//------------------------------// // Chapter 1: On the Ball // Story: Monster in the House! // by KingKang //------------------------------// "Well guys, there it is." Scootaloo gestured at the old house before them. The old, rickety house that has sat at the edge of Ponyville for as long as anyone could remember. Despite this, however, the house only had minor damage to it. What made this even stranger was that nobody had ever even lived here. The lawn and trees surrounding the house were dead, the wood was grey and dulled, and the whole thing was inside a tall metal gate. The young flyer looked at her friends. Sweetie Belle was hiding behind Applebloom, the little farm filly trembling in fear herself. Besides them were two newest additions to their friendship circle, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. The two looked the house in fear, holding each other hooves for comfort. "So," Scootaloo said with a mischievous grin. "who wants to go first?" "WHAT?!" shouted Sweetie Belle, jumping up from behind her friend. "Are you crazy?! Do you know what this place is?!" "Yeah, it's just some old house." "Just some house?!" Diamond exclaimed, stepping towards the Pegasus. "This is the most feared house in all of Ponyville. My dad told me all about it." "Here we go again..." Silver said, rolling her eyes. "Years ago in the early days of Ponyville, the citizens woke up to find a house suddenly appeared overnight. The house was completely abandoned, but it strangely had furniture inside it, as though someone was already living there. For a while, ponies just left the house alone, thinking it simply some summer home a unicorn magicked up. Then, one Nightmare Night, a group of foals, feeling mischievous, decide to have a little fun with the house. They walked in through the door, only to have it slam shut on them seconds later! Nopony knows what happened to them in there, but when they came out, they were a bunch of sobbing, terrified messes, shivering to the bone in fear. Since then, everypony who went into that house never came out the same. So, ponies avoided ever going near the house, lest they be haunted by its dark spirits." ... "Wow, that was just. . .wow. . ." Silver sighed, "She goes on like this every time its brought up." Silver said, putting a hoof on her trembling friend. "Well, haunted or not, our ball is still way over there."Scootaloo said, pointing towards a kickball sitting in front of a dead tree. "So one of us is going to have to get it." All of them looked at each other, none of them speaking up. "Oh come on, one of us here has to get it." "Well, if you so brave, why don't you get it?" Applebloom said, giving her flightless friend an annoyed look. Scootaloos eyes widened as everyone stared at her. "Well, uh...you se I would but uh..." "Ha! I knew it! You big chicken." Scootaloo glared at her Country friend. "What did I say about calling me that?" she growled. "OH FOR GOODNESS' SAKE!" Sweetie screamed, Finally fed up with her friends. "Would somepony just get the...um where's the ball?" Everypony looked towards the dead oak tree, the ball nowhere to be seen. They all looked towards the house, to see it instead lying on it's steps. The five started to tremble. "H-how did the ball get there... when it was already over there?" Silver pointed, her hoof trembling. "You know what, I'm done. I-I'm done!" Diamond said, throwing her hooves in the air. She started walking away. "Hey! W-w-where ya going?" Applebloom asked, staring at her departing friend. Suddenly, something whizzed past her head, nearly hitting her. It instead struck Diamond in the back of her head, causing her to fall face first in the dirt and her tiara to go flying off her head. "What the?!" Immediately everyone gathered around Diamond to see if she was alright. Helping her to her hooves, they all got a look at what exactly it was that hit her. They stood shocked to see the same red ball that was just sitting on the porch only a few feet away from them. What's more was on the front of it was a scratched on picture of an evil looking face. They all reacted the way an normal pony would react. "AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..." ... "...hhhhhhhhhhHHHHHHH FORGOT MY TIARA AAAAAAAHHHHHhhhhhhhhhhh..." Meanwhile, a deep rumbleing noise sounded from the house. To anypony listening closely, they would have sworn the house was laughing. ---POV SHIFT Ha! That was Priceless! The looks on their faces when they saw the ball move. When I chucked it at that one filly's head. That might have been too much... Aw who cares! It was hilarious! Oh, looks like they forgot it. Left it right where I can reach it. Well, another one for my collection! I use my tree limbs (Shut up that's a thing) to pick it up and toss it right into my 'mouth.' I then guide it from my throat into the basement where all the other toys I've taken are. Okay, before we continue, can I just say how odd it is that I've collected so many of these things? I mean, when I first got here I didn't have anything down there. Now my basement's practically overflowing with kites and balls, it's like I'm a magnet to this stuff! I can't be the only one who- Oh, I'm getting off track, aren't I? Yeah, I have a bit of a habit of rambling when I really get into it. So I guess some introductions are in order, huh? Alright then. My name is Lizbeth, and I'm...well, I'm a house!