Time had passed by, the day was finally coming. Halloween had reached Royal Woods and everyone was getting ready for the celebration.
Lincoln, while in his room, had fully dressed in his Captain America costume, saluting the mirror in front of him.
"Looking good, Loud," Lincoln praised, flexing in front of the mirror. "Maybe one day I can meet the real Captain America."
Suddenly he got a text from Clyde, letting him know he and the others were on their way to the Loud House.
"Sweet, my friends are almost here," Lincoln said, grabbing his toy shield. "Alright, time for a Halloween of Justice!"
The young boy opened the door and immediately spotted chaos in the path on the way to his room.
"Luan! What did you do with my mariachi guitar!?" Luna shouted from her room.
"Maybe it grew legs and 'mariached' away!" Luan suggested from downstairs. "Get it!?"
"That was so terrible!" Luna called.
"Yeah, guess I pun-dered that one," Luan joked. "Seriously, I don't know where your guitar is! Ask Lola!"
"What would I need with your guitar!?" Lola asked, the girl stepping out and trying to fix her hair. "Aside from using it to smash Lana's stupid pets!"
"What are you complaining about this time!?" Lana shouted.
"For starters, your rat was chewing my kunai knife, and your lizard nearly peed on my costume!" Lola shouted.
"It would have been an improvement!" Lana called.
"Don't make me destroy you!" Lola warned.
"Where the hell is my witch broom!?" Lynn shouted, stomping into the hallway.
"I have it! I needed it to clean something up in my room!" Lisa called.
"Lisa, it's a prop!" Lynn called.
"No, it's an actual broom that you found in a closest to complete your juvenile costume," Lisa corrected.
"Whatever, just don't stain it with your chemicals!" Lynn warned.
"Typical chaos..." Lincoln thought to himself.
Lola turned her attention to her brother, "Oh, hey Linky." She walked over and hugged him, "Have I mentioned how much I really like your costume? You look super strong!"
"Yeah, you have," Lincoln said. "Glad my superhero costumes are no longer lame."
"Yeah, it's a big step up from that dorky Ace Savvy costume, now you look like a real man," Lola said.
"My Ace Savvy costume isn't that dorky, is it?" Lincoln asked.
"Don't worry about that, you look amazing," Lola said.
"You sure do," Lana said, coming out in her costume. "I don't suppose Captain America could use a pair of sidekicks. I hear monsters come out during Halloween; he's going to need some help fending them all off."
"Sure, you and Lola can be honorary members of The Avengers," Lincoln said.
"That's nice but we promised Cricket and Meli it'd just be us four," Lola said.
"Right…I still appreciate the offer," Lana said.
"Same," Lola said.
"Can I join?" Came Lily's voice, the girl wearing an angel costume.
"Definitely," Lincoln said, picking her up and holding her. "Ready to go trick or treating?"
"I think so," Lily said.
"You think so?" Lincoln asked. "Are you nervous?"
"Well...I hear that Halloween is really scary," Lily said. "I'm afraid to go outside. Just earlier I heard daddy scream 'Ah! Monster' at something."
"Dad's just being silly, there's nothing to worry about," Lincoln said.
"Wow, that's cruel Lincoln," Lynn said, getting his attention. "Everyone knows that when it comes to Halloween, that's when all the really spooky stuff happens. You get to see all the ghosts, demons, zombies, witches, mummies, skeletons, werewolves, vampires and goblins coming out to play."
Lily nervously clutched onto Lincoln, "R-really?"
"Oh yeah, and they love to go around haunting people, especially adorable little girls in angel costumes," Lynn said, sinisterly wiggling her fingers as if she were casting a hex. "They do terrible things too. Humans tend to make good snacks for all types of monsters."
"Lynn, that's enough," Lincoln said.
"Lily needs to know, bro," Lynn said. "Like how vampires love blood, zombies and werewolves are always hungry. Then you have witches with their evil curses! Ghosts and demons possessing you and making all types of bugs crawl out of your insides. Your skin slowly decaying as you slowly but surely lose your own humanity!"
"Lynn!" Lincoln scolded, trying to comfort Lily, "Stop scaring her!"
"But I'm not done, for beyond all that, there's something else just terrible," Lynn said. "There's the goblins, mischievous creatures that capture people and turn them into their slaves, stealing all your valuables, and most importantly, get really hungry and-"
"Okay Lynn, enough is enough already!" Lincoln shouted, comforting his youngest sister. "Lily gets the point! Now go bother some other kids."
"I wanted to since I volunteered to handle the Trick-Or-treaters this year, but mom said 'no'," Lynn said as she made her leave. "Guess she didn't want me putting those worms in kids' bags."
"It better not have been from my secret stash!" Lana warned.
"...Lana," Lincoln said.
"It's for fishing! Geez, I gave up eating bugs years ago," Lana said.
"Likely story," Lola said. "Your breath still smells like crickets."
"And your breath smells like horse poop," Lana said, irritating Lola.
"Why you..." Lola rolled up her sleeve and started attacking Lana.
"Hey, knock it off!" Lincoln said, prying the two girls apart. "Stop fighting!"
Lana struggled to move, but she was unable to do so. "Alright fine...but wow bro, have you been working out?"
"Yeah, you separated us pretty fast, you're not even struggling," Lola said.
"Uh...well..." Lincoln nervously rubbed his head.
"Well you have been dating Jordan recently, and her family has a gym, I think," Lana said. "I bet you've been lifting some weights or something."
"It could just be the costume," Lincoln insisted.
"Right, sure, it turned you into Captain America," Lana said. "Oh, you know what would be an awesome superpower? Turning Halloween costumes into actual abilities! Like I could be come an actual ninja! Or Lincoln could actually become Captain America!"
"That's a dream," Lincoln said. "Now please go get ready."
"Alright," Lana said, making her leave.
"I gotta call the girls anyway," Lola said, leaving while grabbing her phone.
Lincoln sighed in relief, then turned his attention to Lily, the girl a bit scared. "Hey, don't listen to Lynn alright? She's just being, well...Lynn."
"But, she's not wrong," Lily said. "They do talk about ghosts and other spooky stuff on Halloween. I don't want to go out there and run into a monster."
"Lily..." Lincoln had to think of something and quick. "Listen, I won't lie. Halloween can be spooky, and yes, they might talk about ghosts, monsters and other things. But, that's alright."
"It is?" Lily asked.
"There's nothing wrong with a little spooky, it builds strong will," Lincoln said. "If you can handle something scary, it means you've got courage. Take superheroes, they have to deal with scary things all the time. Like those aliens that invaded a year ago. Aliens can be quite scary, don't you think?"
"Yeah, they can be," Lily said.
"Despite that, The Avengers still beat them up and kept everyone safe," Lincoln said. "They didn't let their fear control them, so don't let it control you."
"Um, alright," Lily said.
"Besides, Halloween doesn't have to be scary if you don't let it," Lincoln said. "Not all the costumes are scary, some are fun. You might find kids dressed in something harmless, like puppies, or kitties. Some may be dressed like something awesome, like astronauts and racecar drivers. Some might want to be a cowboy, or a samurai, or anything. Halloween is what you make of it. Only you can decide that it's scary."
"Okay..." Lily said.
"Me and my friends, we're going as The Avengers," Lincoln said, "They're not scary, they're good guys. You're an angel, the most innocent creature of all. Make Halloween what you want it to be."
"Okay Linky, I will," Lily said, pulling Lincoln in for a kiss on his cheek. "Thank you."
"No problem," Lincoln said, checking his watch. "Alright, soon the Avengers will assemble."
Elsewhere in the city, Jordan was dressed for Halloween and ready to go meet Lincoln and his friends. On her way out the door, Brooke had passed by.
"Hey Jordan? Going Trick-or-Treating?" Brooke asked.
"Yeah, um, here to do work for my dad?" Jordan asked.
"You could say that," Brooke said, the girl sinisterly smiling.
"Uh...okay?" Jordan said.
"Well have fun, wish I could be out there too, not for the treats, but the tricks," Brooke said. "Halloween is the best time for some pranks. Aside from April Fool's Day at least."
"Well just don't go near The Loud House during that time," Jordan said. "Unless you want to deal with Luan Loud."
"Luan..." Brooke said with a hint of dread and anger. "I haven't forgotten about her."
"Huh?" Jordan asked.
"Uh...nothing," Brooke said. "Anyway, have fun tonight. But um, try not to stay out too late, things get really spooky on Halloween. You might run into ghosts."
"I'm too old to believe in ghosts," Jordan said.
"Hey, people thought aliens were fake until a year ago," Brooke said.
"...Okay then? Aliens aren't ghosts," Jordan said. "Life on another planet is much more believable than floating spirits."
"Fine, then try to not get abducted by aliens," Brooke said, making her leave. "See ya!"
"...That girl is so weird," Jordan commented, then left the house.
Down below in the labs, Brooke had gone to talk with her boss, "Um..., Mr. Rosato? Are you there?"
"What is it?" Johnathan asked from a distance, his voice a bit gravely.
"Just letting you know that preparations are set for tonight," Brooke said. "Soon all of Royal Woods will bear witness to your greatness!"
"Good, that's good," Johnathan said.
"Exciting huh? You'll get to live out your biggest dream!" Brooke said. "And I'll get a nice payday to go along with it."
"Just be sure you do what I tell you to do," Johnathan warned. "This has to go perfect."
"Will do," Brooke said, saluting the man. "Oh, and just so you know, Jordan went to go Trick-or-Treating, so if you're going to do this plan, try to be careful. I don't think you'd want your kid to get hurt after all."
"I wish no harm upon my family," Johnathan said. "I must prepare, go do what you must Brooke."
"I told you, it's Jack-O-Lantern!" Brooke said.
"Very well, Jack-O-Lantern," Johnathan said, fury seeping into his voice. "Just be off before I lose my patience."
"Right, sure thing," Brooke said, making her leave. "I'm off to do the final preparations, see ya!"
As she left, the sinister man began to emerge from the shadows, "The world will soon be mine."
Outside, Lincoln and his friends had begun their Trick-Or-Treat route, heading to any nearby house they could.
Joining them was Lily, the girl clutched tightly onto her big brother, trying not to focus on anything else.
"You alright Lily?" Lincoln asked.
"Yeah..." Lily said. "A little."
"It's not so scary out here, see?" Lincoln said, gesturing to some houses with harmless decorations. "It's all just pretend, something people do for fun."
"And not everyone is wearing a scary costume," Stella said, gesturing to a nearby group. "Those kids are all dressed like zoo animals." She turned elsewhere, "And that couple over there looks like Romeo and Juliet." She turned again, "And that one there-"
"RAWR!" someone dressed as a werewolf shouted, scaring off some nearby trick-or-treaters.
"Is a total jerk but whatever," Stella said.
"How much you wanna be that it's Chandler?" Rusty asked.
"Nothing...because Chandler's over there," Liam said, pointing ahead. "And lookie who he's dressed as?"
"No freaking way..." Lincoln lamented.
Not too far away, Chandler was talking with some friends, and almost surprisingly, he was wearing a Spider-Man outfit.
"Had this custom made for yours truly, looks authentic, doesn't it?" Chandler said, his friends agreeing.
"Is that Chandler, dressed like Spider-Man?" Clyde asked.
"Looks like it," Liam said. "Figures he'd dress like the most popular guy in Royal Woods, if to make himself look more popular."
Chandler was quick to notice Lincoln and his friends, a slight scowl on his face. "Oh, it's you."
"Hello to you too, Chandler," Lincoln sarcastically commented. "Nice costume."
"Yeah, real nice, made with better material than whatever it is you losers have," Chandler said.
"Doesn't look that great," Zach said. "Looks like something out of a dollar discount store."
"Get those glasses checked, McGirdle," Chandler said, then noticed Lily. "Who's the shrimp?"
Lincoln stood in front of her, glaring at the boy, "Back off, that's my sister!"
"What's with the goofy costume?" Chandler asked. "Like seriously? An angel? None of your sisters are angels, Loud. Also that's such a wussy costume, she's just asking for the tougher kids to come after her."
"That won't happen!" Lincoln said, keeping Lily close. "Not on my watch."
"Wow, how brave," Chandler sarcastically commented. "Just because you're dressed like Captain America, doesn't mean you're an Avenger. Of course, between the two of us, I'm the superior hero. A spider is way better than some old guy with a silly shield."
"That 'old guy' protects our country and the whole world from threats on a daily basis," Clyde said.
"Spider-Man's cooler though," Chandler said. "Way better than any of you."
"Like you're so great yourself!" Lily said. "You're dumb, ugly and your teeth look crooked."
Chandler awkwardly covered his mouth, feeling slightly shamed by Liy's comments, "Oh who asked you, short stack. Whatever, I don't even want to be near you losers, I have some candy to score."
"Be our guest," Stella said.
"...Actually, you pull that costume off well," Chandler said. "You should ditch these chumps and join me."
"You wish," Stella said.
"Come on, you really want to help play babysitter for these boys and some little brat?" Chandler asked.
Stella knelt beside Lily, bringing her in for a hug, "This brat is a literal angel, and I really enjoy her company. I can't say the same about you."
Lily returned the hug and then stuck her tongue out at Chandler to further emphasize Stella's point, further irritating the boy.
"Fine, have it your way, but don't blame me if your night sucks because you made the wrong choice," Chandler said, then turned around. "Let's go boys."
Chandler left with his group, leaving Lincoln and his friends alone for now, though not without some minor annoyance.
"What a turd that guy is," Rusty said.
"Why is he so mean?" Lily asked.
"Because he's miserable and wants everyone else to feel miserable," Liam said. "It ain't gonna get to us though, we're still gonna have a fun Halloween."
"That's right, all that matters is the candy," Rusty said. "And looking cool."
"We still gotta meet up with the rest of our group," Lincoln said. "Clyde, any word on Chloe or Emma?"
"They're on their way to the park," Clyde said. "What about Jordan?"
"Same thing, I think she just met up with Mollie, according to her recent text at least," Lincoln said. "Let's hurry."
Lincoln's group double timed it to the park.
Meanwhile Benny and Sam had arrived at the Loud House in costume and rang the doorbell.
"Trick or Treat!" Sam called.
"Sam, we're not here to Trick or Treat," Benny said.
"I know dude, I'm just messing with them," Sam said. "Nice costume by the way, you look like a Fairy Tale Prince."
"Well that is the point," Benny said. "Nice Mariachi look."
"Thanks, the whole band has it," Sam said as the door opened, revealing the father of eleven.
"Sam, I thought I recognized your voice," Lynn Sr said. "And I see Benny's with you too."
"Good to see you Mr. Loud, I hope you're having a swell Halloween," Benny said.
"Actually, I'm not, this holiday is downright terrifying," Lynn Sr admitted, nervously glancing outside, spotting some kids dressed like ghosts. "But, my daughters are having fun and that's all that matters."
"Oh, I see..." Sam said. "So, no dressing up?"
"I plan to, the wife and I are going as greasers," Lynn Sr said, the man putting on some sunglasses. "Got the idea from my grandpa's photos. He was quite the man back in the day."
"Uh, neat," Sam said, glancing at Benny as the boy awkwardly shrugged. "Well I'm just here to see Luna."
"And Luan," Benny said.
"They should be upstairs," Lynn Sr said, then went to find his daughters. "Luna! Luan! You have visitors!"
"You know, it just dawned on me," Benny said. "What if Mr. Loud ever finds out about...you know, what you and I did with Luan and Luna that one time? When we really bonded with them?"
"Here's an idea, how about don't talk about that out loud out of risk of anyone hearing us?" Sam said. "Because if there's one thing I learned from Lori's reaction, is that the parents aren't our only major concern."
"Well Lori reacted that way because she's the oldest sister and has a bit of a controlling personality," Benny said. "Though that's more Luan's words than mine, she didn't exactly disprove it be reacting the way she did."
"Still, I would just rather no one hear it," Sam said. "Especially Lola."
"Someone mention me?" Lola asked, the girl coming out of the kitchen, her presence immediately startling Benny and Sam.
"Oh, hey Lola..." Sam nervously greeted. "Uh...Happy Halloween!"
"Yeah, you too," Lola said. "Nice costume, looks like you and Luna really are committing to that group costume."
"Sure are, we just need to do the face painting," Sam gestured to her face. "Then we can really go all out." The girl did a quick clap and a pose. "Arriba!"
"Well you have fun with that," Lola said, before glancing at Benny. "Your costume looks nice."
"Oh thanks, as you can tell, I am a dashing prince," Benny took forming a dramatic pose. "And I am here to save meet my lovely princess!"
"I'm flattered Benny, but I have my eyes on someone else," Lola teased.
"Uh...right, you like to dress like a princess," Benny said.
"Normally, of course since tonight is a special occasion," Lola pulled out a fan to partially cover her face. "I have taken the role of a Kunoichi."
"A what now?" Sam asked.
"Kunoichi, doesn't that mean ninja?" Benny asked.
"Female ninja to be precise, you can thank Linky and his manga for the idea," Lola said, turning around to pose seductively. "Aren't I sexy?"
"Uh...yeah, you're totally sexy," Benny said, earning a confused reaction from Sam.
"Dude, she's eight!" Sam said.
"I'm just trying to be polite," Benny said.
"Also you shouldn't encourage her to speak that way, that's way too adult," Sam said.
"It's just a word, sweetheart," Lola said, earning an eyebrow raise from Sam. "Anyway, I gotta go and meet my friends, but we should definitely talk later. I want to hear all about your Halloween fun."
"Uh, sure," Sam said.
Before leaving, Lola smirked at the duo, "Just try not to have too much fun with Luna and Luan."
Sam scratched her head in confusion as Lola made her exit, the rockstar girl slightly concerned by the younger girl's comments.
"I really hope she didn't hear our conversation," Sam said.
"Probably shouldn't have mentioned her name out loud," Benny said.
"Oh shut up, you're the one who brought up the 'bonding' you and I had with Luna and Luan," Sam said.
"Hey, in the end, I'm more at risk than you are," Benny said. "For starters, girls can't get each other pregnant."
"I doubt that's going to ease their worries," Sam said. "Seriously, don't mention it again."
"Alright, but I'm still worried," Benny said. "What if the secret really does get out?"
"If it gets out, we'll deal with it, until then, keep your mouth shut," Sam warned.
Seconds later, Luna came downstairs to greet her girlfriend. "Yo! Sam!" She pulled the girl in for a quick kiss. "How's it going, luv?"
"Going good, ready for a rocking Halloween?" Sam asked.
"You know it," Luna said.
"My prince!" Luan said, coming downstairs to greet Benny with a kiss. "Shall we bless this night of All Hallow's Eve with our royal presence?"
"That we shall my darling lady," Benny said, taking his girlfriend by the hand. "Let us lead the way."
"Let's hurry Luna, right now Mazzy and Sully are waiting," Sam said.
"Right behind you," Luna said, following Sam.
Meanwhile at Tall Timbers Park, just as Lincoln was about to meet up with the rest of his group, they had immediately spotted some trouble from two local bullies, Hank and Hawk. The two were bullying Emma, Chloe, Christina and Paige.
"We're not going to tell you again! Hand over the Halloween candy you've collected!" Hank shouted.
"Well we're not going to tell you again! We don't have any!" Chloe shouted.
"Yeah, so shove off already!" Paige said.
"Listen, we can do this the easy way, or the hard way," Hank said, cracking his knuckles. "We're not afraid to hit girls either."
"Okay, this is ridiculous," Stella said.
"Looks like it's time for The Avengers to take action," Rusty said. "With my Mighty Hammer, I shall-"
"Dude, you're not the real Thor," Zach said. "If you try fighting those guys, they'll crush you."
"Hey we gotta do something," Rusty said. "There's six of us and two of them. If the other girls join in, that makes it ten on two."
"Those guys are giants though," Liam said.
"Still, we have the numbers advantage," Rusty said. "In fact, if Lily joins us-"
"Rusty!" Lincoln scolded.
"You really expected a three-year-old girl to help us in a fight!?" Stella asked.
"Too bad Lela's not here," Lily said. "She could beat up those bullies."
"Or we can go local with Spider-Man," Liam said. "What are the odds of running into him?"
Lincoln had an idea, and quickly made his leave, "I think I spotted him. Keep an eye on Lily!"
"Huh?" Rusty looked in the air, "Wait, I didn't see Spider-Man. Lincoln didn't just ditch us, did he?"
"No, I saw him too," Stella said, covering for Lincoln.
"Also, he wouldn't ditch Lily," Clyde said. "If there's one thing to admire about Lincoln, it's how seriously he takes himself as a big brother."
"Until then, we should distract those bullies," Stella said, quickly stepping forward and using her fingers as a whistle. "Yo! Jerks!"
"Huh?" Hank turned to face Stella. "Is that girl talking to us?"
"Stella!?" Christina asked, spotting the girl.
"You two have some nerve picking on my friends," Stella said. "What kind of low life of a guy mistreats a woman!?"
"Geez, get a load of this chick," Hank said. "Just because you're dressed like Black Widow, doesn't mean you have her skills."
"I bet you'd like to find out," Stella said, the girl confidently smirking, but internally wasn't as confident. "I might be taking some major risks but I think it'll be alright."
"Uh, why is she going ahead while we're all just standing here?" Liam asked. "Get yer butts in gear so we can back up our friend!"
"What about Lily?" Zach asked, gesturing to the girl.
"You stay behind and keep an eye on her then, I'm going to help Stella," Liam said, stepping forward and getting the attention of the bullies. "Hey you varmints!"
"Another one?" Hawk asked.
"I should help too, "Clyde said, running up ahead.
"Same, I'm gonna look so cool," Rusty said, running up as well.
Zach scratched his head in confusion, "I have no idea what I should do."
"Wait for my brother to come back with Spider-Man," Lily said.
"Hopefully that happens," Zach said.
Meanwhile both Hank and Hawk were laughing at the quartet of kids standing before them.
"Wow, how lame," Hank said. "These kids think they really are The Avengers."
"We may not have their powers or gadgets, but if there's one thing superheroes like The Avengers do, is inspire the heart and strong will of others," Clyde said. "It is with both of those characteristics that we will do what we must to protect our friends!"
"Wow, that was really cool Clyde," Chloe praised, earning a blush from the boy.
"Oh, it's nothing really," Clyde said.
"Got that right, your words won't mean squat once we crush you losers!" Hank said, readying his fists. "Let's go Hawk!"
"Right behind you!" Hawk said.
As the two looked ready to fight, Lincoln, dressed in his Spider-Man gear, called out to the bullies. "That's far enough!"
"Huh!?" Hank turned to spot Spider-Man as he marched over to stand before the two boys.
"Shame on you two, bullying these poor kids," Lincoln scolded, making sure to disguise his voice. "Halloween is a night for fun, not bullying kids just to get candy."
The two bullies stood around in disbelief before bursting into laughter, much to everyone's confusion and annoyance.
"Get a load of this guy, he thinks he's the real Spider-Man," Hank said. "It's clearly just some dorky kid in a costume."
"Yeah, a dork," Hawk said.
Hank stared down Lincoln, failing to intimidate the boy, "Listen, we got business here. Now if you turn away and walk, we just might consider not pounding you later." Hank pointed his finger at the boy, "If you don't then-"
Lincoln grabbed the finger and effortlessly flipped Hank over, startling everyone around, especially the boy he just flipped.
"Hank!" Hawk shouted in worry.
Lincoln turned to face Hawk, glaring at him with his big buy eyes, "Do you want to test your luck too?"
"Uh...no way!" Hawk said, pulling Hank away.
"So you will be good and stop bothering kids, right?" Lincoln asked.
"Yeah, of course!" Hawk insisted.
"Don't let me catch you bullying anyone else, next time I won't go so easy on you," Lincoln said.
"You got it!" Hawk said, helping a hurt Hank to his feet. "Let's run!"
The two were quick to leave, not wanting to be around Spider-Man for another second.
"Well that's taken care of," Lincoln said, before turning to his friends, each of them obviously unaware of who he was. "Sorry you had to go through that, but I have a feeling those two won't be back for a while, so you kids should be good now."
"Whoa, thanks fer showing up," Liam said.
"Totally," Rusty said. "And since you're here...any chance we can interview you for our school?"
"Huh?" Lincoln asked.
"We run the Action Six News Team in Royal Woods Middle School," Rusty explained, "We've been wanting to interview you for some time now."
"Oh um..." Lincoln wasn't sure how to respond. "I'm not much of a talker."
"Just a few questions," Rusty said. "Like, how did you get your powers? Are you a mutant? An alien? A lab experiment?"
"How strong and fast are you?" Clyde asked. "Like, is there an accurate estimate?"
"Are you really dating Lynn Loud?" Liam asked, earning some confused glances. "Just asking since that website said they did."
"Don't believe everything you read on the internet," Lincoln said.
"Spider-Man!" Lily said, running up to her disguised brother. "Hey Spider-Man! Remember me!?"
"Of course, I've seen you around," Lincoln said, kneeling before the girl and rubbing her head. "I can never forget such a cute and adorable face."
Lily blushed from the compliment, giggling as well, "You're really nice."
"Hey, I think Spider-Man should be going now, he probably has a lot of patrolling to do," Stella said.
"Right, I should get going," Lincoln said.
"Wait, where's Linky?" Lily asked.
"Uh...he should be coming, I went ahead of him," Lincoln said.
"Spider-Man is fast after all," Christina said.
"Exactly, he'll be here soon," Lincoln said. "Meanwhile I should-"
"How fortuitous," Lucy said, suddenly appearing beside her disguised brother, startling him and everyone there."
"Lucy!?" Stella shouted.
"That's me," Lucy commented as the rest of her friends appeared beside her.
"Where did you and your friends come from!?" Rusty asked.
"Down the street," Lucy said. "Anyway, I came here to see Spider-Man."
"Uh, did you want an autograph?" Lincoln asked.
"No...actually I wouldn't mind one, but that's beside the point," Lucy said.
"Didn't think Lucy would actually want one, she's not that into autographs," Lincoln thought to himself, before speaking aloud. "What seems to be the trouble?"
"It's about the robbery at the Royal Woods Museum, where a seemingly powerful artifact was stolen," Lucy said. "I trust you know about it."
"Yeah, it got reported the other day," Lincoln said. "Something about it being magic or whatever."
"Indeed, it is artifact that's said to be powerful enough to awaken the Goblin King," Haiku added.
"Goblin King?" Lincoln asked, this now causing concern for Lily.
"According to Legend, this Goblin can only be summoned on Halloween knights," Lucy said. "Something tells me that there will be trouble later."
"We wished to tell you sooner, but we had trouble locating you," Haiku said.
"Plus chances are the cops already alerted you to the theft, but we still wished to warn you about it's demonic magic," Lucy said. "Better late than never I suppose."
"Well this is spooky," Rusty said.
"Goblin...? Did you say..." Lily gulped in worry. "Goblin?"
"Lily?" Lucy asked. "Didn't expect to run into you."
"Well Lincoln's friends are here," Haiku said, glancing at the boy with the glasses. "Including Clyde."
"Yeah, that's me," Clyde said.
"You know Clyde personally?" Paige asked.
"We shared a passionate dance once," Haiku said. "One full of the fruitily of romance, and unrequited love."
Chloe briefly glared at Clyde, the boy shrugging awkwardly.
"Where is Lincoln?" Lucy asked.
"He um...went to find me to stop some bullies," Lincoln said. "Then I went ahead without him."
"I hope he'll be alright," Lucy said, a hint of worry in her voice.
"Are there really goblins coming?" Lily asked. "Like Lynn said?"
"I can't say for sure, but things might get dangerous," Lucy said. "Try not to stay out too long, if anything it might be better to go home for a bit."
"Bogus, we barely got to any houses," Rusty said. "I'm not afraid of goblins, I'm still going to do some trick-or-treating and get candy."
"Someone's brave," Haiku said. "Or foolish."
"I'll look into this Goblin Artifact thing," Lincoln said. "Do you know who stole it?"
"I remember seeing a person with a jack'o-Lantern design," Haiku said. "That's all we know I'm afraid."
"Better than nothing," Lincoln said. "I'm going to find out more information."
"Be careful," Lucy said as Lincoln swung off.
"We should warn Linky," Lily said.
"I can handle that," Stella said as she left. "Lily, stay with the boys!"
"I'll go keep an eye on her," Christina said, following after Stella.
"Looks like we'll need to keep an eye out for trouble," Clyde said.
"Spider-Man will keep us safe," Lucy said. "For now, it would be wise to do what we must to stay safe."
"Sounds good to me," Rusty said.
"Wait, one of us needs to contact Jordan and Mollie," Paige said.
"I'm on it," Liam said, pulling out his phone. "Quite a night so far, hope it don't get too weird."
The rest of the Loud Sisters went on their Trick-Or-Treat Routes. Lana joined Lola, Cricket and Meli along with some kids that Lana sometimes played in the mud with. Leni went with Gavin to sing Christmas Carols, much to the annoyance or confusion of some neighbors, which was embarrassing to the guy. Lisa went with Darcy, both kids accompanied by the latter's mom.
Lastly Lynn was on her own for the moment, keeping an eye out for things. "Glad some places kept the Halloween spirit. Great use of ghosts and monsters."
One house she passed by had a fake dragon that let out a mighty roar, this almost impressing the girl.
"That's awesome, dad should totally get one of these," Lynn tapped her chin in remembrance of something. "Wonder how Lela is doing? We should totally go back to Loch Loud, hopefully we have the funs this time so we don't need to stow away and parachute." Lynn immediately scoffed the idea off. "What am I saying? The parachuting was awesome! Really gets the blood pumping!"
The girl continued on, spotting more people in costume, lamenting at how tame a few were, though marveled at some trying to keep things spooky.
"Few zombies, some werewolves, okay, that's good," Lynn commented. "Better than dressing like a fairy or some crap." One costume caught her eye. "A fire hydrant? Geez, what kind of nonsense is this? Better not stand still, otherwise you'll be soaked in dog piss."
She passed by a few other costumes that were cringey in her mind, including a bee and a tree.
"Halloween's gone to crap, but whatever," Lynn said. "I hope Margo and Paula have better costumes."
Before long, Lynn had come across the two girls, Margo herself spotting Lynn and waving her over. "Yo Lynn! This way!"
"About time," Lynn booked it.
Margo was dressed like a skeleton, which Lynn found impressive. Paula however dressed up like a rabbit, confusing Lynn by her choice.
"Hey Lynn, what's up?" Paula asked.
"...What the hell are you wearing?" Lynn asked.
"This?" Paula gestured to her costume. "Pretty cute, right?"
"Cute? Maybe if you're like five years old. High School girls don't dress like rabbits, Paula, especially on Halloween!" Lynn said.
"I know it's unusual but it was a cheap costume," Paula said. "Plus, it's nice being a creature who's legs are actually good."
"If you say so," Lynn replied. "Glad Margo has something decent."
"Wait till it gets darker, this costume will start to glow," Margo boasted.
"Pretty cool, not as cool as my costume," Lynn bragged.
"It is nice looking, where'd you get it?" Paula asked.
"Nowhere, my sister Leni made it for me," Lynn glanced down at her costume. "At least I'm bringing the spooky. Hardly anyone else is dressed like a witch, so points for originality."
"That so?" Came a nearby voice. Lynn and her friends turned to spot a girl from her High School walking over with a bucket of candy. "Greetings everyone."
"Maggie?" Lynn looked up at the taller girl. She too wore a witch costume, but had much better design patterns and details, great make-up, and as a bonus, she had a black cat with her. "No way, are you a witch! too!?"
"Well it is Halloween, and witches are common among girls," Maggie said. "But I will say, your costume is kind of cute."
"Cute!?" Lynn shouted as she gestured to herself. "This isn't cute! It's badass!"
"Badass can be cute, depending on who wears it," Maggie said, kneeling to playfully poke Lynn's nose. "I say you fit the cute badass role really well, Lynn Loud."
Lynn grumbled in annoyance as her face turned red from embarrassment, "Call me 'cute' again and she what happens!"
"Feisty and full of life, what a combination," Maggie said, allowing her cat to leap onto her shoulder. "I shall be off. Give my regards to your little brother, oh and your party sister too."
"Yeah, yeah, just go away, and take that creepy cat with you," Lynn said, glaring at the feline. "Geez, that thing better not have given me bad luck. I got games coming up this week!"
"Bad luck?" Maggie asked.
"Yeah bad luck, any time a black cat crosses your path, it's bad luck!" Lynn said, lamenting to herself. "Now I gotta do a ton of rituals just to get rid of the lousy luck your dumb cat cursed me with."
"How rude of you to say," Maggie said, rubbing her pet's chin. "Cats have feelings too after all."
"Don't care, just leave," Lynn said.
"Very well," Maggie said, making her leave as mischievous thoughts passed through her head, "Bad luck huh? I'll show her what bad luck is really like."
With Maggie gone, Lynn huffed in annoyance, "Who the hell does she think she is? Calling me 'cute' like that."
"Well she is not bad looking herself," Margo said. "She's pretty and she has a nice body."
"Of course it boils down to her boobs and shit," Lynn said, subconsciously covering up. "Also was she flirting with me or something?"
"It could work out," Margo said. "You did want to be in a relationship at one point so-"
"I don't swing that way, Paula," Lynn said. "Besides she pisses me off too much."
"Does Maggie even like girls?" Paula asked.
"I did hear rumors about her and Luan," Margo said.
"Luan's straight too just so you know, and she has a boyfriend that's very loyal to her, so those rumors can get stomped on," Lynn said. "Anyway, let's not get into this shit, I'm here for candy, not rainbows."
"Makes sense to me, come on, I know some houses that are usually loaded," Margo said.
"Awesome, let's book it!" Lynn said, following her friends.
Lincoln swung through town, keeping a close eye out for any possible sign of danger. So far, no luck, "I hope this doesn't take too long, I don't want to miss out on all the Trick-Or-Treating. I barely got any candy."
"There are more important things than Trick-or-Treating," Christina said, the girl having changed as well and flew right beside her partner. "A hero must always be ready to fight for justice, just like you did with those bullies."
"Well that was simple stuff," Lincoln said. "Who would have guessed it'd lead me to more tonight?"
"Consider this Lincoln," Stella said over the phone. "If Lucy's right, then there won't be any Trick-or-Treating at all. The town might be in danger."
"Still, a magical artifact that summons the Goblin King?" Lincoln asked. "That sounds so unusual."
"You act like you've never seen anything unusual," Stella said. "Even before you were Spider-Man, didn't you stay at an old castle with spirits of your Scottish Ancestors?"
"You also mentioned having a pet dragon once," Christina said. "Lately I've found that more and more believable."
"Alright, guess you have a point, but I'm still skeptical," Lincoln said.
Suddenly some mysterious green aura could be seen in the distance, this spooking the two young heroes.
"Uh...that doesn't look normal," Christina said.
"I can see it from the base," Stella said. "Lincoln, Christina, book it!"
Many in Royal Woods took note of the mysterious green smoke, all of them heading toward the center of town where the smoke was originating from, including the Loud Sisters and their friends.
"What is that, dudes?" Luna asked her band.
"I don't know, but it's really gnarly," Mazzy said.
Luan and Benny stood close together, both awed by the sight before them.
"Is this a Halloween show? Because if it is, then this night just got even more amazing," Luan said.
"Wonder what it could be?" Benny asked.
Jordan and Mollie also stood in awe, the two confused by the sight of things.
"So, what's going on here?" Mollie asked.
"Probably some Halloween thing," Jordan said. "I wonder if Lincoln's around? He and his sister Lucy do enjoy spooky stuff."
The twins along with Meli and Cricket also awed in amazement.
"This is so cool!" Lana said. "I bet it's a show!"
"Or a concert!" Lola said "That's even more fun!"
The smoke even got attention from the news team, with the lead reporter arriving in costume with her camera crew. "Sexy Supermodel Katherine Mulligan here reporting live from the center of Royal Woods! A mysterious green aura has just appeared, and everyone is baffled."
This was broadcast not only locally, but also in nearby towns, including that of Great Lakes.
The Casagrande cousins, along with the Chang sisters and Lori were walking through the streets in costume, when the TV report came on.
"It looks like a Halloween event is underway here," Katherine said.
"Huh?" Sid turned to the TV. "Oooooh, that's awesome!"
"What is it?" Ronnie Anne asked, checking the TV. "Wow, that is neat."
"Let me see!" Adelaide said, getting in front to see the smoke. "Whoa...spooky!"
Emerging from the smoke was Brooke, the woman wearing her villain costume. "Greetings Royal Woods! It is I! Jack'O-Lanten!"
"...Her voice sounds familiar," Jordan said.
"You have all been gathered for a very special occasion!" Brooke said, holding an artifact over her head. "This, is the Goblin's Tablet!"
"Is it a new type of tablet!?" Leni asked. "Can it play games!?"
"What? No! It's not...oh, be quiet and let me finish!" Brooke shouted.
Leni crossed her arms in annoyance, "Bossy."
"As I was saying, behold the Ancient Goblin Tablet!" Brooke continued. "This tablet in I possess contains incredible power that the world hasn't seen in a millenium!"
"Mill...mill?" Leni tried sounding the word out.
"Millenium, it means one thousand years," Gavin explained.
"Oooh, big fancy word," Leni said.
"One thousand years ago, ancient wizards used their magic to seal away the terrifying Goblin King! For one thousand years he has laid dormant, awaiting his return!" Brooke said. "Legend has it, he can only be summoned on Halloween night, and that is exactly what I intend to show you all!"
"The Curse of the Goblin King..." Lucy commented, having reached the spot with Lincoln's friends.
"Could it actually be real?" Haiku wondered.
"Now everyone, behold as I return to life...the King of the Goblins!" Brooke said, activating some more special effects to simulate thunder and lighting. "Rise ol' Goblin King! Return to the Mortal World, and reclaim your Kingdom!"
Everyone stared in awe at the sights, many convinced this was a show being put out. Lincoln and Christina had arrived in their hero costumes, keeping a close eye out. They weren't alone, Natasha was waiting nearby as well, dressed in her Black Widow gear and preparing for anything.
Seconds later, Johnathan in his Goblin King costume. His skin was green with pointy ears, was wearing a long, purple hood and donned some medieval armor. Everyone looked in awe as the man stepped out from the smoke, hoisting a sword high above his head.
"This is so freaking cool," Rusty said.
"People of Royal Woods..." Johnathan said. "I...am the King of the Goblins. You may call me The Goblin King, or more accurately, The Green Goblin."
"Goblin King sounds better," Rusty said.
"I have returned after one thousand years to reclaim what is mine," Johnathan said. "That of course being my Kingdom. You will all bow to me and accept me as your King! Glory to my name!"
"Wow, this is a great show," a citizen said.
"Yeah, really believable."
"Nice costume."
"So when does the hero come?"
Many in the crowd were murmuring, frustrating Johnathan. But he knew it wouldn't be that easy, on a holiday like this, it's understandable that everyone thinks it's an act.
Even Christina seemed unsure, "So, Spidey, what do you make of this?"
"...Something about this bugs me," Lincoln said, his Spider-Sense tingling a bit.
"It seems as though none of you are taking this seriously enough, so allow me to show you what you're really in for," Johnathan said. "Jack'O-Lantern? Any suggestions?"
"Sweet, you remembered," Brooke said, glancing out into the crowd, spotting Luan immediately and pointing to the girl. "Try that one, she is a princess."
"I think they want you to be part of the act," Benny said.
"Oh, so should I go up there?" Luan asked.
"Stay where you are," Johnathan said. "I will come to you."
Seconds later, a glider came in that Johnathan immediately hopped on and flew toward Luan, grabbing her and taking both her and Benny by surprise.
"Luan!" Benny called.
"Oh no!" Lincoln shouted in concern.
Luan looked to be a little freaked out, "Neat glider, but I'm not so good with heights, so-"
Johnathan grabbed her by the back of her shirt and dangled her in the air, not only scaring Luan, but startling the crowd.
"Do you take me seriously now!?" Johnathan shouted. "This is no game! I am very much real, and I will very much enslave all of you! Unless you prefer death, like this little princess here!"
"Luan!" Luna called in worry.
"Oh no!" Leni shouted.
All of the Loud sisters were concerned for the prankster girl, who couldn't help but look down despite her dears.
"Danger levels are really rising...ha, get it?" Luan said, trying to calm herself with humor. "Seriously, I don't like this!"
"Hey! Goblin guy!" Lincoln called, getting his attention. "Let her go!"
"Not the best choice of words, my friend," Johnathan taunted, fake dropping Luan and startling her more.
"Yeah, that was dumb of me to say..." Lincoln berated to himself, then focused on the Goblin. "Look, just put her down, safely!"
"I have a better idea," Johnathan taunted, holding the girl to him. "Why don't you come and get her!?"
"Firestar!" Lincoln called.
Seconds later, Christina swooped in and kicked Johnathan in the face, causing him to drop Luan. Fortunately Lincoln was quick to jumped and catch her in his arms, landing on another nearby roof.
"You alright, ma'am?" Lincoln asked.
"I'm no ma'am, but I'm alright, thanks Spidey," Luan said as Lincoln placed her down.
"Actually, thank you, I've always wanted to rescue a princess," Lincoln said.
"Aw, you're sweet," Luan said.
"Hold it right there!" Brooke said, facing off against the two while holding a mallet of sorts. "I'm not letting either of you get away, especially not Luan Loud."
"You know who I am?" Luan asked.
"I know a lot about you!" Brooke rushed in to attack with her hammer, but Lincoln was quick to dodge, then leapt away from another attack.
Brooke leapt up and tried to slam the hammer on Lincoln, the boy blocking and kicking her back. He then webbed her hammer away, the girl now bringing out some throwing cards and flinging them at Lincoln, the boy narrowly dodging the sharp objects.
"Hey! That's Ace Savvy's thing!" Lincoln shouted.
"Fine, here's my thing!" Brooke brought out some nunchucks and went to attack but Lincoln webbed those away too and hit Brooke with an uppercut that knocked her down.
"That takes care of that," Lincoln said, then turned to Luan. "Is this someone you know?"
"I don't remember, hope it's not some rival organization for my party planning business," Luan said.
Suddenly Christina got knocked near the two, the girl having taken a strong back hand strike from Johnathan.
"Fools!" Johnathan pulled out a Pumpkin Bomb and threw it at the group. Lincoln was quick to kick it away, the bomb hitting the side of a building and causing an explosion.
"Are you nuts!? That was very dangerous!" Lincoln shouted.
"Makes no difference to me," Johnathan said, gliding in and trying to ram Lincoln, the boy blocking and sending him flying off.
Johnathan threw more bombs, Lincoln being quick to knock them away to safety as he latched onto the glider with his webbing.
Johnathan tried shaking him off but Lincoln held on tight and pulled his way up toward the demonic Goblin.
"I won't let you stop me!" Johnathan pulled out his sword and swiped at Lincoln the moment he got close, the boy quick to dodge and punch Johnathan off his glider, the villain flipping to land on his feet.
Lincoln grabbed the glider and flung it at Johnathan, the man backhanding it away and blocking an oncoming punch from Lincoln and kneeing the boy across the roof they were on.
Not done yet, Lincoln got back on his feet and webbed near Johnathan, pulling himself in for a kick to his chest that barely knocked the Goblin back.
Lincoln went for a few strikes to his stomach, but they proved to have little effect as Johnathan kicked the boy away, knocking him through a chimney.
Dusting himself off, Lincoln leapt onto his chest and started raining down punches on Johnathan's face, hitting harder and harder, but noticing that the attacks were not phasing the evil Goblin, instead the villain just laughed maniacally at the effort.
Freaked out, Lincoln punched harder and harder but took a strong forearm to the face and was then slammed through the floor below, landing inside the top floor of an office.
"It's over," As Johnathan grabbed another bomb, ready to arm it, he took a blast from behind, courtesy of Christina.
"Your reign is coming to an end!" Christina flew in to attack but Johnathan grabbed her by the neck and slammed her against a door to the roof.
"One thing after another," Johnathan said, then heard the click of a gun. He turned to face yet another hero. "If it isn't Black Widow. Back in town, are you?"
"I never left," Natasha said, getting closer. "So, Goblin King? Is that what you call yourself? Or did you prefer Green Goblin?"
"Do you know of the Legend?" Johnathan asked.
"I know it's just a fairy tale, but perhaps you are the real thing," Natasha said. "Or perhaps, you're just a man in a costume, just like everyone else is tonight. Only you took your roleplaying a little too seriously."
"Can you say for sure? Someone like you knows that such things aren't uncommon," Johnathan said.
"I still have my doubts," Natasha said. "Nice glider by the way? Where'd you get it?"
"It is my Mystic Glider, one of my most prized possessions," Johnathan said. "I've had it for centuries."
"You're either screwing around with me or you're that delusional," Natasha said.
"Do you doubt my power?" Johnathan asked, bringing out a bomb that resembled a fiery pumpkin. "Taste my fire magic!"
"Oh hell no!" Natasha fired at the bombs, then was open for a punch from Johnathan as he emerged from the smoke of his explosions.
"Time to destroy you," Johnathan said.
"Back away from her!" Lincoln shouted, leaping in to kick the Goblin off the roof.
The man landed hard on the sidewalk, but still managed to stand with no problem as Lincoln landed not too far away.
"Quite a kick my boy," Johnathan said. "Much more effort put into it."
"Well seeing people I care about getting hurt kind of ticks me off," Lincoln said.
"I suppose a son would wish to protect his mother," Johnathan said.
Lincoln grumbled in annoyance, "Why does everyone keep saying that? Black Widow is not my mom!"
"Sure she isn't," Johnathan said, a hint of sarcasm in his voice.
"Look, even if she was, it's no big deal or anything, but I don't want more unnecessary rumors," Lincon said.
"It hardly matters, I still aim to eliminate you both and that sidekick of yours," Johnathan said. "No one will interfere with my Kingdom!"
"You're so deluded!" Lincoln rushed in to punch Johnathan, barely stumbling him as he dodged some sword strikes.
Lincoln's fight with The Goblin was being broadcasted on TV, thanks to Katherine Mulligan. "What seemed like a fun Halloween show had turned out to be a Trick rather than a Treat. This Green Goblin is now doing battle against Spider-Man and so far, he's putting up quite the fight."
"Wow, that guy looks dangerous," Bobby said. "Hope Spider-Man can pull this off."
"He'll be fine, primo," Carlota said. "He's a tough guy after all, and has a good record against green colored villains."
"That guy looks like the Candy Goblin," Carl said.
"I hope the twins are okay," Adelaide commented to herself.
"Everything will be fine, Adelaide," Ronnie Anne said, rubbing the girl's head. "Spider-Man will handle this. Right Sid?"
At the moment, Sid had her pom-poms out, the girl trying her attempt at a cheer. "Give me an S! Give me a P! Give me an I! Give me a D! Give me an E! Give me an R! Give me an M! Give me an A! Give me an N! What does that spell!?" She did a fake split, "SPIDERMAN!"
"Uh...nice work Sid," Ronnie Anne said, feeling a little weirded out. "Also, I'm like ninety percent sure his name has a Hyphen between Spider and Man."
"Well maybe, but saying, 'Give me a Hyphen' sounds so weird," Sid said. "Plus would he really mind?"
"Beats me," Ronnie Anne said, focusing back on TV. "All that matters is that he beats the snot out of that Goblin."
Back in Royal Woods, Lincoln and Johnathan continued their battle, the boy trying to gain the upper hand, hitting blow after blow, but Johnathan was able to fight back, kicking Lincoln through a car and sending both flying into a truck.
Johnathan sent a bomb after them, Lincoln being quick to leap away just before it exploded, but took another punch from the villain, sending him through a building.
Goblin summoned his glider and flew it to ram Lincoln again, the boy trying to stop it, but left him open for a kick that knocked him against a pillar as Goblin hopped off, attempting to impale Lincoln with his sword but the boy moved out the way in time.
Lincoln latched onto some computers, chairs and tables, throwing everything he could at Johnathan to disorient him long enough to rush in with a punch across his jaw, then an uppercut.
Continuing his attack, Lincoln latched his webs onto Johnathan and flung him back outside, sending him crashing against a van. Using his speed, Lincoln rushed in and punched Johnathan again, delivering fast strikes to wear the villain out, but Lincon took a strong punch that send him flying overhead and landing in a dumpster.
"Oh come on!" Lincoln lamented, pulling himself out. As he dusted himself off, Goblin flew in again, grabbing Lincoln by the face as he went high into the air.
"Hope you're not afraid of heights," Johnathan taunted.
"I swing around a daily basis, and just a few weeks ago, I fought a guy who calls himself, 'The Vulture'," Lincoln reminded. "I am nowhere near afraid of-"
Johnathan immediately sped down toward a gas station and aggressively threw Lincoln against some tanks. The boy pulled himself up, noticing a few oil leaks.
"Hope you had your fun Spider-Man, this first and last meeting has been a real blast!" Johnathan shouted, throwing a pumpkin bomb at the station.
"Oh crap!" Lincoln latched onto a nearby tree to pull himself away, though even as he did, he still took the brunt of the blast, sending him flying and hitting the ground hard.
The crowd, who kept a safe distance, could not believe the damage that was caused, many worried for the safety of the hero.
"That ain't good," Luna said.
"Is he...you know...?" Clyde asked.
"No..." Lana walked over in worry, fear taking over her body. "No! Lin...SPIDER-MAN!"
Watching at home, Lily, having been taken there by Zach, had tears in her eyes, worried for the hero. "Is he going to be alright!?"
"It's fine, superheroes go through this all the time," Zach reassured.
"But, it looked really bad," Lily commented. "After tonight, I don't think I want to see the color green."
"Oh...then, can I have some of your Reptar Bars?" Zach asked. "Wouldn't want that green tongue, would you?"
"I said I don't want to see it, and I can't if it's in my mouth," Lily said, clutching onto her candy. "But mom and dad did tell me it's nice to share, so you can have one."
"Sweet," Zach said, grabbing the bar and scarfing it down. "Dang this stuff is so good."
Lily looked grossed out by this, but was too worried about Spider-Man to care.
Back in town, Johnathan slowly marched toward Lincoln, holding out his sword, ready to deal the final blow. "Still alive? I'll fix that."
"Watch out Spidey!" Clyde called.
Suddenly Christina had returned, blasting Johnathan from behind. "Did you forget about me!?"
Johnathan punched Christina hard enough to send her flying through a car window. "You're hardly worth remembering."
Suddenly he was under fire by Black Widow, the woman using her SMG in an attempt to bring down the villain, "That's enough out of you!"
Johnathan leapt up and punched Natasha, then grabbed her by the ankle and aggressively threw her against another car, the woman bouncing off.
"You two are becoming quite the nuisances," Johnathan focused back on Lincoln. "But that's fine, it won't be for much longer."
Lincoln pulled himself back up, his costume slightly damaged as his left eye became visible, along with some tears on his torso.
"I can still fight," Lincoln said, stumbling over.
"My, what a strong boy you are," Johnathan said.
"Spider-Man!" Lana called, running closer to the fight, despite protests from her sisters.
"Lana?" Lincoln thought to himself. "Hey, little girl! You need to leave!"
"Hm...this could be fun," Johnathan sinisterly approached Lana. "Perhaps you assist me, little girl."
"NO!" Lincoln rushed in and kneed Johnathan from behind, knocking the man over. He turned around and took a powerful punch to his face, damaging his mask and knocking him back toward the crowd.
"Hey, are you alright little girl!?" Lincoln ran over to check on her. He then spoke softly so only she could hear. "Lana! It's dangerous. You need to go home."
"You kidding? No way I can leave knowing that it's you under that mask, Lincoln," Lana said.
"This is why I didn't want to tell you or our sisters, I don't want you worrying about me," Lincoln said.
"Would it be better if we found out after you were dead?" Lana asked.
"I'll be fine, just get to safety," Lincoln ordered, turning to face his foe. "Green Goblin!"
Johnathan stood up, his damaged mask revealing his face, recognizable to one girl in particular.
"D-dad!?" Hearing that turned Johnathan to Jordan, the girl in a state of shock and tears. "N-no way, don't tell me..."
"Jordan..." Johnathan briefly sounded human again, but slowly the OZ took his mind over once more. "Come with me!"
He summoned his glider and grabbed Jordan, flinging her into the air.
"Jordan!" Mollie called.
Lincoln's senses heightened, the boy spotting Johnathan in the air, the man holding his daughter captive. "NO!"
Nearby Natasha was standing up, dusting herself off. "Pain in the ass."
"Natasha!" Stella had just arrived via bicycle.
"Stella?" Natasha turned to the girl. "Wow, your costume came out great."
"Thanks, but what's happening?" Stella asked. "I was on call with Lincoln but things sounded bad, so I came riding over."
"He's facing a terrible foe, and to make matters worse, he just took a girl hostage," Natasha said. "It's your friend Jordan."
"He did WHAT!?" Stella shouted in despair, looking up at her friend. "JORDAN!"
"Come on, we should-" Suddenly Natasha dodged a hammer attack by Brooke. "You!"
"I'm not done yet!" Brooke went for a swing but Natasha ducked and hit an uppercut that knocked Brooke back. "Why you!"
Brooke rushed in to throw some punches but Natasha was quick to block them. Brooke then brought out some firecrackers and tossed them at Natasha, distracting her long enough to kick the woman in the face.
Acting quickly, Brooke went to grab her hammer, readying an attack. "It's over!"
"No!" Stella leapt on her back, trying to mess with her pumpkin helmet. "I won't let you!"
"Get off you brat!" Brooke grabbed Stella by the shirt and slammed her down hard, hurting the girl. "Time to teach you a lesson!"
"Stella!" Natasha shouted in worry, glaring angrily at Brooke. "You are not harming a hair on her body!"
She rushed in with a knee to the stomach and a fierce uppercut that knocked her over, Natasha being quick to apply some handcuffs to the sinister assistant.
"That takes care of that," Natasha said, then turned to Stella, helping her up. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine, sorry if I got in the way," Stella said.
"That was brave, but reckless," Natasha said, then rubbed her head. "But I'm glad you're safe."
"Thanks, Nat," Stella said.
Seconds later, Natasha got a call on her radio, "Black Widow! It's Captain America!"
Stella's eyes widened in disbelief, "No way..."
Natasha grabbed the radio, "Cap, is this important? I'm in the middle of something."
"You need to return to Avengers HQ as soon as you can, Fury needs you for a foreign mission," Cap said. "Finish what you're doing and fly down here ASAP."
"Yes," Natasha said, placing her radio away.
"Wait, are you leaving town?" Stella asked.
"I'm afraid so, duty calls," Natasha said.
Stella looked disappointed, but she shook it off, "I get it, you're a superhero. You have to go save the world."
"I will, but first we need to save your town," Natasha said.
"And my friend," Stella said, looking up to the sky.
Meanwhile, Goblin still had Jordan taken hostage, the girl currently panicking.
"Hey! What's going on!?" Jordan shouted through her tears. "Why are you doing this!?"
"For a better future! Johnathan insisted. "I'm just taking what's rightfully ours. In time, my Kingdom will become the pride of Royal Woods, we will bathe in riches before expanding our Kingdom to the rest of the world. Getting everything you want, and all your desires."
"You're hurting innocent people!" Jordan cried. "You're hurting Spider-Man! You're destroying the town!"
"Sometimes sacrifices must be made," Johnathan said.
"You...you're crazy! There's no wat you're my daddy! It can be' true!" Jordan shouted. "Bad enough Uncle Dimitri was a crook, now you as well!?"
Goblin grabbed Jordan by the neck, holding her close to his face, "Do not compare me with such a common thug! I am a King! You are to obey my whim like the good little girl you were raised to be!"
"Screw that! I always knew you were an asshole, but I didn't expect you to be this bad!" Johnan shouted. "You're a terrible man! I wish you'd just go away and never return!"
Goblin squeezed tighter, "If that's how you feel, perhaps you are not fit to be my daughter."
"Jordan!" Christina flew in to attack, but was grabbed by the face for her efforts.
"You again? I tire of you," Johnathan threw Jordan up and used his now free hand to punch Christina in the stomach and back hand her down. As Jordan fell, Johnathan grabbed the screaming girl by her leg. "As for you, dear daughter of mine."
He felt something latch onto his glider, to which Lincoln pulled up and landed on board, punching the villain a few times. "THAT'S ENOUGH!"
Lincoln grabbed Jordan and punched once more to weaken the Goblin's grip as Lincoln leapt off of the glider, landing on the nearest roof with Jordan in his arms.
"Hey, are you alright!?" Lincoln asked.
"I...I think so..." Jordan said, still feeling some trauma. She then noticed some danger. "Behind you!"
"Huh!?" Lincoln turned around and as he did, got rammed by Goblin, knocking him off the roof. Lincoln was quick to shield Jordan from the fall.
Johnathan landed nearby, pulling his sword out. As he did, Christina flew back in and attacked the villain, trying to keep him away from her friends.
"Why won't you just go away!?" Johnathan punched Christina back, sending her flying through a glass window.
Lincoln quickly helped Jordan up, "Come on, let's get you out of here."
"Uh-huh," Jordan said, trying to stand. "Feels like something hit me."
"That was his glider, I guess you still felt impact from that and the fall," Lincoln said, picking the girl up, bridal style. "I got you."
"...What's going to happen now?" Jordan asked. "With that Goblin I mean."
"I don't know," Lincoln said. "We'll figure it out, we just need to-"
Suddenly a bomb was thrown behind them, the force sending the two flying and through a door leading to a nearby laundromat.
Lincoln coughed due to the dust in the air, the boy out of instinct removing his mask. He looked down on Jordan, quickly checking on his girlfriend. "Jordan! Hey! Are you alright!?"
Despite it looking bad, and some cuts and bruises on her head, Jordan was breathing alright, but very dazed. She briefly opened her eyes, taking in the sight of the boy. "L-Lincoln?"
Lincoln's eyes widened, forgetting that he took his mask off. "I...you see..."
Fortunately he didn't need to explain, Jordan passed out from the exhaustion. Lincoln checked her pulse to double check and fortunately her heart was still beating, but she was clearly hurt.
"You're not getting away that easily," Goblin said, sinisterly approaching the two. Lincoln quickly put his mask back on before the villain got too close. "Hand over that child, I need her for my plans."
"Screw you..." Lincoln said, struggling to stand. "No way...I'm doing that..."
"Fine by me, I'll just strike you down and take her myself," Goblin said. "I will forgive her defiance, because she will work for me regardless. Even if I have to force her."
"What kind of man are you!?" Lincoln shouted, about to attack. "You scumbag!"
He threw a strong punch that dazed Goblin, but got knocked back for his efforts. Goblin rushed to attack, throwing a punch that Lincoln dodged, destroying the wall behind him as the boy kicked him against a wall.
Lincoln used his webs to latch onto a nearby car and brought it to him, then threw the car at the Goblin, knocking him further through a wall into a nearby shoestore.
Lincoln wasn't done, he marched over to grab the Goblin, but got punched back for his efforts. Johnathan stood up, ready to attack again, but Lincoln pulled a streetlight from it's post and whacked the Goblin like if he was swinging a baseball bat.
"Homerun!" Lincoln tossed the streetlight aside and rushed in with a flurry of strikes to his foe. "I won't let you hurt anyone again!"
"Fool!" Johnathan went for a punch but Lincoln parried and punched the man hard in the stomach. Angrily, he secretly pulled out a Pumpkin bomb. "I won't give up yet!"
Before he could attack, Lincoln kicked the villain into the air and leapt right after him.
"ULTIMATE WEB THROW!" Lincoln spun around a few times and flung Goblin through several buildings, landing against a truck and knocking it over.
The bomb Johnathan had went off, destroying the entire area and sending the man flying, falling injured to the ground. He stood up to leave but felt strange inside. His body was starting to hurt.
"Is this...pain? But my formula should make me invincible!" He held his stomach as a sharp pain flashed through. Pulling his hands away, he spotted some blood. "Damn, the formula is wearing off! If I'm not careful, I could die!"
"Goblin!" Lincoln called, slightly worrying the man.
"If I stay, my plans are ruined," Johnathan called for his glider. "I'll be back soon enough, and I will have my Kingdom!"
As he tried getting onto the glider, Lincoln went in pursuit after him, though his own injuries slowed him down as he could barely walk, "I won't let you escape!"
"You have no choice," Goblin threw several bombs into town, destroying a building supporting a radio tower as it leaned over and was about to fall into some civilians, including his sisters.
"Probably should have gone home..." Luna lamented.
Acting quickly, Lincoln went to use his webs to stop the tower from falling while Christina flew in to get everyone to safety.
Johnathan got onto his glider and flew away, despite Natasha chasing after and opening fire on him. Unfortunately the nefarious villain made his escape.
"Shit!" Natasha cursed, grumbling in frustration.
"That can't be good..." Stella lamented, then turned to the town. "Those people though."
"Spider-Man and Firestar have it, but let's go help," Natasha said.
"Yes ma'am," Stella said, following the woman.
Hours passed by, the police, firemen and paramedics came to assist everyone involved in what had happened, all the while Katherine Mulligan covered everything, bringing relief that people were saved, but not without consequence, and the villain escaping. The only arrest was to that of Brooke.
After everything was seemingly fixed and the heroes had a moment alone, Lincoln came across the remains of a pumpkin bomb, "What is this?" He picked it up, seeing a strange energy inside. "Hey Nat...I mean, Black Widow. I found this."
Natasha picked up the item, "This looks like whatever The Green Goblin was throwing...so it wasn't real magic after all."
"Sure seemed like it," Christina said. "Those were some very powerful blasts."
"I recognize this energy though," Natasha said. "It looks like what the Chitauri used when they invaded New York last year."
"So that's how he made it so convincing," Stella said. "All this time it was alien technology."
"I might need to look into this," Natasha said.
"What about your mission?" Stella asked.
Natasha grumbled in annoyance, "Right...that."
"Mission?" Lincoln asked. "What mission?"
"Captain America has called me away to a foreign mission, so I'm leaving Royal Woods tonight," Natasha said.
"Tonight!?" Lincoln asked.
"Yes, so you will be on your own for a while," Natasha said. "You'll be fine, just remember our training and stay vigilant."
Surprising as this was to Lincoln, he should have expected that Natasha couldn't stay forever. The boy agreed to her terms. "Alright."
"And if you see The Green Goblin again, do not engage him in combat," Natasha said.
"Huh!? What for!?" Lincoln asked.
"He's too powerful for you," Natasha said.
"No way! I can take him!" Lincoln said.
"You can barely stand, you were limping a second ago, and you're covered in bruises," Natasha said. "If he comes back, do what you must to save people but try not to fight him again."
"But Natasha..." Lincoln pleaded.
"Do not argue with me," Natasha warned. "I'm doing this for your safety."
"She might be right," Christina said. "He's really tough, almost indestructible."
Lincoln huffed in annoyance, "This is so lame."
"Lincoln, just do what she says," Stella said. "The Green Goblin did put up a fight, just wait for her to come back before going after him again. You're strong but clearly not invincible."
"Exactly," Natasha said, rubbing the girl's head. "Listen to Stella, she's a smart young woman."
"Aw, thanks Nat," Stella said, glancing up at the agent with a happy and joyous expression.
"Kiss up," Lincoln said. This earned him a kick to his shin from Stella, the boy hopping around in pain. "Ow! Come on! My body's still sore."
"Serves you right!" Stella said, the girl huffing in annoyance.
Natasha couldn't help but giggle at this display. Despite everything, they still had their youthful optimism, something she envied. "I am going to miss you kids."
"Yeah, us too," Stella said, then hugged the spy. "Please come back soon."
"I'll do my best," Natasha said, returning the hug. "Until then, keep an eye on things."
"Yes ma'am," Stella said, pulling away.
"Christina," Natasha said, getting her attention. "Keep shining bright, and be proud of who you are."
"I will," Christina said.
"And Lincoln," Natasha said, getting his attention. "You have a bright future, but don't let pride outshine your judgement."
"...Alright," Lincoln said. Much as he respected Natasha, he couldn't just let this go. He had to do something, and he needed his opportunity to do so.
Everything was finally done, those in Royal Woods and Great Lakes happy the trouble was over. Granted the fact that The Green Goblin avoided capture wasn't a good sign, but at least his sidekick was taken in.
The night came and went, some still went about their Trick-or-Treating, not wanting their Holiday to be ruined. Others gave up and went home, hoping for a better Halloween next year. Some weren't too bothered, and found the showdown between Spider-Man and The Green Goblin entertaining, if at least because Spider-Man once again saved the day.
Unfortunately there was not a happy ending, the stress that Jordan felt was too much, between her father, her uncle and the rumors, in addition to her near death experience, it was clear that a change of scenery was needed for the girl.
A few days later, at the beginning of November, while many were already preparing for Thanksgiving, Jordan was packing up and leaving, though not without the presence of her friends.
"Do you really have to go?" Mollie asked.
"We've been over this, I need to leave town for a bit, maybe forever," Jordan lamented. "Things are just...too different now and I can't look at this place the same again. I need a restart in life. Besides...that Goblin might come back, he seems to have some connection to my family."
"Is that why your dad's missing?" Rusty asked, then took a punch to the arm from Mollie. "Ow!"
"Be quiet!" Mollie scolded, then turned to Jordan. "It won't be the same without you around."
"Yeah...we're really going to miss you," Stella said.
"I'm gonna miss you too," Jordan replied, turning to her friends. "Listen, it's not that I don't want to be around you. After all, you're still my friends, and you made my life here enjoyable. I just need to get away from it all."
"We understand," Clyde said. "Do what you gotta do to get past all this."
"Thanks Clyde, I appreciate you understanding," Jordan said. She then spotted her boyfriend, who clearly looked the unhappiest. "Hey, can I get some alone time with Lincoln?"
"Sure," Stella said, gesturing to her friends. "Let's go."
As everyone left, Jordan took the moment to walk over to Lincoln, taking him by his hand, "Linky..."
Lincoln was clearly sad; he hated this outcome. It was bad enough that he couldn't stop The Green Goblin from escaping, but now his girlfriend was so negatively affected by everything.
"Jordan...I'm so sorry," Lincoln said. "I wish...I just wish I could have done something."
"There wasn't anything you could have done," Jordan said. "Until things are resolved, it's better if I'm not in town. I don't want you to potentially be in danger. Plus I just need a break from all this."
"I hate feeling so helpless though," Lincoln said, shutting his eyes in grief. "When you and I started dating, I made it my personal goal to keep you happy, mainly since you were so unhappy at home. Our relationship didn't even last long enough for anything to make a difference. I feel like I let you down."
"Hey, don't be that way," Jordan said. She could spot a tear in Lincoln's eyes, which broke her heart. This was already hard enough, but seeing Lincoln this sad was terrible. "Lincoln, you didn't do anything wrong. Even if we weren't dating long, you've still been a good friend to me for all these years. Just your kindness was enough to get me through a lot of grief. Whether it's hanging out at lunch, trading food, going to Gus's, or anything. You made me happy, and the fact that you wanted to keep doing so means so much to me."
"I just wish I could have done more," Lincoln said.
"Just being here for me is plenty," Jordan said, affectionately stroking his face. "I really am happy we dated, even for a little bit."
"So am I," Lincoln said.
"...I don't know what my future is going to be like, and I really...REALLY don't want to be the source of another heartbreak but..." Jordan did her best to hold back some tears. "I think...it would be better if we held off on dating."
"I was afraid you were going to say that," Lincoln said.
"It's not because I don't want to be with you, I really do," Jordan said. "But I don't want you putting your life on pause for me."
"I can handle long-distance," Lincoln said. "My sister Lori did."
"Lori still had constant contact with Bobby before she moved," Jordan said. "I don't know how often you and I will be able to contact. I'll do what I can but given how complicated things are, I can't make any promises. Please, don't let me be your anchor."
"Would it make you happy?" Lincoln asked.
"I would be very happy if you lived your life, even without me," Jordan said. "I do love you Lincoln, that's why I'm letting you go. Who knows? If we're meant to be, then love will find a way. And I won't rule out the possibility of me coming back. But even if I do come back, and another girl has your attention, that's fine too. Just promise that it will be a girl who truly loves you."
"Same if you find a boy," Lincoln said. "Find one who will treat you well."
"Well, I'm personally not ready to date, and if you don't feel ready either, then don't rush it," Jordan said. "But, you have a lot of options. Paige, Christina, Mollie. Honestly, I'd say Stella is the best fit for you."
"She doesn't want a boyfriend," Lincoln said.
"Here's the thing about girls, we don't always know what we want, and some of us just play hard to get," Jordan said. "If you did want Stella, put effort into it, I mean genuine effort, not that weird crap you and the boys did some years back."
"Right...that was awkward," Lincoln admitted.
"That kind of crap drives girls away, when you should have just been yourself," Jordan said.
"Just like my sisters suggested," Lincoln said.
"Love can make us do weird things, and sometimes we forget certain lessons in the process, but you can consider that a learning experience," Jordan said.
"Quite the experience," Lincoln replied.
"Also...thanks for that time in the Jacuzzi," Jordan said, winking at the boy. "That was the best moment of my life. I will always cherish that."
"So will I," Lincoln said.
"One last kiss before our good-bye," Jordan said, pulling Lincoln in for a very affectionate kiss, the boy eagerly pulling her into a hug and rubbing her back as he returned the kiss.
After several seconds, the two pulled away, both blushing heavily, almost regretting their decision to break up.
"I...I will do my best to return to you one day," Jordan said. "I just want to be at my best emotionally before I commit myself to you."
"I wish you the best," Lincoln said. "I hope to see you again someday too. Whether it's as a girlfriend, or just a friend, I will welcome you back with open arms."
"I look forward to that," Jordan said. "Go call the others, I'm about to leave."
"I will...but one thing first," Lincoln said. "That night Spider-Man saved you...did something happen?"
"Like what?" Jordan asked.
"Did you see anything unusual?" Lincoln asked. "About him I mean. I'm just asking for the Action Six News Team."
"I can't tell you anything you don't already know," Jordan said. "But...it is funny. For a brief moment, Spider-Man looked exactly like you."
Lincoln nervously gulped, "Like me!?"
"Yeah, it was so weird, I looked up and I could have sword you were Spider-Man," Jordan said. "But I was a bit dazed, my mind was probably playing tricks on me. He was really nice, and it reminded me of you. I guess in a way, you're just as much of a hero to me as he is."
"Wow...that's really nice of you to say," Lincoln said, the boy blushing.
"It's nothing," Jordan said, blushing as well. "Now, about our friends."
"Right," Lincoln went to fetch them.
Jordan thought back to that night, the memories of what happened were still haunting her, especially the sinister laughter of the man who seemed to be her father, the villainous Green Goblin. Despite that, just the image of Lincoln helped reduce the trauma, if only by a little.
"Could it be? When we kiss, it almost feels familiar," Jordan shook it off. "No way, what are the odds of that?" The girl sighed in despair. "I'm worried what will happen if they find out about my dad, assuming I wasn't just seeing things. Two supervillains in my family? What if they think I'm next? I can't be around for this, and I damn sure can't let Lincoln be affected. I gotta do this, not just for my sake, but for his. Because I love him, and more than anything, I want to still make him happy, even if I can't be there to see his smile."
It wasn't long before the rest had caught up, each of them waving good-bye to Jordan as she got in her car, waving back.
Eventually she took off, ready to get a fresh start on life while her friends watched on in sadness, especially Lincoln.
"See you again soon, Jordan," Lincoln wiped a tear from his eye as Stella comforted the boy, both waving good-bye to Jordan.
Elsewhere a cargo truck was driving along the highway, the drivers checking their GPS.
"Alright, almost there," a driver said, then looked to the bad. "You doing alright in there big guy?"
"Yeah, yeah..." a man was heard saying.
"Just a bit longer before-" Suddenly their truck got rammed by a bigger car, knocking them off the road. "What's going on!?
The truck had come to a stop while the other truck pulled up beside it. Emerging were members of The Enforcers, with Fancy Dan giving out orders. "Alright, you schmucks know what to do!"
As they went to engage with the drivers, Dan went to the back and opened up the doors, "Mr. Stanko I presume?"
Emerging from the truck was a man in a rhino suit, who was glaring down at Dan. "I take it you're not with them."
"No, I'm here to make you'se a better offer," Dan said.
"I'm listening," Stanko said.
The Goblin was away for now, but more trouble continued to loom.