The Council of Sehlp Part One
Duchess Arcanista gazed calmly at the Jurists who were gathered in the parlor. With all eyes on her, she took a breath and said, "You've probably been wondering all this time just what kind of a situation has been unfolding within Val Roa. Well, let me tell you plainly. There is a new monarch being crowned soon."
The Jurists broke into curious murmurs. Ebon and Eagle exchanged glances. Josho scratched his chin while Booster Spice blinked.
"A new monarch?" Bellesmith pursed her lips. "Was... was there some sort of coup?"
"Hardly," Arcanista said. "At least, not from what I've been able to observe. But... with the sort of things that the inner workings of Val Roa have proven to be capable of, I wouldn't be surprised." Her nostrils flared, and she continued. "The current ruling house of Val Roa is the Evo family. Within a week, Prince Eine of the House of Evo shall be crowned king. He's reaching the traditional 'Age of Discerning,' you see."
"Which is...?" Pilate asked.
"Twelve winters."
"Whoah!" Kera blinked. "You mean in this part of the world, a twelve year old can run a kingdom?!" She turned and grinned at Bellesmith. "Let's plant a flag somewhere! I want a palace! Plus servants with bowls full of grasshoppers!"
Belle steadied the filly's shoulder and looked across the way at Arcanista. "That is... drastically young to be running a monarchy, wouldn't you think?"
"It's not as though Eine of Evo has a choice," the Duchess said. "His... parents—the King and Queen of Val Roa—died tragically from a fire in the Palace's West Wing."
Eagle gasped, holding a hoof over his muzzle. "By the Sp-Spark! That's horrible!"
"That poor kid," Ebon Mane murmured. "How recently did this happen?"
"About a year ago," Arcanista said. "During which, Val Roa has closed its borders to outsiders."
"Any particular reason why?" Josho asked.
"Naturally, the kingdom is in a state of flux," Arcanista explained. "The Monarchy is stretched to its thinnest, and there's fear that the child prince isn't ready to carry the weight of his duties, even once he reaches the Age of Discerning." She glanced across the crowd. "For the past year, he has been under strict watch of Grand Secretary Sharp Quill."
"Who?"
"The Royal Advisor to the Monarchy," Arcanista said. "When the King and Queen were alive, Sharp Quill was their most trusted ally and servant. Since the tragic deaths, he's acted as a surrogate father to Prince Eine, fostering him into his future role as King."
"Who has held prime executive power, then?" Pilate asked. "This... 'Sharp Quill?'"
Arcanista nodded. "Indeed. With the power invested in him, he has acted as Steward of Val Roa. It's an office that he will inevitably give up when Prince Eine becomes crowned."
"You think he'll be willing to do that?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"I beg your pardon?"
"I mean, sounds like this guy's been close to the throne for a long... long time," Rainbow said. "And—from what I hear—he's had monarchal power for over a year now. Will he give it up so easily to the Prince in about a week from now?"
"He has to," Duchess Arcanista said. "The sovereignty of our nation depends on it."
"Yeah, but will he anyways?" Rainbow asked. Silence. She blinked at the group. "Forgive me for being super pessimistic, it's just that I've seen enough bullcrap in my travels to know that the big guys up on high don't like rolling downhill."
"Sharp Quill doesn't quite have absolute power," Arcanista said. "Not like you think. His strength is held in check by the Military Defense, led by General Saikano, and the High Council, managed by Chancellor Fishberry."
"Yeesh..." Josho muttered, kneading his hooves against the plush carpet. "This kingdom's like a potluck buffet, I swear to Ledo..."
"General Saikano is constantly looking over Sharp Quill's shoulder," Arcanista said. "He's a very powerful figure. Even back when the King and Queen were alive, he controlled every inch of the Val Roan defense forces. Saikano has always been trusted with the army under his command, for the House of Evo has exercised better proficiency in diplomacy and finances than with the finely woven strategies of dealing with the Cartel to the South."
"Sounds like you really dig this Saikano guy!" Props said.
"I have a personal bias, yes." Arcanista nodded. "You see, his daughter was..." She hesitated, glancing over at Floydien. "...was v-very close to the House of Sehlp."
Floydien clenched his jaw and hung his head.
"Who is the other guy you mentioned?" Zaid asked. "Sharkdingle or something..."
"Who? Fishberry?" Arcanista frowned. "A veritable snake in the grass."
"Wuh oh." Props clung to Zaid. "Angry elk time!"
"Forgive me," Arcanista said with a sigh. "But my history with Fishberry runs deep. I refer, of course, to the situation that split myself from my brother in the first place."
"What has he done?" Rainbow asked.
"She has been manipulating the legislature for years and years," Arcanista spat. "Since the King and Queen died, Fishberry has single-hoofedly turned the Council inside-out. Bountiful isn't the only province to suffer from bureaucratic marginalization. Several good states with honorable leaders have found themselves stripped of proper representation. Fishberry knows every loophole of every law there is, and she uses cowardly tactics to drag court procedures and legal reviews on and on into infinity."
"To what end?" Pilate asked. "She seems to be rather busy with herself. But what's her goal?"
"To me, it's rather clear," Arcanista said. "Fishberry is attempting to manipulate the treasury from the inside out, destributing the flow of taxes to favor her province and the states of her closest allies within the Council."
"So, it's simply pure greed?" Belle asked.
"I wouldn't be too sure," Arcanista remarked. "I have a few friends in the field who confirm that there has been no excessive distribution of funds within Fishberry's own province. Could she simply be hoarding silver? Yes... but I think there's something more than that."
"Like what?"
"The money has to go somewhere. And if there's no sign of it entering Fishberry's own personal treasuery, then I can only imagine it's being funneled elsewhere." Arcanista swallowed. "Perhaps somewhere outside the kingdom."
"To where?" Rainbow asked. "Alafreo?"
"The Southern Cartel," Roarke muttered.
Every Jurist glanced at her.
She narrowed her blue eyes. "Think about it. The Green Bandits have been invading townships left and right without fail. Even when we drive them back, they still keep coming. The imps are driven by avarice and greed. If someone was funding them from beyond the borders, it might explain their mercenary tactics."
"That's... that's crazy, though!" Rainbow's voice cracked.
"The thought has not escaped me," Arcanista said. "If nothing else, it may very well be a distraction."
"Distraction from what?"
"It's been months since I last set hoof beyond the West Gate," the Duchess said. "But from what I last witnessed, almost all of the Val Roan Defenses have been strategically placed along the western mountains."
Rainbow shuddered. "Yeah... we know."
"But Saikano only has so many forces. He's executing this defense maneuver in order to appease the Council, but it doesn't change the fact that it's leaving a large strip along the southern border unprotected..." She sighed. "And open to potential invasion."
"Wait..." Rainbow squinted. "Are you trying to suggest that someone within the High Council wants the Southern Cartel to invade Val Roa Proper?"
"That is what I've been fearing," Arcanista said. "With Prince Eine of the House of Evo approaching kinghood, there is very little time left to stage an actual coup that could choke the Monarchy before the crown can switch."
"But... who would do something like that?"
"I suspect Fishberry," Arcanista said. "But... I-I really can't be sure. It could be anyone within the kingdom who's thought up this nefarious plan."
Ebon Mane bit his lip. He looked over at Rainbow.
The pegasus' nostrils flared. "You're right... she could very well be anyone..."
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J'accuse ...!
dl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/Emoticons/shrug_Queen_Chrysalis.png
Pleasure doin' business.
(Note: Go to Sollace's Userpage for fun Userscripts and Emotes.)
Hmm...if the southern front is open, that could be a way in for the Jury...
Great, so now we don't even know who Chrysalis is supposed to be. Guh, remember back when shit was easy? Just one bionic unicorn running batshit.
Goddammit, ):(, you're making me miss Shell! Thirty situps! Knock 'em out!
Here comes the windup, and its The Grand Vizir, with the cackling and the scheming. And, Heres the pitch, and its a cruel, cruel southpaw. Looks like he is going to feel that in the morning. Who? Exactly.
Squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
Haven't decided yet... heheheheh...
5127974
Congrats, Sharpy!
Sharpie?
Either way, congratulations on being the least evil sounding member of the ValRoan hierarchy.
Too much politics.
And what have all the Cartel attacks sown in the populace? Fear and hatred, perhaps? I think we've found our Chrysalis in Fishberry. Or maybe that's too obvious. For all we know, it could be that Eine kid. Or whoever set that fire that took out the old king and queen.
It's awesome finally getting some insight into Val Roa.
eyup, fishy's bein fishy....
5128145 Well, it can't be me. If I were Chrysalis, I would use my closeness to the heir to replace him and become the ruling monarch. Now Chancellor Fishberry, yeah, that's the ticket.
5128190
A likely story.
amibeingcatty.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/vday-watching.gif
Good! I've caught up again! Let me just say, wow.
Floydein getting his last back little by little.
Roarke most dense having relationship troubles with our own flying pride flag.
And even more political conspiracy!
Keep em coming IC!
Keep em coming!
Politics are EVIL!
5128190
You're thinkin' to small. I'd prefer Supreme God-Emperor myself.
Cloudkicker - Viceroy
5128327 Further evidence I'm not Chrysalis. She's no doubt using Val Roa as just a stepping stone towards ruling the entire plane.
Ugh where is a Dean and Sam pony when you need them? Freakin shape shifters. Also I'm not getting email on chapter updates anymore. Anyone else having this problem?
5128190 No true evil villain wants the seat of power. Too much paperwork. Better to rule from the shadows with a puppet figurehead... like a twelve year old King :D
5128408
You'll need to check the settings of your bookshelf, enable email updates.
Saikano seems more gentlemanly the more we know about him, though, so that's neat.
Does anyone know who Ein is from? Evo seems derived from Eyes of Avo, but, I don't know. Eh.
Still thinking about the Council of Elrond.
5127974
I smell an evil vizier, though.
Hoarding silver? Perhaps this Fishberry...
(puts on shades)
...is a red herring.
5128595
Just, just don't.
Aaaaaand we've found Chrysalis.
5128750 I'm not apologising.
5128794
It won't be that easy.
5128845
Of course not.
First there needs to be at least 5 different plot twists, 4-5 mini battles, 1-2 EPIC battles, and a couple of relationship problems to be worked out.
5128750
i0.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/facebook/000/731/143/3e3.jpg
Quite a few candidates for Chrysalis here, lots of good strategic places she could plant herself. Saikano,Fishberry,Quill and Eine are all good possibilities right now. However that is just people we know of there could be a lot more.
Wouldn't it be a twist if it was Arcanista all along?
Fishberry. Interesting name...
5128968
Also a pretty good candidate as well, though politically weaker then the others.
5128968
As I've pointed out earlier, the fact that she really seemed to know and care for both Floyd and Simon, when the latter was 'just a squirrel', as Chrysalis would believe, I really don't think it could be her. They discuss Simon apart from all of the other Val Roans, where Arcanista doesn't need to keep her act up for them; even if she had skated over him then it would have been fine to them, though somewhat unusual(which could be explained as tunnel vision, focusing more on discussing her brother). It would be kind of cool to have an evil character, but Arcanista is neither evil nor Chrysalis, and it would be unsatisfying(to me) for that plot twist to go that way.
I'm also only saying this to deflect suspicion away from my main babe Arcanista.
5128876
Darn, ya got me, I'm a space marine. Though my default expression is more
media.moddb.com/images/groups/1/3/2055/HERESY1.jpg
Looking at the heresies like
i.imgur.com/y90oNMI.jpg
Well....we've got 4 big names she could be...but the question is...is she actually one of them at all?
master's of subterfuge watch and wait,and she has nothing to gain from taking over Val Roa as far as we know.
5129121
She needs a platform to use as a base to conquer the Light Side of the World, this was discussed in Stratopolazadubadabu. It could have been Val Roa or Equestria, and she chose Val Roa at the last minute.
Alright, one of these guys is gonna be dead by the end of this.
And not just Chrysalis.
I place Chrysalis as Saikano, because Fishberry is too obvious.
5129132 If that were the case,there's nothing stopping her from using a smaller town that the Jury would have just passed by as a base.
The only reason she'd pick a big nation would be because taking the place of the ruler would give her instant access to an army that she can command while she builds up her swarm.
But at the same time,she seems patient enough to build up her swarm and then do her infiltration thing from any base she may have established.
Admittedly her attempt at Val roa fits in with what she did to Xona,but after being outed by the Jurists there...well it just seems like she's shifted gears and just wants the Jury out of her mane as quick as possible.
5129099
Stop protecting your character, you dirty sloot. You've entered the game now. There shall be no mercy.
5129156
You misunderstand me.
When you think a base of operations to conquer the world out of, you think New York City(If a villain has it) not, say, Des Moines. Towns do not have armies. I did not explicitly state this, but I was under the impression that it was implied.
Besides, her infiltration shouldn't work anymore from the fact that every single changeling's disguise broke. She's taken matters into her own hands. She's in Val Roa.
5129167
Your ad hominem attack on me did nothing to shake the legitimacy of my argument, son.
Put on your science ears, coz' it's time for a BILL BILL BILL img.
qph.is.quoracdn.net/main-qimg-e2c49fd63bcbeb1ff3d1e1dd50951405?convert_to_webp=true
BILL NYE THE SCIENCE GUY
5129172 And as I said,that's the best reason I can think of for her to want the kingdom of Val Roa. That and it's a veritable fortress.
And their disguises didn't break,the hivemind shattered. As far as we know,that only applies to already hatched changelings,nymphs could still be brought into a hivemind control like the original swarm.
It just seems to me it would have been smarter for her to play the waiting game rather than dive headlong into another replacement plot knowing that the Jury is after her.
Having said that though... my money is on her being the General.
5129212
That would be neat, but I kind of like the general. Placing bets now on Chancellor Sharp Quill.
5129218
Makes sense from a political standpoint,but it just seems to...obvious,like Fishberry and Eine.
Your namesake has already expressed that they trust the general, which gives the impression that they are the most liked of the Val Roa big 4.
And it's always the one you least suspect.
5129236
Yeah, but the fans suspect him, and it's a well-known fact that IC likes to troll us.
5129252
True,but he also gave us someone who is meant to be suspicious in Fishberry.
Someone is guaranteed to be right,or he could pull some massive ass pull and make it that Chryssy somehow replaced Belle or Kera at some point somehow.
Eyyyyy drama!
5127974 5128408
Congratulations to both of you, and Fishberry too (I'm assuming "Eine of Evo" comes from "Eyes of Avo")!
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So this is a thing (chapter 8)
""I'm sorry, Winree!" she exclaimed in a girlish tone. "But, I got so excited flying around in this weather, I got lost!" She fluttered her eyelashes. "Would you be kind enough to help me back to Ether Point?""
Just thought I would put this here. cus why not.
5130192
Because yes.
5129936
Oh good I thought I was going crazy when I was the only one who thought Evo was derived of Eyes of Avo.
Anything involving grasshoppers will keep that munchkin happy, I swear.
Also, poor Eine.
So, Eine, Sharp Quill, Fishberry, Saikano, and possibly others unnamed...
Well, from the ones that ARE named, the one I suspect the least is Eine. Just doesn't feel right. Sharp Quill is a good candidate. Cliche, but it's a close enough position to the monarchy to be able to manipulate. Fishberry seems like the obvious choice, but it's just all too clear that Fishberry dislikes the crown and is on a power trip, and I don't think Chrysalis would do something so overt.
The one I suspect right now is Saikano. Saikano is the good guy. Saikano is in a position of power. Saikano is strongly related to the story at hand via Midnite. Why else would she suddenly be under attack? She could have been targeted because she figured it all out. Daddy dearest suddenly stopped being his regular self...
5127974
It is your turn now!
5128008
I like this. You have been upgraded from quill to sharpie. I hereby dub thee Grand Secretary Sharpie. May your cap stay on, and may you never run out of ink.
5128595
Goddamnit I was going to post that but then I went back to look at all the other posts and NOW I'LL JUST LOOK UNORIGINAL!!!
5130192
There always needs to be more Austraeoh fanart.
POLITICS!
But seriously. This is actually interesting. I'm sure there's one way to find out who it is... THE EYES. Pay attention to the EYES.
5130421
5130697
always yes