Make Mine Mysterio

That night, as she prowled the rooftops, Mysterio used the springs in her boots to help her get from one rooftop to the next.

Well, the new filly certainly could use some action tonight. And who knows? Maybe I'll get a lead on where my beloved Smoke and Mirror have been taken to, thought Mysterio.

Almost as if on cue, several sirens were heard ringing in the darkness. Mysterio turned her head towards their direction and noticed that they were heading in the direction of the bank.

Well, I suppose I better check that out, thought Mysterio as she used her magic to change direction and head towards the bank. A few leaps later and Mysterio appeared outside the bank and surveyed through a busted open window. The ponies inside all had automatic rifles and shotguns as they held the ponies up.

"I'm not going to tell you again, put the bits in the bag!" yelled the leader

As Mysterio peered inside the bank, she saw that the thugs had several ponies opening bit registers with terrified looks on their faces.

All right... It's showtime! thought Mysterio, her horn glowing under her helmet.

A loud crack rang through the vast lobby and a bizarrely dressed pony with a purple cape appeared in a cloud of smoke.

"BEHOLD EVERYPONY! I AM MYSTERIO!" the cloaked pony yelled, her voice somewhat distorted as a stream of smoke appeared at her hooves.

"What kind of get up is that?" one of the robbers asked Mysterio.

Mysterio frowned, her expression hidden behind the one-way glass of her helmet.  "A very expensive one. Now, do I have to ask you if you want to do this the easy way or the fun way?” She asked the thugs.

The leader of the thugs laughed. "That's your idea? Well, here's mine; you get over there with the other hostages, or me and my boys will fill you full of lead," he said. With that the thugs all fired at her. Mysterio dodged some of the gunfire but some bullets managed to make contact on her. SWEET FAUST ABOVE THESE THINGS HURT! THEATER DOES NOT PREPARE YOU FOR THIS! Mysterio thought to herself. The thugs still were firing when Mysterio let loose another smoke screen and disappeared.

"All right, fun way it is," said Mysterio through gritted teeth.

Although it was blurred by the helmet and the second smokescreen,  Mysterio lit up her horn. Another large cloud of smoke appeared, shaping and gathering into what quickly became a giant cobra.

"Still want to do this the fun way?" said Mysterio.

The thugs jaws dropped in amazement at the very sight of the snake. The lead thug was the first to recover as he got over the shock of the sight before him. “Nice party trick freak!” He shouted as he blasted the snake with a shotgun only for the bullets to go through it. "Wha-what?" said the thug.

Mysterio smirked, but then out of the corner of her eye she saw bulltetholes very close to a young mare and her colt.

I need to be more careful! I don’t think I could live with myself if something happened to those two! Mysterio thought to herself as the snake moved and coiled around the thugs. Mysterio just grimaced in pain as her wounds continued to bleed.

"Okay! Okay! We give up! Just please don't let this thing eat us!" yelled the leader.

"Very good. Now, toss your guns away and let these officers take you away," said Mysterio.

The thugs took one good look at the towering snake and did as they were told.

The hostages slowly got up, still somewhat terrified by the pony who had saved them.

"I can see that you are all afraid of me and what I can do. Don't be. Mysterio never harms innocents. But, obviously I'm still learning how to be a hero. So, if you'll excuse me, I have to see a doctor, preferably one with the normal amount of limbs, about my injuries," said Mysterio, before vanishing in a cloud of smoke.

~

Later that night, as she lay in her hospital bed, Trixie Lulamoon looked out the window at the city. She had told the doctors that she had been mugged. But, she knew that she was lucky that it was just a few bullet wounds and not something worse.

After seeing what Doc Ock fights, I'm just glad it was a robbery by normal thugs... she thought to herself. Trixie then closed her eyes and fell asleep, unaware that something truly terrifying was headed her way...

~

Meanwhile, the black hooded figure, who is merely called the Rose, prowled the Manehattan Graveyard, searching for a particular headstone. She carried a costume that looked like that of the Scarecrow from the Wizard of Oz movie.

"Where are you? Where are you? Ah-ha! There you are," said Rose. She had found the headstone of Hayword Seed.

Setting the costume down, the Rose raised her hands, her concealed horn glowing with purplish energy as she began the incantation. “Exite de praeteritis creatura. Surge, et novus dominus tuos.” A moment later the ground was glowing the same purplish energy before it started to crackle with black lightning. Suddenly a corpse erupted from the ground and started to convulse violently. The convulsions stopped a moment later as the corpse landed on the ground with both hooves. Its face a rotting mess as it took a deep breath.

"I live…. again.”