Chapter 7 The Galla

Twilight, as always, was dressed in her lab coat, examining the strange purple liquid. Applejack pulled out a tray of cold, strange red vials and placed it next to Twilight. Never taking her eyes off the purple liquid, she picked up a vial and carefully dropped a single red drop on the substance. As soon as it hit, the liquid froze solid. “Ugh.” Twilight pulled back her head, taking off her safety glasses.

“Well, that worked,” AJ chuckled.

“We weren’t trying to freeze the substance; we were trying to undo it.” She sighed as she typed into her computer. “Vial number six froze the subject, most likely lethal; test number 7018 failed,” she deadpanned.

AJ smiled. “Look at it this way, Twi, at least we know what doesn’t work.”

Twilight smiled at that. As much as she didn't want to admit it, having an assistant— a real one that actually, for the most part, understood what she was trying to accomplish—helped greatly. It was even better that she was also a chimera and understood why this was so important. A fellow scientist as well, if not a little country. Unlike Twilight, who tried her best to keep everything sterile, AJ had dirt and other stuff all over her lab coat, along with lion hair due to her mane. She finally had friends; friends willing to actually help.

Just then, the door slammed open. “Hello everyone,” sang Rarity. Behind her was a very annoyed Dash in a frilly dress. Rarity smiled as she looked at her work on Dash. Dash looked, well, like a girl; everything the mare hated was on her. She was more of a tomboy and hated the fancy stuff. She had makeup on her lips, her mane all done up in a bun, and eyeliner. And then there was the dress. It was a nice silver dress with a rainbow sheen to it. It almost looked sci-fi and futuristic. It was a nice dress, but seeing it on Dash was quite a surprise since it just didn't match her usual style.

AJ covered her mouth with a lion-like paw, trying to stifle her laughter. Dash looked over and glared at her. Twilight was also trying her best not to say anything.

“Oh, isn’t she just beautiful?” Rarity boasted.

“She looks wonderful, Rare,” Twilight replied nicely.

“Ugh, why me?” Dash complained.

“Oh, come now, Dash, you look well.” AJ rolled over laughing, making Dash's face grow red.

“Dash, Dash, Dash,” Rarity smiled. “DON’T listen to AJ; you look great. Besides, now that you and Fluttershy are done, it’s Twilight and AJ’s turn.”

“Hey, where's Fluttershy?” asked Twilight.

“Um, over here,” said a small voice just outside the door. “Rarity, are you sure about this?” She asked, sticking her head in the door. All that was seen was a little pink hair and a blue eye.

“Come on, Flutters, you look great.”

“Uh, well, okay,” she said in a shaky voice. She then stepped into the doorway. Fluttershy wore a rather simple dress with a jacket that hid her wings. The end of the dress flowered out like a black rose. But her dress was mostly a strawberry red with green and blue stitching, and a green jacket to match. It was a very beautiful dress, but Fluttershy did wish it was a little less eye-catching. She didn't like bringing attention to herself.

Everyone in the room, except Rarity, stopped for a moment in surprise.

“Woah, Fluttershy, you are definitely a model, that’s for sure,” AJ said. She then looked at herself. “Wish I had your look; I'm a bit too bulky to pull off a dress like that.”

Fluttershy gave a slight blush and hid behind her hair. In it was a simple arrangement of flowers that matched the dress, braided in but nothing too noticeable. “Umm, thank you.”

“Well, it took an hour, but you two look great. Next!” Rarity sang, pulling out two more dress bags.

Twilight looked at them with a warm feeling building up in her. She never went to prom since she was homeschooled, and a bit of her wondered if this is what it would have been like. Of course, this was no high school dance she was going to; she was going to attend a very important high-class party.

“You guys are certain about this, right?” asked Twilight. “I mean, the gala is such a pristine party and…”

“And nothing! I’ve been there the last two years, darling. It’s a fun party, and anyone who’s anyone will be there. All high class, 18 and over are invited. I tried to get Fluttershy last year to join me, but she refused to go.”

“Yes, well, it will be good to have some fun for a change,” she softly said. “I mean, we’ve worked so hard with school, work, and being heroes.”

“Fluttershy’s right; we deserve a night’s break to be normal and have fun like college students do,” AJ chimed in. “Granted, I'm not really into dresses either.” She rolled her head.

“Oh, come on! Now let’s get you two ready, shall we?” Rarity sang.

An hour later, it was close to 7:00. Fluttershy was playing a game of chess with Dash.

"Checkmate," she softly said as Dash still looked upset about her appearance.

"Oh good. Hey, are you ready yet? The party starts soon!" she complained.

"Almost!" Rarity called out.

Dash sighed as she looked at herself in the mirror. "What is it, Dash, do you not like your dress?" Fluttershy asked.

"The dress is fine; it's the hair and makeup. It sucks. I look like a—"

"A girl," said Twilight with an amused look.

"Yeah, and..." She stopped when she saw Twilight. She wore a purple outfit that faded into a blue starry night sky-like pattern. Her hair was done up, with makeup matching Dash's.

"Oh, you look great, Twi. The hair looks good on you."

"Thank you, Flutters," Twilight replied.

Rarity stepped out in a pretty crystal dress with a matching hat and makeup. "Oh, isn't this fun?" she squealed.

"Applejack, come on!" she shouted for her.

"I am not going!" Applejack shouted back in the most country accent ever heard, even for her.

"What!? Oh, come on, you look fine, darling!" said Rarity.

"Come on, I'm wearing it!" yelled Dash.

"Y'all gonna laugh."

"No, we won't..."

"Hey, you laughed at me," Dash replied.

"That, of course, is because we're not used to you, Dash. AJ, come on; it's just us," Twilight told her.

With a grumpy sigh, the mare in question finally came out. Her dress was almost Cinderella-like with a country twist. She wore high heels that almost looked like glass. Her straw-like hair was all done up in a bow. Her lion-like mane draped around her neck like a fur coat. She wore less makeup than Dash, but there was an annoyed look on her face.

Dash laughed hard at her. "Wow, and I thought my dress was a lot."

Applejack glared at Dash, who only shrugged. "Oh come on, you did it to me. You look fine."

"Rarity, I'm not going out looking like a monkey." She grabbed a napkin, wiping off her face.

"Oh come now, that makeup took forever!" Rarity complained.

"And these darn shoes too!" She kicked them off and grabbed her dirty cowboy boots. “There, that’s better.”

"What? But, but..."

"I'm with you, AJ," Dash said, wiping off her makeup and ripping out her hairpins, letting her mane fall back into its normal rainbow look. Except the front stuck up a bit, but she didn't mind.

"Oh fine. You look better anyway," Rarity shrugged.

Twilight smiled and snickered a bit. She remembered when they first told her they were going to the gala.

She had been working on her computer, cross-referencing data in hopes of finding out who had turned the others into chimerae. She hoped with every bit of her heart it wasn’t her brother. "It just can't be him. It can't be," she thought.

Just then, the four girls walked in and headed to Twilight all at once. She glanced over but continued her work. "What is it?" she asked.

The four just smiled. "Well, you see, darling, you know of the grand gala, right?"

"You mean that big fancy party my godfather throws every year?"

They all gasped.

"Oh right, you met my godmother, but didn't realize that was Celestia Kang, mayor of the town."

After a few moments of surprise, Rarity shook her head and continued. "Well, with you being 18, you can officially join the party... but no drinks."

"I wasn't planning to go. Why do you ask?"

"Well, being the daughter of the regal shine, I go every year since I was 18, and well..." She looked at the others.

"We all thought perhaps you could use some fun for a night," AJ finished.

"So we all got tickets to go weeks ago," Dash chimed in.

"It seemed like a good idea at the time," Fluttershy said softly, a bit nervous, hiding under her hair.

Twilight's eyes widened at this. "Uhh, guys, I really don’t think..."

"Come on, we'll all be each other's dates and have fun together—just the five of us."

"No," said Twilight.

"Why not?" Dash exclaimed.

"Because we're a bunch of chimera mutant freaks. One hint of our powers, and we're arrested and thrown into a lab cage. No, it isn't a good idea," Twilight said as she stood up from her computer. "Besides, there is so much work to do right now; I just don’t have the time to—"

"To have fun," AJ deadpanned.

"Fun? I have fun; reading books and research is my fun." She crossed her arms.

"Mhm."

"I can't believe this, coming from you of all ponies, AJ."

"Twi, I get it. I used to believe that if you got something to do, you do it right there and then, and without any pony or anyone else. But I learned a long time ago—when I tried to farm the entire apple tree farm by myself and all in one day—I got so tired that I didn’t make a mark on the work. I learned you can’t do it all by yourself, and you can relax a little and have fun. The work will still be there tomorrow. One day won’t hurt you."

Twilight was annoyed at that but understood what her friend was saying. She took on the work herself and wouldn’t let anyone touch it. She herself had also been at it constantly and without fail.

"Look, Twi, I'll help you with the research, and I'll do more than be a test subject if..." She raised an eyebrow. "You give us one night to give you a break."

Twilight sighed in defeat at her friend’s words and finally gave in. "Alright, but remember, our secret must be preserved at all costs. How are we gonna wear dresses and stuff when we all look, well, like this?" she said, turning a mirror on them.

Dash was able to hide her beak with a fake muzzle, but AJ hid her tail and told people it got cut off in a farming accident. She also had quite the wild lion-like mane, which she told people was her favorite scarf. Fluttershy had wings, and even with a closed back, a nice dress would show them. Then there was Rarity with her fish-like tail and horn; she always had to wear a hat to cover it.

"Leave it all to me, darling. I can come up with some fabulous dresses for the occasion."

"And I can help stitch them," Fluttershy said sweetly.

"See, we got the plan down!" Dash chimed in. Twilight had a worried look on her face but reluctantly agreed.
...

That was nearly a month ago. It was near the holidays. So why not give them this little Christmas present? Twilight smiled at the memory and the thought.

"Okay, gals, come on! My dad will be waiting in the limo," said Rarity.

"Wait, a limo?!" the girls shouted at once.

"Hello, everyone! I am your host for the night show, Candy Tails," said a cat reporter in front of her camera. "Tonight we have a big night for all of you, since we have one of the fanciest hotels all bought out for a grand night of dancing. The gala is sure to be a hit." She purred, "As you can see, the Kangs, Sombra, and his wife are indeed standing at the front of the hotel ready to greet their guests. And the first car on the red carpet is just opening up. Let's see who it is."

The door opened, and a white pony dressed in a fine suit walked out, his wife in daisy yellow with a warm jacket on since it was winter, accompanying him.

"Oh look, it's the Shines," said the reporter.

The two stepped aside, and with them came Rarity, who waved at the cameras.

"And with them, their daughter... oh, and who's that?"

Fluttershy walked out next.

"Oh, it's Rarity's top model, Mrs. Breeze."

Then Dash and Twilight followed, along with AJ.

"Oh, look folks! We got all of Rarity's friends, I'm assuming coming along. Oh, how nice for her to invite her friends... Oh, and oh. My gosh, is that Twilight Sparkle?"

Twilight and her friends waved as they walked down the carpet to greet the party host.

"Twilight, I'm so glad you came," Celestia said, hugging her.

"Yes, it's nice to see you," said a grey pony the same height as Celestia. He had a very stylized, somewhat greasy black mane but wore a blue business suit that matched his eye color.

"Hi, Uncle! It's so good to see you," Twilight said, shaking his hoof.

"Likewise, Twilight, always a pleasure. I hope you have a good time; these parties can be a little boring."

Celestia rolled her eyes. "You and your friends are welcome to go in."

"Uh, actually, we want to see who else shows up. Do you mind if we watch from the side?"

"Of course not, glad to see you," Sombra said as the next car rolled up.

An hour went by as the cars rolled in with the fanciest guests—top businessmen, politicians, and some who just enjoyed the fancy life. Twilight and her friends stood by the front door, excited to see who would show up next.

A car pulled up by the red carpet. When a servant opened the car door, it was none other than Filthy Rich and his wife. Their daughter was too young to come to such a party, but even as a child, everyone knew about her.

A reporter pony jumped up and asked, "How is Tiara's project going?"

"Oh, great," Mr. Rich said. "Our daughter is so thoughtful, making a new playground for the kids at her school. Wonderful! Thank you for asking." He said and waved to the crowd. His wife smiled but said nothing. As soon as she was turned out, she pulled out her phone and never looked up from it again as they headed inside. Filthy Rich met up with Celestia and Sombra.

"Great turnout tonight, huh?" Mr. Rich complimented the party hosts. "So that’s everyone then?"

"No, not quite," Celestia told them.

"Oh, come now. He'll never show up," Sombra commented.

"Who's that?" Mr. Rich asked.

"Oh, you know. The mayor invites him every year as a complimentary gesture, but even as the richest man, he refuses to..."

Just then, a black car pulled up.

Mr. Rich nearly turned to ice at the sight of it. "Him?" he said, star-struck.

Just then, two figures walked out. One was a cat with sunglasses dressed in a work suit like a bodyguard, and the other was a tall, lengthy stallion dressed in a slim, almost skin-tight suit with a top hat, dressed as if from the olden days.

He was quite slim and tall but was a pony nonetheless. He had a fang-like overbite tooth that hung out of his mouth. He kept his eyes closed as he walked at a leisurely pace with his arms behind his back in a rather almost soldier-like stance. But it was his face that sparked the most interest. It was almost skull-like.

The crowd was silent for a moment, but as he began to walk toward them, the cameras and the reporters all jumped for a photo or a word from the strange tall figure.

"Who is that?" asked Dash with a raised eyebrow.

"That is none other than the infamous Mr. Ghost," Rarity said, star-struck.

"Famous?" Fluttershy asked.

"No, not famous, Fluttershy. Infamous. He's not only a high-class businessman; he's also a banker, a war hero, and a dealer who holds most of the rights to top manufacturing plants. And if that’s not enough, he’s a lord."

"A lord?" they all said in unison in response to Rarity's claims.

"Yes, but he has quite the reputation for being a secretive man. Tons of rumors have spread about him."

"What kind of rumors?" asked Applejack.

"Oh, from being involved with the black market to being secretly a government spy for the enemy. No one knows. The only thing that is clear: Lord Ghost is a mystery."

Fluttershy said nothing as the memory of her date a month ago ran through her mind. "It’s not possible, is it? Surely she must have just met someone who looks like him... Or was it that she actually went on a date with the infamous Lord Ghost?"

"Lord Ghost! Mr. Ghost, please!" said a few reporters. "Tell us, is it true you work with the government? What about the rumors of your scientific research or the claims about your relationships with the wealthy females? Mr. Ghost, tell us your opinion on the chimera incidents."

Mr. Ghost said nothing as he approached the front entrance. "Well, well, well," Sombra said in a surprised tone. "Welcome, Lord Ghost."

"Please, please, the pleasure is all yours." He then straightened his jacket. "I am here for business matters. If I don't make an appearance here and there, people might actually think I am what my name implies," he said, as he opened his eyes half-lidded and offered an uncanny smile. It was the first time anyone could see his eyes; Fluttershy recognized them. There was no mistaking it now. The red eyes gave him away.

They were a simple crimson, almost blood in color. The fur on the back of Fluttershy’s neck stood up. "No, there’s no way it's him. No way. He might look similar, but... his eyes." She remembered back. While she didn't get a good look at them exactly, she did see, in a strange way, a hint of emotion. This man. This man was emotionless in every way. Even his smile was obviously forced and not genuine. The way he walked, the way he talked. The look in his eyes. Why, it was almost sad.

"Oh, thank you for coming, Mr. Ghost," Celestia said. "Here, you must meet my goddaughter. For the first time, she actually came, just like yourself. Twilight," Celestia called out.

Twilight and her friends walked over, huddled in a little group. Fluttershy hid in the back as much as she could.

"Hello, Lord Ghost. I'm Twilight Sparkle."

"Charmed," he said with a roll of the eyes.

"Uh, yes, well, it is very nice to—"

"Your father, quite a pain in my side, but a good one nonetheless. My condolences, Mrs. Sparky." He gave a convincing low chuckle. "Sorry, that was always my nickname for him. I'm rather surprised; I didn't know you survived that night. As the daughter of a politician, I expect great things from you."

He said it in a tone that was both convincing and yet slightly sarcastic. The conflicting tone in his voice gave no clue as to what he truly meant, and it was unnerving to Twilight. "Oh, uh... of course." She gave a slight curtsy. But as she went down out of sight, a look of annoyance crossed her face. "Who does he think he is, speaking to anyone like that? I don't care if he's a lord; I'd like to slap him," she said to herself in her mind.

Mr. Ghost gave no such gesture in return and simply walked past the group entirely, entering the building. A few minutes later, someone asked to take his coat and hat, which he declined.

As soon as he was far enough away, Sombra turned to his wife. "How in blue blazes did you get him to come?"

"Believe me, I never expected him to," Celestia said before turning to Mr. Rich.

"Well, this will be a fine evening," he smiled. "Now we truly have all the top business partners here tonight."

Luna narrowed her eyes at that. She sighed. "Politics."

On the other end, as soon as Mr. Ghost was far enough away, Twilight turned to her friends.

"Dear me, how rude was that?" Rarity spat.

"Yeah, I’d like to give him a piece of my mind," Dash replied.

"Just let it go, girls. We can still have a good time, so long as none of us go near that guy," Twilight told them.

"You're right, Twilight. Let's just all enjoy tonight," Applejack said.

The only one not paying any attention was Fluttershy, who was lost in thought.

"Fluttershy, you alright there?" asked AJ.

"Huh? Oh, yes, yes, I was just, uh, thinking about something," she said, a bit startled to be addressed.

"Well, in any case, let's not waste our night here," said Rarity.

"Yeah, let's go in," Dash replied.

"Okay, but girls, remember: Rarity doesn't drink anything. AJ, keep your claws in and your tail hidden. Dash, you barely look like a pony, so don't pull any stunts with your disguise. And Fluttershy, just keep calm."

"We know, we know," Dash complained.

"Seriously, I know you mean well, but we’ve got a hold of this. Nothing's gonna go wrong, sugarcube," AJ told her.

Twilight sighed with a roll of her eyes, but smiled and gave a short nod afterward. The girls all giggled and decided to head in for a good night at the gala.

An hour later...

"Oh yes, and then I said, 'What jar?'" Hahaha, said Mr. Cheese. The group around him chuckled, except for Mr. Ghost, who had a wine glass in his hand. "If you truly need a jar, I say look for one to go over your head, 'cause that joke was awful." He smiled and took a sip of his drink.

"Haha, maybe. Hey, it's really nice to see you out here," Cheese told him.

"Yes, yes, I know. Unfortunately, I don't get to..." He narrowed his eyes. "party with the likes of you as often as I'd like to." His tone still seemed bored and sarcastic. Yet with his smile, they assumed he was being sincere.

"Yes, well, come on now, are we all going to just stand here and drink, or are we going to dance? This is a gala, after all," said Mrs. Rich.

"Yes, yes. Oh, I know! Hey, Mr. Ghost, why don't you dance with someone? I'll even hand you my wife's hand for a dance, huh?"

Mr. Ghost held up his free hoof as he took a drink. "No, no, come on, you don't need me to dance."

"Oh, come now," Sombra said. "Surely a dance won't hurt you. What do you think, Celestia? Why don't you take him for a dance, if not my girl?"

"No, no, I refuse to dance with anyone's wife—especially yours, Mr. shine, same goes for the mayor" Mr. Ghost said with a sly grin.

She narrowed her eyes at that. "Alright, fine. Suit yourself," Celestia said and took her husband's hoof, joining him for a waltz. "And what of you, Luna? Come and join in," Celestia beckoned as she broke her sister midway through the dance.

"I'd rather not. Looks like you two are doing fine by yourselves."

As she sat there, other ladies, married or not, began asking the infamous Mr. Ghost for a dance. He then grew a rather innocent grin that didn’t look so innocent. "Please, ladies, please." He turned to Luna, who was still sitting in the corner checking her phone for security. He raised an eyebrow and gestured to his assistant, who nodded and pulled out a flash drive. The assistant then walked over to a computer and began to work, handing his boss a mic.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he said, taking everyone's notice.

"Oh, what is he up to now?" Luna grumbled.

He smiled widely. "I have an idea. You all want me to donate to the research fund on the chimera? Well, how about this? I’ll give the fund a hundred thousand dollars if..." He held up his hoof as the crowd gasped and whispered among themselves.

"If I can get every single one of you here to dance to a little music—one of my favorite songs. It's about four minutes long, so here’s the deal: I’ll even dance twice with everyone. We’ll all switch partners every time the beat changes." Some laughed, and some were happy about it. Luna just rolled her eyes.

"Oh, but everyone, including staff, must participate. That includes you, Lulu." Luna spun around towards him, furious. "Tia, you never got your sister to lighten up, did you?"

Celestia just put a hoof on her head. "Oh, this isn’t gonna go well," she muttered.

"I say it’s a splendid idea, Mr. Ghost," Sombra announced.

Luna looked a bit annoyed at that.

Twilight and her friends didn't know what to think, especially Fluttershy.

Just then, the music started. To everyone's surprise, it was a popular pop song from Rara: "I Will Survive!!" It was a poppy, almost jazzy remix of the song, not the original.

"Now I won’t give a dime unless I see everyone dancing, alright?" Mr. Ghost called out.

As the lyrics "First, I was afraid..." began, the dancing commenced.

It was something different for sure. Most high-class parties like these only had ballroom music to play, and mostly only a few danced while the others conversed. The staff itself never danced along, but tonight, with this new claim, everyone just got into the beat of the music.

People swung their hips and moved their arms to the jazzy beat; everyone except Luna, who sat there annoyed at the whole situation.

"Oh, come now, Luna. Find a dance partner, or all this is for nothing," Mr. Ghost called out while he stepped into a dance with a few ladies surrounding him who were more than happy to dance beside the infamous lord.

Luna huffed.

"Oh come now! Is it really because you can't dance? Look, everyone, your pride and joy general is scared a bit of dancing."

"I am not!" Luna shouted.

"Bawk, bawk!" Mr. Ghost started clucking like a chicken.

The crowd joined him in clucking at her.

She grew furious. "Oh, that's it! You want a dance? I'll give you a dance..." She shouted and tore off her jacket. She then stepped perfectly into the groove of the music, swinging her hips and twirling like a ballerina until she met Mr. Ghost himself, who caught her.

"Haha, now that's the general I know. After all these years, you gotta lighten up a bit," he said, setting his hooves on her hips and joining her for the dance. Luna finally broke free and gave a little giggle. "Alright, I must admit, it is a bit of fun."

"Right. Alright everybody, switch partners," he said as he swung around, meeting Celestia as Sombra took Luna.

"This was rather kind of you, Mr. Ghost. I'm a bit surprised," she smirked, narrowing her eyes, wondering what he was up to.

"Oh no, I was just hating the party, Tia. You know I'd rather enjoy some real music."

She smiled at him with a raised eyebrow. "Well, you always were the life of the party."

"Yes, and with that, goodbye, princess," he said as he twirled her into someone else's arms.

He took up Dash next, who was starting to do the sprinkler. "Ha ha, now that's old school!" he said as he began doing the wave.

Dash couldn't help but enjoy the dance, only for him to twirl her out and turn to Twilight.

Twilight was having fun, doing her best to keep up with the music. But she was less than graceful and couldn't get the beat down. "Haha, don't worry, Sparky. Your father couldn't dance either," Mr. Ghost said as he started snapping to the beat. He eventually twirled her into her next dance partner, a yellow-orange colt with a fiery mane and glasses.

"Okay, people! Jump back, boys on the left, girls on the right."

They did as they were instructed.

"That's it, that's it! Now follow me," he said as he took control of the dance floor. The boys went left and the girls went right. "That's it! Now reverse it! Come on, people!" He said, pulling it back and then rejoining his dance partner, Rarity.

Rarity gave no hesitation as she enjoyed the music. But then, when he twirled her out, she found herself dancing with Spike. She was still enjoying herself.

As for Mr. Ghost, Applejack was his next partner. "Ahh, a country girl, huh?" he said, jumping into a bit of a country dance that still fit the jazz beat. Applejack enjoyed herself, but ultimately he twirled her out and turned to his next dance partner.

He grew a slight surprised look for a second, only to turn back into an amused one. "Well, well, well, fancy meeting you here, Miss. Breeze."

Fluttershy stopped dancing for a moment and looked at him, her face growing a bit pink. "Uhh, so you remember me?"

"If I may be so bold, I wouldn't forget a pretty thing like you. It was a fun night after all," he said as he took her hoof.

She slowly slipped back into the notion of the dance as he took her hoof. He held it as if she were made of glass: too loose, and she would slip and break; too strong, and he would break her. In a strange way, it felt so right to be in his arms, and quickly she lost her sense of shyness with his next words. "And if I may be bolder still, that's quite the dress you have on, definitely a top model for sure."

She blushed at that. "I, uh, I never did ask your name that night," she stuttered.

"Mr. Ghost. Funny, I didn't think I'd see you ever again."

"Yeah, same," she said, beginning to relax thanks to his tone.

He still had a look of disinterest yet kept a convincing smile on his face.

"So this is fun," she told him.

"Yes, you see, it's why I don't come to these that often. The average ball is so boring and over the top. However, a bit of money is worth it to see the rich snobby people actually act like real people for a change. I had to do something or I'd go mad with how this ball was turning out," he said as he twirled along with her, instead of twirling her away from him.

"Yeah, I must admit," she said as she stepped into the beat with him. "This party definitely picked up thanks to you." She grinned.

Mr. Ghost gave a slight chuckle—a real chuckle, not like the forced ones she heard from him all night.

"Well, Miss. Breeze, thank you for the dance." He twirled her away from him and into her next dance partner, a cat.

"Oh," she said a bit let down. She kind of wanted to stay with him and get to know him.

With that, Mr. Ghost didn't take another dance partner after the cat, but as the drums of the music kicked up, he did a solo spin. First spinning in place, then down, spinning faster and faster, meeting the comedic beat of the drums only to come up as the drums ended and the jazzy beat took over. He flung his arms out and held out his hat, doing a slight kick mid-air, catching himself on his feet.

The crowd all clapped at his solo act and started dancing alongside the music again. He slipped back into the crowd and danced with another random partner for a moment before leaving it entirely.

As the song came to an end, the crowd all stopped dancing and started clapping for each other and for Mr. Ghost. But to their surprise, Mr. Ghost wasn't anywhere to be seen. Nor was his servant. Instead, where he stood was a stack of cash.

Luna took the money and smiled at it—not at the bills themselves, but at the memory this night had brought to her and everyone else.

Celestia walked up to her. "Well, I have to admit, sister, I didn't know you could dance so well."

"I never stopped those ballerina lessons Mom had us take, like you did. I just..." She blushed. "Don't like showing it."

Celestia nodded, knowing all too well her sister really loved tonight. And she had Mr. Ghost to thank for it.

"So where is he?" Sombra asked.

"Oh, I'm afraid there will be no trace of him. He always disappears when it’s convenient for him," Luna told him.

"You seem to know him quite well," Sombra remarked.

"Uh, yeah. It's a long story for another time. I'm quite tired after all that dancing, so if you'll excuse me." Sombra just nodded, and Celestia hugged Luna before she left.

Capper got into the car after Mr. Ghost closed the door.

The driver of the car was a dog. "How'd it go, Mr. Ghost?" he asked.

"Well enough, Fido," Mr. Ghost smiled. "Capper, did you get what we came for?" he asked, amused.

Capper pulled out the flash drive and handed it to him. "Right here, boss."

"What's wrong then, Capper?"

"I just think that went too easy, sir. What if they trace the hack?"

"Oh, Capper, they will trace the hack. That's the trick," he said, eyeing the flash drive. "To anyone who looks into it, I made sure it will look like another routine update. Even if they trace it, all they'll get is an unscheduled security update made by their own systems. By the time anyone finds out that those files have been copied, our trail will run stone cold." He said as he tossed the drive and caught it with his hoof, smiling a wicked toothy grin.

"So back to the lab then, boss?" asked Fido.

"No."

The two others were surprised by this.

"There is a bit of another security risk I have to deal with."

Shining Armor walked out into the small living room of his apartment, holding his head as if he had a headache. "What have I done?" he muttered as he took a drink from a bottle.

"Don't worry too much, Sparky," a voice called out. Shiny jumped and spun around to the voice behind him. Sitting on the couch in the dark was none other than him. Shining tried to turn on the light, but nothing came on. He flipped the switches a few times, but nothing came on.

"Hmm, seems like the power's out. You really should have that looked at. And for God's sake, boy, clean up a bit. I mean, you never know when you're going to be expecting company, after all."

"What are you doing here? Get out!"

"Oh, yes, look at that fiery spirit of yours."

"What do you want?"

"I have some good news for you."

"I'm not gonna do your dirty work anymore."

"Oh, but I think you'll be interested in this, and you'll have to deal with it for me."

Shinny narrowed his eyes.

"Twilight is alive."

Shinny's eyes widened. "That's—" he shook his head as he gulped. "That's impossible."

"Oh, but I saw her. And she looks to have no mutant features."

Shiny gritted his teeth.

"Most likely she is hiding her true form and using medicine to stay sane. I highly doubt they found a cure for her. But just in case they have, I think it's time for a little family reunion. Find out everything you can and report back to me," he said, getting up and heading to the window. "Oh, and Shiny, do remember I have my ways of knowing if you lie to me." He then slipped through the window, leaving a discouraged, drunken Shiny.

Author's Note

The plot thickness,

What do you all think 🤔?