A Night at the Movies

by Mr Movie Magic

Seven: Who Ya Gonna Call?

Some time had gone by since Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Apple Bloom had all gone to bed. It was their last night in Applewood before they would take the Friendship Express back to Ponyville. Even though she had had a good time and wished that she could have gone hunting ghosts at the haunted movie palace, there was just one thing that Apple Bloom couldn’t shake from her mind: the strange static that had come from her radio. She hadn’t even flipped the switch to turn it on, yet it had hummed to life. Static and buzzing, and the sound of its tuning as if it were trying to find a station, had come through the speaker. Could it really be a ghost? It did start to go haywire when they had first stopped by the movie palace. If there really was a ghost, maybe it is using the radio to try to communicate with her? It had come out of nowhere. It was as if there were supernatural forces at work here.

Apple Bloom couldn’t sleep. That mysterious transmission coming through her radio wouldn’t let her get to sleep. She had to, she just had to, know what it was. She got out of bed. She went to her bag and took out her radio. She stared intently at it. She waited for something to come through its speaker… She waited… Nothing. When it did not, of its own accord, come to life, she switched it on. The static came through loudly. She quickly turned the volume down. She looked back at Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. They were still asleep. The static hadn’t woken them up. Apple Bloom steadily turned the volume up so that it was just loud enough so she could hear it. She put her ear to the speaker, hoping she could hear the ghost. When the ghost didn’t speak, she tried turning the dial to scroll through the stations. Some were clear and others were fuzzy. Clear of the static, no ghostly voice came through. Apple Bloom knew that there was something to that signal. She knew there was something to the movie palace. One way or another, she was going to figure it out. She, however, had just this night to do so.

Apple Bloom lowered the radio’s volume so that the sound was barely audible, but she didn’t dare turn it off.

"Psst! Hey, Sweetie Belle. Scootaloo. Wake up," Apple Bloom whispered.

Sweetie Belle stirred. She opened her eyes.

"What's going on?" Scootaloo asked as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

"It's my radio," Apple Bloom explained after she had turned on the lights. "Ah keep thinkin' 'bout that voice we heard earlier. Ah jus' know it was tryin' tuh tell us sumthin'."

"What're you gonna do?"

"There's only one thing we can do. We gotta go back to the movie palace."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" asked Sweetie Belle.

"Ah'm positive," Apple Bloom replied.

"I don't think Applejack would like it," said Scootaloo.

"And I don't think that Rarity would either," added Sweetie Belle.

"Maybe not," started Apple Bloom. "But Ah know somepony who will."

---

Apple Bloom crept quietly to the door that connected both of the hotel rooms together. She carefully turned the door handle and opened it up. She made sure not to wake anypony up. Stepping ever so softly, she tip-toed her way across the room. Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Applejack were sound asleep. Apple Bloom gingerly approached Rainbow Dash.

“Psst! Rainbow Dash,” Apple Bloom whispered. She nudged her shoulder. Rainbow Dash, wake up.”

The Pegasus stirred. Her eyes wearily opened. Half asleep, she rubbed her eyes to adjust them to seeing in the dark. She blinked a few times and, squinting her eyes, saw Apple Bloom standing next to her.

“Apple Bloom, what’s wrong?” Rainbow Dash asked in a hushed voice.

“Ya gotta take us to the haunted movie palace,” Apple Bloom explained. “There’s sumthin’ goin’ on there and Ah jus’ gotta find out what.”

Rainbow Dash noticed the light coming through from under the door and knew that the Cutie Mark Crusaders were wide awake and planning something.

Rainbow Dash climbed out of bed. “Come here.” She led Apple Bloom back to her room. Upon entering, Rainbow Dash found Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo with their arsenal of ghost hunting gadgets. “So, what’s this about going off to the haunted movie palace?” she questioned.

“There’s something in there,” Scootaloo explained.

“We’re going back home tomorrow,” said Sweetie Belle. “Tonight is the only time we have to solve the mystery.”

“Please, Rainbow Dash? Could you take us to find the ghost?” Apple Bloom pleaded with a pout.

Rainbow Dash was not so sure she should. “I don’t know…” she started.

“You didn’t want us to lose our sense of adventure,” said Sweetie Belle.

“Think of it as your own Daring Do adventure,” said Scootaloo.

The idea piqued Rainbow Dash’s curiosity. She thought about the excitement she would feel: The brave and adventurous Rainbow Dash taking on ghosts and zombies in her latest book, Rainbow Dash and the Haunted Movie Palace! See her team up with her hero, Daring Do! No spook can stop these two! Ka-pow! She turned to the Cutie Mark Crusaders. “All right. Ya got me. I’m in. I’m ready to bust some ghosts!”

“Don’t tell Rarity and Applejack, please?” said Sweetie Belle.

“It ain’t gonna take us long,” said Apple Bloom. “We’ll go in, find the ghost, get our cutie marks, and be back at the hotel before they even know we were gone.”

“Hold on,” Scootaloo began. “If they see that we got our cutie marks, then they’ll know where we were.”

“Not tuh worry,” Apple Bloom replied. “If we get our ghost hunting cutie marks, then they’ll know this is what we’re meant to do and they’ll have no reason to worry.”

“We better get going before it gets later,” advised Sweetie Belle.

“Wait,” said Rainbow Dash. “I’m gonna need something to fight the ghosts with.”

“Here, Rainbow Dash. Take my tennis racket,” said Scootaloo.

“Thanks, Scootaloo. Stop us if you can, ghosts! We’re ready for you!”