Author's Note: What did I tell y'all?! I said the next chapter would be coming out soon, and now we're here! Lol. Joking aside, I hope you guys get used to this, because I'm gonna be updating this story a lot more frequently. The last Christmas chapter was made to get me warmed up again. Now it's review replying time.

TTS01: Thank you so much! You will be getting more.

To all my readers, make sure to leave a review, and I'll reply to it in the next chapter. With that being said, let's get to the story.

Just My Imagination

Intro Music: Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes Theme Song

Chapter 4: Shadows of the Past

BGM: The Amazing Spider-Man 2 Soundtrack – I Need to Know

Peter and Natasha barely had time to process what had happened. The apartment was in shambles, the acrid scent of smoke filled the air, and debris lay scattered everywhere. Yet amidst the chaos, Peter's Spider-Sense went off again.

"Stay close," Peter said, his voice firm as he scanned the smoke-filled horizon.

Then, cutting through the dense haze, came a sight that froze Peter in place. A glider, its green glow eerily familiar, hovered menacingly over the wreckage. It bore the unmistakable silhouette of the Green Goblin's dreaded machine but was sleeker, more advanced, less monstrous, yet somehow more sinister.

Peter clenched his fists. "No... it can't be."

The figure atop the glider began to emerge from the smoke. The armor was green and black, a modernized twist on a terrifying memory. Then, the mask snapped open with a sharp hiss to reveal…

"Harry?!"

Peter's voice cracked, disbelief coursing through him. Natasha's eyes widened in shock beside him.

"Harry Osborn?" she asked incredulously.

Peter's mind raced. Harry was dead, or so he thought. He'd grieved for him, buried the guilt of their fractured friendship. Yet here he was, alive and clad in the armor of a legacy that had haunted Peter for years.

Harry's expression was anything but friendly. His piercing gaze locked onto Peter, and his lips curled into a bitter smile.

"You knew this was coming, Pete!" Harry shouted, his voice a mix of rage and pain, echoing unnervingly through the chaotic scene. Without warning, the glider surged forward.

"Harry, wait!" Peter barely managed before Harry slammed into him with devastating force.

Natasha shouted Peter's name as the glider rocketed upward, carrying him into the sky. Peter struggled in Harry's grip.

BGM: Spider-Man 3: Harry Confronts Peter

"Harry! What are you doing?!" Peter yelled.

Harry didn't answer. Instead, he delivered a crushing punch to Peter's jaw, sending shockwaves of pain through his head. Before Peter could retaliate, Harry hurled him toward a nearby building.

The impact shattered windows and sent Peter tumbling inside. For a moment, all was silent except for the groans of bending steel and crumbling masonry.

Peter dragged himself to his feet, his body aching. But there was no time to dwell on the pain. His hands instinctively went to his chest, pulling open his shirt to reveal the red and blue beneath.

By the time Harry descended through the shattered window, Peter stood waiting, fully suited as Spider-Man.

"I don't know what brought you back, Harry, but this isn't you," Peter said, trying to reason with his former best friend.

"You don't know a thing about me, Peter," Harry snapped. His glider floated beside him like a predator circling its prey. "You left me. Just like you left everyone else."

The words stung. Peter's heart sank.

"Harry, you have to listen to me. I didn't leave-"

Harry cut him off, his voice rising in fury. "You did! You left when I needed you the most. You let me die, Peter! And you let my father die!" His voice cracked, a mix of anger and anguish, and for a fleeting moment, Peter saw the friend he once knew buried beneath the hatred.

Peter shook his head, his voice desperate. "I didn't let you die, Harry! I didn't even know-"

"SHUT UUUUUP!" Harry roared, launching a barrage of razor-sharp projectiles from his gauntlet. Spider-Man leapt into action, twisting and flipping to avoid the deadly assault. Each projectile embedded itself into the walls and floor with a menacing hiss, some exploding in bursts of smoke and fire.

"You don't get to talk your way out of this!" Harry snarled, surging forward on his glider. His fists slammed into Peter's defenses with relentless ferocity, each blow heavier than the last.

Peter gritted his teeth, blocking and dodging as best he could. "Harry, please! This isn't you! Whatever's controlling you, we can fight it together!"

"Together?" Harry scoffed bitterly, slamming Peter into a steel beam. "You think you're the hero in everyone's story, don't you? But heroes don't abandon their friends. Heroes don't turn their backs when it matters."

Peter's mind raced. Harry's words weren't just blind fury—they were laced with an eerie conviction. Something—or someone—had twisted his memories, fueling his rage.

"Harry, someone's manipulating you," Peter said through gritted teeth. He planted his feet against the beam and kicked off, flipping over Harry to land on the glider. "This isn't who you are!"

Harry's eyes burned with a feral intensity as he reached for Peter. "You don't know who I am anymore, Peter. But you're about to find out."

With a sudden twist of the glider's controls, Harry sent them careening toward the city skyline. Peter clung to the glider, struggling to maintain his grip as they dodged towering buildings and blinding lights. Below them, Natasha darted through the streets, her voice crackling through Peter's comms.

"Peter, I'm tracking you. Whatever's happening up there, you need to end it—fast."

"Working on it!" Peter shouted, narrowly avoiding another swing from Harry.

The glider suddenly lurched, tossing Peter into the air. He fired a webline, catching the edge of a rooftop just in time to swing back into action. Harry circled around, his expression colder now, more calculating.

"I thought I could trust you," Harry said, his voice quieter but no less venomous. "But trust is for fools. And you made me one."

Peter landed on the rooftop, crouching low as he faced his former best friend. "I made mistakes, Harry. But I never gave up on you. And I'm not giving up now!"

The two stood in tense silence, the city below them a sea of chaos. For a moment, it felt like the world had stopped. Then, with a chilling smile, Harry spoke.

"Then let's see if you survive this... hero."

The glider's engines roared as Harry dove straight at Peter, the night exploding into a deadly clash of past and present. With their fight continuing, the intensity rose with each passing moment. They were trading blow for blow, but Peter's mind was also starting to drift somewhere else. He was still trying to fathom fighting his old best friend, and as a result, Harry took advantage of this. "You're wide open!" Harry shouted, sending a hard elbow to Peter's ribs.

Peter stumbled to his feet on the cracked asphalt, his breathing labored as pain shot through his ribs. The sound of distant sirens mixed with the panicked screams of scattering civilians. He clenched his fists, staring up at Harry as he descended on his glider, the sharp edges of his armor gleaming ominously in the glow of streetlights.

"Round two, Pete," Harry taunted, his voice dripping with cold malice. "I wonder how long you can keep getting back up."

Before Peter could respond, a sharp, commanding voice cut through the chaos.

"PLASMA… BURST!"

A brilliant blast of energy erupted from Natasha's weapon, hurtling toward Harry. He barely had time to react, crossing his arms to shield himself as the plasma wave slammed into him.

BOOM!

The force of the impact sent him careening off his glider, crashing into a parked car with a deafening crunch. Shards of glass and twisted metal flew in every direction.

Peter turned, wide-eyed, as Natasha ran up to him. Her normally composed expression was replaced by one of genuine concern. "Spidey, are you okay?"

Peter groaned, shaking off the ringing in his ears. "Yeah... nothing a little web fluid and aspirin won't fix," he said, forcing a wry grin despite the ache in his chest.

However, their moment of reprieve was short-lived. Harry's glider, functioning autonomously, swooped low and hovered over the wreckage, its sensors scanning for its master. Natasha's grip on her weapon tightened, but Peter placed a hand on her shoulder. "Hold on. If it gets him back on the glider, we can get everyone clear before this gets worse."

But the glider didn't have to search long. Harry emerged from the wreckage, brushing shards of glass off his armor as if they were nothing. A dark smirk crossed his face as he stepped onto the glider, rising back into the air. His attention shifted to Natasha, and he gave her a mocking nod.

"That was a nice hit. Almost impressive," he said, his voice dripping with condescension. "But 'almost' doesn't cut it."

But before Harry could act, a new voice rang out, laced with confidence and sarcasm. "Sorry, Green Goblin 2.0, but we don't do 'almost.'"

The metallic whir of servos filled the air as Iron Man landed behind Harry, his repulsors glowing ominously. "You've got quite the nerve showing up in my city."

Harry whipped around, his eyes narrowing. But any retort died on his lips as the rest of the Avengers arrived, their presence as commanding as ever. Thor's hammer sparked with lightning as he stepped forward beside Iron Man, while Captain America adjusted his shield with quiet resolve. Hawkeye drew an arrow, and Hulk let out a low, rumbling growl.

"Give up, kid," Tony said, his tone casual but firm. "You're out of your league."

Harry's expression flickered with something that might've been fear, but it was quickly replaced by defiance. "You think I'm scared of you? You don't even know what I'm capable of."

"Then why don't you show us?" Thor challenged, twirling Mjölnir with a smirk.

Hulk would slam his fist into his palm. "Hulk ready to SMASH!"

"We can do this the easy way or the hard way, son." Captain America spoke, his eyes never leaving Harry. "The choice is yours."

"And I advise that you make the right choice," Hawkeye added, being ready for battle.

Harry hesitated, his gaze darting between the Avengers and Peter. He was calculating, weighing his odds. Finally, he locked eyes with Peter one last time, his voice low but venomous.

"This isn't over, Pete. Not by a long shot."

With a flick of his wrist, Harry hurled a pumpkin bomb at the ground. The explosion was deafening, the resulting smoke cloud enveloping the street in chaos. The Avengers instinctively shielded themselves, and Peter shot a webline to pull Natasha out of harm's way.

When the smoke cleared, Harry was gone. The faint hum of his glider's engines was the only sign of his retreat.

Peter slumped against a nearby lamppost, staring at the empty sky. His heart felt heavier than the injuries he'd sustained. Natasha approached him, her voice soft. "He's gone, for now."

"Yeah," Peter muttered, his voice hollow. "But he'll be back."

Tony stepped up, his faceplate retracting to reveal his serious expression. "We'll be ready for him, Spidey. You don't have to do this alone."

Peter nodded, though the words felt distant. As the Avengers began to discuss their next steps on how to proceed with this situation, Peter's mind lingered on Harry's final words.

Was this really who Harry had become?

The thought twisted in his gut. His best friend—no, his brother—was out there, consumed by hatred.

And for the first time in years, Peter wasn't sure if he could save him.

END OF CHAPTER 4: SHADOWS OF THE PAST

BGM: Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes End Credits Theme

Tony: Okay, so, quick question. Isn't Harry Osborn supposed to be dead?

Peter: I thought he was dead, but… he's proven me wrong.

Natasha: He's never acted like this before, right?

Clint: Well, it looks like we have a mystery on our hands, guys.

Steve: Let's find out everything we can.

Thor: I agree, Rogers!

Next time on Just My Imagination!

Research

Hulk: Hulk ready for the next chapter!

Author's Note: Alright, guys! How was that? Not the longest chapter in the world, but I do think it gets the ball rolling on future stuff I have planned for this story. It should be a fun ride. As always, if you enjoyed what you read, then give this fic a FOLLOW AND A FAVORITE! Don't forget to READ AND REVIEW! See ya guys next time.