At the base of an oppulent skyscraper in the heart of Val Roa, Jake and Floydien had parked the double-coaches. They placed down the wooden steps, helping Arcanista, Kera, and the rest disembark from the vehicle, one by one. By the time that Rainbow Dash and the other two servants were getting out, a nimble figure in a fine silk garment hopped over from the building's front entrance, flanked by reindeer guards.
"Greetings and blessings from the heart of Val Roa," spoke a pleasantly-smiling gazelle. She bowed her head, horns flickering dimly. "My name is Nilla, a representative of the Helaman Province." She stood back up, grinning. "As part of the Council's Diplomatic Iniative, I have happily volunteered to act as escort to local and foreign dignitaries visiting this urban paradise on the edge of civilization. Duchess Arcanista of the House of Sehlp, I am honored to be in your presence once more."
"Is that a fact?" Arcanista smiled coyly. "Please do forgive me, Madame Nilla. It has been five years at least..."
The gazelle chuckled amicably. "A lot has happened in so short a period of time. Rest assured that not only do I recognize you, but I am quite fond of the financial agreements you have made to establish lucrative trade between Bountiful and its neighboring provinces."
"Well, that comes as quite the surprise!" Arcanista only grinned wider. "The last three economic proposals I've mailed the Council's Way have been dealt with complete and utter apathy!"
Nilla laughed melodically. "Ah... the wages of bureaucracy!" She smiled. "Well, you are here now in the flesh as much as the spirit. I'm certain that if there are any present concerns, the Council would be more than happy to lend an ear!"
"That sounds quite fine," Arcanista said, nodding. "Maybe less citizens will needlessly die in the interim."
Floydien shifted awkwardly.
Rainbow Dash cleared her throat.
"I..." Ebon Mane shuffled forward, boldly stepping between the Duchess and the gazelle. "I... uh... am Ebon Mane, royal escort to Her Highness, Princess Kera Tin Mehjj Xon-Nagu'n."
"Pr-Princess...!" Nilla spun towards Kera and bowed low with extreme gravitas. "Your eminence! Welcome to Val Roa! May your stay here be joyous and productive!"
"A-a-ahem!" Kera tilted her nose up and raised a hoof daintily. "Vele'suthien nmiaol lem'assa kremnen thiulen siel."
Nilla looked up, blinking awkwardly. "I beg your pardon?"
"Ha'kranna siulen threnna dren'dran... erm... gazellian trennte."
Nilla blinked again. "Huh?"
"Err..." Ebon Mane stepped forward. "Her Majesty is very... very exhausted. It's been a long trip from the Xonan Empire. She would very much like to retire in the finest suites you have available here."
"Oh! Absolutely!" Nilla stood up. "And, fortunate for you, we have provided the most handsome quarters in the Sandstone District's very own Plaza Topaz! I would be honored to show you to your rooms."
"It would be an even greater honor if you arranged a meeting between Her Majesty and the High Council," Arcanista said. "The Xonan Princess has travelled a long... long distance to open dialogue between the Xonan and Val Roan nations."
"Oh... Oh, m-most certainly!" Nilla chuckled airily. "I will input a request for speaking with the Council as soon as possible!"
"You will do so right now," Arcanista said, brow furrowed. "It is most unwise to keep a Xonan representative waiting."
"Erm... b-but of course! It's only that... uhm..." Nilla fidgeted.
"There a problem?" Arcanista asked.
"Well, the Council's schedule has simply been so terribly busy as of late! Eh heh heh heh.... I have no doubt that Chancellor Fishberry and the other members of the Top Seat will arrange a presentation to be had for after the coronation..."
"It will have to be before," Arcanista said. "The Chancellor may be a busy deer, but I assure you that Her Majesty is even busier."
"Yes. Yes of course." Nilla chewed on her lip. "Oh d-dear... uhm..." She smiled hopefully. "I-I might be able to arrange it so that the Princess and the Chancellor share the same seat within the Royal Palace on Coronation Day...!"
Kera let loose a lethargic sigh and pivoted towards Ebon with a twirl of her skirt. "Kun'drekkun! Mela drenden ratt'aklen rekkharem thiulen speehn..."
Nilla blinked. "What is she saying...?"
Ebon raised an eyebrow at Kera. "Mekkhar ruhm, Kera Xon-Nagu'n?"
"Dreit."
Ebon cleared his throat and looked plainly at the escort. "Her Eminence states that this was a 'wasted trip,' and she might as well return to... uhm... the Booster Zaid."
"The... Booster Zaid?"
"Yes. Our Xonan battleship along the western border of your country."
Nilla's eyes twitched. "Xonan b-b-battleship?"
"Indeed. One of twelve," Ebon said.
Nilla's jaw dropped.
Ebon shrugged his tattooed limbs. "Well, surely you didn't expect our Empire's Royal Daughter to enter the kingdom unprotected! But, you need not worry. Emperor Pilate, blessed by Nagu'n, has been in control of his murderous temper ever since the annihilation of the Ledomaritans..." He coughed. "Three weeks ago."
"Uhhhhhhhhhhh..."
Ebon spun towards Arcanista. "It's quite evident that we cannot hold an audience with the Council here. I suggest we return the way we came--"
"W-wait!" Nilla flung her hooves forward. "Just a moment! I..." She smiled awkwardly. "I d-do think there may be an opening tomorrow afternoon! During lunch!"
Ebon turned back, pouting. "It would not be polite of us to interrupt the good Council's meal..."
"No! No interrupton whatsoever!" The gazelle smiled, ears flicking. "I-I-I'm sure Fishberry would be more than happy to let the provincial representatives hear everything that the Princess has to say!"
"... ... ..." Ebon turned towards Kera. "Habbak mendun soljin?"
"Hmmmmm..." Kera tapped and tapped her chin. She smiled. "Dreit."
Ebon gestured. "Her Majesty agrees."
"Ah... ah y-yes!" Nilla wheezed, smiling. "I promise you that you will not be disappointed!"
"As for a place to stay--"
"Follow me!" Nilla stumbled towards the front of the skyscraper. "I'll have the Plaza Topaz service assist your servants in gathering the royal belongings!"
"That is quite splendid," Arcanista said.
"Yes yes yes..." Floydien trotted after her.
"Uh uh uh..." Arcanista raised a hoof. She smiled at Floydien and Jake. "I'm quite aware that it's been a long trip, but the wagon-bearers place is down here, guarding the transport."
Floydien blinked crookedly. "Buh...?"
"Never worry. I'll be sure to send some food down to nourish your needy stomachs." Arcanista winked. "Compliments of the House of Sehlp. The Duke wouldn't have it any other way." She trotted off. "God rest his soul..."
Floydien stood dead still.
Rainbow Dash looked back, shrugging beneath the baggage she was carrying. Pretty soon, she and the other maids followed the regal trio, disappearing beyond the extravagant gate to the plaza.
With flaring nostrils, Floydien plopped back on his haunches. "Why does Floydien feel that he's just been used for wiping boomer excrement?"
Jake cleared his throat, leaning in. "So, Mr. Amnesiac, do you doubt any longer that you have a bitchy sibling?"
"Meh."
"Emperor Pilate, blessed by Nagu'n, has been in control of his murderous temper ever since the annihilation of the Ledomaritans..." He coughed. "Three weeks ago."
Oh god... I'm dying here...can't...breathe....
Arcanista's tactical maneuvering of others gets more amusing every time she does it.
Looks like we'll finally meet Chancellor Fishberry. Probably another elk (if not a changeling queen).
And congratulations, VNilla! Welcome to the club!
Well at least they will get food. Ebon is playing it up pretty well, I just hope they don't go overboard on the stories.
I think those two are starting to have a lot of fun with their roles.
Also, congrats VNilla.
Welp, I wonder what will happen when Prowse shows up some time soon with some actual Xonans...
Nice Ebon, nice. And that, people, is what we call some professional bullshitting right there.
I would almost attempt to read these stories, but the fact that no effort at all was put into the description at all on the two that I've seen makes me feel like you're a lazy writer. Sorry.
*dancing*
Ebon's a quick learner. I guess it's in his genes.
Now to meet Fishberry. He (she?) is the one who stinks the most to me, but that's based on second-hand info. That stench could very easily be that of a red herring.
5221021
The same laziness that makes someone write an on-going 1,5 million words, daily-updating story?
The laconic summaries are a staple of the series since the very first one, I think it's supposed to carry the same sense of disorientation and being kept in the dark, since the story itself is like this.
5221064
Heh...
5221099
And here I thought no one would catch that.
5221096 It just bothers me so very very much. Maybe one day I might read it, but it will not be this day.
5221129
Eh, it's understandable. Regardless, the story is quite enjoyable.
Hopefully one day well see you amongst the commenters.
5221043 Congrats!
The bullshit is strong with those two...
It's amazing.
I wonder how much was preplanned and how much is just Ebon's quick thinking.
5221129 Perhaps it would be wise not to project your negativity onto the author. It's rude.
Careful, your inner cook is showing there
Seems like Ebon's getting a better hang of it, considering he's the one who's making all the words that actually make sense.
5221362 Woah! That wasn't the intent at all! And I'm confused. How was that projecting negativity? And what of manners? Lacking manners would be something like "This story fucking sucks a big one, and the author deserves to die!" I simply stated an opinion relating to the descriptions, or lack thereof, someone commented, and I commented back in a respectful manner, stating more or less that I enjoy having a small glimpse into what the story is about, preferably more than a character or characters being eastbound.
no
no stop
plz
5221385 Insulting the author by calling him "lazy" based on his enigmatic descriptions isn't what most would consider a "respectful" expression of opinion.
You are more than welcome to a personal preference, and you are more than welcome to express that preference, but don't blame the author just because their style does not match your preference.
"Personally, I'm not fond of short descriptions" is a respectful declaration of preference.
"The author is lazy for writing short descriptions" is an accusation of fault.
5221439 Woah! I thought we were talking about the comment that you actually replied to. Odd, huh? What I said was, and I quote, (Obviously)
Perhaps you misinterpreted. What I intended was that because the descriptions on 4 of the 5 stories all involve so and so flying east, I felt as if the writer was lazy. I didn't call him lazy, I just feel that descriptions can, and more often than not do reflect the quality of the story. Did I realize that all these stories add up to 1.5 million+ words? No, no I didn't. If I did would I have made that comment? Yes, yes I would, simply because the descriptions of 4 out of the 5 stories feels like no effort was put into them. HOWEVER, I may not know for a fact, but according to the fact that I've seen 2 out of 5 stories in the featured box, and the other ones have probably been there too, that the descriptions do not reflect the quality of these stories.
It really bothers me that the email I get and the comment I read are two different things because you keep editing them, so I'm just going to respond to the one in my email.
You should totally copy and paste that little black bar.
5220860 LOL IKR?!
5221129 the weird and simple and "lazy" description was the reason it made me read this epic.
I was really certain that it was just a simple story about Rainbow Dash flying east, and nothing more. Boy, was I wrong!
Ebon's getting the hang of this...
5221043 Welcome to the club!
I just can't wait for either Prowse or Ebon to screw everything up.
5221021
Oh, yeah. Because a man who writes anywhere from a few hundred to around nine thousand word chapters daily clearly has no motivation or drive.
Everyone do forty pushups on account of Bright Boy over here. Knock 'em out!
5220860
That has to be one of the most awesome and funny lines I have ever read.
5221777 How about you read around, asshole. At the time of posting that comment I had no idea how... No, fuck you. I don't have to explain shit to you. You can either go and read my other comments, or fuck off. If I didn't really want to read this before, there's no way in hell I'm reading it now on account of the toxic fan base.
5221793
Uh, yeah, no. You just drop into a fic to explain publicly why you think the author sucks and say why you will not be reading. That's not nice and polite, so why should I be nice and polite back to you? You offhandedly insult the author, who is a very good friend of mine, so yes, I was a snarky jerk to you.
5221800 Wow, you are one dense motherfucker.
Congratulations? Do you want a cookie?
The crew of the Noble Jury are good actors, it seems.
5221793
This might be a good spot for that "That escalated quickly" meme image thing.
5221043
u sonuvabetch
5221821
Okay then. Well, you could have linked that comment stream so I would more easily see it... instead of just berating me.
However, you're right. All I can say is it was early, and I was tired. Sorry for being a jerk. I will, however, take that cookie.
Kudos to Kera for putting on a good act. Ebon might have gone too far though, just wait until Fishberry wants to see the "Booster Zaid" and they have to call in the Jury.
5221821 You know what? forget for a moment about the comments here. We have been following this story for two years and sometimes we show our hot blood when we think it's being attacked. Also, comments are written word and so sometimes it's hard to get the tone the poster is trying to use.
Just try reading the 10000 or 15000 first words of Austraeoh, the first story, just to see if it will catch your attention.
And about the descriptions, my opinion is that, at least for Austraeoh, it would be hard to add more to it without spoiling stuff that one learns slowly while reading the chapters.
Nilla is Chrysalis
Fishberry is Chrysalis
Jake is Chrysalis
Everyone is Chrysalis.
5220942 Somehow I have the belief that all changelings have an inborn ability to bullshit with the best of them, as a part of learning to camouflage themselves.
I bet they all have one hell of a poker face.
5222178 Right. Sorry. I was about an hour away from going to bed when I made my original statement, so I guess I'm in the same boat as you. Sorry.
5221977 And apparently it's deescalating even faster.
5222413
Three cheers for level-headed debate!!
5222416 HIP-HIP-HOORAY!
5222204 Maybe one day. Currently, along with the fact that you bunch probably don't want me around, I have school to deal with.
5222426
Eh, we're a forgiving bunch.
Besides, if you start reading this series, by the time you catch up, there's a good chance we had forgotten this entire incident.
5222245 Except Saikano. He seems like a cool guy.
5222245
Excellent. *dancing harder*
Ebon's catching on pretty quick to the whole lying thing.
Anyone else still creeped out about how happy happy joy joy everydeer is, especially given all the psychotic nuke first what questions later law enforcement?
I like quotes from The Doc.
From the Manual Of the Smith. The more efficint a propulsion system, the more destructive it is as a weapon.
The ultimate demonstration being in Masters Of The Vortex.
Wow duchess, really twisting the knife there aren't you? Granted Floydien may need it but still seems a bit harsh of a way to say it.