The MARVELOUS Muppets: "The Amazing...Sequel!"

[muppetwriter]

Chapter Five​

With their attempt at asking Jameson for an advanced raise being a complete failure, Peter and the Muppets resorted to going with Robin and Peter’s aunt, May Parker, to the Bank of Manhattan and try to get a loan for their mortgage problems. It was only until Kermit, Piggy, Fozzie, and Robin went there with Peter and May that they discovered that the two had foreclosure problems of their own. If May didn’t find a way to pay it off, she would lose her home just like the Muppets would lose the Happiness Hotel. The only difference in the two foreclosures was that May had been threatened of hers long before Kermit and his friends had on theirs, and it was along a matter of time before her would be gone. So, as an act of kindness from both groups, they all decided to see the same banker, a man named Mr. Jacks, to help them out…but, unfortunately, things didn’t exactly go their way.

“I’m afraid the information you’ve provided for me here isn’t enough to refinance your homes.” He informed much to their displeasure. However, May was able to come up with some sort of excuse.

“I’m giving piano lessons again.” She said, surprising Peter a little.

“You are?” She meant to give him a little kick in the shin to silence him. But her foot seemed to have connected to Mr. Jacks, instead of Peter.

“Ouch!!!” He startled Kermit, Piggy, Fozzie, and Robin with his howling.

“You okay?” Jacks looked puzzlingly at the people in front of him, trying to ignore the pain in his leg.

“W-We appreciate that you just opened up new ‘Super-Saver’ accounts with us today,” said Jacks, with a slight smirk on his face. “But the fact is that you don’t have the assets to justify your loans. I’m sorry.” Peter and the Muppets looked down in despair, while May still seemed a bit cheerful, pulling out a medium-sized sheet of paper from her purse.

“Well, at least we still get a free toaster.” She said, but Jacks then informed her of the fact that the toaster could only be free for people who registered for three hundred or more dollars, before moving away from his desk and limping away to check on his leg.

“Oh, don’t worry everybody.” Robin cheerfully said to his discouraged friends. “As long as we still got the Theatre and the KMUP station, we’ll be just fine.”

“Robin, we haven’t performed a show at the Muppet Theatre in ages, and we barely have enough to repair the damages at the KMUP station in San Fran.” Kermit contradicted. “It’ll only be a matter of time before we lose both of them as well.” Robin then became discouraged himself. Kermit realized that he just might’ve crushed his nephew’s hopes, so he didn’t to make up his mistake by comforting him. “But we’ll still be alright, Robin. We’re the Muppets, remember? We always pull through.” Fozzie was beginning to believe that fact was only becoming pure fiction, as their situation got more hopeless by the hour.

“We’ll be fine, Uncle Kermit,” Robin said, “But what about Peter and Aunt May?”

“Oh, don’t you worry about us, Robin.” May remarked, gently patting the tiny frog’s head. “We’ll be alright.”

“That’s right. We’ll think of something.” Peter added, just as three people wearing black hats and brown trenchcoats (one larger than the other two) came in and walked to where the bank’s safe was located. These three visitors were no mere costumers; they were the newly formed alliance of Dr. Drakken, Shego, and Otto Octavius (a.k.a. “Doc Ock”). Once they neared the safe, Octavius ripped off a section of clothing from the back part of his trenchcoat and allowed his mechanical arms to come out. Two of them clutched to the floor, while the others grabbed a hold of the thick metal door for the safe and tore it out of place.

“Sweet!!” Shego yelled, just as Octavius hurled the detached metal door across the air and towards Peter, May, and the Muppets. Peter’s spider sense had kicked in as soon as the flying metal door came near them, and he pushed May and the Muppets away from, pushing himself back in the process as well and allowing the metal door to crash into Mr. Jacks’s desk, completely destroying it.

“What the heck?!” Piggy shouted, while Peter, realizing that there was an actual robbery occurring, jumped from his chair and ran away from May and the Muppets, who were surprised to see him escaping on his own.

“Peter! Don’t leave us here!” May cried, but Peter was too far away to hear her cries, as he rounded a corner and disappeared.

“Oh, he’s a real hero.” Piggy’s sarcasm didn’t seem to be helping any, and neither did the security officers that attempted to stop Drakken, Shego, and Octavius.

“Put your hands up! All of them!” An officer demanded, and Octavius answered the request by using his mechanical arms to grab the officers by their ankles and toss them aside.

“Man, Dr. D! I’m lovin’ this guy more and more by the minute!” Shego commented.

“Told ya we made a good bargain, Shego.” Drakken remarked, as the three menacing strangers entered the vault, where Octavius’s mechanical arms took off his hat and began putting several large bags of money into several cases. One of the arms stopped and “whispered” something to Otto, making him grin as he turned to Drakken and Shego.

“We have company.” He uttered, and the two knew exactly who he was talking about, once Shego removed her trenchcoat and turned around in time to see Spider-Man swing his way into the scene and stick to a section of the ceiling. She unleashed long-range projectiles of green plasma energy from her hands at the web-slinger, who instantly dodged each one as they came near him, leaving the blasts to blow away chunks of the ceiling.

“Argh! Hold still, you masked freak!” Shego yelled, using her acrobatic skills to jump into the air and attack Spidey head-on. But the hero provided to be too fast for Shego, even in hand-to-hand combat, as he swiftly dodged each of her punches, which were increased greatly in strength by her plasma flares, enough to melt and tear certain objects.

“Wow!” Fozzie exclaimed, pulling out a camera and taking several photos of Shego and Spider-Man fighting. “Jameson will be sure to pay us thousands for these photos!” While Fozzie was talking photos, Drakken was becoming very upset over the way Shego was having her butt handed to her by the web-slinger.

“Never send a woman to do a man’s job!” Drakken uttered, just before he snatched one of the heavy bags of golden coins and flung it at Spider-Man, who fired a web strand at it and simply hurled it back towards Drakken.

“Here’s your change!” He shouted, as the heavy bag hit Drakken square in the chest, causing him to immediately hit the floor and momentarily lose his breath.

“Never send an idiot to do a genius’s job!” Octavius said, before he used his mechanical arms to fling other bags at Spider-Man, who was dodging them between blows with Shego. He was able to knock her away and send her crashing into a desk, while he swung across to one of the pillars in the building and attempted to fire some webbing at Octavius. However, nothing came out of his wrists again, just like the night he was chased by Kim.

“What?!?!” He yelled, distracted long enough for Octavius to throw a money bag and make a direct hit, causing Spider-Man to fall from the pillar and hit a railing on his way to the floor.

“Ohh! Nice one, Ock!” Drakken yelled, as he moved the money bag that hit him away from his chest and went to Shego, who was slowly getting to her feet. “Why are you letting him kick your butt like that?!”

“Hey! You go one-on-one with a guy with spider reflexes and see how it’s like!” Shego snapped, while Octavius went to where Spider-Man was lying, having two of his arms pick him up by his wrists and fold them over his chest, as he glared at him through his sunglasses.

“You’re starting to get on my nerves!” Octavius told Spidey.

“I have a knack for that.” Spidey remarked.

“Not any more.” Octavius then used the claws from his other two mechanical arms to cling onto Spidey’s head and begin to squeeze it, making Spider-Man grunt as he did so.

“That’s it, Octavius! Squeeze his head to a pulp!” Drakken yelled, with his mouth watering as he watched the torture, disgusting Shego a little. But just when it seemed as if Spidey was done for, he fired two crisscrossed web strands, one at a marble-plated desk and the other at an old fashioned wooden one. Spidey unfolded his arms, sending both desks flying towards Octavius at the same time. Ock dropped Spider-Man immediately and focused on the wooden desk, using his mechanical arms to grab it and tear apart, just as the marble-plated desk came near him and hit him hard enough to make his body soar across two rooms and crash through a window. He hit a generator and tore it away from the sidewalk, creating a loud booming noise and unleashing several sparks, soon before he smashed right into a taxicab.

Close nearby, there was an SUV rounding a corner and coming across the area where Otto Octavius had smashed into the taxicab. The SUV was driven by Quentin Fitzwaller, who was once an irate, bumbling security guard at Walt Disney World, but became the personal assistant of Mickey Mouse, after he had been promoted for scraping all the spearmint off of park benches by the mouse himself. He immediately stopped the vehicle, upon seeing the man with the four mechanical arms, and turned to his passengers (Mickey, Donald, Goofy, Kim, and Ron).

“U-Uh, Mr. Mouse, sir?” Quentin said. “Maybe we should take a different route.” Mickey looked past the windshield and noticed Doc Ock on the street. He knew it was time for both his companions and his sorcerer alter-ego to spring into action.

“No, Fitzwaller! We’ve got a job to do!” Mickey said, just before he jumped out of the SUV with Goofy, Donald, Kim, and Ron. He surprised and confused his friends, when he had ran in a completely different direction from them.

“Hey, Mickey. You’re goin’ tha wrong way.” Goofy said.

“Uh, I…uh…have to get some film for the camera.” Mickey said, and without saying another word, he rounded the same corner that Quentin had in the SUV and disappeared, confusing his friends even more.

“But there’s plenty of film in this camera.” Donald indicated.

“Never mind.” Kim said. “Just keep a safe distance, while Ron and I go and stop Octavius.”

“Why does it always have to be you and me?” Ron asked, as he and Kim ran towards Octavius, who was able to pick himself back up with his mechanical limbs. Ron and Kim stopped, just as they noticed Spider-Man jumping through the shattered window, at the same time Octavius ripped two car doors from the taxicab and hurled them at Spidey. The web-slinger was able to jump over the first door, but it was the second that had caught him. While Spider-Man crashed back into the building, Kim and Ron confronted Octavius, neither of them realizing how much the doctor had changed.

“Doctor Octavius! Remember us?” Kim asked, and when he noticed the two, he just became more enraged.

“How can I forget the two people who failed to protect my machine?!” Octavius yelled and used two of his arms to swipe at Kim and Ron. Kim was able to jump out of the way in time, but Ron was caught by the two limbs, being sent flying through the air and landing on top of one of the squad cars that had arrived at the scene. Drakken and Shego came out of the bank at the moment Kim landed in front of them and taken aback by their appearance at the scene.

“What are you two doing here?!” Kim asked, and Drakken didn’t fear or get upset over Kim’s arrival, because he was that much confident of his alliance with Otto Octavius. All he had done was grin at Kim Possible, who was beginning to put two and two together. “What did you do to Doctor Octavius, Drakken?!”

“Let’s just say he’s all that and you’re not anymore!” Drakken exclaimed, just before one of the claws from Octavius’s mechanical limbs grabbed Kim by the waist, while one other did the same to May Parker. Octavius used his human arms to snatch Piggy, who was just coming out of the bank, taking all three of the women hostage. The police that had arrived at the scene aimed their weapons at Octavius, but soon lowered them once Octavius turned to them and held his hostages in front of him.

“Don’t follow me.” Octavius warned, and with his hostages, he moved away from the bank and started climbing up the side of a nearby building. Kermit, Fozzie, Robin, Goofy, and Donald saw what happened to Piggy, and they all started to get scared.

“Miss Piggy!” Robin cried.

“Kermit, what are we gonna do?!” Fozzie asked, and for the first time in his life, Kermit was lacking ideas, as he watched his girlfriend being taken away with Kim and May by Otto Octavius. While the crowd and the police were distracted by Octavius, Shego and Drakken got out of sight, both carrying two money bags, and left in their hovercraft, which had been parked in a nearby alleyway. As they flew away, a red/blue blur flew past them at a miraculous speed, spinning their hovercraft around and around just as fast.

“This is like the Mad Tea Cup all over again!!!” Drakken yelled, while the red/blue blur that was in fact the Sorcerer’s Apprentice (a.k.a. Mickey Mouse) landed on the side of the building that Octavius was climbing up, defying the laws of gravity by standing horizontally and stopping the surprised doctor in his tracks.

“Alright, buddy! Let the girls go!” Mickey demanded, and his forceful attitude impressed Piggy a little.

“Oh! Mickey!” Piggy exclaimed. “This is a side of you that I never thought I would see in person.”

“It’s gonna be okay, Piggy.” Mickey said. “As long as Octopus here cooperates!”

“Sure, Mr. Mouse. I’ll do anything for my childhood idol.” Octavius said, but the tone in his voice told otherwise. When the mechanical arms came closer to Mickey and put May and Kim in arm length from him, Octavius made a quick move and made his mechanical arms drop the two on purpose, at the same time he dropped Piggy as well. “Oops! Butterfingers!”

“NO!!!” Mickey yelled, and he quickly flew away from his spot and caught Piggy before she could’ve fallen any further. Kim, who was falling faster than May Parker, pulled out a gun device and fired a grappling hook that connected to one of the ledges of the building and allowed her to stop falling and start swinging through the air, catching May Parker and gently setting her back down on the sidewalk below.

“Goodness gracious! Thank you, my dear.” May said, a bit shaken.

“No big. Just get to someplace safe. Everything will be alright.” Kim said, before she pushed the trigger of her grappling gun and sent herself soaring back up the building.

“Be careful, young lady.” May said, watching and fearing for Kim as she flew upwards at Octavius, who noted her sudden appearance and made a move quick enough to surprise even Kim herself. He grabbed her body with one mechanical arm and began smashing her body against a brick wall, tearing it apart in the process. Chunks of stone began to fall towards the crowd, leaving Kermit, Fozzie, Donald, Goofy, and Ron to move several people to safety in the process. Kim was shaken badly from the blows, but she tried her very best to fight back against the six-armed madman.

Meanwhile, Mickey was able to bring Piggy back to her friends, but didn’t stay long enough to be thanked, considering the fact that Kim was in serious danger. When he flew back up towards her and Octavius really fast, he was caught by surprise when Spider-Man swung his way and accidentally caused the two heroes to collide, smashing into a wall. Angered by each other’s interference, Mickey and Spider-Man had to put a moment for bickering aside, in order to climb up and help save Kim.

When the sorcerer and the web-slinger came near the two, they didn’t expect to be caught by two of Octavius’s other mechanical limbs. It had become a one-on-three brawl in a matter of seconds, as Octavius fought desperately with his robotic arms against Kim, Mickey, and Spider-Man all across the side of the building. The spectators far below couldn’t believe the battle that was happening above, which Fozzie Bear was competing for pictures with Donald Duck, both snapping away at the scene.

“Gosh, Uncle Kermit.” Robin said, truly amazed. “I didn’t know Mickey Mouse could fight like that.”

“I didn’t either, Robin.” Kermit uttered, trying to comprehend the fact that his old F.A.S.A. buddy was up there with Kim Possible and Spider-Man, whose fight was starting to take a violent turn, when the mechanical arms that Spidey and Kim were fighting against had grabbed the two and threw their bodies through two windows and then hurled them away towards another building on the other side. Kim and Spidey crashed through the same window, leaving Mickey the only one fighting against Octavius, who pinned his small body against the wall with one of his mechanical limbs.

“I hope you enjoyed yourself, Mr. Mouse, because you’ve put on your last magic show for your adoring fans.” Octavius said, right before a long, sharp knife plucked itself out from one of his limbs and pointed directly at Mickey’s head. From the other building, Spidey and Kim could see the trouble that Mickey was in and both cooperated long enough to pull off an interesting trick. While Kim jumped on his back and gently held her arms around his neck, Spider-Man fired two web strands at two sides of the broken window and started pulling both himself and Kim back, stretching the web strands.

“Oh, this is so gonna be the drama!” Kim uttered, just before Spider-Man catapulted the both of them towards Octavius and Mickey. But things didn’t go exactly as planned, when Mickey unleashed a flash of light from his hands that melted Octavius’s sunglasses away and blinded him. While Octavius was screaming in pain, his body reeled back along with the limb that still had the protruding knife, which had aimed at Spidey and Kim. “Look out!” Spidey snatched the limb and used it as leverage to push himself and Kim towards the wall, which he instantly stuck to. The mechanical limb that Octavius used to pin down Mickey had loosened its grip on the mouse, but accidentally pushed him off the ledge in the process.

While Mickey had fallen several feet through the air, his sorcerer hat had flown off his head, taking away the power that he could’ve used to stop himself from falling and soar through the air again. Seeing how Mickey was freefalling, Spidey and Kim immediately jumped from the ledge and fell towards him. Spidey fired two web strands at both sides of Mickey’s body and gave a hard jerk to increase his fall enough to catch up with the mouse. Once he was near Mickey, he snatched him and fired another web strand into the air, stopping their fall and giving Spidey opportunity to swing them all to safety, while the police fired at Octavius, who had fled the scene.

Spider-Man brought himself, Kim, and Mickey back down to the center of the crowd below, all of the people gathering around them and congratulating each of them. While the crowd cheered on the three heroes that took on Doctor Octopus, Robin spotted something nearby that made him move away from his uncle’s side, as Kermit himself joined Piggy, Fozzie, Donald, Goofy, and Ron in congratulating and questioning Kim, Spider-Man, and Mickey.

“You okay, Kim?” asked Ron, who was just as bruised as Kim was.

“I’ll let you know once I’m in a bathtub filled with ice.” Kim remarked.

“I know the feelin’.” Ron said, while Kermit checked on Piggy.

“How are you doing, Piggy?” He asked her. “Do you think you need medical attention or anything like that?” Piggy wasn’t exactly listening to Kermit, because she was too interested in the person that saved her life: Mickey Mouse. “Piggy?” The frog soon noticed her gaze on Mickey, and he finally reached the jealous attitude that he had known he should’ve been feeling, ever since Mickey became a Bugle reporter. Fearing that he would say something he would regret, Kermit simply just walked away, coming across Robin, who was picking Mickey’s sorcerer hat up from the sidewalk at the same time his uncle took him by the hand. “Come on, Robin. Let’s go.”

“But…Uncle Kermit…” Robin said, trying to show the jealous Kermit the hat, as he was led away by him. Meanwhile, Fozzie was interested in the story regarding Kim, Spidey, and Mickey.

“So is this the start of a new partnership?” He asked, and the three heroes answered in unison, each giving a simple “No.”

“I work solo.” Spidey told Fozzie.

“Same here.” Mickey said, glaring at Spider-Man.

“You boys took the words right out of my mouth.” Kim remarked, and Ron was about to say something, until Kim had covered his mouth. “Come on, Ron. Let’s get outta here.” Kim and Ron limped away from the scene, while Spider-Man jumped and swung out of sight. Mickey remained where he was, as Quentin approached him with a sorcerer hat that looked oddly similar to his.

“Here’s your hat, sir.” He said, and Mickey angrily snatched it away from, as he turned to Donald and Goofy.

“Neither of you fellas say anything about this to Jameson, alright?” Mickey demanded.

“But, Mickey, everyone saw ya do what ya did.” Goofy said.

“Yeah, it’s bound to get into the papers sometime.” Donald added.

“You fellas forget that I’m a sorcerer. I’ll just use my magic once we get back to the Tipton to make everyone forget all about this.” Mickey said, as he walked back to the SUV with Donald, Goofy, and Quentin. Had he and his friends hung around longer, they would’ve heard a young boy ask his mother where the hat that he bought from the Disney Store had gone.

“I can’t wait ‘til we get these pictures back to the Bugle for Mister Jameson to see.” Fozzie said, just as Piggy noticed something about his camera that brought on her next action.

“HIIIII-YAHHHH!!!!!” She screamed, just before she karate-chopped Fozzie, sending him flying through the air and smacking against the side of a squad car. “The lens cap was still on, you idiot!!!”

“That’s…all…you had…to tell…me.” Fozzie grunted, while Piggy shook her head, wondering if they would have any luck at the Planetarium Party.

“Oh, I hope so.”

END OF CHAPTER FIVE​

 

[The Count]

Bravo! Loved this chapter. So much action and excitement... Along with playing on the emotions of Kermit and the potential team-up, as a prelude to the final battle.

Loved it and awaiting more. Sorry the last review was quick, was watching the Legends of the Dragon marathon last night.

 

[muppetwriter]

Chapter Six​

When the night of the high-society social gathering at the Planetarium arrived, there were a lot of mixed emotions amongst the attending guests. Kermit, who had become very frustrated over the chemistry that Mickey and Piggy supposedly gained after the rescue than the assignment given to him by J. Jonah Jameson, arrived there with Fozzie, Robin, Peter, Jenny, Rizzo, and Piggy herself in Fozzie’s Studebaker. Piggy had tried several times to get Kermit to at least say one small word to her, but the frog hadn’t spoken to her for hours, which made Piggy feel very sad and disappointed in herself for letting her admiration for Mickey (who was disappointed in himself for failing to retrieve his actual hat and making everyone forget about his daring deeds) get in the way.

Fozzie backed Peter up on the photo shots, remembering to take the lens cap off that time, while Peter tried to some refreshments. However, no matter how hard Peter tried, someone snatched the last hors d’oeuvre before he could’ve. While Peter was doing that, Jenny spotted Harry Osborn alone at the bar, drowning his sorrows in booze, and she realized that he could use a friend’s company at that time. Leaving the side of her companions, she moved over to the bar and had a chat with the discouraged son of the late Norman Osborn.

“Hey, Harry.” Jenny said, trying to think up something to start up a conversation. “How’s it going?”

“Don’t you have some orders to take?” Harry snapped, and Jenny was a little offended by his remark, but didn’t let it drive her away from him. She saw how he taken one big gulp out of a whole bottle of champagne and seemed a little worried about his condition.

“Listen, Harry,” She said, “Maybe it isn’t such a good idea to drink so much. Alcohol never does solve anyone’s problems.”

“It’s a party, Jen.” Harry remarked, taking another big swig. “Wouldn’t you be drinking if you lost a bundle on some crackpot who you thought would take you to fame and fortune?” It was obvious it was more than Octavius’s failure that was troubling Harry, and he made that clear as he turned away from his drink and glared at Jenny with his drunken eyes. “Not to mention your boyfriend’s devotion to the bug.”

“My…” Jenny was puzzled at first, until she looked past Harry’s shoulder and noticed Peter being guided by Jameson to various socialites, including the Mayor and his girlfriend (or is it his wife?), who his wife had been photographed with. She realized who Harry was referring to and immediately defended herself and Peter. “Harry, he’s not my boyfriend.”

“Oh, really,” Harry said in a sarcastic tone. “Don’t think I noticed the way he was staring at you at Otto’s demonstration that day? Why else would he take that job at your father’s poor excuse for a restaurant?” Jenny was trying not to appear upset by Harry’s drunken remarks.

“We’re just friends, Harry. That’s all.” She said. “And if I were you, I wouldn’t question Peter’s devotion. He’s a good friend and cares a lot about you, as do I.”

“If he cares so much about me, then how come he doesn’t help me find Spider-Man and make him pay for what he did to my father?” Harry asked, and Jenny didn’t answer, not because she couldn’t think of a good answer, but because there was no answer for a question like that.

“Please, Harry. Not tonight, when everyone’s having such a…”

“Every night, Jenny! Until I find Spider-Man, it’s gonna be twenty-four/seven!” Harry stared coldly at Jenny, who was quite disturbed by his comments, afraid that he would do something one day that he might regret. It was only until Rizzo came up to the two when things began to calm down.

“Yo! Jen!” The rat shouted. “Help give me a boost, will ya? I gotta get some of da cheesecake dat dose gals are carryin’ around on da trays.” Jenny took one last look at Harry, before walking away with Rizzo, leaving Harry to continue on his binge.

“Ladies and gentlemen, good evening,” said the emcee that stood at the podium on stage at the center of the huge room, with a bright smile on her face. “The committee for the Science Library of New York is pleased to present our guest of honor.” While the emcee was talking, Jameson turned to Fozzie and Peter, grinning.

“Get ready, boys.” He said.

“He’s the first man to play football on the moon.” Everyone gave a little chuckle over the emcee’s joke, especially Jameson and his wife. “The handsome, the heroic, and the delicious…John Jameson!!” After the emcee’s introduction, all of the guests turned to the flight of stairs that John Jameson himself came down on, along with the gorgeously dressed Mary Jane Watson. While everyone was applauding for the lovely couple, Fozzie had taken several photos of them, though it was only him that was talking them. Next to Fozzie was a frozen Peter, who couldn’t believe that Mary Jane was involved with John. Jenny noticed how shocked he was and felt a little disappointed for him.

A short while later, things seemed to have gotten tenser by the second. Peter went outside to the back of the Planetarium to have a talk with Mary Jane, which only escalated her hatred and disappointment towards Peter. While Peter confronted Mary Jane, Piggy confronted Kermit over the situation involving them, fearing the direction that their long-time relationship was going and doing everything she could to save it. She found Kermit in a section of the main room, interviewing John Jameson and asking questions that regarded to his next space mission (yet most of the answers John gave the frog had a mentioning of his new love, Mary Jane, in them).

“Kermie?” Piggy said, softly, and Kermit cringed, not wanting to talk about anything with Piggy, especially in the middle of an interview. “Do you mind if we talk for a minute?”

“I’m a little busy.” Kermit said, and Piggy was a little pleased that he finally said those four words after spending hours giving her the silent treatment, even though he didn’t look at her as he said them.

“But I just want to talk about…well…you know…” Piggy said, and Kermit sighed in exasperation, addressing John Jameson again.

“I’m sorry, John.” Kermit told him. “I’m afraid I have to end this interview rather early, because somebody wants to hog all of your attention.” Usually when Kermit made comments like that, he would get a karate chop in a millisecond. But Piggy was too worried to be offended and refrained from her violent outburst.

“I get the message.” John said. “I have to find my date, anyway. There’s some great news that I’m gonna share with everybody, once I find her.” And with that, John left Piggy alone with Kermit, who didn’t once turn to look at her as they talked.

“Kermie…you know that you’re the only one I love.” Piggy said, still in a soft tone of voice. “What happened yesterday with Mickey…that was…well…He was just saving my life. You wouldn’t have wanted me to splatter all over the sidewalk, would you?”

“How can you even ask a question like that?” Kermit replied, with a mixture of anger and frustration in his voice. “For years, all I have ever done is care about you, Piggy. Ever since we grew up together in the nursery and fell so deeply in love during our escapade in London, all I ever wanted was for you to be by my side at times when I really needed you there with me.” He tried to contain his anger and frustration, so he wouldn’t cause a scene in front of the people around them. “It doesn’t bother me that Mickey saved your life, Piggy. What bothers me is the way you looked at him after he did. You look like you’d rather…you’d rather…” He tried to bring himself to finish, but didn’t have the heart to. Piggy knew exactly what he was going to say and couldn’t believe he would think such a thing, especially seeing as how he and Mickey were trustworthy friends. Kermit let out a deep sigh and turned to face Piggy for the first time in a while. “Look, Piggy…I think you and I should just…not see each other for a while. There are a lot of thoughts going through my mind right now, and I want to convince myself that they’re not all true. I want to get my head on straight, before we can continue on with whatever we had…that is, if we had anything to begin with.”

Piggy was shocked and bewildered to hear Kermit make such a proposal. She was so crushed that she couldn’t utter another word and had to leave the frog right away to be alone and weep out her pain. Kermit couldn’t believe what he suggested either. He knew how long the both of them had been together, and to hear himself talk about breaking up was the last thing he would’ve expected. What made it all even weirder to him was the fact that Mickey Mouse, his old F.A.S.A. buddy, was the reason for it all.

Shortly after the conversation Piggy and Kermit had, Robin was trying to talk to someone about Mickey’s sorcerer hat, which he had actually brought with him to the event. He couldn’t find Piggy anywhere and his uncle only told him that he needed to be alone for a moment, as he sat in one of the corners, just staring out into space. Rizzo was still busy trying to snatch a snack and Fozzie was busy taking photos all around. Eventually, Robin ran into Jenny, who had greeted a distraught Peter as he came back into the building.

“Hey, Jenny,” The little frog said. “Are you busy right now?”

“No. I’m not busy at all, Robin.” Jenny replied. “What is it?”

“Well…I have to talk to you about…” Before Robin could pull out the hat from behind his back and show it to Jenny, a man rudely pushed them aside as he passed by, staggering his way towards Peter. It was Harry, who was totally smashed at that moment, finally letting off his frustrations on Peter.

“You know, your loyalty to Spider-Man and not to your best friend is starting to **** me off.” He said, angrily. “I find him with my father’s body, and you defend him like he’s your bread and butter.” Jenny knew what was about to happen, so she urged Robin to go find her uncle, while she stepped in between Harry and Peter.

“Harry, take it easy.” Jenny said, gently putting her hand on Harry’s shoulder, which he brushed off immediately.

“Don’t touch me, you tramp!!” Harry snapped.

“Don’t talk to her that way.” Peter told him. “We’re your friends, Harry.”

“Well, you sure don’t act like it.” Harry remarked. “You stole M.J. from me…you stole my father’s love…you let him die, ‘cause you didn’t turn in the freak. Isn’t that right?” What happened next took Peter, Jenny, and everyone else around them by surprise, as Harry slapped Peter across the face. The band that had been playing for hours stopped, as had everyone else in the room. All eyes were focused on Peter and Harry, as the two stared at each other. “Huh?! Isn’t that right?! Huh…brother?!?!” Harry attempted to slap Peter again, but Jenny quickly grabbed his arm and tried to hold him back.

“Harry! Stop!” She cried, just as she was pushed to the floor by Harry, angering Peter, who grabbed him by the collar, ready to take him on. Peter didn’t do anything for a long while, as he held Harry by the collar. His sudden action had truly surprised Harry, who just stared into his eyes, seeming to be prepared for whatever fight that he and Peter would get into. Jenny watched and waited for something to happen, while everyone else did as well. However, nothing had happened, except for Peter letting go of Harry’s collar and moving over to help Jenny to her feet. Without saying another word, Harry left the scene, furious and disappointed.

“You okay, Jenny?” Fozzie asked, as he approached Jenny and Peter with Rizzo and Robin by his side.

“I’m fine.” Jenny said, looking at Peter with thankful eyes. Standing nearby the scene was Mary Jane, who saw what had happened and couldn’t believe it all, especially when Peter and Jenny looked into each other’s eyes, which made it seemed to M.J. as if the two had a romantic connection. Her attention was soon distracted by John, who smiled as he passed by her and went to the podium on stage, making some sort of announcement.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I just want you all to know that the beautiful Miss Mary Jane Watson has agreed to marry me.” John announced, and his action brought a smile to the face of Mary Jane, who wasn’t expected it. Meanwhile, Jenny and Peter were shocked by the announcement, whereas Fozzie and Robin were ecstatic about it.

“Hey, that’s wonderful!” Fozzie exclaimed.

“It sure is,” Robin said. “Isn’t it, Peter?” When Robin turned to Peter, he noticed the unhappy look on his face, as well as the one on Jenny’s, and got a little confused. The small frog quickly became sad himself, though he wasn’t sure why. While everyone, including Fozzie, was applauding over the huge announcement, Mary Jane joined John on the stage, which brought J. Jonah Jameson to beckon Peter or Fozzie to take a picture.

“Shoot the picture! Shoot the picture!” He yelled, and Fozzie & Peter got their cameras ready, aiming them at John and Mary Jane and shooting photos that were likely to make it on the front page of the Bugle.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~​

Hours after the party at the Planetarium was over, Mickey Mouse decided to step out of the Tipton Hotel and take a late night stroll on the streets of Manhattan, without his friends and Quentin Fitzwaller joining him. He needed to be alone for a while to think about where his sorcerer hat could’ve been, after shortly discovering that Quentin gave him the wrong one, when he found a Disney Store tag on it. The mouse knew that without it, things were going to be difficult for him, as he tried to make a new career in journalism in New York City. “Journalists aren’t supposed to look for big news and be it at the same time,” he thought.

While passing through the area that he, Kim Possible, and Spider-Man fought against Doc Ock, Shego, and Drakken in, Mickey looked all around the crime scene (which it had become, soon after the fight) and search desperately for his hat. Hundreds of people witnessed the fierce battle and any of them could’ve taken it. When he checked just about everywhere and couldn’t see any sign of the hat, Mickey decided to give up and head back to the hotel. That was until he noticed one other at the scene: Kim Possible herself.

“Hey!” Mickey exclaimed, approaching Kim, who was analyzing parts of the ravaged bank for clues. When she noticed Mickey, a small smile crept across her face, happy to see the mouse whose life she was proud to save.

“What up, Mickey.” Kim said, and as Mickey got closer to her, he was surprised to see how the top part of her head was bandaged up, covering half of her long, beautiful red hair.

“Gosh! Are you alright?” Mickey asked, and Kim gently placed a hand over the bandaged area of her head.

“Oh, you mean this? No big.” Kim replied. “I’ve taken worse blows than this.”

“What about your sidekick friend? I think he took a beating from Doctor Octopus that was worse than either of ours.”

“Oh, Ron just has a sprained ankle. He’ll be fine, as long as Rufus keeps feeding him that chicken soup.” Mickey nodded, with a friendly look on his face that told how much he was glad to see and hear that Kim and Ron were still alright. He then began to feel a little upset with himself for saying the things he did the other day about Kim and Spider-Man. The feeling was the same for Kim as well.

“Listen, I’m really sorry about yesterday.” They both said at the same time, which made Kim chuckle and point at Mickey.

“Jinx! You owe me a soda!” She exclaimed, and Mickey shook his head, expecting her to say just that. “Seriously, Mickey…I really don’t mind fighting crime with you. I never even knew you had a thing for it.” Mickey felt a bit sheepish, not wanting to discuss his secret life with anyone. But seeing as how it was currently out in the open, he decided to talk about it with Kim.

“I just wanted to be something more than an American icon. I want to be an American hero, helping people in dire situations and making a change for those that really need it. I want to help the world get back on its feet and earn the peace that it deserves.” Kim was impressed to hear such a lovable character say such marvelous things, almost bringing a tear to her eye. “But I don’t think I can anymore, with my hat missing now.”

“Where did it go?”

“I don’t know. I’ve looked all over for it and haven’t found it anywhere.”

“Well, maybe I can help you out. I have this friend who…” Before Kim could finish, she was interrupted by the sound of a man screaming in terror, followed by several thuds and a splashing noise. They noticed how the noises were coming from a nearby alleyway, which they immediately went to and found Spider-Man lying in a puddle of water.

“Did he just fall?” Mickey said in surprise.

“Believe it or not…he did.” Kim responded, as they watched Spidey painfully get to his feet and unmask himself, revealing his true identity before the two characters. When Mickey found out that Spider-Man was really Peter Parker, he couldn’t believe his eyes, which he wiped over and over again before coming to grips with the truth.

“Peter?!?!” Mickey shouted, and once Peter looked up and spotted the two, he quickly realized the mistake he made.

“Relax, Parker.” Kim said. “I’ve known for some time now.”

“You have?!?!” Mickey and Peter both said, as they looked at her surprisingly.

“The first time you fell, after I chased you over the rooftops, I watched you remove the mask. And, at first, I didn’t know who you were. Then I had a friend of mine do a quick background check. I had never anticipated the Amazing Spider-Man to be not much older than me.” Peter somehow figured that Kim knew his secret, just from the way she acted towards him on their first encounter in Jameson’s office at the Bugle. However, Mickey Mouse discovering it was a different case.

“So, Mickey…I guess this has got to be quite a shock for you.” Peter said, and Mickey smiled and nodded.

“It is.” The mouse remarked. “I guess I can understand why you hide it from everyone, especially after what happened to me.” Peter did find it a little uncanny how Mickey’s situation was oddly similar to his own that moment. Mickey found it just as uncanny that he was beginning to gain some respect for the wall-crawler, after finding out he was someone who he respected more than anyone else. “But, don’t worry…I’m gonna make sure no one else finds out about your secret.”

“Same here.” Kim said, realizing that the only way she would find out the truth of what happened the night Norman Osborn died would be to earn Peter’s respect first. Peter, believing in the two characters, was pleased yet a little disappointed at the same time.

“Well…you might not have to worry about helping me keep any secrets, because…well…just watch.” He said, right before he stuck out his wrists and attempted to fire webbing out of them. Unfortunately, nothing came out. “You see? Something happening to me, and I don’t know what it is.” Kim and Mickey were just as baffled as Peter was.

“What about your wall-crawling ability?” Kim asked, and Peter decided to take the opportunity to check it out, turning to a brick wall that he started to scale up on. For a while, it seemed as if things were back to normal again, reaching to about nine feet. Then he suddenly began to start slipping, until he was able to find his grip again.

“Hmm…” Mickey said, “Looks like there’s nothing…” But Mickey immediately silenced himself, just as Peter lost his grip again and fell right back to the ground, his back slamming against a nearby dumpster in the process. As Kim and Mickey went to his side and checked on him, it was obvious to the two that Peter was indeed losing his spider abilities.

“Why is this happening to me?” Peter asked.

“I have no clue.” Kim said. “But maybe my mom can tell you.” Peter and Mickey looked at her strangely, thinking that she forgot her promise all too quickly. “She’s a doctor, and we don’t have to tell her about your spider powers. We’ll just take you for a simple checkup.”

“That’s a good idea.” Mickey said. “Maybe what’s happening to you is a physical problem, like a cold or something.” Peter pondered over the possibilities of that, as he looked past Kim’s bandaged head and noticed a current issue of the Daily Bugle hanging out of the dumpster. He reached past her and grabbed it, looking at the front headline, only to see black and white blurs.

“Oh, no.” Peter uttered, blinking his eyes several times, while Mickey and Kim read the front headline and shook their heads in disgust.

“Aw, man! There are times when I really hate tabloids.” Kim stated.

“What does it say?” Peter asked, and Kim and Mickey looked at him oddly, wondering if his condition was more serious than they thought.

“It says, ‘Spidey/Ock Bank Robbery Foiled by Sorcerer and Teen Heroine’.” Mickey indicated, and after hearing that, he felt a lot worse about the headline than he did about his poor eyesight, which was starting to come back.

END OF CHAPTER SIX​

 

[The Count]

Wonderfully woven and I applaud the story.

The heartbreak between Peter and M.J.
The conversation calling it quits between the frog and the pig.
Robin not getting any help from the grownups, getting lost in the shuffle.
The fight or scuffle between Peter and Harry.
And then the heroes meeting and revealing themselves.

It's all great and I hope for more soon.

BTW: Did you catch the Mystic Force finale? There's something that made me cringe when they introduced the character of the Mystic Mother, something that blows the continuity to heck.

 

[muppetwriter]

I haven't really been catching up with much of Mystic Force lately. The only Jetix program that I've been really attached to recently is W.I.T.C.H. (and Gargoyles, if you want to call that an actual Jetix program). I meant to catch that finale; hopefully they'll show a rerun of it.

Oh, and I thought about the decision I made to exclude Foster's as a secondary franchise to the third Spidey/Muppets tale, and I realized how much of a mistake I would be making to leave out those characters. So I'm going to go back on my decision to include them, making them the fifth secondary franchise that I'll be having to join the Marvel and Muppet characters.

Also, I'm highly considering having characters from Avatar: The Last Airbender join the W.I.T.C.H. girls in the next F4/Muppets story, which might be a good idea, considering the whole Earth, Water, Fire, and Air thing.

 

[The Count]

Heh... Don't get me started on Gargoyles. Loved that show when it was one of the last additions to The Disney Afternoons on the ol' WB-11 when it was still WPIX in New York when I also had better sight than I do now.
Sooo glad I finally got to watch the third season when it was much more of a part of the Toon Disney/Jettix lineup. Because of all of the shows they have now, Gargoyles has been relegated to the midnight shift block after or before a second SPD airing, ATOM's on at 6 o'clock in the AM, and Kong's been completely removed.

Seems like the Avatar series might blend well with W.I.T.C.H. in FF/Muppets 2.
And the Mystic Force finale will be repeated, when they do the whole season-long marathon again in mid to late January before premiering Operation Overdrive, which is airing early promos already. After that, Mystic Force will replace SPD in the normal morning and evening Jettix lineups in the previous Rangers season spot in the lineups.

Just LMK if you need help/knowledge on any or most of these franchises and I'll be glad to help out as best I can.

 

[muppetwriter]

Man! It's about time!!

They've released the new poster for Spider-Man 3, and it is sweet! Check it out:

http://www.superherohype.com/news/spider-mannews.php?id=4931

 

[muppetwriter]

This chapter's a little short, but for obvious reasons.

Chapter Seven​

“Now, open wide and say, ‘Ahhh’.” Mrs. Dr. Possible said, as she stuck a Popsicle stick in Peter’s open mouth and shined a light into it. Being one of the best medical doctors in Manhattan, she had seen her share of special cases and was often challenged to face those that were difficult to comprehend. Peter’s situation was one of those cases that were much like the latter, and when Kim (who Mrs. Dr. Possible had seen after her fight with Doc Ock to bandage her wounds) brought him in to see her, she couldn’t help but to seem a little confused, because he seemed so healthy to her. “Well, Pete, want the good news or the bad news?” As Mrs. Dr. Possible removed the Popsicle stick from his mouth, Peter admitted that he wasn’t too happy to hear that there was some bad news involved. He looked over to Kim and Mickey, who were in the room with him and the doctor.

“Uh…the good news?” Peter remarked, and Mrs. Dr. Possible smiled.

“The good news is that there doesn’t seem to be anything physically wrong with you, which I expected as soon as you stepped in.” She said, and Kim gave Peter a gentle pat on the back.

“Well, that is good news.” Kim commented. “So what is your diagnosis, Mom?”

“My diagnosis…” Mrs. Dr. Possible pointed to her head. “…it’s all in here.” Peter nodded his head, comprehending the possibility of that.

“So, uh, what’s the bad news?” Mickey asked, and Mrs. Dr. Possible frowned.

“The bad news…you don’t have to pay anything for this checkup.” She replied, and Kim rolled her eyes over her mother’s lame joke, while Mrs. Dr. Possible just laughed it up. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I know it sucks, but…gimme a break, will ya?” Mrs. Dr. Possible removed her gloves and sat next to Peter on the examination table. “You say you can’t sleep, sweetie. What is it? Heartbreak? Bad dreams?” The bad dreams part sounded like the perfect cover-up for Peter’s real reason for being there.

“There is one dream…where—in my dream—I’m Spider-Man.” Peter said, and Mrs. Dr. Possible raised an eyebrow in curiosity. “And I’m losing my powers. I’m climbing a wall, and I keep falling.”

“Oh?” Mrs. Dr. Possible remarked, her curiosity in Peter’s dream growing. “So…you’re Spider-Man…in your dream…”

“Actually, Mom,” Kim interjected, “It’s my dream.” Mrs. Dr. Possible got even more curious, now that her daughter stepped in and confessed.

“You, Kimmie?” She said, obviously surprised. “What’re you doing dreaming that you’re Spider-Man? Or a man for that matter?” Peter looked at Kim strangely, wondering why she would step in like that.

“I guess it just comes from saving the world a lot.” Kim said.

“O-kay.” Her mother uttered, trying her best to understand all of this. “Fill me in, honey. Why does the girl who can do anything believe that she has to climb walls like Spider-Man? Is there something about yourself that you’re starting to think about for the first time?” Kim looked over at Peter, whose life she could relate to in so many ways, being that she was a dedicated hero as well. It made it easy for her to compare herself to him for a moment, as she addressed her mother.

“Well…that’s just the thing…I don’t know what to think.” Kim said. “It’s like I don’t know who I am anymore.” Mrs. Dr. Possible had gone from being curious to concern in a matter of seconds, wondering if that blow to Kim’s head had done more damage than she imagined. But she decided to just ask more questions, before ruling amnesia as a cause.

“It must gotta make you mad to not know who you are, sweetie. Your soul disappears. The worse kind of illness for a human being is uncertainty.” She stated, and as Peter listened to her, he took notes in his head, adding them all up to come up with some kind of answer to his current condition. “Listen, Kimmie, maybe you’re not supposed to be Spider-Man climbing those walls. That’s why you keep falling.” Kim nodded, pretending to find all of this helpful for herself, when it was really Peter who did. “You always have a choice, sweetie.”

“I always have a choice.” Peter uttered, and Mrs. Dr. Possible looked back over to Peter, becoming really confused again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~​

That night, when it was storming hard outside, Peter sat in the bedroom of his apartment, thinking about what Mrs. Dr. Possible had told Kim. He thought about the two years that he had spent as Spider-Man and how much devotion he had put in to the crime-fighting job. The more he thought about those two years, he began to think about the things…the incidents…the people that made him become what he was. Uncle Ben…his death by the hands of that carjacker who he could’ve stopped…was the biggest reason of all. And though he really wished he could talk over his problems to him that moment, he knew there was only one living man who could actually help him out.

“Hello, operator?” Peter said into the phone. “I’d like to make a long distance call to Sean Thomas in San Francisco.” He knew that he couldn’t afford the call. But he had to talk to someone who was there when Norman Osborn had died and reminded him so much of his late uncle. When the operator connected Peter to Thomas, he was glad to have heard the voice of his sister, Lori, on the other end.

“Thomas residence. This is Lori.”

“Hey, Lori. I-It’s me…Peter Parker.” Lori’s voice sounded very happy, after Peter revealed that it was him on the phone.

“Peter?! Oh, man! It has been years since I’ve seen you! How are you doing, kid?”

“I’m…fine.” Peter didn’t want to lie to Lori. But he felt like he had to, because she didn’t know who he really was, even though she was there when he fought against the Green Goblin, only in an unconscious state. “How are you doing?”

“Oh, aren’t you sweet. I’m doing okay. I’m just here at our aunt’s house with Sean, celebrating the fourth birthday for our cousin, Stanley.”

“Is it alright if I talk to Sean? I’m calling from long distance here.”

“Sure, kid. I understand. Come visit me sometime, will ya?”

“I promise.” Peter waited for a brief moment, as Lori went off the phone and her voice was replaced by that of Sean Thomas, former Daily Bugle reporter.

“Pete?”

“Hey…it’s good to hear you again, too.”

“Same here. Is there something wrong? You sound a little down.”

“I’m just…well…I have to stop.” It was quiet over the receiver for a while, as Sean realized what it was that Peter was talking about.

“What happened to Osborn wasn’t your fault, Pete.”

“It’s not just that. I…love Mary Jane. And I feel like I’m losing her by not telling her how I feel about her. I haven’t been keeping my promises to her, and she feels like I’m neglecting her.”

“Peter…honesty, fairness, and justice are the three things that define not just a hero. Ordinary people are defined by those things as well. What makes a person, whether he’s a hero or not, so special is how he lives his life. And you have been living your life being honest, fair, and serving justice to those that need it, despite whatever promises you haven’t kept.”

“But I’ve been living more of a life as Spider-Man than I have as myself. I want a life of my own, Sean.”

“You’ve been given a gift, Peter. With great power comes great responsibility. You have to remember that, if you want to go on as Spider-Man.” When Sean had said that, it reminded so much of his Uncle Ben, which was what made it so hard for him to tell Sean what he said afterwards.

“No, Sean. I’m just Peter Parker. I’m Spider-Man…no more.” He said, with tears pouring out from his eyes, as he hung up the phone right in the middle of their conversation. “No more.”

In San Francisco, Sean Thomas stood in the kitchen of his aunt’s house, with a cordless phone placed near his ear. Hearing the dial tone coming over the phone, he felt really disappointed in Peter’s decision and wished that he hadn’t hung up so soon, because there was so much more he could’ve done to talk Peter out of his decision. As he pressed the button to shut off the phone, Sean thought about how the city of Manhattan would go on, without a hero to watch over it.

“Hey,” Lori said, as she came up to her brother from behind. “How was Pete?” Sean turned to his sister and gave her a little smile.

“He’s fine.” He said. “He’ll be just fine.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~​

In a dark alleyway, in the midst of the thunderstorm that was happening over the city, Peter was joined by Kim and Mickey, as he carried his Spider-Man costume over to a trash can that was nearly full. With the decision that Peter just made, it seemed obvious that the three heroes were never going to be the team that so many New York citizens wanted them to become, along with the fact that Mickey still was without his sorcerer hat and Kim still needed time to heal up before jumping back into the action (which could be quite a while). What made the whole thing even sadder to the three was that they were just starting to get into the idea of a partnership.

“Gosh…what do we do now?” Mickey asked, and it was quiet for a moment, before Kim finally gave him a straight answer.

“We just…go on living our lives…being the regular people that we were born to be.” She said. “Like Mom said, we have a choice. And if it’s our choice to retire from what we do, then…so be it.” It was somewhat easy for Kim to say that, considering that she was the only teen in the trio who still had her whole life ahead of her and couldn’t risk it on perilous missions or fierce battles like the one she was in with Doc Ock (a far greater foe than Shego and Drakken combined). Yet it was very hard, because she loved saving the world and helping those in need of it, just as much as Mickey and Peter did.

“Our lives are more important.” Peter said. “I love someone who depended on me to be there for her…and still probably does.” He looked down at his Spider-Man costume, as he held it over the trash can. “This is what’s best…for all of us.” And with that, Peter slowly set the costume down into the trash can, letting part of it hang over its rim.

“So much for the amazing.” Mickey uttered, just before he, Kim, and Peter walked away from the trash can, each of them going their separate ways.

END OF CHAPTER SEVEN​

 

[The Count]

That was great and heartwrenching all at the same time. Not to mention the brief cameos of your and your fictional sister's characters.
Rully great and I hope for more soon.

 

[muppetwriter]

Thanks, Count.

I want to set my character up as a somewhat similarity to Uncle Ben that Peter can come to whenever he's down. It'll be kind of hard to maintain that connection for the third story, in which both my character and Spidey become villains.

Also....what do you think of the new posters? A lot of people hate that yellow-tinted one, myself included.