“Alright, settle down class,” said Miss Cheerilee. The crisp fall air had made her students more restless than usual. As the afternoon sun streamed in the school house windows, she continued. “Nightmare Night is in a week as you all know, and I want each of you to come up with really good costumes this year. For this time, the festivities will be hosted by none other than Princess Luna herself!” The class erupted in cheers. Scootaloo raised a hoof.
“Yes, Scootaloo?”
She bounced in excitement as she asked, “Will Rainbow Dash be there too?”
Cheerilee smiled. “I don’t see why not. In fact, I think Princess Twilight will be there as well, so this Nightmare Night will be extra special!” There was another collective cheer. Then she dismissed the class.
All the fillies and colts broke up into groups as they made their way outside. The Crusaders had almost made it to the outer fence when they heard a sneering voice behind them say, “And just what are you three losers going as?” They didn’t have to turn around to see who it was.
“Never you mind, Diamond Tiara,” said Apple Bloom. “You’ll just have to see when we get there.” Diamond Tiara snickered with her friend Silver Spoon and said, “Just make sure the costumes are big enough to cover those,” —and here she paused — “BLANK FLANKS!” She and her friend laughed loudly as they turned towards their homes, while the Crusaders grit their teeth.
Kicking some leaves out of her way, Apple Bloom said, “Now we really have to show them up!” The other two nodded in agreement.
“But what can we go as?” asked Sweetie Belle. “I’m sure my sister can make us great costumes, but what should they be?” Scootaloo’s brow furrowed in thought.
“It’s not just costumes. We gotta come up with something really scary!” she said.
“How we gonna do that?” asked Apple Bloom. Scootaloo suddenly stopped in her tracks as the others looked back at her in surprise.
“That’s it! We don’t try to be scary, we bring something scary!”
“Like what?”
“How about…a GHOST!” cried Scootaloo. Sweetie Belle laughed in spite of herself. Scootaloo turned on her. “What’s so funny about that?” she demanded.
“It’s silly!” Sweetie Belle replied. “First of all, there’s no such thing as ghosts. Second, how in the wide world of Equestria would we catch one?” As Scootlaoo fumed, Sweetie Belle turned to Apple Bloom and said, “Help me out here. Don’t you think that’s a silly idea?” Apple Bloom said nothing, but just stared at the ground. “Apple Bloom? What’s wrong?” asked Sweetie Belle.
After another few moments she slowly raised her eyes and said, “I don’t know how we’d catch one, but…but I do know where there’s one to catch.”
“Apple Bloom!” cried Sweetie Belle. “Don’t tell me you believe in ghosts!”
She slowly shook her head. “I didn’t. Not afore I saw one.”
Both Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo’s eyes grew wide as they both said, “Where?”
She shook her head again. “Not here. Let’s wait until we get to the clubhouse. Then I’ll tell you what happened.”
The bright afternoon seemed to cloud over with their dark mood as they walked to their clubhouse, with all three remaining silent as they went.
_______________________________________________________________
“There’s a part o’ Sweet Apple Acres, right next to the Everfree, that we Apples don’t go. I asked mah sister one day about it, an’ she told me not to worry about it, that I’d find out when I was older. Well, I didn’t want to wait ‘til then, I had to go find out mahself. So that very night, I waited until everypony was asleep an’ snuck out.”
“Even though it ain’t in the Everfree, I think sometimes them critters in there don’t respect the border, and come a trampin’ over whenever they feels like it. I saw weird tracks like somethin’ big had come through nosin’ about. Anyway, once I gets to the spot, I knows somethin’ ain’t right. The trees are all twisted like, and the ground feels funny, all soft and moldy, not like clean dirt.”
“Just as I’m about to turn back, I sees an old shack, that looked like nopony lived in it fer years. The moon went behind a cloud, and it got real dark, like there ain’t never been no light there. That’s when I sees it, somethin’ white starin’ out the shack at me! I shoulda run, but I couldn’t move! I was stuck there with mah eyes poppin’ outta mah head, when the thing shrieked at me! That did it, I turned and ran, I ran faster than I’ve ever run before! I snuck back up in mah room and hid under the covers ‘til daylight. I don’t think I slept a wink.”
“That morning I told mah sister what happened, and even though she was mad at me fer sneakin’ out, she said I’d been punished enough. Then she told me the story of an old pony that died there years and years ago. He wusn’t an Apple, just an old squatter that wanted to be left alone. He ain’t never left, so now we leave him alone. I ain’t goin’ back there.”
Scootaloo’s wings buzzed so hard she actually hovered for a moment. “This is GREAT! We can scare those bullies, AND get our cutie marks in Ghost Hunting!”
“Huh? Didn’t you hear whut I just said? I ain’t goin’ back there!”
“I’m with Apple Bloom! Whether it’s a “ghost” or not, it sounds scary and dangerous!” said Sweetie Belle.
“C’mon you guys! When have we ever let “danger” stop us? And besides, something this difficult is sure to get us our cutie marks!”
Sweetie Belle exchanged glances with Apple Bloom. “Well…I DO want my cutie mark…” Apple Bloom sat thinking.
“Maybe if’n we go during the day, it won’t be so bad,” she finally said.
“That’s the spirit! Now all we have to do is figure out how to catch him!”
Sweetie Belle perked up. “Alright, if we’re doing this, let’s do it right. We need some research. To the Library!”
They all leapt up and high-hoofed.
_______________________________________________________________
“I’m sorry…you three need a book on what?” asked Twilight.
“Ghost catching!” said Scootaloo. “We need a ghost for Nightmare Night, and we think we can also get our cutie marks!”
Twilight shook her head and smiled. “I’m sorry girls, but this is the craziest idea you’ve come up with yet.” Taking on a scholarly tone, she added, “First of all, there’s no such thing as ghosts. They’re just legends and myths made up to scare little ponies.”
“But...” began Apple Bloom. Twilight held up a hoof.
“Second, even if they do exist, they’re insubstantial, if the stories are true. There’d be no way to catch one. And finally, where would you find one?” She smiled down at them, only to have her smile falter as she looked at their faces. “Girls?”
“We know where to find one, Twilight,” said Apple Bloom. “Just ask mah sister.”
Twilight stared at her. “You’re serious.” They all three nodded their heads. “Tell me about it,” she said. Then Apple Bloom told her the story of the Squatter’s Shack. Afterwards, she asked Twilight, “Do you believe me?” Twilight looked thoughtful.
“I’m convinced that you believe it, and I’ll admit I’ve had my foundations shaken since I came to Ponyville,” she replied. Almost to herself she added, “If a ‘Pinkie Sense’ is real, who knows what else is real?”
“Of course it’s real, silly!” said Pinkie. They all jumped three feet in the air and screamed.
“How did you DO that?” cried Twilight.
“Do what?” asked Pinkie.
“How did you get…I didn’t see…WHERE did you come from?!”
“From Sugarcube Corner, of course! You asked me to bring over some of our new recipe muffins. Don’t you remember?” She held out a bag. Twilight took them with a still shaky hoof.
“Thank you…”
“You four look terrible! Almost as if you’d seen a ghost!” With that she turned and skipped out the door.
“Pinkie, wait!” cried Twilight. “What do you know about ghosts?”
Pinkie giggled. “Ghosts aren’t real, silly. They’re just something made up to scare little ponies! I thought you knew that.” Seeing the deflated look on Twilight’s face, Pinkie added, “Why do you ask?”
Twilight sighed. “Never mind. It’s just a project I’m helping the girls with.”
Pinkie nodded. “If you really REALLY want to know about ghosts, talk to Applejack. She’s been telling the story about that old shack on her property for ages. I LOVE that story!” With that she bounded off. Twilight turned back to the girls.
“Well, that was less than helpful.” The three nodded. Twilight sat herself down and took out the muffins, then passed them around to the girls. Mumbling to herself as she chewed, she said, “If we’re going to do this —wow, these ARE good!—we’ll have to do this scientifically.”
“How is science gonna help us, Twilight?” asked Apple Bloom.
“I’m not sure, but using the scientific method should get us answers one way or another.”
“What’s ‘the scientific method’?” asked Scootaloo.
“The overall process involves making conjectures, deriving predictions from them as logical consequences, and then carrying out experiments based on those predictions to determine whether the original conjecture was correct.”
“What’s a ‘conjecture’?” asked Sweetie Belle.
“It’s a hypothesis, or an idea. In this case, the existence of ghosts.”
“But I already know THAT, Twilight! I saw it with mah own eyes!” said Apple Bloom.
“We can’t base our hypothesis on one observation, Apple Bloom,” said Twilight.
Apple Bloom bristled. “Are you callin’ me a LIAR?!”
“No, of course not! But science involves more than a single observation, sweetheart.”
“Well, okay,” said Apple Bloom. “But if’n you want more than one obsive…obser…more than one look, I say we go talk to mah sister.” Twilight stood.
“Let’s go do that.”
“Well, howdy Twilight, girls. What brings y’all out here this evening? C’mon in, I’m just makin’ supper.” Twilight, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle sat down, while Apple Bloom began helping her sister.
“Twilight and us got somethin’ we need to ask you,” said Apple Bloom.
Applejack paused in the middle of stirring a sauce. “Oh? An’ what’s that?” They all looked at Twilight, who cleared her throat, and began.
“It’s about the Squatter’s Shack.” Applejack dropped her spoon.
“What in tarnation you wanna ask me about that place for?” She looked at her sister. “Apple Bloom?” she said warningly.
Apple Bloom blushed, and then she took a deep breath and said,
“WeneedcostumesforNightmareNightbutwehadtheideaofgittin’somethin’scaryinsteado’justbein’scary soweneedaghostbutSweetieBelledidn’tbelieveinghostssoItoldherabouttheSquatter’sShackan’thenweaskedTwilight (GASP) howdowecatchaghostan’SHEdidn’tbelieveitsoIsaidweshouldaskyou!”
Applejack blinked at her, while taking a moment to sift through the babble. “So let me git this straight: y’all want to catch a ghost fer Nightmare Night?” All three girls nodded vigorously. “Well, that’s just crazy. We shouldn’t go messin’ with things like that. We leave them alone, they leave us alone.”
Her tone did not go unmarked by Twilight. “So you believe it too?”
“A COURSE I do! That shack’s been on the property fer years. We stay away from it, and the one that still haunts it.”
“So you’ve seen it? The ghost I mean.”
Applejack nodded. “Only once. That was enough fer mah lifetime.” Right about that time Granny Smith and Big Mac came into the kitchen.
“Is supper ready?” asked Granny. “I’m hungrier than…oh! Hello, Twilight, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle. How nice of you to join us. Make yerselves at home,” she said as she sat at her place.
Big Mac nodded and said, “Evenin’ Miss Twilight, girls.”
“Good evening,” they all said.
As Applejack brought the pot over, she almost dropped it when Granny asked, “Now then child, what was enough fer yer lifetime?”
Feeling fairly caught out, Applejack said, “So you heard that?” She sighed. “They all was askin’ me about the Squatter’s Shack. Seems someponies got the idea of catchin’ themselves a ghost.” Granny Smith laughed long and loudly.
“Where’d you young’uns get the idea you could catch a ghost? Cain’t nopony catch a ghost!”
“But…but we need it for Nightmare Night,” said Scootaloo.
“Nightmare Night? Ain’t there enough spooky stuff goin’ on that night without no ghosts moanin’ about?” This was all getting to be a bit too much for Twilight.
Holding her head in her hooves, she said, “So you’ve all encountered the ghost? Granny Smith, and you as well, Big Mac?” They both nodded. Then Twilight sat up straight. “That’s enough for me.” Turning to Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, she said, “We now have enough evidence for a conjecture.”
“A conjecture?” asked Granny. “What is it you’re trying to prove?”
“The existence of ghosts, and their physical characteristics, if any.”
“For land’s sake, child, why didn’t you just ask? I can show you that ghost.”
With the exception of Big Mac, who slowly continued eating, the others all said, “You can?!”
“But Granny,” said Applejack, “I always was told to stay away from that place!”
“And I plum near died of fright when I saw it!” said Apple Bloom.
Granny chuckled. “I knew that old feller when he was alive, and he was as stubborn as a mule then, and he hates company now. That’s why you was told to stay away, Applejack, and that’s why he yelled when he saw you, Apple Bloom. But he really wasn’t so bad once you got to know him.”
“But how do we catch him?” asked Scootaloo.
“Lord a mercy child, weren’t you listening? You cain’t catch him, but you may be able to just ask him.”
“Well, when can we do that?” asked Scootaloo.
“Not tonight, child. I need my rest!”
There was a collective, “awwwww” from the girls, but Twilight spoke up. “She’s right: it’s almost sunset, and I should get you two home.” She stood. “Thanks for the offer of supper, but you Apples have given me more than enough to chew on. Let’s go, girls…girls?” The three had formed an impromptu huddle and had been furiously whispering while Twilight had been speaking.
“Coming!” Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle shouted. They each gave Apple Bloom a long look before turning to follow Twilight out the door. Apple Bloom watched them go, looking a bit scared but determined.
