After they ate dinner, the six ponies went on a lovely stroll through the city. Up ahead was stallion wearing saddle bags filled with brochures. “Tonight only! Get a tour of the famous Magic Manor!” he called out. “Only two bits a ticket. Get ’em while you can!”
Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity felt bad that they had let their little sisters down concerning their desire to hunt for ghosts at the movie palace. Hearing the stallion talk about his tour of the Magic Manor, they thought that they would offer to take them to a fun haunted house. It may not be the famous – or rather, infamous – movie palace, but they thought that it would give Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle a ghostly good time.
“Hey, why don’t we do that?” Applejack suggested. “We can take Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo to check out a spooky old house.”
“I’m pretty sure he said ‘haunted,’” said Rarity. "Our little sisters may just be able to hunt for the ghosts just as they had wished."
“A haunted house. That sounds like fun, right, Rainbow Dash?”
“Sounds kinda lame if you ask me,” Rainbow Dash replied.
“How so, pray tell?”
“It’s probably not gonna be scary. You know how many haunted houses I’ve seen? Plenty. You know how many of them were scary? None. The ghosts were just ponies wearing bed sheets. This will probably be no different. Besides, this is Applewood. Anything scary is just special effects and ponies in costume.”
“Oh, come now, Rainbow Dash," said Rarity. "At least give it a try.”
“Yeah, Rainbow Dash," said Applejack. "Where’s your haunted house spirit?”
Rainbow Dash didn’t particularly want to go see the haunted Magic Manor. She looked up at their little sisters, who were walking a little further ahead of them. She did feel bad that they couldn't take them inside the movie palace. She knew how much they wanted to get their cutie marks. She was also proud of them for accepting that they couldn't explore the theater and that their quest for their cutie marks would continue. She decided that she, too, would go on the haunted house tour for Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Apple Bloom. "I know how much they wanted to look for ghosts," she began. "This may not exactly be what they wanted, but you can count me in!"
They paused and called over the little fillies to share with them their surprise.
"Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo!" Rarity called out.
The Cutie Mark Crusaders stopped and turned around.
"What's going on, Rarity?" asked Scootaloo.
"We've got a little surprise for you all," Applejack said.
"A surprise?! What is it?" Sweetie Belle was eager to know what it was.
"We know how much you wanted to look for ghosts at the movie palace," Rarity began, "and we're sorry we weren't able to take you inside, so we thought that we would treat you girls to a fun tour of the Magic Manor."
Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Apple Bloom were truly touched by their big sisters' thoughtfulness.
"That's mighty kind of y'all," said Apple Bloom, "but you didn't have tuh do this."
"Think nuthin' of it, lil' sis," said Applejack with a warm smile.
They bought their tickets and trotted to the attraction.
They stood in line to go inside the Magic Manor. As they waited, two of the housekeepers met up and began to talk. Rainbow Dash overheard what they were saying.
"Did you hear?" asked one of the housekeepers. "Princess Luna wants to come to the Magic Manor!"
"Really? I hadn't heard," the other housekeeper replied. "When is she coming?"
"I'm not sure. Probably in a week or two some time. She said in her letter she would come in the winter. She's going to invite a few guests to spend the night here."
That was all of their conversation Rainbow Dash could hear before the two housekeepers' voices were out of range.
Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Apple Bloom were reading through a pamphlet about the Magic Manor.
"Look at this," began Scootaloo. "They have special spooky night tours on the weekends."
"And for Nightmare Night, they have an extra spooky midnight tour," Sweetie Belle pointed out.
Apple Bloom kept her radio close by. She wanted to make sure that if the mysterious voice came through again, she would be able to hear it and try to figure out its cryptic message. Of all the sights and attractions they had gone to, it only sounded at the abandoned movie palace. It was a little bit curious. Perhaps it really was a ghost? Maybe, if the Magic Manor was really haunted, a ghostly broadcast might come through again?
A few minutes went by before the six ponies were next in line to begin their tour.
“Next souls, please,” said the tour guide.
“Well, what’re y’all waitin’ for? Let’s go!” Applejack said with excitement.
Their tour guide was a mare dressed in a coat and tie. Her face was powdered pale with dark circles painted around her eyes.
“Welcome, my mortal friends, to the Ma-a-a-gic Ma-a-anor, Applewood’s most famous ha-a-u-unted ho-ou-u-se,” she said in a playful spooky voice. "I will be your tour guide. Step this way, if you dare."
Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Apple Bloom, along with a few other ponies in the group, followed the mare inside to begin their tour. How fun this is sure to be!
They gathered inside the foyer. When everypony in the group was present and accounted for, the tour guide began to speak. "This is the Magic Manor, home to many magicians and vaudeville performers alike. The great illusionist, Hoofdini, and even Prof. Menlo and Mr. Kino, the subjects of the Hoofrey Bogart and Clark Stable film, have all performed here or showcased their work here. I ask everypony to please refrain from touching anything outside of the velvet ropes. The Magic Manor is very old. You wouldn't want for anything to break... or to fall!" She cast her eyes to the chandelier above them.
Everypony looked up to see the chandelier plummet towards them. They yelled out and braced themselves. A swift breeze blew past them. All was silent. They all looked up to see that the chandelier was still hanging from the ceiling above them. Some of the ponies in the group breathed a sigh of relief while others laughed at the joke. The falling chandelier was just one of many fun parlor tricks that they would be seeing on the tour tonight.
"You will have to excuse the Magic Manor," said the tour guide. "It sometimes finds amusement in pranking its guests. This way, follow me."
They followed the tour guide down the hallway. There were several busts on pedestals; they were not representative of anypony in particular. As the ponies passed by them, it seemed as if they were turning their heads, watching their every move.
"Whoa, freaky," said Scootaloo as she walked past one of the busts.
Next, the tour guide led them to the sitting room. Along the walls were portraits of ponies who performed at the Magic Manor. Among those was a painting of Hoofdini. Just like the master escape artist himself, the painted pony in the portrait disappeared. Applejack walked by the painting, casually glancing at it. She turned away to look at the other furnishings in the room, when she turned back around and saw that the pony was no longer there. She did a double take.
"Wasn't there a pony in that picture just a second ago?" she asked.
As she turned to walk away, Hoofdini's likeness reappeared in the painting.
After spending a few moments in the sitting room, the tour guide led them down another hallway. They neared a corner which the tour guide turned down. When the group turned the corner, they found their guide nowhere in sight. They began to clamor among themselves.
"Where did she go?" one pony asked.
"She was here a moment ago," said another pony.
A voice sounded from the back of the group, "Excuse me. Pardon me." To everyponies' surprise, the tour guide was at the back of the group, making her way back to the front. "As I've mentioned," she addressed the crowd, "this mansion is chalk full of secrets and tricks. That's why it's very important that we stay together. And remember, don't touch anything. There are secret passageways and trap doors. Come along now."
She escorted the ponies to a lounge, which had once served as a theater, and still does for the members of the Magic Manor club. There was a small stage at the front of the room. Along the back wall was a cider bar. In the center were several rows of chairs.
"This is the lounge," said the tour guide. "The lounge, as you can see, is also a little theater. This is where Hoofdini performed and where Prof. Menlo showcased his very own moving picture projector. Please have a seat."
Near the stage sat an upright piano whose keys faced the ponies. Once everypony was seated, the room was filled with lively old timey-style music as the piano began to play all by itself. After the piano's performance, a stallion stepped out and gave a bow. He told jokes and performed a little show for the Magic Manor's guests. Then a mare came out and did a tap dance routine. After a magic show, the guests were treated to a classic short film. It was as magical and as vaudeville as ever! When the show ended, the tour guide led everypony through a hallway which seemed to have magically appeared. All down the length of the hallway were mirrors. As the ponies made their way to the end, they could enjoy looking at their reflections with a ghostly character waving hello. The hallway brought them to a small gift shop where the guests bought fun souvenirs. The Cutie Mark Crusaders bought themselves a magic kit, wondering if maybe they could get their cutie marks in the art of prestidigitation.
"That was amazing!" exclaimed Sweetie Belle. "Thank you for bringing us!"
"You girls are most welcome," replied Rarity.
"The thrills, the mystery, what's not to like about a spooky mansion?" said Rainbow Dash.
"An' Ah thought you didn't give two shakes about haunted houses," Applejack commented.
"Yeah, but this isn't just some haunted house, this is the Magic Manor!"
"Well, Ah'm glad y'all had fun."
After having such an amazing time, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Apple Bloom set out for the hotel. After a fun and busy day, it was time to settle in for the night. The next day, they would be on the train back to Ponyville.
"Ah had such a fun weekend," said Apple Bloom. "Ah wish we didn't have tuh go home tomorrow."
"Yeah," Scootaloo agreed. "I wish we could stay longer."
"I'm sure Twilight, Spike, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy will adore these gifts we picked out for them," said Rarity.
"Ah reckon they will," Applejack assured.
They made their beds and got ready to call it a night. They were already making plans on coming back. There's just so much to see and do in Applewood, you can't cover it all in just one weekend. In their room, Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash hit the hay. Next-door in their room, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo also bedded down. They all had such a fun time, they couldn't stop thinking about everything they had done. The Cutie Mark Crusaders just couldn't get to sleep, but after an hour, they finally dozed off.