Phantom of the Gala

Chapter 8: Six Months

Chapter 8

Six months later, there have been no sign of the Phantom. No deaths, no notes, no nothing. So everyone was so happy that they decided to celebrate with a masquerade ball, hosted by Celestia and Luna.

They met each other at the entrance to the Canterlot Opera House and walked in with their heads held high. They walked in with their costumes on and saw everyone else in the opera house with their costumes on. They then joined in the festivities with the other people attending.

Fluttershy and Spike walked in hand in hand with big smiles spread across their faces. They couldn't believe it has been six months since they have seen the Phantom.

Spike turned to Fluttershy to dance, but his smile dropped. “Fluttershy,” he sighed. “Why are you wearing your ring around your neck?” he asked.

Fluttershy wore her wedding ring around her neck to hide it from everyone. “I want our engagement to be a secret,” she told him. She didn't want it to be a secret to everyone, just the Phantom.

“Why?” Spike asked. “It's not a crime.”

Fluttershy sighed. “I don't want to argue,” she said.

Spike then took her hands and danced around with her like Prince Philip and Princess Aurora do at the end of Sleeping Beauty. Fluttershy felt like a princess. She looked like a princess in her beautiful pink and purple gown and she was getting married to a prince, sort of.

Everyone was swept up in the moment with the dancing and the music. It was as if everyone didn't have a care in the world. That is, until the lights dimmed. Everyone looked around, no one had a clue of what is happening.

All of a sudden, at the top of the grand staircase, the Phantom showed up for the party. “You didn't invite me to your party,” he said.

“That's because this party is about not having to deal with you for six months,” Celestia explained.

He laughed. “You really think that I had left you?” he asked. He then laughed again. “You should see the look on your face. Priceless!”

Even though he was laughing, everyone else in that ballroom was frightened to death. Some people even went as white as snow in fear. He then wiped the smile of his face and it turned to a grimace. “I've written an opera I'd like the Canterlot Opera House to preform,” he told everyone. He then pulled a folder full of sheet music from his cape. “Here I bring the finished score,” he said flinging it at Celestia and Luna. “It's called Don Juan Triumphant. My instructions should be clear,” he stated.

Fluttershy didn't know why, but she walked closer to him. He had a terrifying mask on. It was a skeleton mask so life like, it looked like a real skull. She walked up the stairs up to the Phantom and stared at him in awe.

The Phantom stroked her cheek with his thumb. Then in a quick movement he tore the necklace, with her wedding ring on it, and took it. “You belong to me,” he told her. Then a puff of smoke appeared and he disappeared.

Fluttershy was taken aback by the whole thing and fell back. She was falling for the stairs, if it weren't for Spike who caught her, she could have really hurt herself.

She looked and smiled and him. “Thank you,” she told him.

Spike smiled and nodded. “Your welcome,” he replied. He then saw Twilight run out of the ballroom. Spike was curious. He looked back at Fluttershy. “Be right back,” he told her. He then ran after Twilight.

“Madame Sparkle!” he called down the hall.

As Twilight was running she replied back to him, “I know no more than you do!”

Spike had finally caught up to an out of breath Madame Sparkle. She was breathing heavily. “You're lying,” he said. “You know something else, don't you?”

“Fine,” Twilight said still panting. “Many years ago, there was a fair in town full of gypsies and human oddities. I went to go see it out of curiosity. Everything there was weird and strange, which you would expect from gypsies.”

“Yeah, just get to the point,” Spike hurried her.

Twilight shot him a look that said, “Well, you wanted to hear the story”. She then sighed and continued with her story, “I then went into the tent titled 'Deformed Changeling'. Changelings are already deformed, so I wanted to see what was so wrong with this creature. I walked in and saw a young boy in a cage. His face was... I can't describe it. It was just horrible.”

“So how did he get here?” Spike asked impatiently.

Twilight rolled her eyes. “When the crowd had left I snuck behind the cage and watched him build a music box with a monkey atop. It was amazing. He then twisted the gears and it played music that he had written,” Twilight explained. “I felt bad for him so I did the unthinkable, I found the keys, opened the cage, and brought him here to the Canterlot Opera House.”

“Why did you bring him here?” Spike asked.

“Because I was here training to be a ballerina,” Twilight answered. “Anyways, I brought him to live down in the sewers beneath here.

“How did he get his...” Spike paused and motioned to his face.

Twilight shrugged. “From birth I guess,” she answered.

“So the Phantom is this guy you brought here?” Spike asked. Twilight nodded. “Did you know he was going to be a killer of an innocent muffin loving girl?”

Twilight shook her head. “I had no clue,” she told him looking down. She then got up and started to walk away. “I've said too much. I have to go. There have been too many accidents.”

“Accidents?” Spike asked. But it was too late, Twilight was already out of sight. “How can they be accidents?”