Phantom of the Gala

The next morning, Luna is looking over the score for the Phantom's opera. She keeps on laughing at how poorly written it is. In the middle of her laughing storm, Celestia walks into the office.

“What is so funny?” she asked.

Luna keeps laughing as she answers, “This is the worst opera I've ever seen! Have you seen it?” she asks as she hands her sister the folder.

Celestia takes it and opens it. She reads some of the lines and sighs. “I know, but if we don't stage it then something terrible will happen,” she explained. She then pulls two notes from her white pant's pockets. “Got another shipment of notes this morning.” She then gave Luna one of the notes.

Luna opens hers first. It says:

Dear Luna,

A few adjustments for my opera if you please. First of, we need another first bassoon. And take away the third trombone, it will make everyone happy to see it leave. Replace it with someone who can play in better tune.

O.G.

Luna looked at her sister after reading the note. “What's a bassoon?” she asked. “We have one of those here?”

Celestia rolled her eyes at her sister's silly remark. She then opened her own note. It said:

Dear Celestia,

While Luna got the instructions on the orchestra, you get the ones for my opera. First off, we need to show some of the chorus girls the door, and then never show them in again. Find out which ones have pitch, and which ones don't. I have very minor roles to the ones who can't act.

O.G.

Then in through the door bursts Rarity and her husband, Fancy Pants. “This is an outrage!” Rarity exclaimed throwing her arms up in the air.

Celestia sighed. “What now?” she asked.

“What is so important?” Luna asked.

Rarity looked at her managers and let a small tear roll down her cheek. “Have you seen the size of my part?” she asked in a whiny voice. “It's the size of a pea. A pea I tell you! A pea!”

She then sobbed and cried like a little girl who didn't get the doll she wanted from the store. “Can you believe it?” Fancy Pants asked sounding outraged. “Rarity too good for a pea sized part.”

Then the doors to the office open yet again, this time with Fluttershy and Spike. Fluttershy looked like she had been crying for a while. “Here's the little 'star',” Rarity said sarcastically to Fluttershy. Rarity then rolled her eyes and sat down on the beige couch in the office.

“Oh, Miss Fluttershy,” Celestia cooed. “The lady of the hour.”

Luna then stood next to her sister facing Fluttershy. “You've received the largest role in Don Juan,” she told her.

Rarity rolled her eyes again. “Like she can sing it,” she muttered to herself. A light bulb then went off in her head. Rarity stood up and marched over to Fluttershy. She pointed her finger at her angrily. “You're the one behind this!” she yelled at her making Fluttershy tear up.

Fluttershy shook her head. “No it wasn't,” she muttered. “I promise it wasn't me. I'm sorry.”

“I'm not a fool!” Rarity yelled at her putting her hands on her hips.

“I promise you it's not me,” Fluttershy pleaded. “I don't want to even be in this opera.”

Spike then came over to her and comforted her. Rarity cocked her head to the side confused. She then looked at Fancy Pants and smiled. “She's backing out,” she whispered to him. “That means that I can play the lead.”

“Not so fast,” Celestia said, overhearing Rarity's comment. “Fluttershy has a duty to preform. And that is to play the lead in the opera,” she told Rarity. It was mainly because Celestia didn't want to suffer a horrible fate like Derpy.

Fluttershy shook her head still crying. “I don't want to sing,” she cried. “I don't care if it's my duty, I don't want to.”

Spike hushed her to comfort her. “Fluttershy... Fluttershy... you don't have to if you don't want to,” he told her. He then glared at Celestia and Luna. “They can't make you.”

Rarity smiled at herself. Then, once again, the office door opens and Madame Sparkle and Sweetie Belle came in. Twilight smiled and held up an envelope. “Another note,” she announced. Everyone in the room sighed.

“Here is what it says,” Twilight said clearing her throat. The note said:

Greetings,

A few more instructions before the rehearsals for my opera start...

“How many instructions does he need?” Celestia asked sounding annoyed.

… The most important is that Rarity must be taught to act...

“WHAT!?!?” Rarity exclaimed. “I can too act. More so than I bet he can.”

… Our Don Juan must loose some weight. It's not healthy in a man of Fancy Pant's age...

Fancy Pants looked down at himself. “I guess I should drop a few pounds,” he said.

… And my managers must learn...

“Learn what?” Luna asked.

… that their place in an office, not the arts. As for our star, Miss Fluttershy...

Everyone looked at Fluttershy. Fluttershy turned white and hid her face in her hands.

… No doubt she'll do her best. It's true, her voice is good, very good for that matter. But if she wants to get better, then she'll have to return to me, her teacher.

Your obedient friend and Angel

Twilight looked up from the note and looked around at all the scared looking faces in the room. Spike then lets go of Fluttershy and walks toward the center of everyone. “We've all been blind,” he tells them all.

“What do you mean?” Celestia asked.

Spike smiled. “This could be our chance to catch the Phantom,” he told them

“Go on,” Luna insisted.

“We will preform his opera,” Spike explained. “If Fluttershy sings, he will most likely come to watch.”

Luna nodded. “I'll make sure the doors are barred,” she told him.

Celestia nodded too. “We'll be sure that we have police men everywhere.”

“They will be armed, and his reign shall end,” Spike told them smiling being glad that his plan is perfect.

Fluttershy just stood there, silent. Trying to soak up all of this. “Stop it!” Fluttershy yelled loudly.

Everyone looked at her. They had never heard Fluttershy talk so loudly before. Fluttershy looked at Spike with tears in her eyes. She then ran over to him and hugged him. “Don't make me do this,” she cried.

“I have too,” Spike told her.

Fluttershy shook her head. “No, he'll take me forever and we'll never see each other again,” she told him. “I thought he was a good person, until he killed Derpy, then I had second thoughts. He used to sing to make me feel better, but when he takes me away, when he sings I'll be reminded how horrible it is to be without you.”

Rarity then realizes that maybe Fluttershy isn't the one behind this. “She's gone crazy,” she says quietly staring at Fluttershy.

The whole room went silent. Spike the pushed some hair out of Fluttershy's eyes. He smiled. “He's only a man,” he told her.

Fluttershy shook her head again. “What should I do?” she asked him feeling completely lost. “Should I risk my life to be with you? If I do, then I'd be betraying the man that helped me whenever I was sad. What what else am I supposed to do? He kills without a single thought.” She then looked at Spike with heartfelt eyes. “If I agree, what horrors wait for me? In the Phantom's opera?”

Spike smiled and wiped some tears from her eyes. “Fluttershy, don't think that I don't care, because I do,” he told her. “Not just me, everyone. Because every hope, and every prayer rests on you.”

“Me?” Fluttershy asked. Spike smiled and nodded. Fluttershy, being overwhelmed by having everyone's hopes of living on her, runs out of the office.

Spike tries to follow her, but it was useless. He then pulls out a piece of paper and writes:

Dear 'Phantom',

Let it be war upon us both. This time, it will be your funeral.

Spike de Dragonne

Spike the put the note in the envelope and set it on the stage of the Canterlot Opera House. He then fled to go and find his fiancee, Fluttershy.