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// The Ugly House/The Glimpse    
// Story: The Mare In Grey 
// by ChaseTheChangeling 
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"Soooo.... this is the place?" Vinyl asked uneasily as the cab mare tapped her hoof on the ground. 

"Yup, this is the address."

"Are you like, one hundred percent sure?"

"Yes! I live like, next door! I think I would know!" 

"So like, why is it so ugly?"

Vinyl wasn't lying, the house was rather.... unkempt. The roof was withered, the plaster seemed to be falling off, the grass had grown over a foot tall, the door had holes in it, windows were missing, or they were busted up, and there was an odd sound and eerie feel oozing from within. 

"I don't think anypony's lived in there for like, three months. Some 'supper rad' colts trashed it and hosted parties in there a few times, but you know.... other than that and the spooky noises, it's fine." The cab mare explained, her hoof still tapping eagerly on the ground.  

"Sp-sp-spooky sounds?" Vinyl asked, a small shiver running down her body. 

"Yeah, some say it's the ghost of a past resident!" the cab mare laughed in an evil tone as she tried to mimic a ghost sound. Vinyl shot a nasty glare at her, making her close her mouth, but not without a few snickers escaping her pursed lips. 

"So... where's the landlord?"

"You're lookin' at her..."

Vinyl turned to see the mare holding her hoof out, a key laying in it, hung neatly on a little ring, attached to a lanyard. The key was odd, it's golden shine faded and weathered, black gunk around the crevices, and a creepy pony skull made its top. Vinyl reached for the key, but not before the cab mare yanked it back, a dark glare in her eyes. Vinyl gave a confused look before realizing she had yet to pay the two hundred bits. With the exchange done, the cab mare bounced the nice bit of change in her hoof, smiling as she trotted off to her home across the little dirt road. Vinyl watched as she opened the door to the little cottage, her house a complete opposite to the one Vinyl had purchased. But Vinyl didn't have time to worry about that, she had to get her things inside, and get to sleep. This was much more work than she had hoped to do when moving. 


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The inside was better than the outside, but not by much. The floors were covered in a thick and sticky layer of dust and filth. So much so, Vinyl's hooves left nasty little hoof prints. A single glance assured her, that her hooves had quickly become black from the amount of filth on the ground. But that wasn't too bad, she could fix that with a maid. The kitchen was next, and it was nothing more than a simple turn of the head away. This cottage was seeming more like a cabin the more she looked over it. The divider for the kitchen was nothing more than a change in flooring, and a little counter with a tiny stove, and a fridge. There was no dining area, but that was fine. The rest was basically a living room, and a little door that lead to a bathroom. The bathroom was even smaller, with everything clumped together, but the tub was at least big enough for a nice bath. 

Vinyl sighed, dragging her things with her into the home and spotting a nice little bed of hay in the corner of the house. Vinyl examined it and poked around the small bedding. It seemed nice, it was warm, and it seemed freshly made. That was odd. Vinyl shrugged and bedded down for the night, her eyes feeling heavy. As her eyes grew heavier, a small figure appeared, a tiny little figure Vinyl could not make out. But as it moved, it turned to her, and gasped. But that could be dealt with another day.....