Behind The Curtain

“In some places, monarchies are frowned upon. Some believe that they could become too powerful and develop into totalitarian governments. Throughout history, there have been accounts of ponies overthrowing rulers in distant nations, in order to preserve freedom for all equine kind.

“Lord Baldug of Fetlock Grove, a country located west of Equestria, was infamous for his harsh rule—his actions easily compare to a certain dark tyrant. He and his subordinates controlled all aspects of everyday life, from what you could buy to where you could live and work. Equines under his rule hated the terrible conditions, and wanted desperately to do something about it. Yet, because there was so much power centralized into one pony—Baldug—little could be done. It was only when a violent and costly revolution broke out that the country of Fetlock Grove could be freed. Its government was overthrown and replaced with a foreign idea taken from old Giraffean societies: democracy.

“In present day, such a concept seems even more abnormal. Equestria’s monarchy has thrived for centuries, and the country as a whole has flourished. Nonetheless, occasionally an old tale surfaces, of ponies and creatures in the shadows, working the world from behind the curtain. Ponies, never seen, but whose presence has influenced some of the darkest days this nation has faced. Who knows when these mysterious equines will surface, to bring about the next big change in history…?”

***

Politics was a dangerous business.

There never was physically any blood on ponies’ hooves, but one could see the amount of bodies that some willing to leave behind in their quest for their position.

Behind politics—where the intricacies, the dark secrets, the things the shadows did not want seen—were even more dangerous situations.

Prince Blueblood knew this. Prince Blueblood was a part of this.

Some days, Prince Blueblood feared this.

Today was not such a day, but tonight was.

Slogging his way back to his room, he reflected on the events prior to his late-night travel. The Gala was a disaster waiting to happen, he had warned his aunt; but no, she just had to allow it nonetheless.

Truthfully, he didn’t blame the alabaster unicorn for taking up most of his time. Really, it was hard for any mare to resist his natural charm and grace. Unfortunately, the night she had chosen to act upon him was a night that he needed to not be chased by some wide-eyed, starstruck filly.

He almost regretted doing what he had to do just to prevent her from entering the crossfire.

He stepped in front of his door, glancing sideways, down the hall. He held his breath as he anxiously waited for the sound of hooves. Hearing none, he chanced a release, the air from his lungs coming out long and slow. He tried to keep himself calm.

With a light of his horn, he pushed open his door. After entering, he closed it with a soft click.

The room was large and circular, fit for any noble, he supposed. A fire pit sat at the right, while his bed—king-sized, with dark-purple covers—sat at the left. Above the pit was a flat display, with two curving swords stuck on top.

The sight, familiar as it was, did not ease his worries.

He dared to sigh. He wiped his brow with his foreleg, noting how sweaty it had gotten. Despite having taken a shower to wash away the cake the unicorn mare had shaken onto him, his anxiety had not ceased. He supposed it had to do with what he had seen at the Gala.

Blueblood walked across the burgundy-brown rug that adorned the floor, making sure to keep his steps quiet and unknown from any passersby. The only light that could be seen came from the open window, where his aunt’s moon shone through. A cool wind blew through, ruffling his mane. He stopped. Something about the wind was off.

Of course. It was a sign. Somepony else was in the room.

In a flash, he had lit his horn, and had grabbed one of the “decorative” swords from its place above the fire pit. Brandishing it in front of him, he hissed, “I know you’re there.”

A low voice chuckled; feminine, he realized. The shadow that gathered in the corner began to morph into an equine shape. Blueblood kept his sword in front of him, waiting for the creature to reveal itself.

Two, sharp fangs grew to the sides of a pewter snout. Amber-grain eyes, slitted, stared at him in amusement. Her indigo mane blended nicely with the darkness of the room; only the moon’s light could reveal its hue. A pair of leathery wings sprouted out behind her, while a brown satchel hung by her side.

“Prince,” she addressed.

“Skyla,” he replied, the bat pony grinning at her name. Her smile seemed tired, like it was harboring a secret; he knew immediately something was wrong. Sheathing the sword and lowering it, he asked, “What are you doing here?”

“Business, of course,” she answered. Stepping in front, he could see her lithe figure clearly. “My lady wishes to inquire upon your behavior at the Gala.”

Blueblood let out a tired sigh. “Tell her that I simply was irritated that evening.”

“She and her sister would want to know what has caused your irritation.”

His brow furrowed. “Hmm… better say it was the lack of vanilla-strawberry in my smoothie. Though, that is sort of true…”

Skyla nodded, before gesturing at him with a hoof. He nodded and, with his magic, cast a quick soundproof spell around the room. They approached one another, ready to get down to business.

“I assume they still don’t know?” he asked.

Skyla nodded. “We’ve yet to be uncovered. But, you’ve yet to tell me why this matter so much.”

“Good,” he said, replying to her first phrase, “see to it that it remains that way. Now, were you at all followed?”

She hesitated, unsure if she should tell him. “There was a pair of eyes following me, but… it seemed impossible.”

“Skyla.” He kept his voice low and firm. “You told me you wouldn’t be followed by anypony.”

“Well, it wasn’t even a pony that was watching, or at least I thought was watching. It was that statue outside in the gardens!”

“The Discord statue?” Blueblood nearly scoffed but, remembering that this was his best ally, chose to hide his incredulity. “You do realize he’s been sealed for thousands of years.”

“I know it sounds crazy, but hear me out!” Her wings flashed out dangerously, a sign she was nervous. Blueblood reared back. Never had he seen his ally so anxious and unrestrained. “They… the eyes… those weren’t normal eyes.” She shivered. “They were the eyes of a madman, Blue. Of a creature who reveled in misery and chaos.”

“The Lord of Chaos lives up to his name.” He frowned. “So, his stony prison is finally cracking?”

“It would seem so. But, how can that be? He was supposed to remain sealed forever, wasn’t he?”

Blueblood nodded. “Indeed, that was what my aunts said to the public. But the reality is, Discord’s prison has slowly been weakening ever since then.”

He took a moment to place the sword back on the rack above the pit. Skyla watched him with curious eyes. “My aunts came to power when they successfully defeated that draconequus with the usage of the Elements of Harmony. But the elements were never meant to be used by either of them.”

“They weren’t?”

“No. They were supposed to work with ponies who exemplified the attributes of Honesty, Kindness, Loyalty, Generosity, and Laughter. The last attribute, Magic, was even rarer to find.” He turned back to the bat pony. “There is a misconception that the Elements are but pieces of jewelry, but the truth is, they are as sentient—if not more—as you an I. They recognized Discord as a threat and decided to join with my aunts in stopping him.”

He shook his head. “The Elements, afterwards, wished to return to their stony sleep, but my aunts would not allow them. They would need them for later conflicts down the line. The Elements begrudgingly listened, knowing that these ‘alicorns’ were Equestria’s best hope for survival. But even then, they knew something was wrong with their bond.”

Skyla’s eyes widened. “You mean Princess Luna?”

“Something had happened during the fight with Discord; that I have uncovered. Something caused Luna to stop and think about her place. It is my belief that Discord helped influence her into becoming Nightmare Moon; and the Elements sensed the growing darkness in her.”

“If they had noticed this, would they have not told either sister?”

“They had no real ties to them; they were forced, not earned. Perhaps the Elements neither cared nor could care for their hosts. My aunts were but the next set of hosts—and not the best of ones.” He shook his head. “Celestia would not have heeded their words either way. She was too busy basking in the limelight, too busy to notice the pain her sister was feeling.”

“So what does this have to do with Discord becoming free?”

“If I am guessing right—and I likely am—then the Elements’ magic is weakening. It might have been from the very beginning, back when Discord first planted the seeds of doubt into Luna’s head.” He took out a scroll from the desk drawer, grabbing a quill pen, and wrote something quick. “We must see to it that Celestia and Luna recognize this threat as soon as possible, and work to prevent another catastrophe.”

He finished writing, before placing the letter on the desk. “But that can wait. We’ve another pressing matter at hand. Have you the list?”

Caught off guard by the shift in focus, Skyla nevertheless retrieved the list from her satchel. She flew over and handed it to him. “Here it is. All the names of the ponies and creatures involved.”

Blueblood raised an eyebrow in alarm. “‘Creatures?’ There are more ponies involved?”

She nodded, still confused. “Apparently. But why does that matter?”

The blonde unicorn let out a low, ancient-Equestrian curse, ignoring her question. She waited patiently, knowing he would answer in time. “Blast. That means more work for us.” He shook his head. “I suppose this was not entirely unexpected.” He frowned. “Actually, given the circumstances…”

He began to pace rapidly around the room; so much so, that the carpet began tearing underneath his hooves. “Blueblood? What’s wrong?” Skyla asked, still in the air.

“Ponies planning a revolt… Discord growing closer to freedom… it can’t be a coincidence.” He stopped, cursing, “Damn! We may be too late to stop this prematurely!”

“What do you mean?”

He looked at her, his gaze fierce and inflamed. “Don’t you see? It’s that blasted chaos magic at it again! It’s toying with the world somehow; the Elements’ magic wasn’t enough to contain it! Now it’s spreading, and…”

His voice trailed off. Skyla finished for him, softly: “You think it’s the reason why all this talk has been happening?”

He nodded slowly. “Once Nightmare Moon was banished, the public understood the limits of the Elements. Celestia fought long and hard to persuade the public that there was nothing to worry about; that the danger had been averted. Yet they weren’t satisfied. Some even were worried that the Elements may corrupt Celestia, even though she no longer could use them.”

“It’s a reasonable fear. In retrospect, the way Celestia acted before her sister was banished certainly seemed to show that she was growing power hungry.”

“And even her words and her admission that the Elements had abandoned her were not enough to calm the ponies down.”

He levitated over a large history book, flipping to certain page. “There was a revolt, long ago, towards the distant east, in a land known as Fetlock Grove. The ponies there overthrew the leader because they perceived him as dangerous, and an obstruction to the natural rights of equines everywhere. But there was more to it than that.”

He flipped to the opposite page. “Word had spread that the pony in power wielded an ancient artifact that could grant access to any form of information one wanted. The scholars, elders, and monks in power wanted to grab that for themselves. To do so, though, they needed to stir up trouble with the citizens. They needed a scapegoat army.”

He looked back at her. “You asked me why I am so keen on this list of ponies. These are all politicians and ponies in power throughout the country. And they may very well be keen on repeating this same event in Equestria.”

She finally connected the dots. “It’s a national conspiracy!” she nearly shouted. “Right under our noses this whole time!”

“And it ties all the way back with Discord, the Elements, even King Sombra. Somepony was playing us all from the beginning.” He stomped his hoof angrily. “It would have been obvious from the start, had we known more!”

“What do they want, Blue?” Now she was beginning to feel frightened.

“Power, most likely. They want to usurp my aunts’ thrones and replace them with rulers that would sympathize with them. Maybe even ponies whom they knew could influence both of the Royal Sisters’ actions. Ponies close to the alicorns, perhaps.”

Skyla moved her lips, but could not bear to suggest what she was thinking.

Blueblood closed the book, and shoved it back into the case. “Is there anything we can do?” Skyla asked.

“There may be hope for us just yet,” he responded. “I was writing to an old correspondence. A very, very old correspondence. She was the one that initially tipped me off on this large-scale operation to overthrow everything my aunts—my royal lineage—had built. She said she’d respond soon, but I have to hear from her—”

There was a low hum, and Blueblood’s eyes widened. He turned, facing his desk. A green glow fizzled in, and in its wake was left a small, rolled up scroll, with a red ribbon tied around. He approached, picking it up with his magic, unfurling it. His eyes skimmed the document quickly. His features morphed into confusion.

“Skyla, hand me that list again.” She did so, and he grabbed another scroll. Placing the list down, he copied what was written name-for-name.

“Morbid Fascination… Amber Rose… Flyby Gale… Fit Autumn… Rosebud Skies… Slick Two-Hooves… Opus Magnus… Delilah Morning Song…?” He paused. “Those… those cannot be the real names. Too extraordinary. However…”

He consulted the letter, reading aloud what his correspondence had written: “The firsts of two firsts… then the eighth of the third, fourth of the fourth, first of the fifth, first of the sixth, the initial of the seventh, and the ninth plus two of the eighth. Then shall the answer you seek be revealed.”

Following the instructions, he picked out the letters, assembling them into the given order. His eyes widened as he finished the arrangement. Skyla walked over, and her eyes widened as well. “That’s… that’s…” she stuttered.

He nodded gravely. “Yes. We have our culprit.”

“But he’s so highly respected! If we do anything—”

“If we do anything, we’ll be destroying the natural way of things. We’ll be overruling the origin of Equestria, all those who had helped pave the way to this dark, gloomy present. We may be the only ones who know what has happened, and how history was written.”

“But… Celestia, Luna… they know him… they love and respect him… even your correspondence knows of him…”

“I know. But… but this is necessary.”

“Blue.” She placed a hoof on his shoulder. “Are you sure you realize what this information could do? What it could destroy?”

“Everything on both sides,” he answered. “But, if it means keeping my aunts in power, and the ponies safe from a bloody revolution, then I am prepared to accept the sacrifices.”

She paused, looking at him. In his eyes, she saw a sense of duty that shone as brightly as Celestia and Luna’s sun and moon themselves. She knew he was resolute in his cause; there would be no stopping him.

She nodded. “If you are prepared… then so am I. What do we do now?”

“First, we must alert the Princesses, the royal guards, anypony who has any power and who we can trust…”

As the two talked, planned, and prepared, neither noticed the slinking black shadow enter through the window on leathery bat wings. They did not see the baring of his fangs, his low, masculine laugh, or his murderous intent in its eyes.

Had they had noticed much sooner, they would have understood that they had been watched for the entirety of the exchange, by the shadows that were not their allies, and by the stars that were not their friends.

Blueblood didn’t feel the poison dart that was shot through his system. In fact, he wouldn’t remember anything of that night; the amnesia-inducing brew was much too powerful.

And Skyla wouldn’t wake up and patrol the night for the rest of her life—the flash of a silver blade made certain of this.

***

A female bat pony was found dead in a cave this morning. Investigators said her wound seemed to have been caused by a dragon’s claw, or at least something that sharp to have burst through her armor. When asked if she knew the mare, Princess Luna said “We have never laid our eyes upon this creature in all of our thousands of years.”

This event was written off as accidental, and no other calls for investigation have come up.

In other news, Prince Blueblood, following the recent Gala disaster, has retreated from the public spotlight for the time being. It had something to do with “always having a nasty headache that wouldn’t go away…”

Author's Note

Internecine (adjective): destructive to both sides in a conflict. "A political party that has suffered because of bitter internecine rivalries..."