//------------------------------// // EXTRA: Under The Violet Hood // Story: The Misadventures of the Renegades // by reading is magic //------------------------------// Hi! Now many of you would be wondering 'why are you publishing a chapter after all these years?' Well, this chapter was supposed to be a story arc of Frost Bite exploring Manehatten but I never really got anywhere past this chapter. I still think this was an interesting chapter. Give me your thoughts on the comments below after reading! Happy readings! Ah, Canterlot Castle; a place where prissy ponies visit and annoy the princess with their problems originating from their own snootiness and sheer upper-crustiness. Or so Frost Bite thought. It annoyed him that Luna can’t give him a lesson due to day court’s unusual number of guests today. Tirek’s destruction apparently affected a number of properties around Equestria that the sisters had to attend to the court together and they even plan to hold the night court together as well. It was then Princess Luna decided to send him to Manehatten, the city that never sleeps, or maybe took naps between hours. Luna said to him that he had to look into a problem that the city had for two weeks. Frost Bite didn’t get most of what Luna said, but he was sure it was very important and he had to say Luna sent him. Frost Bite laid down on his comfy gigantic bed in his hotel room. The only other homework Luna gave him was Princess Twilight’s lessons of friendship. The first batch of the letters were the lessons that made him gag as he read through icky friendship goodness. He realized that maybe Twilight was a bit naive before she was a princess. Some of the lessons he read were just obvious, while some were quite interesting. He had one favorite, and it was the one where Pinkie Pie wrote it. Today I learned it's not good to jump to conclusions. You have to find out all the facts before saying somepony did something. If you don't, you could end up blaming somepony for something they never did. This could hurt their feelings. And it could make you feel really foolish. So from now on, I will make sure to always get all the facts. Which he also found hypocritical, since Pinkie Pie did launched him with a cannon. Nevertheless, he liked the lesson from the scroll. He wasn’t sure what to do after reading them. Part of him was just glad that he got to the city that never slept. Frost Bite wasn’t quite sure why Manehatten was called that. After all, cities weren’t alive, and they certainly didn’t need sleep. Frost Bite loved how the city never seemed to stop. Walking the sidewalks, Frost Bite noticed that every pony seemed to be headed somewhere, ignoring the sheer number of them altogether. The streets were littered and rushing with carriages pulled by ponies, few by magic engines. It was so different from Canterlot and Crystal Empire. Sing Song read the other scrolls too, and she had the same gag as Frost Bite. She wasn’t as thrilled to be in the city as much as Frost Bite because of the amount of dust and dirt that flew along the breeze of the city. For her, the ponies seemed to ignore each other as they went along their business. It felt heartless for her. At least the Canterlot ponies said hi to each other, no matter how pretentious and posh they did it. “Sing Song,” Frost Bite called out with a parchment on his face. “What?” Sing Song said blankly. “Why were we sent here again?” “Something about congratulating a friend of Princess Luna with his business or something. It’s happening tonight.” “Must we go?” “It’s your job.” “Why can’t I have something interesting for an assignment?” Elsewhere… The moon shone bright across the sky, and the streets often became silent, or at least in this particular part of the city. Littered with trash and filth, it was surprising to see such place was connected to the ever progressing city of Manehatten. In an alleyway, lit by a flickering light from a post, family of three walked. They had just come out of the movie theater, and parents’ child was delighted having seen the motion picture; the parents, not so much. It wasn’t really for them, and for the most part of the movie, it had too many MG(magic-generated) graphics, and the dialog was just awful. The parents’ had the same sentiment; this prequel was a disaster. The original trilogy was a lot better. A shadow emerged from the darkness, and by shadow, I meant a pony and by darkness, I mean the dumpster. The stallion levitated a knife with his magic and threateningly pointed it at the father. “Give me all your valuables. Now.” “You two, get behind me,” the father told his family. “Look, I’ve given you what you want, just don’t hurt them.” He then tossed his wallet on the ground. “Give me your jewelry.” The mother quickly removed her earrings and tossed them as well. “Good.” The thief levitated the items. “But I can’t let you go after seeing my face. Goodbye.” The knife moved quickly and lunged to the father. The mother screamed and waited for her beloved’s scream of pain. She covered her son’s eyes and shut her own. They waited, but the sound never came. She opened her eyes and saw a pony before them. The pony wore a purple body suit and a flowing cape over, covering all over her body, and her hooves covered in darker colored boots. The pony turned to them, showing a face covered in a mask that also hid her eyes. The knife merely floated before her. “Run,” she said with a low voice. Confused, the mother pulled her husband and child away from the situation. The kid, when his mother pulled him, saw the new pony. “Mare Do Well!” The pony, known as Mare Do Well, turned to the evil-doer. Her eyes, though covered, managed to show its glare to the criminal. Mare Do Well tossed the knife aside. “Oh no, not the costumed freak!” The stallion started running in the other direction. Mare Do Well took something from her waist and tossed it to the escapee. The object exploded and turned into wires, covering the escapee in it and he fell to the ground. Mare Do Well approached the wired pony. “Who the hay are you?!” She only looked down at the criminal, but as heard the police sirens from a distance, she fired a grapple gun upwards from her hooves and pulled herself away from the alley. An hour later, Frost Bite decided to do more exploring and do the congratulating thing. He hadn’t been to Manehatten, and it was an opportunity for him to see new things. He took Sing Song (literally) and stuffed her into his mane and went to the Maneway subway. The thought of railroads underneath the gigantic city really blew Frost Bite’s mind. A number of ponies also surprised him, even though he already expected it. It was a speedy travel from the previous subway to the next. Frost Bite, during the ride, pointed outside. “Sing Song, look!” “What?” “We’re underground!” There arrived at the famous shopping district. The place was rushing with ponies, transportation, lights and noise; even the air seemed different—dirtier,perhaps. While Frost Bite wanted to see the stores and whatever the place had to offer, Sing Song reminded him about their task at hoof. Frost Bite sighed almost at every shop he wanted to visit as they walked the busy streets. They then arrived at their destination: Manehatten Convention Center. The place made Frost Bite think as to why a large building was shaped like a gigantic popcorn bucket. From the vertical lines of white and blue of it, it made him thought that maybe they were at the wrong place and maybe they were at the movie theater, but the address they had on them was clear and it had the same name plastered on the building’s front. There were several carriages unloading ponies by the front, and they all walked along. the red carpet. All of the ponies who walked wore clothes. “I have a feeling I need some sort of clothing.” “Who cares, every pony is usually naked,” Sing Song blankly stated. “Maybe if I can get a hat or a tie…” Frost Bite looked around and saw a hat stand. “Forget about it, let’s just go the thing and—Oh, of course.” Frost Bite walked to the shop and looked at the varieties of hats that were hung. Baseball caps, top hats, and some he didn’t recognize… but then he saw one that caught his gaze, and Frost Bite knew it was the one. “Invitation, please.” The stoic and tall stallion stood beside the glass double doors. Behind the bouncer’s pair of shades, Frost Bite can feel his gaze and silent judgment. He handed his invitation to the bouncer. The shades stallion handed the invitation back after a second of just staring at it. “Please,” the stallion then gestured Frost Bite to come in. “I had a feeling you wouldn’t have gotten in because of your hat,” Sing Song said as she pointed at Frost Bite’s headwear, which was a felt cap that looked like a glass turned upside down. “It’s a fez. It looks cool, and the bouncer thought so too.” Frost Bite stepped into the large room. Golden chandeliers hung from the high ceiling, fancy paintings decorated the walls, and fancy tables and chairs were at the side, and next to it were tables filled with food. The buffet seemed too glorious for Frost Bite to ignore, but he decided to act with grace. No need to rush. In the center was a ballroom, and beyond it was a stage where ponies played smooth classical music, and a pony was singing in a baritone voice. The room filled with ponies of different colors, chatters, and good music permeated around the room. “What now?” Frost Bite asked. “I don’t know. Mingle, be fancy.” Frost Bite decided to just eat. After all, he was hungry and dinner stared him right back whenever he took a glance at the buffet. He made his way to the buffet. Upon reaching the table, Frost Bite looked at the options laid before him. There simply was too many to just pick; he wanted to sample them all. “I can’t decide...” Frost Bite placed his hoof on his chin. “Perhaps I can be of help?” a voice asked from Frost Bite’s right. “Really? That’ll be—” As Frost Bite turned and saw the origin of the voice, he froze. “Is something wrong, darling?” It was Rarity. Twilight’s friend. Which mean she could be here too. Frost Bite’s eyes widened and his mouth shut tight. He shook his head quickly. Sing Song took cover in his fez. “Oh, I must be intruding on you. I meant no disrespect, but I overheard you having trouble over selecting?” Frost Bite nodded. “Well, allow me to lend a hoof! I have quite the palate if I do say so myself.” Rarity then levitated a plate from the table. “So, do you have any preference? Or maybe dislikes?” Frost Bite shook his head. “I see. No need to be shy, you can talk to me. I won’t bite.” Sure, but you’ll probably call the guards if I talked. “How about I just give you a sample of everything?” Frost Bite nodded again. “I can see you have quite the appetite. I’m Rarity, by the way,” she said as she filled the plate with different morsels of delight. Frost Bite looked around, hoping to come up with an excuse to leave Rarity, but it was futile. Instead, he gave a smile at her. “Cat got your tongue?” “Thank you all for coming!” a voice boomed from the stage. The artists had just finished playing, and a brown stallion now was at the side of the stage, levitating a microphone. “We’re pleased to have you all here with us tonight, and I’m sure Ms. Cloverheart appreciates all of you for this night...” Frost Bite drowned out most of the stallion’s words and looked at Rarity, who seemed to be listening to the speech. Seeing this, Frost Bite slowly walked away from her, but not without taking a huge slice of a cake on the table. All of a sudden, the lights turned off. One light turned on. The spotlight turned to the center of the stage, however, there was no pony to be seen. Gasps can be heard by the audience, wondering if this was part of the program. Then, smoke started to fill the podium, and then it exploded, revealing a unicorn in a very suggestive pose, who wore a red tight suit and a red butterfly mask. Even her horn was covered in red. “Fine evening, fillies and gentlecolts!” she announced. “All of Equestria’s prissy and posh ponies have gathered tonight, I see.” Faces of shock and terror and whispers spread across the room. The band ponies behind the masked ponies stood up and pulled off their coats and revealed that they were also wearing the same tight suit, only not red. Each of them held a sort of melee weapon, one being a mace, another a flail, and another a single ninja star, which really perplexed Frost Bite. “No need to be alarmed, my little rich ponies. The Crimson Papillon is here!” the costumed mare announced. “Now, all I want is your gems, and if you all do that, maybe I’ll let you go on with this party.” Crimson Papillon grabbed with magic and walked along the stage. “Oh, I wouldn’t bother trying to go outside. I got every passage covered. Try anything funny, you’ll be, how can I say this without sounding mean, in the hospital for more than a month.” “Frost Bite,” Sing Song called out from the fez. “What now? We’re not crime fighters! And we don’t have valuables!” “Yeah, and they’re barely armed. What can they even do?” “And who you might be talking to?” a voice asked beside him. The mare calling herself the Crimson Papillon apparently had teleported to Frost Bite’s side. “No one,” he immediately answered, keeping a neutral face. Frost Bite felt his sweat increased. “I don’t like liars, honey,” Crimson Papillon said. She then eyed the Lunar chains around Frost Bite’s neck. “I’m not really into jewelry, but yours simply looks lovely. Hand over the necklace, darling.” Frost Bite’s eyes widened. He looked down at his necklace; the very gift from Luna. “It’s a knockoff, you won’t be able to sell it,” Frost Bite hastily uttered. “Oh? Well, you seem desperate from your voice, so I’ll be taking that.” Frost Bite felt the mare’s magic envelop the necklace, preparing to pull it away. Before he could even blast a random spell, a loud noise of breaking metal came from the ceiling, and a figure dropped between Frost Bite and Crimson Papillon. “Back off, gruesome,” the figure growled in a deep feminine voice. Frost Bite observed the newcomer; she was covered in purple clothing and boots. What Frost Bite thought initially about her was that she had a sweet flowing cape. “You?! How? I made sure no one can enter!” Crimson Papillon said then teleported back to the stage. The mare covered in purple didn’t answer, but instead moved fast towards the red criminal. Unfortunately, she teleported away, leaving the purple hero alone in the middle of Crimson Papillon’s hench ponies. “Take her out!” Crimson Papillon’s voice bellowed. Ponies panicked, screams were heard, and they started to run towards exits. Frost Bite was in the middle of the chaos, and the purple-covered mare had started beating the goons of the red criminal, doing fantastic jumps and flips and dodges and kicks. What Frost Bite never expected to see was Rarity joining the purple pony in the fight. With a flying kick, Rarity had knocked out one of the goons, which was the one holding a small ninja star. Frost Bite can’t help but feel sorry for the pony since she never had a chance, holding a tiny blade. She might as well have shaved for all it’s worth. “I’ll have you know Mare Do Well’s design is mine!” Rarity bellowed to the purple pony as she held a fighting stance. “I don’t know who you are, but that costume is no public domain item.” “What?” the heroic pony, apparently dressed up as Mare Do Well, asked as she blocked attacks from a pony swinging a mace with levitation. She then disarmed the pony and landed a hoof into the face of the goon. “Not the time to be worried about design copyrights, lady.” Frost Bite can’t help but be at awe seeing Mare Do Well and Rarity kicking asses literally. Flurries of kicks were thrown and most of them were dodged by Mare Do Well and Rarity and only theirs were the ones that landed on their targets. Soon, the goons started running away, seeing that they are no match to a vigilante and a seamstress. Mare Do Well, however, pulled something from her belt and tossed it to the escaping ponies. It hit the target and the ponies fell down, knock out cold. A small metal ‘M’ returned to Mare Do Well, and she then returned it to her belt. “Wow,” Frost Bite said. “Wow what?” Sing Song wondered, trying to open the hat from her end. “What happened?” Rarity and Mare Do Well tied up all of the ponies with cloth from curtains. It was Mare Do Well’s idea, and Rarity first was very against that. Mare Do Well didn’t listen to her, and just did what she had to. After all the ponies had been tied up, Mare Do Well began investigating the blown-up podium. Frost Bite shook his head and teleported beside Mare Do Well. He thought of approaching Rarity first, but he still wasn’t sure if she recognized him from Nightmare Night. “Um, anything I can do to help?” Frost Bite asked. “No. Leave and call the cops,” Mare Do Well bellowed. “This podium. It’s not from this building.” “What?” Frost Bite asked. “The wood on this podium didn’t match the rest of the furniture in this building.” Mare Do Well picked up a piece of wood from the remains of the podium. “This building has been at least two decades old, and it never buys any furniture from just any store. If I can match this wood to a certain manufacturer, then I can tell which place they got the podium from.” Mare Do Well placed the piece of wood into her belt. Frost Bite only stared. “What?” Sing Song poked out of Frost Bite’s hat. “What what?” “I said what first.” “I can’t answer that; I was in this hat the whole time.” Sing Song then saw the masked vigilante. “Great, it’s Nightmare Night already.” Mare Do Well turned to leave the area, but she only found Rarity standing in her way. Rarity had a fierce look. “I don’t think you know whose property it is you’re wearing.” “No.” Rarity’s eyes widened at the mare’s answer. “Well, I’ll have you know that I designed that outfit and that no pony other than me and my friends should wear it. I suggest you remove it.” “And. If I don’t?” “I’ll have you arrested.” Rarity then looked at Frost Bite. “You, call the guards.” Frost Bite gulped and obliged. Seeing that Frost Bite followed her order, Rarity faced the vigilante, only to see her disappeared without a trace nor sound. “What?” Frost Bite then howled from the entrance as he left, “I said what first!” As for continuation, I can't say. I only pulled this one out of my archives and follow up chapter for this is really incomplete. Maybe if there is demand for it, I might try to complete it but this story is too old to gain traction again I think. But I do hope you enjoyed another adventure with Frost Bite and Sing Song. Thank you for reading! Drop a comment below and let me know your thoughts!