Days passed by, it was now time for the medieval festival, a day that everyone looked forward too.
Many came for the festivities, both local and out of town, including guests from Great Lakes and beyond.
Before The Festival could truly kick off, an event was held so this Kingdom had its Princess, and that Princess was one very lucky Loud Girl.
On stage was Kate Bernardo getting the crowd hyped up, "Welcome Royal Woods to your Medieval Times Royal Festival! I am your host, Kate Bernardo, and boy do we have a treat for you today!"
The Louds were all present, most of them near the front while waiting for the crowning moment. Lynn Sr was out and about, and happy to be here with is family, especially for Luan, the girl on stage as a crown was placed on her head.
The crown perfectly matched her bright yellow dress as Benny stood by her wearing a white shirt, some black pants and a fancy blue coat.
"Presenting, your ruler for today! Princess Luan Loud!" Kate declared.
Luan stood before everyone as she bowed to the crowd, everyone showering her with praise and affection. This was a big moment for the girl, as she could not fully believe she was the festival's princess.
"Wow...what a promotion," Luan said. "From Jester to Princess."
"You could be both," Benny said as he took his girlfriend by the hand. "Everyone loves a charming Princess after all."
"I really wasn't sure if I could pull the look off though," Luan admitted.
"What are you kidding?" Benny said. "You're the prettiest girl in Royal Woods High School, people would have to be crazy to think otherwise."
"I don't know, am I really that pretty?" Luan asked.
"We love you Luan!"
"You're the best!"
"Date me!"
Luan looked amazed by the support she was getting from the crowd, mixed with a little awkwardness.
"See? People love you," Benny reassured, then focused on the crows. "Also, this is my girlfriend, so back off!"
"Why should she even date you when she could have me!?" an arrogant guy asked.
"Because I actually have basic hygiene, while you look like someone who's never heard of a bath before," Benny sassed.
"What the hell did you say!?" The guy shouted while looking ready to fight.
"HEY!" Came the voice of Sam as she marched over with a guitar in hand. "I'm about to give you and an up close and personal view of my new Smash Hit!"
"Crap! It's that angry rockstar chick! Run!"
The guys ran off just as Sam got close to them, huffing in annoyance before sinisterly smirking at the group, "You better run."
"Angry Rockstar Chick?" Benny scratched his head in confusion. "Sam, has this happened before with you?"
"Some guys tried flirting with Luna once, so I lost my cool," Sam said. "Don't worry about me, just keep being your awesome self."
"Uh...thanks," Benny said as Luan hugged the boy.
"I could never be with anyone other than you, Benny," Luan said. "You complete me."
"Heh...you're sweet," Benny said as he left with his girlfriend.
Meanwhile Lola looked to be unhappy with this result, the girl pouting in a nearby corner, "This is ridiculous. All that flirting and Luan still gets chosen over me!"
"You shouldn't have even been flirting in the first place," Lana said. "That was really weird and creepy."
"Oh don't be jealous because Luan got the crown, like did you honestly believe you could be princess?" Lana asked.
"I'm a Pageant Queen, so being a Princess should have been my birthright!" Lola said.
"And maybe you should remember that Luan is Benny's girlfriend, so of course he's going to advocate for Luan as Princess," Lana said.
"Whatever, if Benny wants to be the type of guy who plays with a girl's feelings, then let him," Lola said. "I have better things to do than fawn over a traitor!"
"You're being dumb," Lana said.
"Benny better hope I don't see him in a dark alley later," Lola said as she cracked her knuckles. "Because I am going to kick his-"
"Hey, Lola," Benny said as he got off the stage, with Luan waiting nearby.
"Oh...it's you," Lola seethed.
"Hey, um...I know you really wanted to be Princess today, you made that...remarkably clear for a while now," Benny said, still feeling some discomfort from Lola's past flirting. "But, I just want you to know that this was not against you. The committee would have just preferred someone older as the Princess, especially with this play I wrote."
"A play that needs an older Princess," Lana added, much to Lola's annoyance.
"Right..." Benny then took Lola by her hand and tilted her head up to face him, "I really am sorry for disappointing you. Do you forgive me?"
Lola's face turned red as she held her cheeks in embarrassment, "Oh Benny, you flatter me so much! I just can't stay mad at you!" She then pulled Benny in for a kiss on his cheek. "You can do your prince thing, but talk to me later. I'll have a nice surprise for you."
"Oh, that's nice," Benny nervously said.
"Ta-ta, Benny," Lola said as she strutted away, leaving everyone present weirded out.
"There are so many things wrong with Lola, that girl needs a shrink or something," Lana said.
"That's a bit of an overreaction," Luan said. "Shrinking her down to size won't solve any problems."
Luan chuckled at her joke while Benny nervously laughed along and Lana simply rolled her eyes.
Meanwhile Lincoln was seen in his knight costume while walking around the fair with Lucy by his side.
"Thanks for accompanying me Lincoln," Lucy said. "Sorry to drag you to this place."
"Well each of the older siblings need to watch over a younger one, and I'm officially part of the older siblings group," Lincoln said. "But will your thing take long? I want to find my friends, they said they were going to be here soon."
"It won't, I just want to see if they have a torture chamber," Lucy said. "Those are my favorite parts of places like these."
"...You're just observing, right?" Lincoln asked.
"Perhaps," Lucy replied with a coy smile on her face.
Lincoln furrowed his brow in worry, but continued on.
While they walked, they passed by a woman wearing a dark hood and her hair covering her eyes sitting at a table with a crystal ball, this woman being quick to notice the duo and call their attention. "You two..."
"Huh?" Lincoln and Lucy turned their attention to the mysterious woman. "Are you talking to us?"
"Yes, do you two wish to know your future?" The Fortune Teller asked.
"Fortune Telling?" Lucy asked before smirking in satisfaction. "My kind of event."
"Wait, what about the Torture Chamber?" Lincoln asked.
"It can wait," Lucy said. "Let's get our fortunes told."
"I don't have money for that type of thing," Lincoln said.
"No charge, I will tell you for free," The woman said.
Lincoln raised his eyebrow in suspicion, "Any reason?"
"Lincoln, she's offering a free fortune," Lucy said.
"I really don't think I want to have my fortune told," Lincoln said. "Last time I had my fortune read, I spent the whole day freaking out due to its weird message."
"What were you told?" Lucy asked.
"That my day in the park would end in tragedy," Lincoln said.
"Huh? Who told you..." Lucy paused to think for a second. "Oh...that was mine."
"Now I'll admit, I almost made that come true since I was too paranoid to have fun that day," Lincoln said. "Seeing that geyser go off made it all worth it. But I really don't want to worry about all of that."
"Lincoln, if you know that you make your own future, then why worry?" Lucy said. "It's a free reading, just think of it as being for fun."
Lincoln still didn't care much for the idea, but part of him was a bit curious. Besides, knowing that he had powers, he felt confident that he would be fine, regardless of what was predicted.
"Alright, I guess I don't have anything to lose," Lincoln said as he went to the table.
"Perfect, I'm really glad you could make it, Lincoln Loud," the woman said.
"Yeah, I just...wait," Lincoln glanced at the woman. "How did you know my name?"
"I know all young one, including you and your sister Lucy," the woman said.
"Whoa, that's wicked," Lucy said. "I must admit, there's something familiar about this woman. Have I seen her before?"
That filled Lincoln with suspicion, the boy worried about how much this woman might know, "I feel like I've heard her voice before. Still, I'll Just go along with it for now, but carefully."
Lincoln sat at the table, keeping a close eye on this woman, as she did the same with him.
"Now...gaze into my Crystal Ball," The woman said. Lincoln did as told, as the woman worked her magic. "Spirits of the great beyond, spirits high and low, tell me of this boy's future, tell him what he must know!"
Lincoln could see some smoke coming from the Crystal Ball as a weird aura began to emit from it, taking him and Lucy by surprise. The woman's eyes began to glow, startling the kids more as she began to speak in an ominous tone.
"In shadows cast by those you trust, A friend departs, a heart in rust. The masked jester laughs as worlds collide, your strength, once firm, begins to slide. A web of foes, six in their might, will test your will in the dark of night. When doubt creeps in, and hope feels far, remember, young boy, just who you are."
Lincoln looked absolutely confused by what she had to say before the woman sat back, holding her head in pain.
"Forgive me, that was a lot," The Fortune Teller said.
"Yeah...sure," Lincoln awkwardly got off the chair. "Um...thanks for reading my fortune."
"Wait...take this," The woman handed Lincoln a Tarot Card. "You may need it soon."
Lincoln curiously glanced at it, with Lucy looking just as curious.
"I must bid you farewell," The Woman said as Lincoln and Lucy left. She then put everything away as she began to leave. "You've always been great at school, Lincoln. I know that you'll figure it out. More importantly, I know Spider-Man will figure it out."
Lincoln continued walking while still glancing at the Tarot Card. All he could think of at the moment, aside from the card, was the fortune.
"What was she trying to tell me?" Lincoln wondered, the boy deep in thought.
"Hey, are you alright?" Lucy asked.
"Huh?" Lincoln turned to his now concerned sister. "Oh, yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry about me."
"That was quite the fortune," Lucy said.
"Yeah, I don't think I can make any sense out of it," Lincoln said. "Any ideas?"
"Not a clue, it's a total mystery," Lucy said. "She might have just been saying things, so I wouldn't put much thought into it."
"Right..." Lincoln couldn't help but think about one thing. "Web of Foes, Six in might. Weird how she said 'web', because now I'm wondering just how much she knows. Not to mention the part about losing a friend. I hope she doesn't mean Clyde."
"Lucy!" Came the voice of Haiku, who was joined by the Morticians Club.
"Oh, I see my friends," Lucy said.
"You should hang out with them," Lincoln said. "Maybe you can ask Haiku what she thinks of what that lady said."
"Oh sure, she loves figuring that stuff out," Lucy said. "What about you though?"
"I'm going to find Clyde," Lincoln said.
"Clyde?" Lucy asked, thinking back to the boy. "How have things been between you and him? He seemed really upset at the restaurant, and again in the hospital."
"I won't lie, things have not been great," Lincoln said. "But, I feel confident that I can fix whatever's coming between us. This isn't the first time that Clyde and I have had a fight. We've made up before and we can make up now."
"Alright, I'll leave you to it then," Lucy said. "I wish you the best of luck."
"Thanks, but I don't need luck, I have skill," Lincoln said as he made his leave.
"...I wonder if I can do anything to help?" Lucy said to herself.
"Hey, Lucy," Haiku walked over to her friend. "Was that your brother?"
"Yes, he's going to find his friend Clyde," Lucy said.
"Clyde, I remember him, such a tortured soul," Haiku said as she thought back to the school dance. "Forever pulled around by the power of love."
"Nothing's changed, except that it involves another girl, one that recently dumped him," Lucy said.
"Another heartbreak?" Haiku asked. "Such is life's harsh reality."
"I'll tell you all about it, for now I have a suggestion about our activity together," Lucy said. "How do you feel about torture chambers?"
Haiku flashed a brief smirk at her friend, "You know me so well."
The rest of the sisters, minus Luna and Luan, were seen exploring the festival while accompanied by their parents.
"Okay kids, if there's anything you want to do-" Rita began before Lynn Jr interrupted.
"Ring toss!" Lynn dashed off, despite her father's protests.
"Lynn wait! We should try to stay together!" Lynn Sr called.
"That might be difficult," Lisa said. "It's safe to say that we each have our own activities we wish to engage in."
"I could watch over her," Leni said.
"Are you sure about that, Leni? "Lori asked. "You tend to get easily distracted."
"Hey, I've stepped up just fine as the responsible older while you were away in college," Leni said. "I can handle watching over Lynn."
"You? Handle Lynn?" Lori asked in disbelief. "Leni, not to be mean, but out of all our sisters, you have a harder time with her. And Lola to an extent."
"Excuse me, but Leni and I get along great," Lola showed off her dress. "See this? Leni made it just for me. It was supposed to be for when I got inaugurated as a Princess, but obviously fate had other ideas."
"Lola, if you want to be center of attention so badly, go find a parade to be part of," Lana said.
"Parade?" Lola looked around until she spotted what looked like a baton wielder and some trumpeters. "That's an excellent idea!" She turned her attention to her parents, "Can I go!? Please!?"
"I don't know, Princess," Lynn Sr said. "Parades mean attention and with all those bad people out there-"
"But daddy...!" Lola whined.
"Lola, is it really worth it?" Lori asked. "Honestly, I'm still not sure if we should even be here. What if another villain shows up?"
"We can't just stop having fun because of a few jerks," Lana said. "Even if a bad guy shows up, Spider-Man will just swing by and kick his butt. Or her butt. Regardless of the gender, Spider-Man will kick butt."
"I literally do not want to hear about Spider-Man," Lori said. "He seriously causes more harm than good."
"...That's the dumbest thing I've heard all week," Lana said.
"Lana, don't talk that way to your sister," Rita scolded.
"But she said something bad about Lincoln...'s favorite superhero!" Lana said, grateful that she caught herself.
"I could care less if he's Lincoln's favorite or not," Lori said.
"...You mean you couldn't care less," Lisa pointed out. "Saying that you could care less-"
"Lisa, not the time," Lori said.
"Very well," Lisa said.
"Seriously, I want to check out the Petting Zoo, and no villain is going to scare me away from that," Lana said.
"Well, I suppose we should let the kids enjoy themselves," Rita said, then turned to her husband, "I can go with Lola, and you can go with Lana. Does that sound good?"
"I think it works out well," Lynn Sr said. "Leni can go keep an eye on Lynn. Lori, you go find Luna, I believe she's off at the town center playing on one of those fancy instruments."
"Sure," Lori said.
"Lily and Lisa will stay with me for the time being," Rita said.
"Yes mother," Lisa said.
"Okay mommy," Lily said.
"That sounds like a good plan," Lynn Sr said. "Alright family, spread out, but please be careful. Pay attention to your phones."
"We will," Leni reassured. She then started making her way toward Lynn. "I got this under control!"
"I sure hope so," Lori said.
Lily looked around and noticed something fun, "Leela!"
"Leela?" Lori looked around until she and her family saw what Lily saw.
Nearby she saw an animatronic of a fire breathing dragon, with a few knights seemingly doing battle.
"Foul beast! You will lay siege to this castle no longer!" A knight said as he drew his sword. "Death to the dragon!"
"Death to the dragon!" the other knights said as they engaged in battle against the creature.
Lily looked uncomfortable by the sight of things as she pulled at her mother's hand. "Come on..."
"I'm coming, honey," Rita said as she took one last look at the dragon. She understood her daughter's worry, as she too felt the evil dragon stereotype was overplayed.
Even Luan, who was observing from a nearby tower, noticed the dragon and seemingly furrowed her brow.
"Talking about stroking the flames," Luan said. "Stuff like this keeps 'Dragon' Leela's name through the mud."
"Wow, even when you're annoyed you have such funny puns," Benny said.
"Humor usually does keep my feelings in check," Luan said. "Seriously, I'm hardly a fan of this evil dragon thing."
"Well you're the princess, try taming a dragon," Benny said. "Show everyone the change you want to see."
"I doubt I can change the opinions of so many, but I suppose it's worth a shot anyway," Luan said. "Come on."
Unknown to Luan, a duo was keeping an eye on her from a distance, both plotting their next move.
Not too far away, Chandler was seen recording himself on his phone while he had some eggs, "Sup viewers? It's your boy, Chandler! Today, we're going to be bringing some modern humor to this old school event. I promise this will be...egg-citing."
Chandler threw the eggs at the hat of a man in costume reading from a scroll. Needless to say, he did not look pleased, but managed to stay in character. "Which one of you knaves did that!?"
"Score!" Chandler kept moving around. "Let's see who else wants to get scrambled."
Elsewhere Lincoln was quickly maneuvering around, trying to find a certain group, passing by snack stands, balloons and knights. "Where are the guys, they should have been here by now."
"Hey Lincoln," Came a nearby voice.
"Hey Stella..." Lincoln's eyes widened in confusion. "Wait, Stella!?" The boy looked around in confusion. "Did I imagine Stella's voice?"
"I'm over here," Lincoln heard. He looked around and saw a knight waving at him.
"...Stella?" Lincoln asked.
The girl removed the face plate. "That's right, it's me!"
"But...how...why are you here!?" Lincoln asked.
"Wow Lincoln, already tired of seeing me?" Stella asked in a slightly annoyed tone.
"You know what I mean, Stella!" Lincoln said. "You're hurt! You shouldn't be here!"
"Yes, everyone keeps telling me that," Stella said. "But there's no way I'm going to miss out on an awesome party like this over some minor injuries."
"Stella, you have broken ribs," Lincoln pointed out.
"Pfft, a few broken ribs have never hurt anyone," Stella said.
"Stella...you were literally in the hospital!" Lincoln frustratingly pointed out. "I really, REALLY, don't think that you should be here."
"Lincoln, it's fine, I wouldn't do this if I didn't think I could handle it," Stella said. "Still, it's very sweet of you to worry. Funny, usually I'm the one worrying about you. How the tables have turned."
"I have more reason to worry," Lincoln said. "Not to be rude, but you're much more fragile than I am."
"Lincoln, I just wanna hang around for a little bit," Stella said. "If things get bad, I'll leave immediately. For now, I just want to try and enjoy myself."
Lincoln shrugged it off, "Okay fine, but don't do anything stupid."
"Whoa, someone's taking charge," Stella teased. "I respect that though."
"Lincoln!" Chloe called.
"Oh boy..." Lincoln lamented upon hearing Chloe's voice.
"Wow, she actually came," Stella said. "And with Emma too."
"Double yikes," Lincoln said.
"I should probably go," Stella said as she covered her face. "You never saw me."
"Hey what!? Wait!" Lincoln said, but Stella was already leaving. "Way to leave me to the awkwardness."
"Hey Lincoln!" Chloe ran over to hug the boy quickly. "It's good to see you!"
"Yeah, you too Chloe," Lincoln then turned to his ex-girlfriend. "Uh, hi Emma."
"Hi Lincoln, great festival, huh?" Emma asked.
"Super great," Lincoln said. "My sister got crowned the Princess."
"We saw, it was really cute," Emma said. "Luan's so pretty, I'm really jealous."
"Well not too long ago, she didn't feel pretty due to the braces," Lincoln said. "Amazing how much could change with time."
"Like the Ugly Duckling becoming a swan," Chloe said, before realizing how insensitive that sounded. "Uh...that was probably a poor choice of words."
"...Yeah, it kind of was," Lincoln said. "But I know what you're trying to say."
"Anyway, we just saw you and wanted to say 'hi', right now we're off to the cooking event," Chloe said. "We're going to enter and bake something amazing!"
"I'm kind of nervous about that," Emma said.
"Don't be, you're in culinary class, aren't you?" Lincoln asked.
"I am, but I'm not good with competitions," Emma said.
"Just focus on what you love doing, it helps me when I enter a competition," Lincoln said.
"Thanks for the advice, but I'm not as confident as you are about things," Emma said.
"You won't be alone, I'll be there with you," Chloe said, then turned to Lincoln. "She's so cute when she's worried."
"Ugh, Chloe!" Emma whined.
"Anyway, we won't bother you too long," Chloe said. "We'll catch you later."
"...Wait, before you go, I gotta ask," Lincoln began.
"Is it about Clyde?" Chloe asked, earning an awkward nod. "I really hope nothing I did affected your friendship with him. I broke things off because I didn't like how immature he was, that shouldn't have to do with you."
"You didn't start anything, but Clyde is still in a bad place because of things I did unrelated to you," Lincoln said. "But, are you sure you want to break things off? He's a really nice guy."
"It's sweet how you want to stand up for him, and I get it," Chloe said. "But, until he gets better, I think I need a break."
"I can respect that," Lincoln said.
"And hey, for all we know, this is better for us," Chloe said. "We can still be friends."
"It's not easy being friends with your ex," Emma said, the girl awkwardly glancing at her own. "So I get what Lincoln is trying to say."
"You just still need time, I do too," Chloe said. "But it's possible, isn't it? You two don't hate each other, right?"
"No way, Emma's a really nice girl," Lincoln said. "In time, I think she and I could be actual friends."
"Thanks Lincoln, I feel the same," Emma said. "I just didn't feel ready for romance, but I do appreciate you being so understanding."
"See? Easy," Chloe said. "And you two were pretty steamy as a couple."
"CHLOE!" Emma shouted in embarrassment.
"Uh..." Lincoln had to derail the topic. "Maybe you should head on off to that cooking contest before you miss your chance."
"Yeah, you're right," Chloe said as she took Emma by her wrist. "Let's go."
"Bye Lincoln," Emma said as she was pulled away.
"Have fun!" Chloe said as she left.
"Bye girls," Lincoln said, waving the duo off. He took a moment to think things over. "Those girls gave me my own bumpy road of emotions. But they seem to be better. That reminds me, do I still-?"
"Get that kid!" Came the voice of Becky as she, Chaz and Joey were seen chasing Chandler.
"Come on! Take a joke will ya!" Chandler said as he ran past Lincoln, with the other teens doing the same.
"That was weird," Lincoln said, then noticed Clyde and the others nearby. "There's Clyde. I should try to talk to him."
Lincoln tried making his way toward his friend. All the while, another group had arrived at the festival.
"This way Christina!" Paige said, gesturing her friend to follow.
"I'm coming!" Christina said, then turned to her parents. "I'm going with my friend."
"Just be careful," her mother said. "Stay away from any danger."
"The moment you see trouble, call us," her father said.
"I will," Christina said.
"Don't worry, if anything bad happens, Spider-Man and Firestar will save the day," Paige said.
"Right, those two..." Christina's father said, the girl knowing where this was going. "A pair of glorified vigilantes, and mutants on top of that. What has this country come to?"
Christina turned away in annoyance while Paige cringed from the awkwardness.
"Let's not fret dear," Christina's mother said as she led her husband away.
Christina furrowed her brow in annoyance as she walked off, "Come on, let's go find Lincoln."
"Yeah, sure..." Paige said, the girl regretting bringing up the two heroes. "Sorry for the name drop. I really thought they would have accepted the idea by now."
"They'll never accept mutants as people, let alone heroes," Christina said. "It's not important, let's just find the others."
"Yeah, sure..." Christina said as she followed her friend.
Liam led his friends through the Festival, taking in the incredible sights all around. "This is quite the fancy looking place. Feels like some genuine old-time fair."
"Yeah, it's like we traveled back in time or something," Zach said.
"It'd be more authentic if people weren't glued to their phones," Rusty said.
"Can't be helped, ah guess," Liam said. "At least no one here is...Clyde!"
Nearby Clyde is seen on his phone, looking at his old texts from Chloe. He had spent the last couple of days trying to reach out to her, to no avail. "Chloe..."
"Wow..." Came the voice of the nearby Mollie. "Are you seriously still trying to text her? It's been almost a week. She dumped you, get over it."
"Don't word it like that!" Zach said.
"This is why I didn't want to come, I don't need to be around more drama," Mollie said.
"Listen, you need this just as much as Clyde," Liam said. "Especially given how much ya miss Girl Jordan."
"Yeah, I do miss her, but at least I'm not excessively trying to text her," Mollie said.
"Well she wasn't your girlfriend," Zach said.
"But, she's still close to Mollie," Rusty spoke up. "It's hard to compare the two when they've been friends longer than Clyde and Chloe dated."
"Are you guys done!?" Clyde snapped. "It's kind of rude to talk about me like I'm not here."
"Well given how much you're attached to your phone, you might as well not be here," Rusty said. "You've been glaring at it for days. This is what Chloe meant when she said you're too clingy."
"I'm not clingy, I just care about my girlfriend!" Clyde said.
"Ex-Girlfriend," Rusty corrected.
"Oh put a sock in it!" Clyde snapped.
"That's enough!" Liam shouted. "We came here to have fun, not to fight. Now let's try to find Lincoln, his sisters are here so he should be too."
"Why are we looking for him exactly?" Clyde asked.
Liam shook his head in annoyance, "Cause he's our friend! That's why! He's also yer best friend!"
"Hey, he's one of the reasons Chloe and I had that fight!" Clyde said.
"This is ridiculous," Rusty said as he began to leave.
"Hey, where are you going!?" Liam asked.
"Somewhere I don't have to hear this," Rusty said. "I'd like to enjoy my time here."
"Please, let's just calm ourselves, we're better than this," Liam said. "Let's not let a few disagreements ruin things fer us."
"Yeah, this is about fun and...hey, there's Lincoln!" Zach said, gesturing to the boy.
"Looks like he found us before we found him," Liam said. He then noticed Clyde looking away in annoyance, once again worrying the country boy. "Well, let's go talk to Lincoln."
Lincoln was relieved that he was able to meet up with his friends, after spending quite a while trying to navigate through the crowd. "Finally, I was hoping to catch up to you guys."
"Howdy Lincoln, glad you could make it," Liam said. "Congrats to yer sister fer being princess."
"Thanks, she's going to be part of a play later, it's going to be in Royal Woods Stadium," Lincoln said. "We should make time to check it out, she and Benny worked really hard on it. Plus Luna's going to do a concert with her band."
"We wouldn't miss it," Rusty said. "Shame Stella couldn't be here, she would have liked it."
"Right...Stella..." Lincoln nervously said. "You know, I don't think we need to worry about her. Something tells me she's doing great."
"She's probably making the best of the situation, good on her," Liam said, then briefly glanced at Clyde. "That's something we all need to do once in a while."
Lincoln also took note of Clyde, seeing that his best friend wasn't looking his way, and instead glued to his phone. This of course worried Lincoln, and once again reminded him of that woman's fortune.
"Well, since we're here, let's figure out an activity," Lincoln said. "I think I saw some people LARPing nearby, if any of you want to try that."
"Like cosplaying?" Rusty asked. "Yeah, I'm down with that."
"I'm not sure, it sounds kind of geeky," Mollie said.
"It's not too bad, it'd like playing an MMORPG," Lincoln said.
"A what?" Mollie asked. "Sorry, I'm not savvy with these types of names."
"Ah see some other events nearby," Liam said, then noticed on in particular. "Like sack racing, looks like Lynn's already way ahead of us in that department."
Lincoln noticed his competitive sister leaving everyone in the dust. "Yeah, that's just like Lynn alright."
"We can figure something out, there's loads to do," Zach said. "Let's just go explore!"
"Sure..." Lincoln glanced at Clyde. "But um...give me a moment here."
Liam glanced as well, before focusing on Lincoln, "Yeah, sure."
The others went on ahead, leaving Lincoln behind with his friend. "So...nice day huh?"
"Yeah, sure..." Clyde said as he kept focusing on his phone.
Lincoln knew that beating around the bush wouldn't work, so he took a direct approach. "Clyde...I know things have gotten bad between us. Maybe I left you feeling abandoned. But, I don't want to leave things that way. I want us to go back to the way things were. I'll try to do better, but I need that chance to do so. So could you give me that chance?"
"I don't know...do you even deserve it?" Clyde asked. "You know, one of the reasons Chloe won't talk to me is because of what you did. With your secret tutoring and whatnot."
"I can fix whatever's happening with you and Chloe," Lincoln said. "Please, I don't want things to fall apart. We've been friends since we were five, do you really want to throw away eight years?"
Clyde was very hesitant to answer this. He glanced at Lincoln, then at the others, still thinking it over.
"Clyde, please, I know we can work things out," Lincoln said. "It wouldn't be the same without you."
Despite his grievances, deep down Clyde really wanted this opportunity. He remembered just how much he missed hanging out with Lincoln, and felt compelled to take this opportunity to recreate their old bond.
"Alright," Clyde said. "We've made a good team in the past, it'd be a waste to give all that up."
Lincoln sighed in relief, "I'm glad to hear, buddy."
"Just give me a second, I gotta get something to my dads," Clyde said.
"Take all the time you need," Lincoln said as Clyde made his leave. "Boy am I glad that worked out."
"Lincoln!" Christina called, the girl getting his attention. "Hey, I'm so glad I ran into you."
"Hi Christina," Lincoln said, then noticed her friend. "Hi Paige."
"Hey Linc, enjoying the fair?" Paige asked.
"So far I am," Lincoln said.
"Christina and I were about to check out the horses, apparently they're doing a show," Paige said. "It's going to be awesome."
"Wanna join us?" Christina asked.
"Right now?" Lincoln asked. "I kind of had some plans."
"Oh, well...that's fine," Christina said. "Worth a shot asking."
"Hey, Christina, I think I see some cotton candy," Paige pulled out some cash. "Buy me one?"
"I got you covered, you bought my soda after all," Christina said, leaving before Paige had a chance to answer.
"What a sweetheart," Paige said.
"Yeah, she's really nice," Lincoln said.
"She is," Paige turned her attention to the boy. "Hey, so um...I know you said you had plans, and I respect that. But Christina's in a weird mood right now. She's been pretty bummed out about Stella getting hurt, and things are kind of awkward with her on a personal level. Now she really likes hanging out with you, so I figured whatever's bothering her will kind of fade away if you hang out with us."
"Oh...is it that bad?" Lincoln asked.
"It's definitely something," Paige said. "I'm sorry if this is selfish, and you have the right to decline of course, but I think it'd mean a lot to her if she got to hang out with you a little. It doesn't have to be now if you don't want to, but maybe in a bit. Just to help cheer her up."
"I...I guess I don't mind, she's my friend too," Lincoln said. "But why me exactly?"
"I have a feeling why," Paige said. "Just consider it."
Christina returned with the cotton candy in hand, "Okay, here you go."
"Thanks, you're the best," Paige said as she took the candy. "So Lincoln, go have fun, and we'll see you later."
"Yeah, enjoy yourself," Christina said.
"I will," Lincoln said as he waved the girls off, though not before Paige turned to the boy and winked at him. He then felt really frustrated and quite conflicted. "I was hoping to spend time with Clyde but...now I'm thinking about Christina. What do I do now?"
Meanwhile both Brooke and Chet, the two in disguises, were getting things set up, the woman of the duo glancing over at Luan while the girl greeted some festival attendees.
"Just you wait Luan," Brooke said while some anger burned within her. "This time you won't get away so easily."
"Hey, easy with the public villain monologues," Chet said. "Someone could hear you."
"These people won't notice anything until it's too late," Brooke said. "That's how it usually is."
"Oh wow...are they that oblivious?" Chet asked.
"Sometimes," Brooke said. "Look, don't worry too much about it. Just focus on the plan and things will go well. The last thing you want is to disappoint Mr. Rosato."
"You think I'll get fired?" Chet asked.
"Honestly, with him, being fired may be the least of your worries," Brooke said.
"Well...that's ominous," Chet said. "By the way, I heard he had a wife and daughter. Where are they?"
"That's personal, you'd need to ask the boss," Brooke said. "But I would not suggest doing that, especially at your rookie level."
"Oh, um...okay," Chet said.
Not too far off, Lana was seen in the petting zoo like she wanted while Lynn Sr observed from nearby. The man kept an eye out for danger, but more importantly, was just happy seeing his daughter having fun.
"My kids, just seeing them smile brings joy to this old man's heart," Lynn Sr said.
Nearby Mollie was checking out the animals as well, being seen petting a goat while glancing over at Lana. "Oh hey, I think that's one of Lincoln's sisters." She glanced at the family patriarch as well, "And there's his father. Looks like he's feeling better after what happened a couple of weeks ago." Mollie sighed as she looked to the side, "These dang villains, always causing trouble..." She looked up into the air. "I hope you're doing okay, Jordan."
"Hey there," Lana said, getting the girl's attention.
"Oh, hi Lana," Mollie greeted.
"Didn't expect to see you here," Lana said. "Are you looking for my brother?"
"I just ran into him, I think he's trying to talk to Clyde," Mollie said. "I just came here for a break."
"Clyde huh? That's rough," Lana sat on the fence. "I hope things work out."
"I think they will," Mollie said. "Glad your father's feeling better."
"Yeah, we were all worried, but dad's tougher than he looks, so it's all good," Lana said.
"These last couple of months have been crazy," Mollie said. "It feels like we're in a comic book world."
"Yeah, it's scary sometimes, but really cool," Lana said. "And as long as Spider-Man's here, we should be fine."
"Right..." Mollie said. "You have faith in him, despite all the bad things that have happened. Don't you?"
"Well yeah, he's the one keeping us safe," Lana said.
"What about the people he couldn't keep safe?" Mollie asked.
"Is this about Jordan?" Lana asked. "Look, if I know Spider-Man, not saying I do, just speaking hypo...hypo...?"
"Hypothetically?" Mollie finished.
"Yeah, that," Lana said. "Point is, I'm willing to bet a year's worth of allowance that Spider-Man feels terrible about what happened to Jordan."
"Well, I imagine so," Mollie said. "It still doesn't erase what happened."
"What matters is that she's alive, and you can still see her again one day," Lana said. "It's not easy being away from your best friend. My best friend lives in Great Lakes, but that just makes me even happier to see her, because it feels special."
"Wow...that's a nice way to look at it," Mollie said. "You're a very smart girl, Lana."
"Thanks, I try my best," Lana bragged.
"I suppose I can go easier on Spider-Man," Mollie said. "But I gotta know, how does Lincoln feel? Does he truly have faith in Spider-Man?"
"Let's just say that Lincoln was pretty mad himself, but over time he realized that Spider-Man tried his best," Lana said. "That's my hope. Lincoln is just grateful that Jordan's safe. He's sad about the break-up, but he's trying to move on with his life."
"What about his father?" Mollie asked. "And his sister? Was Lincoln worried then too? Does he still have faith?"
"He does, and so do I," Lana said. "What happened can't be helped, but I'm just grateful that Spider-Man cares enough to try. If he wasn't there, then things would be worse. It's not fair to blame him for something a bad person does. I'm really tired of people who do, like some of my sisters, and my mom's boss."
"Guess everyone needs someone to blame," Mollie said. "I'll do my best not to blame Spider-Man."
"I know it's hard, but Spider-Man does more good than bad," Lana said. "I'd rather take my chances with someone who wants to save my life, than someone who wants to enslave me or something."
"Good point," Mollie said. "Hey um...thanks for hearing me out. Like I said, you're a really smart kid."
"Tell that to my twin sister," Lana joked.
"I'll put the word out," Mollie said.
"So...you're friends with my brother," Lana said. "Got any funny stories about him?"
"Oh, I really shouldn't say," Mollie said.
"Come on, I won't tell him you told me," Lana said.
"Well...there was that time where he came to Jordan's party, and left in his underwear," Mollie said.
Lana stifled some laughter, "Wait, I feel like I heard this once, maybe from some kids at school."
"It was funny, though I feel bad for him nowadays, but I still find myself laughing," Mollie said. "I think Lincoln can laugh about it too now."
"He's good at laughing at himself when the time calls for it," Lana said. "Anyway, compared to that whole Chameleon thing, I think Lincoln would prefer that old memory of the party."
"Well...I think he found something he liked then," Mollie said, the girl blushing a bit.
"Huh?" Lana asked.
Mollie's eyes widened, remembering that she was talking to an eight-year-old girl, "Uh...it's nothing."
Lana still looked confused, the only thing she remembered the most aside from The Chameleon was finding out about her brother being a superhero. Eventually she caught on, "Oh right, didn't Lincoln start dating Jordan afterwards?"
"For a bit," Mollie said. "Have you ever had a crush on anyone?"
"Yeah, a boy named Skippy," Lana said. "He's good with tools, but we're both too young to date right now. Maybe in a few years I'll ask him again."
"I wish you luck on that," Mollie said. "Dating is tough though."
"From what I've seen, it is," Lana said. "But I think I'll be fine. I've seen how to handle this type of thing thanks to Lori, Leni, Luna and Luan. Granted Luna has a girlfriend, so I don't know if that counts."
"Oh yeah, I forgot she was dating another girl," Mollie said.
"That confused me at first, but mom and dad said that some people just love differently," Lana said. "I don't get it, but Luna's happy and that's all that matters to me."
"Well it's great that you support your sister's choice," Mollie said.
"Lots of people do, especially teenage boys," Lana said. "They look so happy when they see Luna kissing Sam. They're really encouraging about it too."
"Wow...that's great..." Mollie started to feel awkward. "Hey, um, let's go find some food for the animals."
"The dispenser is right there, come on," Lana said as she led Mollie over.
The girl felt relieved, then started thinking about Jordan again, hoping she was alright.
Meanwhile in another home, Ashley was seen trying to contact her husband Johnathan by the phone. "Pick up already..."
"Mom!?" Came Jordan's voice.
"I'll be there in a minute!" Ashley called, then focused back on the phone. "Pick up! This is about your daughter!"
In her bed, Jordan was laying sick while flipping through some channels. "I can't believe I caught a stupid cold. I hate fall sometimes." She kept flipping until she came across a news story.
"I'm Katherine Mulligan, reporting live from the Royal Woods Medieval Festival," the woman said.
"Why am I getting...?" Jordan then remembered. "Right, mom has a special satellite linking to Royal Woods. At least she gets her shows. Still, that does look nice."
Ashley had come into the room, looking very annoyed. "I cannot get into contact with your father." She placed her hand on Jordan's head. "How is your fever?"
"It's fine, I just need some soup," Jordan said.
"I'll get you some," Ashley said as she left.
Jordan focused back on the T.V., now thinking to herself, "I wonder how Lincoln is doing?"
Meanwhile with Lincoln, he was still thinking things over, then was greeted by Clyde. "Hey Lincoln, I'm back. So what do you want to do first?"
"Um...well, Paige did invite us to see some horses," Lincoln said.
"Paige was here?" Clyde asked. "Well, if we got an invite, I guess it wouldn't hurt to go. I heard there's going to be jousting, maybe we'll see that too."
"Sweet, come on," Lincoln said.
Not too long later, the two boys had shown up near the ranch where the horses were, both Christina and Paige already petting one together.
"I wish I had my own horse," Paige said. "I'd ride it to school every day."
"Where would you leave it?" Christina asked.
"Near the bike rack," Paige said.
"That seems silly," Christina said. "You shouldn't ride a horse to school."
"Hey I bet they do in Texas or something," Paige said. "It would be fun!"
"Uh...right," Christina said, then noticed something curious. "I see Lincoln and Clyde."
Paige turned to the duo, looking pleased to see them, especially Lincoln. "Oh good."
"Hey girls," Lincoln said. "I made it! I also brought Clyde, I hope that's cool."
"Fine with us," Paige said.
"Yeah, I'm...really glad you're here," Christina said, the girl blushing a bit.
"It's no trouble," Lincoln said as he stood by Christina's side. "This is a nice-looking horse."
"Oh yeah, I'd...totally ride it to school every day," Christina said.
Paige raised her eyebrow at her friend, but decided not to call her on that.
"It'd definitely be something," Lincoln said.
"I saw some ponies, they're near the petting zoo," Christina said.
"Petting Zoo? That seems like something Lana might go to," Lincoln said.
"You think she'd like riding one of the horses?" Christina asked.
"Oh totally, but she might be too small for that," Lincoln said.
"I think she'll be fine, we can ride with her," Christina said. "If she wants to, I don't mind riding with just you."
"I don't think I'd mind it either," Lincoln said.
Clyde looked a little bothered. They had just got here and already Lincoln was focusing more on Christina. "Um...Lincoln?"
Lincoln's eyes widened as he awkwardly turned to Clyde, "Right sorry, there's four of us here."
"Yeah, we wanted to see the jousting," Clyde said.
"Oh...that could be fun too," Christina said. "Paige, does that sound good?"
"I'm cool with it," Paige said.
"They're about to start, come on," Clyde said.
"Okay!" Lincoln and Christina said, the two glancing at each other and blushing slightly before moving along.
At the parade area, Lola was seen trying to talk the director into letting her join.
"Don't you know who I am!?" Lola pulled out her Pageant. "I'm Little Miss Royal Woods!"
"Do you carry that everywhere?" Kate asked.
"Don't get smart with me!" Lola shouted.
"Lola honey, please be nice," Rita urged, then focused on Kate. "Isn't there any place for her? It would mean a lot."
"Well...Luan did warn me that one of her sisters might try to hog attention to herself," Kate confirmed.
"...I'm so getting back at her for that one," Lola said.
"Don't get any funny ideas, missy!" Rita warned before focusing back on Kate. "And would you mind wording things better?"
"Right, of course," Kate said. "It's not a bad thing really, it just means she craves the spotlight. I respect that in a child."
"Oh yeah, I live for the Spotlight," Lola said.
"I suppose we can find something for you," Kate said. "Perhaps a visiting Queen, or Princess."
"How about Duchess?" Lola asked. "I am a descendant of Scottish Royalty after all."
"Oh yes, Luan's mentioned that," Kate said. "Very well, I just need to find a knight to accompany you."
"How about that guy?" Lola asked, gesturing to a knight in a costume, not knowing it was Stella.
"You there!" Kate called.
"Me?" Stella asked, her voice slightly muffled by her mask.
"Yes you, how would you like to be in the parade as this girl's knight?" Kate asked while gesturing to Lola.
"Huh? Lola?" Stella asked.
"Oh, you've heard of me? Good, we can skip the pleasantries," Lola said. "I need you to accompany me, can you do that?"
"Uh...well..." Stella wasn't sure.
"I will take that as a 'yes'," Kate said as scooted Stella over to Lola. "This will be glorious!"
"Great, so is there something I need to fill out?" Rita asked.
"Oh sure, come with me for a moment," Kate said as she led Rita away.
Lola turned her attention to the knight, "Listen, this parade is a big deal for me. It's to show that I should have been the Princess today. So just do as I say, and no one gets her. Capice!?"
"Uh...sure," Stella said.
"You sound familiar, do I know you?" Lola asked.
Stella lifted her face plate, "Hi."
"Stella!?" Lola said in disbelief. "But! Huh? Why!? How!?"
"I snuck out of my house," Stella said.
"But...Stella! You're hurt!" Lola scolded. "Are you nuts!? What if Lincoln sees you!? He's been worried sick about your injury! I can't believe you've being so stubborn!"
"Lola, it's fine, I can handle a little injury," Stella reassured.
"Little!? This does not seem 'little'," Lola said. "You had your ribs broken by that Doc Ock creep!"
"I built this knight suit myself, it's study so I don't feel much pain," Stella insisted. "It also protects me. It's not as good as real armor, but it will suffice. Now, if you promise not to tell anyone, I'll do my best to help you shine in this parade. Deal?"
"...Fine, but don't do anything stupid," Lola said. "I happen to like you, and I'd rather not see you get hurt even more."
"Aw, you're so sweet," Stella said as she pulled Lola in for a hug. "Lincoln was right, under that feisty exterior is a heart of gold."
"...Linky said that about me?" Lola started to blush a bit. "Wow...he's so kind. I love him so much."
"Speaking of Lincoln..." Stella began blushing herself. "What's this about him being worried sick about me?"
"Oh that..." Lola felt a little embarrassed having admitted that. "Don't tell him that I told you. He's just been beating himself up over it, like if it was his fault somehow. I get he wants to protect you, but he's not a superhero. He's gotta lay off his own guilt."
"Yeah, but I like that he worries," Stella said, the girl using her face plate to hide her blush. "He's so nice."
"If you think so, then date him already," Lola said.
Stella shook her head, "I can't, I don't want to give up a good friendship."
"Come on, you two would be so compatible," Lola said.
"I'm fine, really," Stella admitted. "Lincoln's too precious to me to risk anything. I'd rather not take any chances."
"I guess I don't blame you, Lincoln hasn't had luck with girls lately," Lola said. "But if you change your mind, just know that I will one hundred percent support you two together."
"That's sweet of you, thanks," Stella said before pulling out her fake sword. "Now let's show off to the world!"
"Heck yeah!" Lola said as she made her way to the float with Stella right behind her.
At the jousting event, two knights were seen facing opposite of one another. One looked unsure, while the other looked determined.
Upon the whistle blow, the two galloped at each other, with one quickly knocking the other off. Upon victory, the knight took her helmet off to reveal Lynn.
"Boo yah! No one stops Lynn Loud Junior!" Lynn bragged as she got off her knight and started her usual victory dance.
"How many events is Lynn going to do at once?" Lincoln wondered aloud.
"She's really athletic," Christina commented.
"Yeah! Which one of you losers wants to try me next!?" Lynn bragged. "How about you sir!? Wanna get your ass kicked next!?"
"Uh..." The man said.
"Or how about you, grandma!?" Lynn shouted at an old lady.
"I..." the woman shouted.
"I'll even take that crybaby kid!" Lynn said, pointing to a young boy.
"Mommy! She's scary!" the boy said as he clinged to his mother.
"Come on! I still want more!" Lynn shouted.
"Lynn! Get off the track before they kick you out of the Festival!" Lincoln called.
"What's that Stinkin'!? You want to fight me next!?" Lynn asked, then leapt onto the rail. "Come on, show off for your little friends here!"
"Lynn, you're embarrassing yourself," Lincoln said.
"I'll embarrass your face!" Lynn said.
"Hey! Grab that girl!" the guards said as they began to chase.
"Oh boy..." Lynn immediately began to run. "Can't catch me, losers!"
"Get her!" the guard said as he and the others continued to chase.
Lincoln shook his head in annoyance, "I love my sisters, but they can be so weird sometimes."
"She's just full of energy, I think Lynn's pretty cool," Christina said. "Hey, do you want to try jousting?"
"No way," Lincoln whispered to the girl. "My super strength may give me an unfair advantage."
"I suppose you're right," Christina whispered back.
"Okay, this is over," Clyde said. "So, girls, Lincoln and I were happy to catch up with you but-"
"Oh crap!" Lincoln checked his watch. "Luan's play is starting up soon!"
"Then let's hurry and go," Clyde said.
"A play!? I wanna see," Christina said.
"Want to come with me?" Lincoln asked.
"Oh...sure," Christina said as she nervously twiddled her feet. "Whatever you want, Lincoln."
Lincoln immediately left with Christina, while Paige looked on with pride. "Just like I hoped."
"At least you're getting what you wanted," Clyde said. "Lincoln promised to hang out with me! All he's done was make me the third wheel!"
"Hey, as the fourth wheel, I don't see the big deal," Paige said, before chuckling to herself. "Hey that rhymed."
"Ugh..." Clyde lamented.
"Look, Christina hasn't been having a good week, and Lincoln's making her happy, and in turn she's making him happy," Paige said. "So how about we be happy for our best friends?"
"Pfft, best friend, sure..." Clyde said as he bitterly walked off.
"What's with that kid?" Paige said as she also followed.
Lincoln and Christina walked closely together, the girl feeling both happy and shy around the boy beside her, feelings that were mutual for him.
"So...is your dad better?" Christina asked.
"Yeah, he's here at the fair," Lincoln said. "My whole family is."
"Yeah, I see that Luan is the Princess," Christina said. "She's beautiful."
"All the boys seem to think that, Benny hates it," Lincoln said. "But I'm happy for her."
"That's good," Christina said. "What about you? How have you been?"
"Fine," Lincoln said. "Less crime this week, so I got to not only catch up on schoolwork and projects, but have a little time to myself."
"Somehow less crime makes me nervous, it's like villains are plotting something," Christina said.
"We can handle it," Lincoln said. "Anyway, what about you? Have you been good."
"Yeah...I'm fortunate I could come to the fair today with my family, they're off doing their own thing," Christina said.
"I don't think I've really met your parents," Lincoln said.
"You might see them," Christina said. "My aunt's here too. She lives with us due to financial reasons."
"Wow, your family must be close," Lincoln said. "I bet they're really nice people."
"For the most part," Christina said.
"Most part?" Lincoln asked. "What does that mean?"
"...Nothing, I shouldn't have brought it up," Christina said. She then took Lincoln by the hand, causing him to blush a bit. "I'm just glad you're here with me."
"Yeah, I'm happy too..." Lincoln said as his heart began to beat.
While they walked, they unknowngly passed by Stella, the girl noticing just how close the two were, especially their hand holding.
"Well Stella, you made your choice..." Stella thought to herself. "Anything that happens is on you."
"Stella," Lola said, snapping the girl out of her inner thoughts. "We're ready."
"Sure," Stella said as she went with Lola.
"We're going to be part of the play, so that makes it more exciting!" Lola said. "We're off to Royal Woods Stadium!"
At the stadium, everyone was gathering inside. All of Lincoln's friends, his family and the boy himself while he sat next to Christina.
Clyde sat not too far away, still mad about Lincoln essentially breaking his word. Paige sat close as well, hoping to see something truly spark between Lincoln and Christina.
Luan took to the stage, having a message for the crowd. "Thanks for coming. My boyfriend Benny and I really worked hard on this play. It's inspired by classics like Romeo & Juliet, Hamlet and Macbeth. It's also partially inspired by hobbies my siblings have, like my sister's Lucy love for dark fantasy, and my brother's fascination with anime and some of his superhero comics. I've even taken a bit of my personal experience from my time in Scotland to put some things together. It's got your typical fairy tale type vibe, but with a few twists here and there. Nothing too outlandish I hope. But anyway, I hope you enjoy the play."
As Luan left the stage, the curtain opened to reveal the setting of an old castle town, resembling that of Loch Loud.
"Wow, Luan wasn't kidding," Lincoln said. "She really did take inspiration from Scotland."
Benny took to the stage, speaking while in character to Luan's character. "My fair Maiden, tis I! The great, Sir Angus! Here to liberate you from this foul castle!"
"I cannot leave," Luan's character said. "For I, the lovely Princess Leela, am dutifully bound to this palace!"
"But it wreaks of horrid things!" Benny said. "The sinister beasts! Evil men who wish to usurp your throne! And those accused Spiders!"
"Hold you tongue, the Spiders here are divine creatures," Luan said. "So long as their webs spin, so shall the justice of my land!"
"This writing is so corny," Lynn muttered.
"Shush!" Lana scolded.
"Ha! You fool!" Came the voice of Sully as his character appeared on stage. "You cannot hope to win! For I...Lord Darkington, will cast a horrid spell to erase all the divinity in the area! Mwahahahaha!"
"That's what you think!" Benny pulled a sword out. "Have at you, knave!"
"You simple minded fool!" Sulley pulled his sword out. "You are no match for my power! Prepare to fall at the hands of my might!"
The play continued on as planned. It was not perfect, but everyone did put their heart and soul into their performances, which most of the audience appriated.
One scene featured Benny and Luan on a boat while the boy played an old guitar. He was faking as the actual music was being played by Luna.
Benny serenaded Luan with a song that Luna wrote for the play, and while she was aware they were in character, Luan genuinely felt the romance in Benny's words, as if he were singing to her.
Lincoln and Christina held hands during this part, the two feeling their hearts racing as they glanced at one another.
While everyone was watchinh, Brooke from nearby, got a message from her boss.
"Start the plan," Johnathan said.
"You got it," Brooke said as she gestured to Chet to follow.
"Princess..." Benny got on his knees. "My dear sweet Princess Lua-er, Leela."
Luan chuckled at the mix-up, finding this more sweet than awkward.
"I love you more than anything, will you do me the honor of being my wife?" Benny asked.
"Why Ben...I mean, Angus...I would be delighted to," Luan said. "Come, take me away and-"
Suddenly two mysterious beings flew in and grabbed Luan, taking her and Benny by surprise, the latter confused.
"Wait, is this part of the play?" Benny asked. "I don't remember writing this!"
"Hey! Let me go! Who are you!?" Luan asked as she was suspended in mid-air.
"We...are the Jack-O' Lanterns!" Brooke's voice was heard saying. "Good to see you again, Luan."
"Brooke!?" Luan asked.
Suddenly an evil laughter filled the area as a voice boomed out. "Sorry Princess, your destiny has taken a different turn."
"What's going on!?" Luan asked.
"As of right now, you are my hostage, and everyone here is my prisoner," the voice said again, causing confusion within the crowd.
"Hey Lincoln?" Christina asked. "Is this part of the show?"
Lincoln however didn't have an immediate answer, but he did sense danger nearby. Whatever this was, it couldn't be an act. "We should get ready to act."
While worried for a second, Christina nodded her head as the two used the distraction to sneak away.
More men came and blocked all the exits, trapping everoyne in the stadium as a Magic Mirror descended above the crowd, and a familiar face taking the screen.
"Green Goblin!?" Luan asked.
Lincoln noticed from his location as well, his pupils shrinking at the disbelief. "He's back!?"
"That can't be good!" Christina said.
From her location, Stella was doing her best to comfort Lola while angrily glaring at the screen, "Looks like this so-called King is back. Way to ruin our fun you jerk!"
Even Mollie looked on in disbelief, and anger, "It's him...that bastard is the reason Jordan left! Oh...just wait till I get my hands on him!"
"Are you nuts!?" Rusty asked. "He's too dangerous! This guy fought Spider-Man, and escaped! What hope do you have!?"
"It's been a while Royal Woods, but your King has returned," Goblin said. "Now, you will bow to my feet and beg for my mercy!"
"You?! King!?" Lincoln said, swinging over as Spider-Man with Christina flying in by her side as Firestar. "News flash Gobby! I know this town is called 'Royal Woods', but we live by democracy!"
"Well now, what a surprise," Goblin said. "Spider-Man and Firestar. Oh, but it seems you're one short. Did the little spider forget to bring his mommy?"
Lincoln groaned in frustration, "Black Widow isn't my mother! Can that rumor die already!?"
"What are you planning, Goblin!?" Christina asked. "Why are you terrorizing people!?"
"Oh don't be like that, this is a Festival, and I just wanted to have fun like everyone else," Goblin said. "So why don't we have fun?"
"Sure, we'll have fun kicking the crap out of you!" Lincoln said.
"Now, now, it's easy to fight with brute strength, but what about fighting with your brain?" Goblin asked. "Sovle my riddles, and perhaps you'll save everyone. Fail, and all will perish in the wake of my New Kingdom."
"Riddles!? Wow, you must be from Under a Bridge, because you have got to be trolling us right now!" Lincoln said.
"Come on, what's life without a few fun puzzles?" Golbin taunted. "You don't have much to lose, aside from this town."
Lincoln grumbled in annoyane, to which Christina comforted him with a hand on his shoulder, "I know this is frustrating, and kind of stupid, but we don't have much to lose here. Let's just try to play along."
"...Fine," Lincoln said.
"Very good," Goblin said as he prepared his challenges. "Time for your Game of Fate, Spider-Man. Warning, I am quite good with games."
"That's fine, we're quite good with Fantasy," Christina said.
"Mirror, mirror on the wall, you're the most Irritating of them all! And the ugliest!" Lincoln quipped, much to Christina's amusement as the two prepared for a fight.
They were not letting this foe get the best of them, and they were determined to save the town.