Issue 1-An Unconventional Convention (Dis)Appearance
Overall, Ethan Mcintyre thought it was a pretty good day. He finally got to go to the convention he had been forced to overturn a few times before and had seen a great deal of wonderful movies, celebrities, and panels. He had gotten to meet a multitude of people who liked the things he did, and not feel like a loser talking to others about them. As a cosplayer of the supervillain known as Mysterio, Ethan was even asked to take pictures with other cosplayers which made him feel like a celebrity. He got to take some cool ones with people who dressed up like Spider-man and other Marvel heroes. He even starred in one as a member of the Sinister Six. That was a great one! What was even better was that he got to pose in a couple with pretty girls cosplayed as heroes or villainesses. If only there was a time Mysterio did team up with Blackcat or was facing against Scarlet Witch, he might have been able to forgive the comic version of Quentin Beck. Still, he cosplayed as one of his favorite villains despite his misgivings with the character’s development.
To be clear, he wasn’t just any Mysterio! Ethan was dressed up as the version from the animated series he grew up with; the one in which Peter Parker would become Spider-man and swing through a 3D rendered New York while an distorted voice sang the theme song. While he did debate on being this one, or the Spectacular animated version, this one was the one that ultimately appealed to him. However some of the manner in which he chose to speak for the role seemed to show signs of the other one bleeding through. That was probably more due to how much fun he had being a bit hammy and getting away with it. It certainly made others laugh at how much he seemed to be enjoying himself.
No way would he ever be like that comic version one. ‘One More Day’ may have killed Spider-man forever, but writers had killed off the villainous character years before. Seriously, who thought it was a great idea to have a villain who was a master of illusions die by a mixture of cancer and an ashamed suicide after a train wreck of a final villainous scheme. Then he somehow came back from Hell, until it was faded out that he was actually dead. He fervently hated those aspects of Mysterio’s lore. So why dress up as him?
Well, he had liked the ideas of the character’s development. Here was a tech based villain who had a genius level when it came to special effects, robotic automatons, hallucinations, and disguises. He had shown he was able to fool a great deal of others into believing he was a magnificent sorcerer, when he in fact lacked any sort of magical capability of his own. He would plot heists long in advance with elaborate setups that showed of a mind for knowing things to their smallest details. He invented a portable holographic technology that made even Spider-man second-guess his Spider-sense. Heck, his final scheme was loads better in the cartoon with him planning on making a robotic sinister six to take out Spider-man. Still, there was that nobler aspect with how he met his end, showing that perhaps in another life, he could have become something beyond a villain.
Oh well, when it came to Mysterio, Ethan could think of a number of other personal reasons why he choose to cosplay as him. He was a young man of 20 with aspirations to be an actor, stage magician, or maybe a special effects artist. He wasn’t too bad at the third if his costume was anything to go off. Despite being made from things such as the football pads he bought on sale at a sporting goods store, a dusty magician’s cloak he saved from Halloween that he dyed purple, and an old gumball machine he got at the Good Will, he really made it looked like it was an official costume worthy of the Marvel Brand. Add in his joy at pretending to speak as a ‘verbose performer of art’ and a few well-placed sleight-of-hand tricks, and for a moment he could fool even himself into believing that he was a Master of the Arcane Arts.
To say the least, it was a fun way to spend the day pretending to be someone else. Still, the other reason he was here would make it even better. Walking around the convention floor among the venders, he glanced around and all the different types of collectables on sale. From posters, to figurines, to t-shirts there were a great number of options to choose from. Ethan didn’t quite know yet what he would buy, but he hoped that if he did find something interesting it didn’t break his bank to get. He did spend a lot of cash just to get here, and he only got lucky that he could save some costs by using alternatives, like taking a bus instead of paying for parking.
Ethan was so focused on the different merchandise for sale, that he didn’t see the figure in front of him until it was too late to avoid him. Before he could turn his gaze back to the aisle proper, he found himself faltering backwards. He righted himself in time and turned to apologize to the person he should have seen.
“I’m sorry about that. I should have watched where I was going! I forget that this helmet may hinder my range of vision at times…” The Mysterio cosplayer started to say, only to falter when he got a look and the one he bumped into.
He was a tall figure, wearing a long coat that was either blue with yellow lines, or yellow with blue lines. His hands were covered in gloves of chalk white. In one hand he held an open umbrella that appeared to be the same coloration as his coat while the other grasped tightly on a blue bowler hat. His pants might have been simple jeans, with black shoes sticking out from the legs. He was a very distinct character, for he looked as if he stepped right out of a surrealist painting. This was further emphasized by how Ethan couldn’t really describe him beyond the clothes: because he had no head! It was just dark in the coat, and yet, despite the lake of a face this individual seemed to give of an impression of being familiar and approachable yet unobtrusive and inconspicuous. It was like a friendly passerby on a crowded street you meet for a bit, only to walk your separate ways after the brief interruption into your daily routine.
Nevertheless, despite the strange figure’s lack of a head, or oddly colored clothes, he just gave a soft hunch of his shoulders as if to indicate the apology was accepted. At least that is what Ethan hoped was meant by that. It really makes one wonder how much of nonverbal communication is still dependent on having a head.
“Over here, stranger!” Shouted someone derailing Ethen’s train of thought at that.
He turned to the voice and found himself facing a stand that appeared to be selling some of the most interesting wares his eyes had ever seen in this entire con. In fact, Ethan considered if these were some of the most amazing things he had ever seen in his entire memory. Who should be selling such wares, but someone dressed up like The Merchant from Resident Evil 4. Seeing a vendor actually get into the spirit of the convention, he felt that he too should get into character. Realizing that he still was in the middle of a conversation of sorts, he turned to face the headless figure again, and perhaps offer him an apology by visiting a stand with them for a bit.
But the figure was gone. How a man—Ethan thought it was a man, due to the clothes—so tall could walk away so quietly was anyone’s guess. Still, he quickly reasoned that the figure probably had someone else they had to get to. Besides, he already apologized to him for a slight blunder, and thus what else did he need to do really? Anyways, here was an opportunity to perhaps get some great merchandise to take home and he certainly wasn’t going to waste it.
“Welcome!” greeted the merchant as he gave a slight bow. He then reached for his cloak’s buckle, and opened it to show off even more wares for purchasing. “Got some rare things on sale, stranger!”
“Indeed! I must say, good sir, that here is a collection of some of the rarest objects ever conceived by the mind and perceived by my eyes!” Ethan said, getting back into character as a more pompous supervillain. He figured it might help to butter this guy up if he found something he might want to buy. “Of course, being an entrepreneur of mystical wares, I may have witnessed some of the most exotic of items one may acquire.”
The Merchant laughed at that, notably pleased by the cosplayer’s charismatic compliment. He then ducked down to reach for something under his counter top. “Got somethin' that might interest ya'.”
“Oh really?” ‘Mysterio’ crossed his arms. He also raised his eyebrow, which could slightly be seen due to the tinting of his ‘fishbowl helmet’ only being lightly done. Hey, he needed to actually see what was going on around him, and had yet to come up with a proper way to make a material that could hide his face while not hindering his vision. Of course, had it been a real helmet like Mysterio’s he could see outside of it with no problem, while everyone else would be unable to see his face.
Yes, if it was like the helmet that the merchant pull out then his costume would be even more pristine. It was a crystal ball looking thing that didn’t give any indication of what was inside. It was perfect for hiding one’s identity, assuming of course you could see outside it. It appeared to have a bit more high tech to it due to the metallic ring around its base. The merchant even pulled out a pair of gauntlets that were infamous if you knew how Mysterio looked. They were squarish and intricately decorated with mystical looking designs. While his own rendition of Mysterio didn’t need such gauntlets, he couldn’t help put to consider how they would look if he added them to his costume. Having the helmet too, could increase his status as a cosplayer of esteem, or at the very least it would be cooler to have if he wore the costume again.
“The helmet and gauntlets of one of my multiverse counterparts?” However, he didn’t want to appear too eager to purchase them, so he tried to play off a sense of disinterest. “I assure you my own are adequate enough for my needs.”
“Oh, then perhaps I can throw in something else that might interest you?” The Merchant inquired, appearing eager to take the challenge of getting Ethan’s business. He extended his hand to his selves of other wares behind him, as if to challenge him to haggle for something else to offer for sale.
Ethen looked about the stand, seeing anything that might fancy his eye, but not break his already limited amount of funds. What finally caught his eye was a glowing blue oval like item that was hidden among other novelties on the shelf behind The Merchant. It was translucent like a gem, and yet the light source seems to be a natural bio-luminescence it possessed. Perhaps the lights of the convention floor were hitting in in just the right spot, but it seemed to be too enthralling to ignore. Ethan felt that he should acquire it. At the very least, it could be something he could use to make another prop or costume for the next time he cosplayed as something. Besides, surely it couldn’t be worth that much due to being overshadowed by more intriguing items like The Perfect Zecter and The Dragon Dagger.
“Perhaps if you include that shinning blue bauble I will be willing to purchase this offered merchandise posthaste. Surely you would prefer such a small object out of your vast collection of incredible particulars to find itself an owner that would appreciate its beauty?”
“Stranger, stranger! Now THAT's a weapon!”The Merchant laughed as he turned to pick up the shinning object. He held it with a bit of reverence as he turned to face the Mysterio cosplayer again. “Not only will you need cash, but you'll need guts to buy THAT weapon.”
“A weapon? Surely you jest. At best it is a component waiting to be crafted into something to properly utilize it.” Already ideas of using it to make a cane, or the centerpiece of a sword were floating in his head. “Besides, as it is, all you have offered me is an few objects that I don’t necessarily need.”
“You are a tough customer, stranger.” The Merchant proclaimed with the slightest hint at being impressed. Perhaps he found a customer willing to haggle back at him refreshing. In any case, he once again reached under his counter and pulled out a box with a place to put a lock on it. He then delicately placed the shinning sphere inside, and then place a deadlock that oddly enough looked like a mystical eye, and used a key to lock it up. He placed the box next to the gauntlets, while keeping his hand out of reach with the chain that held the key in his grasp. “Perhaps if I were to throw in this, we can seal the deal as it were.”
“I admit, I am definitely considering this offered assortment of prizes.” ‘Mysterio’ stroked his helmet in a manner that one might stroke their chin in thought. “Still, the manner of price has yet to be discussed. So what is it you are asking for as recompense?”
“The Mysterio helmet on it’s own is a couple hundred, but I’m willing to give it to you with the gauntlets for $150. As for the other object, I’m only willing to discuss my price for parting with it if you can prove you can even part with that much.” The Merchant crossed his arms with a smug look in his eyes. “So, Whaddaya buyin'?”
Ethan immediately lifted his cloak to reveal that he was wearing a backpack underneath. Taking it off, he unzipped, reached deep inside among other miscellaneous items, and pulled out his simple faux-leather wallet. Looking through it, he counted off $175 and some change. The problem was that he knew he still needed other money for things like dinner, and his ride home. Plus, even if he bought the first objects offered, he had no way of knowing if he had enough for the gem.
“Alas, it appears that I am short on currency. While I may be phenomenally skilled at sleight-of-hand, even a master of the arcane arts like myself knows when a time and place makes an appropriate opportunity to act.” That, and he was sure as soon as he tried something like that-NOT THAT HE WOULD!-this merchant would grab one of the more deadlier looking replicas and beat him with it before the convention’s security would even arrive to kick him out. “However, perhaps a merchant such as yourself might be willing to offer a trade of equivalent appraisement?”
“Whaddaya sellin'?” The Merchant asked as set the offered merchandise aside for now.
‘Mysterio’ reached into his backpack as if it was a bag of tricks. What he pulled out had even The Merchant’s eyes widen. The blue light that emitted from it. The center that was clouded and shifting. While the light source could be seen coming from a corner that hand a battery pack, it could easily be hidden when holding the cube’s corner. All in all, it was an excellent replica of the infamous Tesseract from the Marvel Movies.
“Ah, I'll buy it at a high price!” The Merchant proclaimed as he reached again under his counter and pulled out a suitcase. Emblazoned on it was some sort of emblem that had an open umbrella with a bowler hat. Before Ethan could dwell on it, The Merchant opened it to show him its contents. The case had rolls upon roles of golden coins placed carefully in set slots! Even if they were golden dollars, there had to be a a couple grand in there at least!.
“What the-?” He looked up at The Merchant. “Allow me to break character here and ask, ‘what the heck?’ I mean, I know I made a pretty good replica, but it can't be worth this much as much as I hate to admit it!”
“That may be true, stranger. However, a most interesting third party has asked me to keep an eye out for certain persons who are of a more, shall we say, artistic type of class. You appear to fit the bill not just with how you act, but the clear signs of you craft. He’s looking to hire such persons.” He placed the helmet, gauntlets, and the locked box while also placing an enclosed blue envelope with no address. “Thus as much as it pains me, I am going to part with some items of mine, and this case full of riches, while HE picks up the rest of your tab.”
“How generous of him.” Ethan commented as he took off his handmade gloves and helmet. He ran a ran through his brown hair, which was matted into short wet spikes due to how hot it was inside the thing. “But why?”
He grabbed the new helmet and tried it on, and was amazed at how roomy and comfortable it was. There was enough space in here to shake his head any which way, and nothing obstructed his vision. He could see perfectly outside it! Even better, was that it seemed to have voice electronics in it, as a few test phrases showed that his voice came out as the deep echo that Mysterio was known for! Taking the gauntlets and putting them on, he founds they were comfortable as well, and the boxy shape was easy on the wrists. They were even lighter than his previous ones.
“Well, that’s his business. I’m just your humble merchant. I offer services for services; goods for goods; commodities for commodities; etc., etc.” The Merchant shrugged while discreetly taking the cast aside helmet and gloves and placing them under his counter. “All you have to consider, is what are you getting from letting him pick your tab as you accept his employment?”
Well, now his mind was made up. Just trying these things out was the final factor in his decision. Whatever the job was he would take it. It was probably something like making a prop, or a costume. Maybe even an acting job if his being in character was a hiring factor. At any rate, the details for what the job was had to be in that envelope. So Ethan opened it, not paying attention to how it was suddenly addressed to a ‘Mr. E. O. Mcintyre’. What he found inside was confounding to him.
By opening this envelope, you have considered my offer. By taking the offered merchandise, you have accepted it. We will discuss matters of business after you are properly settled. Just remember that you are ultimately responsible for your own decisions and actions. Until then, take care!
-Quidam
“That’s it?” The Mysterio cosplayer turned the envelope over, and could find nothing else. “Not even a contact number.”
“Oh, he’ll find you!” The Merchant laughed. “Now, I’m guessing that by you putting on that getup, you’re going to accept the offer.”
“Yes. I am.” 'Mysterio' stated with confidence. Whatever the job was, surely he could do it! He had skills that, by the looks of that suitcase, could definitely 'pay the bills'!
“Good! Good! Just let me collect my initial payment here, plus my transference fee, and I’ll send you on your way.” He gleefully grabbed a few of the rolls of golden coins, which was but a handful of those still leftover.
“Yes, yes! Keep the change, my good man!” Ethan proclaimed, feeling good at this turn of fortune, that he got into character once more. He put pulled out the cash from his wallet and threw it in the air with a flurry of his cape. He then immediately took his backpack to put it back on while also taking the suitcase full of coins. As he walked away, the case floated down like confetti in the stand. “I’m off to better things! Excelsior Extremis!”
Those were the last words uttered by Ethan Osbert Mcintyre. Out of nowhere, he was consumed in a flash of crimson light and disappeared. No one seemed to notice, except for the owner of the stand where he was last seen.
“Hehehe, thank you.” The Merchant laughed as he placed his new coins in his pocket while holding out the Tesseract in his hand. His eyes gave a crimson glow for a moment in a mischievous twinkle. “Come back anytime!”
A sudden tapping interrupted his laughter at his latest ‘sale’. He turned his attention to the source, and found himself face to face with a rather imposing figure. The imposing part came from the fact he had no head and was tapping a closed umbrella on the counter as if holding a sheathed sword.
“What, I did what you wanted, didn’t I?” The Merchant shrugged. He then greedily folded his hands in anticipation. “Now, how are you going to even the cost? I gave up one of my more interesting wares to get his business.”
The figure took his hand that was holding tightly to the blue bowler hat, and placed it over the Tesseract replica. When he lifted it again, instead of a mere prop, one could swear it looked like it was straight from the films it was featured in.
“That should do it. I’ll have more fun with this one than the other.” The Merchant thanked as he placed the newly furnished Tesseract under his counter, where it can now be seen that he kept his pack. As he placed it carefully in there, he chuckled a bit. “Still, the way things played out for him to get it. Pretty clever, Quidam.”
The figure, now now known as The Quidam, just shrugged. Without a word, he tipped his hat as he turned to walk away.
“Of course, this means you too are capable of being underhanded!” The Merchant cried out as The Quidam disappeared into the crowd. All he could do is shake his head at that. “Man of few words, that one! Doesn’t even have a mouth, and I still get the feeling he laughed harder at that than I did!”
[}0{]
Ethan got up slowly as he tried to make sense of what just happened. One moment he was at a convention, having one of the best times of his life. The next, he was suddenly in some small clearing in a forest with no clue how he got there.
“Wait a minute!” His first reaction was to see if he was injured. If he was mugged and in the woods, it could be due to being injured in a way his assaulter would expect him to be a corpse after. The lack of an explanation for how he got there could be due to memory loss. Fortunately he found himself unharmed as far as he could tell. What he also found was that he was dressed up in a costume that he didn’t remember putting on.
He was still dressed up like Mysterio, only now his costume was much more elaborate. It felt more like armor than some padding under spandex. His cape felt softer, more lightweight, and it was a bit longer. When he reached for his forehead, he found his hand blocked by his crystal ball helmet. Forget lack of tint hindrance, he saw the outside as if it was in high definition it was that clear. He had to take it off for a moment because he couldn’t believe how the opaque material worked. What was all this!?
Unfortunately, his questions would have to wait because he suddenly heard a growling sound. Reflexively, he put the helmet back on, which caused a sound of something locking into place, and turned to face the possible danger. What he saw made his eyes widen in terror and disbelief!
A pack of wolves were stepping out from the surrounding trees. Only instead of fur, they appeared to be composed of wood and leaves. Their eyes glowed with a green light that gave of a quality of predatory intent and their teeth wear drawn out in a snarling fashion. Each one was ready to attack, it was only a matter of which would initiate the confrontation.
Ethan held his cape tightly as he tried to hide his his fear. His body was prepared to listen to his fight-or-flight instincts. However his mind was flooding with questions such as where did he end up, how did he get here, and how would he escape getting ripped to pieces by abnormal wolves composed of wood?
One of the wolves took a step closer. Before it could prepare an attack, a targeting reticule suddenly appeared on it. It took a moment for Ethan to realize that it was some sort of feature of his helmet. As he shifted his head, a similar reticule appear on each of the other wolves nearby. This shift in his movement was unfortunately seen by the beasts as a possible attack, which triggered their own move to charge him.
“FIRE!!!” Ethan instinctively shouted out with all the force his voice could through, which was echoed by a speaker system in his helmet. His arms were outstretched as if something would come flying out of them. He hoped for some sort of missile, or laser to shoot out. Instead, a greenish mist seemed to seep out of him. Slowly it covered the forest floor until it all the strange beasts seemed to be stepping in it like the fog of a murky swamp. The wooden wolves backed up a bit to see what attack their prey was before suddenly-
Great flames were coming towards them! The strange prey was bathed in them, yet seemed perfectly fine with the source of destruction covering it. It must be of the flames! It must NEED a way to feed such heat and burning! It must WANT to consume their flesh to gain more power for it’s own! It is sending them THIS WAY. THEY MUST FLEE FROM HERE! FLEE! BEFORE THEY BECOME PREY AND THEN NOTHING!!
The strange tree creatures ceased their growling and instead let out yips of absolute fear. Immediately they turned with their tails between their legs and fled like devils were chasing them.
Ethan just let his arms drop in shock at what just occurred. “Did…did I just use some sort of gas?”
He looked at the mist still floating about him. With the way he was dressed and that it must have come from his suit, it could only mean one thing.
“I am outfitted in an actual Mysterio super suit…?”
Ethan looked at his gauntlet adorned hands, finding that his helmet seem to be capable of telling him more than possible targets. It told him lots of things, like what the mist was composed of—apparently some sort of hallucinogenic compound that made it’s targets more susceptible to vocal suggestion—and what his gauntlets were capable of. A lot of this seemed to be what he assumed Mysterio would be proficient in. Yet, this wasn’t a comic book, or a cartoon! How did he get this? Why did he get this? Where was he sent? How!? WHY!?
“What the hell happened to me?” He questioned aloud. But no answers came, for there was no one around. It was just him, dressed as Mysterio, and somewhere a long way from the place he knew.
[}0{]
In another part of that same forest that Ethan had suddenly found himself in, there was another being stepping through the foliage. Whereas Ethan was a young human male of twenty, with short brown hair and light skin, this being was vastly different. Yes, it too walked bipedal, but it walked on two hooves, not feet with toes. While the rest of its form was hidden in a brown hooded cloak, there were hints of it having black and white striped fur that lightly covered it. If one would look into the shadows of the hood, they would see the bright shine of eyes, with also the shimmer of something gold. Perhaps it was the shine of a necklace?
This was Zecora, a zebra that had lived in the Everfree for many years now. In that time, she had witnessed a great deal of things that would make other ponies stay in their homes and barricade them for fear of ever seeing such horrors. Oh sure, the civilians of Ponyville knew of dangers such as manticores and hydras, but they failed to realized the very nature of Everfree was well based in predacious intent with much more dangerous beasts that seemed to be drawn from their worst nightmares. Take for example, the Timberwolves. It was once told that whenever a tree fell in the Everfree forest, it too would come to life as a vicious monster with the instinct to hunt for prey. While Zecora was well versed in the treacherous wildlife, she didn’t doubt the folktale being a possible origin for the wooden quadrupeds. It would lean towards an explanation how they seemed to multiply despite being composed of lumber and foliage.
Why just thinking about them was enough for the zebra to keep a ready hand near the opening of her satchel. While her cloak was coated with natural oils that would keep other inhabitants of the forest from picking up her scent, each step she took was a well calculated step of her hooves. She was just out for her usual gathering of herbs for her elixirs and brews, something not that unusual if you knew her personally. However, what made it take a slight turn was the amassed howling that she head heading in her direction. Sensing the danger, she quickly located a hiding spot in a nearby tree hollow, and held still. Her hand already had an tonic vial that would ignite in a bright flash if anything came close. To her surprise, it seemed to be an unnecessary move for none of the rushing timberwolves were hunting her.
Instead, they were all fleeing as if they were trying to outrun a forest fire. It was a run motivated by desperation for not once did they stop, or even look behind them. While she was thankful, Zecora was no fool. Whatever could scare of a pack of timberwolves was undoubtedly something that must be avoided. So she waited a few minutes more after the pack fled outside her range of sight and hearing in case whatever they were trying to outrun was still in pursuit. When she was sure that it was all clear, Zecora took a moment to relax and stepped carefully out of the hollow.
Removing her hood for a moment, she ran a hand through her black and white Mohawk as she pondered this odd occurrence.
“Not many things could make a pack run away.” She looked around for signs of smoke, for a large amount of flames was one of the only causes that could do that. “Has a fire been set in the forest today?”
Not so much as a hint of smoke could be seen. She sniffed the air as well, and for a moment smelled something odd in the wind. While it was fading it still was distinctive like one of her unfinished brews in which she had to be be careful of the fumes. If the scent came from something similar it could only lead to one possibility.
It could only mean that something not native to Everfree was in the other direction. This type of scent that faded could only be caused by something crafted, not naturally made. As much as she would have liked to continue rummaging for more herbs, this took precedence. As far as Zecora knew, she was the only mare from here to Ponyville who could be capable of concocting some form of hallucinogen. While she lacked the intent to use such a thing, whomever scared off the pack had no such restraints as far as she knew. It could be somepony, or something that had more viscous resolve than her desire to heal.
“I should rather avoid what may cause me my doom,” She put her hood back over her head and drew out her staff in determination. “But I must find out the source of these fumes!”
So it was with this line of reasoning that instead of going along the route to her hut, that Zecora took the direction the pack of timberwolves had fled from.
[}0{]
Far from that spot where Zecora was tracking a puzzling disturbance to the Evertree Forest, was a road. The road seemed to be the same it always was, with it’s dirt covered pathway running on top of green hills. The occasional tree and bush stood alongside it. It was a setting of countryside welcoming and rural serenity which was no wonder why it was the one that lead to the place called Ponyville.
How welcoming and serene the town itself actually is would be tested by the newest traveler coming up the road. A good sized traveling trailer was coming down the path that had a reed roof and heart shapes on its shutters. A sign hung above the door frame of the entrance that was violet with blue stars, and an emblem that composed of a wand over a blue crescent moon.
Pulling this trailer by hand was a bipedal mare. She had long silvery blue hair as well as light blue fur. She was dressed up in magician’s outfit that showed off her shapely form with it’s well fitted corset and the dark pantyhose that still showed off her cutie marks on both of her thighs. She would have seemed a bit shorter than the previously mentioned Zecora were it not for her long boots that seemed to be what made her height around six feet. What completed the outfit was a violet cape covered in blue and yellow stars and a witch’s hat of a similar pattern adorned on her head.
“It’s been a long time since I made a decent amount of bits. Hopefully this next town will bring in more than the last one.” She stopped for a minute to cath her breath. As she took of her hat, she sigh let out a sigh while also revealing a spiraled horn sticking out of her forehead. “Or at least, not be filled with a bunch of neighsayers who have no appreciation for great performance.”
This was the eternal struggle of the showmare, Bellatrix ‘Trixie’ Lulamoon. None of the other ponies she came across seemed to understand how illusion magic could be such a wonderful form. Instead, they saw it only as the weakest form of magic. Trixie’s specialty was it as shown proudly by the cutie marks she possessed. Yet it seemed everywhere she went there was someone that disregarded it as a puffed up light show that was trivial and inconsequential.
“I’ll show these country bumpkins a show worth remembering.” She cried out in determination as she put her hat back on. “Then everyone will spread the story of how there is no better performer worth seeing than ‘The Grrreat and Powerful Trixie’!!”
With that pronouncement made, she felt felt fired up again. She was ready to face the crowd and show Ponyville how great she could be. Of course, she’d have to get there before she could even begin counting the bits they were bound to give her. First things first was to determine which way to go, for after pulling out a map to check her progress Trixie found that there would be a fork in the road ahead. Unfortunately, this was an older map that needed to be replaced, for the part that showed the different paths’ destinations were faded out. She have to get another one when she’d get into town.
Picking up the traces of her trailer once again, she continued on her way until she reached the fork. Fortunately for her, it appeared that someone set up a scarecrow to draw attention to the signs that pointed out which path led where. Even more helpful was how it pointed in the direction of the one that led to Ponyville.
“Luckily for Trixie, a country bumpkin set up a helpful scarecrow to point the way.” She grinned as she jokingly tipped her hat at the figure like greeting a gentle-stallion. “Although, these ponies must be quite the eccentric bunch. Not quite sure how effective a scarecrow can be without a head.”
She passed by the signs as she tried to bring up her pace a bit in order to make it to the town at a time when its center would be filled with ponies for her audience. Already she could practically hear the sounds of applause and cheering of her name. Finally, she would become the mare she always wanted to be!
Trixie was so enthralled in her thoughts of future fame and fortune, that she didn’t notice the figure she thought was a scarecrow lower its arm to reach for the umbrella that was leaning against the sign next to it. It opened it up to once again walk away like a casual passerby on a busy street in the other direction. In the hand opposite the one holding the umbrella was a blue bowler hat.
[TO BE CONTINUED...]
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MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
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Oh. I love this. Not many think to use one of Spider-Man's lesser villains. I look forward to see how this turns out.
Well I'm glad someone decided to use one of my favorite villains for this. Story looks good.
Mysterio accidentally destroys the universe, turns into Derpy and says:
"I just don't know what went wrong!"
Im i the only one wanting to know more about the bowler hat guy, where did he come from, whats his story, were never know in this chapter and its kill you not knowing and kill you i mean me kicking down the dour wave a kight in hand
Ooh. Mysterio. He's not one of my fav villains from Spiderman comics but he is very rarely utilized, so hats off to you for the attempt just for that. Which animated series is he from? Spectacular Spiderman?
Yeah the master of illisions Mystiro a great spidey villain. One of my favorites in The lesser known area
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<Thank you! I'll try to make sure it at least is a decent adventure to read.>
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<Thank you! It is always good to see another Mysterio fan.>
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What, I didn't do it!...
this time.
*Looks at Derpy next to him*
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<Well, I was going for the Animated 1994 series, but I can't help but to go for the dialogue options for the Spectacular version. Essentially, Ethen has a look like the 1994 series with the enthused hammy acting of the Spectacular going into the story. I made this choice because I was surprised that when rewatching the series, we only get around 3 episodes with him, and two of those were with him pushed more to the side of the episodes. He was really underused, but to be fair that cartoon did have such a widespread assortment of Spider-man's rogue's gallery that I cannot really fault them. I'm just glad to avoid the comic versions besides the looks, since they are what people will probably recognize more.>
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<I'm having a bit of trouble reading this one, and out of fear of seeing the words 'kill' and 'you', I'll just say that we'll find out more about this mysterious 'bowler hat guy' as you refer to him as the story progresses. Rest assured, I left a few breadcrumbs to start following this path in the story in this very chapter.>
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Someone besides me who likes and remembers the 90's Spiderman cartoon? Wow. The thing is in that show Mysterio was seen a loot more than in Spectacular Spiderman, as awesome as (I think) Spectacular is/was they didn't do much with Kraven and Mysterio. Now as for your fic, it would be interesting when Ethan meets a certain showmare.
I can't wait to see what jokes are made about mysterio's fish bowl for a head look.
Good start!
I'm gonna track this one.
6087186 i was saying to make a new chapter faster or i come to your home with a knife in hand to help persawed you to my way of thinking
I'm tracking this. Let's see how it playes out.
Awesome start. I'm looking forward to seeing how this story develops.
I wonder what the story behind this Quidam character is?
Will other stuff from Marvel appear in this story?
Interesting story. I really liked Ethan's character and I want to see how he interacts with Trixie. Hope the next chapter comes soon.
While a bit hard to read when you went in depth with the headless man and the merchant, once past that I must say it was quite interesting, even the beginning was rather catchy, especially the quick history of Mysterio, which I personally found enjoyably succinct, though, I did find the hook rather lacking. If you were to edit it, I might suggest being a touch more starry eyed than starting with what amounts to 'meh, conventions are nice'.
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<I'll definitely have to consider that. I am open to edit it in the future. Like I said, I'm hoping to use this as a way to extend my writing skills while making something fun and enjoyable. Still I am probably going to have to come back to it after I get a few more chapters out, and I get my real life settled. You know how it is!>
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As a matter of fact, I do.
I think a word is missing here.
how can someone think illusions are ueles and weak? they have incredible pontencial if used right
Latin for 'A certain [person]'
I approve. I approve very much.
Well, that's an interesting setup alright. Mysterio is one of the funniest ham-and-cheese villains I know and this chapter makes it seem like you're really planning to pull it off with a lot of style. I enjoyed that so far. You even managed to give some personality to "lore" characters that this kind of story usually doesn't. I am really not too big on the anthro angle, but I'm hoping this will be a fun ride regardless.
I'm usually wary of displaced stories. Not so much because they aren't well-written (although many are), but because they're boring. You have a chapter to hold someone's interest, but only a paragraph at most to grab it.
I want to keep reading this. It goes beyond the normal displaced framework and actually sets up a real conflict beyond "some schlub gets superpowers! Suddenly, Equestria!" One chapter in, and we have our three principle actors, a common thread that links them together, however tenuously at the outset, and more critically, we have an antagonist that we don't know, but who is manipulating events for some other purpose and actually seems like a legitimate threat. If Captain Anerica shows up and bumps into a ponified Red Skull, nobody even breaks a sweat because Cap'll run all over him; that's what Cap does.
Here, we have an unknown party whose motivations aren't clear but which appear to be nefarious or at least self-serving. We can guess what's going to happen courtesy of Chekov's Lulamoon, but we don't know why it's going to happen, or if it's part of some larger scheme.
I want to keep reading this because I want to know what happens next, and where the Displaced are concerned, that's very atypical.
6085754 Wait, Mysterio is a lesser villain?
Nice idea of having someone haggle with the merchant. Haven't seen that before
This story seems quite well-written. One mistake that must be pointed out, however, is this:
I believe that you meant to to say "a".
Quidam, as in Cirque de Soleil Quidam?
I still wish Mysterio got some actual magic cursed upon his being. So that he could have something real to fall back on just in case something is resistant to his tricks.
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At the risk of Spoilers, after Chapter 12 I don't think that's going to be a problem.