Diamond Tiara still couldn’t believe how she convinced her mother and father to invite the girls from her class to her slumber party. Obviously, she was allowed to anyway. It was her party and she could do what she wanted. Throughout the night they’ve seen her father, Filthy Rich, check in on them from time to time, but they hadn’t seen her mother at all. It was okay, said Diamond Tiara, they already knew how she was.
There was a picture of a pony on the wall, and Sweetie Belle was the next contestant to be blind folded. Silver Spoon stuck a tail in Sweetie’s mouth and she attempted to approach the large picture like a foal taking its first steps. The other girls were playfully yelling directions at her. Her head moved from side to side once she reached the wall, with them yelling “warmer!” and “cooler!” She didn’t know what to do, so she stuck the tale in any place, took off the blindfold, then frowned.
“Darn it!” said Sweetie. “I wasn’t nearly that close.”
“I guess it's my turn,” said Apple Bloom.
Silver Spoon tied the blindfold to Apple Bloom, and the fillies spun her around, but not too much so she’ll get dizzy and make a mess out of things. The tail was in her mouth, and she stumbled to the wall, once again the girls yelling directions at her. A few moments later she followed her instincts and stuck the tail on the wall. Apple Bloom removed her blindfold and smiled, seeing that she had indeed pinned the tail on the pony. “I did it!” she exclaimed.
Someone knocked on the door. It opened only to have Mr. Rich poke his head right through. He was silent, as were the girls.
“Is everything… okay?” he said.
“We’re fine, dad,” answered Tiara.
“Oh. Well, good for you. There is food downstairs if anypony is hungry.” He nodded and left the door open. Those were his many quick visits to Tiara’s bedroom. He does it at least every twenty-five minutes or so.
“That settles it. I am getting kinda hungry,” said Scootaloo.
Everyone agreed and went downstairs. Having only been to her recently for a few times, the Cutie Mark Crusaders favorite spot had been the living room and the kitchen. The living room had three couches, each being able to fit six ponies, all facing a flat screen television set. Next to the television a glass sliding door had a view of the patio and the backyard. The backyard had a swimming pool and a tennis court, which Diamond Tiara and the girls had already used.
Entering the kitchen was like entering those futuristic “home of the future” kitchens you’d see in those science fiction magazines. The refrigerator had a two doors, but not a freezer on top and a refrigerator on the bottom, but side to side, each door the same length, with an ice maker attached to it. The countertops were large enough to place anything on it, and it never seem like it was full.
The food was there, as Mr. Rich promised. There was a circular platter of small red plum tomatoes, broccoli, cubed cheese (provolone and cheddar), crackers, and ranch sauce at the center. Not very impressed with the food selection, Diamond suggested they all make sandwiches.
“I never thought I say this, but you have the coolest house in the world,” said Scootaloo.
“Thanks. I never thought I’d have a slumber party with you guys,” Diamond said.
While making the sandwiches, the girls talked about the fun times since finally becoming friends with each other, and laughing at the times before that, when they were not very nice to each other. The conversation then turned to the topic of more activities to do before lights out.
“How about we tell stories,” said Apple Bloom. “Ghost stories, that is.”
“But you’re terrible at telling ghost stories,” smirked Scootaloo. “Remember that story you told in class about the ponies getting phone calls from a ghost?”
“I like that one, I thought it was funny,” said Sweetie Belle.
Apple Bloom frowned while the girls laughed.
“We’ll have a scary story contest,” said Diamond Tiara. “Whoever has the best story wins.”
“Win what?” asked Silver Spoon.
Diamond shrugged.
The girls rushed back to Diamond’s bedroom after finishing their sandwiches. They heard Mr. Rich from across the hall awkwardly reminding them to not run, or they’ll bump into something. They closed the door, shut the windows, and dimmed the lights. Diamond took out a flashlight from underneath her bed and turned it on. The idea was to pass it around to each filly whenever they tell a story.
“Okay, who is going first?” she asked them.
She gave the flashlight to Silver Spoon, and she told a story of a haunted house inhabited of a family who was murdered by the father with an axe, who then decapitated himself with the same axe. It was nearly as terrifying as she thought it would be; admittedly, the image of a pony slicing his own head off came off as hilarious. The flashlight was given to Sweetie Belle who told the story of a giant lizard, who breathed fire, who was also a vampire, who had a scorpion tail; finally she concluded the story with, “and he was really scary, the end!” They could hear her breathing heavily.
“That wasn’t very scary,” said Scootaloo.
“It wasn’t even a story at all,” added Diamond Tiara.
The flashlight was given Apple Bloom. It took her a moment to think of what her story will be about. When the ideas were laid out in her head she put the light on her. Everything that happened in her story was true (but they all knew it really wasn’t), about a couple making love near the campfire, only to be found as the next victims to the Woodland Devil. She described it as an unimaginable creature from the depths of the underworld, snatching and dragging anyone who dared crossed it path to the deepest circle of fiery pits of Hades. When she finished everyone was quite surprised and pleased.
“I’m guessing this is one of your better stories,” Scootaloo said.
“Let’s see you do better instead of making fun of me,” Apple Bloom snapped.
The flashlight was passed to Scootaloo. Just like Apple Bloom she took a moment to think about her story before she started. Then she began with a low, creepy voice, putting a frightening emphases on every other word. Her story involved a filly who was possessed by a demon, but she liked the demon, so the two of them had a plan to terrorize the ponies that bullied and tormented her, including her friends and family. The story was getting interesting, until Scootaloo ended on a cliffhanger.
“Wait a minute, what happens next?” asked Apple Bloom.
“That’s for you to decide.”
Scootaloo winked.
“That ain’t a good way to end a story! You couldn’t think of an ending! Only a bad storyteller would end a story that way!”
“I guess it’s my turn,” said Diamond Tiara. Scootaloo gave her the flashlight, then a sinister smile grew on her face. She thought about her scary tale while the others told theirs. Sometimes it pays to be the last pony in a contest, because the last is usually the best. She cleared her throat and began.
“A long time ago, there was a witch who lived in the forest named Mary. Mary was very evil; in fact, ponies back then called her the physical embodiment of pure evil. There is no record of her existence, but the evidence of her life is told through those who had lived during that time, then passed on and on. To this day many are afraid to speak her name.
“While she was alive she lived in a small hut in the woods. Legend has it that when Mary’s mother gave birth to her, a unicorn nurse sensed great evil in her. Troubled, Mary’s mother went deep into the woods during the cold winter night and left her there, never to return to her again. However, she was protected from the fierce winter snow by a dark magic in the forest. The forest animals that lived in the woods sensed her magical power, and brought her into a hut the evil spirits built for her, where she stayed and dabbled in the dark arts.
“When she grew older she began to resent the ponies who abandoned her, especially her mother, who she hadn’t seen in years. She wanted revenge for the childhood she never had, so Mary vowed to snatch up every child she can find, and she did that luring them into her hut whenever a colt or filly was seen wandering the woods. Some of them were runaways or those who lost their way, but Mary didn’t care. When she caught them, she lock them in the bottom of her hut and torment them and used them for experiments on her magic spells.
“Mary was also extremely vain. She had a mirror in her hut, and everyday she will look at her reflection and admire herself. There were three things Mary loved about herself: her pale skin, her yellow eyes, and her long black hair. She thought herself as the most beautiful mare in the world. Soon, because of her vanity, she extended her cruelty toward young mares. She learned of a spell that will allow her to take away the youth and beauty of the mares for herself, so at night she went into town and abducted any unfortunate mare walking the streets.
“Soon, word spread across the little village of the evil mare that lived in the woods. Many children and mares were missing, never to be seen again. Ponies decided to go straight to the forest to find Mary and kill her for all her cruelty. They used a little filly as bait for the witch. Once Mary got close to her she was captured. The villagers tied her up but she used her magic to escape, then ran to her hut. She locked herself inside, although the number of angry villagers were overwhelming. They broke down the door and beat her, spat at her, and cursed at her. A stallion took her favorite mirror and smashed it over her head, killing her instantly. But, after a second look, realized her body disappeared. Many speculated her spirit was transported from the world of the living to the underworld, where she truly belongs.
“Over the years ponies had tried to summon the spirit of Mary. Only one time it was successful, for many were too scared to try it again. You have to place a mirror in front of you inside a dark room with only lit candles. If you chant her name three times, she appears from the underworld through the mirror. But nopony knew what happened that time, for the pony that tried was never heard from again. Thus the evil spirit of Mary continues to wait for those unfortunate and foolish enough to summon her.”
Diamond directed the flashlight at the girls, whose mouths were agape. Silence hung in the air for a long time. They were afraid to breath. Diamond yelled “boo!” and they all screamed. “I guess I won,” she said.
Scootaloo shook herself out of her daze state, and glared at Tiara. “Come on, that can’t be true… right?” she said, unsure of herself.
“I don’t know. Let’s find out,” Tiara said.
“What do you mean?” Sweetie asked.
“Let’s invite Bloody Mary to the party,” she answered.
The girls protested, even Silver Spoon, but Diamond Tiara ignored them. Defeated, they reluctantly followed her to the bathroom across the hall. Along the way she opened the linen closet and grabbed a few candles and matches. For a moment, everyone mistook the bathroom for a space station. It was large enough to fit a dozen ponies, a wide bathtub and a shower in the corner. It looked like something that could fit very well in a five-star hotel. They approached the sink and Diamond Tiara placed the candles around the faucet. She lit each one and told Silver Spoon to dim the lights. Silver kept her pace to a minimum, wondering if Diamond had lost her mind.
“So who wants to go first?” Diamond asked.
Nopony spoke up or made a move. Diamond Tiara glanced at Silver Spoon, who shook her head. She then turned to the Cutie Mark Crusaders; all of them had their heads down, fiddling with their hooves on the floor. “Come on, you three are supposed to the Cutie Mark Crusaders, the bravest fillies in Equestria!” she said. The Crusaders remained silent. “I guess I was wrong about you. I had no idea you girls were chickens,” Diamond smirked.
Scootaloo stepped up, glared at Tiara, and went up the mirror. Although there were candles she could barely see her reflection in the dark, or anything else. She nervously look back at the girls, then turned back to the mirror and gulped. Diamond motioned her hoof for to move along.
Scootaloo began, slowly. “Bloody Mary… Bloody Mary…”
She opened her mouth to say the name, but something stopped her from saying it. Scootaloo tried to force it out, only to have her mouth shut instantly. She backed away from the mirror, and Diamond Tiara laughed.
“You’re such a scaredy cat, Scootaloo! I can’t believe you’re freaked out by a stupid ghost story!”
“Oh yeah? Why won’t you come up here and do it?”
The girls agreed, even Silver Spoon. Diamond’s smile vanished, replaced with a slight tinge of fear. Apple Bloom and Silver Spoon shoved her forward to the mirror. She looked around and the girls gazed back at her with a good mix of anticipation and terror. Scootaloo squinted her eyes at Diamond Tiara. The tiara-wearing filly annoyedly shook her head and faced the mirror, sighing.
“Bloody Mary. Bloody Mary…”
The tale of terror of her own invention was having a firm grip on her. It was rare for a pony to be afraid of their own imagination. Of course, Diamond’s story was a mixture of different sources, with a few twists here and there (not that the girls knew it). Like a good storyteller she was able to blend those sources into something truly terrifying, in which she succeeded. Now it was the moment truth as she came face to face with her creation. She thought for a brief moment and took a deep breath. Why should she be afraid of her own ghost story? Without fear, she said the name for a third time.
“... Bloody Mary.”
She forced herself to gaze at the mirror. Silence was upon them, nopony dared make a sound, not even a sneeze. After a while, there was nothing there but her faint reflection.
“You see? I don’t know what you were so worried about,” Tiara said proudly.
A chill swept through the room. It was unnaturally cold and it made their spines tingle and shiver. The darkness of the bathroom became sinister and foreboding. The silence carried a feeling of emptiness. The girls exchanged fearful glances at each other and rushed out of the bathroom, shutting the door and locking it tightly. They forgot to blow out the candles, but the coldness of the air had done it for them.