THE LIGHT THROUGH THE DARKNESS

Peter web-swings through the night sky of New York, still covered in blood and in distraught.

"I almost went too far tonight... I lost control. I could've taken a life... I couldn't stop." Peter thinks to himself.

He then sticks on the side of the bell tower, staring at the blood all over him, clutching his fist has he thinks about everything leading up to this.

"I've been out of control lately... we abandoned Andrea to fight Mineral Man, we snapped at Jill and Ben. They were just trying to help. Why did we do that?"

Peter then questions why he keeps thinking "we" instead of "I". Peter then drops down into the bell tower.

"It's the symbiote... It's changing me... I have to get it off."

As Peter starts to take it off, he stops.

"Come on Pete, you're over reacting. This suit is the best thing for New York. It's made you better. There's no one else we need. Not Stacy... Not Jill... Not Andrea... Not even Ben."

Peter is shocked, knowing that wasn't his thoughts. He starts to pull on his mask.

"Wait, stop! We need each other." Peter thinks.

"No! You gotta!" Peter yells.

Peter tries to pull off the suit but can't get it off. He then accidentally bumps into the giant bell, ringing it and hurting the symbiote.

"The vibrations- You don't like them." Peter says.

He then punches the bell, hurting the symbiote again. He then rips off the mask and starts to rip off the rest of the suit.

"No... we do not like... vibrations- They are... unpleasant. But not enough... to destroy our bond."

Peter grits his teeth in determination.

"We'll see."

At that moment, Peter's movements are stopped as the suit starts wrap around his body, slowly trapping him.

"In anger, you sought to hurt us. Instead you made us stronger... We shall demonstrate."

The suit moves up on Peter's body, fully encasing his body. As the symbiote is about to cover his face, Peter let's out a frustrated scream before being fully covered.

Later, a younger Peter wakes up in a dark alley.

"What's happening? Where am I?"

At that moment he hears a gun shot, a gun shot that has echoed through his mind for years.

"Oh no..." Peter says.

He then turns around and sees his parents dead on the ground behind him.

"No...No, No, No... Please God, No." He says, dropping to his knees, tears in her eyes.

The Black suit then appears, sticking to the side of wall.

"A tragedy that could have been avoided. If you had us, you could have prevented this from happening, and we'd still have our parents. If we stay together, we can prevent this from happening again."

Peter gets angry, stands to his feet and turns to The Black suit, but find himself in a different area. He looks around, realizing he's at the bottom of the clock tower, wearing his Spider-Bat suit.

"You could have saved me." A voice says.

Peter's eyes widen as he turns around to see Gwen Stacy, blood dripping from her nose.

"Gwen... I-"

"I loved you- and you couldn't save me... You let me die. How many more must suffer before you realize- you're no savior. You've been a plague on this city and every person you care about... I'd still be alive if you were better." Gwen says.

Peter reaches out to her.

"Gwen, I'm-"

At that moment Peter is taken to somewhere else yet again. He finds himself at city hall, standing infront of Harry Osborne whose flipping his coin.

"You were my bestfriend... My brother. We were going to change this city together. You were supposed to be there for me when I needed you."

Harry then turns to Peter, showing both sides of his face.

"Instead- you let me become a monster... You're no hero... A real hero would have saved me. Where were you when I needed you?"

Peter starts to step back, overwhelmed by everything that is happening right now. He turns around and sees Jill Stacy crying behind him. Peter slowly approaches her as she looks up with sadness in her eyes.

"What is wrong with you? You couldn't save me? Why!? Why didn't you stop him!? Why didn't you save me!?"

Tears start to fall down Peter's face, unable to hold back his emotions. When he looks up, he's face to face with Ben, who looks at him with disappointment in his eyes.

"What would your father say if he could see you now? You're not this city's savior... You're a disappointment... You disappoint me... You disappoint me."

At that moment, Peter is surrounded by darkness, dropping to his knees in despair. At that moment, The Black suit rises from the darkness.

"Why blame yourself? We didn't hurt them, the world did. The world takes everything we love. There's no one you can trust Peter Parker. No one, except us... Join with us. Make our bond- permanent. Together, nothing can stop us and everything we wanted will be ours."

When the Black suit reaches out to Peter, Peter stares at the suit for a moment. He soon slowly extends his hand, allowing the black suit to slowly wrap around his hand. At that moment, two hands stop the suit from taking over Peter.

"Hold on there kiddo." A familiar voice says.

Peter looks up and sees his parents, smiling at him.

"Mom? Dad?"

"Hey sweetheart." Mary says.

They then help Peter to his feet.

"We don't need you two anymore." The Black suit says.

"Too bad. Now you're stuck with us." Richard replies.

The Parkers then takes Peter away.

"Come on, Son. There's something we have to show you."

Peter's parents then guide him to another memory of one of his early years as Spider-Bat.

A young woman that was in Peter's class is standing on the edge of building with tears in her eyes, preparing to jump.

"That would be a big mistake. Please don't jump." A voice says behind her.

She turns around and sees Spider-Bat behind her.

Peter starts to slowly approach her but she stops him.

"Stay back! Don't touch me! I'll jump!" She yells.

Peter stops in his tracks.

"That would be a big mistake." Peter replies.

The young woman scoffs.

"Yeah right. I have nothing to live for. I'd be better off dead."

"You're never better off dead."

"Look at me! I have no friends. No family. Nothing. All I have is a crap job, a shit apartment, and crippling anxiety and depression. I'm all alone, no one would even notice if I would disappear."

She then puts one of her feet over the edge.

"That's not true, Alison." Peter says.

Alison is shocked when she hears this. Surprised that anyone knew her name, let alone Spider-Bat. She then looks back, and sees Peter Parker unmasked.

"My names Peter Parker. We had chemistry class together. I always wanted to tell you that I liked that red jacket you would always wear, but I never did. Kind of always regretted not telling you that, maybe we could've been friends."

Peter then walks over and sits on the ledge next to her.

"I've been tired. Hurt. Sometimes when I see that signal in the sky, I think- "Can I let this one go? Can I let it be, someone else's problem? Just for a minute?" So I can just- give up. But I realize I can't. Because there's people out there who need me. And I know it doesn't feel like it, but it's the same for you. You just haven't met them yet."

Tears start fall down Alison's face.

"I want it to stop... I just want everything to stop."

Peter sighs.

"I know. But I promise, if you keep going, it will get better."

Peter offers his hand to Alison as she continues to cry. She then hugs Peter and continues to cry.

Richard then puts his hand on Peter's shoulder.

"And that kiddo, was just one example of the good you've done."

At that moment, Peter gets flashes of everyone he saved as Spider-Bat. The Black suit then appears again.

"No one's denying the great work we've done. But how are we repaid? With pain and suffering."

Mary then pulls her son away from the black suit.

"Not always." She says.

Peter then gets flashes of the closest people in his life, the good times in his life, reminding him that he still has love.

"You're never alone, Peter." Mary says with smile.

She kisses him on the cheek and his parents fade away. Peter smiles, then stares down the black suit.

"You cannot reject what you already are."

Peter pulls down his mask and prepares to fight. He throws multiple Batarangs that the Black suit avoids them. He then jumps up and kicks the symbiote in the face.

"Last chance to vacate."

The symbiote gets angry and leaps at Peter. The hero then flips out of the way and webs the symbiote in the face. As the black suit rips it off of his face, Peter kicks it in the gut. He then lands a right cross to the face, splattering the symbiote. Peter starts to land multiple strikes, slowly obliterating the symbiote. Meanwhile, light starts to shine through the cracks of the darkness.

Peter then lands one final uppercut, knocking him back into darkness, shattering it completely. As the light shines, the symbiote melts away completely.

Peter soon takes off his mask and smiles, turning around and seeing his parents standing behind him.

"Thank you both." Peter says.

"Anytime, Peter." Richard tells him.

When Peter realizes that he has to go, he can't stop one tear from falling down his face.

"You know I- I miss you both everyday."

Mary and Richard smiles at their son.

"We know, Peter. But we're always with you." Mary says.

At that moment, Peter frees his actual body and hits the bell, hurting the symbiote. He starts to rip off the suit, piece by piece.

"Wait! Stop! We only want to help you! Be with you!"

But Peter ignores the Symbiote, and continues to rip off the suit. Soon he finally frees himself from the symbiote, revealing his original suit.

Peter then starts to take slow and steady breaths, being exhausted by tonight.

"Never thought I'd be glad to see my old suit." Peter says.

As web swings away from the bell tower, Hush was watching the whole entire thing, with a smile on his face.