The figure, seemingly made of pure darkness, loomed over the room and glanced in the direction of the crew Waning left behind. They shrank in fear but tried to stand their ground as the looming giant got closer and closer. One of them shrieked and dropped their weapon, the others following suit and rushing up the long stair case. The Phantom did not pay any attention to Fancy and Pip as he crashed through the doorway, barely fitting into the space as it made its way up, destroying the architecture along with its exit.
Fancy focused as hard as he could on one of the swords, but could not manage the magical strength needed to lift it. The area began to crumble around them as the Phantoms hoofsteps caused a miniature earthquake with each step. Pip screamed as he seen a piece of the ceiling barely miss him and land directly next to him and Fancy tried to focus harder, managing to finally lift the sword over to them, cutting the ropes and setting them free.
Upon being free, he ran over to Upper Crust and Pip assisted him in putting her on his back.
"Come on Pip! We must make haste!" Pip nodded and did not waste anytime following Fancy. Upon getting to the stairs, they seen that the stairs had completely collapsed and left a big gap between them and wherever the stairs were not collapsed. Fancy looked all around, the shakes getting worse by the minute.
"Fancy! What do we do?!" Pip asked, shaking as the room behind them was about to cave in. Fancy blocked everything else and began to think. A crazy idea entered his mind, a little hesitant at first but it eventually busted down the doors of his brain and took up space on the sofa, giving him an idea.
"Pip, we got to jump down." Pip recoiled and began to tremble.
"B-But mister Fancy! What if we-!" Fancy shook his head and looked forward, determined.
"I'm sorry Pip, but we don't have time to lose!" Fancy used his magic to keep a grip on Upper Crust, who was stirring a little, about to be awakened. He took a few steps back, galloped and jumped down the massive hole. Pip, very cautiously, followed suit, screaming all the way down.
***
Upper Crust's eyes began to open, slowly, as she looked around to observe her surroundings. She had a strange feeling as if she was falling. She then looked down, and began to scream in horror, grabbing onto the nearest object for comfort, it just so happening to be Fancy's neck. She turned to look at him, gasping in the middle of her screams.
"Fancy Pants?! Where in Celestia's name are we?!" Fancy could not answer back, due to being strangled at the moment. Pip was still screaming as he crashed into Fancy, grabbing hold of his back for comfort. Upper Crust stopped squeezing so hard, letting Fancy finally yell back.
"Upper Crust! I need you to use your levitation spell in tandem with mine! Focus on our bodies!" Upper Crust began to stutter in fear.
"B-But I can't! I am not that-"
"Please try!" Fancy said as his horn began to light up and covering their bodies in his orange aura. Upper Crust began to focus as well, her green aura mixing with his to create a muddy brown aura, slowing their fall down a bit as the ground neared their hooves. A few more seconds of panic induced focusing and their fall eventually slowed down to a crawl, letting them land softly on the ground with a small thud.
Fancy and Upper Crust were exhausted, gasping for air as their heads pounded from the overuse of magic. Pip was still holding onto Fancy's back, shaking like a leaf as he whimpered. After a minute, they began to hear more shakes above them as some rocks began to fall from above. Fancy stood to his hooves and helped Upper Crust up. Pip began to calm down after a few words of encouragement from Fancy. The trio had landed into the mining part of the catacombs, an empty mine cart sit quietly on the somewhat rusted tracks. Some pick axes, that have been unused for years, lay against the crystal covered walls.
"Fancy, I want you to take a second and tell me what is going on!" Upper Crust managed to yell out, still gasping for air. Fancy turned around, after observing the mine cart for a minute and looked back at her
"I am afraid explanations will have to wait." Fancy adjusted his monocle, it miraculously not having a scratch on it from the events that took place. Upper Crust sighed in frustration and pulled out a mirror, adjusting her mane.
"I am sorry, but we have to keep moving. There is no telling what that creature is going to do if it gets outside." Fancy galloped to the mine cart and began to observe it. The wheels looked to be in fine condition and the cart itself was a little rusty and aged but it should be able to hold there weight. Fancy hopped in a beckoned them to follow suit. Pip, after a deep breath, jumped on the cart with him, making it rock forward a little. Upper Crust looked at the cart with hesitation and looked around.
"Can't we take another way? I am sure one of these walls hides a secret entrance or something." She continued to look around, desperate to find another way that did not involve any risk. Fancy cleared his throat and held his hoof out, waiting to guide her onto the cart. She sighed, once again, and took his hoof, climbing into the mine cart next to Pip, who smiled at her.
"Don't worry Upper Crust, I am sure mister Fancy knows what he is doing." She smiled back a little and nodded, hoping inside that he was right. Fancy looked down to see where the tracks lead but seen nothing but darkness below. He took a deep breath and gave the cart a little push with his magic.
"Hold on everypony!" He yelled and grabbed onto the edges as the cart reached the tipping point. Gravity took over and the cart began its descent into the awaiting darkness. Pip began to scream in excitement at the speed while Upper Crust just screamed. The cart took sharp turns and made sparks fly on some of the tighter corners. Fancy had to readjust his monocle several times to keep it from flying off of his face. Eventually the cart started to go down a spiral, nearly making them fall off but thanks to some quick telekinesis by Fancy they held strong as the carts blazing speed took them for the ride of their lives.
Then, they seen a break in the railing up ahead.
"Oh dear." Fancy said and Upper Crust embraced Pipsqueak in terror, who then responded with his own screams and hugged tighter. Fancy enveloped the cart in some more magic to keep them from falling out as it jumped the broken rails. Fancy's magic kept them in the cart as it soared through the air and eventually landed on another set of rails with a crash, Fancy's magic being the only thing keeping them in at this point.
The cart, having to much inertia from the previous stunt, could not be stopped as it headed for a dead end. Fancy was quick to pull on a conveniently placed emergency brake and the wheels began to spark in its attempt to stop the mad cart. After a few seconds, the cart slowed down but still hit the wall with some force, almost flinging them from the cart.
Fancy rubbed his head and adjusted his monocle once again, turning to check on Pip and Upper Crust.
"Is everypony alright?" Pip and Upper Crust were still hugging each other from fright and slowly nodded. Fancy stepped out of the cart and took Upper Crust's shaky hoof to lead her out. Pip jumped out, still breathing rather fast.
"That..was so FUN!" Pip yelled and began to jump around the cart, cheering. He turned back to Fancy.
"Can we do it again?" Fancy walked over to pat him on the head while Upper Crust shook herself to try and recover from the experience.
"I am afraid Mrs. Crust would not like that." He said, smiling down at him. Upper Crust, who was now taking deep breaths to calm her nerves, nodded towards him. Fancy then began to look around. They appeared to have went deeper into the mine section and their exit was yet another dark and dreary hall.
"I believe I found our exit." Fancy announced, signaling the others to follow him. His light spell was rather dim and had to have Upper Crust assist him in lighting the place. After a long trek through the hall and another crash from above, signaling that time was of the essence, they came across a polished, wooden door. The gilded doorknob looked like it had been untouched for ages, dust had taken up residence on the once beautiful piece of art.
Fancy blew the dust off and turned the doorknob. On the other side was a hall lined with a red carpet with gold lace on the edges. Statues of Canterlot guards were on either side of the hall with lit torches that burned with blue fire. At the end of the hall was another door that looked like an exact copy of the last one.
"Fancy, where are we?" Upper Crust asked, admiring the sudden decor improvement. Fancy looked around as well, surprised by the change but he had a good idea where they were, remembering the parchment from earlier.
"This must be The Children of the Night's section of the castle." He said, stopping his light spell upon entering. Pip went to touch one of the statues but regretted it upon seeing the insane amount of dust that touched his hoof. Fancy and Crust were making their way down the hall and Pip caught up with them, looking at the door.
Fancy opened it and what lay on the other side was nothing short of weird. The room was cube in shape and was rather small, looking to be only for a single pony. The room was rife with portraits of Princess Luna, each one hanging on the walls and some even on the floor. A fire place was lit and still burning with another picture of Luna above it. Another door was on the left side of the room, next to the fireplace. A single chair was all that sat in the room that could be described as furniture and a table was next to it.
They made their way inside to look around at the sparingly decorated room. Fancy got closer to the table and seen something that looked awfully familiar. A golden locket lay untouched by the passing of time on the wooden table. Fancy picked it up and opened it. What he saw turned this entire mystery on its head.
Inside the locket was a picture of Princess Luna standing next to a grey unicorn. His expression one of pure joy as the Princess smiled sheepishly at the pony taking the picture. On the small picture was a heart and a small sentence that made Fancy's heart stop momentary and force him to collect his thoughts.
"I hope you can forgive me someday. Love: The Phantom."
Fancy dropped the locket in shock and a spark went off in his mind. This spark lit the fire of knowledge and his brain fanned the flames until it was ablaze with an realization.
The Phantom...was in love with the Princess.
"Eureka!" Fancy yelled. Upper Crust and Pip jumped in fright at Fancy's sudden shout. Fancy picked up the locket and tucked it into his coat. He then turned around to face Pip and Upper Crust, who looked curious.
"We need to go and find the Phantom." Pip and Crust still looked confused as Fancy rushed through the other door, which lead to another set of stairs. He was smiling the whole way up as Pip and Crust barely managed to keep up.
"What did you find out mister Fancy?!" Pip yelled up after him. Fancy turned to look at him and Crust, not letting his smile fade.
"Something that will stop this chaos." He said and kept going. The stairs stopped at a dead end of sorts but when Fancy touched it, it was revealed to be a picture. The trio moved the picture and jumped into the lobby to see it in shambles. Hoofsteps bigger than a pony ruined the once beautiful marble floors and lead to what used to be the front door.
"He must be this way!" Fancy yelled and followed the prints. Upon exiting, they seen the Phantom stomping through the city, causing chaos everywhere as it destroyed buildings and shot magic from its horn. Princess Celestia could be seen flying around and shooting the specter, but her shots proved to be ineffective as they went right through it. It tried to swat at her but she nimbly dodged the attacks.
Fancy looked back to address Pip and Upper Crust.
"Pip, I want you to come with me. Upper Crust, I want you to stay here where you will be safe." Crust looked hesitant but did what she was told. Pip nodded and caught up to Fancy, who was now speeding towards the giant specter pony.
***
The ponies of the city had been evacuated to the garden of the castle before The Phantom even got out of the castle. Fancy encountered some of them, each one telling him that it was too dangerous to go any further into the city and he was going to get himself hurt. He let them know that he had a plan to stop the beast and they let him and Pip go on ahead into the dangerous city.
Celestia was still trying her best to hurt the creature, tossing every spell she could at it, but each one proved to be ineffective as the specter continued its rampage across the city. Fancy and Pip had finally entered the city and were on their way to confront The Phantom, when they encountered a familiar face sitting on his carriage taking pictures of the attack.
"Trenderhoof! Why aren't you in the gardens with everypony else?" Pip yelled out. Trender turned to look at them and was almost ready to faint from squealing so much.
"I can't believe this is really happening! A monster is attacking Canterlot and I am in the middle of it. This has to be the greatest trip I have ever taken! I can't wait to write about this in my paper!" He turned to continue snapping pictures but, as Fancy and Pip was about to run by him,he yelled out at them to stop.
"Wait! Are you going to go and stop it?" They nodded quickly and Trender hopped off the carriage and tied himself to the reigns of his vehicle.
"Then I guess I will get more than a supporting role after all!" Fancy was about to interject when he heard the specter roar loudly and smash another building.
"Alright, get us as close as you can!" Fancy yelled and jumped on it, helping Pip up. Trender nodded and took off, pulling the cart at a surprisingly fast speed towards the Phantom.
After a few minutes of getting rather close to the creature, Fancy stopped him and jumped off along with Pip as they made their way towards him. Celestia was still pestering the creature with her magic and it was getting more furious by the minute. Fancy ran around its huge hooves, trying his best not to get to close in order to be stomped. Pip was bouncing with almost every step the creature took and was losing his balance. Once he was finally in front of the creature, Fancy yelled out.
"PHANTOM! STOP RIGHT THERE!" The Phantom halted in his tracks, looking down at Fancy with it's emotionless yellow eyes. Fancy felt a tang of fear take hold in his chest but he kept himself together as he began to yell at him. Celestia looked down at Fancy with pure shock and surprise
"Once upon a time, a tragic event occurred in this city. An event that sparked a secret rebellion lead with the intent of degrading Princess Celestia after the banishment of her own sister, Princess Luna. The rebellion was an act of love towards Luna and did small things to aid in their cause. However, that all changed when you came along." The Phantom remained motionless, the aura of it's magically held together body pulsing every once in a while. Its eyes did not move as Fancy adjusted his monocle to continue.
"You took charge of the group and made them do more drastic actions. You even had a plan to steal Celestia's own crown. However, the more you did these things, the more the guilt tore you apart. Before Luna's banishment, you used to be real close to the Princess and secretly admired her." The Phantom let out a small gasp of sorts, its gaze intensifying on Fancy.
"I believe that on the day Luna was banished, you were going to confess to her. But that all changed when you learned of her banishment. I believe the pain and anger tore you up inside and you learned of the group known as The Children of the Night, a group made to remember the fair Princess. You took the opportunity to take charge and get your revenge on the ponies who you believed caused her to feel unwanted and inferior." Fancy looked to Pip who nodded at him, smiling as he stared up at the pony.
"However, like I said, the more you did this, the more you felt like you was betraying her ideals. You knew she would not love you for being a thief and a looter. How did I come to learn this?" Fancy dug into his coat and pulled out the locket and upon presenting it, The Phantom's eyes shrunk and took a step back, causing Pip to fall over and hit his face. Fancy then opened the locket, levitating the picture to let him see it for himself. All was still as The Phantom looked at the picture. Then, something happened.
The Phantom let out a wail of sorrow and smashed a building next to it. Then it looked at Fancy, rage filling its eyes as it raised a hoof and prepared to stomp him with all of the hatred left in its soul. Pip ran to his side and prepared to yell, but somepony else beat him to it.
"STOP!" The Phantom froze, his hoof a foot above Fancy and Pip. He slowly turned his head and seen something that nearly made his heart explode. Princess Luna herself was gliding over to the scene and was looking at The Phantom.
"It has been a long time, hasn't it Star Note." The Phantom turned around completely and leaned down to get a closer look at Luna, to see if she was real or not. She closed her eyes in remembrance.
"I remember the last time we talked. You told me that no matter how hard it got, no matter how far away you went, I would always have a place in your heart." She looked at Fancy and nodded. He nodded back, adjusting his monocle. She turned away from him.
"It seems like just yesterday that you said that to me." She closed her eyes once again, still not facing him as disappointment began to fill her voice.
"But to hear that you became a thief and made implications of possibly murdering somepony, just to avenge me." She faced him, her stare cold.
"I have never been more disappointed in anypony in my life." The Phantom recoiled hard and gasped, his eyes shrinking in size. Luna turned and began to walk away. The Phantom could not allow her to do so.
"WAIT! LUNA, PLEASE DON'T LEAVE ME!" The Phantom's voice echoed throughout the entire city as she stopped in her tracks. The Phantom's dark and powerful form began to degrade until Wanings body was tossed out onto the street, unconscious. After all of the dark magic cleared, a grey unicorn surrounded by white aura, looking like a spirit of sorts, ran to her in a panic.
"I know what I done was wrong! I know it was stupid of me to think revenge was the best course of action! I am as dumb as I ever was. Please, don't leave me being angry at me." His voice was rough and he sounded as if he was going to burst into tears at any moment. Luna had stopped walking away and was still, listening to him.
"I left this world hoping that you would someday forgive me for my actions. I can see now that I was wrong and I am so sorry for everything I have done." His head hung low, staring at the ground in sorrow as tears began to leave his eyes and drop to the ground. Luna turned to face him and lifted his chin to face her.
"I may not be able to forgive you fully for what you did, but at least you are sorry for it." She smiled at him. "And that is what really matters to me." Upon hearing this, his face brightened and he wiped the tears from his eyes. He then quickly hugged her, nuzzling her shoulder as he began to cry into her. She nuzzled him back, tearing up a bit as well. His body began to glow and he pulled out of the hug.
"It looks like my time has come." He drew in a breath and looked her in the eyes one last time, smiling at her.
"After all these years, I can rest. Thank you for your forgiveness Luna." She nodded, letting some tears leave her eyes. He smiled one last time as his body began to fade and eventually disappear. Two, rather simple words echoed in the city as he left the world of Equestria and into anew.
"Thank you..."
After that, he was gone. Luna stared into the night sky as a single tear fell from her face and hit the broken pavement. Celestia landed next to her sister to try and comfort her, hoping to get the rest of the story later. Fancy released a breath he did not realize he was holding and looked down to Pip, who was looking to the night sky with a smile on his face. He turned to Fancy and then his smile fell when he looked to Luna, who was now crying freely into her sisters shoulder.
"No....."
Pip and Fancy turned to see Waning, finally to his hooves looking to the stars, his glasses now resting on the pavement to reveal his purple eyes. Those eyes held sorrow, then fear, then fury as he turned to look at the stallion responsible for crushing his dreams of fame and power. Fancy Pants.
"FANCY PANTS!!" He rushed at Fancy,drawing his blade with his magic as he was beginning to froth at the mouth. Fancy simply waited for him and prepared his own magic, until he was stopped by a powerful, gold and pure aura. His limbs failed to move an inch as his captor stepped in front of him.
"I think you have done enough on this night." Celestia said, her glare burning holes into him. He only response was a pained grunt. Luna stepped forward as well, looking calm but inwardly furious.
"You are lucky that the rules forbade me from killing you." Luna simply said and walked by him, letting her sister deal with the rest Celestia sighed and walked toward Fancy and Pip. She nodded towards them.
"You once again surprise everypony Fancy Pants. I'll have to hire you as royal detective if this keeps up." She said, smirking. Fancy simply bowed in respect, then remembered formalities and rose to his hooves, adjusting his monocle.
"Just doing what any gentlecolt would do, Princess." Fancy said as Pip dug through his saddlebags to pull out the mysterious book that had helped them on their journey. Celestia looked at it and grabbed it with her magic to observe it closer.
"I've never seen this book before." She said as her eyes scanned the cover and the few pages she could open. Fancy gestured towards it.
"We were hoping you could get some of the royal scholars to look it over and try to find out its secrets. If you do not mind that is, your highness." Fancy said, bowing. Celestia looked at the book again and nodded with a smile.
"I'll get right on that." Fancy nodded and signaled that it was time for them to go home. Pip nodded but quickly asked.
"What are you going to do with Waning, Princess?" She looked toward him as his glare and teeth still showed.
"Well, our dungeons have been empty for a while. I am sure they could be put to use once again." Waning's glare moved to Fancy, who simply looked at him in disappointment as Celestia carried him and the book away towards the castle as Pip and Fancy began to leave for their nice and comfy beds.
"Oh, and Fancy?" Fancy turned back to look at her now smirking face.
"I would prepare for a lot of mail." Fancy's expression went dire for a moment as he adjusted his monocle, his face changing back to his usual smile. He and Pip made their way home to a good nights sleep, as the cheers of the Canterlot ponies followed right behind him.
~One week later~
Pip was concentrating hard on a piece of paper. He repeatedly looked back and forth between the paper and a book he had sitting next to him. He chewed on the eraser in frustration as he pondered the final answer to the question. After a minute or so, he marked down what he thought was right and spit out the pencil. He carried the paper to Fancy's desk, who was in the middle of sipping some tea.
"Finished, mister Fancy!" Fancy set down his tea cup and smiled at him.
"Finished so soon?" He asked and picked it up, looking over the answers as Pip stood proud.
"Yep! I bet I aced it!" Fancy chuckled and went over the ten questions twice, then marked an answer wrong, causing Pip's pride to sink and he picked it up to look which one he got wrong.
"The last one!" He yelled and laid it down in front of Fancy. "Can you tell me why I got it wrong though?" Fancy nodded and adjusted his monocle and Pip went around his desk to look as well.
"You see Pip, the question ask 'Why did the Canterlot Elite use the Royal Canterlot Voice to announce it was time for bed to the lower class?' and you put 'Because they believe they were to ignorant to know.' " Before Pip could interject, he began to explain.
"But I told you two days ago that it was because they were actually warning the lower class of The Phantoms presence." He set the paper down and looked at Pip with a raised eyebrow.
"Can you tell me why you missed it?" Pip looked around nervously and bowed to apologize.
"I am sorry mister Fancy! I am so sorry for not studying or listening properly!" He raised up and ran to the door.
"I'll be sure to skip my dinner as punishment and study for the rest of the day!" Before Fancy could say anything, Pip took off, cheering all the way. Fleur came in right after he left and smiled at Fancy.
"Did he fail a test?" Fancy shook his head and set the test to the side, sipping his tea again.
"No, but it is good to see him taking such initiative is it not?" Fancy asked, adjusting his monocle and smiling back at her. She giggled.
"You and your strange ways Fancy." She walked over to him and brushed her tail against his chest, causing him to blush a bit and clear his throat. She winked at him and sat down in Pip's seat.
"Well, any more letters from the Royal Sisters as of late?" He shook his head and went through the pile of parchments and letters again to check.
"No, but I have gotten a lot of request for investigations." She raised her hoof like a student, causing Fancy to chuckle and point at her.
"Yes, my dear?" She tilted her head, looking as innocent as possible while her eyes sparkled in the sunlight coming through the window.
"Why don't you take them Mr. Fancy? You solved that Phantom case a week ago just fine." He chuckled at her act and sipped some more tea.
"Because I am not a detective. I am simply a gentlecolt. Nothing more, nothing less." She sighed and got up to leave.
"Well, it seemed like you were having fun with it and I am sure Pip would love to do it again." Fancy began to contemplate her words as he adjusted his monocle again. He looked back on the case he solved a week ago with the Phantom. He did have fun, solving puzzles, finding secret entrances and exits, escaping places of danger. It seemed like something out of an adventure novel. He looked up to see that Fleur had left and looked through the letters again.
He found one that caught his eye and looked it over for the longest time. He looked around his study to see how average his life seemed compared to what he had done a week ago. He picked up the letter once again to look over its words for a while.
He then smirked, finished his tea and adjusted his monocle once again as he turned his chair to look out of the window to see the setting of the sun. He poured himself another cup of tea, sipped it and sighed happily.
"A gentlecolt's work is never done, I suppose."