Princess Celestia's Cabinet · 11:14pm Jul 23rd, 2017
In my story canon, Princess Celestia underwent a deep depression in the early years of her rule alone; after losing the pony she loved, banishing her corrupted sister, and finally the passing of her mentor and father-figure, Star Swirl, Celestia fell into such a depression that it was affecting her ability to rule Equestria.
So she founded the Aristocratic Council, which functions very similar to the Cabinet of the US President. It is comprised of twelve council members, the individuals are granted the rank and title of Duke or Duchess, and each member oversees specific matters, and to insure equality among the three pony tribes, there are four of each. Due to it being more with the times when this occurred, Princess Celestia chose to bestow this honor and responsibility upon the heads of twelve noble houses, and as such these positions have been in these families for centuries, passed on from the head and acting duke/duchess to the heir apparent. But in recent generations, Celestia has noticed some of these houses have becoming increasingly corrupt, and so plans to abolish the aristocracy completely and establish in its place a democracy instead.
The council numbers twelve members, there are four ponies of each tribe, and each member oversees specific matters or concerns, these are:
Defense and Security
Current Duke: Firestorm
Affiliated House: The House of Storm
Tribe: Pegasus (the current head and duke is a unicorn)
Eyes: Blazing Blue
Coat and Mane: Feiry Orange, Burnt Brown
Cutie-mark: A Fireball striking a storm with lightning bolts coming out of it
Firestorm is the Duke of Defense and Security and Head of the House of Storm. He lost his right leg in battle and had it replaced with a mystech (mystic technology) prosthetic resembling the foreleg and talons of a griffon. He is loyal and protective of Equestria, good-natured, enjoys having conversations, but is also known for having the temper of a dragon. He never shies from standing in the defense of others and deliberately places himself between a threat and whomever he is protecting.
Copyrighted by DFatman
Commerce and Business
Current Duke: Buck Cheap
Affiliated House: The House of Avarice
Tribe: Pegasus
Eyes: Gold
Coat and Mane: Glass Bottle Green, Wine Red
Cutie-mark: A White Envelope with Gold Bits falling out
Son and Head of House Avarice, Buck Cheap is a smooth-talking, charismatic, and extremely wealthy noble pony, regarded as one of, if not the greatest, of business ponies in all of Equestria. He can always sniff out profit to be made and has a keen and sharp mind, able to write up business contracts with a few subtly-worded loopholes he uses to make sure he always gets the bigger slice of the pie, as well as hiding "no refunds" somewhere in the fine print if his buyers are less than satisfied with their business transaction.
It has been suspected numerous times that Buck Cheap (and his House) are tied to organized crime in and out of Equestria, but nothing has ever been proven nor did anything stick. Accusers, witnesses, evidence, all somehow turn up negative, back out, or just plain vanish.
In truth, Buck Cheap is a very intelligent and equally ruthless crime lord, known as the "Lord of lords" in the criminal underworld but never by actual name. He values wealth but is addicted to winning, and any loss or failure irks him to no end unless he "evens out" or wins the "next round", and as suave and polite as he may present himself to be in the eyes of the public he is almost childishly petty, retaliating for even the smallest insult.
Agriculture and Nutrition
Current Duchess: Breadbasket
Affiliated House: The House of Buckwheat
Tribe: Earth
Eyes: Blossom Pink
Coat and Mane: Tan, Soft Blonde with Brown highlights, kept tied in a single hairbun, tail curls around in a ringlet shape with frays at the end
Cutie-mark: A bundle of Wheat in a white whicker basket
Breadbasket is the Duchess of Agriculture and Nutrition, the head of House Buckwheat, and a member of Galloping Grains Historical Agriculture, a group of collaborative grain farmers who pooled their resources together centuries ago to protect their heirloom grain crops and expand their influence in Equestria via control of the food supply. More than three fourths of Canterlot's bread comes from the wheat and rye farms outside of the city owned by the house. Her plain appearance as a mare despite her immense wealth and control over the largest bread bakery in the world should not be underestimated. Breadbasket believes in the power of local farming and helps new and struggling farmers survive, even if they aren't raising wheat.
Unfortunately, she always requires those she helps to give her a percentage of their income as a "fee" for her "guild" if they do not plan on providing wheat for her bread factories. Despite how that sounds, she is unaware as to how it is essentially a protection charge, and continues to believe her program "works" despite annual complaints from her constituents being effectively taxed by her to survive the virtual bread monopoly. Breadbasket's nutrition program also focuses on whole grains naturally, which would be great if it wasn't front loading the public's diet with unnecessary carbohydrates. Clueless that she is destructive, manipulative, and making the public miss out on the other great kinds of food the rich Equestrian soil grows... Breadbasket has a ton of "great ideas" that make her house look bad.
Copyrighted by Spirals95
Education
Current Duchess: Aurora Boreala
Affiliated House: The House of Pallas
Tribe: Unicorn
Eyes: Rose Pink
Coat and Mane: Arctic Blue, Soft Chocolate Red
Cutie-mark:
Aurora Boreala is the Duchess of Education and current head of House Pallas. She was raised to value knowledge and education but after the mysterious deaths of her parents, she came under the influence of her crooked aunt, who raised Aurora to take pride in being a unicorn, that unicorns were the epitome of ponykind, and that pegasi and earth ponies were their natural inferiors.
She is disliked by the other council members for her subtle but nonetheless condescending behavior towards the pegasi and earth ponies among the council, her brown-nosing her fellow unicorn councilors, and kissing up to the alicorn monarchs, and has tried many times to pass educational decrees and legislations that favor the educational developments of unicorns and not give a thought of how unfair they are towards earth ponies and pegasi (none were passed, thanks to the benevolent and moral characters of Princess Celestia and Prince Blueblood).
Health and Welfare
Current Duchess: Doctor Miracle Cure
Affiliated House: The House of Serenity
Tribe: Unicorn
Eyes: Saffron Yellow (wears rectangle-lensed glasses)
Coat and Mane: Periwinkle, Salmon Pink
Cutie-mark: Three Rays of Light over a mortar and Pestle
Doctor Miracle Cure is the Duchess of Health and Welfare and Head of House Serenity. An ace pharmaceutical expert, she has a no-nonsense attitude but holds deep compassion for the ill, the injured, and the downtrodden. She strives to care for patients and provide for those in real need, and she never spares expenses in her endeavors. She has a sharp mind and knows the signs for those who might try to take advantage of her compassion and generosity, and how to put such upstarts in their place.
Miracle Cure believes in using any and all forms of medicine and medical treatment, both modern and traditional, as she earned her cutie-mark when she successfully cured a patient using an herbal remedy taught to her by a zebra medicine mare.
Despite how harsh she can be, Duchess Cure has a warm and motherly side, which she often shows to her patients, which is in contrast to her old student's Doctor Steady Hoof and his cold and abrasive nature.
Copyrighted by Spirals95
Weather
Current Duke: Lightning Wing
Affiliated House: The House of Hurricane
Tribe: Pegasus
Eyes: Brown
Coat and Mane: Dark Grey, Black with Yellow highlights
Cutie-mark: A Lightning Bolt
Lightning Wing is the Duke of Weather and the head of House Hurricane, a family with a historical loyalty to the crown and Princess Celestia. Tragically, Lightning became the heir to his family house after the death of his older brother, Northern Wing.
He was once a promising candidate to join the Wonderbolts until a terrible emergency called him out to the Cloudsdale Weather Factory. Despite Lightning's efforts, his brother was killed and he lost his left wing in the accident. His wing was replaced with a mystec h prosthetic. It allows him to fly but not at the level required of the Wonderbolts.
With his dreams ruined, Lightning was bestowed the rank and title of Duke of Weather by his nephew, Southern Wing, who was neither prepared nor willing to assume the responsibilities.
Proud to be a pegasus, Lightning is known for his short temper against corruption and less-than-savory pegasi, but can be more... cooperative when necessary. He is held in high esteem for his work in charity to protect young pegasi from the clutches of the organized crime families that infect Cloudsdale, in honor of his nephew, Southern's brother, who was murdered by Cloudsdale criminals. His sharp mind and gift for secrecy has served him well in fighting crime in Cloudsdale and emboldening him to carry out his duties as Duke of Weather.
Copyrighted by Southern Wing
Foreign Affairs
Current Duchess: Treaty Ink
Affiliated House: The House of High Seas
Tribe: Unicorn
Eyes: Bright Gold
Coat and Mane: Faded Yellow, Ink Black
Cutie-mark: Corked Quill Bottle and Feather Quill on a piece of Parchment
The descendant of High Seas, a former Foreign Affairs Duke and an Unicorn who was always on the take from certain political leaders on the down low, which were to make sure their countries had better treatment over other countries, which often lead to diplomatic squabbles, which just stayed as petty arguments. He was outed after he was found out to be on the take, thanks to investigations.
Treaty Ink is like High Seas, except a lot more secretive. Outwardly, she does care for her country, but when profits are to be made, she goes straight for the proverbial “Cookie Jar”. As for all sense of morals, she has them, but only when things go wrong and in the most painful way possible does she admit defeat and work with the others.
Copyrighted by NWRAlicorn
Science and Innovation
Current Duchess: Mareston Burner
Affiliated House: The House of Stone
Tribe: Earth
Eyes: Blue
Coat and Mane: Silver, Orange
Cutie-mark: A Bubbling Chemistry Beaker
Mareston Burner is Duchess of Science and Innovation, dedicated to scientific progress to the point of obsession. She began wanting to use Science as her tool to help ponies, but the more she dabbled in her fields, the more she experimented until her work became too expensive that even her government funding wasn't enough. And she wasn't getting enough (desirable) results to be approved for more funding. So she turned to new sources of funding that would pay her under the table and even provide her "subjects" and "specimens" for her work.
She was able to carry out her more questionable experiments in secret without using up her government funding and drawing unwanted attention. However, her work also yielded experimental drugs and weapons for her "sources" whom she dealt with using a middle pony so they couldn't identify or blackmail her, and allow her to maintain her anonymity.
To the public, she is a respected scientist who has made great strides in her fields, but to the Equestrian criminal underworld she is known by an alias as "the Chemist".
Copyrighted by SageBrony07
Magic and Mysteries
Current Duke: Pipe Glass
Affiliated House: The House of Clue
Tribe: Unicorn (the current head and duke is a Pegasus)
Eyes: Smoky Gray
Coat and Mane: Cedar Brown, Dull Pine Green
Cutie-mark: A Smoking Pipe and Magnifying Glass in front of a Candle
Pipe Glass is the Duke of Magic and Mysteries and recently became the head of his family, the House of Clue, per the dying wishes of his father even though Pipe is a pegasus.
Prior to to being appointed the Duke of Magic and Mysteries, Pipe Glass had been a successful detective, building up an impressive resume. He is well-researched in magic and inherited his father's ability to read and identify mana and who it came from, why it was used, and even conclude the circumstances surrounding the magic when it was used. He is well-fit and a skilled flier, rivaling an average Wonderbolt. Although he is underestimated in his capacity to serve as the Duke of Magic and Mysteries, he has a strong and moral character, refusing bribes and cannot be swayed by his political rivals, making him one of the most trusted members of Celestia's council.
Copyrighted by NWRAlicorn
Law & Order
Current Duke: Brass Scales
Affiliated House: The House of Candor
Tribe: Earth
Eyes: Luminous Yellow
Coat and mane: Steely Gray, Ash Gray and Tombstone Gray
Cutie mark: a Set of Brass Scales, with one scale holding a white broken spear head with black outline and the other a black shattered shield with a white outline.
The Duke of Law & Order and current head of House Candor, Brass Scales was one of the leading prosecutors in Equestria as well as the youngest. His work in law was iron clad that after only ten years he became a judge in the Canterlot Courts, very rarely done by anypony other than a unicorn. He ran his court with a cold an methodical approach and he was often called the Iron Judge. He still keeps this approach to this day.
Only a few cases would break his steely approach, often those involving foals or youths and very few outside of that.
He's a hard pressed-looking stallion who believes that Honesty is always the best policy, he can freely admit when he's proven wrong, based on the facts or circumstance at the time, and he knows full well that Law is not perfect. He often works with the Dukes and Duchesses of Foreign Affairs, Health and Welfare, Commerce and Business, and Defense and Security. To make sure everything is to the letter of the law. A law that he is often placed in the committee to help rewrite them for the betterment and fairness for all ponies.
His house motto is "May the truth set you free" but his own personal motto is "I will get to the Truth so Justice can be served."
When he's off duty he is a very relaxed and surprisingly sociable pony that he keeps his home and work life as separate as he can. But enjoys a good game of chess once in a while with some of the council members.
Copyrighted by DFatman
Media and Entertainment
Current Duchess: Showstopper
Affiliated House: The House of Luster
Tribe: Pegasus
Eyes: Red
Coat and mane: Dappled Silver, Bubblegum Pink
Cutie mark: a spotlight shining on multiple multi colored stars
Showstopper isn't the head of her house but her achievements in the entertainment world have landed her a spot in the council as Duchess of Media and Entertainment, the position of which was passed to her by her mother. Her main motto in show business is "The show must go on". She puts her all into every performance she's involved with. Whether it be planning the show, writing songs, or even being the main act. She will assure that the performance is good and ready to entertain the masses. Nothing pleases her more than a satisfied audience. Showstopper has even taking up teaching to nurture in Equestria's next generation of performers. Her job as Duchess is to ensure Equestria's entertainment business is at its' best. While on the job she is willing to give any performer a shot in the spotlight but she will be quite stern as well. Show does not want bad performances ever. When she see's anything she doesn't like about the show she will fix it. Most ponies have seen her as a very stern but fair task manager. Going through take after take until the performance is spot on perfect in her eyes. She's even able to help manage many parties as well when the occasion arises. Because who better to manage Equestria's entertainment than a party pony herself .
Copyrighted by Creative Quill
Energy and Resources
Current Duke: Cobalt Banks
Affiliated House: The House of Stonebreaker
Tribe: Earth
Eyes: Soft Yellow
Coat and Mane: Light Gray, Cobalt Blue (electric blue highlights on his tail)
Cutie-mark: An Industrial Drill imposed over a piggy bank
Cobalt Banks is the Duke of Energy and Resources and the current head of House Stonebreaker, an extremely wealthy house with a long history of successful mining operations and lucrative advances in power generation and distribution technology. Tall and strong, Cobalt and his family's business sucess however have developed a bad habit of attempting to solve every problem by throwing bits at it until it works, offering bigger bonuses to workers to encourage more enthusiastic (and faster) progress to finish projects ahead of schedule, offering more and more bits to anypony they're trying to buy out, and more. Despite this, Cobalt and his family have a sincere and legitimate interest in keeping Equestria powered and their natural resources protected and cultivated at the lowest cost possible and with the least environmental impact. They have overseen and supervised the construction of many operations in mining, lumber, and power plants across the Equestrian map.
Cobalt can be gruff and sometimes difficult to work with, but can cooperate with the rest of the council when the situation demands it.
Copyrighted by Spirals95
When i first heard cabinet for some reason i went to wine cabinet
4610470
Considering politics it's more like a whine cabinet!
Ahahaha....
I'll go to my corner now.
4610487
No need that was funny and probably quite true
4610487
It's funny cuz it's true!!
If my OC was not already having a cameo I would volunteer him. Ah well.
4610648
Go ahead, PM me a new character
4610843
I'd have to think of one. I may have an idea for one.
Oh I can't wait for the next few chapters. I'm already chomping at the bit.
I had a thought, which spawned a question. Can more than one cabinet member coming from the same house?
4613213
No. And marriage between the houses tied to the council is allowed but the wedded have to be one or the other; this was to insure the houses didn't combine and gather power
So if a stallion of House Storm and a mare of House Pallas married, either the stallion would have to join House Pallas and and forsake any inheritance from House Storm, or vice versa with the mare
But some of the Houses have some form of rivalry or conflict with each other so marriage between them was rare
4613823
Let me pose a hypothetical question to you. Let's say Aurora Boreala from the House of Pallas marries into the House of Storm. By a brother or so forth. Would Aurora have to give up her cabinet Seat because of said marriage or would she keep it from 'earning it' and it be under the house of Storm instead.
I'm only asking as I'm curious to the answer and it would make a bit of interesting corruption based on the three other corrupt members your looking for. Also... can we supply more than one OC?