Phantom of the Gala

“Lot 664,” the auctioneer, Photo Finish, said, “a poster from this house's production of Commander Hurricane.” The white haired woman was in the old Canterlot Opera House with a couple of other ponies. Since the opera house had burned down years ago, they decided to auction of the little knickknacks they could find in the rubble. “Do I hear 10 bits?” Photo Finish asked. No body flinched to put up their number. She groaned and sighed. “Fine, five?”

“Five!” a sea green haired woman called out named Lyra.

“Five,” Photo Finish said. “Six? Seven? Maybe even eight?”

Lyra put her number down. “Eight!” someone shouted. Everybody looked and saw an elderly man in a wheelchair with green hair.

“Eight it is,” Photo Finish announced. “The Commander Hurricane poster goes to Spike de Dragonne.”

Photo Finish's assistant, Bon Bon, brought Spike the poster. Spike gave it to his assistant, Cheerilee, to hold.

“Lot 665, ladies and gentleman,” she started, “a gilded music box. On top of the box is a white bunny figure playing the cymbals. After all these years, it still works,” she told them. She then cranked the lever on the side and it started to play music. “Starting at 20 bits. No? Fifteen, fifteen bits.”

“Fifteen!” Spike called out.

Photo Finish looked at the dragon. “Again?” she asked.

Spike nodded and gave her the fifteen bits. They handed him the music box. Spike inspected the box. "Was this found in the sewers?" he asked.

"Yes, why?" Photo Finish replied.

Spike shook his head. "No reason," he said without taking his eyes off the box.

Photo Finish cleared her throat. “Lot 666, the famous chandelier... unfortunately in pieces,” she said. “You may or may not remember the," she paused to laugh, "Phantom of the Gala. As this was the very chandelier that he brought down years ago,” she told them. She then laughed again. “Who knows, we may even scare off the ghost of so many years ago with a little light, gentleman?”

She gave the signal and the chandelier turned on. It was as if it was still hanging on the ceiling. This made Spike remember the days when it actually was hanging on the ceiling...