Horse of Cards

by StannisXStormsEnd

Rating: teen
Tags: Crossover, Alternate Universe, Drama, Gore, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Other, Thriller
Length: 1044

The trials and tribulations of Mayor Mare as she climbs to the top of the Equestrian politics scene

All those years of pencil pushing and pointless governing of a small provincial town can truly change a pony. Power - a simple word that has great weight. It's impact can change a friendly small town mayor into a scheming, calculating machine bent on reaching the top of Equestrian government

Published 2016-05-29 19:30:01 UTC
Last updated 2016-05-29 19:30:01 UTC

Season 1 - Story prologue

Season 1 - Story prologue

The day was beautiful. Canterlot was filled with all sorts of ponies from all sides of Equestria. All of them came to witness the crowning of their new Princess, Twilight Sparkle. Opportunistic sales ponies grabbed the chance to sell pointless junk and food on the crowded streets. The castle was bustling with royalty and servants alike, rushing around and making sure everything was in it's place. The guards were spread thin in the streets leading to the castle, letting in the more important ponies and blocking the way for the masses. There was only one hour until the ceremony.

Despite this chaotic atmosphere she was quite calm. The bathroom in her reserved room was quite small but it contained a sizable mirror. Straightening her blue dress, a " gift " form a local fashion designer pony who fell on hard times with her bills, and making sure to re-spray her hair so no pink spots could be noticed. Mayor Mare looked herself in the mirror and smirked a bit, moving into different positions as she made sure every detail was perfect for this very important ceremony. You could even say this was a milestone in her career. As she got out of her bathroom she was beset upon by a servant pony delivering her mail. The career of a provincial town administrator was filled with this sort of thing. All these ponies knew each other and were, more or less, all friends. They would always solve their problems together and then send their pointless messages to her, informing her of how good they get along and how much she means to keeping it that way. Like she truly cared! That was only a mask she liked to put on, with the goal of making them think more of her. Mayor Mare let out a sigh and crumbled the letters, throwing them into a bin as she proceeded to once again check if the dress and shoes were flawless. The bells started to ring and her eyes widened. Was it already time? She shook her head and smiled, gracefully trotting out of her room and joining the crowd of posh ponies, who basically galloped to the throne room.

The throne room was echoing with loud talking and laughter as the waiters served cider to everyone. Twilight and her friends were all together with the other two princesses, smiling and enjoying themselves. Mayor trotted gracefully through the masses, smiling and waving to anyone who would pay attention to her. She occasionally stopped to have a semi-friendly chat with somepony who knew her from one place or another. Her keen eyes spotted every politician, every royal and posh pony in the room. She had a natural knack for that, evaluating ponies solely on the basis of how they look and act. She always figured that out with no chance of failure. As she trotted from spot to spot she decided it would be more fitting if she would also grab a glass of cider. Better to fit in fully if you are going to try to fit in at all.

Her gaze turned to a stallion. White and fair-mained. He was royalty, and he was popular. The mares in their pretty dresses all gathered around him, giggling at his every word, each one of them hoping to become more than just acquaintances. He however was not interested in something like that. He enjoyed the attention and it made him feel big and important.

"Prince Blueblood. Hotshot posh pony for whom half of the city goes wild. Nephew of the princesses is quite an admirable position. Too bad for him though, cause without that attention and praise he is nothing! Just an empty shell with no real skills or talents to his name. He will probably see himself booted out of here as soon as he steps on someones hoof." Mayor Mare muttered to herself, taking a sip of her cider

Her gaze then turned towards a pony who looked even more royal and high up than the prince. Even tho he looked fitting, he was neither royal, nor a prince. His tuxedo was sparkling clean and his monocle shined, almost reflecting the sun rays. Fleur de Lis, a well known name in the higher circles of Canterlot, was at his side. Perhaps they are in some sort of relationship? Mayor felt a bit irritated that she was not fully informed about this. One of Twilight's friends, the one that was always quite interesting to Mayor because she obviously was too regal for a small town like Ponyville, came up to the stallinon. They shook hooves and exchanged a few words as they both looked like they thought they were on top of the world.

" Fancy Pants. I remember back when he was just a pencil pusher. Some ponies rise up quickly... but if you fly too high, you might find yourself falling down even faster. Canterlot is a turbulent place." Mayor smirked.

Finally, she looked at Twilight and put down her mug. She felt happy beyond belief because her presumptions were right. From the first day she saw her she knew Twilight was going to make it big, and she played her cards smartly.

" And that is our new princess. Do I like her? No. Will I have use of her? Most certainly." She sat down, lost in thought " I bet on the right pony and now I am finally in the game. Now I finally have some influence on the high ranks and I can hope to move on. No longer will I be restrained to listening the problems of local ponies and pointless squabbles between them. My career became like a still puddle of water, wretched and dull. But this has most certainly caused a ripple, and it will not be long until I use this to rise up. One pony at a time."

Mayor Mare stood up and turned over to the waiter once again, picking up another glass and letting out a sigh as she inspected the new stained glass window of Twilight.

" Welcome to Equestrian politics, my dear!" She said with a sour grin as she took another sip of her drink.