Author's Note: Hello, again everyone who's been reading this far. I see you've gotten to the point where the two worlds meet, which, in my opinion, was the most interesting part to write. This note won't be too long, though I figure I ought to keep you all updated every few chapters. For this chapter, let's just say it's where the title of the story comes into play. Read on to find out more and enjoy it, readers!
From the moment the concert commenced the following night at NYC Arena, the Hex Girls fans were finally awaiting their chance to go nuts upon entering the arena. Once most of the patrons gathered, lights faded out and the electric guitar hummed from the darkness followed by the neon concert lights panning around the room and the pyrotechnics shooting up from the edges of the stage. Revealed in all this light was the Hex Girls on stage in their signature witch-based getup with fake fangs that gave them the appearance of witch-vampire hybrids. The band struck a photo-worthy pose as Thorn played the opening chords and sang the lyrics of their biggest musical identifier "Hex Girl". In response to their awesome vocals and sparkly, purple smoke pouring from the stage simultaneously, the crowd larger than Coolsville went haywire in an uproar of shouts, cheers, and whistles. From where Peter and Harry stood, the best friends watched as MJ and Gwen unleashed their inner fangirl furies, screaming as if about to be devoured by monsters. As they rolled around on the floor, air guitaring like crazy, Peter thought no doubt they would need medical attention before the end of the night.
"You sure they're not gonna hurt themselves?!" Harry screamed over the booming concert speakers.
"I don't know! Maybe with enough persuasion from us, they'll be able to practice restraint!" Peter shouted back, hopeful he wouldn't have to worry about any dire situations for a change.
"Well, better get on it soon or they might pop some vessels!" Harry suggested loudly.
"Better wait 'til they're ready! By the looks of it, they're not!" Peter yelled, noticing the two of them crowd surfing, exhausting their lungs and arms as they swung them violently to the music. He hoped that by the end of the night they wouldn't suffer broken bones or anything of the like in the brewing mosh pit. This was, after all, the one time he finally managed to make on time it to a major event with his best friends - and MJ's ticket served him well too. Most of the time he managed to either let them down or upset them by attending to Spider-Man or photography business and getting caught up in the bliss of either one. This time, however, so far, so good; he was present at the event and nothing bad had come crashing in on the place just yet.
Hopefully, it would stay that way.
"See, gang? Nothing's happening. No ghosts, no ghoulish costumes, nothing. Just some lights, smoke, and the Hex Girls rocking out!" Fred noted boastfully, referring to earlier when he assured them not to worry.
Daphne rolled her eyes, though, thankfully, Fred was too distracted to notice. She was still rather cautious about the possibility of something swooping in and attacking the concert while Fred didn't have a care in the world - aside from his traps that is. In addition, she became rather suspicious of whether that Mary Jane girl from the other day had captured his attention. As if she couldn't get him to notice her enough, trapping bad guys was the least of her worries, but she wouldn't let that ruin the night. "Betcha Velma would dig the crowd surfing right now!" Daphne finally shouted, noting Velma bouncing her head hard to the music.
"Woohoo! Rock on, Hex Girls!" Velma shouted passionately, barely noticing Scooby and Shaggy dancing along as if being controlled by the music. Backstage couldn't have been a more perfect view for all of them.
Strangely enough, they were the only bodyguards in sight. Nobody had seen Quentin Beck all day meaning that Mystery Inc. had been left to essentially take his shift of guarding the band while they prepared for the concert. Even so, in the bliss of the moment, nothing else seemed to matter.
As the Hex Girls rolled out the last few notes of their opening song, suddenly another whiff of purple smoke appeared at the front of the stage's walkway, engulfing the band in a mysterious mist. From the mist rose a figure with a round head, broad stature, and caped figure silhouetted in mystery. The audience wowed until they fell silent, thinking this was apart of the show.
"Greetings, New York!" the figure addressed the crowd in his Latin accent as the smoke cleared up. "I am Mysterio! Here to save humanity from the brainwashings caused by live music!" Slowly, but surely, his silver fishbowl-shaped head, green jumpsuit, and purple cape became more apparent, causing everyone to question whether he was meant to fit in with the Hex Girls or not.
Upon noticing his getup, Peter's eyes widened; almost instantly, he recognized this as an old Spider-Man foe whose identity and tricks were so mysterious, he hadn't even come close to figuring out who he was. Regardless, he knew, without a doubt, that he was serious business. Not caring to even turning to talk to his friends and/or make up an excuse to leave the scene, Peter fled, butting his way through the crowd with a twinge of remorse for leaving so soon. As much as he didn't want to do this, he could not and would not, under any circumstances, leave any citizens, his friends, or their favorite band in the hands of the menace of Mysterio. Without a choice, he made his way past the crowd and out of the room until he was out of sight.
The crowd, on the other hand, had mixed reactions.
"What's with the fish bowl? Are the Hex Girls into aliens now?" a high school aged goth girl noted.
"Is this part of the show?" asked a ghetto hipster dude. "This is totally radical!"
"Get off the stage, you Latin theater freak!" shouted an older jock guy as an insult to his intelligence.
"Silence, you fiends!" Mysterio's voice boomed without use of a microphone. "The Hex Girls are a nuisance to this world and for that their sound must be silenced!"
Mysterio turned to face the back of the stage and spread his arms, clenching his hands into a half fist. By the powers of some unseen magical force, he apparently tore down the stacks of three speakers sitting at either end of the stage. The crowd gasped and screamed as Thorn happened to be standing right near where the speakers were falling. In an effort to save her prized possession of a guitar and herself, she threw it off and attempted to run out of the way, but her heels caused her trip and fall soon as the speakers made impact with the floor. Fearing for their lives, the crowd screamed and scattered as, by the looks of it, Mysterio was no concert act; he was a menace to the Hex Girls.
From backstage the gang watched in horror as their favorite band, the band they were told to protect, was under attack by a mysterious magician-like figure and they were left unprepared because Fred told them not to worry.
"The Hex Girls are under attack! What should we do?!" Daphne demanded an answer.
"I'll have to quick set a trap!" Fred immediately stepped in to recommend.
"And waste time setting it up enough for them to get hurt and possibly killed?" Velma questioned. "You should've been more prepared for this, Mr. Trap of the Week!"
Fred almost didn't want to answer as she guilted him for not wanting to worry about a thing. This wouldn't have really been his fault since they had no idea who would possibly show up to begin with. Only then would Fred be able to design a trap based around the guy's abilities, the current one of which was a real mystery given his name and lack of identity.
"Hey, magician!" Dusk jumped up from her drums, sticks in hand. "Leave my friends alone!"
Dusk twirled her drumstick and threw it straight for Mysterio's helmet. Unfortunately, Mysterio seemed to possess telekinetic powers and managed to blow it out the way without touching it.
"You dare call Mysterio a magician?!" the wizard questioned her choice of vocabulary. "Such a fool! Mysterio is no illusionist playing parlor tricks! Mysterio is a masterful wizard master from the Arcane Dimension!" he boomed as he apparently summoned a green cloud that shot lightning directly at Dusk. In a split second she dove behind her instrument, the drums shattering in front of her as she covered her face. By curling up into the fetal position, she emerged from the wreckage unharmed - the only thing she had left was her last drumstick.
"All of you should cease to exist as, before you know it, your music will lead the world to its ruin!" Mysterio taunted the band, directing his lightning surge toward Luna and the wires scattered around her keyboard. With so much plugged into her instrument, the electricity caused a spark that caused her to jump down to the floor before she would have been electrocuted. Meanwhile, some crowd members stayed behind and watched in horror as their favorite band was being attacked, wondering what they could do to help.
"It's time to end this!" Mysterio announced, raising a fist as if about ready to summon another power.
"Hey, bubble brain!" a wisecracking voice called out from the background. Next thing Mysterio knew, a strand of spider-like webs attached to his hand, rendering him unable to launch another attack. He looked over to see who his mysterious attacker was; it was his old nemesis, Spider-Man, sticking to the wall beside him in a spider-like fashion. "Stop hexing the Hex Girls! They might put a spell on their listeners, but I don't see them attacking anyone out of jealousy or... whatever beef it is you have with them!"
"Spider-Man!" exclaimed Mysterio. "Have you come in devotion to these meaningless talents of a musical ensemble?"
"I was trying to enjoy the concert when you showed up going all 'Arcane god' on them again! Why not be apart of the show? You'd fit right in with the motif!" Spidey quipped, the Hex Girls appreciative of his compliment.
"Fool! You have no idea what more Mysterio is capable of! Certainly more than a few incompetent musical numbers for one!" Mysterio fired back, furious that Spider-Man would insult him like that.
"I don't think I even wanna know! I don't even know who you really are for crying out loud!" Spidey shrugged when all of the sudden, Mysterio's fist glowed a bright purple, signaling Spidey for an incoming attack. Instinctively, Spidey hopped off the wall and shot a web, swinging around in a circle, dodging Mysterio's attacks as the wizard continued to fire upon him. The projectiles were so numerous he almost couldn't find an opening choosing instead to swing around, dodge, and improvise. In an effort to plunge his way through the comet-like projectiles, which struck the ceiling and walls around him, Spidey swung straight for Mysterio in an effort to deliver a kick to his glass helmet. Much unexpectedly, Mysterio vanished into thin air as Spidey landed where he disappeared.
"Disappearing act? Seriously?! You gotta think of something new!" Spidey remarked, annoyed when, all of the sudden, a violet flaming fist emerged from the ground, uppercutting Spidey in the chin sending him flying to the end of the stage's walkway. From where Spidey lied, dazed ever so slightly, Mysterio reappeared over him in physical form.
"Such a nonbeliever to think that this bunch is the greatest thing to happen since sliced bread," Mysterio goaded. "Soon, I will open your eyes and make you see!"
In a huff of fury, Mysterio folded his cape around his helmet face and swiped it horizontally, producing a bright purple shockwave that destroyed the remaining Hex Girls' instruments and equipment and knocked them back onto the floor.
From where they stood, the gang witnessed the backstage curtain collapsing nearby. If they didn't move quick enough, they would most certainly be crushed.
"Quick, gang! Let's move before that wizard does any more damage!" Fred barked in an effort to get everyone to move.
"Like, I think that's a great idea! Run!" Shaggy shrieked, fearing for his life.
One by one, the gang piled out from behind the stage and onto the main stage. Thankfully, the collapsed speakers concealed their appearance from Mysterio as they made their escape around it. Velma started the line that made its way off the stage followed by Shaggy and his loyal dog companion. Almost too afraid to step down in her high heels, Daphne felt reassured when Fred in front of her reached out his hand to give her a stepping stone of sorts. They barely noticed Spidey charging Mysterio when a barrage of his attacks caused the place to rumble to where Daphne nearly stumbled off the stage. Luckily, Fred managed to catch her in his broad arms and hoisted her up until they met eye-to-eye.
"Let's go!" Fred spouted. Another missed opportunity for a romantic moment between the two as Fred took her hand and led her out of there.
"I gotta get the Hex Girls out of danger before Mysterio brings down the place!" Spidey spoke to himself as he continued to face Mysterio. Right then, Mysterio raised a hand that seemingly caused the stage lights to malfunction and burst from their hanging spots on the ceiling rod. The rod of stage lights fell down toward where the Hex Girls lay nearly unconscious forcing Spidey to quick take note of his next maneuver. Thinking smart, he webbed Mysterio in the face and took off on a webline, swinging up toward the ceiling and jettisoning a web net that allowed the debris to pass around Thorn as she lay nearly helpless. In one swift movement, Spidey then scooped her up, brought her off the stage, and stood her up as she regained full consciousness.
"You okay?" Spidey asked of concern as the crowd continued to scatter.
"I'm fine," Thorn regained consciousness. "But… my bandmates!"
Spidey quick turned to notice Mysterio charging up yet another storm cloud attack. No time to compliment Thorn or ask for her autograph, Spidey attached yet another webline onto Mysterio's form, propelling himself toward the wizard as he kicked him off stage. Spidey then shot out two weblines that brought the remaining two Hex Girls toward him, extracting them both and setting them aside next to Thorn.
"Hey, guys! I know we just met, but, hi I'm Spider-Man, and you might wanna get out of here with the rest of your fans before Mr. Wizard Man brings down the place!" Spidey told the band awkwardly to which they nodded and ran for their lives in unison along with their fanbase. Despite their escape, Spidey turned to witness Mysterio standing once more before him, cape wrapped around his body, despite not succeeding in his apparent goal.
"You think you're so clever, boy!" Mysterio taunted. "Just you wait and see what more tricks I have up my sleeve!" With that, Mysterio threw open his cape and disappeared in a cloud of purple smoke as Spidey charged at him. Just before he could connect his punch soon, he arrived where his foe once stood as the wizard had warped away in a cloud of smoke. Spider Sense then rang, alerting him to Mysterio reforming within the scattering crowd on the opposite side of the arena.
"Catch me if you can, Spider-Man!" Mysterio whirled up yet another cloud of smoke.
Not willing to fall for his tricks, Spidey tried to Web Rush Mysterio multiple times, pulling the same trick each time before his cloud of smoke ultimately evaporated. With his disappearance also came the rupturing of the sound podium in the middle of the arena.
Fred and Daphne tried to outrun Mysterio's getaway, remaining unaffected by the smoke clouding the area and swatted it away rapidly in order to see their escape route better. Just when they believed themselves to be in the clear, Daphne tripped on a loose wire in the middle of the floor, incidentally letting go of Fred's hand and yelping as she fell down.
"Daphne!" Fred shouted as he reached back toward her. The crowd criss crossing in front of Fred prevented him from going back for Daphne when he noticed the metal scraping of the sound podium in the middle of the room. The occupants evacuated, the podium began to fall down straight down toward where Daphne lay, unable to get back up due to the chaos happening around her. "No! Look out!" Fred tried to warn her to no avail.
Just when Daphne thought she was done for, the red and blue wonder that was Spider-Man swooped in and picked her up at the last second before the podium would have crushed her. Her eyes closed from anticipating her impending fate, Daphne opened them to find herself in Spider-Man's arms, the Web-slinger swinging her heroically around the place. His immediate appearance made her heart sing more than Fred ever had knowing that he saved her as her red hair blew around with his movements. This couldn't have been a more daring rescue for Daphne in this life-threatening situation. The two of them then flew for the exit along with the rest of Mystery Inc. and the remaining crowd who stuck around for most of the incident.
"Let's blow this place before any more goons show up!" Spidey suggested as he handled them out the door.
The cops and paramedics arrived at the scene to search for the suspect and recover any injured patrons respectively. Aside from the destruction he caused, Mysterio had vanished without a trace, leaving no signs of his true physical form. Surprisingly, nobody was injured in the event of Mysterio's appearance and disappearance. A lucky incident as Spidey would say.
Spidey himself stood across the street from the Arena with Mystery Inc., the police having barricaded the scene during the destruction.
"I can't believe this wizard guy whom we've never met would have the guts to bring down the house on the Hex Girls," Velma stated. "Looks like there's a mystery to solve here after all." Her last sentence was specifically directed at Fred since it was originally his line and he was the one who disregarded the possibility of such happening.
"Yeah, well, the important thing is that we all got out okay," Spidey said optimistically. "The band's safe and everything!"
Personally, Spidey was hopeful everyone else - his friends and the mystery gang - were okay too. Looking over at Daphne, he observed her closely for any signs of shock or injury as a result of tripping - that and she was too attractive to look away from. Based on the fact that she was standing up straight and breathing, she seemed fine in spite of tripping; she wasn't weak kneed or anything. Still, due to her physical appearance, Spidey felt compelled to speak to her from behind his mask. "You okay, Ms…?" he trailed off, pretending not to know her name for the sake of concealing his identity.
"Daphne," she responded, her cheeks rosy red from his daring save. "Thanks for saving me back there. You're a real hero!"
"Daphne… Cool! You're most certainly welcome," Spidey faked somewhat before turning to the gang. "You guys seem like a brightly colored bunch of characters. Is this the famed Mystery Inc. I'm speaking to?"
"It sure is!" Fred responded. "We're here straight from Coolsville on a mission to protect the Hex Girls."
"It certainly was going well… until that mystery freak showed up and nearly trashed the place," Velma noted, folding her arms in annoyance over the situation.
"Tell me about it. We've been going at it for a while now and I still don't even know who he is," Spidey informed them, upset that he hadn't even come close yet.
Shaggy and Scooby were all jittery inside from their idol standing right in front of them. With a giggle, Shaggy spoke to him for the first time. "Like, that's your old foe, Mysterio, isn't it? Like, if my comic book knowledge is correct, he appeared first in issue thirteen of your vintage series."
"Those good old comics," Spidey said, seeming to admire his apparent "fanboyness" from behind the mask. "Say, how would you feel about this signed card, courtesy of Yours Truly?" Reaching into his suit pocket, Spidey handed him a white card reading "Courtesy of Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man" his name signed in cursive.
Shaggy immediately yanked the card out of his gloved hand, his excitement through the roof as he bounced and laughed with joy knowing he had acquired a piece of memorabilia directly from his superhero idol. "Like, we just hit the jackpot of all fanboy items, Scoob! A signature from the person himself!"
"At long last, Scooby-Doo meets Spider-Man!" Scooby proclaimed before turning to face his hero. "Rank rou for saving the Hex Girls, Spider-Man!"
"No problem… Scooby-Doo!" Spidey hesitated as if just learning his name for the first time. "You guys are the bodyguards after all so I may as well make your job easy!"
"Well, in that case, why not join our team and hunt him down?" Daphne suggested. "Our group specializes in unearthing mysteries that involve unmasking ghoulish goons everywhere."
"Daph, don't we already have another-?" Fred started then stopped when he saw Daphne put her hands on her hips, her expression noticeably upset. "Fine, but maybe just for a day," he turned to face Spider-Man. "You seem to know this Mysterio quite well. Got a lead on where his location could be?"
"How should I know? He's the one who disappeared," Spidey pointed out. "I still haven't even unmasked him myself. But if we find a time to split up and look for clues, maybe we'll get a better lead on not where he is, but who he is."
"You hear that, gang? It's almost like he gets our routine!" Fred pointed at Spider-Man, seemingly warming up to him after an initial distaste. "We'll likely investigate the scene tomorrow. We usually wait until the danger's clear to start looking for clues."
"Fair strategy," Spidey commended them. "Mysterio could likely strike back at any moment. Best wait until the threat isn't so fresh until we investigate the matter at hand."
"Scientifically speaking, I hope your skills are sufficient. Ethically speaking, though, I like the way you think, Spider-Man!" Velma complimented the Web-head, showing some positivity for a change.
"Reah! Rank rou for joining us." Scooby complimented his hero. Suddenly, his stomach began to rumble, signifying a void in his stomach that needed to be filled. "I'm hungry. You have any Scooby Snacks?"
"Sorry, dog, wish I knew where to get some!" Spidey responded.
Shaggy's stomach began to do the same, telling him it was time to fill his food tube post-crisis. "Like, I second that, Scoob. All that chaos and running away got me hungry."
Still very much annoyed with Shaggy's overuse and misuse of the word, "like", Spidey turned to the rest of Mystery Inc. "Somebody might want to feed the talking dog and his slob of an owner. In the meantime, get some rest. We'll need it for the big investigation tomorrow."
"Sounds like a plan, Spider-Man!" Fred said reaching into his wallet for a makeshift business card he made in case something like this happened. "Here's our contact info if you want to join up tomorrow. That's, uh, my cell number, signed by Yours Truly."
Spidey read the card with Fred's number and name on it:
Frederick Jones
Mystery Incorporated
555-4321
"Thanks, uh, Frederick-"
"Just 'Fred' is fine," Fred corrected him. "And where are my manners? This is our main funder, Daphne, our tech expert, Velma, our bait, Shaggy, and our company mascot, Scooby-Doo!" Each of them waved at Spidey one by one as Fred introduced them.
"Pleased to meet you all!" Spidey waved around the area. "Now, if you all have curfews, now might be a good time to meet them just in case, you know, your parents get upset." Of course, he was mainly referring to himself and how his Aunt May would react if he arrived home too late - even though she knew he would be at this concert until roughly the time it ended.
"No worries," Daphne assured him. "Our parents are safe back home while we're just here on this trip without them."
"Nothing quite like freedom from parental restrictions, I'll say," Velma seconded.
Spidey spun a web, ready to take off. "Well, just make sure you don't take that mindset home, now, kay?"
"Like, okay, Mr. Spider-Man!" Shaggy giggled in excitement.
"Please, just 'Spider-Man'. Mr. Spider-Man was my father!" Spidey joked just before swinging off into the night sky. The gang watched from where they stood as they admired him not only for being a hero and attempting to save the day, but for being the kind of person he was. Sure, he was one more wheel for them to manage in addition to the Hex Girls, Peter Parker, and now Mysterio, but thankfully the former two were the least of their worries. And thanks to Spider-Man, the band was okay to continue playing music as long as they didn't get the attention of Mysterio again. The fate of their concert, however, was a question yet to be answered.
"Isn't he just charming?" said Daphne blushing.
"What's got you into him?" asked Fred concerningly, showing his first real sign of jealousy all trip.
Daphne turned to explain herself. "Oh, me? I'm not into him. It's just… he saved me and, were it not for him, I would've been crushed."
"Right. Yeah," Fred said looking off. "Look, Daph, I'm sorry you almost bit it yet again and, well-"
"Don't, Fred," Daphne put a finger to his mouth. "It wasn't your fault, but, thankfully, he's quick to spot danger a mile away. I'm sure he'll always be there when we need him."
Hopefully, right she was. She was definitely in dire need of protection the way she nearly got run over the other day and now she had nearly been crushed. If Spider-Man was always going to be there, she needed all the protection she could get. Moreover, with Mysterio being the biggest foe they ever faced so far, they were going to need all the help they could get in capturing him. Never before had they fought a supervillain before, much less have a superhero back them up like this - there existed a few superheroes in their world, but hardly any of them had any real superpowers. Certainly, this would be an interesting mystery to solve in the long run.
Action scenes can be tough sometimes, but I hope this one turned out decent. Thank you, faithful readers, and can't wait to read your feedback!