Spike's New Mansion

The group continued up the stone path to the eerie mansion that was now owned by Spike. Most of them were completely unnerved on how creepy and Gothic it was while the rest were still suspicious about this whole situation. None more so than Twilight, who was trying to piece together what was going on. Spike getting his own mansion from a contest he didn’t even enter at all? Something was definitely not right.

“So…” Rainbow Dash spoke as they approached the front double-doors. “Who wants to go in first? Fluttershy?” The said pegasus gave her friend a very dirty look.

Spike spoke up.“I’ll go first. Besides, I have the key to the place.” He said swinging the golden key in his hand.

The young dragon walked right up to the door and inserted the key into the antique lock. With a click both doors unlocked and opened up on their own, allowing the party to proceed into the mansion. It was near pitch-black but with Spike’s flashlight and the moon’s luminous light, they were able to see enough. They were actually surprised at its condition. The group expected the place to be dusty and run-down but it was near the opposite. Everything seemed to be in pristine condition, no torn furniture, no shredded wooden stairs, not even a squeaky floor board. While some of the furniture and colors seemed a bit out-of-style, it was actually a very decent place.

“Wow…” Applejack spoke. “I thought this place was going to be a dump.”

“I’m surprised myself AJ.” Spike said in honesty. “Everything from furniture to the little things is here. Who would’ve thought?”

“Not even a speck of dust.” Twilight said, mostly to herself. “It’s like someone just cleaned up this place.”

“This is great.” Pinkie Pie cried happily, breaking the quiet talk a bit. “So when do we start the Housewarming party? Oh oh, why don’t we plan for a summer party?” Pinkie was already getting into full partying mode.

“Settle down Pinkie.” Starlight spoke trying to get the excitable pink pony to calm down. “We just walked through the front door. We still don’t know if this is really legit or a hoax. Why don’t we split up and search the place?” She proposed.

“I don’t know Starlight.” Twilight said. “Splitting up in a place like this seems a bit dangerous. One of us can get lost and someone could actually still live here. I say we all stick together.” The alicorn reasoned.

“You make a good point but it wouldn’t allow us to search this place faster.” Starlight making her own point. “What do you think Spike?”

“Hmm.” Spike thought about what to do. Both made good points, they shouldn’t split up individually but he wanted to search this place in case there is a prank in store for them or if someone did actually still lived here. A thought however came to him that would serve both problems. “How about this: We don’t split up individually but separate into groups. That way we can cover more ground faster while not being alone.”

“That’s… not exactly a bad plan.” Twilight had to admit. There were times when Spike outdid her in the planning department.

“Sounds like plan.” Starlight agreed. “How do you want to separate into groups?”

“Well how about Twilight, Starlight and myself head upstairs. Rainbow Dash and Applejack can head to the back of the house and its backyard. Finally, Rarity, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie check out the main floor areas.” Spike stating his plan and the mares seemed to agree. “If anyone finds a prank or any evidence that someone still actually lives here just shout.”

“Agreed.” All the mares said in consensus and began to splinter off into their assigned group.

Spike, Twilight and Starlight ascended the stairs to begin searching through the second floor first. Applejack and Rainbow Dash head back outside to the backyard while Rarity, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy begin exploring the main floor first heading to the right wing of the mansion.

Rainbow Dash and Applejack made it back outside, overlooking the large backyard the estate possessed. They found a large open field, a small garden with a fountain, an outdoor pool and even a sporting court of sorts.

“Wow. Look at this place.” Rainbow Dash said with a hint of envy. “Spike is so damn lucky to have a place like this.”

“Jealous Rainbow?” Applejack teased with a smirk.

“No.” Rainbow grunted. “I’m just worried that Spike might waste the potential of this place and turn it into something like a playcolt mansion or something.” She looked the other way, refusing to look AJ in the eye, for she knew she could detect a lie.

“Right.” Applejack sarcastically said. “Why don’t we check out the pool first?”

“Fine.” The rainbow haired pegasus mumbled as she followed the earth pony.

Applejack knew her friend was only covering up her own jealousy on how Spike got his own mansion with so many awesome additions to it but she did have a point. The honest pony didn’t want somebody like Spike turning this place into a bachelor’s dream house but then again, that wasn’t in Spike’s nature. She was just looking out for her friend. AJ hoped that Spike getting his own place didn’t mean he would separate himself from everyone

Rainbow Dash would never admit it in front of her friends but she was indeed jealous that Spike a place like a mansion from something he didn’t even enter in. Talk about luck. Still, regardless of the circumstance she hoped that Spike would allow her to make use of the sporting court and open field for training.

Both mares were surprised with how pristine condition the area was. The pool was crystal clear, the garden was well organized with the flowers healthy and the sport court looked as if it was just restored. The open grassy field also looked as if it was just mowed the other day.

Seeing the supposedly aged mansion in such an excellent state made both mares wonder how somepony could keep a place up to date without making a noise. Despite being a ways away from Ponyville, construction and restoration would still have made some commotion. This in particular made Applejack suspicious.

“How in mighty blazes can this place be in such a good condition!?” Applejack questioned. “This place is more spic and span than after an apple had an inspection with Granny Smith.”

“Don’t know AJ. Maybe they quietly built this place or restored it.” Rainbow theorized. “It’s not impossible to restore a mansion.”

“Maybe. But Ah still find this all fishy.” The apple farmer replied, remaining suspicious.

As the two continued to explore, they didn’t notice that the flowers began to shift on their own and an quiet yet eerie wind moved through the pool and court...

Shifting focus to Fluttershy, Rarity and Pinkie Pie, the trio followed through with the plan where they would explore the main floor rooms. They found a few rooms for gatherings, some for quiet privacy, some for intellectual study and even a small indoor pool.

Rarity in particular found a room that she could only dream of. A dress up room, with large mirrors, a makeup dresser and four walk-in closets, filled to the brim with clothing.

“Eeehhh!!” Rarity squealed in utter delight. “Look at these dresses! They even have suits and costumes for special events!” The look on Rarity’s face was getting unnerving.

“Yeah and look at all this space.” Pinkie said in agreement. “They even have sowing equipment and clothing materials. This room is like heaven for you Rarity.”

Rarity was barely paying attention, she was already thinking about turning this room into her secondary sowing location, perhaps a place to go to and design in solitude. However, she was struggling with these thoughts with those that wanted to stay true to her word that this mansion belongs to Spike and what he wanted to do with it was up to him. Still… a room like this would be borderline useless to Spike and therefore, the unicorn would ask if she could make use of it.

Fluttershy however, pulled her from her thoughts and planning. “Rarity!” she shouted, getting her full attention. “Don’t you find it a little strange that this room is fully stocked and with some dresses that are little out of date. Not to mention a little… provocative.”

She pointed to a closet full of very revealing Victorian-era like dresses with very short skirts, lingerie that takes advantage of the female figure and even masquerade costumes that seemed fitting for a brothel or for Las Pegasus. There was even a closet full of sexy french-maid outfits. Fluttershy could barely keep herself from blushing at such clothing. Pinkie Pie just looked at the clothing curiously. Most likely thinking about the kind of party they could have with the costumes.

“Oh relax, darling.” Rarity finally responded. “Most likely the original designers never intended to actually use these dresses in public. I’m sure these were for more… “special” events.” She theorized with a nervous smile.

“Why don’t we get back to exploring the main floor? I want to know what else we might find.” Pinkie spoke up, getting a little bored with the room.

“Oh, alright..” Rarity pouted a bit as they left, she already missed the room.

However, the moment they turned off the lights and closed the door, the clothes started to move. As if someone was deciding what to wear…

Pinkie, Fluttershy and Rarity continued to their trek through the main floor and found a room perfect for the pink earth pony: a massive kitchen and nearby a large dining hall. The earth pony mare was awestruck, much like Rarity was to see her dream room. Said kitchen was huge with dozens of cupboards and drawers filled with regular and ornate dishes. There was even an island in the middle of the kitchen. This kitchen far outclassed the one she works in at Sugarcube Corner.

Pinkie could only drop her mouth in awe. “Uh… Pinkie. You alright.” Fluttershy said, trying to snap her friend out of her mezmurment.

“Well it looks like the kitchen is in very good condition.” Rarity said beginning her inspection. “There are even a few appliances. A little outdated but it looks like they work.”

“Yeah” Fluttershy said in agreement. “You could serve a whole family or party with this kitchen. It’s bigger than the Apple’s or even the Cakes.”

“I have to agree.” Rarity said. “What do you think Pinkie? Pinkie?” Said mare was still silent and jaw-dropped.

“Um… Why don’t we continue inspecting the main floor?” Fluttershy suggested, mostly to get Pinkie Pie out of her mezmurment.

As they left the kitchen, dragging Pinkie Pie with them, something began to move the drawers and cupboards…

As the three mares proceeded with their inspection, they found a few others rooms, mostly closets, storage and bathrooms. Not as interesting but the more they found, the less likely this whole situation was a hoax. They proceeded through a hallway in the left wing that actually lead to an outside corridor, leading to a smaller building. The room they discovered made one shy pony much more comfortable. A greenhouse.

Fluttershy, for the first time since their trip and inspection began, felt at ease. The greenhouse was filled with colorful plants she only saw in books or in harder to access locations, like the garden in Canterlot Castle. There was even a few cages and pens for animals to live comfortably. Fluttershy was all over the area, wanting to see every plant but one fact about this room made Rarity a little suspicious.

“All these plants seem to be in excellent condition.” Rarity inspected. “It was as if someone had been tending to this place for years but we haven’t found evidence that someone still lives here.”

“Who cares?” Fluttershy said with glee. “Look at all these gorgeous flowers and plants. I’ve never seen some of them before. Those pens and cages would be perfect for some animal friends. I even found a small storage space for their food and other supplies. This room is the best in the whole mansion!” She cried but withdrew immediately. “At least in my opinion.” She nervously chuckled.

“So that’s about everything on the main floor of the mansion. From the looks of it, this place is legit.” Pinkie said. “Spike will be happy.”

“Indeed but something still something just doesn’t feel right.” Rarity speaking her fears. “Let’s go and find everypony.”

“Okie Dokie Lokie.” Pinkie said, apparently recovering from her discovery of the kitchen.

They left the greenhouse but as they entered back into the mansion, they were shocked to find a near endless hallway….

“The hallway wasn’t like this when he arrived…” Rarity said, growing more frightened by the moment.

Shifting to the group upstairs on the second floor where Spike, Twilight and Starlight were inspecting. They found quite a few guest bedrooms, a personal office, a study, closets and some high-quality bathrooms. To Twilight’s delight and Spike’s annoyance, they found a decent sized library filled with books that were in fairly good condition. So far, like with the other groups, everything seemed legit and genuine, not a trace that the place was a hoax. However, the question remained in everypony’s mind: how was this place kept in such good condition and remained hidden from Ponyville?

“Alright Twilight, that’s enough.” Spike groaned trying to drag Twilight from the library with Starlight looking on in embarrassment. “We don’t have a lot time to look at this room in depth.”

“But-but-but, I haven’t even got the chance to look at one book.” Twilight complained like a child. A library was like a candy store to someone like the purple alicorn being dragged by her tail.

“We will check out the library again later.” Starlight assured her. “But right now, we still have a few rooms to look at before meeting up with the others.”

“Fine.” Twilight pouted as they finally excited the library.

“Why don’t we check out this room.” Spike said pointing at the end of a hallway where a double door was stationed. Once they approached the door and attempted to enter but Spike was surprised to find it locked. On a hunch, Spike used the golden eye he was given and tried to using. Turn out it worked. “Huh. Guess this must be a master-key or something.”

With the door unlocked, the trio entered the room and found a meeting room of sorts. A large wooden table with expertly handcrafted chairs, shelves and drawers but what caught their attention was that the room had portraits.

“Would you look at that.” Spike said examining the portraits. “Looks like this place did have previous owners. A long time ago it would seem.” One portrait in particular caught his eye, at the center of them was a very beautiful unicorn with flowing ebon and purple hair. In addition, despite it being a portrait, her sizeable bust could be seen at the bottom of the painting. The other ladies who had portraits were also very beautiful. One looked like the head maid, another had a sword with her suggesting she was a fencer and one had a background of a garden.

“Yeah, one of them looks like a countess or baroness of sorts.” Starlight added, noting how fancy they looked.

“Strange.” Twilight was once again growing suspicious but also confused. “If this was once owned by someone wealthy, wouldn’t it transfer to some relative or something?”

Twilight did have a point but Spike had some ideas. “Maybe there weren’t any relatives to inherit this place or just nobody wanted it. So maybe some people decided to just give it away.” Spike theorized.

“That’s pretty strange for a rich pony.” Twilight said in skepticism but it wasn’t impossible.

“So since there is still a few more rooms to inspect why don’t we split up here and search them, since it seems pretty clear that this place isn’t a hoax. Starlight suggested.

“I don’t know Starlight. This place still makes me feel uneasy.” Twilight voicing her concerns.

“Come on Twilight. Nothing is going to happen, it’s just a few rooms. Splitting up will makes this faster and we can regroup with the others.” Spike argued but Twilight still wasn’t convinced, so Spike chose a different tactic. “I’ll let you have full access to the library if you follow through with this plan.”

Twilight’s eyes widened and she smiled a bit. Curse the dragon, he always knew her weak points. Unable to resist the desire to read new books from an old mansion, she caved. “Fine but I still don’t like this. Just be careful you two.” The alicorn princess cried and left to look into an uninspected room.

“I’ll head this way then.” Starlight said. “Try not to stare too much at the paintings Spike.” She teased which earned her a dirty look and groan from Spike.

With the two mares on their own search, he decided to take a different route, wanting to know what else he could find. However, once the three left the meeting room and the lights went out, the paintings started to move. The frames were shaking until the mare in the lead painting actually blinked. Soon enough, an entity exited the portrait and took the shape of a translucent but a clearly very buxom unicorn lady.

The spectral entity yawned loudly. “Goodness. What is with all the commotion?” The ghost questioned and in short time she sensed that numerous individuals were in her home. “Well what do we have here? A couple of trespassers?” She deviously smirked.

The specter then observed everypony who was at the mansion. One in particular caught her full attention. “My my my, one of my new ‘guests’ is a dragon and a very cute one at that.” She cooed. Seeing that there was seven pony mares and one dragon, a plan started to formulate in her mind.

She then turned her gaze on the other portraits. “Alright my dears, time to wake up.” She cried to the paintings, causing some of them to shake in response. “We have some ‘guests’ and one very adorable dragon.” That made every portrait stop shaking and each one had a spectral entity emerge and they were almost as beautiful and voluptuous.

One of them finally spoke “Who has intruded on our home sister? You mentioned a dragon?” she asked hoping that this wasn’t a joke. The others had similar looks on their beautiful ghostly faces.

“Indeed. Our prayers have been answered.” She exclaimed. “Not only do we have a chance to have bodies of our own once more but we also get to have a new lord of estate.” She finished with a lustful smirk and tone. The other mares giggled, eager to set their little plan in motion.

“When do we take them Madam Countess?” A mare that looked like a maid questioned.

“Soon my dear.” The Countess assured, forming an image of the drake, gazing at him lustfully. “Very soon.”