DM: Once you've, er, collected yourself... the animals all gather around you and ask what you wanted to talk about.
Fluttershy: Oh. Finally. Okay, I was wondering if you could share what you know about Prince Blueblood.
DM: Aaaand they're gone again.
Fluttershy: What NOW?! Wwwwait – the animals are scared of the Prince?
Applejack: Huh, that's... ominous. Don't suppose it's as simple as, say, wearin' an endangered species as a coat from time to time?
Rarity: <sigh> I'm marrying a villain, aren't I? Oh well.
Twilight Sparkle: You should maybe act a little more concerned than that.
Scrapped lines:
AJ: ...accidentally wearin' an animal-fur coat in front of the worst possible company?
Rarity: That was one time. And we agreed never to speak of it again.
Fluttershy: What are they talking about?
Rainbow Dash: Oh man, remind me to tell you later. It was such an awesome fight.
This so called prince, is the thieves's leader.
I'm calling it now.
He'll be able to intercept any news about them before they get to Celestia.
Who's here with me?
Seems plausible. And at the point it seems that the Prince is completely untouchable and the thieve's guild arc looks like it'll drag on longer than Spider-Man's clone saga, that's when everything goes crazy. If there is one thing I've learned DMing is to recognize when the players are getting sick of something or they will not hesitate to burn down the entire setting to end it. Even Rarity seems to be tiring of this plot line and I'm sure the rest are starting to get annoyed to certain degrees.
I still think that Pinkie Pie is right that Celestia is leader. She is just TOO oblivious for the 1000 year old ruler. Also I think that EMafia would be more like Yakuza. Blueblood at best is vice-leader or their family as a whole are.
I don't think Celestia is Elusive. I think Celestia knows who Elusive is, and allows them to keep operating on a "better the devil you know..." basis, which would mesh well with the idea of it being BlueBlood.
Scenario as I would plot it: Prince Blueblood, disgusted by the fact that the current ruler is IMMORTAL and will never give him a chance to rule, starts getting his "revenge" on the rest of the nobility. He gets more and more daring until he eventually targets Celstia herself . . . and she then takes him down nearly effortlessly. After giving him a list of lines he is NOT to cross, she lets him go and pretends that even she can't find Elusive. Of course, this just adds another layer to Blueblood's hatred....
I dunno. I guess Blueblood could be, but I feel like it would be cooler if it wasn't, and the adventurers end up accidentally ruining a good bust operation.
Well, she was an evil rogue, and raised by the Thieves Guild, who is aiming to con her way into social climbing up the nobility.
She probably views this as something to manage in a loveless marriage, but I honestly think that there's more than just him being "a villain", or even "THE villain".
There's something that's bad enough that even Rarity is going to go "Aieeeeeee!!! Panic at the disco! Pull the plug! I don't care what you have to do, just GET ME OUT OF HERE!"
Maybe he's THE villain, although I think it's just as likely that what Princess Celestia had "stolen" from her was her nephew's loyalty, and that Prince Blueblood got recruited by Elusive instead.
But... yeah. I think this arc is a deep and intricate plot by the DM... for "nefarious" purposes.
AJ: ...accidentally wearin' an animal-fur coat in front of the worst possible company?
Rarity: That was one time. And we agreed never to speak of it again.
Fluttershy: What are they talking about?
Rainbow Dash: Oh man, remind me to tell you later. It was such an awesome fight.