from an answer he found himself. Was he accurate? Was he really sure he was Venom? And was this place reality or some sick joke? He. . .had a hard time telling. Venom; sounded, and felt familiar, but there was a haze in whatever he could tell was his mind.

The torrent of rain, with lighting sprinkled in, came down, drenching the land and ground, the feeling being more akin to an annoyance. The forested area where they trained displayed a considerable amount of fallen trees some uprooted at different angles, while others were brought down by sheer power or from the cutting force of one of his blades. The first few trials did not go as smoothly on account of the massive incomplete gashes from the underuse of their combined power.

''Mmmh,'' Venom hummed with a vibrating undertone, the combination of spikes, claws, and hammer fists made of his flesh becoming second nature rather than exerting a great mental deal to form the weapon in question. ''We need to get stronger.''

A frown decorated his brow, the white eye markings narrowing into a neat flat line. He paid attention to the tiniest of sounds, slowly learning to discern what was what with some talking with Eddie before he slept. A primal, almost murderous feeling came over Venom and it was directed by Eddie. Slowly, things began to feel different from when the pair broke out of the facility. A part of him was missing, that much he could gather, but he liked this new feeling no more than. . .he had nothing else to really compare.

''This is. . .strange.'' Venom said, slinking back over to his partner sleeping in the fetal position. His fear, anxiety, and rage. He could feel it. Understand it. It became part of Venom, like a wave almost, it came with highs and lows. His injuries began to heal, but Venom could tell it would take time.

Time the two of them did not have. Those ponies would no doubt be after them before long, and the advantage needed to be in their favor if both wished to survive.

''^{. . .Obey. . .}'' a whisper came from the distance, Venom focusing his attention on the voice. It sounded familiar, yet distant. A low thrumming sounded, the loose rocks and chunks of trees beginning to float in the air. ''Direct your attention to me!''

''Hrrngh!'' Venom grunted, his flesh distorting to the high-pitched whine that followed after, Eddie soon being startled awake by the environment. The raindrop in front of their cave suddenly jutted to either side, leaving a straight, dry path ''Stoooop!'' Venom's head lowered to the ground, his eyes forcefully opened as his perception warped, seeing the bleak, dark remains of some sort of abyss, skies darkened a bloody red and the ground littered with massive, twisted amalgamations of living, flesh, darkness and the pulse of life. A great courtyard seemed to span endlessly before coming to a point where a gruesome, midnight throne.

But the individual who Venom saw sit upon it was another story.

''W-Who?'' Venom grimaced as he was forcefully pulled from Eddie, his mass jutting over to the dry clearing to be in a bowing position. A quizzical hum was heard from the figure who peered on with a curious eye.

''Mmm. . .you are not one of my creations, at least not by standard means,'' the figure spoke, the probing feeling coming through Venom's mind as a gleam of red energy washed over him. Twisted, torn, and assaulted with mental commands laid all of his memories out instantly to the individual as he slowly observed a piece of Venom he tore away. The sword he held by his side pulsed and circulated as if made of liquid blood. A slew of instincts were implanted into Venom's mind as he protested and growled, The flat line of his facial expression only subtly showed the patience and fury of time immemorial. ''This world. . .primitive, and disgusting. It would be of little if any consequence to let it rot and turn into dust.'' Venom could clearly feel and experience the thoughts and anger of the individual who commanded to do his bidding. ''But what is this? The taint of. . . a Celestial? In such a remote world as this?''

Constant thrumming over and over again, vivid images of battle and war flooded through Venom's mind, a grasping, pulling feeling at the front of his mind. He could see mangled, unnatural abominations, en mass on different planets, assimilating, plaguing, and conquering. Grotesquse, fusions of mangled flesh bowing before the figure, presenting treasures from the various homeworlds.

''You. . .may not be a true Kylntar, but you still will be an instrument of my will.'' Venom's mind began to tear apart at its seams, being overloaded with all senses, ripping and shredding his form before coming back together in a pile, slowly connecting back to Eddie's cold, freezing form. ''Any Celestial foolish enough will be eliminated. I only hope you can live long enough to have your existence validated before I come to handle things myself.''

''W-What. . .is a Celestial?'' Venom asked, the intense gaze failing to shy away from him, only to grow in intensity.

''Your target; and it will be destroyed before I come there to finish the job myself. I do not know why were you made, but if it has anything to do with the Celestial, then you will take care of it, or perish.'' the figure began to dissipate, leaving behind a sickly red mist that slowly rose in the air. ''Their essence is near; find them.''

Finding the urge to stand up, Venom looked up to the sky, black dots filling his vision as he felt Eddie stir from within. He felt confused, as a singular thought between the both of them echoed out.

''Fuck.''

The Smartest Introduction

View Online

New York City, Daily Bugle. . .

''For the last time, I said out!'' Eddie was forcefully removed from the head office of the biggest news stations in the city. The security guard didn't need to be overly rough with him, he was going. ''You should be lucky you're not getting arrested.''

Growling under his breath like a man possessed, Eddie dusted off his black leather jacket and turned to the somewhat portly armed security guard of the Daily Bugle. It pissed him off to no end; the constant stares from those who knew, the lack of respect whenever he walked into a room, even the bitter sting of seeing couples together, walking about and sucking the faces off of each other. He needed a smoke to calm his nerves. ''What happened to freedom of the press, huh? Ever heard of that; or is your brain full of bacon grease?''

The urge to want to shoot this punk came all too easy, and he could probably justify doing it if he wanted to do it. But no. He was better than this; better than him. Most people were smart enough not to get duped like a rookie, but not him. Combing his mustache with his free hand, the other lightly grazed the holster of his weapon, to support his hand. ''Son, go ahead and do yourself a favor-'' the guard sighed, shaking his head. ''leave, try and actually do something productive with your life.'

Eddie huffed, keeping his eyes on the guard a moment longer. Did he really have the time for a back-and-forth with someone who had no idea what he was going through? None of them did, yet they had to gall to judge him for doing something he thought was right. Ugh, now he needed a drink. ''Whatever,'' Eddie said, walking away to go away and try and salvage what remained of his pride.

For today at least.

When most other people had a bad day at work or failed to accomplish a certain goal of theirs, it often ended up with mild discomfort or pushback. Not Eddie Brock. The news spread like wildfire of him making what would be one of the biggest scandals in recent years, and for it to blow up in his face so spectacularly. Down on his luck, left by the few people who cared about him, and the talk of the town only served to push Eddie to the brink; where few managed to come back without scars to bear, or their minds shambled beyond repair.

The one person who deserved his ire the most would be that damn Spider-Man; the web-slinging 'hero' going out of his way to save New York, to be a beacon of hope to those with unclear goals in life, and to inspire those to fight against the wave of corruption in order to keep close what people fought so hard to have; a life.

Eddie swore to himself, knew in his heart of hearts that everything that occurred was from that accursed Spider-Man and his brand of justice that got under his skin to no end!

''I need to do something, and quick,'' Eddie muttered to himself, his hands tucked deep in his pockets as he went to the one place where he still held a modicum of hope of not getting turned away. The one place where judgment should be blind, and the truth would speak for itself. The air was getting colder; soon it would be winter. Streets would be more silent; the city would change almost overnight, and so would Eddie along with it. His sulking blanketed the humdrum of New York City until he reached his destination.

Every time, the structure of the church always gave him a tinge of a smile at how the design stood the test of time, and in one of the most unforgiving places. Then again, faith could weather any storm or change. The cool metal of the railing was but a dull feeling to him. There were more important things to worry about. ''Been a minute since I came here. Makes me wonder if I'm even still welcome here.''

The doors opened, and Eddie took a moment to admire the view that he swore always changed the few times he managed to drag him to.

The rows of pews spoke to him, in a whisper; to sit. Reflect.

''God,'' Eddie started, paying his attention to the roof, feeling a weight unlike anything he had ever felt before press down onto him, and while not enough to force him to his knees, the pressure was close. ''I know. . .things are; well, things right now. But that doesn't mean much to you, now does it?'' silence claimed the church halls. ''Right; well I need a little bit of help right now. My job fired me, my girlfriend left me, and I'm the laughingstock of the media world. It's not fair.'' Eddie faced the confession booth, feeling the pressure gradually increase before the door opened of its own accord. ''What the?''

''Come in, my child. There is much to discuss.'' Eddie heard a voice come from the booth, fueling his already erratic state.

''What the hell? That's not confessions work.'' Eddie argued, wanting to back away, only for him to be unable to. ''Look man, I'm already not in the best of moods right now, and now you're just making it weird.''

''Funny,'' the voice responded back, with a humorous tone behind it. ''that you would question anything in God's house, that is. You came here wanting something, obviously. All you need do is. . .step inside.~'' A small reverberation came from the voice, drawing Eddie forward and inside the booth. He was sat down, and the door closed. ''Better; now don't you have something to say?''

''Fuck you! That's what! What kinda of paranormal sleaze crap is this?'' Eddie fought to get up, only for his limbs to not respond in the slightest.

''Again, funny that you say paranormal, yet you watch those like Spider-Man, Wolverine, Daredevil, and even Hulk; you seriously think paranormal is the thing to worry about if it's real or not? Shame.''

Eddie huffed, managing to crane his head to the partition, only to see little. ''What do you want?''

''More like it, but the better question is what do you want? Or want to do to those who wronged you.'' Eddie heard the man, who's voice he failed to pinpoint to anyone shuffle around with something before a small viewing door opened, and a business card to be slid his way. ''I know a bit about being wronged, and I believe the both of us working together can accomplish many things.''

''And how exactly, do you figure that? Unless you have cure for my hatred of Spider-Man, you might as well take that card and shove it.'' Eddie felt the glare of the man upon him, and while it failed to intimidate him, it unnerved him. ''That's the only thing I want now; answers, vengance, and power.''

''Well, lucky for you; we have similar goals, but Spider-Man is of little consequence to me in the grand scheme.'' the door opened, and the hold on Eddie was released. ''Call the number on that card when you're ready to take the next steps. You have 24 hours to make a choice.'' Jumping over to the other side, Eddie was only faced with an empty seat as he opened the door.

''The hell? Kind of cryptic bull was that?'' Eddie asked, trying his best to ingore the gnawing feeling at him as he looked where the card on his side was placed. Almost as if it called out to him, needed him. He was the slightest bit curious. ''Oscorp, huh?''

YHaY; We Are Venom

by Ultimus Pendragon

Patient 0

Death Knell

The Scientific Method

Escape, Escape, Escape!

Come Forth

Who?

For Worth

Ante Up

Shall Not

Red Root

Power Of One, Power Of None

The Smartest Introduction