Harem Scare-Him

A chill breeze wafted through the air, making my body shiver and break out in goosebumps. The pale light of the full moon high overhead illuminated the spooky landscape around me. The dirt path I had walked along to get where I was weaved its way through a grove of dark, twisted trees, which obscured the landscape beyond them. In my mind, the trees’ gnarled branches seemed to reach out towards me, as if trying to snatch me up. Occasionally, I heard the sound of a twig snapping or the scurrying of a wild animal. In front of me, the trees parted to reveal an ancient, decrepit mansion which, unfortunately, was my destination that night.

I looked up at the building with a mixture of fear and amusement in my mind. On one hand, the idea of a “haunted mansion” was such a cliche that it almost seemed silly to be unnerved by it. On the other hand, there was a reason why the cliche existed in the first place. Staring up at the broken windows, the rotting wood, and the moldy stonework filled me with an odd sense of despair and loneliness. A whistling wind blew from the direction of the old mansion, almost sounding like faint voices.

I reached into my pocket, pulled out a folded piece of paper, and opened it up. I looked down and read the message written on it once again:

Come to the old mansion at the edge of town at midnight for a surprise. You won’t be sorry!

Love,
Applejack
Rarity
Twilight
Pinkie
Rainbow
Fluttershy
Sunset

Each of the girls had obviously written their own names, their handwriting being as unique as they were. Rarity’s flowing script contrasted with Rainbow’s chicken scrawl. Twilight’s pragmatic printing stood out next to Pinkie’s glittery pink signature. I stared at the note for a long moment, but I still didn’t have the slightest idea of what they could be planning for me. Looking down at my watch, I saw that it read 12:00 exactly. I folded the note back up and returned it to my pocket, before slowly approaching the mansion.

As I stepped onto the stairs leading up to the front porch, the boards creaked loudly enough to alert anybody, or anything, nearby of my presence. I made it up onto the porch and approached the large double doors before me. On the doors were a pair of old metal door knockers shaped like the heads of angry horses. Tentatively, I reached out and grasped the large ring held in the mouth of one of them and knocked it against the door three times. I released the knocker and stood back, waiting to see what would happen.

A moment later, the door slowly opened inwards into the pitch-black interior of the mansion. Gulping, I forced my legs to carry me forward through the ominous portal. I stopped a few feet past the door, everything beyond that point being too dark to see. As I stared into the darkness, I heard a loud creaking noise from behind me. I whipped around just in time to see the front door slam shut, snuffing out the moonlight that had been leaking in.

Panic took hold of me as I was plunged into complete darkness. I wasn’t particularly afraid of the dark, but I think anyone would have been a bit uncomfortable in those circumstances. I leapt forward and felt around for the door handle, grasping it and attempting to pull the door open again. Despite my best efforts, the door did not budge even an inch, almost as if it had been locked by magic or something. I soon gave up, turning around and placing my back against the door so nothing could sneak up on me from behind.

A moment later, I heard a click, and the entryway was lit up by a bright light coming from off to my side. Turning my head, I saw that the light was coming from a small flashlight laying on a nearby table. The illumination calmed me somewhat, but I was still a bit on edge after having seen the door close and the flashlight turn on all by themselves. Sitting on the table next to the flashlight was a piece of paper, which caught my attention. I slowly walked over to the table and picked up the paper, seeing that there was a message written on it:

You were a fool to come here. This dilapidated domicile is haunted by seven terrifying monsters, each one horrific in their own special ways. In order to escape, you must find and defeat each monster before the sun rises. The spirits that dwell in this place will not allow you to leave the grounds until all seven have been dealt with. You will find your first opponent upstairs in the attic. Get a move on; the clock is ticking.

I read the note several times, my mind struggling to process the words on the page. I had no idea what was going on, but I was not particularly thrilled about the prospect of being trapped in the mansion. I was really hoping that it was just some prank the girls had set up, not wanting to consider the alternative. I heard a faint noise from somewhere behind me and whipped around reflexively, but saw nothing. I turned back around and set the note down on the table. Realizing that standing around was probably not the best idea regardless of what was really going on, I picked up the flashlight and began making my way into the interior of the mansion.