223 - Lunar Aid
The reception hall was filled with ponies, their fine clothes marking them as the elite of Canterlot society. Caterers slipped through the crowd, offering drinks and hors d’oeuvres to any that wanted them. Off to the side, a small quartet of ponies played instruments, lending a gentle atmosphere to the proceedings.
“Attention! Your attention please,” called a stallion in servant’s clothes, causing the music to come to an end. “Our sponsor for tonight’s event would like to say a few words.” When the crowd quieted down, the serving pony stepped aside.
A moment later, John Smith emerged from the back of the hall.
He wore a different suit this time, a dark grey ensemble with pinstripes, complemented with a blue tie. Looking out over the assemblage, he gave them all a smile so casual it could only have been the result of a great deal of practice. “Fillies and gentlecolts, thank you for attending. You know, ever since I came to Equestria, there’s an expression that I’ve heard: that culture comes from Canterlot. Looking at this collection of dignitaries, I can see why everypony says that.”
The crowd chuckled in self-satisfaction at the flattery. With the ice broken, their host stepped forward. “My name is John Smith, and for those of you who haven’t read about me in this morning’s paper, I’m the one who broke the news about the AmNeigh scandal.”
His eyes swept out over the crowd, pausing for a fraction of an instant as he spied Silver, before moving on. “I’m sure some of you have also heard the rumors that Filthy Rich is spreading, saying that I was the one who came up with that horrible scheme, as though that makes any sense at all. If I really was some sort of evil mastermind, why would I expose my own operation?” He chuckled at that, the very picture of amused derision, and several of the ponies in the crowd followed suit.
John continued. “No, these allegations are the work of an unscrupulous stallion desperate to shift the blame for his own actions onto someone else. But the reason I’ve asked all of you here tonight isn’t to talk about Filthy Rich, and it’s not to talk about me. Rather, it’s about the ponies who’ve been hurt the most by what he’s done.”
His comfortable smile was gone now, and instead he addressed the crowd with a grave look. “While I was looking into AmNeigh, I found out something terrible: that almost two-thirds of its victims were lunar pegasi. Can you imagine that? That the ponies who have the least are the ones who suffered the most.” He paused to close his eyes and shake his head, apparently overcome with sadness at the thought.
After a moment, he continued. “But this made me wonder, why is it that the lunar ponies are so disadvantaged? They’re not any less smart or work less hard than anypony else, so how come they make up such an overwhelming portion of the poorest ponies in Canterlot? Even here in this room…” he made another pass over the crowd with his eyes, “we have not a single lunar pony among Canterlot’s elite. Not one. Why is that?”
An uncomfortable murmur spread through the assembled ponies. It was clear that John was touching on a sore spot. More than a few seemed to be unhappy with where this was going.
As if sensing that, John held up a hand. “Now, I know what you’re thinking. You think I’m going to say that what’s happened to the lunar ponies is somehow all your fault. That the reason you all have done better than they have is because you’ve benefited from some nebulous and ill-defined set of advantages – ‘solar privilege,’ if you will – that they never had.”
His visage now stern, John continued. “I want to make it clear in no uncertain terms that that idea is false!” The crowd fell silent under his sudden pronouncement, and he looked around as though daring anyone to challenge what he’d said. “When I look around this room, I see smart and diligent ponies who worked hard to get what they have! Each and every one of you struggled to follow your heart, overcome adversity, and earn what you have, and nopony has the right to tell you that you should be ashamed of that!”
The crowd’s earlier discontent was completely gone now, replaced by smiles and nods of agreement. Several erupted into spontaneous cheers, stomping or clopping their hooves.
John smiled and waited for the applause to die down, the fire he’d just displayed now gone. Once things had quieted down, he continued. “But that still doesn’t answer the question: why are the lunar ponies so bad off? If it’s not your fault, and not their fault, then whose fault is it?” He stopped, as though still pondering the answer, and a pregnant pause filled the room, everypony now hanging on his words.
“I thought about that for a long time, and eventually the answer came to me: it’s the princesses’ fault.”
Gasps rang out at his words, with much of the crowd going wide-eyed, apparently scandalized at the idea. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were the cause of something so awful? That just couldn’t be true!
John nodded his head, sympathetic again. “I know. It was hard for me to accept too, but it’s important to remember: I’m not accusing the princesses of any sort of malicious intent. Quite the contrary, I believe that Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are good ponies with good hearts, and that we owe them a debt of gratitude for all that they’ve done for Equestria…but I’m sure that, if they were here right now, they’d admit that they’re not perfect, and that they’ve made mistakes.”
He paused again, and put on a look of sad resignation. “The thing is, as princesses, their mistakes can have tragic consequences for innocent ponies, and if you stop and think about it, that’s what’s happened to the lunar pegasi. After all, how could they be expected to prosper when Princess Luna, their progenitor, was sealed away in the moon for a thousand years?”
A few ponies looked like they wanted to protest, but John plunged ahead. “Now, I know what some of you are thinking: that that wasn’t Princess Celestia’s fault, that she had no choice but to seal her sister away when she became Nightmare Moon. But let me ask you this…” he again trailed off, letting the tension build before he spoke again.
“If six ordinary mares from Ponyville could use the Elements of Harmony to change Princess Luna back from being Nightmare Moon, then how is it that Princess Celestia, the most powerful pony of them all, couldn’t use them to do the same thing? Why did she seal her little sister away instead of saving her right there and then?”
The silence that fell over the collected ponies was total, as looks of horrified realization crossed many faces. It was clear that most of them had never thought to ask that question before.
“And even when she came back,” John continued, dragging all attention back to him, “what has Princess Luna been doing? I know you all have heard the rumors, about how she’s been indulging herself in tawdry pastimes with certain ponies,” he paused just long enough to look at Silver again, “rather than taking care of the ponies that she created.”
Another murmur of discontent came from the crowd, but this time it wasn’t directed at John. He let it build for a moment before he continued his speech. “Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are good ponies,” he repeated. “But they make mistakes, and when they do, it’s the rest of Equestria that suffers, just like the lunar ponies are suffering right now.”
By now the assembled ponies were nodding to each other, swayed by what they were hearing.
“Well I for one can’t stand to see that happen any longer.” John’s voice grew louder as he continued, a look of resolve on his face. “And that brings me to the reason I’ve invited all of you here tonight. If the princesses won’t take action to alleviate the suffering of their people, then it falls to us to do so! And so it is with pride and purpose that I’m announcing the creation of the Lunar Benefit Fund!”
On cue, a pair of pegasi flew towards the ceiling, carrying with them a banner that spelled out “LUNAR BENEFIT FUND” in large letters. John kept speaking as they affixed it to the ceiling.
“The Lunar Benefit Fund is a new charitable organization designed to provide short-term financial support for at-risk lunar pony families. By stepping in to provide funding for food, shelter, and unemployment relief to those who need it the most, we can help the poorest lunar ponies to help themselves! And we won’t do it alone!”
He was clearly reaching the climax of his speech, his voice rising as he continued. “They say that culture begins in Canterlot! So tonight, we’re going to create a new culture, one where each and every one of us can be an Element of Harmony! With your kindness, and your generous donation, we can show our loyalty to the least among us! Your honest feelings will help bring laughter back to those ponies that need it the most!”
John was yelling now, as the crowd was beginning to cheer wildly, swept up in what he was saying. “When you give to the Lunar Benefit Fund, you’re helping to lift up those who’ve been forgotten! Together, we can bring the lunar ponies into the light! Together we can fix the princesses’ mistakes! And together,” he paused, grinning widely, “we can make Equestria great again!”
The applause was so thunderous it shook the hall. Flashbulbs went off as ponies rushed forward to surround John, offering their congratulations and checkbooks as they did so.
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....Yeah...This guy's head need to be paraded on the streets on-top of a pike.
He set this all up so he could become the so-called saviour and take power.
Samantha...This might falls to you to deal with.
"Make Equestrian great again" sounds pretty darn familiar........
And the John Smith needs to be taken care of quickly and ruthlessly.
Well, looks like John Smith made himself untouchable since knocking him down after that announcement would make the individuals that took him down become the villains in the public's eyes.
The crowd chuckled
It's only been a few days but i missed this story
7389311 Fixed!
7389311 Nuts, and here I was hoping to avoid typos altogether.
That clever motherbucker
Another typo: "flashbulbs" is one word, as it turns out.
I wish this guy would get called into a meeting with Lord Vetinary.
This guy has just commited suicide in a most spectacular fashion. All thats left now is to quietly deal with him.
Then again, he knows enough to get through the Everfree safely, and he has been researching Poison Joke to take care of those with power who would oppose him, and the dreamcatcher for blocking scrying.
Wonder how long before he suggests that to keep track of those poor luna pegasi who have agreed to be helped, and those honor bound to Princess Luna, that those wanting help, carry a little yellow star with them to show they are of the sky, and not the moon.
7389362 Fixed!
7389326
Well at least there was only one xD
I see what you did there... Can't wait to see where it goes...
If he can't be a demigod, he'll settle for a demagogue?
Ohh... now I get it. John Smith is a demagogue.
Granted he's a bit more active in that he manufactured a crisis to play whistleblower to.
One fights a demagogue in a couple of ways. The easy was has been cut off. That would have been to use magic or other means of surveillance to reveal his true colors. He's taken precautions against that though with Zecora's dreamcatchers.
The other way is to get ahead of him. He wants to make victims of the Lunar ponies? Enact immediate programs to provide real aid instead of whatever Smith has planned. Princesses are bad? Educate the populace on just how much they do on a daily basis to serve their little ponies that is unseen and uncredited.
There are no easy solutions, but unless Mr. Smith is some godlike entity on his own, the damage he does can be mitigated.
7389499 *obligatory rimshot*
7389243
One does not stop a demagogue by making them a martyr.
7389505
Well, in terms of AmNeigh, that's correct. But insofar as the situation with the lunar pegasi goes, that was there before he showed up.
This is true, but there's a crucial component to this, which is that spin (or rather, "public relations," if you will) is just as important as taking action. Even if programs are enacted, that won't matter if the other side gets all of the credit for them. John has just indicted the princesses for their lack of action; if they take action now, then it could very well look like they're doing so only because he put public pressure on them (and if they do nothing, then they look callous; either way they're screwed).
It was no coincidence that John had press at that event (e.g. the flashbulbs at the end).
Something that won't be best served by having a big ceremony about Silver's coronation, followed by a subsequent royal herd; after John's quote in the newspapers a few chapters back about the princesses not stopping AmNeigh, and now what he said here, the coronation/marriage would look very self-indulgent of them, as though they were saying "let the lunar ponies eat cake."
i get the feeling that Jonn Smith doesnt actually care and is either trying to do as much damage as he can without being caught or make as much money for himself
7389529
The situation with the lunar ponies was troubling but not up to crisis proportions, at least not until Mr. Smith created one. For the record, I'm not making light of the lunar ponies troubles, but it wasn't a crisis. It was on the radar and the wheels were already turning to learn the nature of the challenges and address them.
True, the battle of spin has begun. I argue that no matter the rhetoric, whoever gets there first with real, demonstrable solutions, holds the advantage. I did make a point that this is not the easy path, though I failed to state it as explicitly as I should have.
I can't help but wonder if Princess Celestia with her many many years of experience paired with prophetic visions may not have an unforeseeable advantage here.
I don't follow. How do affairs of state equate to willing indifference towards the challenges the lunar ponies face?
7389656
Her visions could be an advantage, but given that she can't seem to control when she gets them or what they show her, that's not something that can be relied upon.
Insofar as her "many many years of experience" go...I'm skeptical. Living a long time does not, by itself, mean that you'll necessarily be familiar with something. Equestria seems to have been idyllic for a very long time; before Celestia and Luna were even around, if the play in Hearth's Warming Eve is to be believed. Given that, her experience in dealing with social issues, let alone issues of popular perception, strike me as likely to be very limited.
It's a question of what's prioritized by the ponies in charge (or at least, how that looks to the public). If the narrative is that the situation with the lunar ponies is a crisis that needs to be addressed (as you noted, that wasn't the perception before, but that seems to be changing now), then having the royalty throw what is basically a party for themselves - that is, crowning Silver and forming a royal herd, despite both of those things having no real impact on the living conditions of ordinary ponies - then it could seem like the princesses are more focused on themselves than on the suffering of their subjects.
7389243
Sam has a hard counter to John's combo.
Nah, public hanging.
7389278
Water boarded then hung?
7389305
You deal with him quietly and discreetly. Then burn his house to cover your tracks.
7389369
If the stars and sun thing happens, Silver being a human or hell any human should rise a giant fuss about the Holocaust and how genocide was the bread and water of that time. Then you could kill John for even attempting to start the path towards genocide.
7389505
Or assassinate him and burned his house down as stated above.
7389693
Why the rush towards a violent solution?
7389701
Heh, if only all problems could be solved that way. I'm still trying to figure out John's plan. Is he going to skim the donations and hide the bits in a few shell businesses? He already burned the bridge with Filthy Rich and I'm not sure if he's also thrown the Flim Flam brothers under the bus too.
You know, it'd be hilarious if the dreamcatcher want designed to combat evil spirits, not Luna. Whoops!
slay the weasel. slay it. these people cause naught but trouble. or just silence him. in one way or another.
7389791 But he's such an excellent source of drama, and it would be way too satisfying to see him killed off before it's milked for all it's worth.
7389758 I am pretty sure that he is going to use the charity to enrich himself just like many politicians I know about. This guy is clearly up to no good. Overall, I think the Lunar is issue has more to do with the perceptions of Solar ponies due to the association of Nightmare Moon and fear. I still find it weird that Luna herself has characteristics of a solar pony and not a lunar pony yet she created them. They just need a new hearths warming type of thing that will bring all ponies together as one and end the division. At the end of the day they are all ponies and that should be enough.
On to the next scheme!
Keep going! ;)
Oh lord. Please let this be a full on 'legit' shell corporation and/or NPO.
I've always imagined what would happen to the unprepared Equestrian financial system if they encountered a person with an understanding of business. The damage would be immense and the aftermath would propel Equestria into a system that would be more prepared for such underhanded tactics.
I know watching Equestria basically get decked is something not everyone would like to see, but I think it would be interesting how the characters react to such an apocalyptic event and the aftermath of having a human being responsible for such a travesty.
7389812 You are the wind beneath my wings.
Wow, some of the comments have been pretty bloodthirsty lately.
John Smith smells of 5 day old road kill let out in the sun.
7390200 wind puns. yay!
Plot Twist: John Smith actually does care about the Lunar Ponies and is not planning anything shady
7391500
That's called "playing it close to the vest."
You're mistaking being deliberately unforthcoming with a lack of substance. It should be very clear at this point that John Smith is hiding his motivation and intentions, not just from the ponies but from the audience as well, which doesn't mean that he has none.
Leaving aside that you're butchering both the use and the definition of "deus ex machina," the issue of how he knows what he knows should be self-evident, in that he's seen the show, just like Silver and most of the other humans who've come to Equestria. In all honesty, at this point, there's very little that he's done that can't be explained that way (the sole exception being going to Zecora for dreamcatchers, and even that can be explained by them appearing in some background scenes in her hut).
If there's something you think requires more exposition regarding how he knows what he does, please be more specific.
The major style for this story has been to stay away from expository narration regarding what the characters are thinking/feeling. I've pushed for a lot more of this, to very little effect. As such, this new character is taking that and using it to his advantage, in terms of leaving his goals unclear.
I'm sorry to hear that, but while I do plan for more of his inner workings to become obvious over time, it's going to be the slow revealing of a mystery. Not letting anyone know what he's after prevents them from knowing what he's going to do next, which is a major advantage.
7391656
Not just to other characters, but the readers as well. I said previously that his ultimate goals, and motivation for reaching those goals, are deliberately mysterious. To that end, you might recall that little bits of what he's been doing have been revealed over time (e.g. initially telling Silver that "he knows what to do next," with it later being revealed that he was behind AmNeigh. Or telling Zecora that he needed a favor, and it being revealed that he wanted dreamcatchers, etc.). This is the general course of his character's presence in this story - be a mystery that's slowly answered as things progress, for both the other characters and the readers.
That's exactly correct.
Yes, you did. This is a question of fact, and can't be reasonably refuted. Deus ex machina is "a plot device whereby a seemingly unsolvable problem is suddenly and abruptly resolved by the inspired and unexpected intervention of some new event, character, ability or object," which is not at all what you were referring to.
Just because I was able to puzzle out what you meant - which was apparently a reference to John Smith being a god (the "dues" [sic] part of your statement) - doesn't mean that you used the term correctly (because you didn't).
No, you haven't, because "foreshadowed bad guy" is what's being communicated. What you're asking for are to have extraneous scenes that would add nothing to his development and clutter his presentation.
They're also not made by talking ponies with magical powers, and as such questions of fidelity to reality in this regard don't really apply.
You're presuming that John made that statement as a direct result of seeing Silver there at his meeting, as opposed to doing so simply to proactively head off the refutations that one would expect when publicly accusing someone of malfeasance.
Could that have been made more clear? I suppose so, but it remains entirely plausible; someone who'd make such a damning accusation - knowing that they were also part of the actions in question - will also take actions to poison the proverbial well against retaliatory indictments of character.
Insofar as your questions go: yes, it's deliberate. As to the second, robots are commonly perceived as being emotionless, which this character isn't. As such, your complaint seems half-baked at best.
That's a shame, since the story isn't about John Smith, but it's your choice.
Okay, now we're getting to some specific events that I can speak to. Leaving aside motive - which I've said is deliberately vague - I have showed planning up to this point (e.g. Apple Bloom realizes that he's looking for something in the Everfree Forest), albeit not very much. That's because his initial portrayal needed to establish that he's a potential threat, which requires showing that he can make things happen. Showing how he does that is what comes next...hence why we see him spinning a yarn for the ponies at this meeting.
This wasn't just "sympathetic" nobles. He just invited the whole of the elite of Canterlot (minus the royalty for obvious reasons). Whom those elites are strikes me as being public information, which means that there was no virtue in showing how it was acquired.
By hiring them? Again, this isn't something that I felt needed to be portrayed. We know Equestria has private security (e.g. Sweetie Belle can't get in to see Sapphire Shores because there's a security guard there).
Because I don't believe that there was any particular virtue in showing scenes of him writing invitations, mailing them out, renting the hall for the evening, and paying for one or two ponies to check visitors at the entrance. Those are the sorts of scenes that are, quite frankly, boring to read about, especially when they convey no information that can't be portrayed simply by showing the results.
See above, the planning wasn't worthwhile in terms of reading. Some stuff is cut because it deserves to be cut.
At this point, I don't believe that he's done anything that requires further exposition. That said, future chapters will likely have more, because it makes for good drama to have more of a bad guy's motivations and goals revealed over time. But at this point, that's future grist for the mill.
Engineered what? We already had a scene where Filthy Rich explained that John came to him with the idea for a pyramid scheme; what about that do you think needs further clarification? Or is this more about you wanting to see him putting envelopes in the mail?
Your list of "almost-impossible things" seems to be "renting a meeting hall" and "finding catering."
Or are drawn in and find it to be a good source of drama, as others have said.
Hot damn. This was a brilliant turn of events.
you can just imagine trump saying the last line of the paragraph
Did Text or Twi brought professional populist to Equestria? Damn, that's actually dangerous.