“All stop!” a goblin shouted to the windy air.
“All stop!”
“Alllllll stop!”
Roarke gripped to the hull of the vessel as she felt the entire battleship lurching to a hovering stand-still. She scurried up the port side of the large six-propeller hovercraft and peered up onto the top deck.
Along the bow, several imps congregated. A tall goblin in particular stared through a spyglass, then pointed down at a looming plateau.
Roarke tilted her head, staring down in the direction the imp had pointed. She saw a camp with several tents, along with banners that bore the Val Roan insignia. A cluster of wagons and catapults had been arranged in a solid line, but it was easily no match for the goblin armaments.
“We can burn them so easily, boss!” one goblin rasped. “Melt them to puss and carry them back in jars to Haman!”
“Silence!” the leader snarled over the sound of steaming motors. “We will do no such thing! Remember, this is part of Haman's plan! Besides, they're giving us a way in.”
“Nnnnrghhh... I don't like all of this beating-around-the-bush business!”
“You don't have to like it. You just have to mind your steam and shut up!” The lead imp marched towards the stern. “We're meeting with our contact! Prepare the skiff!”
“Aye, sir!”
Roarke gritted her teeth beneath her helmet. On flurrying limbs, she climbed across the bow and slid into a porthole of the ship halfway down the port side. Keeping to the shadows, she struggled to make her way to the central hangar compartment before the ship's captain could.
On the third floor to the High Council building was the mail office. Several deer and ponies marched back and forth from desk to desk, hoofing through envelopes and notes before slipping them into appropriate satchels. Servants lined up, dressed in blue uniforms, prepared to take their packages and go about their normal rounds throughout the large complex. The entire office was bustling with noise, murmuring voices, and the shuffling of papers.
Outside one of the windows, a blue figure loomed. Rainbow Dash shrank out of view almost as immediately as she appeared. Seconds later, she peeked inside, ruby eyes blinking. She saw several clerks with their backs to her. Quietly, she pressed her hooves to the glass panes, feeling around, testing. She discovered that each of the wide-paneled windows pulled up and out. So, cautiously, she started pulling on the one in the center. She had it open about twenty percent of the way when she paused, fidgeting.
The pegasus chewed on her lips, gazing directly inside the bustling office. No matter how busy it was inside, she knew that with so many servants working inside it would simply be impossible to slip in unnoticed.
She needed a distraction.
The mare tapped her chin, hovering in place. After a blink, she turned and glanced at her flapping wings.
“... ... ...” She smiled.
One after another, Rainbow Dash opened all of the windows, being very slow and gentle about it. She opened them only about halfway, until five whole windows were spread ajar to the outside world along the third story office.
Then holding her breath, she flapped her wings and zipped out of view.
Inside, one of the servants paused in shuffling through envelopes. She looked up, shivering slightly. “Say...” She turned to the deer next to her. “Is it just me, or did it get really chilly in here?”
FWOOOOOOOOOOOSH! A blue pegasus streaked past the window at the speed of sound. P-POW! A clap of thunder issued right outside, and a tumultuous concussion of air billowed in through the windows.
Suddenly, the entire mailroom was swarming with loose sheets of paper. A veritable blizzard of envelopes, notes, and scrolls fluttered across the compartment from wall to wall.
Servants shrieked and scrambled every which way, fumbling to catch everything and sort it out before the disaster went even further south. Deer and ponies alike shouted at one another in their attempt to avert the sudden, inexplicable crisis.
None of them had the wherewithawal to see a nimble blue pegasus slip through one of the windblow windows and gallop up to a wall where a large directory had been hung. Rainbow Dash's eyes scanned and re-scanned the illustrated layout of the High Council and each of its floors.
“Come on... come on...” She murmured to herself as sheets collapsed and rustled all around her. “Fishberry... Fishberry...” She gnashed her teeth. “...what's the storyyyyyyyy Fishberry?!”
Her gaze swam all over the large, confusing illustration, until it fell upon a room that had been highlighted in gold. She leaned closer, eyes narrowing.
“... ... ... 'Chancellor's Office,'” Rainbow Dash read aloud. “'Room 1025. Tenth Floor. West side!' Awesome!”
She spun around—only to bump heads with a doe. She looked up. The doe looked up.
“Aaaaack!” the servant fell back amidst a sack of papers.
Gritting her teeth, Rainbow Dash dove through the flurry of sheets and disappeared out the window beyond.
“What is it?!” Another deer ran up. “What's the matter!”
“Blue squirrel!” The doe stammered as she was helped up. “I-I swear! I saw a fuzzy blue squirrel just now!”
“Pffft... you've been in middle-management for too long. You're imagining things.”
Roarke gritted her teeth, sweating profusely. The only spot on board the steam-powered goblin skiff that she could hide herself was right between two of the transport's main thrusters. As a result, her suit's temperature heated up by nearly thirty degrees. Nevertheless, she remained still and inconspicuous, riding the craft as it made its speedy descent to the plateau below the battleship.
Soon, the transport touched down, and six goblins walked out onto a platform located at the tiny thing's bow. At the same time, several deer and elk marched forward, coming to a stop on the arid earth.
“Hold it!” The lead goblin raised his hand while his compatriots cocked and aimed their rifles. “That's as close as you get, grazers.”
“Do not pretend to intimidate us, ingrates,” spook a deep, booming voice. “One false move and our catapults will render that float of yours to dust.”
“And then our battleship will turn your camp into a smoking crater!”
“And then you'll be blown out of the sky by our soul sentries,” the voice continued. “Which I command and which has allowed you to come here by my choice alone.”
“Rrrrgh... let's just get this over with,” the goblin grumbled. “Your desert mountains smell like ass.”
“Which makes one wonder why you are so keen on conquering it.”
“Enough of that! Do you have the silver?!”
At this point, Roarke had climbed down from the skiff. On creeping limbs, she shuffled along the west facing of the dirigible, hiding from both the eyes of the goblin battleship above and whoever might be camped just a hundred feet to the north. She craned her neck, looking around the front of the bow.
She saw several reindeer standing and facing the goblins, their antlers glowing with bright green energy. In the middle stood a remarkably tall elk with a stone gray coat. His left eye was cold blue, and the other a sickly gray. From the way the elk glared, it was obvious he favored the blue eye. What was most striking about him was his antlers, or more specifically the lack of them along his left side. Several of the branches had been snapped off, replaced by cold steel prosthetic that glistened with pent-up mana.
“We have the silver,” the buck said in an authoritative tone. “And we are prepared to deliver them.”
“I swear,” the goblin grumbled. “If a 'but' is coming...”
“There's been a development,” the buck said. “Ponies are onto us. Ponies from the west.”
“Hey! You don't say!” The goblin snarled. “I don't suppose they have anything to do with the Noble Jury!”
Roarke jolted.
The buck's gray brow furrowed. “I beg your pardon?”
“The assholes who've been trolling us for the last two months?!” The imp barked, “Our boss Haman's been begging and begging for you punks to give us a hoof! It's making it impossible for us to grab the resources we need for the trade with those damn lizards!”
“Is that a fact...?”
“Yes! So you'd better have that silver or else!”
“You will get the silver,” the elk said. “But there's been a change of plans.”
“Rrrrrgh... what kind of change?”
“We need you to keep the battleship here.”
“Keep it here?!” The other goblins gasped and growled in frustration. “What in the Hell for?! How will we even make the trip back with the silver?!”
“Use this skiff. My soul sentries will ensure a safe passage to the Cartel's land.”
“Are you crazy?! We need that silver for the skystone! You can't expect us just to power up two stinkin' ships!”
“If we're dealing with an incursion from the West, then we need whatever air support we can muster and we need it now.”
“It has its armaments, but it can't turn or bank worth a damn! Unless you're gonna be flocking your targets into us, we can't shoot anything without skystone engines to properly adjust—”
“Let me worry about the fine details. Everything has been planned for by our—” He paused suddenly. “Hold on.” He suddenly turned towards the side, his head bowed slightly.
Roarke blinked at the elk, sweating beneath her helmet.
“... ... ...” The elk stood absolutely still, blinking. His ears twitched. “Indeed,” he muttered at random in a neutral tone. “Absolutely,” he muttered. “Then if she proceeds, then so will I.”
The goblin grumbled, “What in shit's name is he talking about?”
“Silence your tongue, monster,” one of the reindeer guards spat. “Do not question the General!”
Roarke clenched her teeth, observing patiently.
“Yes,” Chancellor Fishberry murmured, staring off into space. Her ears twitched. “Indeed.” Her nostrils flared. “Then I shall proceed.”
Her eyes blinked. Breathing normally, she turned and looked at her clerks.
The clerks glanced back, fidgeting slightly.
Clearing her throat, the Chancellor trotted to the doorframe to her balcony, met eyes with Nilla, and nodded.
Nilla smiled, then turned towards Kera and Arcanista. “You may come and have a seat...”
Oh, fuck me.
Okay then...anyone else starting to think it's possible that all of them are compromised rather than just one? (or maybe my reading comprehension is failing me again)
Underpowered or not, that battleship is gonna spell trouble once Prowse's group arrives.
Also, with all the pony-in-gear business, stealth, goblins, and goblin tech, I'm starting to get some flashbacks to Petra.
Daggum squirrels.
Dun dun duhhh! Hmm now how long till it hits the fan....less than 5 chapters I should think.
So there's at least two others being controlled.
Ok, what are the chances of this not being Chrissy's doing entirely, but rather a usual case of government corruption which Chrissy just happened to stumble upon and use for her own purposes?
Just how big are the squirrels in Val Roa? And aren't all squirrels fuzzy?
Good thinking Rainbow, because causing random sonic booms is totally how you stay discreet.
The goblins are wanting Silver from Val Roa, so they can trade to The Lounge, for Skystone? just how much of the Lounge is there, given that since Rourke made off with Wizball, we havent seen anything of them so far. Were the occupants of that group just a scouting cell, or where they of any actual level in the Lounge? How will the Goblins be using the skystone to improve their flight performance, given the Jury has such a stone, and yet needs Dash and the book in order to have any flight abilities these days?
Im sure, given that although te shield is up, that because there is regular, restricted traffic through teh West Gate, that news of the Jury made its way through many weeks before, if not within a day or so of being seen, and thats not if the Lounge sent warning ahead, so the Soul Sentries could take them down, being warned?
We are up to three councillers of the Princes inner circle, all now have personalised impanted communication gear? Looks like the General had a run in with something nasty, and given what Jake has handled, Im wondering if it was Floydien.
People are being controlled...
For fuck's sake, they're all complicit.
I blame goddamn Midnite Bastion(but actually Chrysalis)
THEY'RE ALL CHRYSALIS
fuuuuuuck...
You know what? Robots.
Everyone is robots.
Forget changelings. Robots are the new thing.
Wow, the situation is even worse than projected. Chrysalis could still be anyone, but almost everyone important is on her side.
This is you latest weather report from Val Roa!
It looks like we might be in for a severe storm shortly. It looks to be dust or sand for now,but I'd advise everyone to grab your umbrella or craft a mana shield because there is a very high chance of a shit storm coming in on the tail end of the first storm.
That's all from me on the ground,back to you elk's in the studio!
Okay, wow. They're all involved. Which leaves two questions: a.) Are they knowingly involved, or simply being mind-controlled; and b.) Who's calling the shots (well, we know who, of course, but in whose form is Chrysalis hiding?)? My money's on Midnite Bastion, but I'd really like to actually see her in the 'present day' so I can get a better feel for her. But she certainly seems like the logical candidate.
Hmm. To make the joke, or not to make the joke?
img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20091029134627/naruto/images/4/41/Dying_Message.JPG
img3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20140511120703/naruto/images/5/55/Decryption.png
I feel bad for those deer and ponies who have to resort those papers. I hate it when shit like that happens.
5279137
No. Not all squirrels are fuzzy, or adorable. You don't want to know.
Ok since it looks like its everyone, this has basically become impossible really. They need to find Chrysalis and fast because right now getting rid of her is the only thing that will stop this.
"Execute order sixty-six..."
I hope Saikano turns out to be as awesome as he looks
So Sharp Quill, Fishberry and who I'm assuming is Saikano are all in on this. Great. Just great.
psychic link
PSYCHIC LINK
PSYCHIC LINK
PSYCHIC LINK
PSYCHIC LINK
PSYCHIC LINK
psychic link
Now that that madness is over, it would seem we have hit the "Oh fuck it" point
Suspects:
General Saikano - Omega Level
Fishberry - Omega Level
Sharp Quill - Omega Level
Arcanista - Omega Level
Midnite Bastion - Omega Level
Nilla - Omega Level
Jet - Omega Level
Mamunia - Omega Level
Eine - Omega Level
Zebra #452 - Omega Level
Everypony/deer/thing else - Omega Level
though to be honest i'm hitting a point where i feel this is all Arcanista
I hope prowse survives this crap, would be a lot of buildup for nothing.
5279137
nnnnaked squirrels?
5280238
Or, you know, Kera could have this play when she walks down the aisles.
That's not Saikano. Saikano is a pony. So what's this General Turdminator 800 guy's deal?
I don't think Fishberry is actually one of the zombie sleeper agents. For one thing, she's been too surprised by various things thus far. I think she's just a blatantly corrupt politician. . . one who may even be salvageable, when the coming dramatic reveal blows things into the open.
Citing a blog post, written by our dear shortskirtsandexplosions, concerning Yaerfaerda:
-no one is prepared for how this novel will end
-NO ONE
With that said, it's safe to assume that everyone is Chrysalis. Especially Rainbow Dash.
I wonder how many augmented characters we've encountered already. The author must love Deus Ex: Human Revolution
5280528
I think I missed this, I'm pretty sure he's an elk and Midnite Bastion is just adopted. Saikano isn't really a pony name.
5280638
SPOILERS: Everyone except RD dies horribly.
5280713 Back to square one (ノಠ益ಠ)ノ彡┻━┻
So, that's the General, uh? Saikano is Enforcer Shell Christmas Edition, and I am OK with this.
So, Sharp Quill, Fishberry and Saikano all have walkie talkies. Maaaaayyyyyybe maybe they are talking with one another or with the same character. And maybe that character is our antagonist.
5280528
I don't recall it ever being explicitly stated that he was a pony, just that he adopted Midnite.
5280816
In not sure whether to laugh because "Enforcer Shell Christmas Edition", or cry because "Enforcer Shell".
5279249 As I recall from the story text, the 'loungers' that the jury met were a break-away, and the general lounge were a little bit more amenable to normal trading relations.
5280638 My guess for how Yaerfeaerda ends: In reality there are only 6 books. The other six are just the same books written backwards.
5281056 The next book is Adreafreay and the final book is Hoeartsua.
And you know what? We'd still read them.
shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit
5280328 I s2g, if I am actually Chrysalis... "The last place you'd think to look," indeed.
Nopony is Chrysalis! Rainbow is a squirrel! The telepathy is due to experimentation on Chrysalis! THE CAKE IS A LIE!
If they're all being controlled, we have to assume Chrysalis is one of the two prominent suspects we have not seen during any of these sequences: Midnite Bastion or Arcanista. And assuming that telepathy takes some physical effort, I'm going to assume it's not Arcanista, as she has been wandering around with the Xona party the entire time, so Bastion is definitely prime target here.
Although I'm totally calling that this is all a totally normal Val Roan communication network and Colon is just royally screwing us with a load of misguided suspicion before he pulls Chrysalis out of the jail, where she has been since Rainbow sent love through the changeling network, ruining her disguise and causing her immediate capture by the Val Roans.
Sharp Quill, Fishberry and Saikano are all MC'd by Chryssy, who is Arcanista, who is actually Midnite Bastion in an Elk suit, who is actually Eine in a pony suit.
Have you ever seen Midnite Eine and Arcanista together in the same room? No. Therefore my theory must be correct.
5280921 i0.kym-cdn.com/entries/icons/original/000/006/759/both.png
5279979
Nice. For those who don't get the reference, the numbers were written as a dying, coded message of a famous author. They correspond to the page numbers of one of his books, and taking the first word from each of those pages spells out: "The real one isn't among them."
5279546
Yeah definitely robots.
There's hope for me yet
5280921
I'm still holding out for Glimmer Wings Enforcer Shell.
Aaaaand that about sums up my thoughts for what we now know. Lousy time for me to catch up with a cliffhanger like this.
Sweet heavens... the mana crystal addiction is a much larger problem than I first thought!
Saikano too? Those creepy eyes though.
Chrysalis = Haiman. Kind of a stretch but IC has done some gruesome stuff before. The bulk of the goblin army could easily be changelings.
That none of them made a connection between cold>wind>open windows makes me weep. The blue squirrel comment disarmed me.
The General's daughter is dead and Chrysalis isn't any one individual; she's running around expanding use of her energy to have the kingdom destroy itself and that is where she will reap what she has sown. The elks, as well.
Listening to all the Metal Gear Solid soundtracks after that last chapter title.
speculation abounds about Chrysalis being behind how the elk are communicating (presumably mind controlled), but we will see.
I can't wait for the Jury to conquer these dweebs!
5280638
I had assumed that RD would be traversing the Dark Side... but I love surprises!
Yup. Everyone's Chrysalis. How did this happen?
-Spirit
We have a few problems going on right now. One, if the Tarkington tries to enter Val Roan airspace, they're screwed. Two, Saikano, Fishberry, and Sharp Quill are suspect and criminal. Things are getting close to coming to a head, and shit's about to get real.
A fan ?
Some might say.
Definitely maybe.
They're either changelings, or under mind control.
5712989 Or Belle is still sequencing, hasn't woken up, and everything is an illusion if we are lucky.