Author's Note

I wanted to do a somewhat ponified take on The Haunting Of Hill House. So, this is what came to pass.

Not sure how often it will be updated. But I am excited to see where it goes.

Enjoy!

The Door

Twilight Sparkle was known to be a curious individual.

Her thirst for knowledge was unmatched by any pony, and perhaps only rivaled by Sunburst’s own. It was common knowledge that wherever one went in Equestria, knowledge of Princess Twilight Sparkle’s love for learning and curious nature would follow and come up in the most unexpected of ways. Twilight’s love for knowledge and curiosity was often infectious, and this time, the citizens of Ponyville had been infected with her curiosity. The new castle that had appeared in Ponyville after the Princess’ battle with Tirek had drawn citizens like a moth to a flame. Ponies passed by constantly, examining the new structure as though they couldn’t quite figure it out. An oddity in many ways, that wasn’t unusual. Buildings did not just appear by magic every day. It made the castle a landmark and a hotspot for Ponyville residents and visitors alike. Some ponies asked for tours, but they were declined. The castle was, still, a home, and it’s residents deserved their privacy.

Twilight Sparkle was unused to the castle, with it’s high ceilings, cold floors, and ornate look. It was far different from the cozy and homey feel of the Golden Oak Library. The library’s wooden floors, it’s surroundings of books, it’s lantern lit walls, all added up to making Twilight feel comfortable there. The castle was in such stark contrast to that, and so it hadn’t become a home to her. However, the castle did have one thing the Golden Oak Library did not have: Corridors to explore.

Much of the time, Twilight felt lost in her maze of a castle, not used to having so much, well, space. She did, however, enjoy exploring them, opening doors and seeing what lie beyond them. Sometimes she had been very surprised at what she found. She found beyond one of the doors a kind of cider cellar, full of different old and expensive ciders. Rainbow Dash would love that one for sure. In another room, she had found a dumbwaiter. Spike climbing in to investigate found that it led to the kitchen. Great for getting food. Another room led to the most enormous library she had ever seen. Twilight had swayed in a near faint at seeing that. Still yet there had been a reading room, a sewing room, a parlor, and one door that led to an indoor greenhouse where plants could be housed. All of this was in addition to the map room, the kitchen, the dining room, and the other library, along with so many bedrooms. Twilight might have thought it odd to have two libraries in one castle, except that she knew exactly what book overflow looked like, and thought it was a necessity she should have thought of before.

There was, however, one door that piqued her curiosity more than any other- even the second library.

At the end of a particularly long corridor on the second floor, there lay a door. One door that was different from the others. Purple doors dotted hallways, but that particular door was red. She had been understandably curious about the door, but no matter what she tried, it would not open. She had tried picking the lock, using her magic, but nothing worked. It frustrated her, that lack of cooperation by that door, but she sighed, and ignored it for the moment, because she had more important things to worry about than one locked door.

Tonight she had stayed up late in the evening, getting lost in the many books that filled her library. When she looked at the clock, she found it was a little past two in the morning. She decided she had stayed up far too late for one night and decided to pack it in for the night. She put a bookmark in her book, shut it, and shelved it, before exiting the room. Before she went to her own bedroom, she took a peek in on Spike to make sure he was alright.

In the room near hers, Spike was curled up on the floor, clutching his Rarity doll, and murmuring things in his sleep. It wasn’t uncommon for him.

“Don’t touch my macaroni gems…” He murmured.

Twilight couldn’t help but laugh at that. “Where are the macaroni gems, Spike?”

“The red room. Somepony’s dancing.”

She was stunned a moment before she giggled. “Goodnight, Spike.”

She gently closed his door, before she took in his words and went to look at The Red Room. The door was shut, locked, and as sealed as ever. She shrugged it off, and went to bed, never seeing the slight shadow underneath the door.

Twilight Sparkle performed her nightly routine- Putting on her nightcap, brushing her teeth thoroughly, and washing her face. Then, finally, she was able to nestle into her bed. She closed her eyes. Before she went to sleep, she enjoyed envisioning scenarios. Tonight, she imagined herself reshelving her two libraries with not a care in the world, her friends helping her, and then all of them finishing in record time. After that, they would share cupcakes and perhaps some of the cider from one of the other rooms, and go out to dinner as a treat. The image of her friends laughing and smiling easily carried her into sleep for the evening.

What she did not know, and could not know, was that the doorknob of the red room was turning, and somepony, or perhaps something was trying to get out. An odd pulsation came from the room, a sort of black mist erupting from the room, leaving a brief shadow before it dissipated completely. Suddenly a small black dot appeared on the wall near the door. Almost imperceptible, but to Twilight’s keen perception, it would be an annoyance. The small dot, though, was a messenger of something far worse to come.

The residents of the Castle of Friendship slept on, dreaming without care, and had no way of knowing that something was coming, something that could tear them apart forever.