A World Above

by KidatHeart5

Guarded Secrets

Skyla had just finished supper with the king and her family and was now at her vanity getting ready for bed. As she was using her magic to brush her soft mane, her eyes fell on the balcony doors. She put the brush down and walked out into the night air to gaze at the gardens the balcony overlooked.

She thought to herself, Well, I suppose a little walk in the gardens would be pleasant. I wonder if Blackthorn – No! Stop, stop! There will be nothing more between us and that’s that.

She left her guest room and asked a guard stationed at the end of the hall, “Excuse me. Can you direct me to the gardens? I’d like to look at the flowers and some fresh air would be nice.”

The guard asked in confusion, “At night?”

Skyla nodded, “Certainly. My grandmother is the Princess of the Night, and her nights are usually exquisite. I’d hate to disregard her.”

“Follow me, then.”

He escorted Skyla down the stairs and halls before going outside and stopping at the ornate entrance arch of the gardens.

He asked, “Do you need assistance with finding your way around the gardens?”

Skyla shook her head politely, “That won’t be necessary, thank you. I can find my way from here.”

“As you wish, Your Highness.” Without another word, he went back into the palace.

Skyla strolled through the garden and marveled at how amazing and beautiful it was at night. It was times like this that she was thankful for being Luna’s granddaughter. It wasn’t long before her eyes darted left and right as if looking for – No, stop. Stop. She wouldn’t think anything of Blackthorn. He was just a friend and nothing more. Although her heart ached a bit, she convinced herself to be strictly formal if she ever met Blackthorn again.

By sheer coincidence, Blackthorn appeared on the high hill overlooking the gardens. Whenever he was able to, he made a nightly pilgrimage to the outskirts of the kingdom. Often, he would look back towards the castle to see if anyone was following him. This time was different yet the same. No one was following him, but his eyes fell on the princess strolling amidst the exotic plants and flowers.

There she was! Oh, how he wanted to make himself known to her, but he couldn’t. His head and heart waged war with each other, with the head wanting to leave for the outskirts and the heart longing for Princess Skyla. When he realized that this was probably the only chance he’d get without being noticed, he decided to take a risk and began leaping down towards the garden. The only thing was…he didn’t practice leaping downhill. With a cry of surprise, he lost his footing and tumbled the rest of the way until he stopped within a foot of the rose bushes. He prayed that he hadn’t attracted attention with his fumble.

When she had heard that abrupt shout, Skyla had turned to see a blur tumbling down behind the rose bushes. Her heart quickened in hopes that it was Blackthorn, but she had to go about this carefully. Then, she got an idea.

She sat down on the stone bench beside the bushes and playfully said, “Oh, I wish these roses could talk. I bet they would have lots to say.” From saying this, she hoped that she would get a response from Blackthorn.

The deer smiled and played along, speaking for the roses, “Indeed we do, Your Highness.”

Skyla gave a fake squeak of surprise as she turned towards the roses. “You do speak! And here I was, afraid that the wonders here simply ceased.”

“Well, don’t assume much about what you see, for there is far more than meets the eye.”

“So does that mean there is more to Blackthorn as well? What is he really like?”

Blackthorn got an inkling that she was playing with him, but if this was a way to communicate with her without being caught, he would gladly take this chance. “Well, he’s compassionate, faithful, funny, always ready to take action whenever the situation calls for it. Oh! And he’s a real sweetheart despite the fact that…” He was hesitant to mention it. “…he’s done horrible deeds.”

Skyla was surprised to hear this. “Horrible deeds? Surely a deer with a good heart wouldn’t do such a thing.”

“He would if he was blackmailed into doing them.”

“Blackmailed? I thought he was just naturally shy, but I never thought he’d be blackmailed. Who is blackmailing him?”

Blackthorn was uncomfortable with revealing this information in case she would think wrongly of him, so he diplomatically said, “Someone who gives him shelter from the angry crowds who would surely come after him if he was found out.”

“But if this person is blackmailing him into doing evil deeds, then why would he stay with him? Or her?”

“He has no choice. When he first came here, he thought he was doing something for the greater good, but he was wrong. Now, he is no longer safe outside of Las Pegasus and I have no home left to go back to.” He covered his mouth as he realized that he said “I” for the last part. He corrected, “He. I meant ‘he’.”

Skyla had caught the “I” the first time, but she pretended she didn’t hear it and asked, “No home? What happened?”

Blackthorn remembered it like it was yesterday. “The deer guards once lived in a secret city in a forest. You have to understand, it was kept especially hidden. But one day, the guards went out on patrol after sightings of timberwolves around the area were reported. When they returned that evening, the city was gone. It had vanished into thin air. After the guards were granted agelessness by Gaea Everfree until their beloved home returns, they roamed around Equestria in secret and helped many in need.

“They never wanted to attract attention, but after many years, King Gladmane heard about them and hired them to be his special guards. We flowers in the garden don’t know much about what goes on in the palace, but we have heard the lamentations of the deer enough to assume that they’re not happy here in Las Pegasus. More than anything, they just want to go home.”

Skyla felt sorry for Blackthorn and the plight of the deer. Until now, she didn’t know that he was suffering under the cruelty of the blackmailer and the demands of Gladmane. She vowed, “I promise to find the secret city and bring you – er, Blackthorn and the deer back home so they don’t have to worry about the blackmailer or Gladmane again.”

Blackthorn’s heart warmed at the kindness of her promise. Even though it was nigh impossible, he felt that she would go to great lengths to make sure he and his comrades were free to live their lives again.

He smiled, “I – We - applaud your big heart, princess. Er, we would if we had hooves or hands.”

He and Skyla chuckled at that. Blackthorn had never felt this happy or relaxed since before he and his soldiers were hired by Gladmane. For that, he was glad Gale and Skyla came into his life, even if it would be for a short time.

He then said, “You haven’t told me – us - about yourself.”

Skyla took a deep breath and said, “Oh, where do I start? Well, I’m the Crown Princess of the Crystal Empire. I have a younger sister who’s off saving the world…again. If you ask me, there’s not much to do when you’re not saving children or traveling to new places.”

Blackthorn reassured her, “I’m sure that you have an important role as Crown Princess. Though I may not have experienced it, I know how important it is to be royalty. It helps in many situations, like when you need to settle disagreements and feuds or even serving as an example for all people to follow.”

Skyla felt comforted and amazed by what he said. “Huh. I guess I forgot about all the things royals can do. When I was younger, I thought grown-up royals got to do whatever they wanted.” She chuckled, “How wrong I was.”

“We all desire the days of our youth. It makes us feel safer and happier.”

“I bet.” She gave a yawn. “Oh, I’m so sorry. I suppose I better turn in now.”

“No worries, Your Highness. You should get your rest for the big ball tomorrow night.”

“I really hope Blackthorn will be there so I can see him again.”

He sighed sadly, “I don’t think that’s possible.”

“I know, but we can all dream.”

As she got up from the bench, Blackthorn said, “Good night, sweet princess.”

“Please, call me Skyla.”

“And I’m sure Blackthorn would like to be called by his name, too.”

She gave a smile to the roses before leaving the gardens. Even though they didn’t actually see each other, they both knew that they were falling in love.

---

I’m a stealthy little fly just roaming around the halls. Nothing suspicious here. Nope. I’m just an ordinary fly. A fly who’s making his way to Gladmane’s chambers, where I’ll find secrets galore – Oof!

Discord bumped against the large breastplate of a passing guard and fell to the ground, unconsciously changing back to his normal form.

The guard asked, “Prince Discord?”

The draconequus looked up to see the striped bat pony he had met only once or twice. He smirked, “Well, if it isn’t Gale’s favorite bumble tiger. How are things between you and His Majesty?”

“One – I have a name: Foxhelm. And two – I’m not in cahoots with the king.”

“But you are his guard, are you not?”

“No, not entirely. I’m on loan from Princess Luna for a reason.”

“A reason? Oh, do tell.”

“We can’t discuss it here. It’s not safe.”

“I know the perfect place where we can chat.” He snapped his fingers.

In a flash of light, Foxhelm found himself hanging upside down with Discord from the rafters of a turret roof! He yelped as he got onto the conical roof.

With fear still coursing through his body, he said, “I may be part bat, but I’m part pony, too!”

Discord asked with a sly smile as he floated onto the roof with ease, “Where’s the tiger part?”

Foxhelm waved his hooves and said in agitation, “That’s not important right now. Do you want me to tell you why I’m here or not?”

“Go ahead. I’m not stopping you.”

The guard then said, “A few months ago –“

Crunch!

To Foxhelm’s annoyance, Discord was munching on a bucket of popcorn.

He asked in irritation, “Are you going to eat popcorn while I’m talking?”

Discord said playfully as he dug into the bucket, “Oh, I’m sorry.” He held out a handful of popcorn as he said, “Did you want some?”

Foxhelm shook his head, “No, thank you.”

He shrugged, “Suit yourself.” He then tossed the popcorn into his mouth.

The guard groaned in anger and said while keeping his emotions in check, “A few months ago, Princess Luna began to detect a pattern with the Dark Riders. She noticed that the directions in which the soldiers left places all seemed to point to the west of Equestria. Since the crisis began, all kingdoms and cities have checked and re-checked, but Princess Luna wanted to try something. She sent several of her royal guards to do undercover work as guards loaned to different rulers. I am one of those guards and I was sent here to uncover any vital information about the Dark Riders that King Gladmane might’ve –“

“Bored. I’m bored,” Discord said dispassionately while swinging his legs back and forth.

Foxhelm grumbled, “I can’t believe this is happening.” He then asked Discord, “All right, then. May I ask what you were doing skulking towards King Gladmane’s chambers? I mean, surely the king would be of no concern to the Lord of Chaos unless there was something of great importance to him. Something like, say, the amulet?”

Discord threw his arms up before crossing them, “Well, looks like the jig is up.” He then glared at the guard and said in a low, serious voice, “Now tell me what you know.”

“In the time I’ve been here, I’ve learned that the amulet is Gladmane’s most prized possession. He even has a protection spell around it to keep anyone from stealing it.”

“Well, that explains why I haven’t been able to summon it. Why, may I ask, does Gladmane value the trinket so much?”

“It can grant his every wish, whether it’s treasure or more servants. Just about anything. It’s very powerful. He always keeps it on his person until he goes to bed. Then he puts it behind the portrait above the fireplace. I’ve seen him do it during one of my fly-bys on patrol.”

Discord rubbed his hands together and said, “Wonderful! All I have to do is sneak in and grab it.”

“Hold it. There’s one more thing you should know about. There’s also a protection spell around his bedroom. It’s only active at night so no one can enter unannounced. If you try to go in there while he’s sleeping, you’ll be caught. He made it so that the spell would lift for no one but the king.”

“Hmm. It seems he’s closed all of the loopholes.” Suddenly, a thought occurred to him. He said as a sneaky smile literally curved on his face, “Well, almost all of the loopholes.” He then told Foxhelm, “Thank you for sharing this vital piece of information, Bumble Tiger. You have done a great service for your country. I shall now return you to your post while I concoct my plan.”

In a sudden flash of light, Foxhelm found himself alone in the hall again. He said in confusion, “Oh-kay…”

---

In their large guest room at Dandy’s chateau, the sisters and most of the husbands got ready for bed.

Spike asked, “Should we be concerned that Dandy denies any knowledge of the Dark Riders? Well, except for that scare in Maris.”

Rarity stated, “Trust us. Fancy and I can tell whenever a noble is lying.”

Fancy nodded, “And he most certainly wasn’t.”

Sunset put her hoof to her chin, “So the most likely suspect at this point is Gladmane.”

Applejack agreed, “I knew somethin’ wasn’t right the moment I met him.”

Pinkie slit her eyes, “Yeah. He was a bit too cheerful for my tastes.”

Cheese said, “And Pinkie and I can tell when someone’s putting on a show.”

Sunset said, “Well, let’s see what happens when we go to Las Pegasus with Dandy.”

Timber spoke up, “Thank goodness for the invite.”

Rainbow Dash said, “Uh, is that really a good thing?”

Spike agreed, “I’m with Rainbow Dash on this one. We don’t know if it’s a trap for Dandy or for Gladmane.”

Soarin’ suggested, “Maybe both.”

Timber said, “Maybe all of us.”

Comments

[Godslittleprincess]

That scene with the roses and Skyla and Blackthorn was heart-melting. Hmm, now what could Discord possibly be planning? Oooh, I can't wait to see how everything comes together.

[Foxhelm]

The Skyla-Blackthorn scene:

My OC is back and he's a spy for Luna.
"Oh Discord, that's Gale name for me. ."

Looking forward to more

[Godslittleprincess]

When Skyla and Blackthorn officially start courting, he's going to be giving her roses every day. Well, okay, maybe not EVERY day.