The fate of all of the spirits who resided in this mansion were slowly getting to Applejack. She didn't want to care, she was still convinced she had entered some strange incarnation of purgatory. All of the haunts here were dead, she wasn't denying that. There could be no forgery of that awful chill she had experienced upon charging through Spike's body. But why did they all look so familiar? Every one of them, the eerie twin of someone she knew from home. Though none of them had gotten to her more than Shining Armor had. The sadness in his eyes had been genuine. He had lost someone he loved, and in turn, become lost himself.
"Ah ain't never takin' a vacation again..." She muttered to herself, as she passed through the large door leading away from the lamenting soldier. Applejack entered another, much smaller hallway, this one appearing to lead towards a large open room. The hallway was lined with various urns and vases on either side, most of which were covered with spider webs and dust. She sneezed several times as she passed, coming into the open area. The room was circular here, large stained glass windows arcing around the edge of it. Chocolate rain continued to pour down outside, pattering against the glass. In the center of the room sat a coffin, on top of which sat Spike, looking as charming as ever in his little jacket.
"Enjoying your tour?" He asked with a grin. The smile was unsettling, and Applejack couldn't decide whether she liked it or not.
"Uh, sure ah guess." She replied.
"You have nothing to be all that afraid of, the haunts here are all dying to meet you," he said. The lid of the coffin on which he was sitting began to raise, causing the dragon to lose his balance. "Let me out! Come on, it's not funny, let me out!" A strained voice protested from inside. Applejack swallowed hard.
"Uh..." That was definitely not something she wanted to see. In a mansion which housed a thousand spirits, most of whom up until now were fairly nice about it, why in tarnation would THIS one be trapped, or alternatively, not allowed to leave the coffin?
"Oh, don't mind her," Spike said casually. "In any case, I'll leave you be, for now. And in case you're wondering about trying to escape, the doors and windows have been sealed for the night. And so, I'll offer you a chilling challenge in exchange for your freedom. Find a way out!" The dragon walked down the hallway, cackling, and walked right through a wall before Applejack could pursue him. The farm pony glowered. She really didn't like this place. Even less so when the lid to the coffin burst open, and a dull pink figure raised itself from its depths.
"FINALLY." The figure said, climbing out of its prison, and cracking its neck to the side before settling its eyes on Applejack. "Oooh, a new haunt!" she said, pushing her pink flattened mane out of her eyes. "Want to play a game?"
"...Sure?" Applejack asked. By this point, she was not surprised by doppelgangers, although she still found it incredibly worrying that they all looked like her friends. And not a single one of them seemed aware of it. Although if this one was any indication, she may very well have some knowledge of her counterpart. It wouldn't be surprising.
"Great!" The pink pony reached into the coffin, and her hoof emerged holding a large meat cleaver. It was stained, and Applejack really didn't want to think about why. "I call this game... cupcakes." She began to approach Applejack a wild grin on her face.
"On second thought, ah ain't really in the mood for a game right now. Maybe later?" She asked, taking a few steps backwards, before bolting into a gallop in the other direction. Pinkie chased after her, laughing insanely. "Wait! I haven't even told you the rules yet!"
Applejack ran, skidding around the corner. She dove into an open doorway, shutting the door as quickly and quietly as possible. Her heart was pounding, although she hadn't run that far for an earth pony, and she wasn't even close to being out of breath. She remained hidden there for what felt like hours. "Ah really gotta get outta here..." She whispered to herself. But perhaps even whispering had been an unfortunate decision, for the meat cleaver buried itself through the door just then, inches from Applejack's ear. "HERE'S PINKIE!" The pony laughed, yanking the meat cleaver out to ready it again.
"Aha!" Applejack announced. "Y'all ain't supposed t'know who Pinkie is, so how'd y'know her name?" she challenged.
Her assailant paused for a moment. "Just seemed like a Pinkie thing to say. Now hold still!"
Applejack readied herself for a fight. "If yer gonna let out the bull, best be ready for a rodeo." It had been a fair while since applebucking season, but an earth pony was always in prime condition.
"Not so fast!" A new voice, one Applejack hadn't heard before. She took several steps further backwards to distance herself from the crazy pony. Two more spirits emerged from the room she was in, which contained nothing more significant than several pieces of furniture covered in white cloths.
The pony on the left was white, sporting large purple glasses and had what appeared to be an instrumental bow sticking through her neck. The other, a grey pony, was spattered with blood, although Applejack couldn't quite tell what was wrong with her. Pinkie, however, did not seem to want to go up against three of them, and glared at her target. "I'll get you later, and your little dog too!"
Applejack frowned. "But Winona ain't-" That gave her pause, she hadn't seen any animals here yet. Did animals make it to the afterlife? She didn't want to think about never seeing Winona again, she was such a good dog.
"Silence! I kill you!" Pinkie threatened. "I hope you're ready to wait forever, because forever is a really really really long time!" With that, she was gone.
Turning around slowly, Applejack rubbed at her head. "Okay, now that that's over with, do ah even wanna know what's goin' on with you two?"
"Ask Melody, she started it." The white one said irritably.
"I did not, Rave!" The grey one insisted. "She tried to sneak up behind me during one of my recitals, and everypony KNOWS I'm jumpy, it was your own fault!"
"You stabbed me through the neck!" Rave protested.
"So you drop a bass on me?!"
"Well you killed me first!"
"GIrls!" Applejack cut them off, mostly because her brain simply refused to process all this new information. She didn't even want to think about all the illogical flaws in play here. "If y'all can't stand each other so much, why are y'helpin' me?"
"We can't get away from each other, even in death, we're stuck together. It's infuriating." Melody responded. "At least I can keep an eye on Rave and make sure she doesn't throw any more instruments out the windows."
"I said I was sorry! Something YOU still haven't done for impaling me with a ribbon."
"It wasn't a ribbon, it was a bow, and I warned you a thousand times not to sneak up on me!"
"What ah wouldn' give fer cider right now..." Applejack muttered. "Can EITHER of you tell me how t'get outta here?"
"No." Rave said. Both ponies seemed remarkably eager to help, but appeared about as helpful as ants at a picnic.
"Course y'can't." Applejack sighed.
"But we know who can!" Melody insisted. "If anypony can get you out of here, it's The Gypsy."
"Ah'm gettin' real tired of all this fancy talk," the farm pony warned. "Who's the gypsy and where is she?"
"Down the hall, round the corner, third door right before the ballroom. Can't miss it!"
Applejack tipped her hat. "Great. Thanks. Good luck t'both of you. Whoever y'are." She made her way out of the room, checking both ways first to ensure that the way was safe. Even as she left, she could hear Rave and Melody begin bickering again, and left them to their fate with a sigh. With no sign of Pinkie, she entered the third door around the corner. The room was dark, a single glowing green sphere set upon the center of a large table in the middle of the room. A few discarded pieces of furniture and instruments lay abandoned on the floor. Applejack approached. "Howdy? Gypsy? Ah got a bone t'pick with you, and-"
Interrupted by a sudden tail curling shriek, a mystic head appeared within the confines of the crystal ball. Once again familiar, this one white with black stripes. Applejack facehooved. "Ah shoulda known..." The head interrupted her.
"It is time to be silent, for soon you shall see,
the spirits awaken, in disturbed harmony!
So let us call forth those who've been entombed,
For they very well may help you escape certain doom!
Rap on a table, it's time to respond,
Send us a message from somewhere beyond!
Goblins and gremlins from last Halloween,
Awaken, dear spirits, with your tambourine!"
Applejack was quiet, afraid that at any moment some horrible monstrosity would sweep in and take her away. But nothing did. The gloomy silence was broken by a white pegasus with purple balloons on her flank suddenly phasing right through the wall, playing an accordion and being followed by several equally spiritual parasprites. The intrusion lasted only a few seconds, but it was enough to irritate the zebra, who glared at the white pegasus reproachfully.
"Now, y'all were s'posed to be able to help me get outta this place?" Applejack asked.
The Gypsy looked upon her thoughtfully.
If leaving this buliding is what you desire,
I'll give you a clue as to what must transpire.
The mansion holds many, a thousand in fact,
So in order to leave, in haste you must act.
If you wish to leave without first meeting your doom,
Then the answer is simple. You must make some more room.
That was a bit confusing, and the farm pony had to think about it for a moment. "So if ah help a spirit or two to the afterlife, instead of just hangin' around here, ah can get outta this confounded place?" The Gypsy nodded in confirmation, and Applejack narrowed her eyes in determination.
"Then it looks like ah'm goin' ghost huntin'." This place was starting to get to her, and Applejack wasn't about to have any of that. She had often considered herself the bravest of all of her friends, with Pinkie Pie being the occasional exception. She wasn't about to let this mansion shake her nerves now. "How do ah go about doin' that?"
Many spirits wait in a broken state of mind,
You need to reunite them with what's left behind.
Applejack nodded. She'd keep an eye out. She walked past the crystal ball, stumbling over a chair and a flugelhorn. She slipped through the back door at the other end of the room, more determined than ever to leave this place once and for all.