The House on Mayberry Hill

by Alexander

Prologue

The House on Mayberry Hill

Prologue

It is late spring in the town of Ponyville. Birds are singing and flowers are blossoming, apples are growing and the days getting longer; all was normal. But in the streets, there exists a story of the abandoned house atop Mayberry Hill, so named for the delicious berries that grow at its base every May. No pony knows how or why the house sits abandoned and vacant. No pony knows exactly for how long it's sat in its decrepit state, but it's certainly been so since before the founding of Ponyville. There have been plans to tear down the old house to make room for the planting of more Mayberry bushes, but everytime somepony has tried to destroy it, they've found themselves in a state of unequaled sadness. So after many failed attempts, all projects were halted and the house has stood.

The story of the house goes:

"Many years ago, before Ponyville existed, there existed a home atop Mayberry Hill.
It was so grand and full of life, no pony dreamed of sadness,
But on Hearth's Warming Eve, tragedy struck upon that home.
Some say she dropped dead of illness,
Some say she dropped dead of poison,
Some say she dropped dead of fright,
Some say she dropped dead of a broken heart,
But the exact reason why,
No pony knows. But even to this day,
On still cold nights, when you are walking by old Mayberry Hill,
Look to the old house and look and see,
You might just see her watching."

Because of it's story, no pony dared to approach the top of the hill for years and at night, if ponies are passing by, then they would look down at the ground and hope that she did not see them. But as the old home was slowly overcome with vegetation and vines, the story and the old home were laid to the back of everypony's minds. And so as the years passed by, the pony-lore of the home was subject to be filed away into the library's shelves. No pony much feared the home anymore but parents would still tell the story to their mischievous colts and fillies to make them behave.

******

"'. . . You might just see her watching.' . . . Fluttershy, that's ridiculous," Twilight said as she closed the book and put it back on the shelf. "There's no way something like a ghost could exist."

"But I swear," Fluttershy said, standing up from her pillow in the middle of Twilight's library. "It's true. My grandmother used to tell it to my mom and then my mom told it to me. It's a haunted house."

"Fluttershy, just because somepony tells you something does not make what they say true," Twilight said as she picked up the pillows from the floor. It was night and the moon was high in the sky. Fluttershy had come by earlier that day to escape from the heat and the two friends had spent the rest of day reading pony-tales and pony-lore's from the library's ample selection. It was by Fluttershy's suggestion that Twilight Sparkle flipped through her large book to find the old story of the home. "That's what makes pony-tales so special; you can read them and then you can pass them on to your friends and your children."

"But it's not just an old pony-tale," Fluttershy insisted. "Oh no, I have to walk past the hill on my way home." Fluttershy whimpered as she instantly realized it. She sank down to the floor into a state of obvious fright.

"Oh Fluttershy," Twilight pleaded, pitying her friend's ability to be easily frightened. "There's nothing scary with an old pony-tale. If it makes you feel better, I'll go with you and show you that there's nothing to be afraid of."

"Oh you mean it?" Fluttershy asked, rising up again and feeling better. "You'll come with me?"

"Of course I will. It a pony-tale frightens you that much then I'll go."

Twilight Sparkle and Fluttershy left the large oak tree library and wandered through the streets. Everypony was now asleep and everything was still. Even the air was still and stale as the two friends passed by Sugar Cube Corner. Their friend Pinkie Pie was most likely asleep and as they glanced to her window, the absence of light confirmed their assumptions. They continued on their way. Rarity's boutique was closed and locked up for the night as Twilight and Fluttershy passed. The light in Rarity's bedroom above the studio was turned off but in Sweetie Belle's room, the light was still on as bright as it always was. The two passed by without much thought of it; Sweetie Belle was probably up preparing some new adventure that she and the rest of the Cutie Mark Crusaders could go on to get their cutie marks.

As the two friends approached the split in the river, the wind picked up as it coursed over the hill tops. They hurried along as the cool wind ruffled their manes and coats. As they passed by a long row of Mayberry bushes, Fluttershy instantly turned her head down to the ground and closed her eyes and she sped up her pace. "What's the matter?" Twilight asked as she caught up to her. "You just get the idea to close your eyes and speed off ahead . . . "

"It was the house," Fluttershy admitted, her eyes still closed and head bowed down to the ground.

Twilight looked over her shoulder at the lonely house that sat at the top of the hill. There was nothing wrong with it. "It's just sitting there. Why are you scared of it?"

Fluttershy opened her eyes. "It's a creepy house," she said, still not raising her head. "It's been that way ever since Ponyville was founded and you read the story just now, something bad happened there."

"That's still no reason to be scared of a house, nor does that make it haunted," Twilight said, taking another look at the house. Still nothing wrong with it. It was just a house after all.

"But, but . . . " Fluttershy began insistently.

"It's still no reason to be afraid of a little old house."

"But, but . . . "

"Absolutely no reason."

Fluttershy succumbed to defeat. She'd never be able to beat Twilight's arguments. She quietly sighed and said, "If you say so, Twilight."

When they reached Fluttershy's cottage by the edge of the forest, the two friends said words of parting and went their own ways. Fluttershy went inside and turned on the light in the living room and Twilight set off back down the road again. When she reached the long row of Mayberry bushes, she turned her eyes up and looked. There sat the house on Mayberry Hill.

Comments

[aquilerafroot]

interesting.
but if i may ask, who's the romance between?
but if you don't want to spoil it u don't have to tell,

[Trace284]

208789

Calling it now, Granny Smith and Rarity.

[Alexander]

208789

The whole romance of the story will play an integral part in the entire history of the house and the story of it.

But that's all I'm revealing

209088

[aquilerafroot]

209088
That would be, like, totally, epic. In a pie-spitting way
209146
Okie dokie then

[Alexander]

Sorry for the wait but here's the new chapter