A Haunting Dareby _Vidz_ChaptersChapter 1Chapter 2Chapter 3Chapter 4Chapter 1Nightmare Night is drawing near and Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo couldn’t be more excited. The same can be said for any other little filly. They all look forward to the night when they can dress up as creepy ghouls or creatures going door to door to receive treats. However, they’re stuck in their desks at the schoolhouse. It could be worse, they could have an assignment to have their heads buried in, but since it’s a Friday Miss Cheerilee decides to go easy on them for the day. They merely have a simple worksheet to fill out based on the short fable they had just read in class. The sweet sound of the school bell pierces the silence of the classroom sending all the students jumping out of their seats and galloping out of the room. “Have a good evening class!” Shouts Miss Cheerilee as her students leave her classroom. “Hey girls want to meet up at the clubhouse?” Scootaloo asks as she and her friends trot through the schoolyard. “Why sher!” Applebloom says excitedly. They continue to trot down the walkway toward the exit of the white wooden fence surrounding the schoolyard. Just as they are about to leave out from the bushes two ghouls jump out and surprise them. They jolt and scream, but the ghouls suddenly start laughing. Very quickly they realize that they weren’t at all ghouls, just two bullies picking on them. “Can’t you two find somethin’ else ta do besides botherin’ us?” Applebloom asks frustrated. “Yeah Diamond Tiara, can’t you and Silverspoon just leave us alone?” Asks Sweetie Belle. “Why would we? That was just too rich!” The two bullies remove their masks to reveal their innocent faces with their smug smiles, but Applebloom and her friends find their faces anything but innocent. They’re always up to no good bullying the three of them endlessly it seems. No matter what they do or what they say Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon will not stop their little games. “You two are just too easy to scare!” Silver Spoon adds. “You should call yourselves the Cutie Mark Fraidy Cats!” Diamond Tiara mocks. “We are ‘not’ Fraidy Cats!” Scootaloo argues. “Face it, you three are so easy to scare!” “Well we’re braver than you two!” “Oh really? Then why don’t you prove it?” “How?” They ask simultaneously. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon smile at each other deviously, worrying the three crusaders. “If you really think you’re brave, then we dare you to spend a night in the old Abenine House?” Diamond Tiara suggests. “Tha house’a what?” Asks Applebloom. “You’ve never heard of the Old Abenine House?” “No, why?” “It’s on old abandoned house that still stands in the Everfree Forest. Legends say that the owner of the house used to be a murderer. He would lure unsuspecting ponies to his house, and chop them up into pieces!” “. . . R-Really?” “Of course, it’s only a legend. But, they say they can still hear the screams of ponies from the inside of the house. Some have even seen somepony through the windows staring out at them through the curtains. . . But this doesn’t scare you three does it?” “O-Of course not!” Scootaloo protests, yet she and her friends are already trembling with fear. “Good! Then you three should have no problem ‘surviving’ a night.” “Come on! We dare you.” Silver Spoon taunts. “We accept!” Scootaloo shouts. “What?!” Applebloom and Sweetie Belle shout pulling Scootaloo away before huddling up. “Scootaloo what are you doin’?!” Asks Applebloom. “Are you crazy?!” Sweetie Belle adds. “Girls we can do it!” Scootaloo claims. “Ah’m not goin’ in there! Did ya hear what she said?” “She’s just trying to scare us! We can’t just turn down a dare. Besides if we can make it through the night then maybe they’ll finally leave us alone?” Applebloom and Sweetie Belle ponder about Scootaloo’s idea, and eventually they all come to terms. “Alright, Ah’ll go.” Applebloom exhales. “Me too.” Sweetie Belle agrees. “Alright! . . . Hey, I think I’ve got an idea!” “Huh?” “Just follow my lead.” The three of them return to Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon who are still awaiting their answer with their smug faces. “Okay, we’ll go . . . but we dare ‘you’ to come into the house with us. Right girls?” “Uh-Uh yeah! Unless yer chicken?” Says Applebloom. “Us? Ha! Very well, we’ll go in, and whoever leaves the house first will be the loser.” Says Diamond Tiara. “And considered the biggest chicken in Ponyville.” Silver Spoon adds. “We’ll meet here during sunset, and then we’ll go out into the forest. Unless, you’re too afraid to show up?” They both chuckle as they hold their heads up high walking away. “. . . What did we just get ourselves into?” Asks Sweetie Belle. “Don’t worry about it girls! It’s just one night in an old house, I’m sure they’ll be running out before us.” Scootaloo assures. The three of them leave for their clubhouse where they usually discuss their club ideas or plans, but this time they only worry as they watch the outside through their window. The lower the sun gets, the higher their anxiety grows. None of them really say a word, but they already know what’s on each other’s minds. Scootaloo notices their lack of confidence, and she tries her best to keep their spirits afloat. The sun is nearing the horizon, meaning it is almost time to meet the two bullies near the schoolhouse. Scootaloo rises anxious to leave, but her friends are still glued to the wood floor. “. . . It’s almost time, are you ready?” Scootaloo asks. “I-I don’t know.” Says Sweetie Belle worryingly. “Come on we have to go, we already took the dare.” “Ah’m not too sure either Scootaloo.” Says Applebloom. “I thought you two were ready to go through with it?!” “Well . . . w-we’re just too scared to go.” “But that’s what they’re counting on! If we don’t go then we’ll never hear the end of it.” “I’m sorry Scootaloo, but . . . Ah don’ think it’s worth it.” “That’s it? You two just quit?” Neither of them answers, leaving Scootaloo to come up with her own answer. “Then . . . I’ll just go by myself.” “What?!” Sweetie Belle exclaims. “No way yer goin’ out into that house alone.” Says Applebloom concerned. “Then let’s all go together!” Scootaloo tries one more attempt to boost their energy, but they are reluctant to reply. Their faces express their doubt, and fear. “. . . Whatever happened to the Crusader Code?” “. . . A fellow crusader will always follow their sister. . .” Says Applebloom. “. . . And will always be by her side, no matter what.” Sweetie Belle continues. “We swore we would always follow that code. . .” Scootaloo then lowers her head in sadness. “. . . She’s right; we can’t let her go on her own. We’re Crusaders, an’ we should stick together.” Says Applebloom rising from the floor. “Scootaloo, if you’re really gonna go. Then count me in.” Says Sweetie Belle now standing with the group. “Me too!” Applebloom adds confidently. “Let’s go to this house and prove Diamond Tiara wrong!” “Yeah!” They all shout in unison. “And what are we afraid of crusaders?!” Asks Scootaloo. “Nothing!” They all burst out of the clubhouse towards the school, filled to the brim with strength. Chapter 2Haunting Dare Ch. 2 Dusk is settling, and the three friends are nearing the schoolhouse where the bullies are impatiently waiting at the front entrance. “Well, it took you three long enough.” Diamond Tiara comments. “Let’s get going, follow us.” Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon guide the three crusaders into the Everfree forest where their first challenge of fear begins. It seems like in just a second the Moon has already raised high in the black blanket sprinkled with stars. Thick dark clouds begin to roll in and rumbling with the sounds of deep thunder. They walk a dark and lonely path as the trees tower and reach over the sky. Their thin black branches intertwine with each other making it impossible to see anything past them, only blackness. The hooting of an owl or the scurrying of a squirrel is enough to make one of them jolt, but the two bullies do not mind the sounds at all as they briskly walk down the path without so much as a glance of fright. The crusaders take notice of this and try to block the fear out of their minds, but they all have the distinct feeling that somewhere beyond the trees somepony is watching them. “Well, here we are. The Old Abenine House.” They all stand before the dying yard of a tall aged building. The wooden planks’ paint has been peeling away as well as the boards themselves from the walls. Through the dusty windows is an abyss of dark, one of the windows is flaring open due to the wind. The crusaders stand and stare with their bodies frozen from fright. “Well? Why don’t you three go and step inside? Unless you’re scared.” Diamond Tiara teases. Applebloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo take a deep breath and step closer towards the foreboding house with Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon following behind. They ascend up from the stone steps to the front door Scootaloo resting her hoof on the knob. A creaking sound follows as the door is slowly pushed open to reveal the cobwebbed and dusty interior. Upon the walls hang several portraits barely recognizable due to the layers of dust. Tattered furniture such as armchairs and rugs are scattered along the wooden floor. Hanging from the ceiling is a glass chandelier with strands of webs reaching down towards the floor. The door behind them slams shut jolting the three crusaders. “Now, the first pony to leave this house will be considered the loser. So go on and make yourselves comfortable. We’ll be waiting for you three to be screaming your way out of here.” Diamond Tiara mocks as she and Silver Spoon trot up a set of stairs to the second floor. “. . . W-Well what do we do now?” Asks Applebloom. “Why don’t we go l-look around?” Scootaloo asks, and without an answer she and her two friends remain trembling. Upstairs Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon find a secluded room cluttered with boxes to discuss their issue: what to do about the Cutie Mark Crusaders. “I didn’t think they’d actually show up.” Says Silver Spoon. “Neither did I, who knows? They just might make it through the night. It looks like we’ll have to take matters into our own hooves.” “How?” “If the house won’t scare them out, then ‘we’ will.” Diamond Tiara notices that there is a pony mannequin in the room, along with a few others clustered together behind a wall of webbing. Cardboard boxes are pushed to the sides containing all sorts of household items. The both of them glance at each other with a dubious smile. In the main hall where the Cutie Mark Crusaders still stand frozen they can hear the sound of the pitter patter of rain droplets tapping the outside walls and windows. Suddenly a sharp flash of lighting followed by a bang of thunder startles the crusaders sending them all galloping into the next room to hide. They lean their backs against the door to keep it shut with their hearts beating crazily. For the moment they believe they have found safety, but ahead of them is a filthy kitchen that fills their minds with thoughts about the supposed killer that used to live here. The refrigerator is slightly rusted as well as the faucet loaded with food-stained dishes. Along the dusty countertop is a wooden cutting board with a cleaver resting atop it. A slight scent of a horrible odor lingers in the room forcing the crusaders to cover their snouts. “Guh, what is that smell?” Asks Scootaloo. “Ah don’ know, but it’s disgustin’.” Says Applebloom. They all split up making a short tour of the kitchen taking a look at all the dust and grime. Scootaloo stumbles upon the knife and is quickly frightened by it. “Girls, do you think this was the knife the mad killer used to slice up ponies?” She asks. “Ah thought you said she was jus’ tryin’ ta scare us with that story. . .” Says Applebloom. “Oh, right! Yeah of course! There never was a-a butcher pony. What am I saying? Eheh. . .” Scootaloo tries to cover herself. “Can we get out of here? This smell is killing me.” Says Sweetie Belle. “Killing?!” Cries Scootaloo and Applebloom. “Yeah . . . the smell is really bad.” “Oh . . . well why don’t we go in there?” Says Scootaloo pointing to a dirty old door. With a turn of the loose knob and pull of the door it reveals an ascending staircase. Step after creaky step they find themselves eventually reaching the upper hall where Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon had went. They follow a rough rug down the dark hall, and the sound of an echoing droplet of water pounding repeatedly onto a surface is caught by their attentive ears. “Girls? . . . Do you hear that?” “Yeah, where’s it comin’ from?” Applebloom asks. They find that it seems to be coming from behind a door that has been partially left open. Cautiously they push the door open, step inside, and are met with a sudden change of humidity in the air. The walls feel somewhat slimy and rigid, but it is only because they are partially covered in moss. The same goes for everything else in the room. The sink, the faucet, the bathtub are all home to a thriving city of moss. Sweetie Belle discovers that the sound is just the reverberations of the continuous droplets of water leaking from the rusty faucet along the bowl of the sink. She pulls herself up onto the counter and struggles to reach the faucet lever. Realizing her forelegs aren’t long enough to reach she instead resorts to her magic to grab hold of the lever and turn it so the water can finally stop. While in the process of turning it suddenly falls off clanking onto the stone countertop and slamming on the tiled floor startling Applebloom and Scootaloo. “Sweetie Belle what’ya doin’?!” “Yeah, that was pretty loud.” “Sorry. . .” Says Sweetie Belle guiltily. Back in the storage room where Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon have been hiding and trying to come up with a plan to scare the three crusaders they catch the sound of something heavy hitting the floor. They turn their attention to the doorway somewhat frightened. “What was that?” Diamond Tiara asks. “I-I don’t know.” Says Silver Spoon worriedly. “. . . Well, why don’t you go and check it out?” “Alone?!” “What are you worried about? Just go on and see what the sound was while I try to come up with a plan.” “O-Okay.” Silver Spoon steps out from the room and into the hall with her legs shivering and locked into place not wanting to move another inch. The cutie mark crusaders, still in the bathroom, hear hoof steps from outside and are drawn into a panic. They glance around frantically for a place to hide as the steps draw closer and find a shower just behind them. They yank the curtain back and hurriedly climb inside the tub sliding the curtain back in place as the metal rings scratch against the rusty metal pole that holds it up. Their bodies freeze and ears rise listening to the approaching steps. Something steps inside as the crusaders glance at each other with their eyes full of fright. Chapter 3Chapter 3 The crusaders place their hooves over each other’s mouths to keep one another quiet. This unknown pony messes around with some of the objects in the bathroom as they listen to its breathing echo within the room. They can’t quite see what is exactly behind the curtain, but they can make out the outline of a dark pony-shaped figure standing before the curtain. Eventually the mysterious pony leaves the room and they all take a breath out of relief. “. . . What was that?” Sweetie Belle whispers. “Ah don’ know, but Ah think it ain’t friendly.” Says Applebloom fearfully. “Girls relax; it was probably just Diamond Tiara trying to scare us. Who knows what they could be up to?” Says Scootaloo. “Yer probably right. C’mon let’s git outta this room.” Silver Spoon arrives, still trembling, back into the storage room where Diamond Tiara is now messing around with one of the mannequins and a white sheet. “Well? What was it?” Diamond Tiara asks. “. . . Oh, uh I-I don’t know. I didn’t see anything.” “Hmm, that’s strange. Come and help me with this.” “So, what’s the plan?” “I’ve got an idea with this mannequin. We dress it up and set it somewhere to hopefully scare the Cutie Mark Losers out of the house.” “That’s genious!” “Aren’t I?” Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara proceed with an attempt to pull out a dusty old mannequin from behind stacks of boxes causing a few things to scurry out from behind. Some black spiders and even a little mouse bolt across the room as the two bullies cry in disgust. The Cutie Mark Crusaders leave the dank bathroom and find another room next door. Inside is a set of three beds along the back wall with their sheets hanging off of the mattresses and a wooden bureau on each side. In the center of the room is a faded forest green rug outlined in beige and decorated with images of flowers around the center. Along the wall is a tall wooden wardrobe with fancy dark metal handles illuminated by a flash of lighting from the window on the opposite wall. Sweetie Belle opens the two wardrobe doors and finds many white dresses which are in surprisingly good condition as they have been sheltered from any dust. “Woah! Look at these!” Says Sweetie Belle astonishingly. “Wow, these dresses look ancient. They must’ve belonged to whoever lived here before.” Says Scootaloo while inspecting the wardrobe. “Say! These dresses look about our size! Why don’t we try ‘em on?!” Applebloom suggests. Just like that the crusaders begin to dig in the wardrobe pulling out a few good dresses for them to go and try on. They slip their little hooves through the sleeves and fix the skirts around their waists. They twirl around as their dresses sway admiring how wonderful they look. Scootaloo then notices something hanging from the ceiling. A handle attached to a chain that connects to a square doorway on the ceiling. “Hey, what’s that?” She asks. “Ah don’ know. Some kinda switch?” Says Applebloom. “Let’s pull it!” “I don’t know Scootaloo. . .” Says Sweetie Belle worriedly. “Aw come on; who knows what else we’ll find in this house?” Scootaloo uses her little wings to flutter up into the air and clench her teeth around the handle yanking it down allowing the door to fly open and a ladder to extend down to the floor. A thick cloud of dust puffs from the doorway causing them to start coughing. They try to swipe away the dust by waving their hooves near their faces. As soon as the dust all clears away they stare up into the newly opened attic, not so much afraid, but curious. “. . . Woah.” They all mutter in unison. “. . . Well come on let’s go!” Scootaloo urges excitedly. Scootaloo rushes up the ladder as her friends follow closely behind. Out of every room they’ve been in the attic seems to be the most filled with dust as it immediately begins to cling to the bottom of their hooves with their first steps. However, this room is the most lit due to the ray of Moonlight shining directly through one little window. The light lays upon the assortment of boxes and webs that stretch from wall to wall. The crusaders begin their excavation through all the boxes lifting up their lids and digging through all the junk that lies inside. Applebloom finds a bunch of old child toys such as dolls and letter blocks. Along with all that she also finds a little bonnet which she fashions over her head covering up her big red bow. Sweetie Belle finds an old music box with a crank extending out from one of its sides. She uses her magic to lift open the lid revealing a little figure of a mare in a pink dress standing in some sort of ballet pose. Under the lid is a mirror, and once Applebloom and Scootaloo notice the music box they all gather around staring at their reflections. Sweetie Belle uses her magic to turn the crank until it cannot be turned any further. Upon letting it go a sweet chiming melody plays as the little figurine twirls along the rotating base of the box. Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara stop their attempts to yank the mannequin out of the clutter due to the sound of the melody as they now glance everywhere around the room unsure of where the sound is coming from. “What’s that sound?” Silver Spoon asks. “. . . Is that . . . music?” Diamond Tiara asks wonderingly. As the music continues Silver Spoon grows even more nervous while Diamond Tiara appears more confused than anything. The music begins to slow down until finally stopping. “Well that was strange.” Says Diamond Tiara. “A little c-creepy too.” “Oh don’t tell me ‘you’ are starting to get scared.” “Uh what? Me? N-No I’m not scared! Don’t be ridiculous.” They then turn their attention back to the mannequin they’ve been trying to dig out of the pile of junk, but Silver Spoon continues to glance at the doorway out of a lingering fear. In the attic Scootaloo searches a box and finds only a big white sheet, but as she picks it up out of the box it feels heavier than a normal sheet of cloth. She sets it down onto the floor and starts to unravel it revealing an old brown book. She opens the cover and finds that the sheets are filled with black and white photos of other ponies in several family pictures. “Girls come and look at this!” Scootaloo calls. “What is it?” Applebloom asks. “It’s an old family album!” Says Sweetie Belle surprised. Scootaloo continues to turn the pages looking at all the different photos of the family. Every picture is filled with such happiness. There are photos of a supposed father laughing with one of his daughters, or in a wedding picture with his wife. Through the pictures it would seem that he had three daughters. There are so many pictures of the three daughters playing together or gathered around the dinner table as a family. “They all look so . . . happy.” Says Scootaloo. “Yeah, there’s no way Diamond Tiara’s story could be true.” Says Applebloom. “. . . Hey, these fillies look kind of like us.” Says Sweetie Belle. “Where?” “Right there.” Sweetie Belle says pointing to one particular photo of what looks like the whole family. In the picture are the three daughters smiling and standing next to one another. The similarities are abundant by the styles of their manes, but since the photo is in black in white it’s difficult to tell what color their coats just really may be. However, the two daughters that look similar to Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo are both earth ponies. Behind them is the father in a black suit and hat, dark colored coat and a smile on his face. Next to him is his wife in a white blouse and swirly mane leaning her head against the father’s shoulder. “Ah don’ think I see the resemblance.” Says Applebloom. “Take a closer look! They definitely look like us!” Says Sweetie Belle. Applebloom pulls the picture out of its sleeve and tries to look closer, but to her it’s just too dark to tell. She moves over to the Moonlight so that it can appear more visible. “Well what’ya know! They really do!” Suddenly the floor beneath her begins to creak, and before she can react it breaks apart causing her to fall down. She tries to grab onto the white sheet to save herself, but she just ends up falling down with it shrouding her entire body. Sootaloo and Sweetie Belle trot over to the hole calling out Applebloom’s name hoping for a response. Chapter 4Chapter 4 Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle peer over the jagged wood as the dust clears revealing Applebloom completely blanked in the white sheet she dragged down with her. “Applebloom!” Scootaloo shouts. “Applebloom are you alright?!” Sweetie Belle shouts. “Uhh . . . Y-Yeah Ah’m . . . Ah’m alright.” “Applebloom we’ll meet you back in the bedroom!” “Alrighty then.” Applebloom says dazedly. Applebloom stands desperately trying to keep her balance while she ignores the big white sheet still covering her entire body. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon have finally pulled out the mannequin, but at the same time they knocked over several boxes causing their contents to scatter all along the floor. Silver Spoon begins setting up the sheet while Diamond Tiara browses the other boxes for anything useful. She catches a sound outside the room, the sound of hoof-steps and slight moaning. As she stares through the doorway something covered in a big white sheet passes by. Diamond Tiara groans and turns her attention to Silver Spoon. “Silver Spoon I thought we were going to keep the mannequin here until we found a good spot for it?” “. . . What are you talking about? It’s still here.” Diamond Tiara notices that the mannequin is indeed still in the room, and her eyes widen turning back to the door wondering to herself about what she really did see. “Why? What’s wrong?” Silver Spoon asks. “I . . . I thought I saw something walk across the hall.” “Diamond Tiara that’s not funny.” “I’m being serious! Come on let’s go take a look. I swear if it’s those losers trying to scare us they’ve got another thing coming.” Applebloom fumbles her way down a set of stairs and feels her way into the kitchen using the wall as a guide. Still trying to keep her balance she ends up running into the refrigerator causing the door to creep open and a bottle of years-old tomato juice to spill out onto the floor. The vibration makes the cleaver resting on the countertop fall as well and into the puddle of juice. Applebloom searches around for the door until she eventually gets her hooves over a knob, while already opening it up and with one peak out from under the sheet she realizes that it isn’t the same door and leaves it a tad open. The door next to it was the door she and her friends had gone into. She walks in, shuts the door, and yanks off the white sheet while rubbing her forehead. Climbing up the stairs her friends meet her as soon as she reaches the top. “Applebloom! There you are!” Says Scootaloo. “Is your head okay?” Asks Sweetie Belle. “Yeah, Ah’ll be fine.” Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon peak out through the doorway looking both left and right. To the right is a dead end, but they notice something laying on the floor. The family photo Applebloom was holding fell and she left it without knowing. Diamond Tiara picks it up and they both stare at the family members. “Who are these ponies?” Silver Spoon asks. “I don’t know.” “Maybe that stallion was the murderer that used to live in this house; and maybe he killed those three little fillies!” “Silver Spoon relax, there is no such thing. I made that story up so that maybe I could scare those losers. I mean really, there is no such thing as ghosts.” A loud crash then erupts from the kitchen startling the two bullies. The both of them quietly walk down the stairs peering into the kitchen. At first they don’t see anything, but the further they move in they finally notice the cleaver soaking in a puddle of dark red fluid. A shiver is sent up both of their spines, and their breath gets caught in their chests. “W-W-What is that?!” Says Silver Spoon frightfully. “I-I don’t know . . .” “I thought you said you made that story up!” “I did! I—” Diamond Tiara halts in the middle of her statement noticing the door that has been left slightly open. After the both of them cautiously move forward Diamond Tiara pulls the door all the way open but pulls herself away out of fear. There is nothing but a stairway leading down into a dark and dank cellar. “Are you losers down there?!” She calls, but it only echoes back to her with no other answer. “That’s it, I’m going down there.” “Are you crazy?!” “I’m telling you it’s just them trying to scare us! There is nothing to be afraid of. There is no such thing as ghosts, ghouls, goblins-nothing!” On that note she begins to walk down the stairway while Silver Spoon, reluctantly, follows her down as well. Plunging deeper into the dark with only the light from the doorway behind them they glance left and right trying to desperately focus on anything. “Are you losers down here! Hello?!” Diamond Tiara shouts impatiently. A creaking sound erupts from behind them, and with a frightened turn of their heads they see that the door is slowly shutting itself. With the light fading they watch in helplessness. The door stops and silences for a split second of relief, but in a violent slam the door shuts closed leaving the two bullies in the darkness with the sound of tumblers locking into place. In a surge of panic they trot up the stairs bumping into each other and stumbling over each step. They try to turn the knob, but it’s as if something is holding it from the outside. Their breathing quickens, and beyond the door they catch the sounds of young jovial voices giggling with delight. “Open the door! See? I told you it was them!” Says Diamond Tiara angrily, but no matter how much they demand and how much they bang the door stays shut. “. . . W-What do we do now?” Asks Silver Spoon. “If they won’t let us out, then we’ll just find our own way out.” “But I can’t see!” “Just follow my voice, there has to be another exit somewhere around here.” Silver Spoon trembles nervously with each step she takes, and Diamond Tiara is filled, not with fear, but fury. The both of them blindly make their way down the stairs trying to feel around the walls. Silver Spoon then feels something touch her shoulder, and she can’t help but jump flailing her forelegs. “Ah! What was that?!” She shouts. “Calm down it was just me. . . Wait, do you hear something?” Diamond Tiara asks. They freeze their bodies holding their ears out to the darkness. Somewhere in this basement a low humming slithers through the air. A mare’s voice whispering a peaceful tune, but it sends the two bullies’ hearts into dread. Giggling begins to erupt from beneath the shadows and the two fillies’ only instinct is to back away and try for the door one last time. Speechless they take a few steps back, but bump into a shelf against a wall. A commotion of cans and containers fall, and the two of them feel something warm coat the bottom of their hooves. “. . . Diamond . . . what is this?” Silver Spoon whispers. “I . . . I don’t know.” “Is it . . . ?” Something else falls and clangs onto the basement floor cutting off Silver Spoon’s thought replacing it with the urge to run. The both of them gallop and bump into each other trying to find the stairs. Screaming and tripping over the steps they bang repeatedly on the door begging for help, but on the other side the giggling just continues. Their screams are so loud that they travel up into the second floor where the Cutie Mark Crusaders freeze in fear. “W-What is that?” Asks Applebloom. “Didn’t Diamond Tiara say you could hear screams from this house?” Sweetie Belle asks frightfully. “Girls it’s just a story, there’s no—” The screams grow louder causing Scootaloo to hold her mouth and tremble as well as her friends. “Ah think it’s comin’ from downstairs.” Says Applebloom. “Th-Then let’s go check it out. . .” Scootaloo leads the way cautiously down the stairs back into the kitchen with the sounds of screaming and violent banging. They stand behind the door as it pulses with the distressed voices behind it. Scootaloo reaches out to the knob, and with the slightest turn the door flies open and the two bullies ram into them. The crusaders are pushed back slamming against a cupboard, but from the shelf up above a bag of flour tips over raining the white powder upon them. They all regain their composure and Diamond Tiara begins to scold the three crusaders. “What was that for?! You—” Diamond Tiara stops once she finds that before her stand three white fillies dressed in strange clothing. She and Silver Spoon remember them from the old family photo and automatically assume the worst. “Ghosts!” They both shout in unison. They bolt out of the kitchen and out of the house leaving the crusaders puzzled. “Ghosts?” Asks Applebloom. “Why would they . . . ? Hey! Look!” Sweetie Belle finds the family photo from earlier one the floor near the doorway. “Oh, Ah must’ve dropped it on accident.” “Then . . . They must’ve thought that ‘we’ were the ghosts!” Scootaloo says before they all start giggling together. “Hey, do you think they’re still out there?” Asks Sweetie Belle. “I don’t know, come on let’s go see!” The three of them trot through the main hall and outside where Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon are shivering near the outside of the lawn. “Ah! Stay away!” Diamond Tiara shouts. “Wait! It’s just us!” Scootaloo shouts with a chuckle in her voice. The three of them start to wipe away the flour from their faces revealing their coats. Both Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon’s jaws drop as the crusaders trot towards them. “Looks like ‘we’ won the dare! “Wha- ju- bu- Guh! Oh Fine! You beat us.” Diamond Tiara says rolling her eyes. “We didn’t scare you two did we?” Scootaloo asks with a smirk. “I knew you losers would try to pull something like this!” “Oh and you weren’t?” “Us? Of course not! . . . Oh alright yes, we did have something planned. Until something passed by our doorway covered in a white sheet!” “Oh! That was me. Ah fell outta tha attic, and Ah was so dizzy Ah didn’t even bother to pull off that darn sheet.” Says Applebloom. “What about that knife on the kitchen floor?” Silver Spoon asks. “Ah must’ve bumped inta somethin’ an’ it fell. Ah think Ah hit tha refrigerator.” “What about those dresses?” “We found these in the bedroom and decided to try them on. Aren’t they pretty?” Sweetie Belle asks. “They are!” Silver Spoon agrees, but she silences once Diamond Tiara gives her an angry glare. “By the way, was it one of you that tried to scare us in the bathroom?” Scootaloo asks. “‘I’ didn’t go into any bathroom.” Says Diamond Tiara. “That was me, I heard a sound and looked around. I thought I heard something behind the curtains . . . was that you?” Says Silver Spoon. “Yeah, we got kinda scared.” Scootaloo chuckles. “Ah guess instead of the house scaring us we ended up scaring each other. . . What is that all over yer hooves?” Applebloom asks. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon check their hooves and find that they are coated in a black fluid. “Is that . . . oil?” “Ew! Disgusting!” They shout trying to wipe their hooves along the grass. “Well this wouldn’t have happened if it wasn’t for you three locking us in the basement!” Diamond Tiara says furiously. “What? We weren’t even there when you got locked in. We heard screaming and came down to see what it was. You’re just trying to ignore that you were scared and couldn’t handle it.” Scootaloo defends. “Whatever, just because you beat us this once doesn’t mean you’ll beat us in anything else. Come on Silver Spoon.” Oddly Silver Spoon seems a bit reluctant to follow, as if she actually wants to stay with the crusaders. But she chooses to follow after another glare by Diamond Tiara. “. . . That is a little bit weird don’t you think? How could they have gotten locked in the basement?” Sweetie Belle asks. “Maybe the wind shut the door behind them.” Scootaloo puts forward. “You know, even after Diamond Tiara’s story an’ how creepy tha house looks, Ah think it was pretty fun.” Says Applebloom. “It was! I wonder what else is in that house.” Says Sweetie Belle. “You know girls; I wouldn’t mind coming back here sometime.” Says Scootaloo. Feeling proud of their accomplishment and realizing that there never really was anything to fear about the house they turn with their heads held high back to it for one last look. From the outside it appears ominous, but that doesn’t mean that it has to be scary. “. . . Uh . . . do you girls see somethin’ up there in tha window?” Asks Applebloom. “Where?” Asks Sweetie Belle. “Right there. . .” Applebloom then guides Sweetie Belle’s attention to the top right window. As their curiosity drags them closer they find themselves staring mindlessly at what stands in the window: three young fillies, a mare, and a stallion in fancy attire joyfully waving at them with smiles on their faces. Their eyes are locked on this stunningly familiar looking group of ponies as they awkwardly wave back at them. The three fillies wink simultaneously at them before fading away into the shadows behind them. “. . . Did you girls see that?” Asks Sweetie Belle with her eyes still glued onto the window. “Uh . . . Ah think so.” Says Applebloom. “Maybe it was just our imagination. Yeah that’s it, maybe we’re just tired.” Scootaloo proposes. “We should go home an’ git some sleep.” “Yeah . . . good idea.” As they turn and begin their trail back home they can’t help but glance back at the house. They can feel that what they saw wasn’t their imagination, but they continue to hammer in their minds that it was. It is a question they still will be asking themselves: do ghosts really exist? Or are they simply a figment of our own thoughts? Even if they are real they can’t all be bad, right?
Chapter 1Nightmare Night is drawing near and Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo couldn’t be more excited. The same can be said for any other little filly. They all look forward to the night when they can dress up as creepy ghouls or creatures going door to door to receive treats. However, they’re stuck in their desks at the schoolhouse. It could be worse, they could have an assignment to have their heads buried in, but since it’s a Friday Miss Cheerilee decides to go easy on them for the day. They merely have a simple worksheet to fill out based on the short fable they had just read in class. The sweet sound of the school bell pierces the silence of the classroom sending all the students jumping out of their seats and galloping out of the room. “Have a good evening class!” Shouts Miss Cheerilee as her students leave her classroom. “Hey girls want to meet up at the clubhouse?” Scootaloo asks as she and her friends trot through the schoolyard. “Why sher!” Applebloom says excitedly. They continue to trot down the walkway toward the exit of the white wooden fence surrounding the schoolyard. Just as they are about to leave out from the bushes two ghouls jump out and surprise them. They jolt and scream, but the ghouls suddenly start laughing. Very quickly they realize that they weren’t at all ghouls, just two bullies picking on them. “Can’t you two find somethin’ else ta do besides botherin’ us?” Applebloom asks frustrated. “Yeah Diamond Tiara, can’t you and Silverspoon just leave us alone?” Asks Sweetie Belle. “Why would we? That was just too rich!” The two bullies remove their masks to reveal their innocent faces with their smug smiles, but Applebloom and her friends find their faces anything but innocent. They’re always up to no good bullying the three of them endlessly it seems. No matter what they do or what they say Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon will not stop their little games. “You two are just too easy to scare!” Silver Spoon adds. “You should call yourselves the Cutie Mark Fraidy Cats!” Diamond Tiara mocks. “We are ‘not’ Fraidy Cats!” Scootaloo argues. “Face it, you three are so easy to scare!” “Well we’re braver than you two!” “Oh really? Then why don’t you prove it?” “How?” They ask simultaneously. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon smile at each other deviously, worrying the three crusaders. “If you really think you’re brave, then we dare you to spend a night in the old Abenine House?” Diamond Tiara suggests. “Tha house’a what?” Asks Applebloom. “You’ve never heard of the Old Abenine House?” “No, why?” “It’s on old abandoned house that still stands in the Everfree Forest. Legends say that the owner of the house used to be a murderer. He would lure unsuspecting ponies to his house, and chop them up into pieces!” “. . . R-Really?” “Of course, it’s only a legend. But, they say they can still hear the screams of ponies from the inside of the house. Some have even seen somepony through the windows staring out at them through the curtains. . . But this doesn’t scare you three does it?” “O-Of course not!” Scootaloo protests, yet she and her friends are already trembling with fear. “Good! Then you three should have no problem ‘surviving’ a night.” “Come on! We dare you.” Silver Spoon taunts. “We accept!” Scootaloo shouts. “What?!” Applebloom and Sweetie Belle shout pulling Scootaloo away before huddling up. “Scootaloo what are you doin’?!” Asks Applebloom. “Are you crazy?!” Sweetie Belle adds. “Girls we can do it!” Scootaloo claims. “Ah’m not goin’ in there! Did ya hear what she said?” “She’s just trying to scare us! We can’t just turn down a dare. Besides if we can make it through the night then maybe they’ll finally leave us alone?” Applebloom and Sweetie Belle ponder about Scootaloo’s idea, and eventually they all come to terms. “Alright, Ah’ll go.” Applebloom exhales. “Me too.” Sweetie Belle agrees. “Alright! . . . Hey, I think I’ve got an idea!” “Huh?” “Just follow my lead.” The three of them return to Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon who are still awaiting their answer with their smug faces. “Okay, we’ll go . . . but we dare ‘you’ to come into the house with us. Right girls?” “Uh-Uh yeah! Unless yer chicken?” Says Applebloom. “Us? Ha! Very well, we’ll go in, and whoever leaves the house first will be the loser.” Says Diamond Tiara. “And considered the biggest chicken in Ponyville.” Silver Spoon adds. “We’ll meet here during sunset, and then we’ll go out into the forest. Unless, you’re too afraid to show up?” They both chuckle as they hold their heads up high walking away. “. . . What did we just get ourselves into?” Asks Sweetie Belle. “Don’t worry about it girls! It’s just one night in an old house, I’m sure they’ll be running out before us.” Scootaloo assures. The three of them leave for their clubhouse where they usually discuss their club ideas or plans, but this time they only worry as they watch the outside through their window. The lower the sun gets, the higher their anxiety grows. None of them really say a word, but they already know what’s on each other’s minds. Scootaloo notices their lack of confidence, and she tries her best to keep their spirits afloat. The sun is nearing the horizon, meaning it is almost time to meet the two bullies near the schoolhouse. Scootaloo rises anxious to leave, but her friends are still glued to the wood floor. “. . . It’s almost time, are you ready?” Scootaloo asks. “I-I don’t know.” Says Sweetie Belle worryingly. “Come on we have to go, we already took the dare.” “Ah’m not too sure either Scootaloo.” Says Applebloom. “I thought you two were ready to go through with it?!” “Well . . . w-we’re just too scared to go.” “But that’s what they’re counting on! If we don’t go then we’ll never hear the end of it.” “I’m sorry Scootaloo, but . . . Ah don’ think it’s worth it.” “That’s it? You two just quit?” Neither of them answers, leaving Scootaloo to come up with her own answer. “Then . . . I’ll just go by myself.” “What?!” Sweetie Belle exclaims. “No way yer goin’ out into that house alone.” Says Applebloom concerned. “Then let’s all go together!” Scootaloo tries one more attempt to boost their energy, but they are reluctant to reply. Their faces express their doubt, and fear. “. . . Whatever happened to the Crusader Code?” “. . . A fellow crusader will always follow their sister. . .” Says Applebloom. “. . . And will always be by her side, no matter what.” Sweetie Belle continues. “We swore we would always follow that code. . .” Scootaloo then lowers her head in sadness. “. . . She’s right; we can’t let her go on her own. We’re Crusaders, an’ we should stick together.” Says Applebloom rising from the floor. “Scootaloo, if you’re really gonna go. Then count me in.” Says Sweetie Belle now standing with the group. “Me too!” Applebloom adds confidently. “Let’s go to this house and prove Diamond Tiara wrong!” “Yeah!” They all shout in unison. “And what are we afraid of crusaders?!” Asks Scootaloo. “Nothing!” They all burst out of the clubhouse towards the school, filled to the brim with strength.
Chapter 2Haunting Dare Ch. 2 Dusk is settling, and the three friends are nearing the schoolhouse where the bullies are impatiently waiting at the front entrance. “Well, it took you three long enough.” Diamond Tiara comments. “Let’s get going, follow us.” Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon guide the three crusaders into the Everfree forest where their first challenge of fear begins. It seems like in just a second the Moon has already raised high in the black blanket sprinkled with stars. Thick dark clouds begin to roll in and rumbling with the sounds of deep thunder. They walk a dark and lonely path as the trees tower and reach over the sky. Their thin black branches intertwine with each other making it impossible to see anything past them, only blackness. The hooting of an owl or the scurrying of a squirrel is enough to make one of them jolt, but the two bullies do not mind the sounds at all as they briskly walk down the path without so much as a glance of fright. The crusaders take notice of this and try to block the fear out of their minds, but they all have the distinct feeling that somewhere beyond the trees somepony is watching them. “Well, here we are. The Old Abenine House.” They all stand before the dying yard of a tall aged building. The wooden planks’ paint has been peeling away as well as the boards themselves from the walls. Through the dusty windows is an abyss of dark, one of the windows is flaring open due to the wind. The crusaders stand and stare with their bodies frozen from fright. “Well? Why don’t you three go and step inside? Unless you’re scared.” Diamond Tiara teases. Applebloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo take a deep breath and step closer towards the foreboding house with Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon following behind. They ascend up from the stone steps to the front door Scootaloo resting her hoof on the knob. A creaking sound follows as the door is slowly pushed open to reveal the cobwebbed and dusty interior. Upon the walls hang several portraits barely recognizable due to the layers of dust. Tattered furniture such as armchairs and rugs are scattered along the wooden floor. Hanging from the ceiling is a glass chandelier with strands of webs reaching down towards the floor. The door behind them slams shut jolting the three crusaders. “Now, the first pony to leave this house will be considered the loser. So go on and make yourselves comfortable. We’ll be waiting for you three to be screaming your way out of here.” Diamond Tiara mocks as she and Silver Spoon trot up a set of stairs to the second floor. “. . . W-Well what do we do now?” Asks Applebloom. “Why don’t we go l-look around?” Scootaloo asks, and without an answer she and her two friends remain trembling. Upstairs Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon find a secluded room cluttered with boxes to discuss their issue: what to do about the Cutie Mark Crusaders. “I didn’t think they’d actually show up.” Says Silver Spoon. “Neither did I, who knows? They just might make it through the night. It looks like we’ll have to take matters into our own hooves.” “How?” “If the house won’t scare them out, then ‘we’ will.” Diamond Tiara notices that there is a pony mannequin in the room, along with a few others clustered together behind a wall of webbing. Cardboard boxes are pushed to the sides containing all sorts of household items. The both of them glance at each other with a dubious smile. In the main hall where the Cutie Mark Crusaders still stand frozen they can hear the sound of the pitter patter of rain droplets tapping the outside walls and windows. Suddenly a sharp flash of lighting followed by a bang of thunder startles the crusaders sending them all galloping into the next room to hide. They lean their backs against the door to keep it shut with their hearts beating crazily. For the moment they believe they have found safety, but ahead of them is a filthy kitchen that fills their minds with thoughts about the supposed killer that used to live here. The refrigerator is slightly rusted as well as the faucet loaded with food-stained dishes. Along the dusty countertop is a wooden cutting board with a cleaver resting atop it. A slight scent of a horrible odor lingers in the room forcing the crusaders to cover their snouts. “Guh, what is that smell?” Asks Scootaloo. “Ah don’ know, but it’s disgustin’.” Says Applebloom. They all split up making a short tour of the kitchen taking a look at all the dust and grime. Scootaloo stumbles upon the knife and is quickly frightened by it. “Girls, do you think this was the knife the mad killer used to slice up ponies?” She asks. “Ah thought you said she was jus’ tryin’ ta scare us with that story. . .” Says Applebloom. “Oh, right! Yeah of course! There never was a-a butcher pony. What am I saying? Eheh. . .” Scootaloo tries to cover herself. “Can we get out of here? This smell is killing me.” Says Sweetie Belle. “Killing?!” Cries Scootaloo and Applebloom. “Yeah . . . the smell is really bad.” “Oh . . . well why don’t we go in there?” Says Scootaloo pointing to a dirty old door. With a turn of the loose knob and pull of the door it reveals an ascending staircase. Step after creaky step they find themselves eventually reaching the upper hall where Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon had went. They follow a rough rug down the dark hall, and the sound of an echoing droplet of water pounding repeatedly onto a surface is caught by their attentive ears. “Girls? . . . Do you hear that?” “Yeah, where’s it comin’ from?” Applebloom asks. They find that it seems to be coming from behind a door that has been partially left open. Cautiously they push the door open, step inside, and are met with a sudden change of humidity in the air. The walls feel somewhat slimy and rigid, but it is only because they are partially covered in moss. The same goes for everything else in the room. The sink, the faucet, the bathtub are all home to a thriving city of moss. Sweetie Belle discovers that the sound is just the reverberations of the continuous droplets of water leaking from the rusty faucet along the bowl of the sink. She pulls herself up onto the counter and struggles to reach the faucet lever. Realizing her forelegs aren’t long enough to reach she instead resorts to her magic to grab hold of the lever and turn it so the water can finally stop. While in the process of turning it suddenly falls off clanking onto the stone countertop and slamming on the tiled floor startling Applebloom and Scootaloo. “Sweetie Belle what’ya doin’?!” “Yeah, that was pretty loud.” “Sorry. . .” Says Sweetie Belle guiltily. Back in the storage room where Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon have been hiding and trying to come up with a plan to scare the three crusaders they catch the sound of something heavy hitting the floor. They turn their attention to the doorway somewhat frightened. “What was that?” Diamond Tiara asks. “I-I don’t know.” Says Silver Spoon worriedly. “. . . Well, why don’t you go and check it out?” “Alone?!” “What are you worried about? Just go on and see what the sound was while I try to come up with a plan.” “O-Okay.” Silver Spoon steps out from the room and into the hall with her legs shivering and locked into place not wanting to move another inch. The cutie mark crusaders, still in the bathroom, hear hoof steps from outside and are drawn into a panic. They glance around frantically for a place to hide as the steps draw closer and find a shower just behind them. They yank the curtain back and hurriedly climb inside the tub sliding the curtain back in place as the metal rings scratch against the rusty metal pole that holds it up. Their bodies freeze and ears rise listening to the approaching steps. Something steps inside as the crusaders glance at each other with their eyes full of fright.
Chapter 3Chapter 3 The crusaders place their hooves over each other’s mouths to keep one another quiet. This unknown pony messes around with some of the objects in the bathroom as they listen to its breathing echo within the room. They can’t quite see what is exactly behind the curtain, but they can make out the outline of a dark pony-shaped figure standing before the curtain. Eventually the mysterious pony leaves the room and they all take a breath out of relief. “. . . What was that?” Sweetie Belle whispers. “Ah don’ know, but Ah think it ain’t friendly.” Says Applebloom fearfully. “Girls relax; it was probably just Diamond Tiara trying to scare us. Who knows what they could be up to?” Says Scootaloo. “Yer probably right. C’mon let’s git outta this room.” Silver Spoon arrives, still trembling, back into the storage room where Diamond Tiara is now messing around with one of the mannequins and a white sheet. “Well? What was it?” Diamond Tiara asks. “. . . Oh, uh I-I don’t know. I didn’t see anything.” “Hmm, that’s strange. Come and help me with this.” “So, what’s the plan?” “I’ve got an idea with this mannequin. We dress it up and set it somewhere to hopefully scare the Cutie Mark Losers out of the house.” “That’s genious!” “Aren’t I?” Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara proceed with an attempt to pull out a dusty old mannequin from behind stacks of boxes causing a few things to scurry out from behind. Some black spiders and even a little mouse bolt across the room as the two bullies cry in disgust. The Cutie Mark Crusaders leave the dank bathroom and find another room next door. Inside is a set of three beds along the back wall with their sheets hanging off of the mattresses and a wooden bureau on each side. In the center of the room is a faded forest green rug outlined in beige and decorated with images of flowers around the center. Along the wall is a tall wooden wardrobe with fancy dark metal handles illuminated by a flash of lighting from the window on the opposite wall. Sweetie Belle opens the two wardrobe doors and finds many white dresses which are in surprisingly good condition as they have been sheltered from any dust. “Woah! Look at these!” Says Sweetie Belle astonishingly. “Wow, these dresses look ancient. They must’ve belonged to whoever lived here before.” Says Scootaloo while inspecting the wardrobe. “Say! These dresses look about our size! Why don’t we try ‘em on?!” Applebloom suggests. Just like that the crusaders begin to dig in the wardrobe pulling out a few good dresses for them to go and try on. They slip their little hooves through the sleeves and fix the skirts around their waists. They twirl around as their dresses sway admiring how wonderful they look. Scootaloo then notices something hanging from the ceiling. A handle attached to a chain that connects to a square doorway on the ceiling. “Hey, what’s that?” She asks. “Ah don’ know. Some kinda switch?” Says Applebloom. “Let’s pull it!” “I don’t know Scootaloo. . .” Says Sweetie Belle worriedly. “Aw come on; who knows what else we’ll find in this house?” Scootaloo uses her little wings to flutter up into the air and clench her teeth around the handle yanking it down allowing the door to fly open and a ladder to extend down to the floor. A thick cloud of dust puffs from the doorway causing them to start coughing. They try to swipe away the dust by waving their hooves near their faces. As soon as the dust all clears away they stare up into the newly opened attic, not so much afraid, but curious. “. . . Woah.” They all mutter in unison. “. . . Well come on let’s go!” Scootaloo urges excitedly. Scootaloo rushes up the ladder as her friends follow closely behind. Out of every room they’ve been in the attic seems to be the most filled with dust as it immediately begins to cling to the bottom of their hooves with their first steps. However, this room is the most lit due to the ray of Moonlight shining directly through one little window. The light lays upon the assortment of boxes and webs that stretch from wall to wall. The crusaders begin their excavation through all the boxes lifting up their lids and digging through all the junk that lies inside. Applebloom finds a bunch of old child toys such as dolls and letter blocks. Along with all that she also finds a little bonnet which she fashions over her head covering up her big red bow. Sweetie Belle finds an old music box with a crank extending out from one of its sides. She uses her magic to lift open the lid revealing a little figure of a mare in a pink dress standing in some sort of ballet pose. Under the lid is a mirror, and once Applebloom and Scootaloo notice the music box they all gather around staring at their reflections. Sweetie Belle uses her magic to turn the crank until it cannot be turned any further. Upon letting it go a sweet chiming melody plays as the little figurine twirls along the rotating base of the box. Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara stop their attempts to yank the mannequin out of the clutter due to the sound of the melody as they now glance everywhere around the room unsure of where the sound is coming from. “What’s that sound?” Silver Spoon asks. “. . . Is that . . . music?” Diamond Tiara asks wonderingly. As the music continues Silver Spoon grows even more nervous while Diamond Tiara appears more confused than anything. The music begins to slow down until finally stopping. “Well that was strange.” Says Diamond Tiara. “A little c-creepy too.” “Oh don’t tell me ‘you’ are starting to get scared.” “Uh what? Me? N-No I’m not scared! Don’t be ridiculous.” They then turn their attention back to the mannequin they’ve been trying to dig out of the pile of junk, but Silver Spoon continues to glance at the doorway out of a lingering fear. In the attic Scootaloo searches a box and finds only a big white sheet, but as she picks it up out of the box it feels heavier than a normal sheet of cloth. She sets it down onto the floor and starts to unravel it revealing an old brown book. She opens the cover and finds that the sheets are filled with black and white photos of other ponies in several family pictures. “Girls come and look at this!” Scootaloo calls. “What is it?” Applebloom asks. “It’s an old family album!” Says Sweetie Belle surprised. Scootaloo continues to turn the pages looking at all the different photos of the family. Every picture is filled with such happiness. There are photos of a supposed father laughing with one of his daughters, or in a wedding picture with his wife. Through the pictures it would seem that he had three daughters. There are so many pictures of the three daughters playing together or gathered around the dinner table as a family. “They all look so . . . happy.” Says Scootaloo. “Yeah, there’s no way Diamond Tiara’s story could be true.” Says Applebloom. “. . . Hey, these fillies look kind of like us.” Says Sweetie Belle. “Where?” “Right there.” Sweetie Belle says pointing to one particular photo of what looks like the whole family. In the picture are the three daughters smiling and standing next to one another. The similarities are abundant by the styles of their manes, but since the photo is in black in white it’s difficult to tell what color their coats just really may be. However, the two daughters that look similar to Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo are both earth ponies. Behind them is the father in a black suit and hat, dark colored coat and a smile on his face. Next to him is his wife in a white blouse and swirly mane leaning her head against the father’s shoulder. “Ah don’ think I see the resemblance.” Says Applebloom. “Take a closer look! They definitely look like us!” Says Sweetie Belle. Applebloom pulls the picture out of its sleeve and tries to look closer, but to her it’s just too dark to tell. She moves over to the Moonlight so that it can appear more visible. “Well what’ya know! They really do!” Suddenly the floor beneath her begins to creak, and before she can react it breaks apart causing her to fall down. She tries to grab onto the white sheet to save herself, but she just ends up falling down with it shrouding her entire body. Sootaloo and Sweetie Belle trot over to the hole calling out Applebloom’s name hoping for a response.
Chapter 4Chapter 4 Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle peer over the jagged wood as the dust clears revealing Applebloom completely blanked in the white sheet she dragged down with her. “Applebloom!” Scootaloo shouts. “Applebloom are you alright?!” Sweetie Belle shouts. “Uhh . . . Y-Yeah Ah’m . . . Ah’m alright.” “Applebloom we’ll meet you back in the bedroom!” “Alrighty then.” Applebloom says dazedly. Applebloom stands desperately trying to keep her balance while she ignores the big white sheet still covering her entire body. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon have finally pulled out the mannequin, but at the same time they knocked over several boxes causing their contents to scatter all along the floor. Silver Spoon begins setting up the sheet while Diamond Tiara browses the other boxes for anything useful. She catches a sound outside the room, the sound of hoof-steps and slight moaning. As she stares through the doorway something covered in a big white sheet passes by. Diamond Tiara groans and turns her attention to Silver Spoon. “Silver Spoon I thought we were going to keep the mannequin here until we found a good spot for it?” “. . . What are you talking about? It’s still here.” Diamond Tiara notices that the mannequin is indeed still in the room, and her eyes widen turning back to the door wondering to herself about what she really did see. “Why? What’s wrong?” Silver Spoon asks. “I . . . I thought I saw something walk across the hall.” “Diamond Tiara that’s not funny.” “I’m being serious! Come on let’s go take a look. I swear if it’s those losers trying to scare us they’ve got another thing coming.” Applebloom fumbles her way down a set of stairs and feels her way into the kitchen using the wall as a guide. Still trying to keep her balance she ends up running into the refrigerator causing the door to creep open and a bottle of years-old tomato juice to spill out onto the floor. The vibration makes the cleaver resting on the countertop fall as well and into the puddle of juice. Applebloom searches around for the door until she eventually gets her hooves over a knob, while already opening it up and with one peak out from under the sheet she realizes that it isn’t the same door and leaves it a tad open. The door next to it was the door she and her friends had gone into. She walks in, shuts the door, and yanks off the white sheet while rubbing her forehead. Climbing up the stairs her friends meet her as soon as she reaches the top. “Applebloom! There you are!” Says Scootaloo. “Is your head okay?” Asks Sweetie Belle. “Yeah, Ah’ll be fine.” Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon peak out through the doorway looking both left and right. To the right is a dead end, but they notice something laying on the floor. The family photo Applebloom was holding fell and she left it without knowing. Diamond Tiara picks it up and they both stare at the family members. “Who are these ponies?” Silver Spoon asks. “I don’t know.” “Maybe that stallion was the murderer that used to live in this house; and maybe he killed those three little fillies!” “Silver Spoon relax, there is no such thing. I made that story up so that maybe I could scare those losers. I mean really, there is no such thing as ghosts.” A loud crash then erupts from the kitchen startling the two bullies. The both of them quietly walk down the stairs peering into the kitchen. At first they don’t see anything, but the further they move in they finally notice the cleaver soaking in a puddle of dark red fluid. A shiver is sent up both of their spines, and their breath gets caught in their chests. “W-W-What is that?!” Says Silver Spoon frightfully. “I-I don’t know . . .” “I thought you said you made that story up!” “I did! I—” Diamond Tiara halts in the middle of her statement noticing the door that has been left slightly open. After the both of them cautiously move forward Diamond Tiara pulls the door all the way open but pulls herself away out of fear. There is nothing but a stairway leading down into a dark and dank cellar. “Are you losers down there?!” She calls, but it only echoes back to her with no other answer. “That’s it, I’m going down there.” “Are you crazy?!” “I’m telling you it’s just them trying to scare us! There is nothing to be afraid of. There is no such thing as ghosts, ghouls, goblins-nothing!” On that note she begins to walk down the stairway while Silver Spoon, reluctantly, follows her down as well. Plunging deeper into the dark with only the light from the doorway behind them they glance left and right trying to desperately focus on anything. “Are you losers down here! Hello?!” Diamond Tiara shouts impatiently. A creaking sound erupts from behind them, and with a frightened turn of their heads they see that the door is slowly shutting itself. With the light fading they watch in helplessness. The door stops and silences for a split second of relief, but in a violent slam the door shuts closed leaving the two bullies in the darkness with the sound of tumblers locking into place. In a surge of panic they trot up the stairs bumping into each other and stumbling over each step. They try to turn the knob, but it’s as if something is holding it from the outside. Their breathing quickens, and beyond the door they catch the sounds of young jovial voices giggling with delight. “Open the door! See? I told you it was them!” Says Diamond Tiara angrily, but no matter how much they demand and how much they bang the door stays shut. “. . . W-What do we do now?” Asks Silver Spoon. “If they won’t let us out, then we’ll just find our own way out.” “But I can’t see!” “Just follow my voice, there has to be another exit somewhere around here.” Silver Spoon trembles nervously with each step she takes, and Diamond Tiara is filled, not with fear, but fury. The both of them blindly make their way down the stairs trying to feel around the walls. Silver Spoon then feels something touch her shoulder, and she can’t help but jump flailing her forelegs. “Ah! What was that?!” She shouts. “Calm down it was just me. . . Wait, do you hear something?” Diamond Tiara asks. They freeze their bodies holding their ears out to the darkness. Somewhere in this basement a low humming slithers through the air. A mare’s voice whispering a peaceful tune, but it sends the two bullies’ hearts into dread. Giggling begins to erupt from beneath the shadows and the two fillies’ only instinct is to back away and try for the door one last time. Speechless they take a few steps back, but bump into a shelf against a wall. A commotion of cans and containers fall, and the two of them feel something warm coat the bottom of their hooves. “. . . Diamond . . . what is this?” Silver Spoon whispers. “I . . . I don’t know.” “Is it . . . ?” Something else falls and clangs onto the basement floor cutting off Silver Spoon’s thought replacing it with the urge to run. The both of them gallop and bump into each other trying to find the stairs. Screaming and tripping over the steps they bang repeatedly on the door begging for help, but on the other side the giggling just continues. Their screams are so loud that they travel up into the second floor where the Cutie Mark Crusaders freeze in fear. “W-What is that?” Asks Applebloom. “Didn’t Diamond Tiara say you could hear screams from this house?” Sweetie Belle asks frightfully. “Girls it’s just a story, there’s no—” The screams grow louder causing Scootaloo to hold her mouth and tremble as well as her friends. “Ah think it’s comin’ from downstairs.” Says Applebloom. “Th-Then let’s go check it out. . .” Scootaloo leads the way cautiously down the stairs back into the kitchen with the sounds of screaming and violent banging. They stand behind the door as it pulses with the distressed voices behind it. Scootaloo reaches out to the knob, and with the slightest turn the door flies open and the two bullies ram into them. The crusaders are pushed back slamming against a cupboard, but from the shelf up above a bag of flour tips over raining the white powder upon them. They all regain their composure and Diamond Tiara begins to scold the three crusaders. “What was that for?! You—” Diamond Tiara stops once she finds that before her stand three white fillies dressed in strange clothing. She and Silver Spoon remember them from the old family photo and automatically assume the worst. “Ghosts!” They both shout in unison. They bolt out of the kitchen and out of the house leaving the crusaders puzzled. “Ghosts?” Asks Applebloom. “Why would they . . . ? Hey! Look!” Sweetie Belle finds the family photo from earlier one the floor near the doorway. “Oh, Ah must’ve dropped it on accident.” “Then . . . They must’ve thought that ‘we’ were the ghosts!” Scootaloo says before they all start giggling together. “Hey, do you think they’re still out there?” Asks Sweetie Belle. “I don’t know, come on let’s go see!” The three of them trot through the main hall and outside where Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon are shivering near the outside of the lawn. “Ah! Stay away!” Diamond Tiara shouts. “Wait! It’s just us!” Scootaloo shouts with a chuckle in her voice. The three of them start to wipe away the flour from their faces revealing their coats. Both Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon’s jaws drop as the crusaders trot towards them. “Looks like ‘we’ won the dare! “Wha- ju- bu- Guh! Oh Fine! You beat us.” Diamond Tiara says rolling her eyes. “We didn’t scare you two did we?” Scootaloo asks with a smirk. “I knew you losers would try to pull something like this!” “Oh and you weren’t?” “Us? Of course not! . . . Oh alright yes, we did have something planned. Until something passed by our doorway covered in a white sheet!” “Oh! That was me. Ah fell outta tha attic, and Ah was so dizzy Ah didn’t even bother to pull off that darn sheet.” Says Applebloom. “What about that knife on the kitchen floor?” Silver Spoon asks. “Ah must’ve bumped inta somethin’ an’ it fell. Ah think Ah hit tha refrigerator.” “What about those dresses?” “We found these in the bedroom and decided to try them on. Aren’t they pretty?” Sweetie Belle asks. “They are!” Silver Spoon agrees, but she silences once Diamond Tiara gives her an angry glare. “By the way, was it one of you that tried to scare us in the bathroom?” Scootaloo asks. “‘I’ didn’t go into any bathroom.” Says Diamond Tiara. “That was me, I heard a sound and looked around. I thought I heard something behind the curtains . . . was that you?” Says Silver Spoon. “Yeah, we got kinda scared.” Scootaloo chuckles. “Ah guess instead of the house scaring us we ended up scaring each other. . . What is that all over yer hooves?” Applebloom asks. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon check their hooves and find that they are coated in a black fluid. “Is that . . . oil?” “Ew! Disgusting!” They shout trying to wipe their hooves along the grass. “Well this wouldn’t have happened if it wasn’t for you three locking us in the basement!” Diamond Tiara says furiously. “What? We weren’t even there when you got locked in. We heard screaming and came down to see what it was. You’re just trying to ignore that you were scared and couldn’t handle it.” Scootaloo defends. “Whatever, just because you beat us this once doesn’t mean you’ll beat us in anything else. Come on Silver Spoon.” Oddly Silver Spoon seems a bit reluctant to follow, as if she actually wants to stay with the crusaders. But she chooses to follow after another glare by Diamond Tiara. “. . . That is a little bit weird don’t you think? How could they have gotten locked in the basement?” Sweetie Belle asks. “Maybe the wind shut the door behind them.” Scootaloo puts forward. “You know, even after Diamond Tiara’s story an’ how creepy tha house looks, Ah think it was pretty fun.” Says Applebloom. “It was! I wonder what else is in that house.” Says Sweetie Belle. “You know girls; I wouldn’t mind coming back here sometime.” Says Scootaloo. Feeling proud of their accomplishment and realizing that there never really was anything to fear about the house they turn with their heads held high back to it for one last look. From the outside it appears ominous, but that doesn’t mean that it has to be scary. “. . . Uh . . . do you girls see somethin’ up there in tha window?” Asks Applebloom. “Where?” Asks Sweetie Belle. “Right there. . .” Applebloom then guides Sweetie Belle’s attention to the top right window. As their curiosity drags them closer they find themselves staring mindlessly at what stands in the window: three young fillies, a mare, and a stallion in fancy attire joyfully waving at them with smiles on their faces. Their eyes are locked on this stunningly familiar looking group of ponies as they awkwardly wave back at them. The three fillies wink simultaneously at them before fading away into the shadows behind them. “. . . Did you girls see that?” Asks Sweetie Belle with her eyes still glued onto the window. “Uh . . . Ah think so.” Says Applebloom. “Maybe it was just our imagination. Yeah that’s it, maybe we’re just tired.” Scootaloo proposes. “We should go home an’ git some sleep.” “Yeah . . . good idea.” As they turn and begin their trail back home they can’t help but glance back at the house. They can feel that what they saw wasn’t their imagination, but they continue to hammer in their minds that it was. It is a question they still will be asking themselves: do ghosts really exist? Or are they simply a figment of our own thoughts? Even if they are real they can’t all be bad, right?
