//------------------------------// // Chapter 1-The Incident // Story: Fancy Pants and The Phantom of Canterlot // by Mr Monty //------------------------------// The moon was shining its brightest in the streets of Canterlot tonight. Its residents already inside their comfy homes to sleep the night away. Rain had been falling for most of the day, as the smell of wet concrete filled the cold and seemingly empty city. The only light was either the glow of a candle from nearby windows of still awake ponies or, of course, the moon itself. The nip of cold would make sure that ponies stayed in their homes until the morning sun was raised to warm the lovely streets once again. The streets were not as empty as they seemed, however. Heavy hoofsteps infiltrated the silence and echoed throughout the town as two ponies were making a hasty retreat from somepony or something else. "Jet honey! We need to split up, it may be the only way to lose him!" Jet Set looked at his wife like she was crazy. "I will do no such thing!" A blast of magic erupted from the pursuer's apparent horn and blew the two away from each other. Upper Crust was knocked into a dark alleyway while her husband was knocked into the middle of the paved road. Jet Set attempted to get on his hooves in a daze, but before he could do so, he heard an ear piercing scream come from his wife. He recovered upon hearing this and rushed to where he had assumed his wife flew. As soon as he arrived in front of the alley, he was stunned to see that nothing was there. He frantically searched nearby dumpsters and even some trash cans for any sign of his wife and he eventually found something. The locket his father had given her after their wedding. He lifted it with his magic and seen some ash fall off of it. Fearing the worst, he dropped it and the welled up tears fell from his eyes and he let out a scream that shook the entire city. *** The morning sun peaked over the horizon and proudly raised to the sky while the moon solemnly sunk, letting the day begin in the ancient city of Canterlot. Ponies began to flood the streets to go to their jobs or go shopping. Never both, of course. In the middle of the flood, a small colt weaved his way through the crowd like an over sized fishing bobber. He let out multiple 'Excuse me' and 'Sorry's as he passed them, earning groans and jeers from the very busy crowd. After a few minutes, he made it to his destination: A rather modest two story home amongst the multitudes of mansions in this district. It wasn't modest enough to be a shack but it was humble enough to be a common pony home. The little colt pulled a mirror from his saddle bags and put it on the ground to look at himself. He quickly adjusted his hair and made sure he did not have a spot of his breakfast on his cheek. He sighed heavily and quickly knocked on the door. He heard some majestic hoof steps on the other side and the door swung open. His eyes met a rather sleek, white unicorn mare. Her pink mane flowed in the somewhat chilly breeze and she looked over the young colt with a smile of approval. "Ah. Young master Pip. How very nice to finally meet you." She bowed in respect. "Fancy Pants has told me a lot about you." Pip Squeak bowed back in fear of being rude. "Yes, mister Fancy Pants has told me about you as well miss Fleur." She giggled and rubbed her chin with her hoof. "He has now, has he?" She smirked a little and stepped aside to let him in. "I would be quiet, he is hard a work with his usual business." He bowed once again and sheepishly made his way past the beautiful mare after she hanged his saddlebags near the door. After refusing an offer for something to eat, he walked through the kitchen and into Fancy Pant's study. The stallion was hard at work, levitating check books and numerous other pieces of literature to gloss over as he worked. In order to announce his presence, Pip cleared his throat. Fancy looked up and smiled, placing his quill and books down to greet the colt. "Ah! Young master Pip! I was beginning to think you would not make it." He adjusted his monocle and cleared some of the books off of his desk, arranging them back on the shelves. "I'm sorry for interrupting Mr. Fancy Pants, I can leave if I am stopping you from working." Fancy Pants shook his head and levitated a nearby chair in front of his desk. "Not at all dear boy! Take a seat." Pip nodded and jumped up onto the chair. After doing so, he heard Fleur enter the room with a tea set that she sat down in the middle of them. Fancy Pants rubbed his hooves together and carefully poured himself a cup. He took a sip and sighed happily. "As grand as always Fleur." She smiled at the comment and made her way out, giving Pip a playful wink that made him blush intensely. He turned back to Fancy Pants and seen a cup levitating in front of his face. "Do try some, dear boy. You will not regret it." Pip took the cup carefully into his hooves and looked into the cup to see a clear, green liquid. He shrugged and sipped a little. Then he took another. Then he tried to chug it, but was stopped by Fancy Pants with his magic. "Tea is a drink to be enjoyed, Pip, not gulped. Take your time." Pip nodded quickly and slowly continued to sip. Fancy Pants nodded and cleared his throat. "So, what brings you here today? More lessons?" Pip nodded eagerly. "Oh yes! I really want to continue. I was up almost all night studying about the pre-banishment years of manners." Fancy Pants raised his eyebrows in surprise and once again adjusted his monocle. "Well, that is very good indeed! That means we can move on to the post-banishment years without fault. Can you summarize what you learned?" He brought his hooves together and leaned forward. Pip cleared his throat. "Before the banishment of Princess Luna, high class ponies in Canterlot tended to talk in something known as the ROYAL CANTERLOT VOICE!" He yelled and coughed due to the strain. "A lot of common ponies tended to speak normally but, if high class ponies wanted to keep their title, they had speak in that voice when giving speeches, making announcements, speaking their vows on their wedding day, and they even had to yell goodnight to everypony from their windows to let them know that the high class had laid to rest so that the low class could know it was time for bed. Because, according to a book I read last night, the common ponies were to dumb to know it was time for bed so the rich had to tell them it was." Fancy Pants clapped his hooves together in applause and laughed. "Fantastic job Pip! But remember, that last part is just opinion." Pip nodded as if it was obvious. "I do believe there was some bias in those books and they tended to call the common ponies something along the lines of..." Pip tapped his chin in thought until Fancy Pants chimed in. "Trash that pollutes the very air of Canterlot?" Pip perked up and nodded. "Yes, that's it!" Fancy Pants and Pip Squeak laughed for a moment before they were interrupted by Fleur, who was holding a letter. "Letter for you Mr. Fancy Pants, your eyes only." She said and dropped the letter on his desk. Fancy opened it with his letter opener and skimmed over the contents quickly. He gasped in disbelief and immediately got up. "Fleur, I want you to watch the house and have some tea ready when I get back. Be sure to balance the bits in our account correctly and do not respond to Hayseed Turnip Truck's letters unless it sounds dire." As he was going through these orders, he had gotten up from his desk and put on his black vest, put on his bow-tie, and made his way to the door in a hurry. Pip had followed after him. "Mister Fancy Pants? What's going on?" Fancy Pants glanced in his direction and focused back to getting ready. "I'll explain on the way." Pip Squeak gasped and ran in front of Fancy Pants. "You mean I can come with you?" Fancy nodded and gave a quick kiss to Fleur, seeing this made Pip blush but he was re focused when he felt the weight of his saddlebags on his flanks. Fleur nodded and Pip bowed then he followed after Fancy Pants. "What's going on, sir?!" Pip yelled after Fancy Pants as he ran down the street a little bit ahead of Pip. Fancy Pants did not look back but he did hand him the letter with his magic. "But it's for your eyes only!" Pip yelled again. Fancy Pants shook his head. "It does not matter. That letter can explain it better than I can." They weaved through the sea of ponies while Pip tried to read. *** Dear Mr. Fancy Pants, Fancy Pants! Oh Celestia! Last night, I was walking down the street with my wife, enjoying the beauty of Luna's moonlight on the city when we are attacked by some...thing! Violence was not our way, so we took off running. The thing simply would not let up! We ran for about twenty minutes before my wife suggested we split up. Me, being the gentlecolt, did not want to abandon her to this danger! However, before we could react, we were hit with a blast that separated us. I flew onto the pavement and my beautiful wife was flung into a nearby alley. I heard her scream and I searched frantically for her but, alas, I could not find her! I only found her locket. But it was covered in ash and...I think you know the rest. Meet me and the Canterlot Royal Guard at the scene of the crime: Horseshoe Lane near house number 345. Please hurry! Sincerely, Jet Set