Some of you may have seen this coming, but for those of you who didn't, welcome to SLTS: Tarantula's Tales! If you've been reading SLTS: Season 2 lately, you'll remember that Ronnie Anne has been recently introduced as a new hero, Tarantula. This side series will chronicle her adventures as she fights crime as Great Lakes City's defender! This story still takes place in the Super Louds universe, so you can expect to see Super Thunder or anyone else from the main storyline to pop up from time to time.
Alright! It's time to begin a brand new set of adventures! Hopefully you guys will enjoy this side series. If anyone wants to either create a theme song or suggest a song for one, you can leave your suggestion in a review! As always, reviews and constructive criticism welcome!
NB: Credit for this episode's villain ideas goes to a guest review and also to Indy Scott. Thank you.
Disclaimer: I do not own the Loud House. All rights belong to Nickelodeon.
Episode 1: Meat and the Meddle
Great Lakes City. One of the bigger cities in Michigan. It was just like many other big cities. Always busy, always moving. This constant bustle and hustle had pushed some people into the background. These were the people that could never seem to be found. Crime was a big problem in this city, and many criminals used the natural chaos of this place to their advantage. It looked as if nothing could stop these criminals. That is, until a new force for justice appeared...
"This is dispatch. Suspects have fled from the Great Lakes National Bank. They are heading eastbound on Shirley Street. Request for backup?"
Ronnie Anne's spider senses suddenly kicked in, as her enhanced hearing let her pick up that radio transmission. She was currently on the rooftop of a tall building conducting her usual afternoon surveillance of the city. On the streets below her, she spotted two thieves on motorcycles speeding away from police.
"Time to swing into action!...Eh, I'll think of a better catchphrase." said Ronnie Anne, as she swung into action as the hooded hero, Tarantula.
Meanwhile, in downtown, there seemed to be a bit of a traffic jam...
"*honks horn* Come on! What's the hold up?! I've gotta get to work!" exclaimed a burly man, clearly angry.
He was dressed in a hair net and an apron which suggested that he worked at a restaurant. However, he seemed to be running a bit late for work and this traffic jam was not helping.
Just then, the two thieves started approaching the traffic jam from behind. They drove behind each other and sped down the middle, in between the cars. To get through quickly, they each pushed a button on their motorcycles which activated some strange mechanisms. These mechanisms came from both sides of their bikes and they pushed the other cars away from them as they sped through.
"*car gets pushed aside forcefully* Ahh! Hey! My car! You morons!" yelled the man.
The thieves got through the traffic and continued fleeing from the police. Some of the cops got out of their cars to assist those whose cars got damaged by the motorcycles' mechanisms.
"Hey! Squadron 84! Go around and try to catch up with them! We can't let them get away like this!" ordered the Commissioner.
"Don't worry! They won't!" said Ronnie Anne, as she swung past the cops in pursuit of the thieves.
"*slams his car door in aggravation* Forget this! I've only got three minutes left!" said the man, as he started running in the hopes of making it to work on time.
Meanwhile, the two thieves had stopped by the edge of a lake on the outskirts of the city.
"I think we lost 'em." said one of the thieves.
"I knew we would. Come on, let's get these scores back to the boss." said the other thief.
They high-fived each other, both thinking they had gotten away. However, as soon as they high-fived, a web suddenly stuck to both of their hands. Before these thieves could respond, they were both flipped forward onto the ground.
"*webs both of them up together* You guys know the heroes always get the final score." said Ronnie Anne, confiscating the stolen bags of money.
"*struggles to break free* It's that spider freak!" said one of the thieves.
"Great Lakes doesn't need you, ya know! All you're doing is messing up the system!" said the other thief.
"Exactly. It's time for a change don't you think? Your old system was broken and crooked anyway. *hears sirens approaching* Have fun in jail!" said Ronnie Anne, as she shot a web out and took to the sky again.
The police suddenly arrived and took notice of the two thieves bound together on the ground.
"Where's the money?" asked one of the cops.
"*drops the two bags in his hands* There you go!" said Ronnie Anne, as she kept swinging from tree to tree.
"Hmph. That Tarantula girl sure is interesting." said the Commissioner.
"Should we follow her sir?" asked the policeman who caught the moneybags.
"Nah, leave her. If she wants to help out with petty theft then fine. She hasn't committed any major offenses...yet." said the Commissioner, without a stern tone.
Back in the city, the man had made it to the sandwich shop where he worked, but he was very late.
"*panting heavily* Mr. Parks! *pants* I-I'm sorry-"
"Save it William! Do you know how many orders you've been holding up?! The kitchen staff has been waiting on you for 20 minutes! Look at these customers! Do they look happy to you?!" said Mr. Parks.
William looked at the long line of customers and the displeased look on many of their faces. A woman gave him an angry glare as she walked out the store with her sandwich.
"I'm sorry sir. I was stuck in traffic! You won't believe-"
"No! You know what? I don't believe you! You know why? This is the fourth time you've been late this month William! That is unacceptable! There's no room for excuses! You're just being lazy!" said Mr. Parks.
"No, I swear! I tried to get here on time! The traffic jam was crazy and there was this insane police chase-"
"You're done William." said Mr. Parks, pretty much done listening.
"W-What?...No. No! You can't do this Mr. Parks! I need this job!" said William.
"And I needed a reliable worker! But I guess we both can't get what we need huh? All you had to do was come to work and make sandwiches William. How hard is that?" said Mr. Parks.
William looked at Mr. Parks with his mouth agape. He really didn't have any other excuse. This whole situation had looked bad for him from the start considering his track record with being on time. Now, to make matters worse, William looked around and saw customers recording the whole thing with their phones. His face flushed red with embarrassment.
"You'll get your last check in the mail." said Mr. Parks, turning to leave.
"Mr. Parks, please! I promise I'll do better! Just give me another chance!" pleaded William desperately.
"I gave you plenty of chances! And you blew all of them! I don't need you anymore! You're messing up my system! Good luck finding another job in this city." said Mr. Parks, as he walked through a door, leading to the back of the restaurant.
William just stood there, shocked, confused, embarrassed...but bubbling up to the surface ever so slowly was anger. He couldn't believe what had just happened. He quickly dashed out the store to avoid any more embarrassment. Just as he exited the store, he spotted Tarantula swinging by with her webs.
"Where were you this morning huh? You call yourself this city's hero, and you couldn't even save me." said William, as he started walking down the street, visibly angry and upset.
Meanwhile at the Casagrandes...
*Ronnie Anne spider crawls into her room through her bedroom window*
"*walks in* There you are cous! *runs over and hugs her* I thought you said your afternoon patrol was only an hour!" said Carlota, the worry shining through in her voice.
"I kinda got carried away taking down some bad guys. They led a police chase all the way outside the city." said Ronnie Anne, now in her normal attire.
"Wait. You were involved in a police chase?! I thought we agreed you could only help in our neighborhood!" said Carlota.
"What kind of superhero would I be if I just stayed in one place? This whole city needs me Carlota. Everything's all crooked and out of whack." said Ronnie Anne.
"Let the police handle that then. I don't want you to get whacked while you're out there." said Carlota.
"Relax Carlota. I'll be fine." said Ronnie Anne.
"Ronnie Anne! *runs up and hugs her as well* It's time for dinner! Grandma made quesadillas! Come on!" said CJ, as he pulled on Ronnie Anne's arm, dragging her behind him. Carlota followed behind as well.
CJ brought Ronnie Anne to the dinner table where the rest of the Casagrandes were already seated for dinner.
"I found Ronnie Anne!" exclaimed CJ proudly.
"Good job CJ." said Carlos.
"So, Ronnie, got any new superhero stories for us?" asked Carl hopeful.
"Eh, I might. I hope you're ready though. It might get a little crazy." said Ronnie Anne, playfully teasing.
"Bring it! I can take anything you've got!" said Carl.
"Let's say grace first ninos." said Rosa, as she finished putting the food on the table.
Once she took her seat, all the Casagrandes took each other's hands and said grace.
"Amen." said all the Casagrandes in unison.
"So, Ronnie, what was my little spider up to today?" asked Rosa curious.
"*takes a bite of food* Well, the day started off kinda slow until this afternoon. There were these two guys on motorcycles and they had just robbed a bank! They made this traffic jam into a huge mess and the police had to stop to handle it. So, I swung in and helped them out a little bit." said Ronnie Anne.
"Wait, you mean you dealt with bank robbers today? Real criminals?" asked Maria.
"Yes Mom. I know you said not to leave the neighborhood but, they drove right past me! I couldn't just stand by and watch them get away! I had to do something!" said Ronnie Anne.
"Whoa! There's already video of how Ronnie Anne handled those guys! Look!" said Carl, showing everyone the video.
Everyone watched in awe as Ronnie Anne flipped both of the thieves off their motorcycles using only her webs. Carlitos giggled as soon as the thieves were flipped to the ground.
"Ronnie...listen. We understand what you're trying to do and we're not saying it's bad..."
"But it's really dangerous! Seriously Ronnie! I don't want you to get hurt out there!" said Carlota, cutting off Frida's statement.
"I don't think we need to be that concerned everyone. She seems to be handling it." said Hector.
"Against petty crime sure but, Ronnie, you went up against real criminals today. What if one of them had a gun? What if both of them had a gun? What if they abducted you..."
Maria suddenly paused as she started tearing up. Ronnie Anne instantly knew what was troubling her.
"...Listen. Mom, I want to do this. I promise you I'm being careful when I'm out there. There's really no need to worry." said Ronnie Anne.
"*sniffles* My worst fear is that either Madame Butterfly or someone else will come along and take you away...And that I'll never see you again..."
Ronnie Anne listened to the hurt in her Mom's voice. It absolutely broke her heart.
"I already lost my son Ronnie. I can't lose you too." said Maria.
"I know Mom. And that's one of the reasons why I'm doing this. For Bobby. I'm gonna find him. I know he's still out there...But Mom, I need you to trust me. I know how serious this is, but I'm only going to go out there if I need to. Trust me, this city needs a Tarantula." said Ronnie Anne.
"*sniffles* And I need a Ronnie Anne." said Maria.
"Why can't we have both?" said Ronnie Anne, as she and her mother embraced.
The other Casagrandes just sat there and watched, captivated by the sweetness of this moment.
Meanwhile, across town, in a run-down apartment building...
*William is seen sitting miserably on his couch, binge eating and watching TV*
"In other news, local superhero Tarantula has been spotted once again this morning, assisting police in the arrest of two thieves who had stolen money from Great Lakes National Bank. Authorities were asked to be interviewed for their thoughts on this, but they have unfortunately declined. This is Sandra Gayle reporting live for Great Lakes City-"
"Argh!" yelled William, as he suddenly threw a beer bottle at his TV screen.
"Oh sure! Spider girl gets to be in the news but me? No dice. Those thugs get to wreck my car and get away with it! Do I get compensation? No! I get fired from my job for this crap, and Mr. Parks won't even give me another chance! Argh!" yelled William, completely frustrated.
He was so angry that it actually started to make his head hurt.
"I'm getting revenge. Forget your system Mr. Parks! If I can't be apart of it, then neither will you." said William, his eyes cold, with hatred evident in them.
William started scrambling around his apartment gathering things for his revenge. He picked up a beat-up hockey mask, took his apron and made holes in it using one of his kitchen knives, and through out his hair net. He never liked that thing anyway. He started throwing knives at his dart board, presumably trying to get better at aiming them. It took a few tries, but eventually he managed to land a bullseye.
"*sees bullseye and smiles deviously* Look out Mr. Parks. You're gonna regret you ever fired me." said William.
The next morning, at a local butcher shop downtown...
A butcher is seen whistling as he is currently chopping up some meat. Suddenly, he hears a noise and he gets suspicious.
"H-Hello? Who's there?" asked the butcher, a bit nervous.
He started walking carefully towards the direction where he heard the noise, with a butcher knife in hand. However, as soon as he turned the corner, a knife came out of nowhere and pinned him to a wall behind him on his right side. He tried to move but another knife came flying and pinned him to the same wall on his left side. Then, a big, burly man appeared before him, and the butcher dropped his knife in fear.
This man was wearing a beat-up hockey mask, his apron had several holes, rips, and tears in it, and he seemed to be heavily armed with knives.
"*walks up to the butcher real close* The keys to the van outside. Where are they?" asked the mysterious man.
"*grunts* They're hanging up on that keyrack over there! Just take them and go!" pleaded the butcher, quite frightened.
"*pauses* You scared of me?" asked the mysterious man.
The butcher just nodded his head 'yes'.
"*smirks* Good. At least I'm causing someone else misery." said the mysterious man.
"Wh-Who are you?" asked the butcher.
"*looks around* I'm Misery Meat. Oh, and I'm gonna need those knives back." said Misery Meat, as he forcefully took the knives out of the butcher and the wall.
The butcher was left on the ground in pain, while he was heavily bleeding.
"*grabs the keys and turns around* I'd call an ambulance." said Misery Meat, as he left the kitchen area, and headed outside to the butcher van.
The butcher quickly reached in his pocket and pulled out his cellphone. He hurriedly dialed 911.
"*dial tone* 911. What's your emergency?"
"I need help! I'm bleeding out on the floor! There's a mad man with knives and he- *hears van engine start outside* He's stealing my van!" exclaimed the butcher.
Meanwhile, Ronnie Anne was listening to music on a rooftop nearby, when her spider senses alerted her to some sirens.
"*takes her earbuds out* Huh?" said Ronnie Anne, as she spotted police cars and an ambulance quickly approaching a butcher shop.
She looked around and spotted a butcher van quickly fleeing the scene.
"This city needs me." said Ronnie Anne, as she swung into action once more, in pursuit of the butcher van.
"*spots Tarantula swinging by* Sir! There goes Tarantula!" said one of the police officers.
"Not again. Quickly! You boys follow her! Subdue her if you have to! *under his breath* You're not gonna mess up the system..." said the Commissioner, as he walked briskly towards his car.
Meanwhile, Misery Meat was currently speeding away in the stolen butcher van, munching on cold packaged bologna. Just then, a loud thump was heard above him, which made him suspect that something had landed on top of the van. He was right.
Misery Meat was suddenly blindsided by Tarantula, who just delivered a jump kick to his face. This made him lose focus and the van started driving out of control. Ronnie Anne shot a web at the steering wheel to keep the van on the road.
"Whoa! It's a little early for Halloween isn't it? Also, you're not really pulling of the whole 'Jason' look." said Ronnie Anne, referring to Misery Meat's hockey mask.
"So now you show up." said Misery Meat.
Ronnie Anne was a bit confused by this remark.
"What are you talking about?" asked Ronnie Anne.
"You swung right by me yesterday to deal with those thieves, and didn't even check for me. You call yourself a hero? You say you fight for justice?! Where's the justice for my car huh? Or better yet, where's the justice for my job!" exclaimed Misery Meat, clearly angry.
Ronnie Anne was very confused and didn't know how to respond to this. Before she could however, a police car suddenly rammed into the side of the van, trying to force it off the road.
"Hey! Watch it!" exclaimed Misery Meat.
"Yeah! For real! You guys are gonna make this van run into all these people on the sidewalk!" exclaimed Ronnie Anne.
However, these police didn't seem to care about that. All they cared about was stopping this stolen butcher van. With another ram, the van was sent dangerously close to the sidewalk. Ronnie Anne knew she had to do something before this van ran over innocent people. She shot two webs at the steering wheel, and forcefully pulled the van away from the sidewalk, and back on the road. She pushed the offending police cars away in the process.
"*looks in the mirror and sees the damaged police cars behind him* I thought those were your friends." said Misery Meat.
"Those police aren't right! I get that they want to catch the bad guys, but not at the cost of innocent lives!" said Ronnie Anne.
"Trust me kid. No one's innocent in this city. The sooner you realize that, the better it is for you. Now..." said Misery Meat, trailing.
He suddenly pushed Ronnie Anne aggressively, which caused her to fall out the side of the van. Luckily, she shot out two webs which kept her hanging onto the van. However, this was about to be short lived.
"*throws knife which cuts both webs, disconnecting Ronnie Anne from the van* Get out of my van!" exclaimed Misery Meat, as he drove off, leaving Ronnie Anne dumbfounded on the sidewalk.
"There's gotta be more than one secret in this city..." said Ronnie Anne, to herself.
"Freeze!" exclaimed a police officer, pointing his gun at Ronnie Anne.
"Sorry, but I gotta go." said Ronnie Anne, as she quickly webbed up the officer's gun, before swinging out of there.
She was still in pursuit of Misery Meat.
Meanwhile, at Mr. Parks' sandwich shop...
"*hears a knock on his office door* What is it?" asked Mr. Parks.
"Meat shipment just arrived." said a mysterious voice on the other side of the door.
Mr. Parks looked up in confusion, because he knew he recognized that voice.
"No..."
"*kicks door open* Oh yes...How you doin' Mr. Parks?" asked Misery Meat, closing the door behind him.
"What the hell are you doing here?! I fired you!" said Mr. Parks, backing up into a corner.
"No. You cheated me. Cut me off from a job you knew I needed!...You don't need me? Well, I'm sure this city doesn't need you either." said Misery Meat, as he brandished a blade in his hand.
"*gulps* William, listen to me. Let's be reasonable about this. There are other jobs in this city! You don't have to do this!" exclaimed Mr. Parks.
"You know how the system works man! It's corrupt! Ain't nobody gonna hire me because nobody cares. And frankly, I don't care either." said Misery Meat, as he started walking closer to Mr. Parks.
"No. William, please. Don't-"
"Isn't this funny? 'Cause this is exactly what you did to me yesterday. I begged for my job in front of all those damn customers and you still fired me! Sympathy doesn't exist in Great Lakes. It's time I cut to the chase." said Misery Meat, as he raised his knife up in the air, prepared to end Mr. Parks' life.
Suddenly, however, some webbing appeared on his arm and Misery Meat felt himself get pulled away from Mr. Parks. Ronnie Anne then appeared upside down from the ceiling, and flipped down to the ground.
"I'll take that." said Ronnie Anne, taking the knife from Misery Meat's hand.
"*smirks* Take it. I've got more." said Misery Meat, as he suddenly kicked Ronnie Anne away from him, sending her flying into Mr. Parks' desk.
The next thing Ronnie Anne knew, she had a blade pressed dangerously close to her neck.
"I thought you got the hint that you weren't needed around here. Now you're gonna die for nothing." said Misery Meat.
Suddenly, though, he screamed out in pain, as he felt a stinging sensation on his skin. He released Ronnie Anne, and looked at both of his forearms. They were currently being eaten away by what appeared to be venom.
Said venom had just came out of Ronnie Anne's hands.
"Whoa! That's new!" said Ronnie Anne.
"That's it! I'm gonna kill you! Ack!" exclaimed Misery Meat, as he was suddenly struck in his side by one of his blades.
Ronnie Anne looked to her right and saw that Mr. Parks had thrown the blade.
"Get out of here Tarantula. I already called the cops. He's not going anywhere." said Mr. Parks.
"But-"
"Please. I don't want the police to arrest you. This city really does need you." said Mr. Parks sincerely.
Ronnie Anne realized that he did have a point, and decided to comply.
"Alright. But at least let me take these away." said Ronnie Anne, as she shot a web at Misery Meat's pouch, which contained all of his knives.
She took them off of his person and brought them to her.
"Go now. I hear them coming." said Mr. Parks.
"Things are gonna change around here sir. Just you wait." said Ronnie Anne, as she shot a web out a window in the room, and swung through it, carrying the knives with her.
"Freeze!" said the same police officer from earlier.
Mr. Parks put his hands up, but it was clear who the bad guy was.
"We got the butcher guy, but no sign of Tarantula." said the police officer, through his radio.
"Damn it! Arrest him and throw him in the holding cells. I wanna ask him a few questions." said the Commissioner.
"Will do sir." said the police officer, as he and some other officers started arresting Misery Meat.
Back at the Casagrandes...
"Great Lakes City has seen its first real supervillain today. A man calling himself Misery Meat, attacked a butcher and stole his van, and also tried to harm local sandwich shop owner, Mr. Parks. Misery Meat has been brought to justice, presumably by Tarantula, but authorities are saying they disprove these claims. More details to come after the-"
*the Casagrandes turn their heads to see Ronnie Anne entering the living room through a window*
"Ronnie! Oh thank god! *hugs her* Are you hurt?" asked Maria concerned.
"Nah, I'm fine Mom. Just a few scratches." said Ronnie Anne, as she deactivated her pendant, donning her regular attire again.
"Alright! That's my granddaughter! Tough as nails! Just like her old..old man!" said Hector.
"Hija! You brought home knives?!" asked Rosa, taking the knives away from Ronnie Anne.
"They belong to this villain called Misery Meat." said Ronnie Anne.
"Yeah, we just heard about him on the news!" said Carl.
"Why'd you bring 'em home though?" asked Carlota.
"Well, I couldn't leave them with him...or the police." said Ronnie Anne.
"The police? What do you mean Ronnie?" asked Frida.
"There's something sneaky about the police in this city guys. They're not acting like they're supposed to! While they were trying to stop Misery Meat in the stolen van, they kept ramming their cars into it! They almost ended up pushing the van into the sidewalk!" said Ronnie Anne.
"What?! They didn't air that on the news!" said Frida.
"Because they don't want people to see that. Everyone in this city seems to be under some kind of system. And it's up to me to find out who runs it, and take it down!" said Ronnie Anne.
"Hold on Ronnie. You're talking about possibly undermining local authority! I don't want you to get in trouble honey!" said Maria.
"I'm already in trouble Mom. The police wanna take me down cause they know I'm not apart of the system. But once their system is broken, everyone will realize what's really going on." said Ronnie Anne.
Ronnie Anne paused for a second, as the rest of her family just looked at her in silence.
"I need you guys to have my back on this. Mom, please, I'm convinced that if I keep pushing my way through this, I'll find Bobby. He's gotta be out there somewhere!" said Ronnie Anne.
Maria sighed and stared at her daughter with tears in her eyes.
"Just promise me you'll be careful...Tarantula." said Maria.
"Always Mom." said Ronnie Anne, as she hugged her mother tightly.
The rest of the Casagrandes joined them for a group hug as well.
Once they separated, Rosa curiously looked in the pouch of knives and screamed in shock.
"What's wrong Mama?" asked Maria.
"These knives are filthy! Hasn't this man ever heard of soap and water?" said Rosa, in disgust.
"I think you should just throw those out Grandma. They're covered in blood." said Carlota.
"Good call hija." said Rosa.
"Ah ah. Let me handle that. That's hazardous material you're carrying and it could cause infection." said Carlos, as he put on a mask and gloves.
As Carlos took the knives to dispose of them, the rest of the Casagrandes pulled in for another group hug.
Meanwhile, somewhere in the heart of downtown...
"Hey, at least we got that meat guy off the street!" said the Commissioner.
"But is that what I asked you to do? No. My beef ain't with no meat guy. My beef is with that girl. What did you find out about her?" said a very large man with blonde hair and a beard.
He was dressed in a large pinstriped suit, and was currently smoking a large cigar.
"We still don't know who she is. She's keeping her identity under wraps!" said the Commissioner.
"Listen Richards. I like this city run a certain way. You know this. That girl is only gonna mess up the system. If you don't catch that spider freak soon, I'll do it myself. And you don't want me to do that. My methods are quite grating." said the large man.
"I know boss. Don't worry, my men and I will handle this." said Richards.
"You better. Or you'll have to mess with the cheddar." said the large man, in a stern tone.
Richards left the dark room nervously, as the man continued smoking his cigar.
There sure are some strange characters in this city. And the weirdness runs deeper than what appears on the surface. Ronnie Anne is about to delve into the dark secrets of Great Lakes City. In her quest to find her brother, what else will she uncover in this crooked city? Find out in this new series known as SLTS: Tarantula's Tales!
I hope you guys enjoyed the first episode! Let me know your thoughts in a review and until next time, I've been 65! Peace!