The Haunted Mansionby lunabronyChapters01 - What in Tarnation?02 - Welcome to the Mansion03 - A Chilling Challenge04 - Bridle Gossip05 - A Few Final Words00 - The Cast (Character Spoilers)01 - What in Tarnation?Sunrise seemed like an eternity ago. The clucking of chickens completely surrounded Applejack, several dozen of them all watching her with suspicious, distrustful eyes. It was the same routine that had been performed every morning for years now, and although the chickens tolerated her presence, they never seemed to quite understand why she was there. Collecting eggs was a thankless, time consuming task. Every morning, Applejack would sweep a hoof under chicken after chicken after chicken, transferring the eggs that had been laid that day into a large basket. Some of the chickens would look confused, unable to figure out where the egg had gone. It had just been there a moment ago, but another would take its place tomorrow. Others would peck angrily at her, not allowing their prize to be given up so easily. Upon completion of the collection process, Applejack exited through the door to the hutch and immediately took in a breath of fresh air. She never quite got used to that smell, the stink of dozens of chickens mixed with her own sweat from the day's activities. One job down, a thousand to go. That's what it felt like, anyway. No sooner had she emerged from the chicken hutch with her basket than Big Macintosh approached her from the left. This, normally, would have been alright, except Apple Bloom emerged at the same time from the right. Applejack loved her farm, and loved her family even more. But years of daily chores, running around saving Ponyville, and dealing with Pinkie Pie had left her exasperated. It was this moment that she finally realized she just couldn't take it anymore. "Applejack, Applejack!" the younger sister was bouncing up and down. "Y'all gotta come help with Winona, she got 'er head stuck in the gopher hole again, and ah can't get her out!" Big Macintosh simply pointed to the roof of the shed. "Shingles need replacin'." He said. He was a large stallion, and being on top of a roof just didn't make for a very safe situation. Apple Bloom piped up. "An' after we get that done, y'said you would help repaint our Clubhouse!" "Farmhouse too." Big Macintosh said, a stallion of few words as always. All of these words began swirling around in Applejack's head, so many things to do. Always so many things to do. Finish one job, three more cropped up in its place. Heh. Cropped. She'd have to remember that. But now was not the time. Now was the time of feeling over-worked and under-appreciated. Finally she'd had enough, and she threw her hat down on the ground in the dirt. "Ah'm goin' on vacation!" She announced, and both of her siblings gave her a very strange look. "Pardon?" Bloom asked. "Ah ain't had a day off in a dogs age, and ah ain't as young as ah used tah be." Macintosh looked offended at this. He was older than her. "Ah'm takin' a few days to m'self. Ah'll be back b'fore ya know it." She announced, and fully intended to leave at that very moment, though she did stop to remove Winona's head from the gopher hole. Couldn't just leave the poor pup like that, after all. Apple Bloom looked up on her big sister with big, pleading eyes. She almost looked hurt, in a way, though that was just her method of subtle manipulation. "Dontcha like workin' with us anymore, Applejack?" She asked. "Of course ah do, Sugarcube. But there comes a time when even need to recharge. Workin' sunup to sundown, hour after hour, day after day, no shortage of things that need doin'. Ain't got no time fer mahself, y'understand." The younger sibling frowned. "Ah guess. Ah jes' din' think work was that hard, ah get through it okay, and ah'm younger'n you." Applejack smiled. "That's cuz yer still a youngin', youngin'. Y'all jes' leave the heavy stuff tah me an' Macintosh. Trust me, when yer older, y'll start gettin' more responsibility an' more chores, and y'll be wishin' y'were young again. Now go help Macintosh then play with yer friends." "Okay!" Bloom wasted no time in running off, her energy seemed limitless. Applejack wished hers was as well. *** Having no immediate plans to go anywhere extravagant, Applejack made her way to the train station, where she threw down a few bits for a carriage. Trains couldn't go everywhere, after all, and it would be nice to momentarily be the one BEHIND the harness instead of under it. She paid no attention to the stallion pulling it, only responding to his query of destination with "Whatever inn is open." The carriage ride began pleasantly enough, rolling hills, a soft ride passing by other ponies who didn't have to get up at the crack of dawn and actually had some time to themselves. The carriage passed through Ponyville, taking the scenic route, and travelled along the outskirts towards the Everfree Forest. This concerned Applejack somewhat, as she had no intention of entering the dark and dangerous territory of Timberwolves and Ursa Majors. "Uh, excuse me?" Applejack called. "Ah'd really like tah not go into that there forest, if it's all th' same. There's a little inn a few miles from here that-" Her request went unanswered, in fact, as the carriage passed through the border of the Everfree Forest, it actually began to pick up speed. Applejack narrowed her eyes, and stuck her head out the window. "EXCUSE ME." She called to the stallion pulling the carriage. "Ah JUST said, ah didn't... want... to..." Her voice trailed off, for the sight which befell her eyes was completely unexpected. Her driver, for all intents and purposes, may have been Big Macintosh. The carriage continued to speed up, the stallion running faster and approaching dangerous levels of velocity. Her driver, large, broad shouldered and red, paid no attention to the winding curves of the dirt road. Applejack was thrown to the floor of the carriage, slamming into the side of the door as the vehicle tipped and turned. She managed to pick herself up just long enough to launch herself towards the partition that separated the carriage from the harness. She held on with both front hooves, just long enough to see the driver rear up on both hooves. Although the stallion had no cutie mark, an effect which Applejack thought rather strange, stranger still was the uncanny resemblance to Macintosh. A Clydesdale for sure, dark red in color, with an light orange cropped tail. She could only assume the mane would have been the same, but it was impossible to tell. For when the stallion pulling her carriage reared up on his hind legs, she could clearly see that the apparition was in fact headless. "Bwaaaaaah!" Applejack cried, and flung herself backwards. The carriage swung around a corner at that moment, and the farm pony was traveling at such a direction that she flew right out through the door, tumbling head over hooves and skidding facedown in the dirt in the dark shadows of the Everfree Forest. This vacation was not turning out well at all. She heard something crack, but a quick test of all four limbs and an absence of pain revealed that nothing was broken. Applejack looked up just in time to see the carriage disappearing around the bend of the dirt road farther down, still pulled by its mystical mount. Rising to her hooves, Applejack took in her surroundings. She had, surprisingly enough, landed in front of a pair of enormous black iron gates. The decor was such that the gratework seemed to be molded in the shape of bones of varying shapes and lengths. The gates themselves were attached to meticulously groomed hedge, which stretched in either direction as far as the eye could see. Beyond the gate, following a small garden, was the biggest house that she had ever seen. "What in tarnation?" Applejack spoke aloud, to nobody in particular. A reasonable question, for the house was unlike she had ever witnessed. It was at least three floors in height, supported in front by heavy marble columns which seemed to stretch forever towards the sky. The house was in a state of decay, for what shutters were not missing from the windows were barely hanging on, shingles were missing, paint was peeling. The steps leading up to the front walkway were rotting and broken. Yet the garden in front of the house was flawless. Hedges and bushes perfectly trimmed, tombstones lined on either side with perfect precision. A long figure stood at one of these burial sites, disrupting the ground with a heavy shovel and dressed in a flowing black cloak. "Oh, this ain't gonna be good..." The farm pony said, pushing her way through the gate, which opened with surprising ease. She hadn't expected them to open so freely, but upon entering the grounds the gates creaked and slowly swung shut behind her. With a groan, she whirled around and pulled on them. Nothing. She pushed on them. Nothing. They were stuck. "Great, this is how ponies go missin' and are never heard from again..." she muttered. She slowly approached the figure, who turned as she drew nearer. It was the last someone on earth she wanted to see right now, and she couldn't help giving a slight jump at the recognition. "Welcome, foolish mortal. Forgive me, I didn't mean to scare you prematurely. Not THIS time anyway." Discord said with a grin, his eyes reflecting the sunlight. Or was it malice? Applejack wasn't sure. "The real scares shall come, but all in due time." "Discord! What did you do?!" Applejack demanded. Of course, how could she have been so foolish? It was the only logical explanation, ponies running around with their heads missing and giant houses springing up right out the buck nowhere. "Discord? I'm afraid you must have me confused with someone else. My name is Master Booregard, and I am merely a servant here. As for your accusation, I haven't done anything. I've been here, as I always am, preparing resting places for our dearly departed guests. It is my purpose, I suppose, to remain eternally here, tending not just the plants which can never die, but the guests who can never live. Sort of poetic, really. " A chill ran through Applejack's spine. "I don't believe fer a minute y'ain't had nothin' t'do with this. Ah want answers!" She stomped her hoof down to further emphasize this, but it only resulted in yet another unsettling smile from Not-Discord. "And answers you shall have. I can only assume you want lots of them, for there are lots of questions. But first, come inside, out of the rain." Applejack frowned. "But it ain't-" There was a crack, and a flash of lightning, and a torrential downpour opened up over her head. She coughed a bit, and out of suspicion, tasted it. "Chocolate. Some things never change." With that, she glared at Discord. "Ah ain't done with you yet." She warned, and made her way inside. The doors creaked open on their own, anticipating her arrival. "Look alive!" Discord called after her, already turning his back on her to resume his foreboding task of digging graves. "Because nothing else will!" The last thing Applejack heard before the doors slammed shut was his contagious, booming laughter. 02 - Welcome to the MansionApplejack wasn't having any of this. All she wanted was to be by herself for a day or two, relax, and maybe read a book. She was a fairly logical pony, enjoying the benefits of long hours of hard work. Honest work. This whole facade of fancy tricks and illusions didn't sit right with her at all. Especially since she still blamed Discord for whatever was going on here, as he was usually behind things like this. The doors which slammed behind her were met with an instant look of annoyance and dissatisfaction, even as whirled in place to place the heavy iron rungs around her front hooves and pull with all of her considerable strength. The doors didn't move. They might as well have been made of concrete and fused together. Applejack fell back to all fours, a much more comfortable position, and lined up her back legs. "Like shootin' fish in a barrel." She said with confidence, and bucked the doors as hard as she could. The heavy doors shuddered slightly, but remained intact. Neither pushing nor pulling was going to get her anywhere. The farm pony snorted in irritation. "Having trouble, are we?" Came a voice from the top of the stairs. The newest arrival of the mansion looked up with no small degree of surprise to find a small figure descending the Grand Staircase. Dressed in a dapper suit jacket with a top hat perched upon his head, he was the exact duplicate of the baby dragon that Applejack had left behind in Ponyville. "Spike! Thank Celestia. Confounded doors are stuck, ah can't get out! Do ya know how to open 'em up for me?" She asked. "I'm not Spike," The dragon said casually. "Oh, right, yeah, ah fergot, y'all are playin' this stupid game with me. Alright, who are ya then?" "Why, I'm your Ghost Host, of course. Welcome to the mansion." "Oh, real cute." Applejack muttered. Spike grinned proudly. "I know, right? I thought of that all by mys-" He coughed suddenly. "I mean... SILENCE! Your attempts to open the doors will prove fertile! No, wait. Fuchsia? Fur... Fettle... you can't leave!" He said finally, with a tone of frustration. "Not until the rain stops, anyway." "AHA!" Applejack announced. "Gotcha there! It ain't rain-" She had been in the process of turning to the window at this moment, and only now noticed the torrential downpour of liquid chocolate which was relentlessly pelting the windows from outside. She pulled her hat off her head and threw it angrily onto the floor. "Ah've jes' about it with this game!" She huffed. "Let me out!" "I CAN'T," Spike explained patiently. "You'll have to wait until morning. If you survive the night, that is. Don't worry about being bored, though. We have many haunts here who I'm sure will be happy to meet you. Perhaps you might even solve a mystery or two!" At this, Applejack lost patience. She charged towards the dragon, intending to flip him onto her back and be done with this whole charade. But that was not what happened, and what happened instead was not something she cared to ever repeat again. She watched as the dragon came closer and closer in her field of vision, and then, quite suddenly, she went through him. Immense pain stung her body from all directions as she tripped and tumbled to the floor, all four legs twitching. Needles stabbed every inch of her body as if she'd plunged headfirst into an arctic lake. Applejack was not the type to cry out, but did indeed look incredibly uncomfortable. "Agh! What was that?!" She gasped, struggling to get back onto her hooves. All four legs felt like they'd fallen asleep at once, and it took quite a bit of doing before she was able to move again. "You know, if you'd asked, I could have warned you not to do that," Spike said. "it's extremely impolite. We're already dead, no need to make a show of it." "Dead?! You... but... how..." Applejack began to slowly back away from him now, her eyes widened with fear. "Y'all mean... yer actually spirits? This place really is haunted?" "We prefer the term spiritually inhabited. But yes. It is." Spike said. "You're welcome to explore, but I will warn you, some of the ghouls are... less than welcoming. Enjoy your stay, and due to the dark corridors, if you do find a flashlight, please use it sparingly. The spirits are rather sensitive to bright lights, you see," he explained, then disappeared before her eyes into wisps of vapor, which in turn evaporated seconds later before she could ask any more questions. "Aw... this ain't good... this really ain't good..." Applejack muttered to herself. To make matters worse, she was gradually beginning to suspect that young Apple Bloom's story about being stalked by zombie blank flanks deep in the forest was, perhaps, not as fabricated as she had initially thought. But now was not the time for that. Applejack began to get her bearings, looking about the enormous entryway that she found herself in. In front of her, the Grand Staircase stretched upwards, its steps covered by a faded red carpet which had certainly seen better days. It was stained a darker red in several areas that Applejack really didn't want to think about. On each side of the staircase, a hallway led further back into the house. She opted for the left one. "Ah really don't like this place." She decided, mostly due in part to the confusing sign hanging over the archway to the side of the stairs. ENDLESS HALLWAY. PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK. "Lies, ah can see th' end of the hallway right there!" Applejack said, and broke into a run for the other end. She started slowly at first, and seemed to gain some ground. Doors of all sizes flew past her galloping legs at irregular intervals, determined as she was to find something that resembled logic in this twisted mansion. This hallway was not one of those things. The faster she ran, the further away the end of the hallway seemed to get. She ran even faster, reaching speeds normally reserved for competitions, and still the doorway which she could plainly see at the other end moved away from her. At last she skidded to a halt, panting and gasping for breath, and, with a sense of dread, looked behind her. She was barely three feet from the Grand Staircase. "OH COME ON!" She complained. "Fine, can't go that way, ah'll find another way." Reaching for the nearest door, she turned the knob, and entered. Applejack found herself in an expansive library, one which stretched for quite a ways and wound between aisles and aisles of books and scrolls. Some appeared quite new, others she surmised by the look of them had been around since before the founding of Equestria itself. She entered quietly, noting a few ponies sitting near the tables, reading. None of them looked familiar, which she found was actually rather comforting. She had begun to think that she'd over worked herself to the point of exhaustion, and this entire mansion was just her own subconscious. But it was impossible for her to imagine face she'd never seen before, Twilight had spouted this as one of her many odd facts. "Hello?" She called. And got no answer. She ventured a bit deeper into the library. "Hello?!" She called again. "Shh!" A voice hissed at her. "Aw no y'all did NOT just-" "SHH!" The voice came again, and Fluttershy emerged right through the center of one of aisles. "Be quiet! That is, if you don't mind. Spirits are trying to read." "Ah din'-" "Shh!" Applejack narrowed her eyes. A dull headache was forming in her skull, but she lowered her voice. "Ah' din' know the dead could read." "Oh, of course we can. We have so many wonderful stories here," Fluttershy said proudly. "Uh... huh." Applejack scratched her head. "Y'got the new Daring Do? Dash would like that." "Nope." "Oh. Instruction manuals? Told Twilight ah'd try to find out how t'put together a toaster." "No. Sorry." "...Horror novels?" Fluttershy's ears pinned back. "Oh, goodness no!" "Well gosh dang it, what DO y'all have? This place is huge!" "Ghost stories!" Fluttershy squeaked. "...Yer kiddin' me." "Oh, no! Our library is fully stocked with priceless first editions! All written by ghost writers, of course. Some of them even haunt here! They're ever so nice, would you like to meet them?" Applejack facehooved. She wasn't getting anywhere with this. "Alright, fine, ah ain't even gonna ask. Ah jes' wanna get out of here. Is there another way out of here?" She asked. "The endless hallway din' get me anywhere." "Of course it didn't. It's endless." Fluttershy replied. "I'm so sorry, but there's only one way out. Of course, there's always my way..." She started cackling, the effect of which was ruined by the daintiest fit of coughing Applejack had ever heard. "Uh... y'all alright?" She asked. "What exactly IS your way?" "Oh, the back door." Fluttershy said once she'd calmed down. "Through the back of the aisles, on your right. It'll take you through the music room." She squeaked. Applejack sighed with relief. Finally she was getting somewhere. "THANK-" "Shh!" Fluttershy scolded. "...Thank you." Applejack said. "S'agood thing yer all dead, or ah've a feelin' ah'd kill y'all m'self by the time ah get outta here." She said irritably, and moved in the direction that Fluttershy had indicated. "What a nice pony." Fluttershy said, and disappeared into the stacks of books again. Applejack found a second door partially hidden behind the aisles at the rear of the library, and was just about to push it open when she noticed a rather strapping young haunt lounging near the end of one of the tables. Recognizing him immediately, her interest was again caught. "Let me guess, y'aint Shining Armor?" she asked. The stallion looked over at her. He was dressed in a full uniform, complete with straps on the shoulders and brass buttons down the chest. Tattered pants barely clung to his back end, held in place by the long strap of a canteen which currently doubled as a belt. "I'm afraid I don't know any Shining Armor," he said. His voice was broken and full of sadness, an amount of such mourning that it left Applejack momentarily caught off guard and lost for words. The farm pony swallowed hard. "Course. Y'jes' look like somepony ah know." She said finally. "Wha's wrong? Y'look more lost'n a penguin in th'desert." Not-Shining-Armor looked out the window again. "I am separated from the one I love. Many, many years ago, I was set to be married to the love of my life. Our wedding was postponed on short notice when I was called off to battle in the Great Discordian War. I never made it home." He said sadly. "I have nothing but honor for Equestria, and I'd do it again if I had to in order to protect my homeland. But it kills me to know that my fiance is still out there somewhere, restlessly bound to this world, waiting for my return that will never come." Applejack felt her eyes fill with tears. "That's terrible." "I discovered this mansion, which appears to be a gate between this world and the next. A place for wandering souls to bide their time until they are at last released. I searched far and wide for my beloved, and could not find her. So now, I wait here, full of hope that one day I shall be reunited with her, and we may have the happy ending that was so suddenly taken from us. Please, I beg of you. If you should see her in your travels, bring us together once more. It pains me to be without her, and although I can only die once, every day that passes without her kills me yet again." Applejack nodded. "Ah'll look for her." She promised, and exited through the door, leaving the lonely stallion standing by the window. 03 - A Chilling ChallengeThe fate of all of the spirits who resided in this mansion were slowly getting to Applejack. She didn't want to care, she was still convinced she had entered some strange incarnation of purgatory. All of the haunts here were dead, she wasn't denying that. There could be no forgery of that awful chill she had experienced upon charging through Spike's body. But why did they all look so familiar? Every one of them, the eerie twin of someone she knew from home. Though none of them had gotten to her more than Shining Armor had. The sadness in his eyes had been genuine. He had lost someone he loved, and in turn, become lost himself. "Ah ain't never takin' a vacation again..." She muttered to herself, as she passed through the large door leading away from the lamenting soldier. Applejack entered another, much smaller hallway, this one appearing to lead towards a large open room. The hallway was lined with various urns and vases on either side, most of which were covered with spider webs and dust. She sneezed several times as she passed, coming into the open area. The room was circular here, large stained glass windows arcing around the edge of it. Chocolate rain continued to pour down outside, pattering against the glass. In the center of the room sat a coffin, on top of which sat Spike, looking as charming as ever in his little jacket. "Enjoying your tour?" He asked with a grin. The smile was unsettling, and Applejack couldn't decide whether she liked it or not. "Uh, sure ah guess." She replied. "You have nothing to be all that afraid of, the haunts here are all dying to meet you," he said. The lid of the coffin on which he was sitting began to raise, causing the dragon to lose his balance. "Let me out! Come on, it's not funny, let me out!" A strained voice protested from inside. Applejack swallowed hard. "Uh..." That was definitely not something she wanted to see. In a mansion which housed a thousand spirits, most of whom up until now were fairly nice about it, why in tarnation would THIS one be trapped, or alternatively, not allowed to leave the coffin? "Oh, don't mind her," Spike said casually. "In any case, I'll leave you be, for now. And in case you're wondering about trying to escape, the doors and windows have been sealed for the night. And so, I'll offer you a chilling challenge in exchange for your freedom. Find a way out!" The dragon walked down the hallway, cackling, and walked right through a wall before Applejack could pursue him. The farm pony glowered. She really didn't like this place. Even less so when the lid to the coffin burst open, and a dull pink figure raised itself from its depths. "FINALLY." The figure said, climbing out of its prison, and cracking its neck to the side before settling its eyes on Applejack. "Oooh, a new haunt!" she said, pushing her pink flattened mane out of her eyes. "Want to play a game?" "...Sure?" Applejack asked. By this point, she was not surprised by doppelgangers, although she still found it incredibly worrying that they all looked like her friends. And not a single one of them seemed aware of it. Although if this one was any indication, she may very well have some knowledge of her counterpart. It wouldn't be surprising. "Great!" The pink pony reached into the coffin, and her hoof emerged holding a large meat cleaver. It was stained, and Applejack really didn't want to think about why. "I call this game... cupcakes." She began to approach Applejack a wild grin on her face. "On second thought, ah ain't really in the mood for a game right now. Maybe later?" She asked, taking a few steps backwards, before bolting into a gallop in the other direction. Pinkie chased after her, laughing insanely. "Wait! I haven't even told you the rules yet!" Applejack ran, skidding around the corner. She dove into an open doorway, shutting the door as quickly and quietly as possible. Her heart was pounding, although she hadn't run that far for an earth pony, and she wasn't even close to being out of breath. She remained hidden there for what felt like hours. "Ah really gotta get outta here..." She whispered to herself. But perhaps even whispering had been an unfortunate decision, for the meat cleaver buried itself through the door just then, inches from Applejack's ear. "HERE'S PINKIE!" The pony laughed, yanking the meat cleaver out to ready it again. "Aha!" Applejack announced. "Y'all ain't supposed t'know who Pinkie is, so how'd y'know her name?" she challenged. Her assailant paused for a moment. "Just seemed like a Pinkie thing to say. Now hold still!" Applejack readied herself for a fight. "If yer gonna let out the bull, best be ready for a rodeo." It had been a fair while since applebucking season, but an earth pony was always in prime condition. "Not so fast!" A new voice, one Applejack hadn't heard before. She took several steps further backwards to distance herself from the crazy pony. Two more spirits emerged from the room she was in, which contained nothing more significant than several pieces of furniture covered in white cloths. The pony on the left was white, sporting large purple glasses and had what appeared to be an instrumental bow sticking through her neck. The other, a grey pony, was spattered with blood, although Applejack couldn't quite tell what was wrong with her. Pinkie, however, did not seem to want to go up against three of them, and glared at her target. "I'll get you later, and your little dog too!" Applejack frowned. "But Winona ain't-" That gave her pause, she hadn't seen any animals here yet. Did animals make it to the afterlife? She didn't want to think about never seeing Winona again, she was such a good dog. "Silence! I kill you!" Pinkie threatened. "I hope you're ready to wait forever, because forever is a really really really long time!" With that, she was gone. Turning around slowly, Applejack rubbed at her head. "Okay, now that that's over with, do ah even wanna know what's goin' on with you two?" "Ask Melody, she started it." The white one said irritably. "I did not, Rave!" The grey one insisted. "She tried to sneak up behind me during one of my recitals, and everypony KNOWS I'm jumpy, it was your own fault!" "You stabbed me through the neck!" Rave protested. "So you drop a bass on me?!" "Well you killed me first!" "GIrls!" Applejack cut them off, mostly because her brain simply refused to process all this new information. She didn't even want to think about all the illogical flaws in play here. "If y'all can't stand each other so much, why are y'helpin' me?" "We can't get away from each other, even in death, we're stuck together. It's infuriating." Melody responded. "At least I can keep an eye on Rave and make sure she doesn't throw any more instruments out the windows." "I said I was sorry! Something YOU still haven't done for impaling me with a ribbon." "It wasn't a ribbon, it was a bow, and I warned you a thousand times not to sneak up on me!" "What ah wouldn' give fer cider right now..." Applejack muttered. "Can EITHER of you tell me how t'get outta here?" "No." Rave said. Both ponies seemed remarkably eager to help, but appeared about as helpful as ants at a picnic. "Course y'can't." Applejack sighed. "But we know who can!" Melody insisted. "If anypony can get you out of here, it's The Gypsy." "Ah'm gettin' real tired of all this fancy talk," the farm pony warned. "Who's the gypsy and where is she?" "Down the hall, round the corner, third door right before the ballroom. Can't miss it!" Applejack tipped her hat. "Great. Thanks. Good luck t'both of you. Whoever y'are." She made her way out of the room, checking both ways first to ensure that the way was safe. Even as she left, she could hear Rave and Melody begin bickering again, and left them to their fate with a sigh. With no sign of Pinkie, she entered the third door around the corner. The room was dark, a single glowing green sphere set upon the center of a large table in the middle of the room. A few discarded pieces of furniture and instruments lay abandoned on the floor. Applejack approached. "Howdy? Gypsy? Ah got a bone t'pick with you, and-" Interrupted by a sudden tail curling shriek, a mystic head appeared within the confines of the crystal ball. Once again familiar, this one white with black stripes. Applejack facehooved. "Ah shoulda known..." The head interrupted her. "It is time to be silent, for soon you shall see, the spirits awaken, in disturbed harmony! So let us call forth those who've been entombed, For they very well may help you escape certain doom! Rap on a table, it's time to respond, Send us a message from somewhere beyond! Goblins and gremlins from last Halloween, Awaken, dear spirits, with your tambourine!" Applejack was quiet, afraid that at any moment some horrible monstrosity would sweep in and take her away. But nothing did. The gloomy silence was broken by a white pegasus with purple balloons on her flank suddenly phasing right through the wall, playing an accordion and being followed by several equally spiritual parasprites. The intrusion lasted only a few seconds, but it was enough to irritate the zebra, who glared at the white pegasus reproachfully. "Now, y'all were s'posed to be able to help me get outta this place?" Applejack asked. The Gypsy looked upon her thoughtfully. If leaving this buliding is what you desire, I'll give you a clue as to what must transpire. The mansion holds many, a thousand in fact, So in order to leave, in haste you must act. If you wish to leave without first meeting your doom, Then the answer is simple. You must make some more room. That was a bit confusing, and the farm pony had to think about it for a moment. "So if ah help a spirit or two to the afterlife, instead of just hangin' around here, ah can get outta this confounded place?" The Gypsy nodded in confirmation, and Applejack narrowed her eyes in determination. "Then it looks like ah'm goin' ghost huntin'." This place was starting to get to her, and Applejack wasn't about to have any of that. She had often considered herself the bravest of all of her friends, with Pinkie Pie being the occasional exception. She wasn't about to let this mansion shake her nerves now. "How do ah go about doin' that?" Many spirits wait in a broken state of mind, You need to reunite them with what's left behind. Applejack nodded. She'd keep an eye out. She walked past the crystal ball, stumbling over a chair and a flugelhorn. She slipped through the back door at the other end of the room, more determined than ever to leave this place once and for all. 04 - Bridle GossipAs Applejack exited through yet another door into yet another hallway, she had a disturbing thought. So many of these doors looked the same, and they seemed to be endless. It was impossible to tell how many there were. Had to be hundreds, at least. Most of the rooms were self contained, but many led into equally dark and confusing hallways. The lighting was abysmal, small lanterns with flickering candles were set into the walls every twenty feet or so, the elaborately carved bases of the lanterns draped with long abandoned spiderwebs and dust. Applejack couldn't help but shudder involuntarily. How many candles were there? How did all of them stay lit? Who did the lighting of so many candles? She had to guess it was Not-Discord, who had a way with simply making things happen without explanation. The earth pony continued down the long hallway that The Gypsy had directed her towards, reaching a large staircase leading upwards. She hadn't even been off the ground floor yet, and was already lost. This place certainly seemed bigger on the inside than the outside, a fact which had seemed previously reserved for the large blue box that a mysterious resident of Ponyville often frequented. She shrugged it off as simply one of those things, and climbed the staircase. The stairs had a gentle sweeping curve to them, and were carpeted with a faded red fabric. They led up to the second floor, which went without saying. Spike, or the Ghost Host, as this incarnation preferred to be called, was waiting for her at the second floor landing. "Enjoying your night?" the dragon asked. He seemed particularly amused by her disorientation, as if he had seen it many times before, but it was one of those things that never got old. "Not really." Applejack replied. "Pity." Spike said. "But I have good news that might just cheer you up! The haunts here have recieved your sympathetic vibrations and are beginning to materialize! Isn't that exciting?" "Quit talkin' fancy and explain yerself." All of this voodoo nonsense didn't help things at all, and her head was swimming from all this spiritual technical jargon she was apparently expected to know. "You went to see The Gypsy, didn't you?" Spike asked. He seemed all the more merry at seeing her frustration. "Yes." "And she summoned the spirits." "Well ah suppose she said somethin' about-" "So I should expect you'll be seeing many more haunts over the course of the evening, that's what summoning does, you see," Spike concluded. "Oh, great." Applejack groaned."Jes' what ah needed, more dead ponies." "Oh, look alive, Applejack!" "Yer Gatekeeper already used that pun. Wasn't funny then and it isn't funny now. Yer runnin' out of jokes there, Spike." "I'm not Spike!" The dragon insisted. "But regardless, I must go once more. The spirits are assembling for a wake, and they're expecting me. But if you do see The Gypsy again, would see if she might summon me up a cool mustache? I've always wanted one." "Yeah, ah'll get right on that." Applejack pushed past him, limping slightly as the passage was narrow, and her left hind leg accidentally phased right through the dragons body. Encased in ice, she found it went completely numb for several minutes, and had to drag it on the floor until the feeling returned. She made her way to the end of the hall, where a huge pair of double doors awaited. Loud music was coming from within, all sorts of instruments which she recognized. Brass, percussion, even an organ. "Well, here goes nothin'." Applejack sighed, and pushed the doors open. She was immediately assaulted by party music. It was bland and relatively tasteless, but that didn't seem to matter to the fifty or so spiritual guests swinging, waltzing and swaying to the noise. Applejack had entered an absolutely enormous ballroom which could easily fit five hundred ponies. Hanging from the ceiling were heavy chandeliers of brilliant design, their many smaller lights casting an eerie glow over the entirety of the room. Several long tables had been pushed together in the center of the room and covered with a tattered tablecloth, on which sat bowls and plates of various rotting foods. The flies seemed more interested in this particular accommodation than the guests were. In fact, several couples were swinging right through the table, showing no knowledge that the feast was there at all. Wandering deeper into the ballroom, Applejack tried to ignore the racket coming from the orchestra section. Her attention was drawn towards one dancing lavender pony near the back, who's limbs were flailing so wildly underneath her dress that she very much appeared to be having a seizure. "Excuse me," Applejack coughed, and got no response. "Excuse me!" Louder, this time. The 'dancing' pony looked up. "Oh, hello!" Used to the facade by now, the earth pony tried a different approach. "What's yer name?" The unicorn frowned. "I'm sorry, do I know you? Or, DID I know you, rather?" "Nah. Y'jes look familiar, that's all." "Oh, okay. Can I help you?" Applejack frowned. "Pardon if this is a rude question, but how'd y'die?" "Oh, that's a bit funny, actually. You'd never guess, but I'm actually a bit of a terrible dancer. I guess I embarrassed so many ponies that they didn't want to be seen with me, so they threw me off the east tower." "How nice of them," Applejack said sarcastically. "Yes, well, jokes on them. We're all residing here now, where I can dance as much as I want, and they could only kill me once!" With that, she began dancing again, and Applejack left to weave through the dancing guests. An enormous shot rang out from over her head without warning, and she flung herself to the ground so quickly that she kicked a chair right through a light purple mare, who looked up from trying (unsuccessfully) to drink from a wine bottle. "Well I never!" The mare said, and stormed off. Disturbed, Applejack at last looked up to try and identify what had sounded like it exploded. A large pair of paintings set about ten feet apart from each other on the wall were quickly found to be the answer. It took her a moment to recognize the source, for at first glance the paintings only held pictures of horses. But upon further inspecting, a pair of spirits emerged forth from them. Unicorns, the both of them, dressed in old fashioned clothes. "Nice try, brother of mine, but you won't do me in so quickly!" Said one, and fired a shot from his pistol, which flew over his counterpart's head. "Oh, but don't you see, I've already done you in!" Said the other, and retaliated in turn, although his pistol merely clicked. "So you have, so you have!" Said the first. Applejack growled. "S'a good thing y'all are dead already, or ah'd do ya in mahself." She left their company and went to the edge of the room, where a single door awaited. Curious, she began to open it. "No, wait!" shouted a voice, presumably one of the guests. "That's where we keep the monster!" Applejack snorted. "Ain't no such thing as monsters." She opened the door, and was immediately met with the rattling of chains. She yelled in fright, for all she could see lunging at her from the depths of the shadowy room beyond was a sizeable bulk of thick, pink fur. The monster was chained back so as to stay within the room, and stopped short to look over whoever had opened the door. Its eyes moved up, then down, then up again. It gave off an excited gasp, and ran its tongue across Applejack's face. Applejack glared at it. "Hey! Y'all can't jes' lick a pony like that! What do ya got to say fer yourself?" The pink ball of fur just looked at her, and stuck its tongue out. "Pbbbbbt." Applejack slammed the door. "Ah thought y'all said there was a monster in there!" "I did. I never said it was a particularly effective monster." "Some ponies..." she sighed, and made her leave of the ballroom entirely. Another room down that she had absolutely no intention of going back to. "Okay, so that was a dead end, guess it's back to tryin' doors." She mumbled, and opened the first one on the left. A soft glow lit up from within, and Applejack's eyes widened in terror as haunting music played. MY LITTLE PONY, MY LITTLE PONY! EVERY DAY IS A DREAM COME TRUE! MY LITTLE PONY, MY LITTLE PONY! HOW I LOVE TO PLAY WITH YOU! Applejack slammed the door shut as fast as she could, heart racing, feeling very much like pulling her eyes right out of her face. "Never... again... never... bucking... again..." Her voice cracked. She couldn't even describe how awful the sight was that she'd just seen, nopony should ever have to be exposed to that! "Gotta get outta here..." She shook herself off, still quite rattled, and instead opted to go back downstairs. Making her way through twisting corridors towards the back of the house. She passed through a long hallway which contained an eerie line of portraits. Normally this would be nothing unusual, for she didn't recognize any of the stallions that occupied each frame. But each different stallion was accompanied by the same mare, a mare in a wedding dress, her head cloaked by a veil. The final portrait by the door contained a stallion she did recognize, one whom she had spoken to only a few hours before. The lost lover. Deciding to get to the bottom of this, she decided to try the door leading outside. The door opened, and Applejack exited into the back portion of the mansion. The chocolate rain had stopped for now, but it was still pitch black. A couple of lanterns barely illuminated a smaller set of iron gates, similar to the ones which she had entered through in the first place. Aside from that, another path branched off to the left. leading towards a covered gazebo, on which a pony in a ruined wedding dress sat silently in the moonlight. A long, candy striped mane fluttered wistfully over the railing. Applejack approached, and the mare turned. Applejack was dumbstruck. "Cadence?" "Constance." The mare corrected. "You must be Applejack. We have much to talk about." "We do? And how do y'all know my name?" "Oh, the whole mansion is talking about you." "Are they now? Y'know bridle gossip really ain't nice." "From what I hear, you have free rein of the mansion, and may be able to help me." Not-Cadence said gently. "Yeah, ah'm always willin' t'help, but enough horsin' around," she said. "Jes' goin' out on a limb here, but y'don't by chance happen to be waiting for a stallion to come back from war, are ya?" The mares eyes glistened with something Applejack couldn't quite identify. Greed, perhaps? No, excitement? Either way, she wasn't sure she liked it. "Yes, yes I am! Have you seen him?!" "Ah might've encountered him." she said. "Wonderful, can you take me to him? "Maybe. Why did y'have so many stallions before this one? What happened to them?" Not-Cadence frowned, and looked at the ground. Her expression and tone were particularly remorseful. "Unfortunate accidents," she said. "I appear to be the unluckiest mare who had ever lived, for although I was fortunate to find such kind and loving partners, marriage has an unfortunate result of causing ponies to lose their heads. You know how it is." "Right..." Applejack said suspiciously. "But you don't hafta worry about that now. Yer both dead, so reunite, and that'll be the end of it.: At this, Constance looked rather annoyed. "Regardless, ah think ah can set that up. And then you two kin be together-" "FOREVERRRRRRR!" exclamed Pinkamena, who'd been hiding behind a tombstone. She pointed at Applejack, then at herself, then drew her hoof across her neck. Applejack shivered, and Pinkamena disappeared into the shadows again. "Wonderful." Not-Cadence exclaimed, with a fairly unenthusiastic tone. "Now we just need to make our way through the gardens, and I'll take care of the rest." "Can't ah jes' go back through the-" She turned back to where the door had been a moment ago, and was treated to the sight of a solid brick wall. "...of course. Ah don't even wanna know why or how that happened..." She said, and turned her attention to the other path, the one leading into the dark gardens. The gardens which she had absolutely no desire to go through. "Looks like we're goin' the long way." Author's Note Flim and Flam cameo credited to Einhander 05 - A Few Final WordsWith a sigh of defeat, Applejack began to make her way through the rusted iron gates that led from the back of the house into the cemetery. The dark path, only barely illuminated by a glow from Constance's horn, dipped and turned in no particularly logical manner. Dark and twisted branches hung over the path from even darker and more twisted trees, several of which almost seemed to possess eyes of their own which followed them as they passed. The branches caught and dragged across Applejack's coat, causing her to jump several times. "Easy now, Applejack. Yer almost outta here," she said to herself, passing by a large mausoleum. The crypt itself was not what gave her pause, for it was not at all uncommon to see one in a cemetery, but rather the bricks which had been laid to block up the doorway. Missing from the barrier were two bricks one on top of each other, through which a single skeletal hoof and leg hung and lay motionless, a few patches of light blue fur still visible. A few words had been written on the outside of the bricks with what appeared to be faded blood. THEY'RE REAL . The farm pony shuddered. "What's that all about?" It appeared as though its occupant had been alive at the time of burial, and either desperately wanted out, or perhaps even been the one to barricade herself in the crypt in the first place. There was really no telling in a place like this. "Who knows?" Constance shrugged. "Every spirit here has their own story to tell, some sweet, others not so much." The two rounded a corner, following the path through gravestones of varying sizes, only to encounter an eerily harmonious song coming from around the bend. Applejack pressed further on, curious to find out who exactly would be singing in a haunted cemetery, although if the night thus far was any indication, she really wasn't sure she wanted to know. She rounded the bend, and found three stone carved busts perched on pedestals around a small covered shrine, singing for no apparent reason. One had a horn, the other two did not. When you hear the knell of a requiem bell, weird glows gleam where spirits dwell! Restless bones etherealize! Rise as spooks of every size! Grim grinning ghosts come out to socialize! Applejack, of course, stopped right in her tracks, for her brain was insisting that the statues were the exact replications of the Cutie Mark Crusaders, a fact which just didn't sit right with her. She approached as the song finished, as the three heads turned to look at her. It was truly unsettling seeing her little sister turned to stone and decapitated like this, but it appeared that the pattern of doppelgangers continued, for Bloom didn't seem to have any idea who Applejack was. "Beware of ghouls that groan and spells of witches!" Apple Bloom warned. "Of bodies that tremble and voodoo that twitches!" Sweetie Belle continued. "The darkness takes all, and- my nose itches," Scootaloo complained. "Dang it, that ain't scary at all, try harder!" Bloom insisted. Applejack coughed. "Ahem. Ah was hopin' one of y'all could tell me how t'get outta here?" She was in absolutely no mood for this nonsense, and seeing her 'sister' in this state was bound to give her nightmares for weeks. "Of course!" Sweetie squeaked. "Just keep following the path, it'll take you right back out to the mansion!" Applejack didn't need to be told twice, and continued to do just that. The graveyard was terrifying and rather monotonous, momentarily leading her to believe that she would never escape. When all seemed lost, however, she found herself at yet another gate by the hedges, on which a red eyed raven watched her from its perch. "Nevermore! Nevermore!" The bird squawked. Applejack just glared at it, and turned her attention to the newest obstacle. The gate was blocked by a pair of wings from a gargoyle on either side. The gryphon on the left had its wing extended, which passed over the equally extended wing of the insect mare on the right. Applejack didn't care for either of them, although put her negativity aside to try and push the wings out of the way. They wouldn't move, and Constance stepped forward. "A magical gate, intended to keep intruders out," she explained. "Allow me." Her horn gave off a faint light, causing the wings of each creature to fold to a relaxed position. With the gate now unlocked, the doors pushed open. As they passed through them, the two statues mocked her. "Foalish mortal..." Ignoring them, Applejack made her way with Constance to the front of the house. She tried the doors and found them open, making a mental note that these doors only seemed to go in and not out. Now it was only a matter of following her hoofsteps from earlier. Weaving through the seemingly endless maze of rooms and hallways was easier the second time, and with every passing minute that drew closer to sunrise, Applejack felt a renewed sense of completion towards her goal. She pushed open the door leading to the window where she had first encountered the lonely veteran, and was relieved to see he was still standing there. He gave her a friendly smile at first, opening his mouth to say something when he noticed Constance behind her. His eyes widened with shock, which soon turned to joy. "Can it really be you, Constance?" he asked, his voice hesitant, not sure if he dared to believe it. "It can. And it is," she said in return, approaching him. "I waited for you, but you never returned. After so long, I merely assumed you had been one of the lost soldiers. As I understand they only notified the families of those who could be... identified. Either way, I'm here for you now." "I had every intention of returning to you, but I was denied that chance," he insisted. "But now, here, we can be together again." He leaned in to nuzzle her neck, a gesture which she returned, and a soft glow began to build up inside him, and another at the tip of his horn. As their horns touched, a subtle sort of metamorphosis took place, and Constance suddenly relaxed slightly, as if relieved of whatever violent thoughts she might have been holding onto. "I'm afraid not," Constance replied, and the stallion looked shocked. "What?" "My longing for you turned to desperation, and eventually desperation turned to madness. I do hope I shall be with you again in some capacity, but I fear it will not be where you are going. You have been so patient, and waited for so very long, but I must disappoint you." Applejack looked very confused. "Wha's goin' on? Why are y'all gettin' all Crystal Empirey?" Constance looked at her. "Our business in this realm is completed, we have been reunited." The glow within the stallion that looked like Shining Armor grew ever brighter, and soon enough Applejack had to shield her eyes. "I will be with you again, I promise. No matter what it takes," the stallion said. "I love you." It was with that he burst forth in a dazzling display of light, a large golden orb shooting towards the sky and phasing through the ceiling. Applejack rushed to the window and watched for as long as she could, craning her head further upwards until her neck hurt. "And y'ain't going with him?" she asked finally. "Afraid not," Constance replied, the floor trembling beneath her hooves. A fissure began to open between the two of them, and gnarled demonic claws reached for her, grabbing, wailing and moaning echoing throughout the room. Applejack covered her ears from the terrible noise, but it only grew louder. "I loved him more than anything," Constance said loudly, "but with him gone, I still needed satisfaction. I loved and married several times to fill his place, but quickly grew bored with each successor, for they were not who I wanted. So I had to do away with them, you understand, once I realized they failed to serve my purpose." "Y'din' hafta kill them! Ain't no sense in that!" "My dear, what fun is there in making sense?" Constance smiled, a genuine grin, no longer as unsettling as it had been. "Thank you for all your help, I really do appreciate it. If you decide to haunt here, you may have my room." The claws grabbed onto her legs, hauling her into the glowing depths of the floor. Applejack was stuck, still moving backwards to escape the widening fissure, until finally the bride was hauled into unmentionable torment. The fissure slammed shut, the horrible cries ceased immediately, the only sign of anything unusual having occurred being a few scorch marks in the floor, and the years of therapy ahead that Applejack suspected she now needed. Turning around and leaving the scene, trying not to think about it, she once more encountered the Ghost Host, who stood by the front door. "Well, it appears that we have a couple new vacancies now," he offered. "So what's that mean? Can ah go home?" Applejack asked. "Yes." "Stop messin' with me! If y'give me ONE more stupid riddle, ah- what?" "Yes. You may go home." He gestured to the front door with a claw, which slowly creaked open by itself. "Oh. Well. Thank you then," she said, and made a run for the door. "Make sure to tell your friends, we're just dying for some new visitors!" Spike called. "Oh! And I almost forgot, a few final words! Beware of hitch-hiking ghosts!" Applejack, unfortunately, did not hear him, as she was focused on her quest to leave this building. The only obstacle now between her and the door was Pinkamena, who, true to her threats, held a hacksaw over her head, grinning maliciously. "Let's finish this! It's just you and me now, Applejack! I'm coming for-" her threat was interrupted as the farm pony barreled into her, sending the unfortunate pink spirit right through a closet door. Applejack was already out the door, which slammed behind her. It had a tendency to do that. "Ah ain't listenin' to nothin' else he says, ah'm LEAVIN' this gottdang place." She ran right past the groundskeeper, who was still standing in the same general area as he had been before. He opened his mouth, but Applejack shut him down. "Nope! Don't even try yer fancy talk on me, ah'm DONE!" She ran out of this terrifying place, and through the huge set of iron gates. A carriage was waiting for her, once more pulled by the headless red stallion. Applejack threw herself inside it, pointing accusingly further down the road. "Get me outta here!" She demanded. The stallion whinnied, and broke into a breakneck gallop away from the mansion. Applejack looked out the side window, relieved to see that the sun was starting to come up, just a bare glimmer on the horizon. "Thank Celestia that's over." She sighed, relaxing for the first time since the previous day. She hadn't slept all night, and exhaustion was creeping up on her. No, wait, that feeling wasn't exhaustion. It was the feeling of being watched. The hairs on her neck were standing on end, and she slowly turned, already regretting what she might find. The ghost of a pegasus was sitting next to her, perched precariously on the seat of the carriage as it flew around a bend. Poor thing must have suffered some terrible trauma to the head, her eyes were all askew. The ghost lifted up its hoof, which contained a small basket. "Muffin?" She asked. Applejack screamed, though more with rage than with fright, and flung open the door to the carriage. Despite its dangerous speeds, she'd had absolutely enough of this, and flung herself from the vehicle. Applejack hit the ground rolling, bouncing off the ground and down a hill. She rolled violently, accumulating quite a number of bruises before coming to a rest. She was barely able to get to her hooves by the time she looked up, stunned to find that not only had she come to rest in front of her own barn, Apple Bloom and Big Macintosh stood only a few feet away, looking down at her with concern and confusion. "Y'alright?" asked Macintosh. "You look like y'jes saw a ghost!" Bloom chirped. "WHERE?!" With a scream, Applejack bolted into the barn, followed by the unmistakable sound of the barn being locked from the inside. Her two siblings looked at each other, Bloom with significant confusion. "What'd ah say?" 00 - The Cast (Character Spoilers)The Players Apple Bloom... As Herself Applejack... As Herself Berry Punch... As Annoyed Dancer Big Macintosh... As Himself/The Headless Horse Cadance... As The Bride Chrysalis... As Gargoyle #1 Cutie Mark Crusaders... As The Singing Busts Derpy... As Guest Discord... As The Gravedigger Flam... As Dueling Ghost #1 Flim... As Dueling Ghost #2 Fluttershy... As The Librarian Gilda... As Gargoyle #2 Octavia... As Guest Pinkamena... As The Butcher Shining Armor... As The Groom Spike... As Ghost Host Surprise... As Guest Twilight... As The Tragic Dancer Vinyl Scratch... As Guest Zecora... As The Gypsy *More Characters shall be added as the story progresses. **If there is a certain character you would like to see make an appearance, leave ideas and suggestions in the comments. I cannot promise your idea will be used, but if it is, your name will be credited.
01 - What in Tarnation?Sunrise seemed like an eternity ago. The clucking of chickens completely surrounded Applejack, several dozen of them all watching her with suspicious, distrustful eyes. It was the same routine that had been performed every morning for years now, and although the chickens tolerated her presence, they never seemed to quite understand why she was there. Collecting eggs was a thankless, time consuming task. Every morning, Applejack would sweep a hoof under chicken after chicken after chicken, transferring the eggs that had been laid that day into a large basket. Some of the chickens would look confused, unable to figure out where the egg had gone. It had just been there a moment ago, but another would take its place tomorrow. Others would peck angrily at her, not allowing their prize to be given up so easily. Upon completion of the collection process, Applejack exited through the door to the hutch and immediately took in a breath of fresh air. She never quite got used to that smell, the stink of dozens of chickens mixed with her own sweat from the day's activities. One job down, a thousand to go. That's what it felt like, anyway. No sooner had she emerged from the chicken hutch with her basket than Big Macintosh approached her from the left. This, normally, would have been alright, except Apple Bloom emerged at the same time from the right. Applejack loved her farm, and loved her family even more. But years of daily chores, running around saving Ponyville, and dealing with Pinkie Pie had left her exasperated. It was this moment that she finally realized she just couldn't take it anymore. "Applejack, Applejack!" the younger sister was bouncing up and down. "Y'all gotta come help with Winona, she got 'er head stuck in the gopher hole again, and ah can't get her out!" Big Macintosh simply pointed to the roof of the shed. "Shingles need replacin'." He said. He was a large stallion, and being on top of a roof just didn't make for a very safe situation. Apple Bloom piped up. "An' after we get that done, y'said you would help repaint our Clubhouse!" "Farmhouse too." Big Macintosh said, a stallion of few words as always. All of these words began swirling around in Applejack's head, so many things to do. Always so many things to do. Finish one job, three more cropped up in its place. Heh. Cropped. She'd have to remember that. But now was not the time. Now was the time of feeling over-worked and under-appreciated. Finally she'd had enough, and she threw her hat down on the ground in the dirt. "Ah'm goin' on vacation!" She announced, and both of her siblings gave her a very strange look. "Pardon?" Bloom asked. "Ah ain't had a day off in a dogs age, and ah ain't as young as ah used tah be." Macintosh looked offended at this. He was older than her. "Ah'm takin' a few days to m'self. Ah'll be back b'fore ya know it." She announced, and fully intended to leave at that very moment, though she did stop to remove Winona's head from the gopher hole. Couldn't just leave the poor pup like that, after all. Apple Bloom looked up on her big sister with big, pleading eyes. She almost looked hurt, in a way, though that was just her method of subtle manipulation. "Dontcha like workin' with us anymore, Applejack?" She asked. "Of course ah do, Sugarcube. But there comes a time when even need to recharge. Workin' sunup to sundown, hour after hour, day after day, no shortage of things that need doin'. Ain't got no time fer mahself, y'understand." The younger sibling frowned. "Ah guess. Ah jes' din' think work was that hard, ah get through it okay, and ah'm younger'n you." Applejack smiled. "That's cuz yer still a youngin', youngin'. Y'all jes' leave the heavy stuff tah me an' Macintosh. Trust me, when yer older, y'll start gettin' more responsibility an' more chores, and y'll be wishin' y'were young again. Now go help Macintosh then play with yer friends." "Okay!" Bloom wasted no time in running off, her energy seemed limitless. Applejack wished hers was as well. *** Having no immediate plans to go anywhere extravagant, Applejack made her way to the train station, where she threw down a few bits for a carriage. Trains couldn't go everywhere, after all, and it would be nice to momentarily be the one BEHIND the harness instead of under it. She paid no attention to the stallion pulling it, only responding to his query of destination with "Whatever inn is open." The carriage ride began pleasantly enough, rolling hills, a soft ride passing by other ponies who didn't have to get up at the crack of dawn and actually had some time to themselves. The carriage passed through Ponyville, taking the scenic route, and travelled along the outskirts towards the Everfree Forest. This concerned Applejack somewhat, as she had no intention of entering the dark and dangerous territory of Timberwolves and Ursa Majors. "Uh, excuse me?" Applejack called. "Ah'd really like tah not go into that there forest, if it's all th' same. There's a little inn a few miles from here that-" Her request went unanswered, in fact, as the carriage passed through the border of the Everfree Forest, it actually began to pick up speed. Applejack narrowed her eyes, and stuck her head out the window. "EXCUSE ME." She called to the stallion pulling the carriage. "Ah JUST said, ah didn't... want... to..." Her voice trailed off, for the sight which befell her eyes was completely unexpected. Her driver, for all intents and purposes, may have been Big Macintosh. The carriage continued to speed up, the stallion running faster and approaching dangerous levels of velocity. Her driver, large, broad shouldered and red, paid no attention to the winding curves of the dirt road. Applejack was thrown to the floor of the carriage, slamming into the side of the door as the vehicle tipped and turned. She managed to pick herself up just long enough to launch herself towards the partition that separated the carriage from the harness. She held on with both front hooves, just long enough to see the driver rear up on both hooves. Although the stallion had no cutie mark, an effect which Applejack thought rather strange, stranger still was the uncanny resemblance to Macintosh. A Clydesdale for sure, dark red in color, with an light orange cropped tail. She could only assume the mane would have been the same, but it was impossible to tell. For when the stallion pulling her carriage reared up on his hind legs, she could clearly see that the apparition was in fact headless. "Bwaaaaaah!" Applejack cried, and flung herself backwards. The carriage swung around a corner at that moment, and the farm pony was traveling at such a direction that she flew right out through the door, tumbling head over hooves and skidding facedown in the dirt in the dark shadows of the Everfree Forest. This vacation was not turning out well at all. She heard something crack, but a quick test of all four limbs and an absence of pain revealed that nothing was broken. Applejack looked up just in time to see the carriage disappearing around the bend of the dirt road farther down, still pulled by its mystical mount. Rising to her hooves, Applejack took in her surroundings. She had, surprisingly enough, landed in front of a pair of enormous black iron gates. The decor was such that the gratework seemed to be molded in the shape of bones of varying shapes and lengths. The gates themselves were attached to meticulously groomed hedge, which stretched in either direction as far as the eye could see. Beyond the gate, following a small garden, was the biggest house that she had ever seen. "What in tarnation?" Applejack spoke aloud, to nobody in particular. A reasonable question, for the house was unlike she had ever witnessed. It was at least three floors in height, supported in front by heavy marble columns which seemed to stretch forever towards the sky. The house was in a state of decay, for what shutters were not missing from the windows were barely hanging on, shingles were missing, paint was peeling. The steps leading up to the front walkway were rotting and broken. Yet the garden in front of the house was flawless. Hedges and bushes perfectly trimmed, tombstones lined on either side with perfect precision. A long figure stood at one of these burial sites, disrupting the ground with a heavy shovel and dressed in a flowing black cloak. "Oh, this ain't gonna be good..." The farm pony said, pushing her way through the gate, which opened with surprising ease. She hadn't expected them to open so freely, but upon entering the grounds the gates creaked and slowly swung shut behind her. With a groan, she whirled around and pulled on them. Nothing. She pushed on them. Nothing. They were stuck. "Great, this is how ponies go missin' and are never heard from again..." she muttered. She slowly approached the figure, who turned as she drew nearer. It was the last someone on earth she wanted to see right now, and she couldn't help giving a slight jump at the recognition. "Welcome, foolish mortal. Forgive me, I didn't mean to scare you prematurely. Not THIS time anyway." Discord said with a grin, his eyes reflecting the sunlight. Or was it malice? Applejack wasn't sure. "The real scares shall come, but all in due time." "Discord! What did you do?!" Applejack demanded. Of course, how could she have been so foolish? It was the only logical explanation, ponies running around with their heads missing and giant houses springing up right out the buck nowhere. "Discord? I'm afraid you must have me confused with someone else. My name is Master Booregard, and I am merely a servant here. As for your accusation, I haven't done anything. I've been here, as I always am, preparing resting places for our dearly departed guests. It is my purpose, I suppose, to remain eternally here, tending not just the plants which can never die, but the guests who can never live. Sort of poetic, really. " A chill ran through Applejack's spine. "I don't believe fer a minute y'ain't had nothin' t'do with this. Ah want answers!" She stomped her hoof down to further emphasize this, but it only resulted in yet another unsettling smile from Not-Discord. "And answers you shall have. I can only assume you want lots of them, for there are lots of questions. But first, come inside, out of the rain." Applejack frowned. "But it ain't-" There was a crack, and a flash of lightning, and a torrential downpour opened up over her head. She coughed a bit, and out of suspicion, tasted it. "Chocolate. Some things never change." With that, she glared at Discord. "Ah ain't done with you yet." She warned, and made her way inside. The doors creaked open on their own, anticipating her arrival. "Look alive!" Discord called after her, already turning his back on her to resume his foreboding task of digging graves. "Because nothing else will!" The last thing Applejack heard before the doors slammed shut was his contagious, booming laughter.
02 - Welcome to the MansionApplejack wasn't having any of this. All she wanted was to be by herself for a day or two, relax, and maybe read a book. She was a fairly logical pony, enjoying the benefits of long hours of hard work. Honest work. This whole facade of fancy tricks and illusions didn't sit right with her at all. Especially since she still blamed Discord for whatever was going on here, as he was usually behind things like this. The doors which slammed behind her were met with an instant look of annoyance and dissatisfaction, even as whirled in place to place the heavy iron rungs around her front hooves and pull with all of her considerable strength. The doors didn't move. They might as well have been made of concrete and fused together. Applejack fell back to all fours, a much more comfortable position, and lined up her back legs. "Like shootin' fish in a barrel." She said with confidence, and bucked the doors as hard as she could. The heavy doors shuddered slightly, but remained intact. Neither pushing nor pulling was going to get her anywhere. The farm pony snorted in irritation. "Having trouble, are we?" Came a voice from the top of the stairs. The newest arrival of the mansion looked up with no small degree of surprise to find a small figure descending the Grand Staircase. Dressed in a dapper suit jacket with a top hat perched upon his head, he was the exact duplicate of the baby dragon that Applejack had left behind in Ponyville. "Spike! Thank Celestia. Confounded doors are stuck, ah can't get out! Do ya know how to open 'em up for me?" She asked. "I'm not Spike," The dragon said casually. "Oh, right, yeah, ah fergot, y'all are playin' this stupid game with me. Alright, who are ya then?" "Why, I'm your Ghost Host, of course. Welcome to the mansion." "Oh, real cute." Applejack muttered. Spike grinned proudly. "I know, right? I thought of that all by mys-" He coughed suddenly. "I mean... SILENCE! Your attempts to open the doors will prove fertile! No, wait. Fuchsia? Fur... Fettle... you can't leave!" He said finally, with a tone of frustration. "Not until the rain stops, anyway." "AHA!" Applejack announced. "Gotcha there! It ain't rain-" She had been in the process of turning to the window at this moment, and only now noticed the torrential downpour of liquid chocolate which was relentlessly pelting the windows from outside. She pulled her hat off her head and threw it angrily onto the floor. "Ah've jes' about it with this game!" She huffed. "Let me out!" "I CAN'T," Spike explained patiently. "You'll have to wait until morning. If you survive the night, that is. Don't worry about being bored, though. We have many haunts here who I'm sure will be happy to meet you. Perhaps you might even solve a mystery or two!" At this, Applejack lost patience. She charged towards the dragon, intending to flip him onto her back and be done with this whole charade. But that was not what happened, and what happened instead was not something she cared to ever repeat again. She watched as the dragon came closer and closer in her field of vision, and then, quite suddenly, she went through him. Immense pain stung her body from all directions as she tripped and tumbled to the floor, all four legs twitching. Needles stabbed every inch of her body as if she'd plunged headfirst into an arctic lake. Applejack was not the type to cry out, but did indeed look incredibly uncomfortable. "Agh! What was that?!" She gasped, struggling to get back onto her hooves. All four legs felt like they'd fallen asleep at once, and it took quite a bit of doing before she was able to move again. "You know, if you'd asked, I could have warned you not to do that," Spike said. "it's extremely impolite. We're already dead, no need to make a show of it." "Dead?! You... but... how..." Applejack began to slowly back away from him now, her eyes widened with fear. "Y'all mean... yer actually spirits? This place really is haunted?" "We prefer the term spiritually inhabited. But yes. It is." Spike said. "You're welcome to explore, but I will warn you, some of the ghouls are... less than welcoming. Enjoy your stay, and due to the dark corridors, if you do find a flashlight, please use it sparingly. The spirits are rather sensitive to bright lights, you see," he explained, then disappeared before her eyes into wisps of vapor, which in turn evaporated seconds later before she could ask any more questions. "Aw... this ain't good... this really ain't good..." Applejack muttered to herself. To make matters worse, she was gradually beginning to suspect that young Apple Bloom's story about being stalked by zombie blank flanks deep in the forest was, perhaps, not as fabricated as she had initially thought. But now was not the time for that. Applejack began to get her bearings, looking about the enormous entryway that she found herself in. In front of her, the Grand Staircase stretched upwards, its steps covered by a faded red carpet which had certainly seen better days. It was stained a darker red in several areas that Applejack really didn't want to think about. On each side of the staircase, a hallway led further back into the house. She opted for the left one. "Ah really don't like this place." She decided, mostly due in part to the confusing sign hanging over the archway to the side of the stairs. ENDLESS HALLWAY. PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK. "Lies, ah can see th' end of the hallway right there!" Applejack said, and broke into a run for the other end. She started slowly at first, and seemed to gain some ground. Doors of all sizes flew past her galloping legs at irregular intervals, determined as she was to find something that resembled logic in this twisted mansion. This hallway was not one of those things. The faster she ran, the further away the end of the hallway seemed to get. She ran even faster, reaching speeds normally reserved for competitions, and still the doorway which she could plainly see at the other end moved away from her. At last she skidded to a halt, panting and gasping for breath, and, with a sense of dread, looked behind her. She was barely three feet from the Grand Staircase. "OH COME ON!" She complained. "Fine, can't go that way, ah'll find another way." Reaching for the nearest door, she turned the knob, and entered. Applejack found herself in an expansive library, one which stretched for quite a ways and wound between aisles and aisles of books and scrolls. Some appeared quite new, others she surmised by the look of them had been around since before the founding of Equestria itself. She entered quietly, noting a few ponies sitting near the tables, reading. None of them looked familiar, which she found was actually rather comforting. She had begun to think that she'd over worked herself to the point of exhaustion, and this entire mansion was just her own subconscious. But it was impossible for her to imagine face she'd never seen before, Twilight had spouted this as one of her many odd facts. "Hello?" She called. And got no answer. She ventured a bit deeper into the library. "Hello?!" She called again. "Shh!" A voice hissed at her. "Aw no y'all did NOT just-" "SHH!" The voice came again, and Fluttershy emerged right through the center of one of aisles. "Be quiet! That is, if you don't mind. Spirits are trying to read." "Ah din'-" "Shh!" Applejack narrowed her eyes. A dull headache was forming in her skull, but she lowered her voice. "Ah' din' know the dead could read." "Oh, of course we can. We have so many wonderful stories here," Fluttershy said proudly. "Uh... huh." Applejack scratched her head. "Y'got the new Daring Do? Dash would like that." "Nope." "Oh. Instruction manuals? Told Twilight ah'd try to find out how t'put together a toaster." "No. Sorry." "...Horror novels?" Fluttershy's ears pinned back. "Oh, goodness no!" "Well gosh dang it, what DO y'all have? This place is huge!" "Ghost stories!" Fluttershy squeaked. "...Yer kiddin' me." "Oh, no! Our library is fully stocked with priceless first editions! All written by ghost writers, of course. Some of them even haunt here! They're ever so nice, would you like to meet them?" Applejack facehooved. She wasn't getting anywhere with this. "Alright, fine, ah ain't even gonna ask. Ah jes' wanna get out of here. Is there another way out of here?" She asked. "The endless hallway din' get me anywhere." "Of course it didn't. It's endless." Fluttershy replied. "I'm so sorry, but there's only one way out. Of course, there's always my way..." She started cackling, the effect of which was ruined by the daintiest fit of coughing Applejack had ever heard. "Uh... y'all alright?" She asked. "What exactly IS your way?" "Oh, the back door." Fluttershy said once she'd calmed down. "Through the back of the aisles, on your right. It'll take you through the music room." She squeaked. Applejack sighed with relief. Finally she was getting somewhere. "THANK-" "Shh!" Fluttershy scolded. "...Thank you." Applejack said. "S'agood thing yer all dead, or ah've a feelin' ah'd kill y'all m'self by the time ah get outta here." She said irritably, and moved in the direction that Fluttershy had indicated. "What a nice pony." Fluttershy said, and disappeared into the stacks of books again. Applejack found a second door partially hidden behind the aisles at the rear of the library, and was just about to push it open when she noticed a rather strapping young haunt lounging near the end of one of the tables. Recognizing him immediately, her interest was again caught. "Let me guess, y'aint Shining Armor?" she asked. The stallion looked over at her. He was dressed in a full uniform, complete with straps on the shoulders and brass buttons down the chest. Tattered pants barely clung to his back end, held in place by the long strap of a canteen which currently doubled as a belt. "I'm afraid I don't know any Shining Armor," he said. His voice was broken and full of sadness, an amount of such mourning that it left Applejack momentarily caught off guard and lost for words. The farm pony swallowed hard. "Course. Y'jes' look like somepony ah know." She said finally. "Wha's wrong? Y'look more lost'n a penguin in th'desert." Not-Shining-Armor looked out the window again. "I am separated from the one I love. Many, many years ago, I was set to be married to the love of my life. Our wedding was postponed on short notice when I was called off to battle in the Great Discordian War. I never made it home." He said sadly. "I have nothing but honor for Equestria, and I'd do it again if I had to in order to protect my homeland. But it kills me to know that my fiance is still out there somewhere, restlessly bound to this world, waiting for my return that will never come." Applejack felt her eyes fill with tears. "That's terrible." "I discovered this mansion, which appears to be a gate between this world and the next. A place for wandering souls to bide their time until they are at last released. I searched far and wide for my beloved, and could not find her. So now, I wait here, full of hope that one day I shall be reunited with her, and we may have the happy ending that was so suddenly taken from us. Please, I beg of you. If you should see her in your travels, bring us together once more. It pains me to be without her, and although I can only die once, every day that passes without her kills me yet again." Applejack nodded. "Ah'll look for her." She promised, and exited through the door, leaving the lonely stallion standing by the window.
03 - A Chilling ChallengeThe fate of all of the spirits who resided in this mansion were slowly getting to Applejack. She didn't want to care, she was still convinced she had entered some strange incarnation of purgatory. All of the haunts here were dead, she wasn't denying that. There could be no forgery of that awful chill she had experienced upon charging through Spike's body. But why did they all look so familiar? Every one of them, the eerie twin of someone she knew from home. Though none of them had gotten to her more than Shining Armor had. The sadness in his eyes had been genuine. He had lost someone he loved, and in turn, become lost himself. "Ah ain't never takin' a vacation again..." She muttered to herself, as she passed through the large door leading away from the lamenting soldier. Applejack entered another, much smaller hallway, this one appearing to lead towards a large open room. The hallway was lined with various urns and vases on either side, most of which were covered with spider webs and dust. She sneezed several times as she passed, coming into the open area. The room was circular here, large stained glass windows arcing around the edge of it. Chocolate rain continued to pour down outside, pattering against the glass. In the center of the room sat a coffin, on top of which sat Spike, looking as charming as ever in his little jacket. "Enjoying your tour?" He asked with a grin. The smile was unsettling, and Applejack couldn't decide whether she liked it or not. "Uh, sure ah guess." She replied. "You have nothing to be all that afraid of, the haunts here are all dying to meet you," he said. The lid of the coffin on which he was sitting began to raise, causing the dragon to lose his balance. "Let me out! Come on, it's not funny, let me out!" A strained voice protested from inside. Applejack swallowed hard. "Uh..." That was definitely not something she wanted to see. In a mansion which housed a thousand spirits, most of whom up until now were fairly nice about it, why in tarnation would THIS one be trapped, or alternatively, not allowed to leave the coffin? "Oh, don't mind her," Spike said casually. "In any case, I'll leave you be, for now. And in case you're wondering about trying to escape, the doors and windows have been sealed for the night. And so, I'll offer you a chilling challenge in exchange for your freedom. Find a way out!" The dragon walked down the hallway, cackling, and walked right through a wall before Applejack could pursue him. The farm pony glowered. She really didn't like this place. Even less so when the lid to the coffin burst open, and a dull pink figure raised itself from its depths. "FINALLY." The figure said, climbing out of its prison, and cracking its neck to the side before settling its eyes on Applejack. "Oooh, a new haunt!" she said, pushing her pink flattened mane out of her eyes. "Want to play a game?" "...Sure?" Applejack asked. By this point, she was not surprised by doppelgangers, although she still found it incredibly worrying that they all looked like her friends. And not a single one of them seemed aware of it. Although if this one was any indication, she may very well have some knowledge of her counterpart. It wouldn't be surprising. "Great!" The pink pony reached into the coffin, and her hoof emerged holding a large meat cleaver. It was stained, and Applejack really didn't want to think about why. "I call this game... cupcakes." She began to approach Applejack a wild grin on her face. "On second thought, ah ain't really in the mood for a game right now. Maybe later?" She asked, taking a few steps backwards, before bolting into a gallop in the other direction. Pinkie chased after her, laughing insanely. "Wait! I haven't even told you the rules yet!" Applejack ran, skidding around the corner. She dove into an open doorway, shutting the door as quickly and quietly as possible. Her heart was pounding, although she hadn't run that far for an earth pony, and she wasn't even close to being out of breath. She remained hidden there for what felt like hours. "Ah really gotta get outta here..." She whispered to herself. But perhaps even whispering had been an unfortunate decision, for the meat cleaver buried itself through the door just then, inches from Applejack's ear. "HERE'S PINKIE!" The pony laughed, yanking the meat cleaver out to ready it again. "Aha!" Applejack announced. "Y'all ain't supposed t'know who Pinkie is, so how'd y'know her name?" she challenged. Her assailant paused for a moment. "Just seemed like a Pinkie thing to say. Now hold still!" Applejack readied herself for a fight. "If yer gonna let out the bull, best be ready for a rodeo." It had been a fair while since applebucking season, but an earth pony was always in prime condition. "Not so fast!" A new voice, one Applejack hadn't heard before. She took several steps further backwards to distance herself from the crazy pony. Two more spirits emerged from the room she was in, which contained nothing more significant than several pieces of furniture covered in white cloths. The pony on the left was white, sporting large purple glasses and had what appeared to be an instrumental bow sticking through her neck. The other, a grey pony, was spattered with blood, although Applejack couldn't quite tell what was wrong with her. Pinkie, however, did not seem to want to go up against three of them, and glared at her target. "I'll get you later, and your little dog too!" Applejack frowned. "But Winona ain't-" That gave her pause, she hadn't seen any animals here yet. Did animals make it to the afterlife? She didn't want to think about never seeing Winona again, she was such a good dog. "Silence! I kill you!" Pinkie threatened. "I hope you're ready to wait forever, because forever is a really really really long time!" With that, she was gone. Turning around slowly, Applejack rubbed at her head. "Okay, now that that's over with, do ah even wanna know what's goin' on with you two?" "Ask Melody, she started it." The white one said irritably. "I did not, Rave!" The grey one insisted. "She tried to sneak up behind me during one of my recitals, and everypony KNOWS I'm jumpy, it was your own fault!" "You stabbed me through the neck!" Rave protested. "So you drop a bass on me?!" "Well you killed me first!" "GIrls!" Applejack cut them off, mostly because her brain simply refused to process all this new information. She didn't even want to think about all the illogical flaws in play here. "If y'all can't stand each other so much, why are y'helpin' me?" "We can't get away from each other, even in death, we're stuck together. It's infuriating." Melody responded. "At least I can keep an eye on Rave and make sure she doesn't throw any more instruments out the windows." "I said I was sorry! Something YOU still haven't done for impaling me with a ribbon." "It wasn't a ribbon, it was a bow, and I warned you a thousand times not to sneak up on me!" "What ah wouldn' give fer cider right now..." Applejack muttered. "Can EITHER of you tell me how t'get outta here?" "No." Rave said. Both ponies seemed remarkably eager to help, but appeared about as helpful as ants at a picnic. "Course y'can't." Applejack sighed. "But we know who can!" Melody insisted. "If anypony can get you out of here, it's The Gypsy." "Ah'm gettin' real tired of all this fancy talk," the farm pony warned. "Who's the gypsy and where is she?" "Down the hall, round the corner, third door right before the ballroom. Can't miss it!" Applejack tipped her hat. "Great. Thanks. Good luck t'both of you. Whoever y'are." She made her way out of the room, checking both ways first to ensure that the way was safe. Even as she left, she could hear Rave and Melody begin bickering again, and left them to their fate with a sigh. With no sign of Pinkie, she entered the third door around the corner. The room was dark, a single glowing green sphere set upon the center of a large table in the middle of the room. A few discarded pieces of furniture and instruments lay abandoned on the floor. Applejack approached. "Howdy? Gypsy? Ah got a bone t'pick with you, and-" Interrupted by a sudden tail curling shriek, a mystic head appeared within the confines of the crystal ball. Once again familiar, this one white with black stripes. Applejack facehooved. "Ah shoulda known..." The head interrupted her. "It is time to be silent, for soon you shall see, the spirits awaken, in disturbed harmony! So let us call forth those who've been entombed, For they very well may help you escape certain doom! Rap on a table, it's time to respond, Send us a message from somewhere beyond! Goblins and gremlins from last Halloween, Awaken, dear spirits, with your tambourine!" Applejack was quiet, afraid that at any moment some horrible monstrosity would sweep in and take her away. But nothing did. The gloomy silence was broken by a white pegasus with purple balloons on her flank suddenly phasing right through the wall, playing an accordion and being followed by several equally spiritual parasprites. The intrusion lasted only a few seconds, but it was enough to irritate the zebra, who glared at the white pegasus reproachfully. "Now, y'all were s'posed to be able to help me get outta this place?" Applejack asked. The Gypsy looked upon her thoughtfully. If leaving this buliding is what you desire, I'll give you a clue as to what must transpire. The mansion holds many, a thousand in fact, So in order to leave, in haste you must act. If you wish to leave without first meeting your doom, Then the answer is simple. You must make some more room. That was a bit confusing, and the farm pony had to think about it for a moment. "So if ah help a spirit or two to the afterlife, instead of just hangin' around here, ah can get outta this confounded place?" The Gypsy nodded in confirmation, and Applejack narrowed her eyes in determination. "Then it looks like ah'm goin' ghost huntin'." This place was starting to get to her, and Applejack wasn't about to have any of that. She had often considered herself the bravest of all of her friends, with Pinkie Pie being the occasional exception. She wasn't about to let this mansion shake her nerves now. "How do ah go about doin' that?" Many spirits wait in a broken state of mind, You need to reunite them with what's left behind. Applejack nodded. She'd keep an eye out. She walked past the crystal ball, stumbling over a chair and a flugelhorn. She slipped through the back door at the other end of the room, more determined than ever to leave this place once and for all.
04 - Bridle GossipAs Applejack exited through yet another door into yet another hallway, she had a disturbing thought. So many of these doors looked the same, and they seemed to be endless. It was impossible to tell how many there were. Had to be hundreds, at least. Most of the rooms were self contained, but many led into equally dark and confusing hallways. The lighting was abysmal, small lanterns with flickering candles were set into the walls every twenty feet or so, the elaborately carved bases of the lanterns draped with long abandoned spiderwebs and dust. Applejack couldn't help but shudder involuntarily. How many candles were there? How did all of them stay lit? Who did the lighting of so many candles? She had to guess it was Not-Discord, who had a way with simply making things happen without explanation. The earth pony continued down the long hallway that The Gypsy had directed her towards, reaching a large staircase leading upwards. She hadn't even been off the ground floor yet, and was already lost. This place certainly seemed bigger on the inside than the outside, a fact which had seemed previously reserved for the large blue box that a mysterious resident of Ponyville often frequented. She shrugged it off as simply one of those things, and climbed the staircase. The stairs had a gentle sweeping curve to them, and were carpeted with a faded red fabric. They led up to the second floor, which went without saying. Spike, or the Ghost Host, as this incarnation preferred to be called, was waiting for her at the second floor landing. "Enjoying your night?" the dragon asked. He seemed particularly amused by her disorientation, as if he had seen it many times before, but it was one of those things that never got old. "Not really." Applejack replied. "Pity." Spike said. "But I have good news that might just cheer you up! The haunts here have recieved your sympathetic vibrations and are beginning to materialize! Isn't that exciting?" "Quit talkin' fancy and explain yerself." All of this voodoo nonsense didn't help things at all, and her head was swimming from all this spiritual technical jargon she was apparently expected to know. "You went to see The Gypsy, didn't you?" Spike asked. He seemed all the more merry at seeing her frustration. "Yes." "And she summoned the spirits." "Well ah suppose she said somethin' about-" "So I should expect you'll be seeing many more haunts over the course of the evening, that's what summoning does, you see," Spike concluded. "Oh, great." Applejack groaned."Jes' what ah needed, more dead ponies." "Oh, look alive, Applejack!" "Yer Gatekeeper already used that pun. Wasn't funny then and it isn't funny now. Yer runnin' out of jokes there, Spike." "I'm not Spike!" The dragon insisted. "But regardless, I must go once more. The spirits are assembling for a wake, and they're expecting me. But if you do see The Gypsy again, would see if she might summon me up a cool mustache? I've always wanted one." "Yeah, ah'll get right on that." Applejack pushed past him, limping slightly as the passage was narrow, and her left hind leg accidentally phased right through the dragons body. Encased in ice, she found it went completely numb for several minutes, and had to drag it on the floor until the feeling returned. She made her way to the end of the hall, where a huge pair of double doors awaited. Loud music was coming from within, all sorts of instruments which she recognized. Brass, percussion, even an organ. "Well, here goes nothin'." Applejack sighed, and pushed the doors open. She was immediately assaulted by party music. It was bland and relatively tasteless, but that didn't seem to matter to the fifty or so spiritual guests swinging, waltzing and swaying to the noise. Applejack had entered an absolutely enormous ballroom which could easily fit five hundred ponies. Hanging from the ceiling were heavy chandeliers of brilliant design, their many smaller lights casting an eerie glow over the entirety of the room. Several long tables had been pushed together in the center of the room and covered with a tattered tablecloth, on which sat bowls and plates of various rotting foods. The flies seemed more interested in this particular accommodation than the guests were. In fact, several couples were swinging right through the table, showing no knowledge that the feast was there at all. Wandering deeper into the ballroom, Applejack tried to ignore the racket coming from the orchestra section. Her attention was drawn towards one dancing lavender pony near the back, who's limbs were flailing so wildly underneath her dress that she very much appeared to be having a seizure. "Excuse me," Applejack coughed, and got no response. "Excuse me!" Louder, this time. The 'dancing' pony looked up. "Oh, hello!" Used to the facade by now, the earth pony tried a different approach. "What's yer name?" The unicorn frowned. "I'm sorry, do I know you? Or, DID I know you, rather?" "Nah. Y'jes look familiar, that's all." "Oh, okay. Can I help you?" Applejack frowned. "Pardon if this is a rude question, but how'd y'die?" "Oh, that's a bit funny, actually. You'd never guess, but I'm actually a bit of a terrible dancer. I guess I embarrassed so many ponies that they didn't want to be seen with me, so they threw me off the east tower." "How nice of them," Applejack said sarcastically. "Yes, well, jokes on them. We're all residing here now, where I can dance as much as I want, and they could only kill me once!" With that, she began dancing again, and Applejack left to weave through the dancing guests. An enormous shot rang out from over her head without warning, and she flung herself to the ground so quickly that she kicked a chair right through a light purple mare, who looked up from trying (unsuccessfully) to drink from a wine bottle. "Well I never!" The mare said, and stormed off. Disturbed, Applejack at last looked up to try and identify what had sounded like it exploded. A large pair of paintings set about ten feet apart from each other on the wall were quickly found to be the answer. It took her a moment to recognize the source, for at first glance the paintings only held pictures of horses. But upon further inspecting, a pair of spirits emerged forth from them. Unicorns, the both of them, dressed in old fashioned clothes. "Nice try, brother of mine, but you won't do me in so quickly!" Said one, and fired a shot from his pistol, which flew over his counterpart's head. "Oh, but don't you see, I've already done you in!" Said the other, and retaliated in turn, although his pistol merely clicked. "So you have, so you have!" Said the first. Applejack growled. "S'a good thing y'all are dead already, or ah'd do ya in mahself." She left their company and went to the edge of the room, where a single door awaited. Curious, she began to open it. "No, wait!" shouted a voice, presumably one of the guests. "That's where we keep the monster!" Applejack snorted. "Ain't no such thing as monsters." She opened the door, and was immediately met with the rattling of chains. She yelled in fright, for all she could see lunging at her from the depths of the shadowy room beyond was a sizeable bulk of thick, pink fur. The monster was chained back so as to stay within the room, and stopped short to look over whoever had opened the door. Its eyes moved up, then down, then up again. It gave off an excited gasp, and ran its tongue across Applejack's face. Applejack glared at it. "Hey! Y'all can't jes' lick a pony like that! What do ya got to say fer yourself?" The pink ball of fur just looked at her, and stuck its tongue out. "Pbbbbbt." Applejack slammed the door. "Ah thought y'all said there was a monster in there!" "I did. I never said it was a particularly effective monster." "Some ponies..." she sighed, and made her leave of the ballroom entirely. Another room down that she had absolutely no intention of going back to. "Okay, so that was a dead end, guess it's back to tryin' doors." She mumbled, and opened the first one on the left. A soft glow lit up from within, and Applejack's eyes widened in terror as haunting music played. MY LITTLE PONY, MY LITTLE PONY! EVERY DAY IS A DREAM COME TRUE! MY LITTLE PONY, MY LITTLE PONY! HOW I LOVE TO PLAY WITH YOU! Applejack slammed the door shut as fast as she could, heart racing, feeling very much like pulling her eyes right out of her face. "Never... again... never... bucking... again..." Her voice cracked. She couldn't even describe how awful the sight was that she'd just seen, nopony should ever have to be exposed to that! "Gotta get outta here..." She shook herself off, still quite rattled, and instead opted to go back downstairs. Making her way through twisting corridors towards the back of the house. She passed through a long hallway which contained an eerie line of portraits. Normally this would be nothing unusual, for she didn't recognize any of the stallions that occupied each frame. But each different stallion was accompanied by the same mare, a mare in a wedding dress, her head cloaked by a veil. The final portrait by the door contained a stallion she did recognize, one whom she had spoken to only a few hours before. The lost lover. Deciding to get to the bottom of this, she decided to try the door leading outside. The door opened, and Applejack exited into the back portion of the mansion. The chocolate rain had stopped for now, but it was still pitch black. A couple of lanterns barely illuminated a smaller set of iron gates, similar to the ones which she had entered through in the first place. Aside from that, another path branched off to the left. leading towards a covered gazebo, on which a pony in a ruined wedding dress sat silently in the moonlight. A long, candy striped mane fluttered wistfully over the railing. Applejack approached, and the mare turned. Applejack was dumbstruck. "Cadence?" "Constance." The mare corrected. "You must be Applejack. We have much to talk about." "We do? And how do y'all know my name?" "Oh, the whole mansion is talking about you." "Are they now? Y'know bridle gossip really ain't nice." "From what I hear, you have free rein of the mansion, and may be able to help me." Not-Cadence said gently. "Yeah, ah'm always willin' t'help, but enough horsin' around," she said. "Jes' goin' out on a limb here, but y'don't by chance happen to be waiting for a stallion to come back from war, are ya?" The mares eyes glistened with something Applejack couldn't quite identify. Greed, perhaps? No, excitement? Either way, she wasn't sure she liked it. "Yes, yes I am! Have you seen him?!" "Ah might've encountered him." she said. "Wonderful, can you take me to him? "Maybe. Why did y'have so many stallions before this one? What happened to them?" Not-Cadence frowned, and looked at the ground. Her expression and tone were particularly remorseful. "Unfortunate accidents," she said. "I appear to be the unluckiest mare who had ever lived, for although I was fortunate to find such kind and loving partners, marriage has an unfortunate result of causing ponies to lose their heads. You know how it is." "Right..." Applejack said suspiciously. "But you don't hafta worry about that now. Yer both dead, so reunite, and that'll be the end of it.: At this, Constance looked rather annoyed. "Regardless, ah think ah can set that up. And then you two kin be together-" "FOREVERRRRRRR!" exclamed Pinkamena, who'd been hiding behind a tombstone. She pointed at Applejack, then at herself, then drew her hoof across her neck. Applejack shivered, and Pinkamena disappeared into the shadows again. "Wonderful." Not-Cadence exclaimed, with a fairly unenthusiastic tone. "Now we just need to make our way through the gardens, and I'll take care of the rest." "Can't ah jes' go back through the-" She turned back to where the door had been a moment ago, and was treated to the sight of a solid brick wall. "...of course. Ah don't even wanna know why or how that happened..." She said, and turned her attention to the other path, the one leading into the dark gardens. The gardens which she had absolutely no desire to go through. "Looks like we're goin' the long way." Author's Note Flim and Flam cameo credited to Einhander
05 - A Few Final WordsWith a sigh of defeat, Applejack began to make her way through the rusted iron gates that led from the back of the house into the cemetery. The dark path, only barely illuminated by a glow from Constance's horn, dipped and turned in no particularly logical manner. Dark and twisted branches hung over the path from even darker and more twisted trees, several of which almost seemed to possess eyes of their own which followed them as they passed. The branches caught and dragged across Applejack's coat, causing her to jump several times. "Easy now, Applejack. Yer almost outta here," she said to herself, passing by a large mausoleum. The crypt itself was not what gave her pause, for it was not at all uncommon to see one in a cemetery, but rather the bricks which had been laid to block up the doorway. Missing from the barrier were two bricks one on top of each other, through which a single skeletal hoof and leg hung and lay motionless, a few patches of light blue fur still visible. A few words had been written on the outside of the bricks with what appeared to be faded blood. THEY'RE REAL . The farm pony shuddered. "What's that all about?" It appeared as though its occupant had been alive at the time of burial, and either desperately wanted out, or perhaps even been the one to barricade herself in the crypt in the first place. There was really no telling in a place like this. "Who knows?" Constance shrugged. "Every spirit here has their own story to tell, some sweet, others not so much." The two rounded a corner, following the path through gravestones of varying sizes, only to encounter an eerily harmonious song coming from around the bend. Applejack pressed further on, curious to find out who exactly would be singing in a haunted cemetery, although if the night thus far was any indication, she really wasn't sure she wanted to know. She rounded the bend, and found three stone carved busts perched on pedestals around a small covered shrine, singing for no apparent reason. One had a horn, the other two did not. When you hear the knell of a requiem bell, weird glows gleam where spirits dwell! Restless bones etherealize! Rise as spooks of every size! Grim grinning ghosts come out to socialize! Applejack, of course, stopped right in her tracks, for her brain was insisting that the statues were the exact replications of the Cutie Mark Crusaders, a fact which just didn't sit right with her. She approached as the song finished, as the three heads turned to look at her. It was truly unsettling seeing her little sister turned to stone and decapitated like this, but it appeared that the pattern of doppelgangers continued, for Bloom didn't seem to have any idea who Applejack was. "Beware of ghouls that groan and spells of witches!" Apple Bloom warned. "Of bodies that tremble and voodoo that twitches!" Sweetie Belle continued. "The darkness takes all, and- my nose itches," Scootaloo complained. "Dang it, that ain't scary at all, try harder!" Bloom insisted. Applejack coughed. "Ahem. Ah was hopin' one of y'all could tell me how t'get outta here?" She was in absolutely no mood for this nonsense, and seeing her 'sister' in this state was bound to give her nightmares for weeks. "Of course!" Sweetie squeaked. "Just keep following the path, it'll take you right back out to the mansion!" Applejack didn't need to be told twice, and continued to do just that. The graveyard was terrifying and rather monotonous, momentarily leading her to believe that she would never escape. When all seemed lost, however, she found herself at yet another gate by the hedges, on which a red eyed raven watched her from its perch. "Nevermore! Nevermore!" The bird squawked. Applejack just glared at it, and turned her attention to the newest obstacle. The gate was blocked by a pair of wings from a gargoyle on either side. The gryphon on the left had its wing extended, which passed over the equally extended wing of the insect mare on the right. Applejack didn't care for either of them, although put her negativity aside to try and push the wings out of the way. They wouldn't move, and Constance stepped forward. "A magical gate, intended to keep intruders out," she explained. "Allow me." Her horn gave off a faint light, causing the wings of each creature to fold to a relaxed position. With the gate now unlocked, the doors pushed open. As they passed through them, the two statues mocked her. "Foalish mortal..." Ignoring them, Applejack made her way with Constance to the front of the house. She tried the doors and found them open, making a mental note that these doors only seemed to go in and not out. Now it was only a matter of following her hoofsteps from earlier. Weaving through the seemingly endless maze of rooms and hallways was easier the second time, and with every passing minute that drew closer to sunrise, Applejack felt a renewed sense of completion towards her goal. She pushed open the door leading to the window where she had first encountered the lonely veteran, and was relieved to see he was still standing there. He gave her a friendly smile at first, opening his mouth to say something when he noticed Constance behind her. His eyes widened with shock, which soon turned to joy. "Can it really be you, Constance?" he asked, his voice hesitant, not sure if he dared to believe it. "It can. And it is," she said in return, approaching him. "I waited for you, but you never returned. After so long, I merely assumed you had been one of the lost soldiers. As I understand they only notified the families of those who could be... identified. Either way, I'm here for you now." "I had every intention of returning to you, but I was denied that chance," he insisted. "But now, here, we can be together again." He leaned in to nuzzle her neck, a gesture which she returned, and a soft glow began to build up inside him, and another at the tip of his horn. As their horns touched, a subtle sort of metamorphosis took place, and Constance suddenly relaxed slightly, as if relieved of whatever violent thoughts she might have been holding onto. "I'm afraid not," Constance replied, and the stallion looked shocked. "What?" "My longing for you turned to desperation, and eventually desperation turned to madness. I do hope I shall be with you again in some capacity, but I fear it will not be where you are going. You have been so patient, and waited for so very long, but I must disappoint you." Applejack looked very confused. "Wha's goin' on? Why are y'all gettin' all Crystal Empirey?" Constance looked at her. "Our business in this realm is completed, we have been reunited." The glow within the stallion that looked like Shining Armor grew ever brighter, and soon enough Applejack had to shield her eyes. "I will be with you again, I promise. No matter what it takes," the stallion said. "I love you." It was with that he burst forth in a dazzling display of light, a large golden orb shooting towards the sky and phasing through the ceiling. Applejack rushed to the window and watched for as long as she could, craning her head further upwards until her neck hurt. "And y'ain't going with him?" she asked finally. "Afraid not," Constance replied, the floor trembling beneath her hooves. A fissure began to open between the two of them, and gnarled demonic claws reached for her, grabbing, wailing and moaning echoing throughout the room. Applejack covered her ears from the terrible noise, but it only grew louder. "I loved him more than anything," Constance said loudly, "but with him gone, I still needed satisfaction. I loved and married several times to fill his place, but quickly grew bored with each successor, for they were not who I wanted. So I had to do away with them, you understand, once I realized they failed to serve my purpose." "Y'din' hafta kill them! Ain't no sense in that!" "My dear, what fun is there in making sense?" Constance smiled, a genuine grin, no longer as unsettling as it had been. "Thank you for all your help, I really do appreciate it. If you decide to haunt here, you may have my room." The claws grabbed onto her legs, hauling her into the glowing depths of the floor. Applejack was stuck, still moving backwards to escape the widening fissure, until finally the bride was hauled into unmentionable torment. The fissure slammed shut, the horrible cries ceased immediately, the only sign of anything unusual having occurred being a few scorch marks in the floor, and the years of therapy ahead that Applejack suspected she now needed. Turning around and leaving the scene, trying not to think about it, she once more encountered the Ghost Host, who stood by the front door. "Well, it appears that we have a couple new vacancies now," he offered. "So what's that mean? Can ah go home?" Applejack asked. "Yes." "Stop messin' with me! If y'give me ONE more stupid riddle, ah- what?" "Yes. You may go home." He gestured to the front door with a claw, which slowly creaked open by itself. "Oh. Well. Thank you then," she said, and made a run for the door. "Make sure to tell your friends, we're just dying for some new visitors!" Spike called. "Oh! And I almost forgot, a few final words! Beware of hitch-hiking ghosts!" Applejack, unfortunately, did not hear him, as she was focused on her quest to leave this building. The only obstacle now between her and the door was Pinkamena, who, true to her threats, held a hacksaw over her head, grinning maliciously. "Let's finish this! It's just you and me now, Applejack! I'm coming for-" her threat was interrupted as the farm pony barreled into her, sending the unfortunate pink spirit right through a closet door. Applejack was already out the door, which slammed behind her. It had a tendency to do that. "Ah ain't listenin' to nothin' else he says, ah'm LEAVIN' this gottdang place." She ran right past the groundskeeper, who was still standing in the same general area as he had been before. He opened his mouth, but Applejack shut him down. "Nope! Don't even try yer fancy talk on me, ah'm DONE!" She ran out of this terrifying place, and through the huge set of iron gates. A carriage was waiting for her, once more pulled by the headless red stallion. Applejack threw herself inside it, pointing accusingly further down the road. "Get me outta here!" She demanded. The stallion whinnied, and broke into a breakneck gallop away from the mansion. Applejack looked out the side window, relieved to see that the sun was starting to come up, just a bare glimmer on the horizon. "Thank Celestia that's over." She sighed, relaxing for the first time since the previous day. She hadn't slept all night, and exhaustion was creeping up on her. No, wait, that feeling wasn't exhaustion. It was the feeling of being watched. The hairs on her neck were standing on end, and she slowly turned, already regretting what she might find. The ghost of a pegasus was sitting next to her, perched precariously on the seat of the carriage as it flew around a bend. Poor thing must have suffered some terrible trauma to the head, her eyes were all askew. The ghost lifted up its hoof, which contained a small basket. "Muffin?" She asked. Applejack screamed, though more with rage than with fright, and flung open the door to the carriage. Despite its dangerous speeds, she'd had absolutely enough of this, and flung herself from the vehicle. Applejack hit the ground rolling, bouncing off the ground and down a hill. She rolled violently, accumulating quite a number of bruises before coming to a rest. She was barely able to get to her hooves by the time she looked up, stunned to find that not only had she come to rest in front of her own barn, Apple Bloom and Big Macintosh stood only a few feet away, looking down at her with concern and confusion. "Y'alright?" asked Macintosh. "You look like y'jes saw a ghost!" Bloom chirped. "WHERE?!" With a scream, Applejack bolted into the barn, followed by the unmistakable sound of the barn being locked from the inside. Her two siblings looked at each other, Bloom with significant confusion. "What'd ah say?"
00 - The Cast (Character Spoilers)The Players Apple Bloom... As Herself Applejack... As Herself Berry Punch... As Annoyed Dancer Big Macintosh... As Himself/The Headless Horse Cadance... As The Bride Chrysalis... As Gargoyle #1 Cutie Mark Crusaders... As The Singing Busts Derpy... As Guest Discord... As The Gravedigger Flam... As Dueling Ghost #1 Flim... As Dueling Ghost #2 Fluttershy... As The Librarian Gilda... As Gargoyle #2 Octavia... As Guest Pinkamena... As The Butcher Shining Armor... As The Groom Spike... As Ghost Host Surprise... As Guest Twilight... As The Tragic Dancer Vinyl Scratch... As Guest Zecora... As The Gypsy *More Characters shall be added as the story progresses. **If there is a certain character you would like to see make an appearance, leave ideas and suggestions in the comments. I cannot promise your idea will be used, but if it is, your name will be credited.
