Reunion: A RariTwi Exquisite Corpse

by SigmasonicX

1. Entrance (SigmasonicX)

The mansion loomed ahead of them, cast in shadows and fog. Bare trees creaked in the wind, their branches scratching against the wooden walls. Somewhere in the fog, a crow shrieked and took flight.

“And this is where we’ll be staying for tonight!” Rarity said, her shining face blasting away the eerie darkness.

Twilight hummed, squinting her eyes as she examined the mansion. “So to be clear, the contest is to stay here for a full night, on Nightmare Night, without leaving. And if we do that, we win the mansion?”

Rarity nodded. “And we can bring any number of creatures inside, as long as none of them leave during that time. So, we’ll just clean it out, have a party with our friends, and all spend the night together. Couldn’t be simpler!”

“It’s so weird that your great grandaunt would even ask us to do this. Why not just pass it on to you?”

Rarity fluttered her lips. “Oh, it’s all in good fun. Though really, she didn’t pass it on to me in particular. This is open to any member of my family, though all of them are afraid that it’s haunted. My father told me his uncle once came here at night, and couldn’t even last an hour before being scared out of mind.” She spread her hooves. “Ghosts coming out of the walls! Blood dripping from the ceiling! Expensive curtains ripping themselves! All quite horrid.”

“But you don’t think it’s haunted, right?”

Rarity blinked. “Oh, no, I think it’s haunted. So many generations of my family can’t be wrong.”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “But Rarity, ghosts don’t—”

“Don’t you dare tell me ghosts don’t exist, missy! Not after everything we’ve been through! It may not be a pony ghost, but it could be a spirit of some kind.”

Twilight opened her mouth to say something, but then paused and shook her head. “If you think it’s haunted, why are you so calm about going in?”

Rarity stepped close to Twilight and rubbed her head against her neck. “Well, no one in my family has ever married a magical princess before. I think we can manage.”

Twilight’s face relaxed as she felt her wife’s warmth. “I suppose you’re right.”

Still together, they started toward the manor, feeling the fog grip onto them. Rarity pressed into Twilight further, and she sighed. “I have to say, going with you into a scary place, our love as our only companion, huddling together to ward off the darkness. It all sounds quite romantic.”

Twilight giggled. “You do remember the others are coming too, right?”

“Well, maybe we can get some of that in before then,” she replied with a wink.

The two mares stepped inside, finding themselves in a courtyard with two sets of stairs leading up, and a hallway between them. There were also two hallways to the left and right.

“The light’s already on,” Twilight commented, looking at the chandelier above them. “Seems like the electric grid is fine here.”

“Ah yes, the groundskeeper is responsible for that, I imagine.”

Twilight blinked. “There’s a groundskeeper? Then wouldn’t they know if it’s haunted or not?”

“From what I understand, she does the bare minimum to keep this place in shape, and doesn’t dare come in when it’s dark. So I have to imagine she believes in the haunting too. Seems like she’s done a good enough job with the floor, at least.”

Rarity hummed and looked around, stopping at the hallway between the staircases. One side of the hall had a lit lamp on a small table, and the other had a door. “This is the cellar door, I believe. If there’s any room she hasn’t been to, it has to be that.” She looked around with a scowl. “Ugh, but look at this wall. There are cobwebs. It’s like she was too scared to even clean near the cellar.”

Twilight walked over, and with a wave of her horn, the cobwebs disappeared from the hallway. Nonetheless, Rarity kept squinting at a part of the wall, rubbing it with her hoof. “Does this still look dirty to you, dear? The lighting’s a bit iffy.”

“Rarity, it’s clean, I can guarantee you,” Twilight replied.

“I’m sure that spell got rid of the big things, but how confident are you that the wall itself is clean?”

Twilight thought for a second, then grew a mischievous grin. “Confident enough to do this.”

The princess coated Rarity in lavender magic and, with a soft yelp, she was lifted up and held upright. Twilight stood and pinned her against the wall with her front hooves, their faces close together. Rarity flushed red and giggled uncontrollably. This wasn’t the first time Twilight took the initiative like this, but it was always exciting. “Good heavens, Ms. Sparkle, aren’t you being wild today?”

“What can I say?” Twilight said in a husky voice. “There really is something about this place.”

Their lips met, Twilight pressing in almost forcefully. Soon Twilight had moved to her wife’s cheek, and then slowly moved to her neck.

There was a loud moan, and Twilight separated from her with a start. “Woah, that was different.” She laughed nervously. “Well, in any case, the others are coming soon, so probably best if we don’t get too into it.”

Twilight softly lowered Rarity to the ground, and raised an eyebrow as she noticed the unicorn’s wide eyes and frown. “What is it, Rarity?”

Rarity stammered. “T-twilight, that… wasn’t me.”

Twilight paused, blinked, then stepped to examine the wall. She pressed it with her hoof and said, “That must have been the wall creaking. See, you can hear it a bit.”

The unicorn backed away. “Twilight, that was not the wall! That was a ghastly moan from a ghastly figure!”

“Rarity, calm down. Like you said before, even if there is a ghost, I’m here and can take care of it!”

Rarity stopped backing away and her breathing slowed down. “Yes. Yes, you’re right. You’re exactly right.” She took in a breath and shouted. “Do your best, evil spirits! The Princess of Friendship is here, and there’s nothing you can—”

The cellar door swung open, and a moaning figure emerged.

Rarity screamed, and out of pure magical impulse, grabbed the lamp, ripped it from its outlet, and with her eyes squeezed shut, smashed it against the creature.

There was a thud. Then several more thuds as it fell down the cellar stairs.

Rarity slowly opened her eyes. She looked around, spotting Twilight with her wings splayed and wide eyes. The unicorn softly laughed. “Well, that was a ghost.”

Twilight blinked. “Uh, well, I didn’t get a good look, because you pulling out the lamp made it all shadowy around the cellar, but it couldn’t have been a ghost, right? I mean, you were able to hit it with a lamp, and it fell down the stairs.”

“I only saw it for a second, but it was glowing, I tell you! Or see-through.” Rarity pointed her hoof. “See-through and glowing!”

“Maybe it was really the magic around the lamp that hit it? I should probably check what it was. Especially if it’s a ghost.” The princess lit her horn and took some tentative steps into the cellar door.

“Be careful, dear! Shout if you find anything.”

Twilight nodded and stepped inside. It didn’t take long for her to call out. “Rarity! This… this is—?!”

Rarity gulped, then jumped into the dark cellar, not knowing what she’d find.