THE LEGEND TRIPPERS
A Fanfiction by: Knightcommander
Paper skeletons on seemingly every door. Jack o' lanterns and bowls of treats placed strategically around the school. The smell of pumpkin spice wafting from the little student-run café. Orange and black streamers lining the halls and even little rubber bats and spiders hanging from student lockers. All this said only one thing.
Halloween was coming to Canterlot High School.
Sunset Shimmer couldn't help but smile at the sight. It had been a long time since she had celebrated any holidays, not since she first came to this world and started attending. Back then, she was solely concerned with having power. Now, she was a new person, and with her new friends was determined to make a new start. What better way than to join in on their holiday celebrations?
She stopped by the cafe and ordered a classic pumpkin spice latte before she joined her friends for lunch. A quick sip brought to the soothing taste of espresso with cinnamon and spices to her mouth and a contented moan from her throat as she entered the bustling cafeteria. She couldn't help but giggle at the decorations the Halloween obsessed vice principal had chosen for it; fake ghosts made from balloons and old bedsheets hung from the ceiling, spooky candelabras hung from the walls and each table was lined with jack o' lanterns fitted with fall-scented candles. Sunset found herself wondering how Luna had gotten Celestia to approve that before taking her seat and waiting for her friends.
She found her eyes locked into the glowing sockets of one of the rather adorable looking pumpkins, it's goofy expression bringing a snicker to her face.
"So, how's your holiday going?" She asked. "Heh, that hectic, huh. Join the club. It's almost as crazy as Nightmare Night back home."
"Hey! You're friends with Pete too?" A familiar hyperactive voice sounded behind her, briefly startling her. Sunset raised an eyebrow at her.
"You named this pumpkin?" She asked.
'I named all the pumpkins!" Pinkie began pointing at each pumpkin. "That one's Pete, that one over there is Piper, that's Pablo, that's Patricia, and over there is Steven!"
"That doesn't begin with a 'P', Pinks." Rainbow Dash said, taking her seat across from Sunset.
"Pumpkin Steven." Pinkie corrected. Dash shook her head as the others took their seats.
"Happy Halloween, Sunset." Their newest friend, the Twilight Sparkle of this world, happily greeted her. The former standout student of Crystal Prep academy was dressed in a festive skirt and shirt combo; orange t-shirt with jack o' lantern pattern and a black skirt with dancing skeletons on it. Sunset smiled.
"Thanks, Twi. Love the outfit by the way." Twilight fixed her skirt after sitting down.
"My mom gave it to me last year. She loves dressing up in this kind of stuff for just about every holiday." Rarity oohed.
"I must meet with her someday. I could introduce her to some wonderful holiday chic." She said.
"Down, Rarity." Applejack said, with a chuckle, prompting a huff from the fashionable teen. The others shared a laugh. "So, you guys got anything planned for Halloween?" She asked. Rainbow beamed.
"I was hoping you'd ask because I had the most awesome idea ever! You guys ever hear of legend tripping?" Twilight raised her hand.
"That's where people go to places associated with urban legends and tales to see if they're real, am I right?" She asked.
"You got it!" Rainbow whooped. "And I've got the perfect spot for us. You guys ever hear of the Tombs?" She asked.
"A jail? You wanna head up north?" Applejack asked incredulously. Rainbow shook her head.
"No, wrong Tombs."
"I think she means the Old Canterlot Burying Grounds off Saddle Road," Twilight said, adjusting her glasses. "It's locally called 'the Tombs' because all the burials there are in mausoleums."
"Sounds a might creepy. What's supposed to be there." Fluttershy, who had been listening, stopped eating her food and started to shiver a bit as she listened.
"I'll tell you when we get out there. The plan is we meet up at the cemetery on Halloween night at sundown. When we head in, I'll tell you the story." Rainbow explained.
"Wait, now that I think about it, isn't this the cemetery everyone says is haunted?" Sunset asked. "I heard some kids talking about it in algebra this morning." Fluttershy gulped when she heard that.
"Hey! No spoilers!" Pinkie scolded.
"Ugh, it sounds like a nightmare on my hair." Rarity huffed. "All those dead leaves blowing in the wind."
"Don't be a priss, Rarity." Applejack said. "It's just one night." Fluttershy wasn't paying attention, she was too busy thinking about what she had just heard them planning to do.
Halloween night at a cemetery? Tombs? Ghosts!?
"I don't wanna go!" She screamed, slapping her hands on the table and startling her friends. The entire cafeteria went silent and stared at her, causing her to blush and sink down in her seat.
"Are you OK, Fluttershy?" Sunset asked, concerned. Fluttershy squeaked in response. Rainbow rubbed the back of her head.
"Oh, yeah, I forgot. Stuff like this isn't really her bag. She usually just takes candy duty." She explained.
"I'm sorry, it's just going to a cemetery at night sounds... scary." She said, shivering and drawing her knees up to her chest. Rarity gave her shoulder a comforting rub.
"Are you sure? You would be with us." Fluttershy nodded her head.
"Yes, besides I... already had plans and not just candy duty." She said, blushing even more deeply. "I'm... having a friend over." She couldn't suppress the girlish giggle that came from her.
"I know that kind of laugh," Sunset said teasingly. "What's his name?" Fluttershy giggled again.
"Wait, you're having a boy over?" Rarity asked. "And you didn't let me pick you out an ensemble for you!?" She cried.
"Fluttershy has a daaaate! Pinkie Pie singsonged before Applejack slapped her hand over her mouth
"Sure, embarrass her more, why don't ya?" She angrily said. Rainbow was beaming.
"It's OK. It's.. well it is sort of a.. date." Fluttershy explained. The others gasped and chortled.
"Is it who I think it is?" Rainbow asked. Fluttershy held her hand to her cheek and nodded. "Yes! Way to go!" She gave her old friend a high five.
"Well, who is it?" Sunset asked.
"His name's Hailstorm Tempest," Fluttershy replied. Twilight looked up from food.
"I remember him. I ran into him a few times when I was at Crystal Prep. I.. didn't know him very well but he always seemed nice, certainly compared to the rest. White skin with blue hair?"
"And eyes to match," Fluttershy said dreamily, eliciting awws from her friends. "We used to go to middle school together before I moved here. I only just ran into him during the Friendship Games. I always had a bit of a crush on him. I'm just surprised I was able to work up the courage to ask him over for Halloween."
"Dinner date?" Sunset asked with an approving smile. Fluttershy nodded.
"And a movie night. I have a few favorites lined up. I just hope he likes them." She said.
"Well, we're all happy for you," Twilight said. The others voiced their agreement, with Pinkie giving her friend a huge hug. Fluttershy smiled.
"So, everyone except Fluttershy will meet at the Tombs after sundown on Halloween night, agreed?" Rainbow asked.
"I'm game." Applejack said.
"Count me in! Woohoo!" Pinkie cheered.
"Heh, why not." Rarity said. "But if I see one single spider, I'm going home.
"I'm in too. At the very least I can do some genealogical research." Twilight said. Rainbow beamed. Looks like tonight was on to be the best night ever.
Halloween night came quickly in the anticipation of the upcoming legend trip. The night was cool and with a light breeze, and a full moon beamed down. The trees around the Old Canterlot Burying Grounds were almost devoid of leaves. Sunset drew her jacket around her as she surveyed the scene. An old wrought iron gate and stone wall surrounded the cemetery, and in the light of the full moon, she could see the outlines of the ornately decorated mausoleums.
"Thanks for the ride, Flash." She said, turning to face the black muscle car driven by her blue-haired ex-boyfriend, his arm hanging out of the window.
"No problem, Sunset." He said, with a smirk. "Have fun ghost hunting." He made goofy ghost wooing noises while waving his arms around. Sunset couldn't help but giggle.
"Get out of here, you doofus." She said between giggles. Flash shared a chuckle before waving a driving off. Sunset waved at him until he disappeared around the corner. She sighed with a grin.
"It's a good thing he's cute." She said, then clapped her hands over her mouth. "Did I say that out loud?"
"Hey, Sunset." She turned to see her friends assembled at the gate, Rainbow waving her down. Sunset smiled and walked over, her feet crunching through dead leaves as she crossed the street to join them. It was then that she noticed that each of her friends was in costume.
Twilight and Spike as a mad scientist and Frakenpup.
Rainbow Dash as a zombie soccer player.
Applejack as a classic scarecrow.
Rarity dressed as what she would call a "glamorous" witch, her costume covered in rhinestones and carrying a gold wand.
"There you are, Sugarcube." Applejack said when she got close. "We were wondering when you were gonna show up."
"Sorry guys, Flash had to navigate around some trick or treaters," Sunset explained.
"Understandable, darling. What's not is why Pinkie Pie is running late." Rarity remarked. She had just finished this when a pair of running feet alerted them to the aforementioned party girl's approach.
"Bout time you showed up." Rainbow groused "What took you so long?" Pinkie ground to a halt and they got a good look at her costume. Between the leopard skin pattern pants, lime green vest with band patches, purple platform shoes, and wild teased-up hairstyle, it was obvious that Pinkie had decided to look the part of a member of an old hair metal band. Rainbow started to chuckle at the ridiculous but still very much Pinkie sight.
"Geez, Pinks! I think the 80s just barfed all over you." Pinkie giggled along with her.
"Sorry guys, but I couldn't have Halloween without trick or treating." Applejack cocked her head.
"Aint Y'all a little old for that?" She asked. Pinkie gasped.
"Too old for free candy!?" She scowled. "Never!" She held up the pillowcase filled with treats for emphasis. The others just chuckled.
"Heh, with all these great costumes, I'm kinda feeling a bit naked." Sunset quipped, causing some more chuckles.
"Here you go, Sunny!" Pinkie chirped, placing a pair of black kitty ears on her head and clipping a black cat tail to her jeans, giving her a startle, before finishing with some crude "whiskers" and nose drawn on her face. "There you go." She held up a mirror for Sunset to see. She smirked.
"Thanks, Pinkie, it's cute." Pinkie squeed.
"Eh, alright, let's get this show on the road," Rainbow said. "Luckily the caretaker of this place is a pretty cool guy and allowed us in here until midnight, so he gave me the key. Just said for us not to mess with anything." She beckoned for them to follow her and approached the rusty, ancient cemetery gate.
It was then that they got their first surprise of the night.
"Huh?" Rainbow asked. "The gate's unlocked." She pointed to the large padlock that now hung open on the old gate. The others leaned in for a closer look.
"Could the caretaker have forgotten to lock it?" Rarity asked.
"He's usually pretty good with that," Rainbow said. Twilight bent down and examined the lock closely.
"Wait, I see scratch marks around the keyhole." She said. "Someone picked the lock." The others leaned in for a look.
"Yep, sure did." Applejack stated, casting a dark glance into the cemetery. "Some hooligans better not be in there messing around." Rainbow nodded and pushed the gate open. Cautiously, they crept into the cemetery.
"Hello! Is anyone in here?" Twilight called out. She got no answer. A couple of others tried it with the same results.
"Well, looks like Rarity's right, the caretaker must have forgotten to..." Her gaze drifted to a pair of sarcophagi, and then suddenly...
"Bahlalalalalala!"
All seven girls, plus one puppy screamed so loud one wouldn't be blamed for thinking the dead in their crypts would wake up and tell them to pipe down. The screaming only stopped when they heard laughing.
"What the... Indigo? Lemon?" Twilight asked as she got a look at the culprits. Indigo Zap was doubled over a nearby tomb, while Lemon was standing and clutching her sides as she howled with laughter. Both, not surprisingly, were in costume. Lemon was dressed as what could only be described as a punk rock vampire with ripped jeans, boots, studded leather vest, and a band t-shirt. Lines of fake blood ran down her chin. Indigo, like Rainbow, had adopted a zombie athlete look, though she opted for a tennis outfit in place of soccer. Six Canterlot High girls and one puppy scowled at the two Crystal Prep girls, though Rainbow joined them in their laughter.
"Hahaha! That was great, guys!" She said. Rarity gaped at her in disgust.
"It most certainly was not! They nearly gave us a heart attack!" She screeched, causing the others to murmur in agreement.
"Aww, come on guys! It's Halloween!" Lemon said, finally getting over her laughing fit. "We're supposed to scare each other."
"And how did you two miscreants even manage to get into a locked cemetery?" Rarity asked. Indigo held up what appeared to be a twisted hairpin.
"Easy, we just used this on that old lock. Whoever runs this joint really needs to get a new one. It was too easy." She said proudly.
"I wouldn't be too proud about breakin' an enterin', Indigo." Applejack said. "We got permission to be here. What are Y'all doing out here anyway, besides givin' folks hear attacks?"
"Well, we saw Hailstorm talking to Fluttershy the other day... say, where is she, anyway," Lemon asked, noticing the Rainbooms' tambourine player wasn't among them.
"At home, passing out treats and hanging with Hailstorm," Twilight replied with a cross tone. "Our plans tonight were a bit too creepy for her."
"Oh yeah, the legend tripping. She mentioned that to him." Indigo followed up. "That's the real reason we're here, though scaring you guys was pretty fun too. Neither of us wanted to do candy duty again this year, so we want in." Twilight looked back at her friends with a skeptical look.
"Uh... what do you guys say? I mean, they weren't very nice to us." She growled out the last part.
"Aww, come on Twi-Twi! It was just a joke." Lemon whined. "No harm, no foul right?"
"No offense guys, but do you see any of us laughing?" Sunset said. "But I guess it's part of the Halloween fun."
"And hey, the more the merrier, right?" Pinkie said, throwing confetti.
"And we did say we wanted to spend more time with and get to know them better," Rarity said. Twilight pursed her lips in thought for a moment.
"Eh, you're night, Rainbow." She said. Rainbow grinned.
"Come on girls, let's roll." She said, beckoning for them to follow the rest. Together, all nine girls walked into the depths of the cemetery, surrounded on all sides by towering, beautifully crafted mausoleums mixed in with freestanding sarcophagus tombs. Some had flowers and flags placed there by recent visitors. Some were beautifully polished and maintained, seeming to shine in the light of the full moon. Some had statues or bas-relief images of the people buried within. Some had solid metal doors, other glass doors that allowed them to peer inside to see little chapel-like enclaves. No tombstones or traditional graves were there to be seen.
"I can see why it's called 'the Tombs'." Rarity remarked. "My, some of these are works of art!" She ran her fingers over one tomb bearing a stained glass image of a family kneeling down as though in prayer.
"What's with that, though?" Indigo asked. "Everything here is stone and marble crypts and stuff. Nobody taking a dirt nap?"
"The water table in this area was too high to allow for traditional ground burial," Twilight said. "The creek nearby runs partially underground. They had to start burying people in protected tombs and mausoleums."
"Some of these look high and mighty." Applejack said.
"A lot of the mausoleums are owned by wealthy families in Canterlot City. You can have dozens of people from different generations all buried in a single one." Twilight explained, training her cell phone's flashlight into one and catching a glimpse of a brass bust of an elderly man sitting on an altar-like shelf.
"Together in eternal rest," Sunset said wistfully. "There's something beautiful about that." The others murmured in agreement.
As they went on through the veritable city of the dead, they began to notice that the tombs began to grow older and more worn, and they began to see more sarcophagi, which Twilight explained were burials for poorer people. Rusting doors, worn inscriptions, and even broken glass were revealed until they reached a section filled with particularly decrepit tombs. Broken glass crunched beneath their feet, and several tombs had doors propped open, as though broken into and ransacked.
"Geez, what happened here?" Lemon asked.
"This is the oldest section of the cemetery. Some of these graves date back to 1812. It's no surprise that some of them have been abandoned." Twilight peered into a small one, greeted by the sight of a bunch of stone and brass urns. Applejack hung back to examine another, peering into an empty room through the wide open door. An empty space underneath an altar-like protrusion indicated that somebody may have been buried there, so she assumed the tomb was empty... until she shined her flashlight into a busted open grated in the floor and was greeted by the sight of stacks of dusty wooden coffins of various sizes lying in a cobweb-filled burial chamber.
Applejack had been to a funeral before, but the sight of so many coffins was enough to send a chill up her spine. She gulped audibly as her flashlight came across what appeared to be a damaged portion of one coffin. Thankfully, she wasn't greeted by the sight of its occupant.
"Hey, AJ!" The voice of Rainbow sounded behind her. "You coming?"
"Uh... y-yeah! On my way!" She called back over her shoulder. She turned back to the decrepit burial chamber one last time. "Um... sorry to disturb Y'all." She croaked before scooting off as fast as she could.
Soon, they finally reached a tiny corner of the huge cemetery near the back wall. Sitting there was a single sarcophagus, old and worn, it's inscription barely legible. It was simple, plain and despite its age was undisturbed compared to the chaos surrounding them. Rainbow beckoned for them to sit down near it while she pulled a propane camp stove and lit it before putting a pot of coffee on. It was going to be a long night, after all. Rainbow gazed at them with a serious expression on her face, the light of the propane stove casting a pale orange light on her face. Her friends clambered in closer, both to warm up by the stove and get a better listen. Rainbow smirked before she continued.
"Stories tell that this old final resting place is a haunted one. Every night, the restless spirits of the forgotten dead roam the shadows, unable to rest, unable to pass on to eternity. Of these lost souls, one stands above them all. Her story is one of obsessive love, murder, and tragedy. Tonight, on this All Hallows Eve, I present to you... the tale of the Weeping Widow." Rainbow began, adding a flourish at the end of her introduction.
"Hey, I think I heard that one before." Applejack said. "I think Granny said it went..."
"Well don't spoil it if you heard it before!" Rainbow shouted in irritation. Applejack huffed at the rude interruption but kept quiet as Rainbow continued the story.
"Long ago, before any of us were born, before Canterlot High School was founded, before our fair city became the great metropolis it is known as, a young woman lived in the wealthy part of town with her two young children. Her previous husband had abandoned her, causing her much grief. Her grief seemed to come to end when she fell in love with a wealthy man from a nearby town. However, her heart was broken yet again when her proposal of marriage was rejected. The young man didn't want to marry a woman who already had children, refusing to raise those that were not his." Several of her friends winced in sympathy. "The rejection not only broke her heart but her mind as well. So one All Hallows Eve, the woman took her children out past this very cemetery, to the creek in the nearby woods. She told them they were going to have a picnic, but instead in a fit of grief-driven madness, she led them into the creek... and drowned them." Several gasps echoed from her friends.
"That's horrible." Rarity mouthed.
"When she finally realized the horror she was committing, she tried to save her beloved children, but it was too late. They died in her arms. When the townsfolk found her, she was holding the dead bodies of her children crying and wailing in grief and guilt. The townsfolk were overcome by rage, and wouldn't listen to any pleas for mercy. They hanged her from the nearest tree, and buried her in this simple tomb, facing away from all the other dead in this cemetery. A permanent mark of shame on her." She said, gesturing toward the simple stone tomb. "Since then, this old burying ground has been roamed by the restless spirit of the woman, her cursed spirit unable to find rest. The only way to atone for her horrible crime is to find and be forgiven by the spirits of her lost children. But she will never find them. She is doomed to walk this hallowed ground weeping and keening over her guilt and shame, crying out 'Oh, where are my precious children', cast out of heaven and hell alike for her crime. And any who are unfortunate enough to gaze upon her tortured visage shall find themselves swift visited by misfortune within a fortnight. So if you plan to visit the old burying grounds on All Hallows Eve, beware, lest you share in the curse of the Weeping Widow." With a wicked grin, she suddenly yelped out and tossed something into the camp stove flame, sending the fire leaping up and giving her friends a sudden fright. The graveyard echoed with their terrified screams. Pinkie Pie leaped into Rarity's lap, Lemon hid behind Indigo, and even Applejack found herself jumping up on fright. Only Twilight seemed relatively unmoved.
"Bahahahaha! Gotcha!" Rainbow cackled, throwing her head back in laughter. "You should see the look on your faces!"
"Rainbow! That wasn't very nice!" Sunset scolded.
"I wanna go home! I don't wanna get cursed!" Pinkie wailed, latching onto Rarity even harder. Rarity gasped for air as her cheeks turned blue.
"Pinkie darling, I need to breathe!" She said, somehow managing to push the hyperactive girl off of her.
"Oh, Pinkie, it's alright. There's no such thing as ghosts and curses." Twilight reassured her.
"I wouldn't say that, Twi." Applejack replied. "So let me guess, we're supposed to spend the next few hours in this creepy place looking for some ghost that's supposed to carry some kooky curse?" Rainbow nodded.
"That's the mission if you're brave enough to accept it. Course, if you're scared..." She said with a smirk. Applejack, Indigo, and Lemon all looked indignantly at her.
"We ain't scared!" Indigo shouted. "Just... a little cold, that's why I'm shivering." She said. Rainbow chuckled at her obvious lie but made no real note of it.
"Alright then, if you guys are up to it, there's flashlights in my backpack. We're going to explore the abandoned section of the cemetery and look for any sign of the weeping widow." She explained. "Last chance; if anyone wants to back out, now is the time to do it." Pinkie looked frightened as all heck, but she said nothing. Nobody said a word. Rainbow was pleased.
"Alright, let's do this." She said, passing out the flashlights. "We'll split up and meet back here at camp at midnight."
Just then, the wind suddenly kicked up, sending a cold breeze that seemed to chill all of them to the very core. The camp stove flickered and nearly went out.
And carried on the wind, was a sound of a distant, keening cry.
"D-did anyone hear that?" Rarity asked.
"I sure did." Applejack said.
"It was probably just the wind," Sunset suggested. Twilight nodded in agreement. The others shivered even more. now thoroughly unnerved wondering what might be creeping around the old cemetery.
"L-let's get this done and over with," Lemon said. "This place is starting to give me the creeps, big time." A few murmurs of agreement and they were off into the darkness.
None of them paid any attention to the shadows... or the glint of movement within them.
Crunching their way through the dead leaves that covered the ground in a carpet of orange and red, Sunset and Twilight crept their way among the decrepit crypts, flashlights scanning them for any sign of their supernatural quarry. Spike rested in Twilight's backpack, not making a peep. Poor thing was still frightened from Rainbow's little stunt. The only thing they revealed were old tombs, dead leaves and the occasional sight of a dusty coffin lying in plain sight.
"Good grief, what the heck happened here?" Sunset asked. "Whatever happened to 'rest in peace'?"
"Looks like the work of a few vandals over the years," Twilight said with a hint of disgust in her voice. "These are some of the oldest tombs in this cemetery. Many of them date back to 1812. It's not surprising that some of them have been broken into over the years. Grave robbing was once a serious problem." Her flashlight shined into a smaller tomb, settling on a coffin that was distressing small in size. Twilight felt her heart break at the sight. Sunset clutched her hand to her heart.
"I've seen shoeboxes that are bigger than that." Twilight checked the date on the plaque beneath the tiny coffin.
"1832." She said. "The poor thing must have died during the scarlet fever outbreak." Both felt a bit misty-eyed, and Sunset found herself saying a silent prayer for the poor child who barely got to see life before pestilence had claimed them.
"So, you think there's any truth to this story?" Sunset asked. Twilight shook her head as she continued searching.
"To be honest, I don't. I... well, I don't really believe in the supernatural or life after death." Her breath caught in her throat and she whipped around with an apologetic expression on her face. "But it's OK if you do! I mean, if believing in an afterlife helps bring people closure and comfort, who am I to take that away?" Sunset giggled and patted her shoulder.
"Hey, it's OK. I understand it's not always easy to believe in something you can't see or touch." She said. Twilight breathed a sigh of relief at not having offended her friend. "To be honest, I'm pretty skeptical about this whole thing myself, though it's more how I view the afterlife than anything else."
"Please tell," Twilight said. "I'm always open to hearing other perspectives."
"Well, being a unicorn, I was always told that when we die, our souls leave our bodies and unite with the souls of the other deceased in a mystical and eternal union. No one is ever alone in the afterlife." Twilight smiled.
"That's actually a very comforting thought." Sunset smiled.
"Yeah, the idea of being trapped on the mortal plane, lost and unable to find rest, sounds more like a punishment than anything..." Sunset stopped when she heard something on the night air. "Did you hear that?"
"Hear what?" Twilight asked. Sunset motioned for her to be quiet for a moment. For a minute, all they heard was the rustling of a few trees, until the sound of a distant singing voice came over the air.
"That. It sounds like someone singing." Sunset said. Twilight craned her neck to try and get a listen. Sure enough, the sound of a distant keening song came to her ears.
"I hear it too." She said. "It sounds like it's coming from that direction?" She pointed past an old mausoleum containing dozens of crypts, some of which had unfortunately been smashed open, the coffins exposed. She scowled at the sight of the complete disregard for the dead. "It must be the other girls."
"Sounds a bit old for their style," Sunset said. "But it would make the most sense." She barely got the words out when the creaking of a metal gate got her attention. She whirled around to face an eerie abandoned tomb decorated in rather ugly looking gargoyles. Both of them shuddered at the sight. Twilight could even feel Spike start to shiver in her backpack.
"Are you OK in there?" She asked.
"Oh yeah! It's just the... it's kinda chilly." He said.
"There's really nothing to be scared of," Sunset said. "Why don't you come out?'
"No! I mean uh... I just don't wanna get my paws cold, that's all." Both girls giggled slightly.
"I'll go check it out," Sunset said. Slowly and cautiously she approached the old tomb. Her flashlight caught the glint of a few brass coffin handles as she shined it inside. "Hello?" She asked. Noticing the door was slightly open, she craned in for a closer look when she got close enough.
Reeeeeow!!!
Sunset shrieked when something came charging out of the tomb at her, causing her to stumble backward and fall flat on her butt.
"Sunset!" Twilight cried out, rushing over. Sunset managed to stand up and brush the dirt off her behind.
"I'm alright." She said, rubbing the seat of her pants. "That was a pain in the rump though. What the heck was..." She started before she got a glimpse at the offender.
A stray cat.
"Well, that's one explanation for any weird noises." Twilight quipped.
"Little guy nearly gave me a heart attack," Sunset said. The cat licked its paws and gave them one last look before scuttling off into the darkness.
"Hey! I smell a cat! Lemme at 'em!" Spike said, popping his head over Twilight's shoulder. This only served to give him a good view of the inside of the crypt. "Yah!" He said, ducking back inside and shivering up a storm.
"Aww, Spike," Twilight said, reaching in and petting his head. Sunset smiled.
"Let's head back to camp. I honestly don't think we'll see anything." She suggested.
"Couldn't agree more," Twilight replied. "I think Rainbow brought stuff for s'mores anyway."
"You're speaking my language," Sunset said, and the two of them headed off.
In the shadows, something slinked back into the darkness behind the crypts, disappearing into the inky blackness.
"Ugh, my feet hurt!" Lemon Zest whined. "And we haven't seen a darn thing! I'm bored!"
"And I thought you were a world-class whiner, Rarity." Applejack quipped. Rarity's expression brook no amusement.
"I do not whine, Applejack, I complain, Whining is what Lemon Zest has been doing for the past five minutes." Lemon huffed.
"Well, we've been wandering around this joint for the past couple of hours! What do you expect?" She groused. The others just groaned.
"Look, we're all tired, but we're almost done." Applejack said. Right on cue, three other forms appeared around a corner. Rainbow as looking tired herself and her two companions weren't looking any better.
"Ugh, so much walking and no sugar." Pinkie moaned.
"I need coffee," Indigo said, flopping down on a nearby bench. "And a foot massage." Lemon grinned.
"You could always ask that guy you're secretly seeing. The one you think we don't know about." Lemon teased. Indigo's face turned beet red and growled.
"Shut it!" She hissed.
"What's her deal?" Rainbow asked. Before Lemon could answer, Sunset and Twilight emerged from behind another set of tombs, carrying plates of s'mores. The mouths of the other girls began to water at the sight
"Sweeeets!" Pinkie said lustily, grabbing a s'more and devouring it. Twilight giggled.
"We cooked some up back at camp and then went looking for you guys," Sunset said. "We also have some fresh coffee back there." The other girls eagerly got some still warm s'mores.
"Did you see anything darlings?" Rarity asked.
"Just dusty tombs, old coffins and one out of place kitty. And I'm not talking about myself." Twilight giggled at Sunset's remark. "You guys?"
"Not a darn thing," Rainbow said. "Geez, and here I thought things might actually be interesting."
"Well, we certainly got some exercise." Applejack said. "As my sore feet testify."
"Yeah, the dogs are barking over here too," Twilight said.
"Hey!" Spiked shouted from her backpack.
"Sup, Spike!" Lemon greeted.
"Say, were any of you guys singing?" Sunset asked. The others looked at each other.
"I wasn't," Rainbow said. A chorus of agreement sounded from them. "Why?"
"Both of us thought we heard singing. We assumed it was you." Twilight said.
"Maybe it was the Weeping Window." Pinkie squeaked and hid behind Rarity.
"I very much doubt that." Rarity said. "We haven't seen any signs of anything."
"There's a neighborhood not far from here. Maybe they were having a late night karaoke party." Indigo suggested.
"Perhaps." Applejack checked her watch.
"It's about ten minutes to midnight.' She said. "I really don't think we're going to see anything and we're all dog tired. Let's call it a night." Surprisingly, Rainbow offered no resistance.
"Yeah, you're right. Guess you were right, Twi. Nothing supernatural going on at all." She stretched herself out. "Let's get packed up and head home, just as soon as I get this hitchhiking pebble out of my shoe." She walked over to a particularly huge tomb and leaned back against the door to work on her pebble problem. Just as she got her shoe off, the door suddenly popped loose.
"Hey, what WHOOOOAAA!" She cried as she fell down into the giant crypt.
"Rainbow!" The others gasped. They rushed over to the open crypt door and peered down.
"Are you alright, sugarcube!" Applejack called. Rainbow grunted and lifted herself off the crypt floor, brushing cobwebs and few spiders off her.
"Yeah, I'm alright!" She called back. She picked up her fallen flashlight and scanned what turned out to be a huge burial chamber. She gulped when her eyes fell on two ornate looking coffins placed on two stone dais. "Uh... just thought I'd drop in and visit the grandfolks for a bit." She said.
"Hang on, we're coming!" Sunset called. The girls rushed down to aid their friend, ignoring the creepy room and its contents. Rainbow tried to stand up, only for a sharp pain to erupt in her ankle. She grunted in pain.
"Ugh, great, I twisted my ankle. You guys are gonna have to help me up." Sunset and Indigo took her arm and helped her up. Rainbow draped her arms over their shoulders.
"Come on, let's get outta this creepy joint," Indigo said. The others heartily agreed, and with the three of them leading the way, they began their ascent up the stairs and out of the old crypt. Not looking back, they soon reached the top of the stone stairs leading out, the full moon shining through the open door.
"Whew, freedom," Rainbow said. "Now we can finally call it a..." She was cut off by the crypt door suddenly slamming shut in their faces, causing them to scream and jump back. Sunset clutched her chest in an attempt to settle her breathing before turning back to the others. Everyone was as silent as the crypt they were in for a few moments.
"Perhaps.. the wind?" She said.
The words barely escaped her lips when the sound of something slamming on the glass startled them into nearly falling backward. Thankfully the others were there to catch them.
"What was that noise? What's going on guys!?" Spike asked frantically. As one they looked up at the glass door, and what they saw made their blood turn to ice.
Pressed up against the glass was a single hand clad in a fingerless black glove, belonging to a what appeared to be a young girl. Her face was half-obscured by her long jet-black hair, but the single eye that was visible was icy blue. Her mouth was turned up in a smile that would have been friendly looking under any other circumstance. She was dressed in a tattered gray dress covered in various patches and stitches, the sleeves having long fallen away and allowing them to see her skin was a light blue shade similar to Rainbow’s herself.
"Um. hi, can you help us?" Sunset asked, her voice quaking. "We're kinda stuck in here after we tried to help our friend out. She fell in by accident. The door doesn't open from this side. Can you get it open for us?"
"Yes, please! It smells like mildew and my outfit is going to be ruined!" Rarity whined, causing Applejack to roll her eyes.
So much for only complaining. She said to herself. The figure just looked back at them with an amused expression.
"Leaving so soon?" She asked her voice low, almost a whisper.
"What do you mean?" Sunset asked. "We need to get out..." She wasn't able to finish, as her breath caught in her throat when she saw the girl's eyes flash green and her whole body began to glow with an ethereal light. Before their widening, terrified eyes, the girl turned into a cloud of greenish-blue energy and phased right through the door.
"Uh, Twilight? How do we explain this one?" Sunset asked, her voice sounding on the verge of tears. Twilight clutched onto her arm, shivering with terror.
"I don't know..." She whimpered.
Pinkie Pie was the first to scream in utter horror.
"It's the Weeping Widow!" She ran screaming back down into the crypt, tripping and faceplanting on the floor and getting a mouthful of cobweb. The others backed away slowly as the apparent specter slowly descended the steps in front of them, pushing them back into the crypt until they were in the middle of the huge burial chamber. The ghostly girl looked at them with a smile and brushed her hair out of her face.
"What do we have here?" She studied the terrified girls in front of her. "All Hallows revelers out late at night? Wonderful! It's been so long since I've had some company in this place. So, why don't you join me? We'll have a wonderful time." She said with a giggle. Chills went up the spines of the girls as they stared at the specter, huddling together in sheer terror.
What was going to happen to them now?
