Rarity and Twilight decide to stay at a haunted mansion for the night. What could go wrong?
Rarity's great grandaunt left behind a contest open to any member of her family: stay at her haunted mansion for one full night, and it's theirs. Between Rarity and her incredibly magical girlfriend, Twilight, it should be a simple matter, no matter what monsters appear. Right?
This story ended up more serious than previous exquisite corpses on this account. Also, due to people being busy, we had fewer participants than usual.
An exquisite corpse is a form of collaborative art where each participant only knows about part of the whole work, and must complete their part with limited context. In this case, each writer only had access to the previous chapter, resulting in the story getting confused, yet still moving forward undeterred. The exception is me having full context when helping out the others.
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.
Almost as soon as Rarity’s hooves hit the first step, she felt her breath be violently torn from her lungs.
She cried out but it was voiceless, and her eyes bulged widely as panic seized her spine. Her gaze was locked into the abyss that awaited her below. The slanted ceiling above her and the stairs below seemed to sink towards her, like the jaws of a massive creature ready to crush her and swallow her whole.
Rarity tried to pull away, to retreat back through the door, but her front hooves were frozen. She took a shaky breath, trying to make out Twilight through the darkness around her. But there was no sign of her, no single discoloration against the endless sea of black.
“Rarity?”
She gasped as Twilight’s voice shattered the silence that had built against her ears, like a hammer thrown straight through a stained glass window.
Rarity took a few more hesitant steps, the stairs creaking and groaning in alarm. “T-Twilight?” Her voice was raspy and shot full of holes. She paused, squeezing her eyes shut as she forced air into her lungs. “T-T-T… T-Twilight?!”
When there was no reply, Rarity wondered if she should wait for the rest of their friends to arrive.
“Rarity!”
But then, Twilight’s voice bobbed up and down like a ship swallowed by the sea.
Unable to keep looking into the darkness, Rarity studied the wall instead. The plaster was peeling, and bits of wallpaper were dotted across it. It reminded Rarity of the fur of some great beast, lurking in the shadows beyond her home.
And as she kept walking down the stairs, she could almost hear it growl.
“Twilight, dear, what is it?” Rarity stuttered. “Where are you?”
There was a flash of purple from within.
Rarity gasped, feeling a glimmer of hope surge up within her. She picked up the pace, almost flying down the stairs. As her hooves hit the last step however the aged plank gave way, and Rarity let loose a shriek as she fell forwards.
Before her face could hit the ground however, her entire body was seized in a warm velvet glow. She exhaled in relief as Twilight gently lowered her to the ground. “Twilight, did you… did you feel that?”
Twilight glanced at Rarity in confusion. “Feel what?”
“When you came in. Something… something seized me Twilight,” Rarity gasped, heart still fluttering. “Something wrapped around me like a snake, and sucked all the air from my lungs.”
Twilight tilted her hair, gazing at Rarity oddly. “Rarity, are you okay?”
Rarity shivered, feeling something tingling along her spine. She quickly shook it off with a sigh. “Oh… I suppose so. I must get over this fear anyways, should we wish to stay the night and keep the house. Did you find out what I kicked down the stairs?”
“No, but… well, you should see for yourself.” Twilight lit up her horn, basking the room in a bright purple glow.
When Rarity looked around she immediately realized that something was wrong. The dark cloud that had enveloped her was still there, with only the light from Twilight’s horn beating it back. She looked around the room, squinting hard into the darkness before finally voicing her suspicions. “What… Where are the walls?”
Rarity spun around, searching into the dark. But the truth remained: the basement was impossibly large. The only wall in sight was the one by the stairs, which Rarity had studied on her way down. The others were nowhere in sight, and the room seemed to span on forever.
“I don’t know, but…” Twilight gestured to the floor. When Rarity followed her gaze to the floor, her breath caught in her throat again when she saw a set of hoofprints, vanishing into the darkness. “Rarity, are you sure you don’t know anything about this?”
“Why… I certainly know there were stories,” Rarity stammered. “I believe my uncle mentioned their groundskeeper… the ancestor of the current one. She would often proclaim the house was alive, although nobody believed her.”
“Alive?” Twilight tapped her chin. “Hm.”
Rarity studied the tracks with suspicion. “I… She considered herself not a groundskeeper but a caretaker.”
Twilight levitated the lamp Rarity had thrown over, now broken in two pieces. “Well… you definitely hit something with this. Just… what was it?”
There was a clatter from somewhere within, and both Rarity and Twilight’s heads whipped around.
They stared into the darkness as the house made noises around them. Rarity’s ear flicked as the groaning of pipes, the dripping of a faucet, and several dull thuds were heard. As she stared into the wall-less, infinite room, her head began to spin, and the distant noises turned into a voice.
A voice that was calling her name.
Rarity. Find me.
“Twilight,” Rarity said, her voice nearly unheard. “Twilight, there’s something in there.”
Neither of them noticed as behind them, the door above the stairs swung shut.
Their hoofsteps echoed through the limitless black.
“Maybe one of the girls will open the door,” Twilight whispered. “There’s still time to go back, Rarity.”
“I know.”
She felt the gentle press of Twilight’s wing across her back. At least Twilight had gotten stuck down here with her. If she was alone in this place… Rarity preferred not to think about it.
“I heard something, Twilight. It sounded like it needed help.”
“Do you think it was the house?”
“… Maybe.” The sounds that greeted the pair when they first descended into the basement were long gone and their voices were almost deafening in the overarching silence.
Somewhere in her mind, Rarity wondered just how large this basement was. There still wasn’t a single wall in sight, the illumination from Twilight’s horn being greedily devoured by the darkness.
“I can’t see the stairs anymore.” Twilight let out a soft sigh. “Whatever’s going on here, we’re committed.”
Rarity. Over here.
She stopped in her tracks, ears swiveling frantically to locate the source of the voice.
“Rarity?”
“I think it’s over there.” Rarity pointed a hoof to her right. If she was pointing at something specific, she wouldn’t know it. “Did you hear it?”
Twilight’s wing tightened around her withers. “No, but I believe you. Let’s go.”
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“Has it said anything else?”
“Not yet, dear.” Unfortunately. Whatever this creature was, it had horrid manners. Leaving ponies to wander in the darkness for hours on end. “Let me sit for a moment, darling. I need a break.”
“It’s been about twenty minutes since you heard that voice. Nearly twice that since I started counting. Probably approaching an hour down here,” Twilight announced as she joined Rarity.
“Well, that’s comforting,” Rarity mumbled as she buried her face in Twilight’s shoulder. Once again, she thanked Celestia that she was down here with Twilight of all ponies. The smell of lavender in her fur was the only thing keeping Rarity from freaking out right now.
“Why did I think this was a good idea, Twilight? Why did I drag you and the girls into it?” she whined. “When in the history of Equestria has staying the night in a haunted house worked out for the better?”
“To be fair, the offer of a free house is hard to pass up,” Twilight chuckled.
“A haunted one! Who would even want to live in a haunted house? With ghosts?”
Just then, Rarity felt Twilight jump.
“Darling?” She examined Twilight in the dim hornlight. “Are you alright?”
“A light just appeared.”
Rarity followed Twilight’s gaze to see exactly that. A point of light, piercing through the oppressive darkness, calling out to its weary wanderers.
This was it. It had to be. This was where that voice was coming from, what it wanted Rarity to see.
“Wha– Rarity!”
Her breath heaved as she sprinted towards the light, followed by Twilight. They couldn’t risk it disappearing.
As she got closer, the beacon seemed to grow even brighter. Yet even that could not dispel the darkness of this “basement.” Rarity had to clamp her eyes shut from the pain.
In an instant, the blinding light went out, tempting her to reopen her eyes.
And then she ran into a wall.
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“Ow, owie, ow.” Rarity nursed her head as she tried to get a handle on the spinning world. Wherever she was, it was softly illuminated and filled with chestnut browns and fern greens. And smelled slightly of mothballs.
Focusing on the wooden floor beneath her until her vision steadied, Rarity braced herself and looked around.
The room she had stumbled into was evidently a bedroom, by the presence of a large four-poster bed occupying one of its corners. Rarity would have loved to speak to the designer that thought putting a bed of that design in the corner of a room was a good idea, but it was quite forgivable compared to the life-size statue of a diamond dog placed along the adjacent wall.
A quaint little vanity dresser covered with various bottles of perfume also caught Rarity’s eye. However…
“Twilight?” There was a distinct lack of anypony else in the room. “Twilight, darling? Please tell me you’re here and you’re– and, and I’m not… Oh dear.”
Rarity’s ears suddenly caught a muffled voice. A tapping followed, drawing her attention to a small panel in the wall next to the vanity dresser. Cautiously taking the handle in her magic, she slid the panel to the side.
“Rarity!”
“Twilight! Oh, thank Celestia!”
On the other side of a barred window was her anchor.
“Are you alright, Rarity?”
“Perfectly, now that I know where you are… Erm, where exactly are you?” The urge to hug Twilight was strong, but unfortunately that would have to wait until the two were reunited.
“Some kind of kid’s room. It looks like one of those places you’d be in for an escape room.” Twilight glanced over her shoulder. “And the door’s locked. Where are you?”
“A very badly decorated master bedroom, from what I can gather. Honestly, there’s a –”
At that moment, the cold claws of whatever creature they had encountered in the basement once again wormed their way into Rarity’s fur. Her words died out as the air was squeezed from her lungs and her hooves froze to the ground.
“Rarity? Rarity, what’s wrong?”
It was all Rarity could do to give Twilight a terrified glance.
She watched her friend’s brow narrow in understanding. “I don’t know what you are, but unhand my friend right this instant. We mean you no harm, nor are we looking to cause trouble.”
Slowly, the cold subsided as whatever it was slithered away. Rarity sucked in a deep breath of air and laid her head against the wall next to the window.
“Thank you, darling.”
“Anytime. But for now, let’s look for a way out of these rooms.”
As the pair split up to investigate their new environment, a distant voice floated through the air.
Shrugging off the voice, Rarity looked at the little vanity dresser again, this time taking the time to look it over. The drawers were cracked, and with a tug of magic from her horn, the white unicorn confirmed her suspicion of them being cracked.
With a huff of annoyance, she then focused on the few bottles of perfume that adorned the dresser. They seemed to be in mint condition, she thought, and lifted the first of the bottles to sample it.
How strangely cold she felt when she smelled lavender, of all things, just like Twilight... Rarity set the bottle down as she cast a glance to her heart through the panel in the wall. She watched as the purple alicorn scoured the children's bedroom, looking for a way out, same as she should be doing.
With a sigh, Rarity refocused herself, and looked to the positively drab statue of a diamond dog. It was a finely carved marble statue, she gave it that, but the taste was just… tacky? She almost preferred the unending dark part of this basement, frankly.
Was it this monster - or ghost? - who had decorated this property, Rarity wondered, as her eyes danced over the statue. And of course, she worried about her friends. She hoped they were okay in this house, haunted it may be… She was thankful that they didn't have to see this room at least, lest their standards be bastardised by-
There, Rarity spotted, was a small and ornate wooden key hanging on the back of the beast's head. It's not like Rarity had anything she could use it on, however.
Rarity opted to leave it be for now as she looked to the bed, inanely stuck into the bedroom's corner, of course. The bed's frame itself was surprisingly luxurious and in fine condition, which only made Rarity blanch ever harder at the torn and flea-infested blankets on top of it's mattress - at least until she spotted a number of lumps, at the hoof of the bed.
Opting to keep her distance - so as to avoid getting a quite literal flea-bitten coat - Rarity levitated the blankets away and perked her ears forward when she found an elegant silver peytral, with an open, engraved space in its centre - along with some torn plush toys.
At the same time, Rarity heard the sound of her beloved exclaiming a loud "Oh!" A tinge of excitement in Twilight's voice.
Levitating the peytral along her side, Rarity called to Twilight as she reached the barred panel separating them. "Oh? Twilight, did you find something?"
"I… think so?" Twilight replied, uncertainty tinting her voice. "It's a small, locked trunk I found under a loose floorboard, buuut… I don't exactly have a way to open it. Otherwise, this room is pretty empty…" Rarity then heard a hum from her as her face came into view, framed by the metal bars in the panel opening. "I did find a blue gem, however, I don't see how that helps us out of here." Twilight said lamely.
But Rarity's interest was piqued. "Hang on, darling, I think…" She trotted back over to the statue, before returning with it in tow. "I think this might be what you're looking for!" She gently exclaimed, thrusting it past the bars, before allowing Twilight's magic to assume control of it.
"Now, may I take a look at the gem? I'd rather look at something rather than do nothing at all - besides you, of course." Rarity said with a small grin, while one of her hooves pushdd her mane back.
Twilight obliged, and her ears were splayed to the side as a blush and a smile brilliantly decorated her dearest's face. "I'm… not sure now's the best time for this, Rarity." Twilight cutely said as she turned away to examine the trunk, even as some of her magic reached out to caress Rarity's cheeks - leaving the alabaster mare rosy pink. "Now, let's see here…"
Rarity watched as Twilight fiddled the small trunk, before glancing to the gem she now levitated. It was a dull and cloudy blue piece, although she had to admit that it was beautifully carved - if only it was a little more radiant, Rarity thought, and she levitated it next to the peytral beside her.
Before anything else could happen, Rarity heard a click of a lock turning, and glance back to Twilight just in time to see her - and the room she was in - disappear before her eyes, the same unending blackness as before taking their place.
Rarity's heart froze; but so did her legs, she realised, and she could hardly breath, even as she tried to take deep, deep breaths to calm herself.
And then she felt cold, cold claws grab onto her, and she felt a breath on the back of her neck - but not the hot breath of something alive, no, it was… cold, and clammy, a-and…
Who are you all, to come here? ...can you help me?
The floorboards beneath hooves creaked, and then cracked, and then shattered, and through them, Rarity fell.
Rarity groaned, her sides aching as she struggled to recover from the fall. Questions raced through her head-- just how far had she fallen? Where was she now? What was it that had… held her in place and whispered to her?? Where was Twilight?? The last thing Rarity had seen was the alicorn disappearing into darkness, the room she was in vanishing along with her… She forced herself to her hooves, letting out a harsh gasp as she felt a sharp pain in her left forehoof; apparently it had been injured in the fall. Treating it more gingerly now, she managed to stand. .
“Twilight!!” she cried out, her voice echoing into the darkness, a tinge of panic in her voice. The only response was an echo, quickly snuffed out into silence. She felt a chill at the sudden realization that she was truly alone.
“Chin up, Rarity,” she muttered to herself, taking in a deep breath. “There’s nothing to be afraid of; even if there are ghosts, you’ve surely faced worse.” Straightening herself up, she lit her horn with a simple light spell to get a better look at her surroundings.
What she saw made her jaw drop. She appeared to be in some sort of cavern, albeit an unnatural one; the room was larger than it had seemed in the dark, and was dominated by a massive statue of a unicorn, flanked on each side by diamond dog statues similar to the one she had seen in the cabin above. She looked so forlorn; her face was weathered and worn, and her look made Rarity’s heart ache. The walls were lined with shelves set into the stone, small stone jars evenly spaced along the shelves.
That was when it struck her. “I’m in a… mausoleum?” she said to herself, eyes widening. That certainly explained some of the strange happenings she had been experiencing. Even so, this was practically a nightmare. She stepped closer to the statue; it appeared to be damaged somehow. The chest had fallen in, leaving behind a crescent moon-shaped hole.
Suddenly, a chill settled in Rarity’s chest; she struggled to breathe. This was the same sensation that had happened before… she closed her eyes, willing the claws to not grasp her and the feelings to pass. Eventually though, she heard a voice, really more of a bare whisper.
Can you help me?
There it was, the same thing that she had heard on the floor above before she had fallen down here. She felt something brush close to her, the touch freezing her. “We’re certainly here to try,” she said, feeling the touch slowly recede at her words. Encouraged by this, she continued talking. “Is this your grave? What happened here?”
There was a long pause. I no longer remember. I was supposed to protect this place.
Rarity opened her eyes, looking around, but she couldn’t see anything. She tried to press on with her questions. “Is that why I’ve felt like you were attacking us?”
I had to know that you were safe. That you meant no harm.
Then surely you could have done without frightening us so, Rarity thought. Rather than saying it, she bit down on her lip and took a deep breath. “Very well. So, now that you’ve chosen to speak, what help do you need, darling?”
The voice became pensive, hurting. Something is missing.
Missing…? Hmmm. She looked again towards the statue and the inscription, before her eyes lit up. Of course!! The peyton from the previous floor!! “One moment,” she said, going to look around. Perhaps it had fallen down here with her?
It took some searching, but eventually she managed to find the silver armor piece, half-buried under rubble from above. Taking it in her magic with a triumphant smile, Rarity turned back to the statue, gently floating the piece of armor and slotting it into the statue. It fit in with a satisfying click.
Still, it wasn’t quite right… something was missing. Rarity frowned. The indentation in the center was leaving something to be desired. If it was her design, she’d probably use some sort of--
Gem!! Twilight had found a gem above, hadn’t she? It may have needed a polish, but it was about the right shape. Looking around once more, she saw the faint glimmer, and quickly took it into her magic, placing it within the peyton. Once in place, it glowed softly.
Looking around, Rarity called out to the spectre that had been talking with her. It still hadn’t revealed itself... “Darling? Hello…?”
As she was looking around, the soft glow from the gem grew brighter, drawing her eyes towards it, as a pale figure stepped through the statue. It was still indistinct-- Rarity couldn’t quite make out the features, but it was vaguely pony shaped, and it made the room grow even colder. As she watched, she felt the shade look down at her. After another moment, the whisper returned.
… Thank you.
“You’re quite welcome,” Rarity said, quite pleased with herself. “Now, if you could simply return me to my friends, I would be ever so grateful.”
A long pause. Very well.
Before Rarity could respond, she was suddenly held in place, claws grasping at her side. Suddenly, the shade she was looking at rushed towards her. Rarity closed her eyes, feeling the wind rush over her.
The mausoleum filled with light, making Rarity cover her eyes. Moments later, she felt weightless. Taking a peek down, she saw nothing but white around her, and no ground below. In surprise, she flailed her limbs around, sending her tumbling head over heels. At least, as far as she could tell with no frame of reference.
Before she could even start to think about her situation, she fell onto grass with a thud. Spitting soil out, she started getting up, only to be rudely reminded of her injured leg and fall back down. She groaned in frustration, but then felt warm magic around her, which lifted her up. She looked and saw Twilight smiling at her in relief.
“Rarity, are you OK?” she said, looking closely at Rarity’s injured leg.
Rarity looked around. The ground, the mist around them, and the mansion itself nearby. They were outside. “I’m fine, dear. Well, I got hurt when I fell earlier, but I managed to resolve all that ghost business, at least.”
Rarity felt Twilight’s magic lightly press on parts of her leg, and the princess announced, “Just a sprain, thankfully. Now, where’s everypony else?”
With that, they hurt a chorus of yelps behind them, and they turned to see their friends on the ground, having clearly gone through a similar experience as them. Thankfully, none of them seemed worse for wear, and they all quickly got up.
“What the heck was that?” asked Applejack.
“Whatever that was, it was awesome!” said Rainbow Dash.
“Says the mare who was screaming the entire time,” Applejack replied.
“W-well yeah, that’s how you know it was awesome,” Rainbow stammered.
“I was screaming too,” said Fluttershy, “but you probably didn’t hear me.”
Pinkie hummed. “Eh, I wasn’t impressed.”
Twilight and Rarity approached them, with Twilight’s magic holding up her injured leg. The princess asked, “Did you girls see the strange figure—”
“Just call it a ghost, dear,” said Rarity.
Twilight rolled her eyes. “Did you see it too?”
Pinkie shook her head. “Nope! No ghost deer here!”
Fluttershy frowned. “I think I saw something. In fact, I think it’s right there!”
The mares all gasped and looked where Fluttershy pointed. From the mist came an elderly mare, with a yellow coat and faded green hair. She wore a jacket and boots, along with a belt full of gardening tools. “Ah, you must be Miss Rarity and her party, then?”
Rarity brightened up. “You must be the groundskeeper!” Her expression turned serious. “You know, you were having quite a ghost problem there! I believe we have resolved it, however, so feel free to thank us.”
The groundskeeper hummed. “That’s good to hear. Now, you’re here for that silly contest, correct? Best I help you all in, then.”
Realization hit Rarity. “Wait, the contest?” She looked around. It was dark, with the only lights coming from lamps around them. “It’s still night! And we’re outside! We lost the contest!”
“Funny, I never saw you go in,” commented the groundskeeper. She chuckled. “Well, I suppose that isn’t so strange.”
“Do you really still want that house, Rarity?” asked Fluttershy, with furrowed brows.
Rarity thought for a moment, then sighed. “Honestly, even if the ghost is no longer dangerous, I’d rather never set foot in that place again.”
The groundskeeper shrugged. “Fair enough. You’re open to try again later, if you desire.”
Rarity scoffed. “I think not. Now, it was lovely meeting you, Miss…?”
“Just call me Caretaker.”
Rarity’s eyes widened. “Oh yes, so I’ve heard. In any case, I think it’s best we spend our Nightmare Night… not in a haunted mansion.”
With nods of approval, Rarity and her friends all left, leaving the groundskeeper behind in the mist.
Twilight and Rarity fell behind the others, with Rarity having to walk on three legs. To Rarity’s surprise, Twilight’s magic lifted her in the air and then placed her on her back. Breathing a sigh of relief, Rarity nuzzled into Twilight’s mane.
“So, where did you end up after we separated?” asked Twilight.
“I was at the ghost’s grave. Well, the ghost’s body’s grave,” said Rarity. “It—or, she I suppose, was guarding it but forgot why. I fixed up a statue of a unicorn—it was too worn to tell who it was—and that seemed to make her happy. Then I was sent back here. How about you?”
Twilight scrunched her brows. “I was in the same room or a similar one as when you last saw me, when we were solving those puzzles. I was alone for a while, but—I guess this was after you talked to her—she appeared in front of me.”
Twilight examined the room for a fifth time, wondering if there was something she missed. As a last resort, she could start blasting, but she was wary of what effect that would have on this strange dimensional warping.
Suddenly, she appeared. An apparition glowing white. It was hard to make out any features, but she seemed to be a unicorn mare.
They stood in silence. Twilight stared at the figure, trying to make sense of her. She couldn’t tell for sure, but Twilight could feel that she was staring back.
“Who are you?” Twilight finally asked.
The ghost was silent, as though pondering this. Finally she replied, “It’s hard to know what to say. Simply speaking for too long could give it away.”
There was a strange sadness in that voice, but also a warmth. Twilight’s mouth hung open, and she didn’t know how to reply.
The ghost continued. “Staying here was miserable, and I nearly lost myself in the process, but seeing you… Princess… made it all worthwhile. I think I’ll be able to leave now.”
The light around her head shifted, and Twilight felt like she was smiling. “Just one more thing. Don’t feel sad about what will happen.”
Before Twilight could ask what she meant, she was enveloped in light and had to cover her eyes.
“I can only speculate on what she meant,” Twilight said. “She must have been here for a while, so during her time, Celestia was the only princess. Is that why she was happy to see another princess? And when she said don’t feel sad, did she mean about losing the contest?”
Rarity hummed, trying to put the pieces together. “I wonder. Is that really all that was about?”
“Who was your great grandaunt, anyway? Really?”
Rarity pressed her head into Twilight’s neck. “The truth is, I can’t really say. In our family tree, she just sort of pops up without any parents listed, and she didn’t even marry in. One story I heard is that she just came in one day, declared herself part of the family, and she was just too fabulous to deny. Goals, I suppose.”
“And nothing that would explain how, well, all this happened?”
“If you’re asking for stories about her dabbling in the dark arts or something like that, then I’m afraid I have none.”
Twilight thought for several moments. “Maybe it’s best if we just let this be.”
Rarity sat up. “Twilight Sparkle, giving up on a mystery? My, what is the world coming to?”
“It’s just that kind of night, I suppose. Well, if we’re lucky, we should still have time to give out candy, so let’s hurry home.”
The two mares at last stepped again into the world of the living.
Caretaker worked in her garden, pulling out a particularly pesky weed, when she heard voices carry on the mist.
“And this is where we’ll be staying for tonight!” Rarity said with a cheerful voice.
Twilight hummed then said, “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 replied, “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!”
Caretaker had a hard time seeing them clearly, but from the way the fog moved, she could tell from Rarity’s gait that she was completely uninjured. She watched as they continued speaking, then walked into the mansion.
The groundskeeper smiled. “‘As long as none of them leave during that time,’ huh?” She laughed throatily. “Well, Miss Rarity, I don’t expect to see you come out after you go in, so it seems you’ve won the mansion after all.”
She continued chuckling as she pulled an amulet out of her belt. She opened it and looked at the black and white picture inside, of an old but still remarkably beautiful mare, with an expression that was simultaneously sad and hopeful. Though her mane had long gone gray, it retained a lovely and carefully crafted curl.
“Not that it ever belonged to anyone else.”
Caretaker couldn’t help but giggle. It was just so absurd. Then, she reared back and let out uproarious laughter, making the crows around her take flight.
Don’t feel sad about what will happen… next time you visit...
