WIP's from a character series I'm making for Life in Manehattan. These are designs for the "Antiponies"--the directly inverse counterparts of the Manehatten Six.

Keep in mind that other than the designs of Starlight and Soloarch, these designs are subject to change seeing as how they're WIP, so any feedback or specific criticism is appreciated. Solfeggia, specifically, needs a different color scheme.

And any ideas you have for Orange Sherbet's counterpart are more than welcome, because Jesus Christ am I stumped for her.

Info on Antiponies here and here.

1546001

Looks like one is broken.

I have the strangest sense of deja vu, like I've seen these designs before, or drawings like them, before the Manehattan series started.

You've got the right idea here for a story. For Orange Sherbert, try a stallion who will use ponies towards his own goal and will step on them just to be greedy.

1546125: Aren't these from the Lunaverse?

1546125
1546144

Right you are! Both Starlight Shadow and Bedlam Soloarch have appeared elsewhere--Star being the creation of Ganon, author of the original Antipony fanfic CRISIS: Equestria. Solo is a design of my own, which I recently used in a thread over in the Lunaverse for their own Antipony group; the Lunatic Six.

Since both Twilight and Trixie are members of the Manehattan Six, it would only make sense that their Antiponies would be re-used, albeit tweaked a little--and, in Solo's case, given different threads. Ironheart, Solfeggia, and Kid Klepto, however, are brand new Antiponies made to be the foils of Blossomforth, Octavia, and Daring Do!

1546129

See, that's one of the important rules about Antiponies; they are always, ALWAYS the same sex as their original. None of this Elements of Discord Rainbow Crash photorealistic Twilight Doom horseshit.

The other major rule is to maintain syllable count and distribution in their names. Twilight Sparkle and Starlight Shadow both are 4 syllable names with 2 in each word, Daring Do and Kid Klepto both have 3 syllables with a 1-syllable word and a 2-syllable word...

...oh, and also, I'm kind of worrying more about the design aspect right now, rather than the character. Colors, mane style, demeanor, theming, cutie mark...you know, stuff like that.

They look amazin'. Kid Klepto an' Bedlam make me think of a supervillain theme, which'd be mighty appropriate seein' as it's Manehattan (ah even heard a rumor there was gonna be a superhero parody set in Manehattan in the actual show, but ah don't remember what the source was).

As fer Sherbet's counterpart... actually, Kid Klepto coulda BEEN her counterpart if she weren't a pegasus. She's a generous older businessmare, her counterpart coulda been a greedy youngster. Ya could change Klepto ta fit as Sherbet's counterpart, an' make Daring's based on René Belloq, or Professor Moriarty, or a Bond villain...

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Well, I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about in respect to the first part, because the original Mean Six certainly have no connection with Nightmare Moon.

There are many so-called "Elements of Discord," but the one that these Antiponies are rooted in comes from a story called CRISIS: Equestria, a fresh take on the idea written by GanonFLCL, and inspired by the original DC Movie "Crisis on Two Earths." Even if you're not interested multiverse fics, it's worth it just for the adventure, the charmingly written characters, and the oodles and oodles of worldbuilding. Sadly, it's not available on FimFic yet, but keep an eye out!

As for me, I didn't, invent or design the original Mean Six, but I have been contributing artwork of them. And I have taken it a bit if a step further, by applying the design principles that make the Mean Six so aesthetically appealing and expanding it to other ponies, hence the Lunatic Six and what we have here right now.

---

Secondly, interesting that you would mention inspiration in respect to Kid Klepto! Actually, the Kid here takes a lot of inspiration from the elusive and charming Gentleman Thief archetype; drawing from characters like Lupin III, Sly Cooper (where she stole that hat from! ), and Kaito Kid, of whom she is named after.

And that's why this charming little thief is opposing Honesty and not Generosity: because it isn't about the money here. It's all about the game to her. Outwitting, deceiving, and eluding those who stand for the slow and blind hoof of the law, and then mocking them for it. She isn't just a cerebral or physical match for Daring--she's a sort of moral challenge for her as well. When they conflict, Daring finds herself in the role she usually plays opposite to; she is now the "dim-witted" temple guard, her museum an ancient and clunky hall of traps easily maneuvered by the rugged "Treasure Hunter." In facing the Kid, Daring finds herself playing Defense for the first time ever.

Besides, like I said, I'm good on the Anti-Orange's personality--I'm gonna go for a sort of Joseph Pulitzer type:

[youtube=www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEWQ8cauwAg]
(EDIT: Except, you know, imagine this coming from a woman. Because she would still be female.)

What I need now is a color, a cutie mark, and a name.

Oh, that's clever. Well, to oppose "Auntie" Orange Sherbet, ah'd suggest a "Mistress" Printer Error. Ah would recommend she be yellow - like "yellow" journalism - but Sherbet's already yellow so maybe that ain't a good idea.

Incidentally, what made me think a' Klepto as a supervillain was prob'ly the cutie mark. The question marks put me in mind a' the Riddler, who's also known fer a hooked staff, hat an' domino mask. Only thing that didn't quite fit was the colors. But now that ya've explained it, ah can see it.

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Well, maybe not specifically a journalist like Pulitzer, but using the same line of reasoning.

Important thing about Antiponies #3: They are best at challenging their originals' preconceptions when put in a position that the two have to closely interact and cooperate. And Auntie, unlucky for her, is one of those types that I think could really capitalize (read: damage) on having to actually listen to her counterpart corrupt her ear off.

Which is why I recommend her being a financial advisor that is brought in after a significant net loss of some form, and begins to give the Oranges...that kind of persuasion. But done in a nice way, that sounds logical, just like kindly Mr. Pulitzer would tell it!

Bonus points if she disregards or belittles most anything that Mosely says, engaging with Sherbet mostly and stroking her ego; commenting about how obvious it is that Auntie is the real brains of the operation...

Mosely: "What if we just raise the prices of our services a tad?"

"Oh, yes, yes! I like that! And then, oh, and then! Your competition will undersell you horrifically and the two of you will be in the poorhouse, Genius!"

Because of course, the corruption aspect is an important part of these characters, and often an out-and-out goal, because

Important thing about Antiponies #4: They may or may not be Literal Evil Clones created to Corrupt the EoH because reasons.

Final word on that is up to you, LJP. Literal Evil Clones acceptable?

As a final thought, Greener Pastures, or something to do with Greener somethings. And pears. Yes or no?

Well, in general ah've got nothin' against evil clones, so if ya feel like they make fer a better story, then ah've got no objection. Not sure ah'd do it that way if ah were writin' it mahself, but ah'm not.

Ah like Greener Pastures, but ah feel like she still needs a title or nickname a' some kind.

And now, Pears.

Madame Greene, they call her.

Looks brilliant.

Can't wait to see these ponies in action. If this were an actual episode, this would definitely be a season finale 2-part in this universe.

So, getting back to my story ideas, the first thing I want to establish is, right off the bat, that the "Project Manahex" mares are all related, come from the same source, and have strange powers associated with their individual phylacteries (which you can almost always find in their person). Which is why the first Urban Warfare episode is

Daring Do and the Phantom Thief
A dark cloud looms over Manehatten. After a trip to Canterlot, wherein Princess Celestia informs Twilight and Company of unsettling news and grave omens, the girls return home only to find that the Museum of their own Honey Do has been robbed! Determined to retrieve the stolen valuables and to restore the the sanctity of her establishment, Miss Do embarks on an endeavor to bring the pony responsible to justice. But the culprit, taking on the alias of a famous classical thief, might just be more than meets the eye...

And if you want a full, spoilery synopsis of the story:

The story begins with Daring conversing with Professor Cinnabar, Dean of Manehatten University (which really needs a better name), who is returning the Elements of Harmony to the museum after they were so graciously donated to his University for study. Honey Do thanks him for returning the Elements on such short notice, citing that she and the other Bearers have been asked by the Princess to bring them along for the trip to Canterlot. The Professor understands completely, telling Daring that the information he and his associated have gathered so far will benefit society greatly all on its own!

For those of you wondering, yes, this will be important later. Other than that, throw in a gag with the others to break up the exposition, roll opening credits, scene transition.

At the castle, Celestia greets Twilight and the gang, and informs them of why they were called there and asked to bring the Elements. It's disturbing news, indeed. As Celestia would go on to describe, a good amount of days or weeks ago, there was a break-in at the palace. This would be disturbing news on it's own, if not for the fact that it was a day or two before Celestia herself discovered what had been stolen. She leads them to a stature of a bizarre mishmash-creature which Daring correctly identifies as Discord, the infamous Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony. We get the typical history lesson, with the important distinction that Celestia turns the mares' attentions to an important feature, an important missing feature, on the sealed spirit's visage.

The intruder had somehow stolen the single fang right out from Discord's mouth.

One good thing came out of all this, however; Celestia quickly discovered the gradually decaying seal on the Chaos Spirit's prison. With the Elements, the Manehatten Six can promptly renew the magic stone-ifying the draconequus, but seeing as how even one small bit of Discord's magic let loose could pose a serious danger, Celestia warns the bearers to be ready for any new threats. Scene ends somewhere at this point.

So, all seems well and good as the gang returns home, ready to do whatever it is they do, when Daring finds a peculiar letter at the entrance of her museum. Her friends are in equal parts confused and concerned when Daring darts inside the museum, horror etched on her face. They're less confused, but even more concerned when she finally returns to the entrance.

"I've been robbed." Act break.

When we return, the gang is at Orange's place, going over the contents of the letter. It's brief; something along the lines of 'Thanks for the practice run. I'll be back tomorrow night for the REAL performance. See you there -- Klepto 712'. The others are confused by this, but Twilight has at least an idea of what the alias is referring to, while Daring knows the story inside and out. The culprit used the alias of the infamous Kid Klepto, also known as "The Phantom Thief." As the story goes, in 712, there was a rash of robberies all over Equestria, committed by an unidentified earth pony mare known only as Kid Klepto. She later became known as the Phantom Thief after it became apparent that she wasn't going to be caught any time soon--legend has it, that not even the fastest pegasi could manage to catch her--that the most clever unicorn couldn't outwit her. Canterlot's finest were led around in circles trying futilely to stop her and, after years of perfect heists, she formally declared that we was going to drop off the radar, cementing her status as the single uncatchable criminal in all of Equestrian's history. Needless to say, whoever this thief is, they must have a pretty high opinion of themselves if they're comparing themselves to THE thief of Equestrian legend, Daring thinks. Regardless, none of this flavor really matters to her at this point--whoever has the balls to come into her museum, and take what belongs to the collective enrichment of Equestrian's populace, is going down.

That night, a shadowy pony sneaks into the museum and snatches away a priceless artifact. Slinking upwards onto the roof, the thief comes face-to-face with another mare. Clad in her full-on Daring-mode gear, Daring Do greets the apparent earth pony wearing a sash around her barrel and a cane with a fragile tablet resting in its crook.

Wasting no time, Kid Klepto proudly introduces herself to the treasure hunter, revealing that she knows precisely who Daring really is, and that that in particular is why she decided to begin her crime spree at the museum--so that she could beat the treasure hunter at her own game. What better place to snatch a couple of trinkets from, than the temple of those who themselves make a living snatching trinkets from slightly older temples?

Naturally, Daring is not impressed. As it stands, this "Kid Klepto" seems to be more talk than Trixie. And of course, somewhere along their little back-and-forth, Daring reveals that she isn't exactly alone...

Because really, what idiot wouldn't bring along the police for a confrontation like this?

Seemingly surrounded on every side, police circling her and flanks to the edge of the roof, Daring gives the cornered thief an ultimatum. "So, do you want to come quietly, or do you want to jump and risk breaking your everything?"

The Kid shrugs. "I think I'll manage."

And then Daring gets a face full of sash.

Taking a dive off the roof, the Earth Pony thief reveals an important fact: she's actually a Pegasus. And so the chase begins. Daring and the officers that can fly scramble after the Kid, who seems to have an unholy dexterity with that cane, never once letting the fragile artifact slip. This actually seems to go beyond the cane, though, because all throughout the chase, no matter what comes into her path, no matter how they try to cut her off, Kid Klepto seems to be prepared for anything coming her way. It's like she sees everything they try from a mile away, and Daring is slowly and steadily more irritated by the taunting of the slippery little made that she can't even touch. She knows she should be able to catch her; it's not that she's too fast for her, but every time she so much as brushes the thief's tail, she's swerving, she's diving, and before she knows it she's strung up on a clothesline while Kid Klepto is vanishing into the streets of Manehatten, victorious for the night.

And it isn't just that one time. Oh, no, we're not done yet. For several consecutive nights, she tracks down the Kid in the middle of a heist, giving chase. Each time, she is outmaneuvered and outwitted, ending up in a bind while the Phantom Thief gets away with her loot. Even upping her security doesn't protect her museum from the Kid. It gets to the point where Daring seriously considers giving up.

Of course, her friends step in as much as they can, eventually agreeing to help Daring with one big sting operation guaranteed to catch Kid Klepto once an for all!

That night, oh Celestia Daring was right how can one Pegasus be so hard to catch. The plan is almost a completely spectacular failure--The Kid sees through Trixie's illusions almost instantly, and even Twilight can't seem to get a telekinetic grip on her. It's when Klepto is distracted by Twilight, however, that Daring sees her chance--without warning, she swoops in and lands a hit on the untouchable Pegasus!

The Kid is none too pleased however, and grips her cane, telling Daring that she won't be confident for long. Daring, however, refuses to let up, even as Twilight warns that some strange magic is emanating from The Kid. She tackles Kid Klepto, trying to tear the cane from her grip as it begins glowing, all of this happening within fractions of a second...

Except, that's not what happens.

Instead, The Kid sees through Trixie's illusions almost instantly, and even Twilight can't seem to get a telekinetic grip on her. It's when Klepto effortlessly floors Twilight that Daring realizes something is off; she's back where she was hovering just seconds ago, and her friends are all repeating themselves. Time is of the essence, though, so she charges at the Kid, only to swerve at the last second due to some instinct triggering and catching her in the side instead.

Klepto had known she was coming. Because she had seen her do it before.

Apparently though, she had expected her to do the exact same thing she had done before, and now the seemingly untouchable made was, for the first time, thrown off-balance. She manages to lose the mares soon enough, deciding to cut her losses and retreat, but Daring decides to share what she experienced to her friends, and the strange intuition that she had...

So after a scene of deliberation, the girls reach the obvious conclusion. Kid Klepto only seems untouchable because she has a Magic Cane that allows her to rewind time and erase her mistakes from history.

Yes, I know, it's so obvious, I'm sorry. But it's the truth: every time someone manages to land a blow on her, or grab her, or throw her off her game, she can just go back a couple of seconds and pre-empt whatever caught her the first time.

So, that's it, they decide. Kid Klepto is invincible. Anything they do, she can just undo. That's the end of the story, sorry for wasting your time!

Oh wait, no. Daring isn't going to take that. If there's anything they've learned from this, it's that the Kid is flawed, just like everypony else. She can make mistakes, she can get angry, and she is most definitely not invincible.

And Daring knows how to prove it.

Using all the locations Klepto vanished in her many chases with Daring, the girls manage to find a concentration of locations all grouped around a singular area--with any luck, that's the Kid's hideout. And lo and behold, it is! Sneaking her way into the cache of valuables, Daring finds Klepto lounging around, basking in her ill-gotten gains.

Things are different, though. This time, instead of taking Klepto's taunting, she taunts back. Always reacting, never moving, just talking. Throwing the Kid's claims right back in her face. She claims to be a master thief, but all she really does is cheat off of other people. Her 'untouchability' is a big fat lie, her heists are all places thieves have tread before--she doesn't even have the decency to make a name for herself, instead opting to piggyback off of the most famous criminal of all. The only appropriate part of her name is the "Kid" part, because that's what she is-- a lazy, petulant foal who throws a tantrum when she loses and covers her mistakes up instead of learning from them.

After riling the Kid up a good amount, she makes an offer. One final, drag-out battle to prove whether or not she deserves the title of "Master Thief." No magical artifacts, no outside help, and no running.

At this point, the Kid is fuming and not thinking straight, so she reluctantly agrees...except with one, minor alteration.

Except, that's not what happened.

Instead, Daring finds Klepto posing dramatically in the center of her loot room. She has a proposition for the treasure hunter. One final, drag-out battle to determine who the better mare is. No magical artifacts, no outside help, and no running. Daring accepts.

One thing that the Kid failed to realize though, is that she sucks at fighting.

When the others come in, Daring is beaming triumphantly, having made short work out of the now-unconscious pony. How did she do it they ask? Well, Daring knew that Klepto must have boosted her ego so much with that illusion of being invincible, that she kind of forgot how poorly she would have fared without it to back her up every time she made a mistake. She ended up believing her own lie.

Anyway, that's all taken care of. Time to call the police and wrap this case up--

And then they all go blind for a couple of minutes.

When the flare spell subsides, both Klepto and that cane thing are gone.

Uh oh.

---

Far away from Klepto's hideout, the Pegasus mare slowly comes to. Luckily, Starlight Shadow is there to soothe her headache with big, fancy insults.

Starlight, of course, being the one who had to pull Klepto out of the fire, is greatly disappointed with her performance. Not only did she nearly allow herself and her Element to be captured, but she wasted her time on frivolous showboating instead of completing her assignment, which was to thoroughly explore the capabilities and extents of her Element and how it may correspond to its opposite.

However, in the middle of this budding tirade, a third figure steps in the room, whom Starlight quickly shuts up for.

The third pony--actually a stallion, tells the two mares that while Klepto had not driven her Element to it's fullest potential, she nonetheless completed the other half of the assignment, which was to "allow your base impulses to inform your method of operation." Klepto used subterfuge and trickery to achieve her desires, fitting in well with his theories. Despite her personal failure, she had actually made put quite well in furthering their research.

This is key, as he tries to remind the mares; their ultimate goal is to expand our understanding of Harmony and its opposite, and specifically the components of that which mirrors Harmony itself. It may seem like a road to madness, as many fearful ponies claim, but it is ultimately necessary work for the betterment of ponykind. The component Elements of Discord must be mapped.

As the stallion leaves the room, he hears two voices respond in chorus--one crass, one solemn, but both entirely sincere.

"Yes, Father."

And hearing that just makes Professor Cinnabar's day.

Holy shit, that took longer than I thought.

I want the Starlight and Soloarch debut Episode to come right after that, then probably Ironheart, Madame Greene and Solfeggia to round it all off.

Wow. Ya certainly outdid yerself on that one.

I'm now really looking forward to these episodes. Hope they're somewhere along the second season.

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Thanks! My other story ideas aren't as well fleshed-out as this one yet, but I do have a general idea of what each of their "Debut" episodes should be like.

Soloarch and Starlight share an episode; Fear and Magic in Downtown Manehattan. Twilight and Trixie head on down to an area of the city they've never been to before, and end up being lured into "Dr. Soloarch's" Magic and Remedy Emporium, wherein Soloarch manipulates the two unicorn's respective fears in order to use her Element's powers of Transformation on them. This warps their physical appearances and power levels into that of each other, effectively making this a body swap episode. Now trapped in each other's forms and stranded in the anus of the city, they have to somehow find a way back to their district while escaping the many warped creatures Soloarch is turning ponies into in exchange for "curing" them of their fears.

That's not all they have to contend with, though, because at the same time, Starlight has made herself known to the unicorns, and has decided that the best way to show the full extent of her Element's powers is to engage Twilight in Pitched Combat. Only, she and Solo haven't exactly corroborated their information, so she doesn't realize the "Twilight" she is trying to fight is actually Trixie...

So basically, it's a body swap episode where everything is trying to kill Twilight and Trixie, they're lost in the Eastern Bumblefuck District, and they have a psycho-mare with crazy void powers trying to kill them. It's a raring good time.

Oh, and to compound their problem, if they don't find a way back to their old bodies in 12 hours, it's permanent. Fun.

1856235

You sure it can't be part of Season One?

1858475
If this involves Discord in some way, it's best to save this for season 2 as to give focus on him and these Meanhattan 6 I like to call them. Plus, I like seeing this universe between the child friendly like the show, but some serious matters like the Lunaverse, somewhere in the middle of those two. You have a great idea, it just feels like this can be focused later on when the next season does mainly focus on our main antagonists.

Reposting the episode ideas from the Coming Soon thread:

Daring Do and the Phantom Thief
A dark cloud looms over Manehattan. After a trip to Canterlot, wherein Princess Celestia informs Twilight and Company of unsettling news and grave omens, the girls return home only to find that the Museum of their own Daring Do has been robbed! Determined to retrieve the stolen valuables and to restore the the sanctity of her establishment, Miss Do embarks on an endeavor to bring the pony responsible to justice. But the culprit, taking on the alias of a famous classical thief, might just be more than meets the eye...

Focus Characters: Daring Do, Kid Klepto (Official Debut)

Fear and Magic in Downtown Manehattan
When Twilight and Trixie find themselves lost in the lower districts of Manehatten, they end up in grave peril when they run into the mysterious unicorn, Bedlam Soloarch. Entranced by their own fears, they fall victim to Soloarch's mysterious magic and awaken in the streets...in each other's bodies. Now, stranded in the pits of the city and unable to control their own magic, Twilight and Trixie must flee the clutches of a city gone mad, where ponies have become monsters that are slaves to their own fears. Meanwhile, the incredibly powerful Starlight Shadow can wait no longer; she will do battle with Twilight Sparkle, and she will do it now.

Focus Characters: Twilight Sparkle, Trixie Lulamoon, Starlight Shadow (Official Debut), Bedlam Soloarch (Official Debut)

Simple Tips for Running a Greener Business
The Oranges have encountered a problem; an apparent diminishing of their company's net profit is beginning to diminish their investors' faith in them. In an effort to get their company back on track, they hire the business consultant Greener Pastures to assist them in streamlining their business. But although her advice works, and is greatly helpful, it seems to Orange Sherbet that her workers are the ones paying the price. What's more, the things Madame Greene says to her about Mosley bother her greatly. But the most troubling thing about it is that no matter how she feels, she can't help but admit that everything that Madame Greene says is perfectly rational advice...

Focus Characters: Orange Sherbet, Mosley Orange, Greener Pastures (Official Debut)

Heart of Iron
Ironheart is a simple mare. She may not be the most clever, or the most focused, and she may possibly be hallucinating tiny versions of herself and the watermelon-maned mare that she is an evil clone of resting on her shoulders as a metaphor for her own conscience, but that doesn't make her needs any more complicated. But when Starlight Shadow is assigned to keep her on-point for her own assignment, Ironheart is going to find that being evil is actually harder than it seems. Will she discover her element? Will she be able keep herself from getting sidetracked by nearly everything? Will she actually fight the Manehatten Six instead of making polite conversation with them? Is she defective, or is she just that dumb? And will Starlight learn the virtue of patience, or will she have a conniption on the floor?

Focus Characters: Starlight Shadow, Ironheart (Official Debut)

That plots from City of Reality with the time manipulating thief! Rig down to the theirs ego being used to beat them after a time rewind and the thief declaring the challenge like it was their idea.

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It involves Discord havin' not been unleashed yet an' bein' an unknown quantity. Ah'd say that's season 1 material, at least fer Klepto's episode.

2707063

Somebody over here gets it.

Man, City of Reality's the fuckin' tops.

2732110 No, I am not praising you. I am accusing you of stealing the plot.

2732413

Yeah, I won't challenge this accusation.

An important thing you need to know about me is that I will rob ideas wholesale if I think they're cool enough. It's an awful habit, I know, and it would probably be for the best if I change the ending enough for Phantom Thief to not be a total ripoff.

I'll never directly claim an idea as my own, though. And after this, all the other Urban Warfare stories are relatively original in their concept.

So yeah, sorry for being an idea thief. Please understand that it comes out of a place of love, though. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery after all, right?

...er, ah dunno. It's not like ah'm altogether above that mahself - ah once started writin' a story that was basically Shaman King in Equestria - but ah think fer the sake of an ongoin' narrative it might need ta be a little differentiated. A new spin ta make it an homage an' not jus' a direct copy, y'know?

2738654 Fair enough, but could we try for homage or inspiration rather than what seems to be a really direct ripp? There are plenty of ways to spice it up or change elements of the story to let it be more your own creation than just a copy and paste.

Since we're about halfway through our first season, should we get these stories out soon? We still have to make room for the Gala as well.

1546129
So Flim or Flam then? After all, they did use Applejack in season 4 to sell a miracle cure tonic that was nothing more than apple juice.