It's time for another chapter folks! Welcome back to our story featuring the Fantastic Family and everyone's favorite Webslinger! When we last saw them, Spidey and the All-New, All-Different Fantastic Four worked together with the Unparalleled from the Spyre Planet to capture Yellowjacket and bring back Johnny (after receiving a much deserved scolding from Spidey for his actions towards his now ex-Soulmate Sky and his overall disastrous romantic life). We're halfway done with this rescue mission but things won't be easy moving forward, so let's find out how our team will fare.

But before all that, let's check the reviews!

Timeless Writer: Glad you liked it and I agree. At least Slott's run is ending soon with Issue #46, let's see how that one ends. And yes, Ben becoming a villain was quite the disappointment.

Wolfspider18: This story happens before the events of Sinister War, therefore he doesn't know about that yet (but I will address it in the future).

Wilcard Sparda: I'm totally ignoring the Beyond storyline for Ben, he didn't deserve that ending.

DJ Toku: I still wonder that about Slott, yet the real question is: Will he fix Johnny or he'll leave it to whoever takes the series after him?

B4TM4N-WH0-L4U6H5: Thanks, glad you liked it!

young justice 17: Thank you, I'll work on that as you read this!

Sergio Kirelli: Johnny really needed that but it's a shame that after SIXTY YEARS of storylines, Marvel won't allow him to move on and remain a womanizer. As for the Superior story, well, Kitty already brought that point and for Peter that's already water under the bridge.

Shadow: I agree that Johnny fits better with Crystal, and as for the speech, well, only time will tell

alphaknight99: Lamentablemente es así, Johnny no aprende y la propia Marvel parece que no quiere que así sea. Con lo de Sky, es que no importaba lo que le dijese, no iba a remediarlo; Sky de verdad creía que él era su alma gemela y esa traición la destrozó en sobremanera y no alcanzaba con disculparse, al menos no en tan poco tiempo que llevaban

cornholio4: Totally true, even Spider-Office Editor Nick Lowe apologized to the fans for what they did to him saying that with Peter and Miles hanging around "Ben doesn't have a place in the Spider-Verse" which is Bull#$%& if you ask me

Ka1zen: If you think Peter and Lockheed are starting to cooperate, then I'm sure you'll enjoy this chapter. I have followed the Reckoning War, and it seems that Franklin is one step closer to regaining his powers or something close

Very well then! Let's get on with it!

Enjoy the reading!


SPIDER-FOUR: THROUGH THE FOREVER GATE

Chapter 7: A World of Weirdness

The portal opens in a vast territory full of vegetation, yet it shows a clear path towards the sunset, meaning that civilization is not too far from the location where the light flashes. The crew steps out and once the portal closes, they take a good look around.

"Oh please don't tell me we're back in that Arboros place again" Peter groans

"Don't worry, according to our sensors, we're on an entirely different location" Valeria replies, but as they begin to walk down the path, the sound of a roar is heard in the distance.

"What was that?" Jo-Venn asks, almost as if he stands on guard and right hen a giant creature flies above them, passing by and soaring to the horizon.

"This seems like a much more hostile ground" Frankie comments as they watch the creature fly away.

"Yup, right now My Spider-Sense is almost quiet but it's only a matter of time until it starts to pound like a drum kit again" Peter jokes as he looks above "This kinda feels like an episode of Game of Thrones"

"What is a Game of Thrones?" N'Kalla asks him with curiosity.

"A Fantasy show based on fantasy books about dragons, politics and a lot of nasty stuff, which you can't watch until you're grown up" Peter playfully scolds them, playing his role as the adult in the group "And that goes to both of you as well" he looks at Franklin and Valeria, both of them laughing at his comment.

"I'm sorry, it's just that…" Valeria tries to talk in-between laughs "It's funny to see how naïve you can be"

"Wait" Peter asks them, feeling a bit confused "Reed and Sue allow you to watch that?"

"Well, they don't…" Franklin replies "But Uncle Johnny allows us"

"Of course he does" Peter mutters under his breath.

"And even if he couldn't, it's not like I can't decipher Mom's Parental Control passwords" Valeria adds to her brother's words "I'll show you a bit when we get home" she whispers to her cousins.

"By the way, how is our dragon companion?" Jo-Venn asks Peter, who takes a look to the improvised backpack he is carrying where Lockheed is resting after being injured fighting Yellowjacket.

"Little fella's still resting" Peter replies "But once we reach something that remotely looks like civilization, we'll check on him" he adds as they march on, taking a good look at their surroundings, noticing how the vegetation does look different than the usual in their world, leaves that fade from green to red and vice versa, long vines surrounding pillars of rock, flames at the top of said pillars acting as lamps for the pathway.

"What is this place?" Franklin asks, showing more curiosity as they keep walking.

"This sure looks like one of those realms where danger looms in very corner" N'Kalla comments "I wonder if I could transform into one of those things" she ponders in her mind but right then, another creature flies above them, and in that moment, Peter's Spider-Sense begins to buzz.

"Oh crap, guys! Take cover!" Peter warns them and looks above, firing his web-lines to aim at the creature who throws a fire blast towards them in return. The group manages to dodge the blast, motivating N'Kalla to transform into a similar draconian creature, albeit in a smaller size.

"Nikki!" Valeria exclaims as she watches her cousin soar and attack the creature. Meanwhile, the rest of the group watches as she fights but Peter's Spider-Sense begins to buzz in his head, warning him of more danger.

"Guys, we're not out of the blue yet!" Peter warns them and then turns to his right, barely managing to jump away from an energy blast "Yowza!" he exclaims as he discovers the ones causing the attack: Two towering greenish ogres with protruding bones from their elbows and fangs protruding off their underbites, wielding metallic mallets and glowing their eyes, the source of their energy beams.

"RRRAAAAARRRGGGHHH!" one of the ogres roars and jumps to attack the group, dodging them by jumping away to avoid them.

"Frankie! Val! Jo! Take cover!" Peter warns them as he once again jumps defensively, mostly to protect Lockheed since he still carries him on his back.

"Spidey!" Franklin tries to call for him but Valeria pulls him away "Val! We have to help him!" he glares at his sister for that but she looks sternly at him.

"How? I don't have my gadgets for attack purposes and, as much as you hate to be reminded, you don't have your powers anymore!" Valeria replies, visibly frustrated "We have to take cover and maybe search for help and wait…" then she turns to look at Jo-Venn, who is leaving them "Jo! What're you doing!?"

"I don't need weapons or powers to fight my opponent!" Jo-Venn exclaims, letting his Kree nature dominate as he walks behind one of the ogres and, using one of the pillars, he climbs and then jumps to grab from his vest, crawling his way up to pull the back of his hair and distract him "For the Glory of the Grimms!"

The ogre groans and growls complaining as Jo-Venn keeps pulling his hair, making him stumble around and heading towards one of the pillars, crashing face front into it to make him dizzy. Meanwhile, Peter still struggles with the other ogre, managing to avoid one move but it accidentally cuts the backpack holding Lockheed.

"Lock!" Peter turns and jumps to catch Lockheed before he falls, leaving him open to be struck in the back by the ogre, receiving a hit with his mallet that sends him crashing against the pillar, yet he keeps hold on Lockheed to ensure he is not hurt. The ogre is ready to make another hit but before he can make it, his arm is suddenly wrapped by green vines that hold him in place "What the?" Peter asks as he tries to stand up and then he looks at the thing that saved him, or more accurately, the Man-Thing that saved him.

"Is that Man-Thing?" Franklin asks as he looks at the Man-Thing creature taking down the ogre.

"More like Man-Things!" Valeria points to another Man-Thing creature attacking the other ogre just as Jo-Venn jumps down, allowing the creature to knock down the ogre.

"Looks like we got more enemies to take down!" Jo-Venn prepares to fight but Valeria intercedes.

"Jo, Wait! They just helped us!" Valeria stops him from attacking them, just as the ogres were finally brought down by the Man-Things, but right then, a roar is heard above in the sky and a figure begins to fall down towards the group.

"Wait, is that…?" Franklin asks as he looks to the sky but then his eyes widen as soon as the realization dawns on him "It's Nikki!" he points at his cousin, who is falling from the sky, apparently knocked down as she is slowly reverting to her Skrull form.

"Hang On!" Peter jumps and then he quickly begins to spin a web cushion big enough to catch her fall, managing to make it just in time.

"If she was beaten, then…" Franklin comments and then he looks up again, only to find the flying creature who attacked them earlier flying towards them ready to fire another blast. Peter tries to spin a Web Dome to protect them but his webshooters begin to sputter, the sign that he emptied his cartridges.

"Oh crap" Peter mutters as he and the children look at the creature flying towards them and fires the energy blast but the shot is intercepted by an invisible energy field that covers the group, much to their surprise. Right then, the Man-Things expand their vines and catch the flying creature to bring it down; the creature roars in anger, trying to break their hold but then, a clear bubble wraps the head of the creature cutting off its oxygen supply until it passes out.

"That oughta teach him" a female voice is heard, one that Peter, Franklin and Valeria immediately recognizes, but their suspicion is confirmed when a figure slowly begins to become visible in front of them, revealed to be Susan Storm-Richards, the Invisible Woman.

"MOM!" Franklin and Valeria exclaim as they rush to hug their mother.

"Frankie! Val!" Sue looks surprised yet happy to see her children again, then she looks at Jo-Venn helping his sister N'Kalla get out of the web cushion "Jo? Nikki?" and then she looks at Peter, who is cradling Lockheed in his arms "Peter?"

"Sue! Hey… you look like you've been fighting for quite some time" Peter comments as he notices the changes in Sue's uniform, with her sleeves being ripped from the suit and a few cuts on the sides.

"It's been quite some time, a couple of months to be more accurate" Sue begins to explain, much to the group's shock, but she gestures to calm them down "Don't worry, Reed kept tabs on this place ever since we rebuilt the Multiverse, time flows slower here than at home, speaking of which, how did you guys made it here?" she asks them, but then she remembers what happened back at their home "Wait, did the explosion brought you here as well?" she asks with concern but Peter intercedes.

"No, no, we came here after that" Peter replies "The Future Foundation managed to repair the Forever Gate and we're using it to bring you guys back" he explains.

"We already found Uncle Ben and Uncle Johnny" Valeria adds to Peter's explanation.

"And we also captured two of the bad guys who attacked us" Franklin adds, recalling the capture of Mister Hyde and Yellowjacket.

"And they're all back home?" Sue asks them, to which they nod in response "Great, I know Alex and Julie can handle the Forever Gate but I can't leave yet" she tells them with a serious tone, surprising them with that announcement.

"What?" Peter asks in visible shock

"Mom?" Franklin and Valeria ask in kind.

"Why?" Jo-Venn and N'Kalla also react in kind.

"I promised the Swamp Queen to reclaim her territories from Diablo" Sue replies, prompting Peter to intervene.

"Wait, wasn't he one of the bad guys who attacked 4 Yancy?" Peter asks and right then, an idea comes to mind "How 'bout we help you beat this guy? That way we can bring him into custody as well and send you guys home" he adds, prompting Sue to sigh in relief.

"That would help a lot" Sue replies, showing a grateful smile and then she notices something "Wait, what's that?" she asks Peter, noticing that she saw Lockheed.

"Oh, it's Lockheed, Kitty's dragon friend; he got hurt back when we found Johnny" Peter replies.

"Very well, let's go back to our base, the healers can treat him, I'll put you guys up to date and you can do the same about what went down, alright?" Sue tells them, gesturing with her head to follow her as she walks passing by the Man-Things.

"Hey Mom, what about them?" Valeria asks her mother about them.

"Oh, they're with me actually" Sue replies "They were accompanying me until the attacks happened and they went ahead, but don't worry, they're under the command of the Swamp Queen and she's our ally" right then he walks by and heads to the woods with her children walking alongside her while Jo and Nikki walk with Peter.

"You OK, Kid?" Peter asks Nikki, who just managed to recover from the shake-up.

"Yes, changing into a new creature took a lot of mental energy, that's why I got exhausted" N'Kalla explains to him.

"Taking a new challenge like that was quite a feat" Jo-Venn talks to his foster sister, showing a good sign of respect to her.

"May I remind you that I am one of the fiercest Skrull warriors?" N'Kalla jokingly replies, bringing a much needed laugh to the walk as they head to the Swamp Queen's location.


A FEW HOURS LATER

After venturing into the woods, Franklin and Valeria brought up to speed their journey with Spidey while he made sure that Lockheed was resting well. Their destination ended up being an underground cave, covered in red-and-greenish shrubs and vines that open once the Man-Things approach them as a sign. Sue and her children follow through alongside the rest of the crew, descending through a spiral stairway until they reach a series of caverns, all lit with large torches and including a few creatures like fairies, humanoid animals and more Man-Things and further away is the Swamp Queen's throne where the Queen herself sits, looking at the new arrivals with interest.

"Everything OK, Mrs. Richards?" the Swamp Queen approaches her, noticing the children.

"All good Jennifer" Sue replies with a kind smile "These are my children, Franklin and Valeria, kids she's Jennifer Kale, the Swamp Queen" she makes the formal introductions.

"The famous Richards children" the Swamp Queen greets them and then looks at the rest of the group "Are those other children with you?" she notices Jo-Venn and N'Kalla "And… is that Spider-Man?"

"First, to make a long story short, they are two Kree-Skrull children that we helped save from a cosmic despot" Valeria steps in to reply.

"They're our cousins since our Uncle Ben, you know, The Thing, adopted them with his wife Aunt Alicia" Franklin completes the story "And yes, that's Spidey"

"Someone called for me?" Peter joins the conversation as he walks towards the group "Ummm, I was wondering, is there any place I can let this little fella rest?"

"Follow me, I'll take you to the healers" the Swamp Queen replies, leading the way so Peter can take Lockheed to the healers "Sorry I didn't recognize you Spidey, since that's not your usual color scheme" she points out that detail about his suit, much different from the red-and-blue one.

"Oh well, when you work with the Fantastic Four, you have to dress for the occasion" Peter jokingly replies "I'm sorry but have we met before? I mean, since you know who I am and this is the first time I'm here"

"Oh, my name's Jennifer Kale… I'm known to be sorta BFF's with the original Man-Thing, hence why I'm surrounded by copies" the Swamp Queen replies, yet Peter tries to mentally find a connection from back home "Also I tend to work at Florida, maybe Doc Strange have mentioned anything?" and right at the mention of Doctor Strange is when he finds it.

"Oh! Of course!" Peter snaps his fingers "The Sorceress of the Everglades!"

"Well, normally I'm known as the Witch of the Everglades" the Swamp Queen replies "But I appreciate the name, thanks" she adds with a kind tone and then looks at Lockheed "Say, where'd you find him? He doesn't look like the kind of creature from around here"

"Because he isn't" Peter replies "He's Lockheed, an alien dragon who accompanies my girlfriend, Kitty Pryde"

"Who?" the Swamp Queen asks him.

"You know, Shadowcat?" Peter replies, yet she keeps blankly staring at him "From the X-Men?" still gets no response, prompting him to sigh slowly "The Girl who walks through Walls?"

"Oh right! Rasputin's friend!" the Swamp Queen finally realizes who she is, knowing her from her friendship with fellow sorceress Illyana Rasputina "Well, here we are" she then shows Peter the gate of the healing room "I'll call the Healers so they can take care of him" she tells him, leaving the room so Peter and Lockheed can finally rest.

"Very well, pal" Peter calmly talks as he gently lays Lockheed on top of a bed of leaves "There ya go, you can finally rest, regain your strength and before you know it you can go back flying and throwing fire and growling at me disapproving my relationship with Kitty until we get back home, so… get well, little buddy" he then turns around.

"Thank you" a gentle yet slightly raspy voice speaks to him.

"You're welcome" Peter replies but then realizes that no one is there "Waitaminute, who said that?" he then begins to look around.

"Over here" the voice talks again, prompting Peter to look at where Lockheed was resting and notices that the dragon is now awake… and talking to him "I was the one who thanked you, and I still do"

Hearing and seeing Lockheed talk in a human speech left Peter beyond baffled, and while it can barely be noticed through the mask, his eyes are wide open and his jaw is so agape that it can almost hit the floor, just for the fact that Lockheed, the dragon who spent most of his life with Kitty, can actually speak.

"D-D-D-D-Did you just, did you just…" Peter can barely manage to complete the sentence "Did you just talk!?"

"I did" Lockheed replies calmly "I am capable of speaking and understanding a large variety of languages from this and many other worlds, and yes, that includes the human languages, I just prefer not to do so in order to establish a deeper rapport" he explains while Peter just sits on a rock, trying to assimilate the scene.

"OK, so…" Peter takes a deep breath "Be cool, just be cool, Spider-Sense isn't drilling my head so it's not some kind of trap, just… roll with it" he thinks and then clears hiss throat "OK, so, before the healers come, I have a few questions, the first one is… does Kitty know about that?"

"Of course she does" Lockheed replies "Even though the way she found out was not a pleasant one" he remembers the moment during the crisis on Breakworld when Abigail Brand revealed his status as an Agent of S.W.O.R.D. "Yet, we have always maintained a powerful link, so it would not be necessary to speak since in all the time I've spent with her and the X-Men, they have always managed to understand what I say, as for Kitty… our bond is a strong one, one that can go beyond spoken words" he says those words with a nostalgic tone.

"Well, yeah… I was aware of that, I mean, Kitty cares a great deal about you and I know you do as well, she would be devastated if she loses you" Peter replies, now feeling a tad calmer than earlier "Which leads to my next question… Is that why you hate me?" he goes straight to the point.

"Allow me to say that, while at times I do find your childish behavior annoying and I truly dislike that you kept calling me 'Spyro', I do not hate you and I never did" Lockheed replies with a bit more serious tone "Just as, in your words, Kitty cares a great deal about me, I also care the same about her and I refuse to see her heartbroken ever again" he explains to him his stance "I always believed that the one named Colossus would be the one, and I sure was wrong about that" he sighs after that part "I never approved of that idiot named Wisdom…" he mentions him with annoyance.

"Oh you hate that guy too? I broke his jaw once" Peter quickly points that out, prompting Lockheed to smile.

"I applaud that" Lockheed replies "But as I was saying, I never approved him, I always believed the Iceman to be immature, and in fact he is much more childish than you"

"Heh, actually that's saying something" Peter comments under his breath.

"And I was barely around when she was with that man called Quill" Lockheed continues, mentioning that he barely met Star-Lord while he was dating Kitty "But my point is that she has fallen in love way too often but her heart was broken almost as well, and I want to protect her from suffering through that again"

"That's more than reasonable, I mean, I would do too if I were in your position" Peter comments to him, showing his understanding.

"But now I realize how you truly feel" Lockheed then finally admits how he feels about Peter "Ever since her return and the time she has spent with you, she has been the happiest I have ever seen in years" he explains to him "And now, after seeing the lengths you go to protect your people, even someone who had a bad attitude towards you, I realize that you are indeed the one for her" he tells him, leaving Peter amazed at his revelation.

"Wow… I mean…" Peter tries to talk "Kitty told me that it would he harder to get your approval than Logan's" he jokingly comments "But it does mean a lot what you say, I'm being completely and entirely honest"

"Kitty loves you so very much" Lockheed replies to his comment "And mark my words when I say this… You may say that she'll be devastated if she loses me, and I truly know that feeling…" he cannot help to remember the time he lost her when she was trapped in the giant bullet "But after seeing the way she looks at you, she would be much more devastated if she loses you…" those words reach Peter fast and hard, making him see once again how much Kitty loves him.

"Kitty is…" Peter slowly sighs as response "she's the greatest thing that ever happened to me in a long time" he replies "the last thing I would do is to break her heart and leave her, that won't happen, I can tell you" he replies with a renewed determination.

"I can see it" Lockheed replies "Now, before the healers arrive, you should know that I will cease to speak in the human language, but I assure you that we can understand each other better" he gently comments to him "but one last thing I wanted to ask… what is this 'Dracarys' thing you called me when you invaded the Marauder all those months earlier?" he asks him about the word Peter was repeatedly exclaiming back when he took the Krakoan medicine sample, before he and Kitty started dating.

"Oh, that!" Peter begins to laugh "It's not a name, it's more like a warcry from the Game of Thrones, it's something to keep the dragons alert and standing by for orders or to attack" he explains to him "You know what? When we're back home, we're definitively binge watching the series" he jokes with him, just as two small green-skinned gnomes in brown robes enter the room "Uhhhh, you guys must be the Healers, right?"

"Ahk ahk ughk gahk" one of the gnomes speaks in a bizarre language as a response, leaving Peter a bit flabbergasted.

"I'm gonna take that as a yes…" Peter replies as the gnomes approach Lockheed ""Hey… you guys don't mind if I stay and keep an eye on the guy? Just gonna make sure you treat him right" he asks them, to which they both nod in response and then he looks at Lockheed who simply nods.

"Aroooo" Lockheed howls, a message that Peter quickly gets.

"You're welcome, pal" Peter replies as the dragon smiles and the healers begin their work.


HOURS LATER

The plan was finally crafted with the decision of bringing a full offensive to Diablo's forces so they can take him out of the throne. Given the current conditions, Diablo has prepared magic barriers on the ground, but their new plan involves an aerial assault; with the Swamp Queen's forces making the attack and Sue acting as defense, they will give Diablo a distraction and thus allow the children and Spider-Man to attack from above riding bird/lion hybrids.

"Remember kids, we have to wait for the signal" Peter talks to the children as they standby and wait for their moment to attack as they march at the end of the line while the rest of the crew head to the Swamp Queen's territories, now transformed into a Colonial Castle thanks to Diablo's magic.

And as they expected, Diablo's defenses lit up with a massive wall of fire that reaches the sky and howling black ogres with scaly skin, red eyes and sharp teeth eager to devour everyone on sight. Two of the Man-Thing creatures grab a boulder and aim at the tower, but the attack is blocked by red-feathered giant birds, breaking them with a sonic scream.

"It appears that someone has decided to pay a visit" Diablo's voice echoes until a massive astral presence of his face appears at the gate "Has the Swamp Queen realized that the only way to regain her lands is by surrendering to me?"

"More like today I'll take back what's mine!" the Swamp Queen exclaims and then turns towards her army of Man-Things and assorted creatures "ATTACK!" she gives the command, prompting her army of creatures to make their front strike, hitting them with everything they got, from flaming boulders to magic beams, knowing that it may not be effective against the barrier, but the trick is to attract Diablo's attention.

"I could let you tire trying to break down my barrier, but you being here means that I can get rid of you" Diablo's voice is head again and his illusion breaks, then the castle's upper levels and towers vanish, transforming into an open throne room with fire pillars and Diablo sitting in the center "As the old saying goes: 'If you want a job well done, you do it by yourself'" he then begins to pull out vials from his suit, using his magic to create constructs that flow through the barrier and attack the Man-Things, prompting the Swamp Queen to fire a magic blast up to the sky, creating a star that glows above but in reality is the signal that Peter and the children were waiting for.

"And that's our cue!" Peter exclaims as his hybrid creature takes flight "For Aslan! For Narnia!"

"Who are they?" Jo-Venn asks, since he does not understand the reference.

"Maybe they're gods from here?" N'Kalla shrugs her shoulders as she flies alongside her brother and they approach the battlefield.

"Remember the plan, we each fire one blast at a time to keep him occupied and then we drop the package" Valeria explains the plan to the group.

"In that case, I call dibs on the first hit!" Franklin quickly flies ahead, much to his sister's chagrin.

"Hey! What happened to 'Ladies First'?" Valeria complains while she reins her hybrid and rushes to catch him up, both of them reaching close enough to catch Diablo's attention.

"Well, well, well, the former Queen brought reinforcements" Diablo mutters and then unleashes his magic, creating more constructs that fire laser beams at them to block their attacks. First he blocks Valeria, then Franklin. Jo-Venn approaches and manages to dodge the first beam but the second one block his attack, prompting N'Kalla to make a dive towards Diablo, but she barely manages to avoid the beam fired at her "Is that the best you can do?" he taunts them while he keeps his sights above.

"You forgot the Weirdly Neighborhood Spider-Man, bro!" Peter quips as he flies towards him, managing to avoid two of the beams and fly low enough to fire a web ball to his face "And that's a three-pointer!" he circles as he prepares for another strike just as Diablo rips the webbing off his face.

"You will pay for that insolence, Wall-crawler!" Diablo exclaims; throwing another vial at him which explodes in the air, hurting the hybrid he was riding.

"I'm hit! I'm hit!" Peter exclaims as he tries to rein his hybrid and avoid a crash, but ends up right in the middle of a group of Man-Things who barely manage to expand their vines to create a cushion big enough for the creature. Once it falls, Peter jumps off to the ground while the Swamp Queen approaches him.

"Webs? You OK? Did you manage to…?" the Swamp Queen shows her concern but Peter nods with his head as response.

"Flew low enough to make the move but when I circled back he hit me" Peter replies and then looks back at the battle in the air "I need to fly back but it seems that Diablo hurt my steed" he looks at the hybrid creature who is immediately tended by a couple of Man-Things, but right then, a roar is heard echoing from the sky, noticing a small creature flying towards them.

"Who is that?" the Swamp Queen asks as the creature approaches enough for Peter to recognize him.

"Wait… it's Lockheed!" Peter exclaims "Hey dude! You're supposed to be recovering!" he tells him.

"Arooo!" Lockheed roars as he flies in circles and then he begins to glow in a yellow light, much to the amazement of both Peter and the Swamp Queen, yet she knows what is happening.

"Lock? Buddy?" Peter throws the questions as he looks at Lockheed shine brighter and then looks at the Swamp Queen "What's happening to him?"

"He's channeling Weirdworld's energies" the Swamp Queen replies "Weirdworld usually transforms anyone who trespasses, but very few avoid that, but of course that doesn't stop anyone from channeling the energy on purpose given the chance" she explains as the light begins to diminish, revealing Lockheed's transformation into a much larger dragon, closely resembling the actual creature. Right then, Lockheed lowers and gestures with his head to Peter "I think he's…"

"He's asking me to jump aboard" Peter replies knowing what she was going to say "You sure, buddy?" he asks him, to which Lockheed nods and then he jumps aboard to ride the dragon "Now this feels like an episode of Game of Thrones" he gleefully comments while Lockheed begins to soar "Alright buddy, let's hit it… DRACARYS!"

"RRRAAAAAGGGHHH!" Lockheed roars loudly as he takes flight towards the battle where the children try their best to make a move against Diablo but the Alchemist keeps them at bay.

"Do you really believe you're a match for the power of Diablo!?" Diablo taunts them but right then he hears another roar approaching, turning his sights to the source of the sound "Wait, what is that?" then his eyes grow wider as the creature approaches "Is that… a real dragon!?" he points at the creature just as Lockheed fires a massive fireball at the barrier, surprisingly tearing it down.

"Excuse me, Señor de Moustacho" Peter quips at him "But you do remember dealing with me, right?" then he signals to the children "Go help the Man-Things! Lock and I got it covered!" with that, the children fly to join the battle on the ground while Peter and Lockheed circle the villain, firing a large blast of dragonfire at him, prompting Diablo to run around, roll and even jump.

"NO! You cannot beat me! Not in my element!" Diablo exclaims, pulling out another vial of his suit and then throws its contents to the air, causing the drops to expand and create a force field around him "HA! Now no one can get in or out until I am beaten!"

"Good, that puts you right where I wanted you to be" a female voice is heard, startling Diablo.

"WHAT!? Who's there!?" Diablo exclaims as he looks around and right then he realizes whose voice it is "Ay no…" he mutters in Spanish just as Susan Storm-Richards, the Invisible Woman, slowly reappears in front of him "But-But-But-But how!?" he wonders how did she get in.

"Right when Spidey threw his Web Ball at you, I jumped off his hybrid and just waited for the right time" Sue replies as she cracks her knuckles and prepares to fight. Diablo tries to make his move but Sue quickly creates a force field around his head to cut off his oxygen "When you wake up, it'll be back home and in a cell where you belong" she tells him just as he slowly loses his consciousness and falls to the floor, and with that, the effects of his magic begin to vanish, allowing the Swamp Queen to regain her grounds "Thanks for the assist Spidey! And… is that Lockheed?" she quizzically looks at them as she waves at them.

"Oh yeah, little magical makeover!" Peter replies as he waves back, and then Lockheed fires a blast of dragonfire t the sky as the signal of their victory, giving the Swamp Queen her territory once again.


HOURS LATER

With Diablo defeated, Peter, the children and Lockheed –who reverted back to his normal form- regroup with Susan and the Swamp Queen, who helped to create magic restraints for Diablo while Sue kept him unconscious with her force fields to keep her promise of making him wake up back home. Right then, the Swamp Queen used a teleportation spell to send them back to their origin point so they can reopen the Forever Gate's portal, not before giving them a word in gratitude.

"Thank you all for helping me, Mrs. Richards, kids, Webs, if you ever make a journey back here, don't doubt to call me and I'll help you" the Swamp Queen waves goodbye and in a flash of light, the group returns.

"This was fun" N'Kalla comments as Valeria checks her communication device and sends the signal.

"I wouldn't mind coming back again" Jo-Venn comments while Susan approaches Peter.

"Pete, thanks for keeping an eye on Frankie and Val and thank you so much for helping us" Susan smiles at her longtime friend.

"You know I won't turn my back to my family" Peter kindly replies just as the portal opens.

"Gate's open Mom!" Valeria calls to her mother, who approaches her children to give them a big hug.

"Don't go making lots of trouble" Sue jokingly nags them as she hugs them.

"Mom! You're embarrassing us!" Franklin exclaims but he smiles at her mother, who then grabs the still restrained Diablo and walk through the portal back home. After a few seconds, the portal closes and reopens to their last destination.

"Alright kids, we go three, it's time to bring back Reed!" Peter exclaims as he walks through the gate with the children and Lockheed right behind him, ready to find the last member of the Fantastic Four and hopefully, end the Wizard's plans once and for all.


DONE AND DONE! A brand new chapter finished! I think it's obvious what the highlight of this one is. It had to happen. It finally happened. PETER AND LOCKHEED FINALLY GET ALONG! This was bound to happen for their (and Kitty's) sake and you can expect that Kitty will be pleasantly surprised when she finds out.

On a side note, I've discussed this with some of my friends and followers but I want to display it here as well. I've been reading the current run of Amazing Spider-Man and honestly… the whole "We hate Peter" is completely unnecessary, not to mention this whole thing of MJ having children (Marvel should definitively keep them away FOR GOOD since whatever excuse Zeb Wells might do to bring them together again would be insulting) so I'm following this run with the MCU's Michelle Jones mentality: "Expect disappointment and you won't be disappointed" and so far it's working.

Now, onto our next chapter where Peter and the crew find Reed and the Wizard, but I can assure you, things won't be easy for this one. See you on the next chapter!

NEXT CHAPTER: THE WIZARD'S SECRET PLAN UNFOLDS!