Earth-21923, the Wasteland Universe, Spider-Headquarters.
"So in the end, Yamashiro Takuya took down the Master Mold with a single strike. No matter what the enemy planned, they couldn't succeed." The Spider-Man from Earth-811 met Peter for the first time, sitting together in the headquarters' reception room. He could now be referred to as "Apocalypse Spider-Man," as Apocalypse had turned him into one of his Horsemen, granting him a massive surge in both his innate abilities and various physical attributes.
"In other words, Earth-811 no longer needs to deal with Nimrod?"
"Perhaps not entirely. A portion of his program still exists on Earth, but at the very least, Nimrod-type Sentinels can no longer be manufactured."
Apocalypse Spider-Man smiled. This was perhaps the happiest he had been in a long time; the future of his world was finally no longer a haze of grey chaos. At least now, they could see a path toward the light.
Well, in some respects, it wasn't entirely bright.
"What about Apocalypse?" Peter was quite concerned about this individual, who had yet to awaken back on Earth-616. Although Apocalypse had been discovered on Earth-811, allowing Earth-616 to implement monitoring and preventative measures, sometimes vigilance wasn't enough to stop someone. Who knew if Apocalypse might be released at some unexpected moment?
Judging by the situation on Earth-811, Apocalypse was terrifyingly strong. Not only could he bestow immense power upon others, but he himself was far more powerful than the movie versions—and potentially even stronger than what Peter knew from the comics. Upon awakening, he had crushed a dozen Nimrod Sentinels into nuclear bombs. Given that ability, currently, perhaps no one except Thor would have a way to deal with him; the X-Men certainly wouldn't be his match.
Facing this question, Apocalypse Spider-Man showed a troubled expression for the first time. For now, and likely for a long time to come, Apocalypse was an indispensable force. Not only did he have the capability to eliminate the remaining Sentinels on Earth-811, but his matter-manipulation ability was also a top-tier construction power, perfect for reconstruction efforts.
"At least for the short term, he won't dare act rashly due to Yamashiro Takuya's deterrence, but I don't know about the long term," Peter continued. "However, I suspect Apocalypse will repeat his previous behavior—falling back into a slumber until the mutant population recovers to a certain number."
Beside them, Cyclops let out a helpless sigh.
"If that's the case, it would be wonderful. I just hope the Apocalypse in our world stays asleep."
Accompanying Peter were Cyclops and the White Queen of the X-Men, as well as Kitty, who had tagged along. They had come here to confirm that the future of Days of Future Past had truly been averted. Having heard the good news, Cyclops finally breathed a sigh of relief. They had done almost nothing during the final battle and had nearly been cornered.
If only the Professor would wake up, Cyclops thought with a frown. A great deal had happened recently. For instance, Sinister's mutant squad—they did have some gains there; Gambit, who was leading the opposing team, had been touched by Rogue while trying to flirt with her, resulting in him fainting and being tied up and taken away.
Next, the X-Men needed to figure out what Sinister was actually planning, the full scope of the X-23 project, and other matters, such as how to prevent the threat of Apocalypse. It felt as if more and more problems were surfacing, while their manpower and capabilities remained limited.
But for now, what was more important—
"We won." Cyclops finally broke into a smile. "At least for the moment, the Sentinels are no longer a threat to mutants. Even when the Sentinels evolved to their highest stage as Nimrod, they still couldn't utterly defeat us. This is our victory."
"A victory for everyone. Avoiding the end of the world is always a good thing," added the White Queen, who was attending the meeting. She then looked at Cyclops, who understood her meaning and turned his gaze toward Peter.
"Spider-Man, we are deeply grateful for your help. Unfortunately, we don't have much we can give you in return."
"I didn't do it for—"
"So, if you're willing, we invite you to become an honorary member of the X-Men. This doesn't mean you have to take on X-Men-related duties; it is merely a symbol of you being the X-Men's closest friend."
Cyclops stood up and extended his hand to Peter. "I am very sorry that we cannot provide any other substantive help. The only thing I can offer is a promise: whatever difficulties you face, the X-Men will come to your side. We will design a set of X-Men main team uniforms for you, though I doubt you'll need them."
"Can I make a suggestion?" Peter rubbed his head helplessly. "Can I keep my red and blue? I'm not very fond of blue paired with yellow."
"Sorry, Spider-Man, this is our color scheme. You can't break the formation," Cyclops laughed. Peter shook his hand, effectively accepting the honorary title. Cyclops then looked at Shadowcat. "Kitty, likewise, I hope you will join the X-Men. Your performance and activity during this recent period have fully proven that you are qualified. Welcome to the X-Men."
"I think the New Mutants' uniforms look pretty good," Kitty laughed. "But I guess I don't have a choice."
"Alright, our world still has plenty to keep us busy." Cyclops waved to the others before returning to the 616 Universe with Emma through the portal constructed by the Fantastic Four. Kitty was momentarily unsure if she should follow, while Earth-811's Apocalypse Spider-Man also stood up. "Same here. There are too many things to handle. I'll take my leave."
"Uh, I'll walk you out."
Peter quickly followed, but before leaving, he turned to Kitty and said, "If you don't mind, you can wait a moment, and then I can give you a tour of the headquarters."
"Huh? Oh, alright."
Why does this girl seem a bit dazed?
Peter murmured as he got up. After the two Spider-Men walked out of the room, Apocalypse Spider-Man looked at him with some curiosity. "You know we only need our wristbands to return to our own worlds, right? So theoretically, 'walking me out' isn't really an option."
"Yeah, I just had some questions I wanted to ask."
Apocalypse Spider-Man looked at Peter.
"You, uh, you have two girlfriends?"
"...That's what you wanted to ask?" Apocalypse Spider-Man was shocked for a moment before processing it. "Alright. So, you want to have two girlfriends?"
"No?"
...Can you give me a straight answer?
"I'm afraid the situation on my end isn't very suitable as a reference for you," Apocalypse Spider-Man sighed. "Back then... we only had each other to rely on. So no matter what you plan to do, I can't give you any advice."
"Good luck, fifteen-year-old Spider-Man. You still have plenty of time to think about this problem."