• Published 5th Apr 2016
  • 644 Views, 25 Comments

Sharktavia 7: Shark's Well That Ends Well - PegasusMesa



The hunt for Baron von Hoofenstein's cursed treasure is on! Nothing short of a four-legged shark can stop Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash from finding the haunted booty, and what are the chances that they run into one of those?

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Sharks of a Feather...

Twilight Sparkle rolled her eyes as two of her best friends engaged in an impromptu game of tug-of-war. She had thought Rainbow Dash, who pulled on Fluttershy’s tail as hard as she could, would win without difficulty, but the soft-spoken Fluttershy was putting up a good fight. Twilight sighed and settled on her haunches for the long haul.

“C’mon, Fluttershy,” Rainbow said through her teeth, clenched tight around the other mare’s pink tail. “I need you for this!” She gave a sharp yank.

Fluttershy had her hooves dug in; each had already ripped up a small divot in the soft turf in her efforts to not be dragged away. “No! I c-can’t! I won’t!” On her back, a reclining Angel Bunny yawned.

The three mares stood in the square next to Ponyville’s City Hall, nearly empty that late in the afternoon. The sun dipped low on the western horizon and sent forth a brilliant array of blooming colors that set the sky aflame with deep reds and pale oranges. Twilight allowed a smile to spread across her muzzle; sometimes she wondered if sunsets just happened to turn out that way, or if maybe Princess Celestia could mold the late afternoon sky like her sister could during the night.

Not that there was really anyone around to appreciate the beautiful view. A few ponies passed by on their way home, but most had already finished their work and now prepared to turn in for the day. At that thought, Twilight had to fight back a yawn of her own. She had spent the previous night working almost until the sun came up and was looking forward to some well-earned rest.

Rest she would likely miss out on if her two friends didn’t resolve their differences soon.

She glanced away from the sunset to find that Rainbow had managed to drag Fluttershy a few more feet. The shallow trenches dug by Fluttershy’s hooves marked their short trail.

All of a sudden, Rainbow lost her grip and Fluttershy’s tail flew out of her mouth. Both ponies went tumbling in opposite directions, although Angel managed to stick to his spot on Fluttershy’s back; it was all Twilight could do not to burst out laughing. That wouldn’t be very nice.

Predictably, Rainbow was the first one back on her hooves, but when she darted back into the fray, she found her way blocked by a downy alicorn wing. “Take it easy,” Twilight said, still holding back a giggle. Rainbow’s one ear had flipped inside-out and she hadn’t noticed yet. “Instead of fighting, why don’t we try to talk things over?”

Rainbow scowled. “Fine. I’ll talk, but only if Fluttershy agrees to go.”

“No!” Fluttershy scrambled upright. “I don’t want to go! It’s—it’s too spooky!”

“What’s spooky about it?” Rainbow said with a shrug. “It’s just a house.”

“It’s not just a house—it’s a mansion!” Fluttershy closed her eyes and shuddered.

“So it’s a big house,” Rainbow said.

“And it’s not just a mansion, either,” Fluttershy went on. “It’s a big, spooky, scary, haunted ghost mansion on the outskirts of town that nopony has lived in for at least fifty years, and I never ever want to go anywhere near it!”

As Rainbow let out a frustrated groan, Twilight patted Fluttershy on the back. “Rainbow, if she really doesn’t want to go on a scavenger hunt with you, you shouldn’t force her.”

“Okay, first? It’s not a scavenger hunt.” Rainbow sat back and spread her forelegs out wide. “It’s a treasure hunt. As in we’re looking for treasure. And second, the reason I want her to go is because I really kind of need her help!”

Fluttershy peeked at the other pegasus through the crook in Twilight’s leg. “Wh-why do you need my help?”

“To help find the treasure.” Rainbow rolled her eyes as though the answer was obvious. “Duh.”

“Treasure,” Twilight said flatly, dropping to her haunches. She saw no need to stay standing now that her friends had settled down. “In the mansion.”

“Yup!”

Twilight’s face remained expressionless. “In the big, spooky, scary, haunted ghost mansion on the outskirts of town that nopony has lived in for at least fifty years.”

“Yup!” Rainbow’s cocksure grin spread across her face.

“This is so stupid,” Twilight muttered. She knew how this would turn out if she let it go on. Things would start out nice and calm, well within reason. Then events would take on a life of their own until everything spiraled out of her control. It happened every other time she let herself get dragged into these schemes, and it would happen this time, too. She knew all of this, and yet the curious side of her still couldn’t help but ask. “Alright, Rainbow, I’ll bite—how do you know there’s treasure in the mansion?”

Rainbow’s grin widened, and Twilight knew there was no going back. “Vinyl told me.”

“Vinyl?”

“Vinyl Scratch,” Rainbow said, shrugging. “She does music or something, I dunno. We hang.”

Twilight gave a mental groan. “Then what makes Vinyl so sure about—”

“Look, Twi,” Rainbow cut in, “this chit-chat’s fun and all, but there’s pirate treasure to be found! Can we hurry it up a little?”

“I just want to know a little bit more about what you’re doing before you go.” Twilight crossed her forelegs.

Rainbow scoffed. “Don’t worry about that now. Vinyl’ll probably tell you everything when we get there, so let’s just go!”

“Wait, what?” Twilight blinked rapidly a few times. “You want me, too?”

“Well duh,” Rainbow said. “You’re only, like, the smartest pony in all of Equestria. Why wouldn’t I want you to come along?”

“All of Equestria, huh?” A silly smile crossed Twilight’s face. “Well, when you put it that way… I guess it could be fun to go on a scav—a treasure hunt.” A whimper from Fluttershy caught her attention, and she straightened up. “But you still have explained why Fluttershy has to go.”

“Well, I was thinking,” Rainbow said. “What if the loot’s in the walls or whatever? Having a squirrel or something would let us look in lots of places where we can’t fit, right?”

“I don’t want to go,” Fluttershy mumbled, shrinking back.

“C’mon, Fluttershy.” Rainbow trotted over to pat her on the back. “Do it for me?”

“Don’t wanna.”

Rainbow’s smile faltered. “But think about all the, er—animal stuff?” She shrugged. “Yeah, think of all the animal stuff you could buy.”

Don’t wanna!”

“Don’t force her,” Twilight said as she pushed her way in between them once more. “If the place is actually a mansion, we won’t have time to look everywhere anyway.”

“Fine!” Rainbow snapped, but a moment later her grin returned and she gave Fluttershy a sly glance. “Then how about you let me borrow a critter?” She turned to Angel. “What do you think, buddy?”

Angel crossed his forelegs and glared back.

“I’ll make it worth your while,” she went on. “Equal cut of the loot.” No reaction. “Plus a carrot.” Still no response. “Two carrots, then. I’m a reasonable mare.” Nothing. “You like carrots, right?”

“Angel d-doesn’t want to g-go,” Fluttershy choked out, straightening. “H-he’s just a baby bunny who’s as scared of gh-gh—gho—places like that as I am.”

After a moment of awkward silence, Angel’s head swung around, and he gave her a look that quite plainly said, The fuck you just say, bitch?

Fluttershy winced. “Sweetie? What’s wrong?”

Sticking his tongue out at her, Angel hopped off of his mother and up onto Rainbow’s back; he made a big show out of clearing a spot to sit down comfortably.

“Yes!” Rainbow cried. Her wings flared as she reared back; Angel barely managed to grab hold of her mane in time to avoid falling off. “That treasure’s as good as ours!”

Fluttershy shuffled up. “Angel, sweetie,” she said in a soft voice, “are you s-sure?”

“Of course he is,” Rainbow said. “Now let’s go!” She galloped a few feet away, then glanced back expectantly. “We don’t have all night!”

“Don’t worry,” Twilight said to Fluttershy. “I’ll keep an eye on him.”

“Um, well, if he wants to go, then I suppose it’s alright.” Her lip trembled. “Just—just remember that his bedtime is nine o’clock, and—and don’t make loud noises. He’s very timid and easily startled.”

Twilight glanced at Angel, who looked as though he was trying to melt Fluttershy with his glare. “Very timid,” she agreed.

“I’m going,” Rainbow said as she spread her wings. “Hurry up or you’re gonna get left behind.”

“Oh, and one more thing!” Fluttershy wrung her forehooves. “If he starts playing with his, um—you know, with his pee-pee, just say in a firm voice, ‘Cut that out, mister, unless you want to go to the vet and get fixed!’ ”

A yelp came from Rainbow, who had just taken off. “Hey, no kicking!” she shouted. “What the hay was that for?”

“Mommy loves you, Angel!” Fluttershy said, waving. “Have fun! I’ll be waiting up for you!”

Twilight gave her a reassuring smile, then hurried after Rainbow, who had already taken to the sky. Her own wings spread and gave a powerful flap, lifting her off the ground. A few tiring moments later she had caught up. Rainbow glanced back and smirked.

“Geez,” she said. “Took you long enough.” Angel reclined on her back, using his paws as a pillow.

Their flight path carried them east, away from the setting sun; it sank into the Everfree Forest, which stretched across the horizon. Beneath them passed the smattering of houses and sheds, seemingly spaced at random, that made up Ponyville’s outskirts. Eventually they moved past even those few buildings and out over fields of golden, half-grown wheat before Twilight finally regained her breath enough to speak.

“So what’s the plan?” She swooped into place beside her friend.

“Vinyl’s gonna meet us there,” Rainbow said. “Then we’ll go treasure hunting.”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “But what about the fine print? Where is this place? Why is there treasure there in the first place? It can’t be as simple as just going on a scavenger—” She cleared her throat “—a treasure hunt?”

“We’ll be there in a sec,” Rainbow said as she pushed the pace. “Then you’ll see it.”

It was all Twilight could do to keep up with Rainbow, let alone pelt her with questions, so she decided to focus on flying and worry about the details later. Luckily the scenery beneath them was varied enough to hold her attention. Rocky hills passed by until a line of trees appeared in the distance, and within moments they were soaring over a thick forest canopy. Seconds later, she found herself staring down at a wide clearing large enough to fit a castle. A short, wide hill rose in the middle, and right on top of it was what could only be described as a mansion.

Looking at it from above, Twilight could see that it looked like a three-sided square. The face stretched wide, with a wing extending straight back on both ends so that there was space between them. What looked like a courtyard took up that space and fanned out behind the building, making up the fourth “wall”. As she circled around, Twilight took note of the lines of windows and balconies that dotted the mansion’s sides. She counted three stories in full.

Something about the place made the hairs on her neck stand up. The windows were completely dark, and she couldn’t see anyone below in the courtyard. Fluttershy had called it a scary, haunted mansion, but only now did the meaning of those words truly register. A shiver ran down her spine.

“Twilight, come on!” Rainbow called from the ground, and Twilight realized she had spaced out while gliding aimlessly. “Down here!”

Rainbow had landed in front of the building, joining two other ponies Twilight hadn’t seen at first. She couldn’t quite make out their features from the air. The sun still peaked over the horizon, but the light it provided wasn’t nearly enough for her to see well. Swooping into a shallow dive, she touched down with only the slightest of stumbles just in time to see Rainbow bump hooves with one of the strangers, both of whom were mares.

“Vinyl!” she said. “My mare, howzit going?” One of Twilight’s eyebrows shot up, but she stayed silent.

The unicorn mare Rainbow had greeted—Vinyl Scratch, Twilight assumed—ran a hoof through her electric-blue mane and adjusted a pair of large, opaque sunglasses. They glinted bright red in the dying sunlight. “Glad you could make it, Dash. We were wondering if you’d forgotten about us.”

“Would that she had,” said the other mare in a tight voice. Compared to Vinyl’s, this earth-pony’s mane style was much more reserved, cascading down her neck. “Then maybe I could have gone home and avoided this altogether.”

A very neatly arranged pink bow tie at her throat caught Twilight’s attention. I wonder how she ties that.

Vinyl grinned and threw a leg around the mare’s shoulders. “And this little number is my squeeze, the ever-gracious Octavia.” Octavia threw a nasty glare Vinyl’s way.

“Whoa!” Rainbow’s wings flared. “You never told me you had a marefriend!”

“Didn’t I?” Vinyl said as she scratched the back of her head. “Huh. That’s funny. I could’ve sworn I did once or twice. Probably.”

Octavia gave a short laugh. “Funny! Yes, very funny indeed!” She turned to Rainbow. “Don’t you find it maddeningly hilarious that she wouldn’t mention her fiancé to a friend? It isn’t like I’m somepony important, after all.”

“Aw, don’t be like that.” Vinyl nuzzled her fiancé under the chin. “You know I love you, babe.”

“Of course,” Octavia said, expression unchanging. Rainbow pretended to gag.

“Bleh,” she said. “Get a room.”

Octavia took a step back and raised an eyebrow. “I’m sorry, did we make you feel ill? Would you like to lie down? Maybe take a nap? Do you think you’ll survive the night?”

“Haha, what she means to say—” Vinyl pushed a hoof over Octavia’s mouth “—is we’re sorry to make things awkward. Right, Tavi?” She lifted the hoof away.

“Of course,” Octavia said flatly after a moment. “We’re sorry—let us go with that.”

For the duration of this exchange, Twilight had patiently waited in the background and watched. She gave a soft cough, but Rainbow didn’t as much as glance around. Again she coughed, this time louder.

“I just don’t like that kinda stuff,” Rainbow said, still oblivious. Twilight’s eye twitched.

Cough cough.”

Rainbow finally looked back. “That cough sounds nasty. Did you swallow a fly or something on the way here?”

“No, I didn’t—” Twilight paused to take a deep breath. “Never mind.” She trotted up to Vinyl and Octavia. “Hi! I’m Rainbow Dash’s friend, Twilight—”

“You truly think it necessary to introduce yourself?” Octavia stared down her nose at Twilight. “Or is Princess Twilight Sparkle offended that us lesser ponies didn’t curtsy upon her arrival?” She bent her forelegs in a mock bow.

Twilight took a step back. “No, I didn’t mean—”

“It’s bad enough that I must indulge this bizarre treasure hunt thing,” Octavia said with a dramatic sigh. “Must I also deal with uppity royalty?”

As Octavia walked away, Vinyl gave Twilight an apologetic shrug. “Try not to be too mad at her—she hasn’t been sleeping well lately.”

“S-sure.” Twilight smiled, but as Vinyl trotted off after her fiancé, the smile faded away.

“Sheesh,” Rainbow said, watching them. Vinyl said something to Octavia that was not well received, if the offended expression on the other mare’s face was anything to go by. “Who d’you think crapped in her oatmeal?”

Twilight gave her a sharp sidelong glance, but Rainbow didn’t notice.

“And Vinyl has to marry her?” she went on with a snort. “What a catch, am I right?”

“I’m sure she didn’t mean to say anything nasty,” Twilight said. “Let’s just give her a chance.”

Before Rainbow could answer, Octavia and Vinyl finished their hushed conversation and walked back over.

Octavia took a deep breath, then turned to Twilight. “I apologize for my rude remarks,” she said, pawing at the grass. “I… haven’t felt quite like myself as of late, but that does not excuse poor behavior. Please, would you forgive me?”

It was only through supreme force of will that Twilight resisted the urge to give Rainbow the “told you so” look.

“You don’t have to apologize,” she said instead. “Everypony is entitled to a bad day, right?” Her ears dropped at Octavia’s sudden glare.

“Don’t patronize me,” she said, then added in a tight voice, “please.”

Twilight smiled weakly. “Sure!” She could feel Rainbow’s smug grin burning into the back of her head.

An awkward silence hung in the air until Vinyl clapped her hooves and cleared it away. “Alright, cool! Now that we’re all best buds, let’s get down to it.” She glanced at Rainbow. “Dash, did you fill her in?”

“Well, uh—”

Twilight snorted. “All I know is you told her about some cursed ghost-treasure or something. If there’s more, I’d love to hear it.”

“ ‘Course there’s more.” Vinyl beckoned Octavia over to listen as well. “Tavi hasn’t heard this either, so I’ll explain.

“A long long long time ago, before the Sisters showed up, this part of Equestria was actually underwater.”

“Underwater?” Twilight said with a frown. “You mean under-a-lake underwater?”

Vinyl shook her head. “No, I mean under-the-ocean underwater.”

It took a moment for Twilight to collect her thoughts. “That’s ridiculous,” she said at last. “Ponyville isn’t even near an ocean. How could it have ever been at the bottom of one?”

“I agree with Her Royal Highness,” Octavia said. Twilight’s cheeks burned, but she kept her mouth shut. “Anypony who would believe this tale is a nincompoop, a liar, or an unpleasant combination of the two.”

Vinyl glanced over the top of her shades. “Sweetie, you don’t think I’m a nincompoop, do you?”

“I don’t know, dear.” Octavia’s eyes fluttered innocently. “Would you happen to believe in the Great Ponyville Ocean? Answer carefully, now.”

A brief flash of irritation roiled across Vinyl’s face, but Twilight blinked and it was gone. She wondered if she had even seen it at all.

“I have no idea,” Vinyl said, pulling Octavia into a hug. “This was thousands of years ago. I’m just telling a story.”

Octavia sighed and rolled her eyes. “Very well. Carry on.”

“So,” Vinyl said, “there used to be an ocean here.” Twilight masked her snort behind a loud cough. “Nopony dared set sail on it, though, because it was home to all sorts of deep sea monsters that could wreck a boat, easy as anything.

“But one day, an earth pony pirate whose name nopony remembers took his crew into those waters. They had just looted a royal unicorn treasure ship and made off with tons of swag, and the unicorns were hot on their tails. This pirate captain thought he could lose them by sailing into this body of water that nopony in their right mind would ever go into, and to be fair, he was kinda right. The unicorns didn’t follow them very far, because a giant squid came up and totally wrecked the pirate ship. As the pirates floundered in the water and were pulled under one-by-one by a school of sharks, the captain shouted out a curse at the unicorns, who had turned and sailed away before they got wrecked too.”

Twilight cleared her throat. “We don’t have many records of events from before the founding of Equestria. It’s a little hard to believe that this story in particular managed to survive so long when other, more important things were lost.”

“That’s not the end,” Vinyl said, adjusting her shades. “Fast-forward to about a hundred years ago. A noble named Baron von Hoofenstein was running around here looking for a place to build his vacation home when one of his servants dug up an old, really rusty chest. Inside was a ton of ancient treasure from the old unicorn kingdom.”

“So he found the pirate’s treasure,” Octavia said with a frown. “I believe I can see where this is going.”

Rainbow shushed her. “This is my favorite part!” Twilight couldn’t help but smile at her friend’s enthusiasm. “So, cursed treasure.”

“Yeah, the baron had this treasure, and he didn’t want to let it go. He had his servants clear a spot, then built the mansion you see before you.” A chill wind passed by and raised the hairs on the back of Twilight’s neck. “He brought his family here and made it his permanent home, ditching his family’s land in Canterlot just so he could keep searching for more treasure. He found more chests full of gold and jewels over the years, and when he brought the treasure back to the mansion, he hid it away somewhere.”

Movement on Rainbow’s back caught Twilight’s attention, and she saw Angel sitting up with his back turned. It only took a few seconds of listening to the soft, repeated slaps coming from his direction for her to scowl and, horn flaring, conjure a magical rolled-up newspaper out of thin air. It cracked down between his ears, startling the poor rabbit almost into falling off.

“Knock that off,” Twilight said. Angel glared at her as he rubbed the stinging spot on his head.

Vinyl paused for a moment, then shrugged. “The more he hoarded, though,” she went on, “the less he went outside looking for more, until eventually he stopped leaving the mansion completely. He didn’t want anypony sneaking in while he was gone and stealing it away. Things got so bad that he dismissed all his servants, leaving just him and his family to take care of this gigantic mansion.”

Cursed treasure, Twilight thought with a grin. No wonder Rainbow’s so interested. Sure enough, when she looked around, she saw a wide, silly smile on Rainbow’s face.

“Nopony heard from the Hoofensteins for years,” Vinyl went on. “Then, one day, a royal messenger sent by Princess Celestia herself showed up and found the place abandoned. The doors were all wide open and the house was completely empty. He searched the area but couldn’t find any clues. While he hunted through the mansion, though, he always heard noises made by things just out of sight, floorboards creaking and hoofsteps clacking. He saw things in the corners of his vision—ponies pointing at him, waving him over, watching him, but whenever he turned to look, there was nopony there. It didn’t take long for him to leave the place far behind and return to Canterlot.

“Over the years, other families moved in, some hoping to find the baron’s treasure, but they never could. What they did find was that bad things happened to anypony who spent any amount of time in that mansion—very bad things. Things you’d read about in the newspaper the next day. After a particularly nasty death, nopony else wanted anything to do with the place, and it’s been empty ever since. One of the previous mayors even went so far as to declare it off-limits to the public."

“Hold on,” Twilight cut in, brow furrowed. “Off-limits? Wouldn’t that mean that nopony is allowed inside?”

“Well, yeah, but that was years ago.” Vinyl shrugged. “Like, at least forty, maybe fifty. I don’t think anypony even owns the land anymore.”

“Still…”

Rainbow gave Twilight a nudge from behind. “C’mon, Twi—haunted pirate gold hidden away in a gigantic mansion? I know you wanna go looking for it. It’s not like we’ll wreck the place or anything like that.”

“I know we won’t,” Twilight said, glancing uncertainly up at the mansion. “But we should still check with Mayor Mare before we do anything.” She shrunk away from Rainbow’s scowl.

“Hold up.” Vinyl scratched at the back of her head. “Why does a princess need to ask for permission? It’s not like the mayor can really say no, can she?”

“Well, probably not,” Twilight admitted.

“So let’s do this thing!” Vinyl said. She flashed a wide, toothy smile.

Twilight pursed her lips, eyes darting back and forth. “I guess just a peek couldn’t hurt…”

As she struggled with the moral dilemma, her gaze landed on Octavia. The other mare was staring right at her with a hard look. Twilight swallowed, then straightened up.

“Sorry, Vinyl,” she said in a much more steady voice than before. “Maybe later, but only after I speak with Mayor Mare.” She gave an apologetic shrug. “The mansion isn’t going anywhere, right?”

Vinyl’s glasses might have concealed whatever expression flashed across her face, but they couldn’t hide the red that tinged her cheeks. “But we’re already here, and we’ve been planning it for so long now!”

“Today was the first I’d heard of this quaint little expedition,” Octavia said, fluffing her mane.

“Me and Rainbow Dash, I mean,” Vinyl said quickly. “C’mon, Dash, can’t you—” Her voice cut off as she stared at a spot behind Twilight, who turned to see what the problem was. Her eyes widened.

Rainbow Dash was nowhere to be seen.

“Rainbow?” Twilight’s head whipped around. “Rainbow Dash!”

Octavia scowled. “Now where did she get to?”

“I don’t know,” Twilight said as she scanned the darkening sky to no avail. “Neither of you saw her fly away?”

“Of course we didn’t,” Octavia snapped. Vinyl didn’t say anything, mouth moving soundlessly. “Clearly if we had, we wouldn’t be so surprised, would we?”

Twilight craned her head over the fence, but there was no Rainbow Dash hiding on the other side. “Yes, you’re right. But ponies don’t just vanish, you know! She had to go somewhere!” Frenzied mumbling caught her attention, and she looked at Vinyl to see that she had finally started to speak.

“This is bad, this is bad,” she said over and over in an undertone. “This is bad.”

Octavia’s hard expression softened, and Twilight saw a tenderness in her eyes that she wouldn’t have ever expected to be there.

“Calm yourself.” She patted her fiance on the shoulder. “We’ll find—”

Vinyl slapped the hoof away, wiping away Octavia’s affectionate gaze and replacing it with an acidic glare. “This wasn’t supposed to happen,” Vinyl said. “We need to find her fast.”

Twilight stared at her for a moment, but before she could ask what Vinyl meant by that, a raspy scream ripped through the air. It came from the mansion. Twilight noticed that the front doors, which had been shut when she arrived, now hung wide open. She smacked a hoof against her forehead.

Wasn’t that door closed when we got here? How did I miss it opening?

Another cry rang out, and Twilight forced the thought into the back of her head. She didn’t have time to berate herself—the scream was one she recognized.

Rainbow Dash was in danger.

“Wait!” Vinyl yelled as Twilight cleared the fence in a single bound and tore up the hill.

Heart racing, she focused on the open doors. She couldn’t see anything inside past the looming darkness, but even the slightest hesitation might cost her friend dearly. She put her head down and pushed herself harder.

“Rainbow, I’m coming!” she shouted. Hoofsteps from close behind told her that someone was hot on her heels. She glanced back to see that Vinyl had caught up, with Octavia following behind at a much more reserved pace.

Twilight steeled herself moments before she passed beyond the threshold and into the thick gloom of the mansion. She could feel her hooves sink into a thick, soft carpet that in most other situations she would appreciate, but here just barely earned a footnote in her thoughts along with the cloying smell of mildew and the damp air.

“Rainbow Dash?” she called. A spot of light appeared at the tip of her horn, flaring brightly and casting a cold, ghostly light into the far corners of the entry hall as Vinyl cantered in to join her.

The room was large—larger than Twilight’s old library—and looking up, she could see a railed second-floor walkway, supported by wooden pillars as it moved along the three inner walls. A pair of wide stairways both led to the upper floor, meeting each other to make a half-circle. At the top of the stairs stood a pair of wooden doors, and Twilight noted two more doors down on her level on opposite sides of the room.

“Rainbow Dash!” she shouted again. Shadows danced around the pillars as she walked a few steps forward. “Rainbow, where are you?”

“Sshh!” Vinyl’s legs shook were shaking. “Don’t be so loud!”

Calm hoofsteps announced Octavia’s arrival right before she trod onto the carpet. She glanced at her panting, sweating fiancé, then pushed past to join Twilight.

“Any sign of our little runaway?” she asked.

Twilight’s eyelid twitched at the title. “I don’t know where she is. You haven’t heard any more screams, have you?”

“Seriously, don’t be so loud!” Vinyl whispered.

Octavia pinned her fiancé to the floor with a fierce scowl. “Hush, dear.” Vinyl squirmed beneath that awful glare. “The adults are talking.”

Twilight had her mouth open to call yet again when something slammed into her side. Both she and her attacker went rolling. Her back crashed against a wall and she drew a hoof back to kick out at whatever it was lying on her chest.

“Rawr!” Rainbow said, tapping her stunned friend on the nose.

“R-Rainbow?” Twilight blinked a few times.

Rainbow let out a barking laugh. “You should see the look on your face!” As she laughed again, Twilight shoved her off. “Aw, c’mon—don’t be like that.”

“Like what?” Twilight said with a snarl. “Scared because I think one of my best friends is dying, or furious because it was just a stupid prank?”

A few steps away, Vinyl dropped to the ground at her fiancé’s hooves. “Oh, geez,” she said, chest heaving with every labored breath. Twilight, admittedly no athlete herself, barely felt any fatigue from the short dash. She shook her head.

“It wasn’t just a prank,” Rainbow said, drawing Twilight’s attention back. “That part was just icing on the cake.”

“Then why?”

Rainbow smirked. “I got you in here, didn’t I?”

“You—” Twilight’s expression went blank. “What?”

“You weren’t gonna come with because of some stupid rule,” Rainbow said. She held out a hoof to help Twilight stand up. “But now that you broke it, it won’t hurt to just poke around a bit, right?”

Twilight bit her lip. “You did this so I would go treasure hunting with you.” Rainbow nodded. “In spite of how angry I am, that’s oddly touching.”

“I know, right?” Rainbow threw a leg around her friend’s shoulders. “I’m good at pretty much everything.”

“Uh huh.”

Vinyl had finally stood up and was in the middle of a conversation with Octavia—a heated conversation if the intensity in their voices was anything to go by. Twilight glanced at Rainbow.

“Fine, I’ll go along with this,” she said. “Just this once.” Rainbow’s victory leap was interrupted when Twilight added, “But tomorrow we’re having a very, very serious talk about getting what we want and what not to do to our friends. Okay?”

Rainbow stuck out her lower lip in a pout even Rarity would have approved of.

Okay?” Twilight pressed.

“Okay…” Angel bunny grinned, clearly enjoying her mount’s discomfort.

“You girls ready to go?” Vinyl asked, trotting away from the still-fuming Octavia.

“I guess,” Twilight said. “Do you have a plan?”

Vinyl gave a cocky grin. “Yep! We split up into two groups and—”

“Wait.” Twilight snapped a hoof out to cut her off. “Split up? Haven’t you ever read a horror novel before? Splitting up is something lazy authors do to isolate the characters and force tension into an otherwise dull scene. Real ponies don’t do that because it makes no sense.”

“It totally makes sense,” Vinyl said, and again Twilight saw a frown mar her face for a split-second before the grin was firmly back in place. “There’s no reason for all four of us to bunch up.” She paused for effect. “Unless…”

Twilight gave her a flat stare. “Unless what?”

“Unless you’re scared,” Vinyl said.

“Scared.” Twilight snorted. “What is there to be scared of?”

“Ghosts?” Vinyl offered, glancing at Rainbow, who nodded. “Pirate ponies? Monsters? Ghouls? Spiders?”

The light from Twilight’s horn seemed to flicker ever so slightly. The wind outside began to blow in through the open door. She shook her head and trotted over to kick it shut. “I don’t know about you girls, but I’m not even sold on the treasure, let alone ghouls and ghosts.”

Rainbow groaned. “Just go with it, Twi—we’re wasting time.”

She was right about that much. Before she had shut the door, Twilight saw that the sun had finally dipped out of sight; twinkling stars already dotted the deep-blue sky, partially covered by clouds. At the thought of that dark sky, a yawn slipped its way past her lips.

“Fine,” she said reluctantly, thinking of her soft bed back home.

“Right.” Vinyl clapped her hooves together. “So we’ll split up, me ‘n Tavi and Dash ’n Twi—”

“No.” All eyes turned to Octavia, who had a deep scowl trained on her fiance.

"What was that, babe?” Vinyl asked.

“I said, no,” Octavia snapped. “As in, no—I refuse to pair up with you.”

Vinyl blinked a few times. “Why not?”

“Because I want to go with—” Octavia’s gaze wavered back and forth between Twilight and Rainbow until she sighed and pointed at the latter. “You. I will accompany you. Uh, colorful pony.”

Rainbow’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “No way! And I’ve got a name, you know!”

“And I’m sure it’s a delightful one,” Octavia said, patting the air between them.

“Ha! Such a joker, my Tavi,” Vinyl said as she pushed them apart. “But you and Dash can’t be a group—unless you can see in the dark.” She pointed at Twilight’s glowing horn, then produced a much dimmer light at the end of her own. “So, sorry, but it looks like that won’t work.”

Twilight knew with startling clarity what was going to happen. She knew it as Octavia’s head slowly turned her way, and she knew it as the condescending mare opened her mouth. Afterwards, Twilight realized that she should have snagged Rainbow and ran off to start combing through the mansion, but fatigue had dulled her normally razor-sharp intellect until it was merely butter knife-sharp.

“Then Her Royal Majesty shall be my partner,” Octavia said, mouth twisting into a crooked grin. Rainbow breathed a sigh of relief.

“Um.” Twilight raised a hoof. “Do I get a say in this?”

Octavia snorted. “No. Now let us get this over with.” She trotted to one of the doors and pushed it open.

Twilight glanced at Rainbow pleadingly, but the pegasus just grinned back with a shrug. “Sorry, Twi.”

“Loyalty, my hind leg,” Twilight grumbled, which got a laugh.

“You’re the Princess of Friendship, right? Go do your thing and make friends.” Rainbow turned to Vinyl, who had been at her quietest since Twilight had met her. “You ready?”

It took Vinyl a moment to glance up, and for what must have been the hundredth time that evening, Twilight wished she could see through those obnoxious glasses.

“Yeah,” Vinyl said after a few seconds. “Sure.”

A harrumph brought Twilight’s attention back to the frowning Octavia. “Royalty or not, I do not appreciate it when ponies keep me waiting.”

“Ugh! Fine!” Twilight stomped towards Octavia, who tapped an impatient hoof. “We’ll meet back here in an hour.” She shouldered her way through the door into a dark hallway.

Her horn threw its pale light a few yards ahead; beyond that, everything was shrouded in gloom. The wallpaper rotted and peeled away in sheets, clinging on in some places and hanging loose in others. A long carpet stretched down the hallway, probably to the very end. Twilight could smell mildew, likely coming from the rug. At some point it must have gotten wet, perhaps during a leak from the last time it rained.

“Finally,” Octavia said, letting her shoulders slump. The door clicked shut behind them. “Would you like the first nap, or shall I have at it?”

Twilight glanced back over her shoulder. “What?”

“Nap.” Octavia gave a fake snore. “You know, when you lie down, close your eyes, and sleep? I know princesses inhabit a higher plane of intellect than lowly ponies such as myself, but surely you must rest sometime.

“I know what a nap is,” Twilight said dryly.

“Good then!” Octavia clapped her hooves. “How about you rouse me after, oh, say half an hour? I’m sure we can track down someplace nice and cozy to rest in a house this big.”

The darkness seemed to crowd in on her, but Twilight brushed the illusion away. “Octavia, both Rainbow and Vinyl are counting on us to help.” She started a slow pace down the corridor; soft hoofsteps from behind told her Octavia followed.

“But you said it yourself—the silly story probably isn’t real and the treasure likely doesn’t even exist.”

The light from Twilight’s spell crawled over a doorway set in the left wall; the door itself was nowhere to be found, but old, rusty hinges indicated that one had been there at some point in the past. She glanced inside to find an old washroom. A copper tub, long since turned green in the humid atmosphere, sat in the room's center. To the side was what Twilight guessed would have served as a sink for ponies to wash their hooves after using the chamber pot. Speaking of which, an ornate metal pail stood in the corner, and her mouth twisted into a grimace. Not even scientific curiosity could coax her into taking a look in that. Octavia, who likely hadn’t seen her stop, bumped into her from behind.

“Right,” Twilight said as she resumed the slow walk. “The treasure probably never was here, and if it was, somepony would have probably found it years ago.”

“Yes, exactly!” Octavia slid around Twilight and faced her head-on. Her violet eyes looked larger than normal in the pale light, which cast shadows over her face. “So why bother going to all this effort for something that isn’t real?”

Twilight gave a wide grin. “Because c’mon, even though this is a wild goose chase, don’t you think it’s at least a little neat?”

“It—” Octavia blinked. “Neat? What?”

“Take the washroom back there,” Twilight said, pointing around behind them. “This place didn’t have running water, so all the bathing, cooking, and—well, you know, the other stuff—they had to improvise.” She couldn’t help the surge of excitement that washed over her. “This mansion is the real treasure! It has so much to teach us, even just from its bathrooms! What’s a little fatigue compared to a tour of this historical repository?”

“Are you always like this?” Octavia asked, looking at Twilight askance.

“Like what?”

Octavia rolled her eyes. “Geeky. Dorky. Nerdy. Bookish.” She paused, then added, “Annoying.”

“If by that you mean ‘well-learned’, then yes,” Twilight said. “I am. Now let’s go”

“Yes, Your Highness,” Octavia said with a sigh. However, before either mare could make a move, her eyelids fluttered and she staggered against the wall. “Ah.”

Twilight arched an eyebrow. “Are you alright?”

“Yes,” Octavia said in a suddenly distant voice. “Just a—just a little dizzy.

Over the next several minutes, the two made a thorough search of a few rooms—at least, Twilight searched while Octavia trailed behind her and yawned. Another washroom, a pair of near-empty guest rooms, and a broom closet all yielded no tangible treasures, until even Twilight began to lose her enthusiasm. The cloying smell of decay and mildew grew stronger and stronger the further they went until Twilight almost had to cover her nose. It certainly didn't help Octavia's dizzy spells, which left her reeling every few minutes. Twilight began to wonder if maybe she should let the other mare have that nap after all.

As if on cue, Octavia yawned again. “Are you sure you won’t be talked into a nap?”

“No,” Twilight said automatically, pushing open yet another door.

“I’ll sing you a lullaby,” Octavia said. “Ponies tell me I have a lovely… voice…” Twilight glanced back to see her once more leaning against the wall, eyes glazed over.

“Are you sure you’ll be alright?” she asked.

Octavia groaned, then straightened. “Just a dizzy spell. I’m sure it’s because of a lack of sleep.” She cleared her throat. “Is it just me, or did it get hot in here all of a sudden?”

“Hot? I don’t think so.” Twilight glanced back the way they came. “If you don’t feel well, we can go back to—”

“No,” Octavia said sharply.

That set Twilight back a step. “A minute ago, you asked to stop. Why the change?”

“Because I’m not some infirm old biddy who can’t handle a little dizzy spell,” Octavia answered. She stomped to the next door and kicked it open, then pushed in. “Would you mind bringing the lamp, Your Majesty?”

“Is something wrong?” Twilight craned her head around both to light the room and glance inside. Her eyes widened; bookshelves lined the walls, with a large, crooked chandelier hanging from the ceiling.

Octavia chuckled. “Yes, I thought as much,” she said at Twilight’s vacant expression.

“So… many… books!” Twilight burst out, trotting by Octavia. Her head twisted around to take in the entirety of this veritable treasure trove. None of the myriad shelves were packed with books—some had none at all—but even so, there were more than she could count with a quick glance. Another door stood opposite the one they had come in through, crooked in its frame. Twilight ignored it to instead examine a few of the dusty volumes on an eye-level shelf. “ ‘Masterful Mechanisms for a Mischievous Mind’, ‘Here There Be Gold’, ‘Your Dragon’s Horde and You’... I guess Vinyl got one thing right about the story. The old baron did like hunting for and hiding treasure.”

A soft thump caught her attention; Octavia had dropped to her haunches on the thick carpet, breathing heavily.

“Why don’t you take a break while I look around?” Twilight suggested.

“Not necessary,” Octavia said in a thick voice. She pushed herself back up onto wobbly legs. “I’m fine. Just a little tired.”

Twilight flipped through a few more of the books with an expert hoof. “Vinyl did mention how you hadn’t slept well.”

“Again with that mare.” Octavia’s knees stopped shaking, and she reached up to straighten her bow tie, which had been knocked askew.

“Who?” Twilight asked, sparing her a second’s glance before returning her attention to the shelf. “Vinyl Scratch?”

“Of course I mean Vinyl Scratch!” Octavia stomped to the other side of the room, then retraced her steps. “And we were having such a lovely time until you brought her up, too.”

A little voice that sounded exactly like Rarity spoke up in Twilight’s head, telling her to push the topic, to scrounge for every last scrap of juicy gossip she could dig up and bring it all back to Carousel Boutique, where she could regale her friends with it over a cup of tea. Her lips curled into a wry grin.

“Sorry,” she said instead.

“I don’t want to hear about her,” Octavia went on anyway as she paced back and forth between the two doors. “I don’t even want to think about her, much less marry her, so what does that tell you, Miss Princess?”

“It tells me that anything I say is like walking into a minefield,” Twilight said in a dry voice.

“Just listen, then.”

Twilight glanced around to see that Octavia stared back with an odd look in her eyes, which no longer slanted aggressively like they had been all evening. She sighed inwardly.

“Of course I’ll listen to you,” she said. “But are you sure you want to talk to me about these things? Aren’t they kind of… personal?”

“I need to get this off my chest,” Octavia said, resuming her pacing, “and there are few ponies I’d want to tell. Right now, it’s either my colleagues—a dry bunch, by my estimation—or my mother, and I am in no mood these days for that conversation.”

“So instead you choose a random stranger you just met.”

“Call it a hunch,” Octavia answered without missing a beat. “Now, I’m sure you could tell that things aren’t exactly sunshine and rainbows between me and my loving fiancé.” The last few words dripped with sarcasm.

Twilight wanted to roll her eyes and scoff, but managed to keep herself in check. “It was fairly obvious, yes.”

“Well, over the past few months, it has become apparent to me that Vinyl Scratch is not the mare I fell in love with.” Again, Octavia reached up to straighten her bow tie with a shaking hoof. “She seemed so… roguish, so delightfully uncouth when we met. It enchanted me, and I was still charmed when she asked me to marry her just a few weeks after that.”

This feels like a bad romance novel, Twilight thought as she sat down.

“But then I learned how possessive she could be, how childish she could become when she didn’t get her way. That rebellious attitude I had found so endearing was skin-deep, a result of how selfish she is.” Octavia gave a dramatic sigh, and once again Twilight was reminded of Rarity. “Of course I tried to overlook these issues. Everypony has their issues, even one as kind and sophisticated as myself.”

“Of course.” This time Twilight did roll her eyes.

Thankfully for her, Octavia didn’t notice. “I do not believe that she loves me so much as she simply wants me and my resources. That mare was nearly penniless when I first met her, but she has since become accustomed to a life of relative luxury. Neither my interests nor my worries matter to her—all that concerns her is what she can get from me. She wants me to fall in line with what she says, and after all this time, I have had enough. Tomorrow I plan to call off our engagement.”

“Tomorrow?” Twilight took a moment to sort out her thoughts before speaking. “That’s a fairly big decision,” she said slowly. “Have you tried to speak with Vinyl about this?”

“Do you think me so daft as to not try?” Octavia said, pounding a hoof against the floor. “I have tried numerous times to resolve these issues with her. I have tried talking to her. I have tried getting her friends to talk to her. I have tried to arrange sessions for the two of us with a therapist. She is simply not interested in having a meaningful relationship.”

“But does she have any idea that you plan to cancel your wedding?”

“I certainly have mentioned it,” Octavia said. “And we’ve been sleeping separately for more than a week, so she must suspect something.”

Twilight had her mouth open to speak further when the dull clap of hooves on wood sounded from above. The ceiling creaked, showering the two mares with particles of dust. She gasped at the sudden noise, then mentally slapped herself for being startled so easily.

“Do you suppose that’s them?” Octavia asked, staring up.

Twilight’s heart pounded in her chest. “Rainbow and Vinyl? Probably.”

“Ah.” Octavia yawned loudly. “Your Majesty, I honestly appreciate you hearing me out. Nopony likes to listen to another pony’s love troubles.”

“Some do,” Twilight said with a shrug.

Octavia snorted, then realized what she had done and covered her muzzle. “True enough, I suppose. Would you like to continue on?”

“Sure.”

Twilight trotted back out the door and into the hallway. However, after only a few steps, her light spell revealed that she had come to the end. One final door stood in her way to explore. She reached out and jiggled the handle, then frowned. It was locked.

“This is the first locked door we’ve run into.” She turned to address Octavia. “What do you think might be in—” The words died in her throat. The hallway behind her was completely empty.

Octavia had disappeared.

Author's Note:

So this is happening.