The Men in Grey Suits (New)
The Men in Grey Suits
“Madame Councillor!”
“Madame Councillor!”
“Are you worried about the vote tonight?”
“Do you think you’ve done enough to retain your place?”
“What will you do if it goes to a second round of voting?”
Novo Aris stopped, turning to face the press pack that shouted at her from the edge of the car park. She smoothed out her lavender jacket and raised her voice so that they could all hear her. “I do not seek to evade criticism, but I say to my friends in the party – and I do have friends in the party – that I and my administration have served Vale to the best of our abilities, have improved the quality of life for the people of Vale, and cannot be held responsibilities for incidents, however tragic, which no one could have foreseen or prevented. I accept this challenge. I welcome it, indeed. At least I shall see who is with us and who is against us, and I call on my friends to support me in the vote tonight, as I am confident they will. And that is all I have to say on the matter; if you will excuse me.” She turned away, ignoring the questions that they shouted at her back as she made her way across the parking lot, her heels clicking on the tarmac.
The King Osric Grammar School was one of Vale’s finest institutes of education; in academic outcomes, it was superior to any combat school and with a far broader range of extracurriculars; the campus was not as large as Beacon’s – how could it be, located in the city as it was? – but it was large enough to allow the school to possess its own theatre, a tall brick building with very few windows but large doors which were presently thrown open to admit the parents and the guests who were presently making their way in.
Novo’s attention was drawn, however, to someone who was not heading into the theatre, but rather standing – loitering, perhaps, might be a more accurate descriptor – outside, with her hands thrust into the pockets of her black leather jacket. She was a girl of average height, an equine faunus with the rare distinction of possessing two animal traits: the ears that sprouted up out of her hair and the tail that fell towards the ground. Her hair, out of which her horse ears sprung, and her curly tail were both alike of a most striking colour, or combination of colours: streaks of red and gold, which even in the evening, with the sun dying and a little light spilling out of the theatre, seemed to burn like fire.
She had her back to Novo, mostly being turned to face the theatre which she made no move to enter, but her hair was very striking, and Novo thought she recognised her nonetheless.
“Pardon me,” Novo said. “But it’s Sunset Shimmer, isn’t it?”
The girl turned, revealing a very striking pair of green eyes which blinked rapidly in surprise. “Yes, my la- ma’am. Yes, ma’am, I… I have that honour.” She straightened up, and her hands slipped out of her pockets. She was wearing that leather jacket over an ankle-length turquoise dress, underneath which her boots looked ever so slightly incongruous.
Novo smiled and spoke softly to put the girl at her ease. “The honour is mine. Vale owes you a great debt.”
Sunset Shimmer had, after all, made herself quite noticeable in the year that she had been at Beacon: she had helped foil the dust robbery at the docks, helped capture Roman Torchwick, and been one of the students sent by Ozpin to reconnoitre Mountain Glenn — after which she had been present at the defence of the Breach and the saving of Vale.
And she had killed Adam Taurus, the leader of the White Fang in Vale.
She was a hero, and though she was not of Valish birth, she was, nevertheless, a Beacon student — a Beacon student who was not particularly tied to any other kingdom in the way that, for example, the achievements of Pyrrha Nikos rebounded to the glory of Mistral, not Vale. That made Miss Shimmer a rare commodity, one which might prove useful in the days ahead.
Sunset looked down at the ground. “I… I did very little, ma’am. I mean, Madame Councillor.”
“Ma’am will be fine, if you prefer,” Novo said. “Although, I’m afraid ‘my lady’ is quite out of the question. This isn’t Mistral, you know.”
“No,” Sunset said, and a trace of a smile appeared on her face. “No, it is not.” She paused for a moment. “If I may-?”
“I’m not an Atlesian general either; you don’t need permission to speak,” Novo told her. “If I didn’t want to speak to you, I wouldn’t have approached.”
Sunset nodded. “Very well, ma’am; I’m surprised to see you here.”
“My niece is playing the Last King,” Novo explained. “And my nephew is… a spear carrier, as I believe; Terramar doesn’t have Silverstream’s talent in performance, but he is the best cricketer in his year. We all have our talents, don’t we?”
“Indeed we do, ma’am, if we can only find it,” Sunset agreed. “But, forgive me, but tonight of all nights… the vote-”
“Is going on right now,” Novo accepted. “Which means that it is past the point at which I can influence affairs, don’t you think?”
Leo’s call for others in the party to consider their positions, and their response to the conflict of loyalties, had not gone unanswered. Since his sensational resignation, he had mustered sufficient aldermen – fifteen percent of the party’s total, as required by the rules – to trigger a contest for the leadership of the party. If he won, then she would be out, he would be party leader, and – provided that he could command the confidence of the Chamber of Aldermen – he would be First Councillor. But, as she had just told Sunset, it was too late to do anything about it now.
“So, it’s either sit at home with a glass of wine waiting for the results to come in, sit in my office without the wine waiting for the results to come in, or support my niece and nephew and get taken out of myself for a couple of hours.”
Sunset was silent for a moment. “Some might have chosen the wine, ma’am.”
Novo chuckled. “Perhaps,” she conceded. “But between you and me, I am quietly confident about the result.”
The predictions from her office were that she would win by a landslide, avoiding the need for a second ballot. There were some who thought those predictions optimistic, but Novo had seen off tougher opponents than Leo and had every faith that the party would remember what they owed to her and rally round.
“I think you might say the same to anyone whom you thought might pass your words onto the press, ma’am.”
“Too late for that, I think, Miss Shimmer,” Novo said. “May I ask what you’re doing here? This isn’t somewhere I expected to see a huntress.”
“Mmm,” Sunset murmured. “I was just thinking that myself, ma’am. I’m here because Skystar invited me, but-”
“Then it would be very rude of you to slip away unnoticed,” Novo said. “If that was your intent.”
“The thought had crossed my mind,” Sunset admitted.
“My niece and nephew are faunus,” Novo reminded her. “A fact of which I know you are aware.”
Sunset licked her lips. “Skystar told you?”
“That you unmasked that vile brute?” Novo said. “Yes, she told me. Cardin… I thought he was a good man. He fooled me, as he fooled us all-”
“Ma’am, I don’t think-”
“Skystar also said that no sooner had you saved her from him than you started making excuses for him,” Novo interrupted her. “In my presence, I would rather you didn’t.”
When Ocean had gotten engaged to Sky Beak, Novo had told her two things: that some would turn against her for it, no matter how respectable a faunus Sky Beak was; and that she, Novo, never would. She had kept that promise, and she did not intend to break it now, not even a little bit.
“Very well, ma’am,” Sunset said softly.
“So, if you are worried about what people will say, don’t be,” Novo said. “Some fools may think things with which you are no doubt more familiar than I, but none will dare give them voice; the company is too polite for that.”
“It… it isn’t that, ma’am,” Sunset said. “It is…” She trailed off for a moment. Her ears drooped down, and her hands drifted towards her pockets, although they did not enter them. “This looks like a very nice school.”
“One of the best,” Novo said. “If not the best for the relevant age group.”
“Expensive, I presume.”
“Somewhat expensive,” Novo said, in what was something of an understatement.
Sunset nodded absently. “I went to a school like this, once,” she said.
“I would have expected an aspiring huntress to attend a combat school,” Novo replied.
“I did that too,” Sunset said. “But before that… it was a long time ago, and I was quite young, but being here… it brings back memories.” She let out a sort of laugh. “I’m sorry, ma’am; my nostalgia is of no interest to you.”
“I owe you a public and a private debt, Miss Shimmer,” Novo said. “You can babble on for a little while if you wish; you’ve earned the right.”
“Please, ma’am, don’t. I…” Sunset sighed, and her tail hung limp behind her, and her ears disappeared down into her hair. Sunset bowed her hair. “I don’t deserve to be spoken to that way. I don’t deserve your praise. I… I don’t deserve it.”
Novo did not immediately reply. She stared at Sunset, trying to get a read on Miss Shimmer and her responses. Was it the modesty of a true hero? No, she did not think it was; as a politician, you had to be able to read people, and Novo was not reading 'modest' from Miss Shimmer. Rather… was it guilt, or was it fear? She thought it was one of the two, but it was hard to be sure.
“Was it… how was it?” Novo asked softly. “Down in Mountain Glenn?”
Sunset stiffened. “I… would rather not talk about it, ma’am.”
“Of course not,” Novo said. Miss Shimmer was not one of Skystar’s closest friends, but she was, nevertheless, a friend of hers, and one who had seen things that Novo could barely contemplate. She had no desire to traumatise the poor girl or force her to relive anything traumatising. “May I ask you why you were there?”
Sunset hesitated for a moment. “Professor Ozpin and General Ironwood-”
“Received intelligence of a possible White Fang attack staged out of Mountain Glenn,” Novo said. “I’m aware of that; they admitted as much when they finally came clean to me. And so, instead of using General Ironwood’s Atlesian soldiers or calling upon Valish huntsmen, they sent you: a first year student. How old are you, Miss Shimmer?”
“I’m eighteen, ma’am.”
“Eighteen,” Novo repeated. “And your teammates, have they all passed their birthdays too?”
“… Pyrrha is still seventeen,” Sunset admitted.
“Seventeen, my god,” Novo muttered. “I admire you students of Beacon a great deal,” she said. “When I was seventeen, eighteen, I was still figuring out what I wanted to do with my life, and yet, you have already committed yourself to a solemn and dangerous task.”
“You're very generous to say so, ma’am,” Sunset muttered.
“But you’re still children,” Novo said. “So what the hell was Ozpin thinking, sending you on a mission like that into a place like Mountain Glenn?”
Sunset looked into Novo’s eyes, and Novo could see that there were bags underneath Sunset’s; clearly, the girl was struggling to sleep.
“We volunteered,” Sunset said.
“You are eighteen years old; Professor Ozpin is supposed to possess the wisdom of a greater experience,” Novo said tartly. “So you volunteered; youth excuses a degree of arrogance, especially in a school that sets out to produce an elite. But my question stands, nevertheless: Why did Professor Ozpin allow you to go? He could have refused you, he should have refused you, and found someone older and more capable.”
Sunset hesitated for a moment. In a whispered voice, she asked, “What do you want from me, ma’am?”
“I want the truth.”
“The truth?” Sunset repeated. “Or Professor Ozpin’s head?”
Now, it was Novo’s turn to pause for a moment. “The latter would please me,” she admitted.
“Then I cannot help you,” Sunset said.
“I’m not asking you to,” Novo insisted. “All I am asking for is the truth. Why were you sent to Mountain Glenn? Why did Professor Ozpin and General Ironwood keep the warning of an attack a secret from the Council until the last possible moment?”
Sunset closed her eyes. “That… that is not the… I should go.” She turned away.
“Wait!” Novo called, before she could take more than a few steps. “Forgive me, Miss Shimmer; this is… hardly the time. Please, come inside. Accept Skystar’s invitation. As I have said, it would be rude of you to refuse.”
Sunset looked over her shoulder. “I… am not sure I deserve this.”
Novo could not restrain a laugh. “It’s a school play; I’m not sure that deserving enters into it.”
“I am not sure that I deserve your daughter’s friendship,” Sunset clarified in a soft voice.
“It is Skystar’s to give to whom she chooses,” Novo said. “Please, Miss Shimmer, I know it’s an old story with which you will be familiar, but I would hate to think that I’d driven you away.”
Sunset hesitated for a moment. At length, she bowed her head. “To make you feel guilty is the last thing that I desire, ma’am.”
She walked back to where Novo waited, and together, the two of them joined the last few stragglers making their way into the theatre.
Skystar was waiting for them in the lobby. “You came!” she said. “Both of you!”
Sunset smiled. “It would have been rude to refuse,” she said, with a glance at Novo.
Skystar’s smile broadened. “This might seem like a weird thing to invite you to, but I wanted to say thank you for what you said to me the other day; it really helped.”
“I’m glad,” Sunset said. “And besides, I’ve never actually seen this.”
“Really?” Skystar gasped. “You don’t do the Vytal Story in Atlas?”
“No,” Sunset admitted. “In Atlas, they’re too ashamed of the fact that they lost.”
Skystar frowned. “That doesn’t sound like the spirit of the Vytal Festival.”
Sunset shrugged. “It’s all become so commercialised these days, everyone’s forgotten what it’s really all about.”
“Well, you’ll know what it’s all about once you’ve seen the story,” Skystar declared. “Silverstream’s playing the Last King.”
“So I’ve been told,” Sunset said. “And Terramar is a spear carrier.”
“And a tournament contestant, in the second half,” Skystar added. She looked from Sunset to her mother. “Mom, are you sure it’s okay for you to be here?”
“It’s Leo, darling; I’ve got nothing whatsoever to worry about.”
“A remarkably dismissive attitude to your own chancellor, ma’am, I must say,” Sunset murmured.
“The economic policies of this kingdom for the duration of my time as First Councillor have been of my devising,” Novo said firmly. “Leo’s role has been to vote as I wish him to vote and to do the sums. I’m not afraid of some glorified bean-counter.”
“Mom,” Skystar said, “you don’t have to-”
“Everything has been taken care of,” Novo said. “Haven assures me that it is all in hand.” She smiled. “Now, we should go in, before the curtain rises without us.”
Neither of them offered any further objections, but went in with her to take their seats in the front row of the crowded theatre.
The play was rather good. The quality of these things could be variable, of course, but Silverstream was quite talented, and Terramar managed to stand quietly and not make a fuss; they both deserved the applause of their parents – and Novo and Skystar, obviously. The story was familiar but quite well done. The only sour note was the way that some of the people in the audience started looking at their scrolls and whispering to one another during the second half; Novo had to restrain herself from turning around to shush them.
It was only when the play was over that she emerged to find Aspen waiting for her in the lobby, along with Haven Bay, her private secretary. They both had rather ashen looks upon their faces.
“No- Madame Councillor,” Aspen murmured.
Novo felt a chill around her heart. “I take it the final count is in?” she asked, in a voice which she deliberately kept calm.
“Not as good as we would have hoped,” Haven murmured.
Not as good as you told me it would be, you mean, Novo thought. “What’s the damage?”
“Two hundred and four for you,” Aspen said, which was nearly thirty to forty less than she had been predicted to receive. “One hundred and fifty-five to Leo and nine abstentions.”
“It’s not a bad result,” Haven insisted.
“It isn’t the result you predicted with such confidence,” Novo reminded him.
“No,” he admitted, “but it is a clear majority of the party.”
“But it doesn’t pass the fifteen percent rule,” Novo muttered.
“The what rule?” she heard Sunset ask quietly behind her.
“In order to win outright, Mom needed to get fifteen percent of the possible vote more than the other guy,” Skystar explained.
“Why?”
“Because in order to lead the party, it is necessary to command the confidence of the party,” Novo said in answer, “and a leader who scraped in on fifty one percent of the vote would not be able to do so.”
“As you can imagine,” Aspen said, “the press are waiting.”
“Of course,” Novo said. “Then let’s not keep them waiting any longer. Excuse me.”
Aspen made way for her, falling in behind her – Skystar and Sunset waited behind in the theatre – as Novo made her way across the car park, retracing her steps towards the waiting press pack.
“Madame Councillor-”
“I have only one thing to say,” Novo said, raising one hand to silence the questions. “I fight on. I fight to win.”
“Last night, First Councillor Novo Aris vowed to fight on after narrowly failing to avoid a second round of voting in the Liberal Conservative leadership contest,” Lisa Lavender announced, her voice emerging out of Sunset’s scroll. “However, there are some who doubt that the First Councillor will be able to survive this injury. Our political correspondent, Bear Brandreth, has more.”
“That’s right, Lisa; I’ve spoken to several members of the Aquas camp, supporters of the challenger, former Chancellor Leo Aquas, and there is a very buoyant mood in spite of the fact that they technically lost last night’s vote; they did a lot better than anyone expected, and there’s a real sense of momentum in the air today. That sense of momentum is buoyed up by opinion polling showing that the Liberal Conservative party would be ten points up led by former Chancellor Aquas than it would under the current leadership of Novo Aris.”
“Is there any mood in the party that the First Councillor is responsible for the Breach or the response to the Breach?”
“There is definitely a sense that if the public no longer trust the Liberal Conservatives on national security than that is something to be laid at the First Councillor’s door. The feeling is that the First Councillor has de-prioritised-”
“I didn’t know you followed Valish politics.”
Sunset looked up. She was sat outside in the courtyard, not far from the statue of the huntsman and the huntress that lay beyond the main school hall, and now, Cardin had found her there and stood over her, blocking out the sun with his bulk.
Sunset snapped her scroll shut. “I didn’t,” she said. “But now I do. For now. Do you mind?”
Cardin moved aside, allowing the sun to fall on Sunset once again. He sat down beside her.
“Please, join me,” Sunset muttered.
Cardin took no notice. “Why?”
“Why what?”
Cardin rolled his eyes. “Why the sudden interest in politics?”
“What’s it to you?”
Cardin shrugged. “It would have been something to me,” he pointed out, “before you-”
“Gave you your just desserts?” Sunset suggested.
“Sure,” Cardin growled. “Let’s go with that. It still is something to me.”
“Your grandfather will keep his job either way, won’t he?” Sunset asked.
“You know what I mean,” Cardin said.
Sunset sighed. “I’m interested because I was there,” she said. “Last night, when the first round results were announced, I was there with the First Councillor.”
Cardin frowned. “At the school?”
Sunset nodded. “Skystar invited me to see Silverstream’s play.”
Cardin hesitated for a moment. “How is she?”
Sunset exhaled loudly. Her tail brushed back and forth along the ground. “I think she misses you.”
“Really?”
Sunset nodded. “Not enough to forgive you, right now, but… she misses you. She’s glad you didn’t die at the Breach.”
“That’s not exactly the same thing, is it?”
“Trust me,” Sunset told him, “I know what ‘I hate you but I’m still in love with you’ looks like.”
“Huh,” Cardin replied. “That… that’s a pity.”
Sunset’s eyebrows rose. “'A pity'?”
“Yeah, a pity,” Cardin said, as though that should have been obvious. “Do you think I want Skystar to turn into… you?”
Sunset made a choked sound. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You know exactly what it means,” Cardin declared. “And I don’t want Skystar to end up like that. I don’t want… look, I know we’re never getting back together, I know that I don’t deserve to get back together with her after what I said and the way that I lied to her, so… so I want her to be happy. I want her to move on, meet someone else… all that good stuff.”
Sunset’s eyes narrowed. “Do you actually believe that, or are you just saying it because you think you should?”
Cardin was silent for a moment. “Both?” he suggested. “I mean, if I thought there was a chance that she’d take me back, I’d get down on the ground and beg like a dog, but since that’s not going to happen… she deserves someone who’ll treat her right. Someone who really is all the things she thought I was.”
“You’re a big guy in more ways than one if you really do mean that,” Sunset said. “You’re a better person than me if you really mean that.”
“That’s not hard.”
“Insolence,” Sunset hissed. She scowled. “So… as someone who is plugged into all of this, do you think they’re right? Do you think that the tide is against her?”
“I’m afraid it is,” Cardin said. “There’s no way that it should have been that close.”
“It wasn’t that close,” Sunset pointed out.
“It was too close,” Cardin replied. “She ought to have had that contest in the bag. She ought… she ought not to have faced a challenge at all. It’s ungrateful, apart from anything else, but I guess there’s no sentiment in politics.”
“None in democratic politics,” Sunset murmured.
A monarchy would never have got itself into this position, where the leader was under threat of being hurled from power because a few self-important little men had frightened themselves into thinking that the mood was turning against said leader. But then, you had to be frightened when you yourself might be toppled at any moment – or at short notice, at the very least – upon the whims of the masses. There were weaknesses built into the system all the way down. How were you supposed to find a leader with the courage and integrity to do what was necessary when everything was a non-stop beauty contest? Yes, everyone was blaming the First Councillor for Vale’s lack of preparedness for the Breach, but no one had protested that she was spending money in other areas before, had they? Least of all the people who had been recipients of the kingdom’s largesse?
Vale’s weakness was the fault of all of Vale, yet now, they offered up Novo Aris as a scapegoat and a sacrifice, prepared to cast her out and, with her, all their sins.
If the news reports were right and momentum was against her.
“Ruby doesn’t like her,” she observed.
“Why not?” Cardin asked.
“She said that she doesn’t care about the outlying settlements.”
Cardin snorted. “If that’s true, then where were the Valish huntsmen when the Breach happened?”
"That… is a good point," Sunset conceded.
"I mean, of course, the First Councillor paid more attention to the cities than Middle-of-Nowheresville," Cardin went on, "because guess what: the cities are where everyone actually lives, and in case you hadn't noticed, the city is the one place that has actually come under attack this year, so tell me again how the First Councillor is hoarding huntsmen to defend the cities when the whole reason she's in this mess is because someone persuaded her to let the huntsmen go out and defend the villages instead?!"
"I said you had a good point," Sunset said. "This matters to you, doesn't it?"
"Shouldn't it?"
"I didn't say that."
"No, you just sounded surprised."
"No one made you come to Beacon," Sunset said. "Your grandfather's a judge, your father's a civil servant, you could have followed in their footsteps if politics was so important to you."
"I know where my strengths and weaknesses lie," Cardin said, "but that doesn't mean I'm not interested or that I don't have opinions. Councillor Aris – and I'm not just saying this because she put my grandfather on the Council or because I was hoping to be her son-in-law one day; I really believe this – has been the best First Councillor this kingdom could have asked for. She turned the economy around-"
"I've heard her speak," Sunset said, her mind returning to that rally they had witnessed from far off, in the team's very first trip into Vale together. Celestia, those days seemed far off now and so much more innocent.
"Just because she said it doesn't mean it isn't true," Cardin insisted. "She brought back the industries, she made it so that people could start making money again; you know she was going to take on the SDC?"
Sunset's eyebrows rose. "No, I didn't. Sounds bold of her."
"It was," Cardin said. "She was going to slap mountain-high tariffs on dust imports so that Vale could afford to start mining its own dust again, maybe even nationalise the Schnee quarries here. She was taking back Vale for the Valish… no offence. But none of that matters now. One thing that she couldn't expect, one thing that nobody saw coming, and it's all washed away. There's no justice in politics. Another reason I preferred to be a huntsman."
Sunset said nothing. She couldn't think of anything to say that would help matters at all.
Except that she could. There was something she could say.
Councillor Aris had asked for the truth, and although she hadn't meant that truth, the fact remained that she had asked for the truth, and the truth… well, the truth might not set her free, but it would save her career, which probably amounted to the same thing, as far as a politician was concerned.
The truth would set her free and send Sunset to prison and damn her in the eyes of Ruby – if not Pyrrha and Jaune and everyone else.
We are those who trusted huntsmen to keep their vows.
She could not help the dead. They were dead, as harsh as it might seem to put it thus, and wholly beyond saving. Beyond saving and only intermittently near her conscience to speak true. Their ghosts were her burden to bear, but she would not sacrifice for them, any more than she had sacrificed for them living. But the First Councillor was alive, and Sunset could help her.
She had already cost Skystar her boyfriend and her happiness; she could not, in all good conscience, stand by and cost Skystar her mother's career as well.
Councillor Aris wanted the truth? Then she could have it and save herself.
Sunset leapt to her feet.
Cardin looked at her. "Where are you going?"
"Never you mind," Sunset said, and she ignored anything else that he might have had to say as she set off at once for the garage. Let him think her rude; he'd think much worse than that soon enough once the truth was out.
She walked to the garage to get her bike; her boots beat a rapid tattoo upon the flagstones as she walked. She didn't stop; she didn't say goodbye to Ruby or Pyrrha or Jaune. She just walked, straight there, no hesitation. Any hesitation would be fatal. Any attempt to say goodbye would murder her resolve.
This was the right thing. This was what Skystar deserved, who had always shown Sunset such innocent kindness. Kindness which Sunset had returned with misery and the ruin of her happy life.
Now she would make that right.
Now she would make it all right.
“I’m afraid you can’t possibly go on. That was clear the moment you didn’t come through the first ballot. You must step down and let Aspen or Keller run the show. If not, we’ll end up with Leo and that would be a disaster… Don’t get me wrong, I support you. I’d support you until the next election, I’d support you for the next five or ten years, but no one thinks you have a chance of winning. No one wants you humiliated, Novo, you don’t deserve that. Step down, on your own terms. Don’t wait for the push, eh?”
“I’m afraid I don’t think you’d win, Madame Councillor, and your standing may do untold harm.
“I’m afraid you must step down now and let Aspen and Keller run.”
“And of course, one wouldn’t want you to be humiliated in any way, Madame Councillor.”
They had all agreed beforehand. They had all gotten together like little schoolboys behind Matron’s back and agreed the line they were going to take. Then, one by one, the men in grey suits had trooped into her office and told her that she couldn’t possibly win, that she needed to step down for the sake of the party and make way for Aspen or Keller. That nobody wanted to see her humiliated in any way.
As if it wasn’t a humiliation to be confronted one by one by these little men, these insects, these aldermen who would be nothing without her and told that she must step down for the sake of the party!
By the time that the fifth one of them had come through the door, she’d been able to predict perfectly what he was going to say; by the time the tenth one of them had come through the door, she had wanted to scream.
She felt so angry. She felt so… so powerless.
She felt so tired.
By the time she staggered home, unable to bear any more, her arms had been trembling with weakness, her legs wobbling. She had collapsed into an armchair in the sitting room of her official residence.
“Mom?” Skystar asked anxiously as she knelt down in front of her with what looked like a large whiskey held in one hand. “Here, take this.” She held out the glass, but Novo did not take it.
At the moment, she felt as though it would have slipped from her trembling hand.
Skystar frowned as she put it on the coffee table beside Novo’s chair.
“Mom,” she murmured, reaching out to touch Novo’s hand. “Is it… is it over?”
Novo did not respond. She did not want it to be over. She didn’t want it to end like this, defeated not in an election but by whispers and faint hearts within her own party, brought low by treachery. It was unconscionable. It was unfair.
It was unavoidable.
Aspen slipped into the room through the door opposite Novo’s seat, which she had left open as she staggered in. He had no tie, and his collar was open, his suit rumpled as if he had been wearing it for too long.
“I…” he began. “It’s important for me to tell you that I didn’t put them up to that.” He swallowed. “I would never do that to you.”
Novo smiled faintly. “From anyone else, that would seem very disingenuous.”
“'From anyone else'?” Aspen asked.
Novo nodded. She squeezed Skystar’s hand before she said, “Nevertheless, if you’ve come to measure the curtains, I wouldn’t blame you.”
“That’s not why I’m here,” Aspen said.
“Perhaps it should be,” Novo said. “I’d rather you than Leo.”
“Novo-” Aspen began.
“You need to think about who’s going to nominate you,” Novo said. “I’d do it myself, but I’m afraid that would do you more harm than good. You need a heavyweight, someone with gravitas; I’d recommend Keller, but he’s likely to stand himself, judging by how many people mentioned him. You need to find someone popular to lend credence to your campaign.”
“I don’t need nomination papers, and I don’t need a campaign,” Aspen insisted. “Novo, you can still win this, all guns blazing-”
“We don’t have any guns, Aspen; that’s why they want me gone.”
“Novo!” Aspen snapped.
Novo fixed him with her gaze. “The First Councillor of Vale must be a realist.”
“It’s not as bad as it looks,” Aspen said.
“That’s a relief; it looks terrible,” Novo replied dryly.
“I know that we’re having some difficulty rallying the troops,” Aspen conceded. “But if you come out fighting, then the waverers will fall back into line.”
“Not now,” Novo murmured. “Not after today. The Emperor is without his army, Aspen; the battle has been fought and lost.”
Aspen was silent for a moment. “I don’t want to take your place,” he said. “Not like this.”
“It’s not my first choice for how to leave either,” Novo said, “but better you than Leo.”
“Mom, are you sure?” Skystar asked. “Is… is this really it?”
Novo blinked rapidly. She found that there were tears in her eyes. “I… I think it is. I… I wish that it had come under different circumstances, but… but one very rarely gets the chance to decide these things in this line.” She paused for a moment. “I hope that history will be kinder to me than the present.”
Aspen scowled but said nothing.
There was a buzz from the communicator mounted to the wall beside the door, meaning that the police officer on guard outside was trying to reach her.
Novo tried to rise but found that she was still a little too weak for it. “Aspen, would you mind answering that for me?”
“Of course,” Aspen said softly, and he pushed the red button on the metallic wall panel. “What is it?”
The voice of Officer Clark issued into the room. “Pardon me, Councillor; there’s a girl out here who wants to speak with the First Councillor. Says her name is Sunset Shimmer.”
“Madame Councillor!” Sunset called. “I need to speak with you.”
“Sunset?” Skystar asked.
“Miss Shimmer?” Novo said.
“The First Councillor is rather busy at the moment,” Aspen said. “She has no time to-”
“I’m aware of what’s going on, that’s why I’m here,” Sunset insisted. “Please, ma’am, it will be worth your while, I promise.”
“What is this about?” Novo asked, trying to raise her voice.
Sunset hesitated for a moment. “I… I’d rather speak to you privately, ma’am, and not like this with me out in the street.”
Novo glanced at Skystar, who shook her head in puzzlement.
Novo took a deep breath. “Very well. Let her in, Clark.”
“Of course, ma’am.”
There was another buzz, indicating that the connection was broken.
“Is this necessary?” Aspen asked.
“It’s not as though I have anything better to do,” Novo reminded him.
Aspen scowled but said nothing. Nothing about that, anyway. He half turned away, before he said, “Sunset Shimmer… she was-”
“A Beacon student, one of those at the Breach,” Novo said. “One of those Professor Ozpin sent into Mountain Glenn.”
Aspen shook his head. “What was that fool thinking?”
“Perhaps Miss Shimmer has come to tell us?” Novo suggested.
Sunset Shimmer arrived soon. She was heard before she was seen, her footsteps heavy on the stairs, her steps slow and rather plodding. She shuffled into the sitting room, wearing out the carpet a little with her boots, her hands thrust into the pockets of her jacket just as they had been last night. Her ears were drooped, almost invisible amongst her hair, and her tail hung limp between her legs.
Her face was pale and a little drawn. Her eyes were cast down to the ground.
If she had not been so young, Novo would have had Skystar offer her a drink.
“Miss Shimmer,” Novo said, “what a pleasant surprise. This is Aspen Emerald, Councillor for the Interior.”
“I think I’ve seen you on television, sir,” Sunset said softly.
Aspen gave a sort of sniff in reply.
Novo took a deep breath. “Would you like something to eat, Miss Shimmer? There’s plenty in the freezer. A cup of tea perhaps?”
“No, thank you, ma’am.”
“You must sit down, at least, you look…” You look how I feel. “You look very weary.”
“No, thank you, ma’am, I’d prefer to stand,” Sunset said, still as softly as before. “I should stand.” She paused.
“Well?” Aspen demanded.
“Aspen,” Novo chided him gently.
Sunset blinked twice. “I am… sorry, about your difficulties, ma’am. I hear… I’m told by some that you are a very good First Councillor, and Skystar is proof that you are a good mother.”
“That’s very kind of you to say,” Novo said, “and your sympathies are welcome-”
“I didn’t come here to offer you empty sympathies,” Sunset interrupted. “I’m sorry because…” She closed her eyes. “Because it’s my fault. I’m the one who detonated the mine and opened the way into Vale for the grimm.”
Silence fell in the room as completely as if a second mine had gone off and they were all amongst casualties. Novo, Aspen, and Skystar were all frozen, all staring at Sunset, none of them speaking or reacting.
Novo scarcely knew how to react. In all her years in politics, this was… she had never experienced anything quite like this before.
But then, that in itself had become depressingly common this year.
“I think,” she said, finding her voice at last, “that you had better explain.”
Sunset nodded. “The White Fang had mined the end of the subway tunnel, using the dust that they had stolen over the past year,” she said. “The detonator was left on the train that they were planning to use to transport their men and stolen war machines to attack Vale. The detonator… it had been left for me. I… know the person who left me the detonator, and she knows me; she… she wanted to… she gave me a choice. I had a choice. We’d gotten on the train before we knew about the grimm, and everyone… the emergency exits from the tunnel had been sealed up, we’d passed the last station in Mountain Glenn, there was no way out, I… I had a choice. My teammates, my friends were on the train with me, and I had a choice: condemn my friends or risk Vale. I chose my friends.” She paused. “I didn’t mean to cause you these issues, ma’am. Skystar, I didn’t-”
“‘Didn’t mean’?!” Aspen cut her off sharply. “You didn’t mean to cause these difficulties; what the hell did you mean, then?! Did you just mean to kill us all and leave this city in ruins?!”
“No!”
“You didn’t mind risking the possibility, though, did you?”
“Aspen,” Novo said. “That’s enough.”
“'Enough'?” Aspen repeated. “Novo, she-”
“That’s enough,” Novo insisted. She stared at the girl in front of her. She felt… it was hard to tell exactly what she felt, except that she did not feel angry. Perhaps she ought to have felt angry, on behalf of herself, on behalf of Skystar, on behalf of Vale, but… she did not. “Miss Shimmer, why are you telling me this?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” Sunset asked. “This, the Breach, all of it, it’s not your fault! You can have me arrested, I’ll confess, and this leadership battle and all the rest can go away! You can still be First Councillor-”
“That is very generous of you, Miss Shimmer, but I’m afraid you’re a little late to come riding to my rescue,” Novo told her. She pushed herself up to her feet, gaining strength from necessity. “And in any case, whether you or the White Fang are guilty of setting off the mine doesn’t really change the salient criticism of my leadership: that the Valish forces were unable to respond to the threat that we faced, and we were reliant upon the Atlesians under General Ironwood to protect us. Whoever caused the explosion, those facts do not change.”
Sunset looked rather deflated. Her body sagged forwards, her shoulders slumped; she looked almost as if she might faint right there on the sitting room floor. “I… I’m… I didn’t mean for… I knew the Atlesians were there, I thought they’d save… I hoped they’d save everyone.”
“Did you care if they didn’t?” Aspen demanded.
Sunset glanced at him. “Not enough,” she conceded quietly. She glanced away, looking back down at the floor. “I wish… are you sure that there isn’t something I can do to help you, ma’am?”
“You can face justice,” Aspen said sharply.
Sunset’s chest rose and fell. She screwed her eyes tight shut. “Of course. I can still do that.”
“You could,” Novo said, “but I don’t see the necessity of that.”
“Novo?” Aspen gasped. “I… can I speak to you in…?” He stopped, clearly torn between asking to speak to Novo in private and leaving Sunset alone with Skystar.
“Yes,” Novo murmured. “You may.”
It was hard to imagine someone as wretched as Sunset Shimmer looked at the moment doing anything to hurt Skystar; perhaps Novo ought to have felt more nervous leaving her daughter alone with someone who had just admitted to committing treason, but for whatever reason, she did not. She was not afraid of Sunset, any more than she was angry with her.
She pitied her. She pitied the girl who had had the weight of the world placed on her shoulders and been broken beneath the weight. It was… it was a great pity that she had been put in that situation, and the consequences that had flown from it were even more to be regretted, but that did not negate the pity.
“Skystar,” she said, “you’ll be alright to stay here?”
“I…” Skystar gripped the back of the chair which Novo had been sitting in. “Yeah, sure. Go ahead, Mom.”
Novo nodded to her. “Aspen,” she said, and led the way towards the study.
She was starting to feel… not stronger necessarily, but more in command of herself. Sunset’s words had given her something beyond self-pity and recrimination to focus on, even if that something else was just externalised pity for another.
It was still enough to get her on her feet and into the small study adjoining the sitting room.
Aspen followed her, slamming the door shut behind him. “What in God’s name are you doing? This is-”
“Meaningless,” Novo said. “Miss Shimmer could give her confession, and it wouldn’t save me, not after half the party has lined up to stab me in the front. I couldn’t forgive that, and they wouldn’t expect me to. We have… I have passed the point of no return. And what I told that girl out there was true: her responsibility doesn’t negate my own, real or perceived.”
“So that’s it?” Aspen asked. “You’re just going to give in?”
“I’m going to spare myself the humiliation,” Novo said, with a touch of bitterness creeping into her voice. “I’m going to give you a fighting chance. You need to win, Aspen. You… Vale will be lucky to have you as First Councillor.”
“Vale was lucky to have you as First Councillor,” he replied.
“Yes,” Novo said softly. “Yes, it was. But every sun must set, and a new dawn must rise again.”
Aspen turned away from her for a moment, resting his hands upon the door. “None of which,” he said, turning to face her again, “none of which means that she should be allowed to get away with what she did. She deliberately-”
“‘Must I hang the farmboy who deserts his post when I cannot touch one hair on the head of the reeve or alderman who encourages him to desert?’” Novo asked. “The Last King asked that, in the bleakest winter of the Great War, when his army was snowed in at Valley Forge.”
“I don’t need a history lesson,” Aspen said irritably. “My ancestors were snowed in the same as yours, and they didn’t think of deserting because they understood what was at stake; they understood that freedom, for Vale and for all the slaves they’d left behind in Mantle, rested on the outcome of the war, and so they stuck to their duty.”
“She’s a child, Aspen,” Novo replied. “A first-year student, sent into Mountain Glenn for God’s sake. Sent into Mountain Glenn and a situation where she was asked to lay down her life-”
“That’s what she signed up for,” Aspen spat.
“Spoken with all the maturity of a grown man,” Novo replied.
Aspen frowned. “What are you saying?”
“I’m saying that I don’t blame her for this, any more than the Last King blamed the farmboy.”
“Ozpin,” Aspen muttered.
“He sent her there,” Novo said. “So young and so unprepared.”
“That doesn’t change the fact that she pulled the trigger.”
“And what good will it do to lock her up for that?” Novo asked. “Send her to jail for life, put her to death, to what end?”
“Justice?” Aspen suggested. “Obedience to the law? Why shouldn’t she face punishment for what she did?”
“She didn’t have to come here,” Novo pointed out. “She didn’t have to tell me the truth. If she had not, I would never have known.”
“And what of it? It doesn’t wash away her crimes.”
“You were the one who told me revenge was terrible politics when you preached reticence at me not too long ago,” Novo reminded him.
“I didn’t want you to pursue grudges at political cost-”
“You want a political cost?” Novo asked. “The only credit for Vale gained in this miserable affair was the involvement of the Beacon students-”
“She’s from Solitas!”
“But trained here in Vale, along with her teammates,” Novo said. “Trained at Beacon, because whatever the faults of our military, we have the finest school producing the finest huntsmen in all of Remnant, and that, at least, is something that Vale can take pride in.” She sighed. “Perhaps you were right that, for that reason, it would have been a fool’s errand to go after Professor Ozpin as I wished, but if it comes out that one of those Beacon students of which Vale is so proud, a hero of this year’s catastrophes, actually put the city at risk… what will that do? What kind of negativity will that cause? It will… it may do untold harm.”
Aspen held his peace for a little while. “And so… what? She gets away with it? She gets to skate by, to continue training as a huntress when she has already proven herself unworthy of the same?”
“If you are so set on punishing her, then you will be able to do so, once you become First Councillor,” Novo said. “I won’t be able to stop you. But I will not, and I strongly recommend that you consider the potential consequences before you do.”
Sunset didn’t look at Skystar. She was too ashamed to look and too afraid to look for what she might see in Skystar’s face if she did look.
And so she looked away, down at the beige carpet beneath her feet.
“Sunset?” Skystar asked.
Sunset didn’t respond, and she certainly did not look.
“Sunset,” Skystar repeated. “Come on, I’m right here.”
Sunset glanced her way. Skystar’s expression was a little hard to read, which was itself surprising; she would have expected more obvious disgust.
“This… this seems to be a bit of a habit with you,” Skystar noted.
“Hmm?”
“You do things,” Skystar said. “And then you regret it afterwards when you see the consequences, and then you confess to doing it.”
Sunset licked her lips. “I… I guess that’s true.”
“You could always think about the potential consequences beforehand,” Skystar suggested.
“You think I didn’t think about the consequences?” Sunset demanded, and now, she looked Skystar full in the face, her head snapping up. “The consequences were all that were in my mind.”
“You just… didn’t care?” Skystar murmured.
“If I didn’t care, I would have let my friends die out of cold logic,” Sunset muttered. “I cared… I cared about them. I thought that General Ironwood’s forces would save the day.”
That was a lie; she had not been certain that they would do so down in the tunnel; she had certainly considered the possibility that they would not. But there were limits to her honesty; she would tell the truth to save Skystar’s mother’s career, but if Skystar was not inclined to judge her already, then Sunset wasn’t going to give her even more reasons to do so.
“I… I guess they did,” Skystar conceded. “For most of us.”
“Yes,” Sunset whispered. “For most of you.”
“But six people died,” Skystar said. “Because of you.”
“Yes,” Sunset acknowledged. “Because of me.”
“And you only came forward to save Mom’s career?”
“I thought,” Sunset murmured, “that I had caused you enough trouble already.”
“Then how are you going to make it right?”
“By saving other lives,” Councillor Aris said, as she came back in from the other room, with Councillor Emerald following behind her. “Isn’t that right, Miss Shimmer?”
Sunset’s brow furrowed. “I hope so, ma’am.”
“Don’t blame her, Skystar,” Councillor Aris instructed. “She was too inexperienced for the position she was placed in. But Skystar is right; you will have to repay the debt you owe to Vale, and to Remnant.” She paused for a moment. “You are too late to save my career, but I hope that Councillor Emerald will be chosen as my successor by the party. If so, it is to him that you will repay the debt you owe, and other than to him, you will not speak of this. Neither of you will speak of this.”
“Mom?” Skystar asked.
“For the sake of morale,” Councillor Aris explained. “The valour of the Beacon students is all that the people of Vale may take pride in at this present moment; it is unfortunately true – and it may even be said to be truly my fault – that the police and the defence forces have let his kingdom down, but Beacon Academy and its students have, in the public eye, stood strong. That is why I have not exposed the fact that Professor Ozpin sat upon critical information until the last possible moment, and that is why I will not expose you. This last shred of public confidence must be maintained; it is encouragement that the people need now, not the despair that would come if they knew that one of the students of Beacon who fought to defend them had put them in danger.”
“I… I see,” Sunset murmured. She… she wasn’t… she felt tears coming to her eyes. Tears of relief, as inappropriate as it might be in this company. Yes, there would be a price to pay later, but not a price that would take her away from her friends, from her team, not a price that would… she was saved.
She had not saved Councillor Aris, but she had been saved herself, and that… yes, there would be a price for it, but in the meantime… she was free.
No. Not free. She would never be free of it.
Not free, but safe.
“I don’t know what to say,” she said.
“Then say nothing,” Councillor Emerald said harshly, “and walk out of here while you still can.”
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Sunset, haunted by the dead caused by her actions... Confesses and is given a reprieve. For how long?
11149695
I suspect that Sunset would do better if her case was taken to court then one would be inclined to think. Yes, she had pushed the button that blew open the tunnel of the Breach... but she hadn't created that situation. The mastermind behind the White Fang's success and the whole thing, the Anarchist Cinder, had set up a perfect death trap of that railway tunnel and had, according to witnesses who had known Cinder while she was pretending to be a huntsman student, grown obsessive of Sunset.
Considering her ruthless profile, controlling nature and the technological knowledge she possesses due to her attack on the Com Tower (which proved she was a insanely good programmer/hacker), she almost certain had a second detonator on her own person in the event something went wrong with the one on the train... and the idea of 'playing a game' with Sunset since the opportunity presented itself makes sense. Either Sunset proved herself someone that Cinder could 'play with' and hit the button, or she didn't and Cinder wanted until the Grimm had purged human life from the tunnel before hitting her button.
It does fit the public narrative of Cinder Fall after all. A human anarchist who is deadly, highly competent and perfectly willing to sacrifice hundreds of her 'allies' if the situation called for it... and also completely insane and prone to violent obsession.
I immensely appreciate that this chapter addressed many of the comments raised by myself and other readers on Councilor Novo. For all my criticisms of Novo, I never once thought she was a malicious and/or horrible person. I disagreed with many of the decisions she made and commented on how her character role was to show the bad decisions and slow decline of the Vale Council, but I never thought her evil. For all her decisions, she is committed to Vale before her career. And her last act has especially shown an understanding of leadership, of making the greater choice for the kingdom even if it means making a decision that others may see as immoral.
I only wish she could have seen that same burden in Ozpin. She may have been able to get a good read on Sunset, but not on the Headmaster or the weight in his walk.
11149756
While reading this chapter, I came to an interesting realization about Sunset's case. Legally speaking, even with her coming forward to confess, a blatant and guilty confession is not enough for a conviction. Her word of confession is the only evidence that she even did such a thing. Both a hearing and a trial must have substantial and tangible evidence and/or testimony for someone to even be charged, especially when it comes to capital offenses. But there is no available evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that she is guilty or innocent. Anything of the sort is buried and damaged in the tunnels beyond any chance of recovery. The only evidence that exists is Rainbow Dash as a witness... and the recorded footage in Cinder's scroll.
I wonder if the old plot of Salem's crew still revealing the 'truth' though in reality, it may very well still have been Cinder who pressed the button first.
The trial/incarceration and eventual release of Sunset were huge moments and the second assault on Vale was her trigger for ascension wasn't it?
Oh where to start with this one, so much packed into such a small package.
First off, does this theater not have ushers or a crew and front of house? Anyone on a phone(scroll) should have immediately been told to put it away, and any noncompliance should have been removed at once. Not only is it rude, but on that scale, it could potentially be dangerous to the actors, which is why it is not allowed in the first place. This doesn't even bring in the potential legal problems from people filming, but I digress. More theatre good, better if we had focused on the actual theatre.
Sunnykins's conversations were actually a highlight as strange as that sounds. It is an interesting take on her character and hints at future things quite well. This is the chapter where I now want more scenes between her and Sky. They foil each other well, and this strain will hopefully add to their relationship. I see much potential here.
I won't get into the politics too much, as I will end up going on a rant, but their inclusion is always welcome, especially when presented from several sides like it was here. The only thing of note is that is a rather one-sided approach to tariffs and I am amazed that Sunnykins, having spent time in multiple worlds/kingdoms, did not have a retort to it.
Now to end on a good note
Surprise yes...Pleasant no.
11149900
Without wanting to sound rude, could you put a spoiler tag or a disclaimer on your comment?
There are new reader who doesn't know what will happen in the future chapters and your comment reveal very important future events...
Novo is right to respect their commitment to risk life and limb even at such a young age. But like a number of RWBY fans, she still misses the point. The necessity of having to recruit children is a result of the cruel world they live in. And by cruel, I mean that for all their accomplishments mankind is not the dominant species on the cruel world of Remnant. That honor goes to the Grimm. We only have five tiny cities on this planet (which I doubt can even be seen from orbit) with a global population of less than one billion, as opposed to the Grimm who freely roam the rest of the planet. The Grimm have inexhaustible and self-replenishing numbers, each of which grows more powerful and more intelligent with every passing day. Where else are we going to get the numbers to fight back, as either Huntsmen or soldiers, if we don't start training them young? In the world of Remnant, we don't have the luxury of getting to pick and choose.
I love RWBY, but I certainly don't want to live there. Give me living under the threat of Voldemort any day.
11150937
It is also really disingenuous from Novo, considering that she was perfectly fine with letting those kids die in a training exercise because she didn't want anything that could make the people of Vale remember that reality. Like NOW that you are on your way out and are losing your power you remember that you are living in a bubble of safety obtained from throwing kids to the Grimm? This is the time to cry about how terrible it is?
This is a direction I wasn't expecting from the rewrite. Sunset now has a very strong connection to a leading political force in Vale she didn't have in the old version. This will have consequences I look forward to discovering. Consequences that will probably be resolved before... what are we calling it? "Book 2"?
11151804
The story is properly divided in Archive of Our Own, so you would be referring to what will be called Volume 3.
Sweet Celestia, the guilt is eating Sunset alive! Damn you, Cinder! This is exactly what you wanted: to break Sunset, have everyone reject her and you sway her to your side.
If Sunset is wrought with guilt, and she meets Sonata, a Siren, a being that feeds on negative emotions.... I don't want to think of it other than I hope Sunset's friends and teammates are as understanding as Rainbow Dash, but Ruby might not be...
Also I don't know why I'm mentioning this now as it's probably written in several places but...
Aren't Sunset's eyes teal/cyan, as well as her magic?
When I think green eyes, I think of Applejack. But Sunset's eyes are more blue-green like Fluttershy's or Luna's
Treason is a bit of a stretch for what Sunset did. Certainly, you could dress it up that way, but you'd have to push hard for that. And not examine the circumstances and the fact that Sunset is a student, not a proper huntress.
At any rate, it's a shame about Novo. Reasonable authority figures are so hard to come by.