The Mansion in the Woods

by Vertigo22

Visit 1: Mommy's Alright

Sunset and Rainbow walked down the hallway. It had taken them some time to recuperate from the ominous warning the child had given them, but they eventually managed.

Primarily through Rainbow's ingenious idea of dragging Sunset by her arm down the hallway.

"Rainbow, where are we going?" Sunset asked as she dragged herself. The words of the child echoed in her head. Try as she may, try as she might, she couldn't purge them from her mind. It was beginning to annoy her to no end to say the least.

"Riiight-" Rainbow pointed to a random room. "There!" She ran over to the door and opened it, revealing a room filled with an array of toys.

"Oh, you found my personal storage room." The child walked by Rainbow and slammed the door shut. "Nobody is allowed in there without my permission!"

"Well, can I get permission?" Rainbow asked.

"Nope." The child ran into the room. A loud, screeching noise filled the air, only stopping once she came outside. "There! Now the door’s blocked!"

"And you did that why?"

The child narrowed her eyes. "You've gone from room to room without a care in the world and yet you ask that?"

"She has a point, Rainbow." Sunset said as she poked around another room. "Oooh, a Superman comic!"

"Hey!" The child over to Sunset. "Don't touch Uncle Ricky's comic collection!" She grabbed the comic and rested it neatly atop a large stack of comics. "Lest he set fire to some other poor bastard!"

"He did what now!?" Rainbow asked.

"Uncle Ricky is..." The child tapped her chin. "He's Uncle Ricky."

"A pyromaniac?" Sunset asked.

"Yeah, that's a nice way to put it."

"Sooo... how'd he die and where's the guy he set fire to?" Rainbow asked.

"I'm pretty sure their ashes are around here somewhere." the child said. "Though I think Ricky's probably drinking flaming shots somewhere in the bar. I'm just glad he hasn't set fire to anyone else. It's not very fun being stuck in the walls while the firemen struggle to put out a fire because it's spread to the rest of the woods."

Sunset raised an eyebrow. "Too shy to show that you're real?"

"No, it hurts like hell to pass through fire as it burns the remnants of our soul." the child said. "It's how Other Mommy will punish us if we attempt to leave. She'll place us in a flaming cage and hold us there until our screams cease to please her."

"And why don't you just flee outside?" Rainbow asked.

"Because we've got a ghostly staircase that Cousin Brent made that leads to the underground bar the others always hang out in!" The child said. "At least, most of them hang out there. Still, the walls are wicked cool if you're dead. Maybe one day you'll get to see it..." The child's face glowed a faint red. "Um, sorry. I... that was really mean..."

"Ah, don't worry, sport." Rainbow said. "We all make silly mistakes."

Sunset smirked. "You admitting to-"

Rainbow put a hand over Sunset's mouth. "I'm not admitting to anything!"

The child laughed. "You two are so silly."

Sunset removed Rainbow's hand from her over mouth. "If you like us, you'd love Pinkie Pie."

"Who's that?"

"A friend." Rainbow walked to the doorway, anticipating a possible jumpscare of the pink kind.

Thankfully, it didn't come.

"Well, if either of you care, our attic is on this floor." the child said. "We had it built here before Daddy decided to build the third floor."

Rainbow raised an eyebrow. "Where's the attic?"

"Somewhere down the hall. I don't know, I don't go up there because it's... creepy." The child shuffled around awkwardly. "Still, I bet you'd enjoy it."

"Enjoy it!?" Rainbow squealed, much to her embarrassment. "The attic is, like, like, the best part in any haunted house!"

"Yes, well, you two have fun." Without another word, at a pace rivaled only by a snail, the child walked through the wall.

"Oh man, the attic!" Rainbow jumped up and down like a child experiencing a sugar rush. "This is gonna be so awesome!"

"I don't know." Sunset walked over to her friend. "She seemed really... uncomfortable talking about the attic. Something feels really wrong."

"Look, whatever happens, happens." Rainbow said. "For now, let's go find it! I wanna see what we can find!"

Sunset rolled her eyes, an action that went completely unnoticed by Rainbow as she was already halfway down the hallway.

"You coming!?"

Sunset rolled her eyes once more and ran down to catch up to her friend, who kept her eyes glued to the ceiling.

"Tell me if you see anything!" Rainbow called to her.

"Mhm." Sunset looked up at the ceiling, though a nagging feeling wouldn't leave her be. She couldn't help but wonder why the child felt a lot more... hesitant to speak of the attic.
Rainbow tilted her head back down and cracked it. "Hey, listen, I'mma go look around in that closet for a bit."

"Why?" Sunset asked, tilting her head back down.

Rainbow shrugged. "I'm bored."

Sunset laughed. "Alright."

Rainbow zipped over to the closet and opened it. "Aw sweet! More comics!"

"Rainbow..."

Rainbow poked her head out of the closet. "Wha- oh, right." She placed the comics back neatly where she found them. "Sorry, Uncle Ricky. Please don't burn me."

"Alright, but I won't be so kind next time." A deep, gruff voice answered.

The color from Rainbow's face vanished as the sound of heavy footsteps exiting the closet filled the air. Slowly, she backed out of the closet and closed the door.

"Did you hear that?"

"Yeah, I did." Sunset said. Looking up, she saw something. “Well, there’s the attic.”

Rainbow jumped up and down, yet again replicating the action of a child. "Oh my gosh!" she squealed once more. “This is gonna be awesome!”

“Well, open that and we can go up there.”

Rainbow leapt up and grabbed the string, pulling it down and with it, the stairs. Without hesitation, she ran up, leaving her friend behind in the dust.

Sunset sighed and followed Rainbow up into the attic, which was surprisingly cramped. A few old antiques and chests lay around. One, however, had an addition that caught both girls off guard.

“Is that… a skeleton?” Sunset asked fearfully.

Rainbow grabbed her flashlight and flicked it on. Sure enough, and to her shock, there was a skeleton atop a wooden chest. “Gimme a sec.” She made her way over and took it off before opening the chest itself. “Oh…”

Sunset ran over to her now wide-eyed friend. Inside the chest were three more skeletons—one of which was significantly smaller than the others.

“Welp.” Rainbow took a few steps back. “I'm outta here.” Before she could so much as move another muscle, an invisible force yanked her towards the wall and cornered her against it, and slowly manifested itself in front of her. It was shadowy in appearance, though it was clearly no older than Principal Celestia. Its eyes glowed a calm, baby blue, and its hair was shoulder-length.

“Leaving so soon?” the being asked in a motherly tone. “But you just got here. What’s the matter? Don’t like Mommy’s surprises?”

“Let her go!” Sunset yelled.

Mommy turned her head and stared at Sunset. Her eyes were filled with a mixture of unfathomable wrath and genuine softness. It was unlike anything Sunset had ever seen, or felt, before. She nodded and walked away from Rainbow, and over to Sunset. “Tell me, what’s wrong? Did the skeletons scare you?”

Sunset nodded, unsure as to what she should expect this… thing to do—especially after last time. “We’re, um, we're going to… l-leave.” she whispered.

“Well… that’s such a shame.” the being replied. “Because if you try to, then I’m going to have to teach you a lesson about going out past your curfew.”

“Excuse me?” Rainbow asked, finally finding it within herself to speak up once more.

Mommy turned her head. “Did I stutter, Rainbow?”

Rainbow opened her mouth to speak, only to shut it a second later. The gaze of Mommy bored it’s way into her soul.

“Good. You seem to understand me.” Mommy turned her attention back to Sunset. “I do apologize for my behavior earlier. It's been a very distressing time, what with the torment that I've suffered. I haven't been myself. But if you so much as try to leave before eight o’clock tomorrow morning, you two are grounded for the next two weeks.”

Sunset raised an eyebrow. “We don’t live here though.” she said, perplexed.

Mommy chuckled. “Dearest, Sunset...” she said, “everyone here is my child, even those who are but guests.” She walked over and rested a hand on Sunset’s shoulder. “Now, be sure to enjoy your stay here. There are plenty of spare rooms and I take it you’ve seen where the kitchen is?”

Sunset slowly nodded her head in response, hoping that Mommy would leave sooner than later.

“Excellent.” Mommy clapped her hands together and smiled a shadowy-toothed smile. “Well, if either of you need anything at all, I shall be in the room at the end of the hallway.” She turned to Rainbow and looked down at her. “And don’t try any of that funny business, Speedy.” With that, Mommy vanished.

Both girls stood there, motionless. It took a minute until either of them mustered the courage to speak back up.

“Sunset?” Rainbow asked, still motionless.

“Yes, Rainbow?” Sunset replied, also motionless.

“What the heck was that?”

“I don’t know.” Sunset replied, “but I’d rather not tempt her to keep us here for two weeks.”

“How’d she know that I had super speed?” Rainbow slide to the ground and stared blankly out into space. “I... I’ve never felt so scared and confused in my life.”

Sunset put a hand up to her chin and thought for a bit. “Well...” After a couple of seconds of thinking, she looked around the room until her eyes landed on the chest. “Um… who do you think the fourth skeleton is?”

Rainbow shrugged and stood up. “Maybe that ‘Other Mommy’ that kid mentioned?”

“How do you think she died?”

Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Do I look like a detective to you?” Her voice had drastically changed in tone, having gone from frightened to peeved.

Sunset smirked. “Yes.”

Rainbow groaned and walked over to the chest, slamming it shut. “Fine. I think Mommy and Daddy sent her to the attic without dinner and forgot she was up here.” she responded, now audibly angry.

“Wait, if they sent her up here, then who's-”

“Stop asking me questions, Sunset!”

Sunset flinched and backed away from Rainbow. "O-Okay." she said fearfully. "I'm sorry."

It took Rainbow little time to realize what she'd done. Her expression softened tenfold as she saw the scared look on Sunset's face. "I'm sorry." She let out a sigh and walked over to the stairs. "Let's just go somewhere else."

Sunset followed without a word, not wanting to risk making an already catastrophic situation even worse. However, it didn't take long for someone else to do that for her.

"You two!"

Both girls stopped dead in their tracks as the child ran up to them, stopping directly in front of them. "I told-"

“Why did your ‘Mommy’ tell us she'd ground us for two weeks!? What did she mean?!” Rainbow interrupted, her voice filled to the brim with anger.

The child took a step back, visibly offended at Rainbow's accusation. “I was with Mommy this entire time." she said. “I came here to say that I told you so. Other Mommy knows of your plan. Now she's going to stop at nothing to make you suffer just as she's made us suffer. I hope you know what you've gotten yourselves into, because there’s no leaving now. Either you stop her or you die—and I can sense the fear you both have for the latter. You mask it beneath the thin layer of confidence you have that your magic can stop her.” The child turned her back to the girls. “You have one shot at defeating her. Fail and I’ll never forgive you two for dooming yourselves to the same fate as me.”

"We get it." Sunset said. "We got it the first time. You don't need to remind us."

"I'll remind you as many times as I need to!" the child snapped. "You're both playing with fire and I don't think you fully realize that. Now, if you'll excuse me, I must go cool off before I do something I'll regret." With that, the child vanished.

"Peachy." Sunset walked ahead of Rainbow, who caught up once she realized her friend had moved in without her.

"Hey, don't just leave me behind like that!" she said. "I don't wanna be alone. Not after all of that crap a minute ago."

"Sorry, Rainbow." Sunset replied solemnly. "I know you're rattled. I just want to find something that won't scar me for life."

"Right." Rainbow looked around, eventually spotting two large doors and pointed to them. "What about that room?"

Sunset looked over at where Rainbow was pointing. She ran over to the doors and opened them, revealing a massive ballroom. A hardwood floor stretched out like a vast sea, freshly polished to both girls’ surprise. They stepped inside, closing the doors behind them. Above loomed a large chandelier of diamonds. All together, it looked like it had been pulled straight out of a movie or castle.

"Wow..." Sunset's eyes lit up with wonder until an idea popped into her head. She turned to Rainbow and smiled. “Wanna dance?”

Rainbow let out a nervous chuckle. “You’re kidding, right?” she asked. Memories of the last time she danced flooded her mind, sending a slight shiver down her spine.

Sunset shook her head. "I know you aren't one for dancing, but you yourself said you wanted to get your mind off of what happened in the attic." Sunset walked out into the middle of the room and spun around. "And this is the perfect place to do just that!" Sunset looked over at Rainbow with glee. "C'mon, Rainbow." She motioned for Rainbow to come to her, which she did, albeit reluctantly, and placed a hand on her shoulder. Sunset slowly moved back, Rainbow copying her movements. "This'll be a nice way for us to take our minds off of earlier."

Rainbow followed her friends every movement, hoping that she wouldn't accidentally mis-step and cause both of them more grief than they'd already been through. "Yeah..." Her mind drifted around. Although nobody was around, she still couldn't help but feel as though she was being watched from all sides. Though, granted, the house haunted. "So... you dance often to calm down when stressed?"

Sunset raised her arm and spun around. "I’ve never had a dance partner, so no," she replied. A smile formed on her face as she swayed ever so slowly to the harmonious tune that came from her music player. "Though it's always fun to have someone to dance with. It's so relaxing..."

Rainbow gave a soft smile. She didn't want to admit it, but she'd already begun to feel a lot calmer. "Soo... are you having fun here?"

"You mean dancing or exploring the mansion with you?" Sunset asked. “Because, in spite of getting scared, the answer's yes. You being here has made it all worth it."

Rainbow blushed, a fact that she was less-than-pleased about. "Heh... I'm glad." She mimicked Sunset's movement before, raising her arm and spinning around. "I'm sorry if I'm less, uh, 'graceful'. I don't dance much..."

Sunset swayed slightly to the left and brought Rainbow with her. "Don't worry so much." she said quietly. "I'm only doing this for the fun of it. You don't have to treat everything like a competition."

Rainbow gave a sheepish smile and took a slight step backwards, catching Sunset off guard. She let out a short cry of surprise, which quickly turned into laughter as she regained control of the dance. "So, what do you think of that kid?"

“She’s nice.” Sunset said. “Though I wish she’d have more faith in us. I mean, I know she’s afraid of ‘Other Mommy’, but it’d be nice if she could at least… you know, be supportive.”

"Yeah..." Rainbow's mind drifted off as she thought back to the events of the past few hours. In spite of that, she still felt herself follow Sunset's lead. Each step, twist, turn, and sway. She managed to follow it perfectly, without so much as faltering. A large smile formed on her face as she spun Sunset around, catching her a moment later.

"Rainbow!" Sunset said with a laugh. "I… wasn't expecting that."

"And I wasn't expecting to like this as much as I am."

Sunset giggled. "Well, I'm glad you are." A brief moment of silence filled the air until a thought sprang into her mind. "Well, if you asked a question, I might as well ask one." she said. "How's it feel to be in a haunted mansion?"

"Hmm..." Rainbow raised an eyebrow and thought for a moment. "It's... kinda cool actually." she said. "I remember watching lots of scary movies and always wondering what it'd be like to be in one of those places... without the murderous ghosts of course."

Sunset chuckled. "And if Mommy is anything to go by?"

"Well, I mean, the murderous ghosts who won't let you leave." Rainbow looked down at the ground. "At least, I hope..."

Sunset took her hand off of Rainbow's shoulder and lifted her head up. "Don't worry, Rainbow." she said. "I promise that, no matter what happens, we'll get out of here in one piece, just as you promised me." She rested her hand back on Rainbow's shoulder and gave a warm, almost motherly smile. "I'll make sure of it."

"Thanks, Sunset." Rainbow replied. She once more drifted off into a blissful state of mind. For a short time, everything felt carefree; the fears she had of Mommy vanished. Then all at once, she was thrusted back into reality as Sunset spun her around, grabbing her in the same fashion that she had grabbed her friend mere moments ago. "I take it that's for doing it to you?"

Sunset giggled. "You could say that." she replied. "So... any other questions?"

Rainbow thought for a moment. "Well… I mean, it isn’t a question, but I've been wondering who that 'Other Mommy' person was. She sounds… unpleasant to say the least."

"Tell me about it." Sunset said. "I can imagine that life wasn't easy for her, especially if her father was abusive to her birth mother."

"Yeah... makes me feel bad for the kid." Rainbow spun herself around. "I can't imagine how hard she had it... especially if she died as a child."

Sunset's smile faded, and a sense of sadness filled her. A small part of her mind went back to that skeleton in the attic; the one that was smaller than the others. Before it could grow though, she shook her head and let out a slight chuckle. "Let's, um, change the topic."

Rainbow nodded and quickly thought of something. "So, where do you think we should go next?" She swayed to the side and spun both herself and Sunset around, stopping to grab her friend and resume their slow movement. "I think we should go up that stairway we saw on our way here."

Sunset remained silent for a bit as she regained her composure. "Yeeeah..." She felt herself still spin. She didn't want to admit it, but Rainbow had spun her around fast enough that she nearly had to stop dancing and retreat behind a pillar.

Rainbow took immediate notice to the look on Sunset's face and laughed. "Sorry." she said. "Didn't mean to make you sick."

"It's fine." Sunset replied. "Though I think we should get back to our exploring. "

Rainbow nodded and spun Sunset around one last time before ceasing all movement. As the two stood there, the sound of clapping filled the air, and a rose was thrown at them.

Both girls turned their heads to see a man applauding. He was dressed in formal attire and, from where both girls stood, looked as though he’d be one to host a party in the room. Though, there was something missing. Something… important.

“Sunset?”

“Yes, Rainbow?”

“Is it me or does he not have a head?”

“No, he definitely doesn’t have a head.” Sunset and Rainbow slowly let go of each others hands and shuffled away from each other.

Rainbow coughed. "Sooo… how long has he been watching us?"

"I don't know, Rainbow."

"The entire time." a voice said from behind them.

The two girls turned around to see the child, who was also holding a rose. She threw it at them. "I snatched it off of my grandpa. He never saw me coming."

“The… the entire time?” Rainbow capitulated and feel to the ground.. “He may not have a head, but I can feel him judging my dancing skills.”

“Oh, c’mon now, Rainbow.” Sunset walked over and helped her friend back up. “I doubt he’d do that.”

“Oh, no, he definitely is.” the child said. "Grandpa Dan lost his head when the chandelier fell on it. It was traumatic for Grandma Wilma. Mostly because she forgot to take out a life insurance policy on him. Before that, he was a world renowned dancer and won several competitions. He’s
judging you.”

“Okay, you keep mentioning all these family members.” Rainbow said. "Where exactly are all of them?"

"Probably the basement pub." the child said. "Smoking, drinking, partying." She turned to the two girls. "You... don't want to go there."

"Why not?" Rainbow asked. "Seeing a bunch of partying ghosts sounds awesome!"

"The last person to go there while they were all in there left with two dozen shards of glass in him." The child sighed. "And Grandpa Terry broke a pool cue hitting him. That didn't go over too well with the others."

"Exactly how have you remained a secret all this time?" Sunset asked, surprised.

"You go tell someone you saw a family of thirty-plus ghosts partying." the child replied. "Most of the people who come here look like they drank half a brewery. Those who don't probably have a rap sheet as long as the medical records belonging to my Aunt Lacy."

"Exactly how many people have lived here?" Sunset asked.

"Fifty." the child said. "Not all of them are still here, but a good portion are. Those who aren't either found actual peace in death or were forced into the burning depths of Hell."

"So, what's the deal with those of you who are still living here?" Rainbow asked. "Seems kinda odd that you'd all stay here for..." Rainbow did the math inside of her head. After a few seconds, she spoke up again. "A really long time."

"Well, we were always a close family." the child said. "So, those of us who weren't bad people decided to hang out here."

Rainbow thought for a second. “You’re saying Uncle Ricky isn’t a bad person?”

“Oh, he’s not evil; just crazy. Very crazy.”

“Uh huh… And those who were bad people?” Rainbow asked.

“Like I said before, they're in Hell. If you'd like, I'll ask them to send you a postcard for Christmas.”

"Uh, I'll pass." Rainbow said as she slowly backed away to the doors, slipping out once she reached them.

The child looked up at Sunset. "You want one?"

"I'll pass too." Sunset ran out of the ballroom.

"Hm." The child tapped her chin. "Maybe they'd rather get a birthday card from them."

---

Sunset and Rainbow lounged around outside the ballroom—apparently having decided that the child's offer for a postcard from beyond the grave wasn't worth fleeing to some other part of the house.

"So, where to next?" Rainbow asked. "I was thinking that room over there-" she pointed to the room next door. "It seemed kinda cool."

"The door looks no different from any of the others." Sunset deadpanned.

"True."

"Are you sure you want to go into that room?" the child asked as she walked through the ballroom doors. "Even I don't go in there. Cousin Thaddeus was... weird."

Rainbow waved a hand dismissively. "C'mon, sport. I've seen an alternate dimension and my friend over here turn into a crazy she-demon. How weird could your cousin have
been?"

"Cousin Thaddeus tried to enlist his dolls into the army because he thought they'd make for a solid ground regiment." the child deadpanned. "When they turned him down, he went out back and made love to our apple tree. Naked. He did it all night. In fifteen-degree weather. He died of hypothermia."

"O-kay..." Rainbow pursed her lips. Clearly, she wasn't prepared for weirdness of this level. "Well, at least he... I'm just gonna go inside." WIthout another word, she walked over to the door and slipped in. "Oh what the absolute true blue fuck with a side of why so many clowns?"

Sunset looked at the doorway, then at the child. "Sooo... did he name have a name for his lover tree?"

"He called it ‘Bloomburg’." the child answered. "I personally called it Treeko."

"Alright..." Sunset followed Rainbow. Sure enough, there were clowns everywhere. Shelves upon shelves of clowns of every imaginable size. A few inches tall, a foot, even some that were clearly six-plus feet tall. "Uhh...."

"You see what I meant?" Rainbow asked from beside a clown doll that had to have been as muscular as Bulk Biceps. "By the way, I think that Cousin Thaddeus stuffed this thing with cinder blocks."

"How do you-"

"I accidentally kicked it while trying to find my way around the sea of stuffed clown dolls on the floor."

Sunset looked down to see that there was, indeed, no actual floor, but instead more dolls.

"Okay, I think that Cousin Thaddeus had a problem."

"Look on the bright side." Rainbow said. "At least you know you'll float if you fall down."

"Yeah, sure I will." Sunset replied. She walked through the sea of clown doll, a great sense of unease filling her as hundreds upon hundreds of eyes stared at her; never blinking. "Geez, why in the world did he had to own so many?"

"Hey, some people just like to collect things." Rainbow responded. "You know how I am with Daring Do collectables, and how Fluttershy is with her stuffed animal collection."

"Yeah, but those are... less disturbing." Sunset said. She reached down and picked up a random doll. It was in surprisingly pristine condition, despite the thin layer of dust that covered it. "I guess that Cousin Thaddeus still cleans his precious collection."

"I mean, I would too if I was this obsessed with something." Rainbow grabbed a clown that caught her attention. "Aw, sweet! A limited edition Daring Do clown!" She turned to the doorway, only to hear the response to the question she had wanted to ask.

"Put that back, you can't take it!" the child said. "Not unless you want Cousin Thaddeus to tie you to Bloomburg and sing about how he loves clowns for seventy hours in that screechy voice of his."

"Eh, doesn't-"

"Put the doll back or I'm giving you a wedgie, you Daring Do pantie-wearing nerd!"

Rainbow placed the clown back onto the shelf and shuffled away, grumbling to herself about how she'd never own a clown doll as cool as that one.

Sunset, meanwhile, stared at a row of clown dolls that, for some inexplicable reason, lacked eyes. She shuddered in fear, still feeling their unblinking gaze inside of her. As she stood there though, she felt a hand on her shoulder and sighed. "Thanks, Rainbo-" she stopped mid-sentence when she saw Rainbow a few yards away, checking out a model of Ronald McDonald.

"Hi, Sunset." a bone-chilling voice from behind her whispered. "Do you want a balloon?"

Sunset screamed and ran, grabbing Rainbow Dash before bolting out of the room and slamming the door shut.

"I told you Cousin Thaddeus was weird!”
Both girls ran down the hallway, opting to not stop for anything. Door after door they ran past. Painting after painting.

Then they ran into something.

"Oh, good heavens, are you two alright?" a man with a pompous voice asked.

The two girls looked up to a see a man in a t-shirt that had a horse on it standing over them. He wore a hat with a horse stitched on it, and had a coffee mug with a horse on it. In front of him was a large wooden toy horse, which they'd run in to.

"Oh, goodness, where are my manners?" The man cleared his throat. "My name is Bucephalus. I used to take care of the mansion's prized horses. Then I was trampled to death by the one I owned. Evidently, life had plans for me to become caretaker for the dead horses. A truly prestigious job if you're into that sort of thing. For me, it's a drag. Not enough sunlight for my tastes." Bucephalus chuckled. "Oh, but enough about me. Who may you two young ladies be?"

“She's Sunset Shimmer!” The child poked her head out from a nearby wall and pointed to Sunset. “And she's… I forget.”

“Rainbow Dash…” Rainbow frowned and folded her arms.

“Yeah, Dainbow Rash!” The child hopped out of the wall. “I see you two have met the coolest of my cousins!”

“Oh, please, don't flatter me so much.” Bucephalus said. “I am but a humble caretaker who is on his way to deliver a gift to someone whose birthday is tomorrow.” He looked down at the child and smiled. “You would be… a hundred and ten or so?”

“I lost count after what would have been my fifteenth birthday.” the child replied. “But don't say you're just a ‘humble caretaker’! You once chased down a robber on a horse and caught him with a lasso!”

“Yes, but then the horse crushed his head and I was almost arrested…” Bucephalus mumbled something under his breath. “Alas, that was over a century ago.” He looked at the girls and tipped his hat. “I must be going though. T’was a great honor to meet two beings who are still of flesh who aren't looting the house for valuables. You haven't the slightest idea how frustrating it is to listen to the self-proclaimed, holier-than-thou matriarch broad about that sort of stuff. She never shuts up...” With a sigh, Bucephalus walked by the two girls, grumbling under his breath.

“Bucephalus is a good man.” the child said. “Though Other Mommy hates that he loves the horses more than her.”

Sunset shifted over to the wall and rested her head against it. “Peachy.”

Rainbow purses her lips and shrugged. “Well, Happy Early Birthday, sport.”

“Thanks.”

With that, Rainbow sat alongside her friend. Silence filled the air for a bit until she spoke up. “I want a cookie.”

"Yeah, well, I didn't pack any cookies." Sunset said, standing up.

"Lame." Rainbow stood up and spun around.

"Wow, I see someone really enjoyed dancing." Sunset remarked.

"Be quiet." Rainbow said, visibly flustered. “You don’t know that.”

“I don’t?” Sunset laughed. “That’s a lie and you know it.”

Rainbow’s face turned into a hypothetical sunburned tomato. She raised her shirt up in a laughably bad attempt at hiding her cheeks, before running down the hallway.

“You can’t hide from me, RD!” Sunset raced after her friend.

“Yes I can!” Rainbow ducked into a nearby room, only for her to receive a greeting worthy of a king or queen.

"Git outta my room!" A bag of peanuts flew towards her, which struck the wall next to her.

Rainbow complied, shutting the door and turning to Sunset, terrified.

“What was that about?" Sunset wondered aloud.

"I 'unno." the child said from behind her.

Sunset turned around. "You don't know?"

"Nope."

"How on Earth do you not know?" Rainbow approached the child. "I thought you knew everyone who lived here!"

"Yeah, but... that guy comes and goes."

"Do you know anything about him?" Sunset asked.

"Well, I know one thing." the child said. "He likes peanuts..."

"Yer damn right I love peanuts!" the man yelled from the other side. "I gotta go to the store later and get me some more! Y’all ruined the bag I was eatin’!”

“Never woulda guessed.” Rainbow deadpanned. “Let’s just go before he mistakes one of us for a peanut.”

“Did y’all say one of yous was a peanut!?”

Rainbow and Sunset’s eyes both shot open. With expressions that screamed fifty-eight flavors of oh crap, they ran off down the hallway, much to the child’s amusement. It took them some time, but they eventually stopped thanks to the all power entity that was the end of the hallway.

The wall.

“That’s… that’s the third time we’ve done that.” Rainbow said between her gasps for air. “How many rooms did we pass on our way down here?”

“I think six.” Sunset replied. “One was definitely a bathroom.”

“How do you-”

“Just trust me.”

Rainbow nodded. She glanced around the hallway, eventually setting her sights on a closet door. “Hey, whatcha think’s in the clos-”

Before Rainbow could finish her sentence, a painfully loud screech filled the air. The mansion shook, causing both girls to lose their balance and fall. Then, as quickly as it began, it ceased, and a deafening silence replaced it.

Rainbow stood back up, her legs shaky. "Hey... Sunset? I, uh, gotta use the bathroom."

Sunset held back a laugh and stood back up. "Be quick."

Rainbow ran off down the hall to the bathroom. Sunset took her phone out and turned it on. “Figures, there’s no reception out here.” She let out a sigh and tapped her foot as she waited on her friend.

Sunset jumped as something broke the silence. “Rainbow?” she yelled. “You okay in there?”

Silence once again filled the air until she heard the sound of the toilet flush. A few moments later, Rainbow walked out, an annoyed look on her face.

"Kid was in there?" Sunset asked.

"Kid was in there..."

Sunset resumed walking down the hallway. “How’d ya get rid of her?”

“It’s best not to ask about that part…”

As Rainbow finished her sentence, the child ascended from the floor and threw a bar of soap at Rainbow.

"You forgot to do something back there, genius." With that, she walked through a wall.

Sunset turned to Rainbow. "What have I told you about-"

"There was no soap in there!"

The child walked back out from the wall. "Did you check beneath the sink?"

"Uhh..."

"I thought so."

Rainbow waved her hand dismissively and walked back down the hall. She returned a short time later with hands as clean as…

Well, however clean Rainbow’s hands could feasibly be.

“You used soap, right?” Sunset asked.

“She did.” the child said, poking her head out from the wall. “I watched. She used it twice, grumbling something about proving a point to bacon head.”

“Oh, sure, go ahead and call me names behind my back.” Sunset said with a smirk.

“Hey, I… I didn’t know.” Rainbow replied, doing her best to not appear flustered. Try as she may though, she failed. Miserably. She shuffled around, eventually opting to slowly move backwards to a random door. When she opened it, however, she got was more than she bargained for.

“Uhh… Sunset? I think you may wanna see this.”

Sunset walked up beside her friend and poked her head into the bedroom. It didn’t take long, however, for her to poke it out and run to the corner and release the snack she had before arriving at the house.

“Oh, I see that you've found the skeleton of Old Richie.” the child said from behind Rainbow. “He died after seeing Uncle Jim. Do mind the blood though. We couldn't get it cleaned up; there was way too much.”

Sunset coughed once and turned around. “And where's Uncle Jim now? Some arbitrary part of the house?”

“Uncle Jim’s in prison for second degree murder. He's eligible for parole in twenty-three years.” the child said. “He killed Richie after he saw him give money to some guy in a really nice suit. At least, that's what Daddy told me. He seemed really shaken by it—and Daddy's a ghost!”

“I see.” Rainbow looked back into the bedroom. She cringed as she laid eyes on the dead body. However, beneath the mattress, she saw something glisten. She opened the door and took her watch off, placing it on the nightstand.

“Uh, Rainbow?” Sunset asked. “What are you-”

“Hey, a key!” Rainbow exclaimed.

The child ran over to Rainbow's side. "So, this is where Other Mommy hid that..."

"What's the key for?" Sunset asked curiously. "A secret room?"

"The box for her diary." The child turned around and pursed her ghostly lips. "She couldn't care less if you read it. If anything, I think she'd be flattered. She loved it when people paid attention to literally anything that was hers. I'm surprised that her ego didn't have a gravitational pull of its own."

"Have you ever-"

"Yes, and I stopped after about ten pages." The child cringed. "If you can beat my record, I'll be amazed."

Rainbow's eyes lit up. "You're on!" She bolted out of the room, spinning Sunset around as she did so.

"I take it she likes challenges?" The child held a hand out, causing a magical aura to surround Sunset and slow her down.

It took a bit, but Sunset regained her balance. "Yeah..." She felt nauseous to say the absolute least, and attempted to make her way out of the room.

"Hey, Sunny, you comin'?" Rainbow asked from down the hall.

The child ran over to the doorway. "I think you've given her a very high desire to release the contents of her stomach once more!" She looked behind her to see Sunset in the corner of the room. "Nevermind, you succeeded in doing just that!"

"Tell her I said I'm sorry!" Rainbow ran down the stairs, leaving the child alone with Sunset. She let out a sigh and turned around to see Sunset standing there.

"I'm better!" Sunset ran past the child, leaving the child alone.

"Man, these two would've been great friends with Thaddeus..." She out a hand up to her chin. "Or maybe that other guy who always stayed in his room and played with frogs... what was his name again?" She shrugged. "Ah well, he got lost in the woods. Bet he's a frogman by now." The child shrugged and walked through the wall.

Meanwhile, Sunset eventually caught up to her friend, who was hard at working looking for Other Mommy's diary.

"Rainbow?" Sunset stepped into the catastrophe that was Other Mommy's room. It looked like a tornado had tore through. "Are you sure you won't invoke the wrath of-"

"Found the box!"

Sunset ran over to Rainbow, disregarding her concerns for Other Mommy. Rainbow opened the box and took out a book. On it, written in glamorous cursive, was Valery.

"No last name, huh?" Rainbow asked.

"That or she doesn't wanna be associated with her family anymore."

"Or, they don't wanna to be associated with her." Rainbow deadpanned. She walked over to the bed and hopped on it; Sunset hopping on next to her. "Ready?"

"Not really." Sunset answered. Something inside of her was telling her to grab the diary and find something flammable, though another part of her was telling her not to simply because it'd probably set of Valery off like a volcano. "Though I guess there's no telling you to not read it?"

"Nope." With that, Rainbow opened the diary.

Comments

[LEGION55]

Nice.

[LEGION55]

Ps bring the others on visit 2

[Vertigo22]

8700518 There's going to be an intermission-visit (per-se) between this one and Visit 2, which will involve Sunset and Rainbow bringing Fluttershy.

[LEGION55]

8700521
I meant all of them so they could get "Other mommy"

[BeardedRider]

Guess "Mommy" didn't know: GROUNDINGS BEGET POUNDINGS!