307 - Show of Solidarity
“I must confess, I’m completely at a loss for words. To think that Vanhoover was in such a state and we didn’t know…”
River nodded solemnly at Princess Celestia’s admission, making sure that her expression was one of commiseration. It wasn’t very hard; she’d practiced making that face, like so many others, many times over her years of integrating herself into the upper crust of Vanhoover. The downcast expression, the slightly vacant look in her eyes – as though she were lost in sad memories – the hunched posture. All of it perfectly presented the appearance of controlled grief, matching how the princess looked at the moment.
“Yeah, even Lex had no idea it was this bad when we got here. I mean, I thought fighting a dragon was something, but this place?” Sonata shook her head in mild amazement. “This place was like…krakens and zombies and devils, oh my!” She paused for a moment, then added. “They weren’t really zombies, but it just sounds better, you know?”
River fought the urge to roll her eyes. Read the mood, you dimwit. The princess feels shocked and guilty. If you show her that you feel the same, she’ll be more inclined to regard you favorably, which means it’ll be easier to get her to do what you want. That was, after all, the entire point of this little encounter.
They’d spent the last few hours telling Princess Celestia about Lex’s adventures. Or rather, that’s what Sonata had spent the last few hours doing. River, relegated to a supporting role since she only had second- and third-hoof knowledge of the events in question, had done what she could to make Sonata’s storytelling more slanted in Lex’s favor. She’d made sure to ooh and aah over his tactical insights and grueling fights, ask pointed questions about his efforts to help everypony around him, and shoot pointed glanced at the princess whenever Sonata mentioned some act of self-sacrifice that he’d made, as if silently saying “now do you see what I see?”
It hadn’t all been that simple, of course. There had been two or three points where Sonata had gotten too wrapped up in recounting their adventures, fixating on something that she found upsetting to remember and starting to rant. One of those had been about some mare named Fencer. Another had been how one of the ponies here had made an attempt on Lex’s life. It had only been because River had heard about those incidents via the gossip that her servants had picked up on that she’d recognized that Sonata was about to blunder into admitting Lex had cursed both of those ponies for their transgressions. Fortunately, River had been able to steer the conversation to less dangerous areas, but she wasn’t sure if she’d managed to do so without making the princess suspicious.
That was something that needed to be avoided if at all possible. River had only met Princess Celestia once before – having managed to acquire an invitation to the incredibly exclusive Grand Galloping Gala several years back from an elder statesmare in Las Pegasus in return for funding her plans for a new hotel – but the elder alicorn’s kindly disposition was well-known to everypony. If she finds out that Lex is using his magic to curse anypony who steps out of line, she won’t let that go, River knew. She’ll definitely confront him over it, and if he refuses to back down, things could get bad in a hurry.
River didn’t want to imagine what would happen if things between Lex and the Royal Sisters degenerated to the point of magical conflict. But even if it didn’t get that far, Celestia and Luna could make his life difficult very easily. Lex might be a local hero after everything he’d done, but the alicorns occupied the very top of Equestria’s social structure. If they publicly denounced him, he’d very quickly become a pariah among everypony that wasn’t already close to him. He might be able to hang on to some of the goodwill he’d acquired among Vanhoover’s indigents, and maybe even a smattering of the popularity he’d accrued in Tall Tale, but he’d never be able to parley that into something more.
And if Lex’s star didn’t ascend, River knew that her own wouldn’t rise again either.
“Once we return to Canterlot, Luna and I will provide all the help we can with the recovery effort,” continued Princess Celestia. “We can host fundraisers, encourage other cities to start charity drives. Maybe even ask Sapphire Shores or Countess Coloratura to come here and hold a concert to raise money and awareness of Vanhoover’s plight.” She looked out at the remnants of the crowd as she spoke, most of the ponies having wandered back to the camp as the night had dragged on, before turning her eyes back toward River and Sonata. “We’ll do everything in our power to encourage all of Equestria to help out.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty,” murmured River, making a deep bow. “As someone who’s lived here all her life, I can’t tell you how much that means to me.”
“Ooh! If they’re holding a concert I could sing too!” Sonata’s eyes sparkled at the thought. “In fact, I could totes do a show all by myself! I’ve been working on some songs about me and Lex’s adventures, and that’d be the perfect way to debut them!” She was practically bouncing in place, clearly thrilled at the prospect.
“Yes, about that…” Princess Celestia’s tone made River tense, not liking the sound of it. “I have something I’d like to ask you about.”
“Hm? Sure,” grinned Sonata, clearly not having heard the catch in Celestia’s voice. “What?”
“You’ve both been telling me about what Lex has done since he left Canterlot, but I can’t help but notice something that you haven’t mentioned.”
Sonata blinked, clearly having no idea what the princess was talking about, and River made a similar gesture. But while she was sure Sonata’s confusion was genuine, River felt herself growing nervous; Celestia had quite clearly found some sort of discrepancy or notable omission in what they’d told her, but what? River knew that she wasn’t overly familiar with Lex’s exploits up until now, but she was sure she knew more about them than Celestia did. What could she have noticed that had raised her suspicions? “What would that be, Your Majesty?” River said, making sure she sounded only idly curious.
When Celestia looked at her then, her expression hadn’t changed, but River had the distinct impression that her eyes had somehow become more penetrating. “That you have a scythe-shaped mark on your face.”
River froze, feeling her blood run cold.
Across from her, she saw Sonata’s eyes widen, and she mentally cursed the little airhead. You’ve been sitting across from me all night! How could you have forgotten that I have this?! How could I have forgotten that I have this?! But she knew how. She hadn’t looked in a mirror since before Lex had cursed her, all of the ones she owned being inside the manor that she couldn’t set hoof in without feeling sick to her stomach. She’d only known the mark was there because Trotsworth had mentioned it when he’d been doting on her when she’d first come back, and she’d barely thought about it even then. After sleeping outside, panning for gold at the river’s edge (the sun having been too low in the sky to let her see her reflection in the water), and coming up with a plan to win Lex’s favor, the scythe blood-mark on her cheek had been the last thing on her mind.
Knowing that she couldn’t stay silent, that she had to think up some benign excuse, River wracked her brain. But before she could think of something, Celestia spoke up again. “When we met before, at the Grand Galloping Gala, you struck me as a very fashion-conscious mare,” she prompted.
“I did?” uttered River dumbly. A small part of her was amazed that the princess remembered that encounter; it had to have been over ten years ago now! The rest of her, however, was vaguely aware that she had lost all control over the conversation, fighting to keep the panic off of her face.
“Very much so.” Celestia was smiling again, but that didn’t make River feel better at all. “You described your ensemble in detail for me, and then remarked on how it was nowhere near as radiant as I was despite not wearing an outfit at all. So I was wondering why somepony with such a taste for appearances would have such an unusual design on her face.” She paused, letting that statement sink in. “Especially one that looks just like the weapon Lex has been using.”
She knows, realized River with a wave of despair. She might not know the specifics, but she knows that Lex did something to me. A surge of black humor ran through her then, and she had to fight down a mirthless laugh. Here she was panicking about failing to hide a horrible curse from one of the few ponies who could have done something about it. Maybe I should just tell her, she thought suddenly. Maybe I should just abandon this entire plan. It was still possible to back out of supporting Lex. It would mean giving up her dreams of living the high life, but that was better than him losing everything after she’d tied her fate to his. It wouldn’t be hard. I could say that I was only supporting him like this because I was afraid of what he’d do to me, or to my son, if I didn’t. I-
“It’s a show of solidity!” blurted Sonata.
Celestia blinked, looking over at the other mare. “A what?”
“You know! One of those things people do to show they’re on board with the program! They show solitaire-ity!”
Celestia’s smile returned, though smaller than before. “I think you mean ‘solidarity,’ and that’s-”
“-completely correct!” exclaimed River.
A look of mild surprise crossed Celestia’s face then. “It is?”
Sonata nodded so hard that it must have rattled what few brains she had. “Totes! See, River was all like, upset that she got in Lex’s face, so she-”
“-used my, er, lipstick to draw this on my face!” finished River in rush. Seeing the princess’s skeptical expression, she kept going. “After all, I wanted Lex to know how serious I am about atoning for how I acted before. This is just one of the ways that I’m trying to show that I’m supporting him with everything I have now. In fact…” Inspiration struck then. “In fact, I’ve taken a vow that, until Vanhoover is restored, I’m giving up all the benefits of my wealth!”
That seemed to do the trick, as Celestia’s eyes widened slightly. “And Lex motivated you to do this?”
“Indeed,” nodded River, her confidence coming back as a new narrative settled into place. “His selflessness served as an example for me. Here I was wearing fancy clothes and eating fine food and living in a manor staffed with servants while my friends and neighbors were living like animals!” She swept a hoof toward the camp. “For their sake, I’ve not only foregone all of those things, but also elected to wear this mark on my cheek – the symbol of Lex’s weapon – to show my support for his efforts.”
“Yeah, what she said!” added Sonata.
“I understand,” smiled Celestia. This time the expression reached her eyes, and River had to struggle not to heave a sigh of relief. “It takes a kind heart and a generous spirit to sacrifice your own comfort for the sake of others. But what you gain in return is more precious than any dress or dessert. I’m proud of you for finding it within yourself to make such a vow.”
River smiled back, mentally cheering that she’d managed to step back from the brink of disaster. “Thank you, Your Majesty, I-, oh! Look!” River pointed, and both Sonata and Princess Celestia turned to see what had caught her attention.
It wasn’t hard to spot. Near the back of the train station, the luminous figure that was Aria was slowly lowering back toward the ground, the light radiating from her noticeably-smaller body beginning to dim. Standing nearby, Lex’s chanting had taken on a softer edge, his gesticulations slowing.
The ritual was almost over.
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Why is she lying what is point
The plot just got passed by the fourth snail.
Not that it's bad, mind you.
9357389
She does not want to admit that he has been slinging curses.
If River never married into the Banks, she could have been quite the shrewd politician... or an actress at the very least.
Still, her efforts to getting into Lex's good graces ought to have earned her brownie points with Sonata, which will be her ticket into Lex's, very thin good book. Especially with Celestia's promise to raise funds for Vanhoover and it's suffering populace.
Still, I was amused with the idea of Celestia even needing to encourage the other cities to start charity drives. I'm sure the rich elites in each city will probably scramble to start mini gala style fundraisers to outdo each other in order to be seen in a favorable light like River has done if Celestia even suggests the idea of fundraisers.
Goes to show how much power the princesses have that is underutilized.
However, all of River's efforts would be wasted if Lex doesn't like the idea of receiving Celestia's help. On the other hand, the funds raised would negate the need to ask for money in Las Pegasus in the first place and it would be a major boost to the city's coffers, even if it runs the risk of his efforts being overshadowed by the crown.
Regardless, I'm looking forward to how different Aria is now and what she'll do next.
p.s:Wonder if River and Sonata might start a trend with the 'mark' of solidarity thing.
Marks of Solidarity are going to end up as Everfree Cutie Marks?
Depends on how much Grandchessmaster Celestia is being used here, from accepting River at face value, or more sneakily, letting her think she is in the clear.
Lex has used up how many of his slots for today casting that spell, and will need Severance for a recharge which he doesnt want to bring along with Celestia and Luna there?
9357798
Not with Spokespony Sonata on the job.
9357473
9357389 As David pointed out, River and Sonata are desperately trying to hide the uglier parts of Lex's administration, namely that he's been using curses to punish ponies that he's judged to be guilty of crimes. Both of them know that Lex and the Royal Sisters have personalities that are likely to be incompatible, as well as philosophies of governance, and they want to smooth things over and avoid a conflict.
9357391
...of the apocalypse?!
9357602 The problem with trying to be a shrewd politician is that Equestria doesn't seem to have much in the way of actual politics. The alicorns have rejected building any sort of political infrastructure at the national level, apparently leaving it all to business organizations (i.e. someone has to be managing things like the railroad, which connects the major cities of Equestria) and a few NGOs such as the Equestria Education Association. Even those don't seem to do very much; the most we've ever seen is Chancellor Neighsay forcibly closing a school that his organization disapproved of, and by the end of it the princesses had flat-out told him that not being accredited didn't mean the school couldn't be run, essentially telling him that they'd overstepped in trying to shut it down.
All politics, in other words, is local. But even then, it doesn't seem to have much in the way of an actual political process or apparatus. I know the comic books had a plotline about Ponyville having a mayoral election, but I find nothing to suggest the comics to be canon; Mayor Mare seems to be mayor because that's her destiny, right down to her cutie mark. Even then, she doesn't seem to do much besides preside over weddings, make local announcements, and otherwise act as a sort of representative of "town spirit." Remember in The Last Roundup (season two, episode fourteen) she was relying on Applejack winning prize money at a rodeo competition in order to fix the town hall, suggesting that there's no tax policy at work (which is rather notable, considering that seasons two through four each had an episode where Sweet Apple Acres was on the brink of insolvency). Indeed, the closest we ever see to any sort of democratic process is when foals choose their Student Pony President in Crusaders of the Lost Mark (season five, episode eighteen).
So in other words, River is taking the only real avenue available to her to satisfy her ambition. Being an actress might earn her fame and even fortune, but it's clear she wants more than that, and is willing to do what she has to in order to get it.
Celestia, of course, is the exact opposite of this. It was notable that all of her proposals to help Vanhoover essentially boiled down to "raising awareness." It's a tacit admission that she can't really do anything else; she doesn't have a vast fortune that she can expend to fund the city's reconstruction on her own, nor a corps of civil engineers that she can dispatch to help with rebuilding, nor (it seems) any sort of large-scale magical "fix everything" spell. Remember when she said she was going to go help Fillydelphia with an infestation in Swarm of the Century (season one, episode ten)? Remember when that swarm was finally declared to be eradicated, in Daring Done (season seven, episode eighteen)? It's clear that Celestia isn't hooves-on, and it's self-evident that that's because she doesn't want to be.
Lex, of course, wouldn't hesitate to talk about how irresponsible this is of her. As far as he's concerned, if she's limited herself to "telling other ponies what's happened, so they can volunteer their help (if they feel like it)" is nothing less than a betrayal of what a ruler should be doing for their people. She should, to his thinking, have resources at her disposal that would let her step in and fix this; that, to him, is what a government is supposed to do. I doubt he'd outright reject Celestia's efforts - even a token bit of help is better than none - but we know that he will hold her not doing more against her.
Them getting into a fight over that (and other areas of divergent opinions, such as criminal punishments) are what Sonata and River and trying to avoid. Here's hoping they succeed, since Lex isn't inclined to moderate his opinion; he might very well admit, "I cursed River, and several other ponies, for criminal activity. I was right to do it."
If that happens, all bets very well might be off.
9357679 Lex hasn't used up any of his personal magical reserves with this ritual; as noted before, it's entirely about manipulating energies via a completely external process. The only things he has to worry about are conducting it correctly (to make sure those energies do what he wants them to, otherwise he risks a potentially catastrophic failure, and even a success might have unforeseen side effects if he doesn't maintain absolute control over what he's doing), which includes avoiding any sort of interruption.
Of course, since Celestia now knows about Severance, I wonder if she'll bring it up anyway. It seems likely. After all, it's questionable just how much River really pulled the metaphorical wool over her eyes.
9357798 Both are entirely possible...which is why Sonata and River are working so hard to try and avoid those! Will they succeed?
We can only keep reading to find out.
9357854
Horsemen would be a bit... bad.
Interesting. I really doubt Celestia is fooled, but she can probably sense River isn't under mind control, so she's going to let her do things her way. And of course, now Sonata, in her capacity as agent of Lex's government, has lied to Celestia and made herself vulnerable to blackmail. Not that I think River would try to out and out blackmail Lex, but it's certainly strong incentive for Lex to remove that curse ASAP, as it is basically hard evidence that he's taking actions that his own staff want to keep a secret.
Knowing Lex, I could see him realizing this and just telling Celestia all about the curses himself, to remove his vulnerability.... or not. That could disrupt those fundraisers.
9358577 I have to wonder if Celestia is perhaps fooling herself. River's story is exactly the sort of thing she quite clearly wants to believe about her little ponies. While we know that she's not afraid to come down hard on the worst of the worst, she definitely seems like the type of hope for the best. Then again, I don't see her as being naive either; she knows that Severance is a powerful tool of evil, and that Lex has no compunctions about using dark forces (such as King Sombra's horn). The fact that he's now using an evil artifact along with the evil king's magic will probably make it difficult for her to be quite so willing to trust that there's nothing to worry about...especially if she finds out about the Night Mare.
As for the issue of blackmail...I really don't see that happening. I suspect that River is canny enough to realize that Lex not only doesn't care if anyone knows that he's using curses to punish wrongdoers, but that he'd bristle at the idea that his doing so was something that needed to be hidden. Dropping even the barest hint that he should lift her curse before Celestia finds out - regardless of how bad that would be - would be just as likely to provoke Lex into telling Celestia to her face about what he's done (as you noted). After all, Lex is quite blunt about what he's doing being "evidence" of nothing except that he's more fit to rule.
More likely, River has more subtle schemes in mind. She tried the head-on approach, and it backfired badly, so now it's time to work with what she has and build it into something better...