Scootaloo grinned as they stared at the hill before them. The path leading up to it was winding and narrow, and with the wind whipping through the branches, covered in grotesque, long shadows. It sent shivers of excitement down the young pegasi's spine, while it sent more regular ones down her companions'. "So, think there really are any ghosts up there?"
Apple Bloom shrugged, before shaking her head. "I'm not really allowed to say no. Last time I tried saying supernatural stuff was fake, Aunt Pepper washed my mouth out with Ghost Pepper soap so as to 'get the demon out of you'. Even if she is lost in her travels right now, I don't want to risk my ability to taste sweet things. I already miss sour."
Sweetie lowered her head and rubbed her hoof along the ground. "Girls, do we really have to do this? It's not like we have to."
Scootaloo raised an eyebrow at the white unicorn. "Seriously? Rainbow Dash sent me this challenge personally, and I thought you two would be just as excited to see about getting a ghostbusting cutie mark as I am! Do you two even have your weapons?"
Sweetie Belle's horn glowed, and a vacuum came out from behind a tree. "Just like Ravioli, right?" She smiled wide, which only got Scootaloo to smack herself harder than she already had planned to.
Apple Bloom reached back and pulled out a small, crumpled up package of red dust. "It's from when my aunt was over, trying to dispel the wraith that as supposedly living here. A single packet of ghost pepper dust."
Scootaloo rolled her eyes at that. "I guess that's an okay choice. I however, will be going with my awesome kung fu moves!" She leapt into the air, before striking out with one hoof... and promptly crashing back down.
Apple Bloom snickered. "Oh yeah, so awesome."All she got in return was a glare from Scootaloo as the pegasus stood back up.
Sweetie Belle stepped forward and raised a hoof between the two. "Alright, let's go!"
Scootaloo blinked a few times, failing to figure out Sweetie's attempt to distract them, and slammed her hoof against the unicorn's, while Apple Bloom did the same. "Cutie Mark Ghostbusters, here we come!" The three then all took off, giggling as they made their way up the hill.
Scootaloo kicked the door open, grinning as she looked inside the large, gothic mansion. It had been rumored to be haunted for many years, and no pony had moved in for that reason. Not that that worried the adventurous filly as she stepped in, and the house responded with a loud creak of the floorboards. Scootaloo heard the hurried clatter of hooves behind her, and looked back to see that Sweetie was very close. "Really?"
"It's the middle of the night, and we're in a haunted mansion. How are you not creeped out?"
"Because I got taught by Rainbow how to be brave, courageous, and overall amaz-"
Boom!
The thunderclap resounded through the entry hall, causing the shutters on the windows to slam against the house, the timbers to creak once more, and to cause Sweetie and Apple Bloom to briefly see a floating pony, staring down at them. Scootaloo blinked for a moment, before raising an eyebrow. "Wow, you two really are scaredy fillies."
Apple Bloom puffed out her cheeks and stepped onto the staircase. "No, we're not. Did you not see the ghost that was just hanging in the air?"
"Can we go home girls?"
Scootaloo narrowed her eyes. "No, and that's to both of you. Whatever you saw was nothing. Just your eyes tricking you. Besides, Rainbow told me there was nothing to be afraid of here, so it was nothing."
Apple Bloom sighed, but said nothing more, which Scootaloo took as an acceptance of the truth. "Now, how about you Sweetie Belle?"
She scratched one of her forehooves with the other. "Well, we do have a good bit of reading to do for class. Maybe we should-"
"You should," the voice paused for a moment, the words having come out very quickly, before the last one was said slowly, letting the echo be drawn out, "go."
Sweetie almost fell to the ground as the voice echoed, and now Scootaloo blanched as well from the sound. "Where did that come from?"
Apple Bloom was herself flushed, but something bothered her too much to keep quiet. "Scoots, you said this was from RD, right? What if she is the one doing this? Trying to mess with us?"
Scootaloo raised a hoof to her mouth. "Are you insane? How dare you accuse Rainbow of..." She blinked a few times, before looking down again. "Huh, actually, you might just be right."
Apple Bloom rolled her eyes. "And who originally told you about this spooky house?"
"Well, it's a fairly normal Ponyville tale."
"Scoots, Sweetie is close to curling up into the fetal position, don't dodge the question."
"Fine!" Scootaloo took another few steps up, not noticing the cold that was beginning to encroach on the room. Neither did she see the frost that was growing outwards from the window pane in the foyer, that had Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle's eyes widening. "This was all set up by Rainbow. But hey, at least this was a little fun, right?"
Apple Bloom swallowed hard, before raising a hoof up. "Be-behind you."
Scootaloo lowered her eyes halfway. "You already got me with your stupid logic stuff. Don't think I'll fall for stupid prank tricks."
The green eyes blinked as they hovered over Scootaloo's head, before Twilight put her still invisible hooves on the back of Scootaloo's back. Once she turned around, Twilight fully revealed herself, and shouted in eldritch for them to go home, for they had reading to do!
Sweetie Belle barely missed Scootaloo as she threw her vacuum at the wraith, and Apple Bloom found her pepper powder gone, having been stolen earlier by Twilight. While they ran though, Scootaloo merely blinked, stepping back as she mouthed something Twilight couldn’t catch. Apple Bloom leapt forward, grabbing her friend's hoof before she pulled, forcing Scootaloo away from the spirit who was staring down upon them with ice forming on the stairs. "Come on, don't let it eat your soul!"
Twilight smirked to herself as she heard the doors slam shut to the mansion. “You know what? I might just be getting good at this haunting stuff. She then floated over a note, sent to her earlier that day. I’ve been too busy as of late to hang out with her, so can you give her a good scare tonight? I promise I’ll actually introduce you two soon enough. Just give her a good fright, get the two fraidy cats with her to take her to their homes for the night, and I’ll officially owe you one. -Rainbow Dash Tucking it back into her nearby books, she nodded to herself on a job well done.