Castle Mane-ia
Pony's Log Number 403: Ever had those moments where everypony get the idea to go the same dark and spooky location without even realizing it? Well, I have...
One day in Golden Oak Library, Twilight and Mario were busy searching through all the books they had to try and uncover some information about the chest and the Power Hearts. Twilight was upstairs in what was now their working space reading a book while she had stack upon stack of other books behind her. Mario was busy reading downstairs in the main room. Twilight had just finished going through another book when she groaned in frustration. Nopony could blame her, she was getting tired of her efforts to find information kept coming up empty. Spike had just come upstairs donning his pink apron and holding a feather duster when Twilight threw a book at the wall, destroying the feather duster in the process.
"What's wrong, Twilight?" Spike asked with concern.
"Ugh, I've gone through every book in Ponyville, Spike," Twilight vented as she scanned another book, "Even the books my husband owns too! There isn't a single mention of the mysterious chest that came from the Tree of Harmony, nor anything about the keys that unlock it! Don't even ask me if I've found anything about those Power Hearts and their connection to the chest either! But something tells me that opening it is pretty important." Twilight then flew over to a very tall and wobbly stack of books and grabbed one from the top.
"Well, maybe your husband has found something," Spike protested.
"Arrrrrgh! Horseapples!" Mario shouted angrily as he threw a book at a wall, which ricocheted off the wall and smacked him in the face, "Ouch!" Twilight just rolled her eyes and sighed.
"You okay down there, sweetie?" she asked.
"Yes, dear," Mario replied with a groan from below, "I just learned how to hit the books the hard way."
"I hope Princess Celestia has some ideas," Twilight told Spike, "If the library in Canterlot doesn't have anything. I-I don't know where else to look!" It was then Spike yelped as the entire stack of books came tumbling down on him.
"What if we sent a message to Cadance?" Mario proposed from below since he heard his wife, "Maybe the Crystal Library might have something."
"Mario, that's a great idea!" said Twilight, "I almost forgot about the..."
BURP!
Spike had just poked his head out of the book pile when he gave a loud burp that produced a message. Twilight grabbed the parchment with her magic.
"Honey, Princess Celestia sent us a message!" Twilight called as Mario wasted no time heading upstairs and stood beside his wife.
"My dearest Twilight and Mario," Twilight read aloud, "while it would be perfectly lovely to have you both in Canterlot once more, I have another option in mind much closer to Ponyville." It was then the voice changed from Twilight to Princess Celestia herself as they continued to read the message.
"As you know, the ancient castle that I once shared with Princess Luna lies mostly in ruins, deep in the Everfree Forest. But if you look carefully, you may find some books that could prove helpful to your research, hidden somewhere in what's left of the castle library."
Twilight, Mario, and Spike then made their way through the Everfree Forest. The three couldn't help but share nervous looks with each other as they arrived at the very familiar ruins of the old castle, which some misty fog still sounded the bridge to get to it. Once they made their way past the planetarium where the Element of Harmony used to be kept, Twilight found that the door to the main courtroom were sealed shut and no doorknobs or handles to open them.
"We got inside the last time without much of a problem," said Twilight as she examined the doors.
"That's because Nightmare Moon tried to capture the Elements and teleported us with her," Mario reminded her.
"Oh yeah," Twilight remarked when she saw two levers beside the door, "oh, one of these should open the doors." Twilight then pulled one of the levers with her magic.
"WRONG LEVEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEER!"
KER-SPLASH!
Mario was then dropped through a trap door and into some water far below, leaving Twilight and Spike stunned. He later came through the courtyard entrance soaking wet, with a young cragadile biting his tail.
"Okay, why does Mom even have that lever?" Mario asked rhetorically as he bucked the cragadile off his tail, making it whimper and scurry away. Twilight bit her lip and Spike covered his mouth to avoid laughing.
"Are you okay, honey?" Twilight asked, her voice jumping an octave from trying not to laugh. Mario just growled inwardly.
"Just peachy," Mario answered bluntly as Twilight snickered and pulled the other lever, which opened the doors this time around. Once Mario had dried himself off, the royal couple and Spike headed into the ruins of the castle throne room. The three cautiously made their way to another room. Once Twilight saw where they were, she gasped happily as a wide smile appeared on their face.
"Wow!" Twilight exclaimed excitedly as she flew around the area, "Look at all these ancient books! It's a veritable goldmine! I can't believe it!"
"In other words," Mario added as he hovered beside her, "We just won the literature lottery!"
"Woo-hoo!" Mario and Twilight cheered together. Spike just nervously walked around, until he got some spider webs all over his face.
"Whoa, whoa-whoa! Oof!" Spike mumbled as he tumbled over into his back. Spike then opened his eyes to see a giant alicorn statue head starting down at him and yelped.
"So, uh, Twilight, Mario," Spike asked nervously, "Uh, ready to head home?"
"Are you kidding?" Twilight said as she popped up from behind a huge stack of books with her wings opened, "This place is perfect!" Poor Spike was now trembling nervously as his teeth chattered while two spiders were scuttling in the foreground and behind him. Then along came a spider that sat down beside him and scared the poor dragon unconscious.
(Lost a life fanfare)
Mario quickly hovered over to Spike and fed the little dragon a green and white mushroom.
(Extra life fanfare)
Once Spike woke up, Mario helped him to his feet.
"Don't worry, Spike," said Mario, "I've got just the thing we need to protect us from anything spooky."
"What might that be?" Twilight asked as Mario then dug out into his magic saddle bag and attached a red cylinder with a what looked like a vacuum attachment to his right side and Mario held a flashlight with his magic.
"I present to you my latest invention," said Mario proudly, "the Pony-geist 3000!" Twilight and Spike just gave him blank looks.
"The what now?" Twilight asked bluntly, "It's looks like a vacuum!"
"Indeed my beautiful wife," Mario answered, "but it's designed specifically to fight off spooky antagonists."
"You've gotta be kidding me," Twilight remarked with an eye roll and Spike just shook his head.
(Cue Ghostbusters fanfare)
"Well, if you've got trouble with ghosts, ghouls, or any kind of spectral monsters," said Mario as he stood on his hind legs and held the vacuum attachment with his fore-legs, "Who you gonna call?"
"Not you," Spike remarked.
(record scratch fanfare)
Mario slumped back on all fours in irritation as Spike and Twilight snickered to each other.
"Thanks alot..." Mario remarked irritably when a flash of lightning struck, making Mario jump and tremble nervously.
"I'm not afraid of no ghosts..." Mario muttered to himself.
(Main Theme)
At Sweet Apple Acres, Rainbow was just standing very still...and was covered in a bunch of bees.
"I'm not gonna move," said Rainbow, "You move."
"Uh-uh," said Applejack, who was also completely covered in bees, "There is no way I'm movin'." Pinkie was sitting just a short distance away near a set up table that had a pink table cloth on it. Gummy was sitting beside her.
"This is the most daring dare anypony even dared dare another pony to dare!" said Pinkie excitedly a she held a notepad in her fore-hoof.
"Huh?" Rainbow and Applejack asked as they looked at Pinkie with puzzled looks on their faces.
"It's exciting!" Pinkie exclaimed as she raised her fore-legs into the air. Gummy just sat still as a lone bee buzzed through one nostril and came out from the other. Applejack and Rainbow continued to stare at each other down when the beekeeper, a pony named Parcel Post, appeared.
"Uh, whatcha'll doing?" Parcel Post asked.
"Rainbow Dash and Applejack are competing for the title of "Most Daring Pony"!" Pinkie told Parcel Post as she got into the pony's face, "This is the final test: the Bee Stare! Last Pony to blink wins!" Pinkie then bounced in front of Rainbow and Applejack, then behind them, and then between their heads. Parcel Post was not that impressed.
"...I'm gonna need my bees back," said Parcel Post.
"But then we'll never find out who the Most Daring Pony is!" Rainbow protested.
"Eh, sorry about that," said Parcel Post as he walks away and gives a loud whistle. The bees soon flew off of Rainbow and Applejack and followed their master. It was then revealed that Rainbow and Applejack were wearing protective bee-keeping suits, showing that despite trying to be the most daring pony, they were still keeping their safety in mind.
"Well, what do we do now?" Applejack asked as she removed her headgear.
"Don't worry ladies," said Pinkie, "I've been keeping excellent score all day!" Pinkie then walked in front of them to the side and looked at her notepad.
"Hmm, move the decimal, carry the 2, and..." Pinkie said quietly before announcing aloud, "Congratulations! You're tied!"
"Tied?" Applejack said in shock.
"You can't be tied for the Most Daring Pony!" Rainbow added.
"I dunno!" said Pinkie as she showed them her notepad, "Numbers don't lie!" The two ponies looked at Pinkie's notepad, which didn't have any numbers on it at all but just random drawings and doodles. Rainbow and Applejack just shared looks with each other.
"I'd love to stay and keep keeping score," Pinkie continued as she turned to leave, "but I promised to test the new school bell. I get to ring it all week, nonstop! And I don't even have to take turns, because no one else volunteered!" Pinkie then swung her tail about as Gummy clung into it, imitating the sound of a bell. The pink pony giggled to herself as she bounced away.
"Okay, no problem," said Rainbow as she removed her bee suit and shoved it away, "We just have to come up with another daring dare." Applejack began to look around until she noticed the Everfree Forest just a short distance away.
"Right, I think I might have an idea of what we can do," Applejack replied as she gave Rainbow a sly look. Rainbow just smiled deviously in agreement.
Meanwhile, Rarity was already making her way through the dangerous forest with Fluttershy and Angel just a short distance behind her.
"Um, Rarity?" Fluttershy asked timidly, "Don't you think it's a little late in the day to be walking through the forest? It is...star spider season, after all. Though, I'm sure you have a very good reason."
"Simply the most important reason I've ever had in my entire life!" Rarity answered regally as Fluttershy hovered up to her.
"Oh, well then I'm happy to help," Fluttershy replied with a smile as Angel followed right behind the yellow Pegasus, "What is it?"
"I've heard rumors that the Castle of the Two Sisters is filled with the most gorgeous of ancient tapestries in all of pony history!" Rarity explained, "It pains me to think of those magnificent creations rotting away in those old ruins, totally unappreciated."
"I see..." said Fluttershy quietly as they reached the bridge needed to cross the chasm to the other side where the castle was located.
"I require your help in borrowing one or two to bring back to the boutique where I can restore them," Rarity continued as she finished crossing the bridge, "Maybe I'll even use the patterns as the inspiration for a new line!" Rarity gave the yellow Pegasus a toothy smile.
"That does sound...very important," Fluttershy replied as she looked at Angel.
"Yes, well," Rarity said as she cleared her throat, "maybe not the most important thing in my entire life, but retro-ancient classic will be all the rage next season, so it's nothing to sneeze at." It was then Fluttershy and Angel arrived on the other side of the bridge, the latter hopped under her chin. His fur tickled Rarity's nose and made her sneeze. The three then made their way to the room where they had found the Elements of Harmony.
"Um, are you sure you need those tapestries?" Fluttershy asked wearily.
"But, of course," said Rarity as a matter of fact, "Although, I must admit these ruins are a fright. Just look at all the dirt everywhere! Ugh..." Rarity then cringed in disgust as she saw that her fore-hooves had stepped into some mud and tried to flick it off before moving on. It was then Angel charged ahead. Fluttershy gasped.
"Angel!" Fluttershy exclaimed as she ran after him. Rarity just followed behind at a more casual pace.
Back in the Library, Twilight was finding it difficult to read her book.
"It's starting to get really dark in here," Twilight said aloud, "We better go find something to light up this room."
"G-g-g-good id-d-dea," said Spike, who was feeling very nervous being in such a dark and creepy place. Mario just said nothing as he sat leaning forward on the table with his fore-legs crossed and a stern looking face.
"Cheer up, honey," Twilight replied, "We've only got through a few dozen books or so. There's still more books to look at. So many more!" Twilight grew excited at the idea, but her excitement disappeared when she saw that Mario was still looking rather moody.
"Okay, spill, Mario," Twilight asked bluntly, "What's bugging you this time?" Mario just shifted his eyes.
"I'll admit that I did slap together that little invention of mine in just an hour," Mario remarked, "but I don't appreciate you and Spike putting me down for it. I built it for protection because nopony knows if this place is haunted and it gives me the creeps!" Twilight just sighed as she sat next to him and nuzzled his head.
"I'm sorry, dear," said Twilight, "I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. But there are no such things as ghosts."
"You sure about that?" said Mario, "Remember the monsters encyclopedia pages 626-675?" Twilight blinked.
"Oh...right..." Twilight remarked wearily, "But...there is no way they would reside here. I'm sure of it."
"I hope you're right," said Mario, "But...just in case." Mario equipped the device again and trembled a little as he held the vacuum part in his fore-legs, "I'm ready for anything!"
"That's the spirit," said Twilight, "Let's go find some candles so we don't have to sit here in the dark."
"Yes please," Mario said in agreement, "C'mon Spike!" Spike, still looking very scared, followed not too far behind.
"You'll be okay little bro," said Mario bravely as he used his magic to put him on his back, "Just keep a cool head and everything will be..."
FLASH!
"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Mario and Spike screamed as some lightning and thunder made the room flash and they ran as fast as they could up to Twilight and held her. Twilight was most annoyed.
"Will you two just calm down?" Twilight asked irritably as she made them let go of her.
"B-b-b-but, Twilight..." Mario whimpered.
"You'll be fine," said Twilight, "Geez, you're literally acting like Fluttershy right now."
"Am not!" Mario remarked as some more lightning flashed across the windows, making a scary looking shadow appear, "EEP!" Mario then rushed to stay as close to his wife as he could when they reached another door that had the rusted words "storage" on them.
"You go get the candles," Twilight said to Mario.
"M-m-m-me?" Mario spluttered.
"Better you than her making me do it!" Spike remarked, "Besides, you're the one who's got the key to the storage room!" Mario just groaned as he nervously raised the key with his magic, turned the lock, and pulled the key out. Then with a shaky fore-hoof, he reached for the door knob, hesitated a bit, before grabbing it and opening the door. The door gave a loud creak as Mario slowly opened it and found it loaded with old storage boxes, many of them dusty and covered in cob-webs. Mario couldn't help but hum a little tune. (The Luigi's mansion theme to be exact!) to try and calm his nerves, but it wasn't help too much. Mario then noticed a box that was loaded with candles high above a shelf. He hovered up to the box and went to try and reach for some candles with his magic. But instead of grabbing a candle, he pulled out a medium sized star spider!
"SPIDER! BAA! HA! HA-AAAAAAAAA!" Mario yelped as he crashed to the floor. His landing made the candle box fall off the shelf and crash into him, scattering a bunch of candles on himself. Plus something else made out of metal clanged as it bopped his head and landed by Twilight's hooves.
"Ooh, a candle obra!" said Twilight, "This will be perfect. Thanks honey!"
"You're...welcome..." said Mario dizzily as the spider scuttled away in the background.
As all this was happening, Rarity and Fluttershy were now surveying the main hall.
"Goodness!" Rarity exclaimed as she stood on her hind legs, "It's practically an artistic treasure trove of ancient good taste!" Rarity just sighed contently. Fluttershy watched Rarity for a moment when she saw Angel hopping about the area in the background.
"Angel! Oh, you really shouldn't have run off like that," said Fluttershy as she knelt down to speak to him eye to eye, "Ancient ruins are filled with all sorts of things that can hurt you! You could stub your toe, or, or trip on a loose stone...You have to be careful!" As Fluttershy spoke, Angel just lowered his ears annoyingly and gestured for Rarity to follow him as the marshmallow mare just snootily walked past Fluttershy and ignored her. Fluttershy finished her little rant and noticed that Angel and Rarity had left her behind.
I hate it when nopony takes my worries seriously, Fluttershy thought to herself before thinking nervously, but did you have to go and leave me all alone?! Fluttershy then took off to catch up with Angel and Rarity. It was then Mario, Twilight, and Spike walked across a run down balcony on the upper floor.
"I don't think I'll need all these candles, Twilight," Spike told her, "I was really only scared for a second."
"Riiiight," Mario said indignantly as Spike glared at him.
"Oh, these aren't for you, Spike," said Twilight, "We're gonna be studying late into the night, and we're gonna need all the light we can get."
"Oh, great," said Spike in a bored tone.
"Oh, goody," Mario added in the same tone. Twilight glared but then got an idea as a sly smile appeared on her face.
"Oh well," said Twilight casually to her husband, "I was gonna ask if you wanted to cuddle while we read but..." Mario then nuzzled the side her head lovingly.
"Have I told you how much I love you recently?" Mario asked sweetly.
"Hmm...not in a couple of days," Twilight teased as Mario blinked and looked at her sadly.
"Really? Oh, I'm so sorry, sweetheart," Mario replied, "I know you don't expect me to tell you every day, but I still like to make sure I tell you on a regular basis." Twilight giggled.
"You are, dear," Twilight replied, "I love you."
"I love you, too," Mario said back as they shared a kiss. Spike made a face.
"Ugh...I'm never gonna get used to them doing that in front of me," he muttered to himself as they disappeared down the hall. Down below, Rainbow and Applejack had just walked inside the main hallway.
"Uh, what's so daring about this place?" Rainbow asked skeptically, "This is where we got the Elements of Harmony."
"When I was just a filly," Applejack explained as she walked away and stood on a platform halfway up the stairs where the stair case split in two, "Granny Smith told me about an ancient legend. When Nightmare Moon was banished, not every bit of her dark magic went with her. Granny used to say, when night falls on her castle, that magic takes the form of...the Pony of Shadows!" Applejack had a worried look on her face as she spoke. Rainbow just looked at her blankly.
"You mean, like a ghost?" Rainbow asked.
"Nopony knows!" Applejack replied in a spooky tone with her fore-hooves raised to her chin.
"Ugh," Rainbow groaned indignantly.
Meanwhile, Rarity had just found an old tapestry that had Princess Luna on it.
"This one is perfect!" Rarity exclaimed excitedly as Fluttershy walked up to her with Angel behind her.
"Well, it certainly could use some restoration," said Fluttershy as she saw how tattered the tapestry looked.
"Be a dear, fly up there and lift it off that hook?" Rarity asked. Fluttershy did so and tried to grab one end with her teeth, but the tapestry was too heavy for her to lift it off the handle.
"Maybe from below?" Rarity called out. Fluttershy gave Rarity a glare as the marshmallow mare just smiled widely. Fluttershy then flew behind the tapestry and struggled behind it. Suddenly the wall rumbled and rotated about before Rarity and Angel. They two were left stunned when Fluttershy mysteriously disappeared.
On the other side of the wall, Rainbow and Applejack were walking down a hallway.
"I don't see what's so daring about an old legend," said Rainbow, "Plus, I don't believe in ghosts." Applejack just glared at Rainbow until she noticed the tapestry nearby shuffling and moving about. Neither pony knew it was Fluttershy struggling back there.
"You might wanna rethink your position on that," said Applejack nervously. Rainbow then noticed the shuffling tapestry when Fluttershy yelled fearfully. Rainbow and Applejack yelled before running for their lives. They then noticed a large shadow appear on the floor before them.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Rainbow and Applejack screamed. It was then the room went black and an even bigger shadow appeared on the floor as some lightning struck.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" The two ponies screamed again as another lightning strike appeared and the shadow was gone.
"You saw that, right?" Applejack asked fearfully.
"Run!" Rainbow shouted as they both took off into another part of the castle once again. Suddenly the wall with the tapestry, rotated back to face Rarity and Angel as Fluttershy came tumbling out from behind it.
"Ow...I think I hurt my wing," said Fluttershy with her wings opened and one looking slightly crumpled up. Angel gently patted her wing for comfort. The fact it didn't hurt when he touched it showed that it was most likely a minor injury.
"Oh, my dear, I am so sorry!" said Rarity as she walked up to Fluttershy, "That tapestry is far too heavy. We'll just have to find a smaller one." Rarity than walked away with Angel beside her.
"Oh, of course," said Fluttershy reluctantly as she closed her wings and followed after the two.
"Where, pray tell, did you disappear to?" Rarity asked as they walked along, or hopped in Angel's case.
"What do you mean?" Fluttershy asked puzzled.
"While you were struggling under that fabric," Rarity explained, "the entire wall spun around! You must have activated a secret door." Fluttershy just blinked.
"Oh, I'm sorry," Fluttershy responded.
"I suppose these ruins are chock full of them," Rarity remarked as Angel hopped ahead of the two ponies.
"Really?" Fluttershy asked.
"Absolutely," Rarity answered, "We must use the utmost care as we-" Fluttershy and Rarity yelped as a trap door opened underneath them and then tumbled down below. Angel then noticed that with all his hopping he had accidentally stepped on a hidden switch that transported the two ponies into underground lair of King Bowser's Dark World.
...
Oops, heh...wrong castle. Never mind.
Angel simply removed his foot off the switch, which closed the trap door behind him and scurried away.
Elsewhere in the castle, Rainbow and Applejack were still running for their lives.
"Okay so, maybe the legend is true!" Rainbow admitted as the two ponies ran down another hallway.
"Well, that's why I brought you here!" Applejack told her, "I guess only the most daring pony of all could stay in this castle all night without being scared off." Rainbow then screeched to a halt and gave Applejack a stern glare.
"Scared?" Rainbow retorted angrily, "I'm not scared!"
"Well, m-me neither!" Applejack said back with a slight stutter in her tone.
"Then it's settled!" said Rainbow definitively, "Whoever stays in the castle the longest is the Most Daring Pony!"
"Deal," said Applejack as they shared a fist bump together. It should also be mentioned that behind them are some rather creepy portraits on the wall.
"But it's gonna take a lot more than some shadow ghost pony to get me to leave," Rainbow said sternly.
"Me too! Humph!" Applejack added as they both trotted away. Neither of them noticing that the eyes of one painting were watching them.
Back in the castle library, Twilight, Mario, and Spike were just busy reading at a table with the candle obra giving them some light. Mario and Twilight were reading separate books but were cuddled up to each other for good measure, which made the former feel less afraid of his surroundings. Spike sat across from them holding a large book as big as himself.
"Find anything, Spike?" Twilight asked.
"Uh, nope," said Spike as he set his book on the table, "Nothing yet."
"I sure hope we can find something," said Mario as he closed his book and went to start reading another one, "As much as I love spending hours cuddling and reading with you, I really hope we find something for our efforts. Nothing is more discouraging when you give it your best and don't find what you're looking for." Twilight just hummed in understanding.
"We just have to keep looking," said Twilight, "C'mon, honey. How many years have we done all night research projects before and been successful?"
"About 99% of the time," Mario replied.
"You're supposed to say all the time!" Twilight protested.
"Oh, I guess the "Future Twilight" incident doesn't count," Mario replied. Twilight nearly rolled her eyes until she realized he wasn't cracking a joke or teasing.
"That was different, honey," Twilight replied as Mario smiled and got back to reading, but not for long. Mario had barely starting reading a page when a familiar white bunny jumped up to Spike.
"Aaah!" Spike yelped as he leaned on his chair. Instead of the chair falling completely over, he was attached to some sort of mechanism.
"Angel? What are you doing here?" Twilight asked surprised.
"Is Fluttershy with you?" Mario asked as well. Angel just looked at the royal couple when a gust blew out all the candles. Mario quickly prepared his device when two shelves of books split open and revealed a secret passage way.
"Stay here, everypony," said Mario as he nervously tip-hoofed on his hind legs toward the passage way and looked inside. Inside was a secret room filled with more ancient books, two windows that had the sun and moon designs on them, and a pedestal that had a large book sitting on it.
"Oh wow!" Mario exclaimed excitedly, "Honey, Come here! Come here! Take a look at this!" Twilight walked up, peeked inside, and gasped.
"Whoa!" Twilight exclaimed, especially when she saw the giant book on the pedestal, "The Journal of the Two Sisters." Twilight then gasped again, "Maybe this is the book Princess Celestia was talking about! Come sit with me, honey, and let's check it out!"
"Be right there, dear," Mario called out as Spike headed into the room nervously and Angel stood on Twilight's back, "Now what are you doing here, Angel?" Angel glared before snootily explaining why he was there.
"I see...Rarity...tapestries...Fluttershy's help...brought you along...separated..." Mario summarized quickly, "Well, the best thing you can do is stay here with us. So grab yourself a pillow and get comfortable. Mario then stepped on a switch that made a gold goblet appear filled with fresh water and a bowl loaded with, shockingly, fresh carrots, inside of it.
"Well, that was a surprise," Mario remarked as Angel jumped for joy and went to enjoy the treats. Mario just let Angel have his fun and went to go sit with his wife.
In another room that was filled with a long flight of stairs that spiraled downward, Applejack and Rainbow were making their way down. Applejack used the stairs and Rainbow just hovered herself down.
"I sure hope you're not afraid of the dark, Applejack!" said Rainbow smugly.
"I can't say that I am!" Applejack retorted, "But even if I was, I'd be at least fifty percent less scared of it then you."
"I dunno how all that math works because I'm not scared at all!" said Rainbow.
"Me neither!" Applejack snapped as she ran down to the bottom of the stair case and Rainbow landed soon afterward. It was then a loud whoosh was heard as they saw a bunch of wall shields that had fore-legs holding unlit torches.
"Huh?" Applejack exclaimed at the sight.
"W-what's the matter?" Rainbow asked, rather shakily, "It's just a dark hallway full of...disembodied pony legs.
"Yeah...nothin'...creepy about that," said Applejack as she lowered her hat, Rainbow didn't hesitate to use her wings to cover her eyes as they cautiously walked down the hall side by side.
Somewhere in the castle was a room that was pitch black as a pair of blue eyes opened up and tried to look around.
"I'm starting to wonder if maybe this castle doesn't want my expertise!" Rarity complained as she produced some light with her horn so Fluttershy and herself could see that they were inside a small room with no apparent exit.
"Oh dear, Angel?" Fluttershy said worriedly when she noticed that her bunny wasn't with them and started running about the room, "Rarity, have you seen him?"
"I'm not sure he made the trip down with us, dear," said Rarity.
"Oh goodness! We have to find him," said Fluttershy, "An ancient castle is no place for a bunny. He could get hit by falling debris, or the floor could give out under him! Oh! He could be trapped in a dark place and no way out!" Rarity just gave the panicking yellow Pegasus a blunt look.
"I can only imagine how that might feel," Rarity said flatly before she noticed a hole in the wall, "Hmm..."
On the other side of that hole was Rainbow and Applejack as they nervously made their way down the hallway with the creepy wall shields. Rainbow then blinked when she felt somepony put a fore-leg around her back, making the blue Pegasus blink.
"Applejack, if you're scared, you can just admit it," said Rainbow with a smirk on her face.
"Uh, I'm over here," said Applejack. Rainbow looked and noticed that Applejack was a few feet behind her. Rainbow then saw the fore-leg sticking out of one of the wall shields.
"AAAAAAAAH!" Rainbow screamed.
"AAAAAAAAH!" Applejack screamed right after as the two ran out of the hallway, screaming together. It was then a dark shadow appeared in the same area. Rarity gasped and pulled her fore-leg away fearfully.
"Rarity! What is it?" Fluttershy asked with concerned.
"I felt something...alive!" Rarity spluttered. Fluttershy gasped.
"Angel!" said Fluttershy with a smile and stuck her fore-hoof through the hole. At first she felt nothing but the other side of the wall. But she then grabbed one of the stone fore-legs, which activated a switch that caused the wall to spin about, dumping both mares into the hallway.
"Well, tapestries or no," Rarity complained irritably, "I have had just about enough of secret passages, mysterious presences, and unappreciative castles!" Her voice echoed as she reached the end of her venting and turned to leave.
"But we can't leave now," Fluttershy protested as she got in front of Rarity, "not with Angel lost somewhere in this dangerous old castle! He could be trapped under a crumbling statue, or stuck high in a tower without food or water or any friends at all!" Poor Fluttershy was literally worrying herself to the point of tears. Rarity just gave her an apathetic look and started walking away.
Back inside the secret library room, Angel was just reclining comfortably on a pillow as he stuffed his face with the carrots and water. Twilight and Mario were just cuddled up together and reading the Journal.
"Spike, Mario, you've got to hear this," said Twilight as she read the journal entry, "I love to duck behind the paintings, and through the Hall of Hooves still gives her a bit of a fright, the trap door slide is Luna's favorite."
"Cool," said Mario, "Honey, we should go check the slide out sometimes. I always loved a good secret slide. There's actually a hidden slide in Canterlot Castle. Cadance and I would spend hours riding it back when I was a foal. (Sigh) Happy times." Twilight just smiled at the idea. She really enjoyed hearing her husband's memories with Cadance. They reminded her of fun times with Shining Armor.
"Umm," Spike interrupted, ""Hall of Hooves"?"
"A room filled with these wall shields with hooves holding unlit torches," Mario replied as Spike just looked a little disturbed at such a place being in the castle.
"Soon the Organ to the Outside will be finished." Twilight continued reading, "I can hardly wait."
"I wonder if Mom or Aunt Luna can play the organ?" Mario pondered.
"What's the "Organ to the Outside"?" Spike asked.
"I have no idea!" Twilight said happily, eager to read more as Mario chuckled to himself. He was eager to read more himself.
"I still can't believe how much of a brat Mom used to be in her younger days," Mario remarked, "She almost makes Diamond Tiara look like a sweetheart."
"I dare you to call the Princess a brat to her face," Twilight remarked with sly smirk on her face.
"I already have," said Mario plainly, "She just rolled her eyes at me and Aunt Luna snickered." Twilight just blinked.
"Never took you as a pony who lives on the edge of disaster," Twilight remarked.
"Oh, there is alot you don't know about me, honey," Mario replied slyly. Twilight just rolled her eyes and continued reading. Angel just made a face of disgust.
"Get used to it, my friend," Spike remarked, "because you'll have to deal with that and lots of mushy stuff once Fluttershy marries Shenran. And the worst part is...it never ends." Angel squeaked before throwing a mostly eaten carrot at Spike's head. Spike just rolled his eyes at the bunny before walking off. He then flinched when he heard the faint sound of a pipe organ playing. One floor below them was Rarity and Fluttershy, who were continuing their search for Angel. Another floor down was a cloaked figure playing the organ, which Rainbow and Applejack just ran past the entrance as they heard the music. Applejack flinched as she stopped running. Then Rainbow crashed headfirst into her and spin away.
"You hear that?" Applejack asked.
"You mean, the creepy sound of a haunted pipe organ?" Rainbow asked once she recovered and hovered beside the orange pony.
"Uh...maybe?" Applejack replied timidly.
"I don't know what you're talking about!" Rainbow said with her fore-hooves crossed and worried look on her face. The organ music than played again, making the two ponies whinny and hugged each other before they ran off once more.
"Uh, Twilight? Mario?" said Spike timidly when he heard the music again, "Did you hear something?"
"Hmm, no little bro," said Mario as he looked at the dragon, "must have missed it...what did you hear?"
"I...I thought I heard...m-m-music," Spike replied fearfully.
"Oh, Spike. Quit being such a scaredy-dragon," Twilight replied, "This castle is thousands of years old, and half of it was destroyed by Nightmare Moon. Of course it makes strange sounds. It's practically falling apart." It was then some plaster from above bonked Spike on the head, starling him. Angel just snickered as he got comfortably on his pillow.
"Oh...kay," said Spike wearily.
"Umm...honey," said Mario, "Should I sit on top of you a bit in case any of the ceiling tries to fall on us?" Twilight blinked.
"Hey, just use your magic barrier to protect us!" Twilight retorted, "No need to take the hit to protect me!"
"Sorry," said Mario nervously as he calmed down a bit and then had another thought, "I often wondered why Mom never tried to rebuild the castle, but I think I answered my own question."
"Then, in your opinion, why didn't Princess Celestia rebuild the castle?" Twilight asked curiously.
"Too many painful memories," Mario remarked, "Despite all the good times, the signs of Aunt Luna's downfall are everywhere. Neither of them want to remember that day. They just want to move forward. It's heartbreaking...especially when all the love you can give doesn't do much in helping with the healing process." Twilight just nuzzled him gently.
"I'm sure it is, sweetie," said Twilight before they went back to reading the Journal.
One floor below the two alicorns, Fluttershy and Rarity were still walking down the halls.
"Angel! Angel!" Fluttershy called out.
"I'm sure we'll find him," said Rarity plainly, but not making much effort with the search.
"Angel?" Fluttershy called out again when Rarity suddenly yelled hysterically.
"Did you find Angel? Is he okay?" Fluttershy asked hopefully.
"They are perfect!" Rarity gasped as she looked at the tapestries hanging above the thrones. They had apparently arrived in the main throne room, "No castle in its right mind could possibly object to my restoring such exquisite works of art." Rarity then rushed over to one of the tapestries.
"Oh! They are lovely, Rarity, but...I have to keep looking for Angel!" Fluttershy replied before turning to leave, "Oh, I hope he doesn't think I've given up on him."
"I'm right behind you!" Rarity called out as she used her magic to try and yank the tapestry down, "Won't...be...a moment!"
Just below, Fluttershy and Rarity, Rainbow and Applejack were then peeking into another room. Inside the room were several statues of ominous looking ponies wearing black armor.
"Do you think there's a single room in this castle that isn't filled with terrifying things?" Applejack asked. Rainbow then tapped one of the armor suits, causing it to rattle.
"Whoa!" said Rainbow as she backed away from it. Rainbow just smiled sheepishly as Applejack smirked at her.
"It's just old pony armor," said Rainbow as a matter of fact as Applejack walked away from her.
"Yeah! It's not like it's gonna come to life or anything," Applejack added with a nervous look on her face, "Right?" It was then the cloaked figured started playing the organ again.
"Huh?" Applejack said in surprise as she stepped on a pedestal, which caused the wall to spin about so the place she had stepped on had one of the statues in her place. Rainbow blinked as she looked at the statue where Applejack once stood.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Rainbow screamed. Then the cloaked figure played the organ again, making Rarity yelped as the wall with the tapestry flipped, making her disappear. Fluttershy then gasped when she looked behind her and saw that Rarity was gone.
"EEEEEEEEEEK!" Fluttershy screamed in fright. The sound of the organ was heard again as the cloaked figure played another note, causing the bowl of carrots to spin about...and somehow refill the bowl with fresh carrots. Angel looked at the bowl in surprise. As the cloaked figure continued to play the organ, Applejack was then deposited outside of the castle, from a high balcony.
"Whoa-oa!" Applejack yelped as she tried to keep herself from falling off. Lightning and thunder struck before a large dragon statue nearby.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Applejack screamed.
Down below, Rarity had been deposited outside of the castle as well. Her mane, tail, and coat were covered with leaves and twigs. Rarity then looked to see that she held only a small part of the tapestry, which had torn off when she fell through the passage.
"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!" Rarity screamed out of frustration.
Inside the library, Twilight and Mario were just quietly enjoying the journal, clueless to all the mayhem or the organ music playing, which some string instrumentals had been added. Angel was just reclining on his pillow with a belly full of carrots. Spike was the only one in the room cowering nervously since he could hear all the ruckus outside the room.
Back outside, some more thunder clashed as Rarity groaned and spit as she tried to shake off the leaves and twigs off her body.
"Now you look here, castle!" Rarity yelled, "You are very old and very scary! But your wall art is in an atrocious state!" The wind whistling through the air was the castle's only reply.
"And there is nothing you can do to keep me from my sacred task of restoration!" Rarity shouted before she charged toward the castle and jumped through a window.
Back inside the hallway of armor, Rainbow looked very uneasy as she continued to make her way through the area.
"Uh...Applejack?" Rainbow called nervously, "If you went back to Ponyville, that means I win, right?" Rainbow then bumped into one of the suits of armor, causing it to rattle and crash right on top of her.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Rainbow screamed as she crawled out of the armor and ran for her life.
Back in the throne room, Fluttershy was now trying to find Rarity and Angel.
"Rarity!" Fluttershy called out as she looked around and made her way toward one of the throne chairs, "I know hiding isn't really your sense of humor, but please let this be a joke!" Fluttershy had barely tapped the seat of Luna's throne when a loud organ chord was heard.
"EEEEEEEEEEEE!" Fluttershy screamed in a panic before flying away.
Back in the hallway with the armor, Applejack screamed as the wall flipped about to return her to the area. Applejack was left a little dazed before she shook her head and recovered. She then looked around and she saw the discarded armor on the floor and a dark passageway.
"Rainbow?" Applejack called out as she peeked inside, her voice echoing into the darkness, "Hello? I guess if I don't find you, I win by default, right?" Applejack then smiled nervously, but then ventured down the dark hallway after receiving no answer.
Back in the main hall, Rarity grunted and grumbled as she finally made her way back inside, but landed on her face as she did so.
"Of all the castles in Equestria, this is by far the most ungrateful!" Rarity yelled angrily as she tried to clean her mane again. It was then a small rock from above bonked her on the head.
"Oof!" said Rarity as she growled angrily. Her temper had just reached its limit when the lightning clashed and the winds continued to howl into the night. This melted Rarity's anger and her bravery in seconds as she fearfully started walking backwards.
"Angel! Rarity!" Fluttershy yelled in a whisper as she walked backwards into the main room, "Oh...I hope you two are together."
Close by, another statue that was propped against a wall slid aside, allowing Applejack to nervously peek inside the room. As she walked inside, she saw the statue nearby, yelped, and jumped toward into the main room and began walking backwards inside.
Elsewhere, Rainbow was flying at high speed.
"Haunted statues, creepy armor..." Rainbow grumbled as she flew out of one of the windows and put her hooves up, ready for a fight, "Come on, castle! Is that all you got?" Rainbow got a loud clash of thunder and lightning as a reply, which made her descend and cower away fearfully. She then began to hover backwards into the main hall as well. Each pony nervously looked around as they continued to walk backward into the room. Then the moment came where they all bumped back ends at the same time.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" the four ponies screamed loudly. As they all continued to scream, Rainbow literally bounced from pillar to pillar like a pinball as she flew about while Fluttershy, Applejack, and Rarity just ran about the room. Then Rainbow bumped one of the tapestries. Rarity then stopped running as the giant tapestry hovered down at her.
"Aah! Aaaah!" Rarity screamed before crying out in tears, "I was only trying to restore ancient art!" Right after the tapestry landed on top of Rarity, she began to run about and cry. As the marshmallow pony ran about, two leaves from her mane floated out from the tapestry and landed on a pile of rocks. When the lightning flashed against the rocks, it looked like the shadow of a bunny. Fluttershy was whimpering in a corner when the lightning flashed again and she saw the bunny shadow and gasped.
"Angel?" Fluttershy smiled hopefully. But then Applejack grunted when she bumped a worn out pillar, causing it to tumble right on top of what Fluttershy thought was Angel.
"AAANGEEEEEL!" Fluttershy screamed in anguish as tears poured from her eyes. It was then Twilight and Mario heard some thunder in the distance. The latter couldn't help but jump a bit from the sound.
"What in the world is that?!" Twilight asked curiously. Angel was sleeping beside her when he opened his left eye.
"Oh, you know," said Spike as he was cowering under a chasse sofa, "Probably just more strange sounds of this old castle falling apart!"
"No one likes sarcasm, Spike," Twilight remarked as she headed out of the room as Angel hopped over to the little dragon and shook his head in disapproval. Mario just glared at the bunny and his wife.
"Guess I really am the sympathetic one in this family," Mario said aloud, though Twilight ignored him as he equipped his device, "C'mon little bro." Spike said nothing as he reluctantly crawled out from his hiding place. The four then headed across the upper balcony from the main room when they looked down to see four of their friends yelling and screaming down below.
"What got into them?" Spike asked as they all looked at the ruckus below. Rarity and Applejack were just running about, Rainbow as flying in circles, and Fluttershy was trying to dig around the fallen pillar.
"It's okay, Angel!" Fluttershy called out, grunting as she tried to move the pillar off of what she thought was the bunny, "You're okay! You're okay!" Applejack then ran into Fluttershy, knocking her away from the pillow.
"Yaaaaah!" Applejack yelped as she hoped on the pillar,waving her fore-legs about, "Shadows everywhere!" Twilight and Mario just watched the chaos unfold.
"I'm usually sympathetic and all," Mario said to his wife, "but this is ridiculous!" Rainbow just screamed as she flew past them. Rarity was now sitting on the tapestry over her head crying loudly as Applejack ran about in the background. Fluttershy then ran past in the foreground, sobbing heavily as she made her way toward the pillar.
"Aaangeeeeel!" Fluttershy cried out in anguish again. Finally, Twilight had had enough as she hopped down from the balcony to the halfway point of the staircase.
"Alright, everypony, stop!" Twilight shouted as she used her magic to fire off a beam that froze everypony in place so the only thing each pony could move was their eyes and their mouths. Mario soon landed beside his wife as Applejack was the first to notice the two alicorns.
"Twilight? Mario?" said Applejack in surprise.
"Must..save...Ange-!" Fluttershy called as she was frozen trying to pull the pillar off of him, but then saw the bunny up on the balcony. He just looked at her with a blank look on his face.
"Oh..." was all Fluttershy could say before her cheeks turned pink from embarrassment.
"Fluttershy?" Rainbow called out from her frozen spot in the air, "What are you doing here?"
"She's with me..." Rarity replied from under the tapestry until Twilight and Mario used their magic to remove it. At the same time, Twilight removed her freeze spell so the four ponies could move freely and Spike made his way down the stairs to join the others. Rarity gasped with relief.
"Thank you," Rarity told the two alicorns as Applejack joined up with them and Angel and Fluttershy share a loving nuzzle together.
"Have you all spent the whole night running around, scaring each other?" Twilight asked.
"Well, that depends," said Applejack.
"On what?" Twilight and Mario asked at once.
"On whether or not you're the Pony of Shadows?" Rainbow replied as she pointed a fore-hoof at Twilight and Mario.
"P-P-P-P-Pony of Shadows?! Here!?" Mario spluttered fearfully.
"What's...the Pony of Shadows?" Spike asked as his body quivered.
"Oh, that's just an old ponies' tale," Twilight told him.
"That's not what Mom told me," Mario replied, earning a glare from his wife. It was then the organ music could be heard. Mario jumped in front of Twilight while everypony else literally gathered as close to Twilight as they could. Rarity and Fluttershy were pressed against her sides, Spike held her fore-leg, and Rainbow, Applejack, and Angel were stacked on her back. The purple pony was the only one who wasn't shaking from being afraid. Twilight was most annoyed.
"We're going to find out," Twilight told them all, "Right honey?" Mario was trembling when he turned and saw all the frightened faces surrounding his wife. Mario felt his fear melt within seconds. This was no time to be scared.
"Let's a-go!" Mario replied as he equipped the Pony-geist 3000 to his side. The others took notice of the contraption.
"What is that?" Rainbow asked, "Some sort of ghost fighting device?"
"You got it, Dashie," said Mario as he and Twilight stared moving forward, "No shadow pony is gonna hurt my friends!" The four ponies quickly rushed over to him. Rarity and Fluttershy linked a fore-leg around one of his own fore-legs as Rainbow and Applejack just warped a fore-leg around his back. They seemed to feel safer being close to him for the time being.
As they continued on their way to the lower levels of the castle, Twilight led the way with Mario at her side. The rest of the group had just stayed behind the couple as the organ music continued. As they passed some broken arched windows, Spike took a moment to peek over them and look around as the others kept moving forward before the little dragon rejoined the group. The group then entered a large room in the basement part of the castle that had a pair of double doors on the other side. Twilight quickly walked over to the double doors to open them, but found they wouldn't budge.
"Guess the doors must be locked," said Twilight, "We'll have to find a key somewhere."
"C-c-couldn't we just find another way instead?" Rarity asked timidly.
"Y-y-y-yeah," said Rainbow, "Applejack and I f-f-f-found where the music was coming from." It was then some vines appeared on the door behind them instantly.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Everypony minus Twilight screamed. Then the organ music began to play, all but Twilight trembled fearfully as the purple Alicorn pressed an ear against the door.
"The music is coming from these doors," said Twilight, "and I believe this door might be a shortcut to that mysterious music. Honey, could you see if the key is anywhere nearby, please?" Mario's teeth just chattered a bit before he noticed his wife staring at him.
"O-o-okay," said Mario fearfully. He started humming the Luigi's mansion tune as he used his flashlight to check the dark room. The others just watched Mario as he looked around the room. Twilight then rolled her eyes.
"Do you have to hum that tune while you look around?" Twilight asked annoyingly.
"Uh...y-y-y-yeah, I do," Mario replied timidly as he continued humming. It was then he noticed a grey panel on the ground.
"Wonder what this...WAH!?" Mario gasped. The others were stunned to see that Mario had been flipped over and was now walking on the tall ceiling.
"Well, that was unexpected," said Applejack.
"I just hope I can get back to being right side up!" Mario remarked as he trotted about the ceiling when he noticed something just behind what appeared to be a hanging light of some sort.
"I wonder what this does," said Mario as he pressed the switch. Back near the double doors, some panels opened to reveal two red buttons. It was then a hatch opened below and up rose a small pile of round stones. Mario then noticed another grey panel appear on the ceiling wall. He quickly walked over it and was instantly sent back to the ground right side up.
"W-w-whoa!" Mario yelped as he regained his balance from being flipped over.
"So now what?" Spike asked nervously.
"I'm thinking that if we can hit those panels so the colors change from red to green," said Mario, "We might get out of this room!"
"Well, what are we waiting for," said Rainbow as she rushed over to press the switch with her fore-hooves, but the button wouldn't budge.
"Let's me try," said Applejack as she jump up and tried to buck the switch hard, but no luck either.
"Now what do we do?" Fluttershy asked worried. Mario pondered and then got an idea. He used his pony-geist 3000 to suck up one rock into the vacuum tube then reversed the suction so it shot right at the switch. As soon as the rock hit the switch, it turned green. Mario smirked as he fired another stone at the second switch. With both switches green, a mysterious purple chest appeared in the middle of the room.
"Well, that looks promising!" said Rarity. Mario then tapped a fore-hoof on the chest, making the top open and toss out both a key and a large diamond. It also made the vines on the door behind them disappear and the lights in the room light up on their own.
(Cue "You got a key" fanfare)
"Oh yeah!" said Mario as he held both objects with the fetlock of his fore-hooves, posted, and smiled. The others gave a cheer. Mario then tucked the diamond and key into his saddle bag, at Rarity's expense and disappointment regarding the large diamond.
"Great job honey!" said Twilight, "Now we can get to the bottom of this mystery." Mario then sighed as he walked up to the locked double doors. He then slowly jingled the key he found as he used his magic to put the key into the keyhole and unlocked it. Mario then extended a shaky hoof to the door knob.
"Just open the door already!" Rainbow yelled impatiently.
FLASH!"
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Mario screamed loudly as thunder clashed right after Rainbow yelled at him. Mario then trembled fearfully and whimpered. The others just looked at him sadly as Twilight approached.
"This place really scares you doesn't it," said Twilight gently as Mario nodded. Twilight pulled him into a gentle hug.
"I'm sorry, sweetheart," said Twilight sadly and feeling rather guilty, "I didn't mean to ignore your feelings. Spike's too." Mario just sniffled as he held Twilight close.
"Great!" said Rainbow annoyingly, "Now what are we gonna do?" Mario snorted loudly.
"We get the bottom of this!" Mario said sternly as he pulled away from Twilight and stood up.
"How? You're terrified!" Rainbow protested.
"I know," said Mario, "And I also know nopony else is gonna face the pony of shadows if I don't!" The fact nopony, not even Rainbow or Twilight, could look at him just proved the alicorn prince's point. Mario shakily reached out for the door knob, slowly turned it, and opened the door. He then gestured for every pony to follow as he began to hum once again. The others just shared worried looks with each other before following him.
It wasn't much longer before they reached the room where the cloaked figure was continuing to play the organ. Everypony gasped, including Twilight.
"The Pony of Shadows!" they all whispered. Mario just whimpered as the organ music continued. The rest of the group stayed hidden behind the wall.
"Well, Mario?" Applejack said shakily, "G-go and get 'em!"
"Y-y-yeah," Rainbow added, "Go capture that ghost!"
"Please hurry, darling!" Rarity added, "All this fear is causing my mane to have split ends."
"P-P-P-Please defeat the Pony of Shadows, big brother!" Fluttershy added fearfully. Mario just looked into the room as his body trembled nervously.
"I'll go with you, sweetie," said Twilight bravely, " Now come on. Let's get to the bottom of this."
"R-r-r-right, d-d-dear," Mario replied as he grabbed the vacuum tube with his fore-legs and used his magic to hold the flashlight, "You pull off the cloak to expose the ghost. I'll stun it with my flashlight and then it's hasta la vista, Pony of Shadows!"
"Do you really think your Pony-geist 3000 is gonna work?" Twilight asked with concern. Mario just huffed.
"It better," said Mario, "otherwise, I hope you're ready to do a turn battle with a ghost." Twilight just looked uneasy.
"At least you have a plan B," Twilight remarked as they cautiously approached the cloaked figure. The cloaked figures just continued to play the organ until Twilight was close enough for Mario to use his machine. The others just watched from behind the wall in shock and worry.
"Now!" Mario whispered. Twilight then used her magic to remove the cloak. Mario then shined his flashlight into the ghost's face.
WAAAAAAAAH!
VROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
(Cue "HP countdown" fanfare)
"Oh yeah...oh yeah...oh yeah...oh yeah..."
SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS-POP!
Within a few seconds, Mario sucked the "ghost" behind the cloak directly inside of his device. A large bulge was seen traveling from the vacuum pipe into the cylinder storage unit. Mario was stunned for a few seconds before he smiled.
"It...it worked! It worked you guys!" Mario said excitedly as he stood on his hind legs and held the vacuum tube in the air, "My Pony-geist 3000 worked! I've captured the Pony of Shadows!"
"Uhh...I hate to burst your bubble, dear," said Twilight, "But why was the Pony of Shadows pink?"
"Wuh?" Mario said agape as he heard some shuffling inside of the device. Then the door that opened the container opened up to show that a familiar pink pony was inside.
"Wow! I've never been sucked up by a vacuum before!" Pinkie exclaimed, "Let's do it again!"
"Pinkie?!" Everypony exclaimed in shock and annoyance.
"Hey, you guys!" said Pinkie, "Did you know I can totally play the organ? Because I didn't!" Pinkie then sat back down by the organ to continue playing.
"Just don't play..."
(cue sports "Charge!" theme)
"...she played it," Mario muttered in annoyance.
"You're the Pony of Shadows?" Rainbow exclaimed.
"The pony of what?" Pinkie asked as she played a light melody.
"See? What'd I tell ya?" Twilight pointed out as a matter of fact.
"Oh, don't go getting full of yourself, Twilight," Mario scolded, "You had no clue it was just Pinkie even after I sucked her up with my machine!" Twilight just growled and gave him a raspberry.
"I thought you went to ring the school bell all week!" Applejack said as Rarity just looked stunned.
"Oh yeah!" Pinkie replied, "I only had to ring it for, like, five minutes! They said it was good enough! Eh, can't imagine why..."
A flashback was shown with Pinkie ringing the school bell by standing underneath it and swaying her head back and forth. How she didn't rattle her brain senseless is...oh wait, it's Pinkie Pie...don't question it...
"So then, I decided to throw a "finish ringing the school bell" party!" Pinkie continued as she looked at the group and then back at the organ, "But I didn't find any bluebells, and you can't throw a "finish ringing the school bell" party without bluebells, so I went to the Everfree Forest to pick some, but then it started get so chilly." Pinkie then began playing some happy organ music. Twilight, Mario, and Rainbow just exchanged looks before doing a large roll of their eyes. Applejack and Rarity then shared unamused looks with one another.
"I had to wrap myself up in the tarp I was gonna use to gather the flowers," Pinkie explained further, "and then I saw Fluttershy and Rarity. But they went into the castle before I could invite them to my party. Luckily, I followed them inside so I could help you all with your party!" Pinkie then stopped playing her music.
"What party is that?" Rarity asked the pink pony curiously.
"Uh, the "everypony come to the scary old castle and hide from each other while I play the organ" party?" Pinkie replied as she played another note, which caused a spring to activate underneath Spike, sending him flying into the air. Applejack, Rarity, and Fluttershy just watched as Spike landed with a thud behind them.
"Duh!" said Pinkie before she bounced away, leaving the others baffled, but then she returned.
"Oh, big brother," said Pinkie, "I came up with a new song for you. I call it, "Mario risking life and hoof in a dangerous castle to save his precious Princess Twilight that he loves more than his own life"!" Mario just blinked.
"It's a working title," Pinkie replied.
(Cue "Bowser's Castle DS theme - with organ instrumentals)
While the others were still stunned as Pinkie a rather dramatic but rather epic song, Mario had to admit that the tune was rather catchy.
"If you can record that, I can use it for my next parkour session," Mario suggested.
"Can do!" Pinkie replied as she continued playing the song a little longer.
Later on, the Mane seven, Spike, and Angel were upstairs in the secret room of the castle library. Twilight and Mario were reading the Journal together some more as Spike read his own book. Rarity was working on repairing the tapestry, Applejack and Rainbow were just chatting with each other, and Fluttershy and Angel were just sharing some more cuddling, and Pinkie was just bouncing around in her own giddy manner.
"I swear, this is going right back where I found it just as soon as I've returned it to its former glory," Rarity said aloud as she continued her work.
"Now don't go running off again!" Fluttershy told Angel in a firm tone, "Oh, I can't believe I was so frightened. Guess I let my imagination get the best of me."
"I think we all did," said Applejack with Rainbow hovering beside her.
"I always let my imagination run away from me!" Pinkie replied, "Then it comes back...with cake!"
"Well, it's good to know that whenever your imagination is getting away from you," said Twilight, "A good friend can help you rein it in."
"That's true," said Mario, "I was never really fond of haunted houses or castles and such, especially at night time when being in the dark can really makes things scarier than they really are. Having you here to keep my imagination in check really helped me handle being in this place."
"Well...mostly..." Twilight pointed out.
"Yeah," said Mario, feeling very embarrassed, "Now I feel kind of silly. I can't believe I wasted all my time making a ghost catching device." He looked at the device in annoyance, "I must have looked so dumb wearing that thing..."
"Actually, you looked rather courageous, darling," said Rarity.
"She's right, big bro," Applejack added, "You stood up to what we thought was the Pony of Shadows despite being scared."
"Yeah," said Rainbow, "even thought we totally could have..." Mario gave her a death glare, "Fine...we were too scared to face it. Happy now?" Mario smiled.
"Yes, because you were honest with me," said Mario, "Everypony gets scared sometimes. It doesn't mean you two aren't brave or daring. Look around, nopony is laughing or teasing you for being scared. Nopony isn't teasing me about being scared either. That's why you have friends who will help you when you struggling to find your courage to deal with those fears." Applejack and Rainbow smiled.
"You know, Mario," said Applejack, "Normally, we'd feel rather silly and embarrassed over how we were acting."
"But...you really know how to soften the blow," said Rainbow, "I know I don't feel silly about being scared anymore. So thank you." Mario nodded in agreement.
"And even thought we didn't find anything out about the mysterious chest or the power hearts," said Twilight as she turned a page to the Journal, "We're glad we were here to help all of you."
"You certainly did that, Twilight," said Rarity, "Mario as well."
"Yeah!" Rainbow said in agreement, "Why weren't you scared, Twilight?"
"Reading Celestia's diary made it hard to be afraid," Twilight explained, "because I knew what it was like when she and Luna lived here. Knowing something about the past made it easier to deal with my problems in the present, even the scary ones." The others just made remarks of agreement with her.
"Still...though," said Mario as he sat up to lean against the wall, "I'm still surprised that we didn't find anything about the Power Hearts. Even Mom said she'd seen them before and...huh?" Mario fore-hooves then accidentally pressed against a button on the wall. It was then another pedestal appeared from the floor with another book sitting on it. Mario grabbed the book with his magic and gasped when he saw the cover.
""The Encyclopedia of Love Magic"," said Mario as he smiled excitedly and began to scan through the pages when his smiled widened once he got to a certain page.
"Here it is!" Mario replied excitedly as Twilight stood beside him with the same eager smile on her face.
"The Power Hearts are special ancient sources of pure love that originated from the Crystal Empire," Mario read aloud, "They once used to gather in great numbers around the Crystal Heart, but Sombra's rule and corruption cause the Power Hearts to flee. Nopony knows what happened to the Power Hearts after Sombra cursed the Crystal Empire other than the fact that the Power Hearts are immune to corruption and were deemed by Sombra to be useless. All that is known is that these Power Hearts only bond with a pony who possess the magic of love in their heart and that heart is also pure and sincere. If such a pony were to obtain seven Power Hearts and combined them with another magic source that is filled with the same love and hope, they would be granted ultimate power..." The rest of the ponies, Spike, and Angel, just listened in awe and with interest. After a long silence, Twilight pondered to herself.
"Considering the mysterious chest reacted to the Power Hearts," said Twilight, "This could mean that the chest might require a great source of magic in order to be unlocked. So we managed to learn something after all!"
"Indeed," said Mario, "I'm guessing that collecting seven Power Hearts will be the key to helping us open it. The only thing is that we don't have any idea of how to obtain another Power Heart. If only we had another journal of somepony who has managed to collect seven Power Hearts beforehand." Twilight hummed and then smiled.
"I just thought of a great idea!" said Twilight, "Why don't we keep a journal, just like the royal pony sisters?" The other looked surprised at the idea.
"All of us?" Fluttershy asked.
"Sure!" Twilight answered, "That way we can learn from each other! And maybe, some day, other ponies will read it and learn something, too!"
"What a splendid idea!" said Rarity.
"And I know what the first journal entry will be," said Mario, "the lesson I learned during our honeymoon."
"Why that lesson, honey?" Twilight asked.
"Because, as I recall," Mario replied, "when I shared what I had learned with everypony, the first Power Heart appeared. I think the lesson I learned and the Power Heart's appearance are connected somehow."
"Guess we'll find out," said Fluttershy.
"I know what my first entry will be!" said Applejack, ""Dear Diary, I'm glad Granny Smith's legend wasn't true!""
"Me too!" said Rainbow.
"Me three," Pinkie added as she stood between to two of you, "Because that means you two are still tied for Most Daring Pony!" Applejack and Rainbow just glared at each other until Mario pushed them both apart.
"Give it rest you two," said Mario firmly, "I think we all have had enough excitement for one day." The two mare just glared some more before they sighed in defeat.
"Yeah," they said together as Mario smiled and pulled them into a group hug.
"Heh, Shadow Ponies..." Spike muttered to himself indignantly as he walked past the three ponies, "how ridiculous is that?"
Little did anypony know, somewhere in the main area of the castle library, was a dark shadow that appeared and had some glowing yellow eyes. But we all know it was nothing but a trick of the light...
...
...don't we...?
...
At the time this episode appeared, I don't think anypony would have imagined that this "shadow pony" would make a return in a future season.
Hope you all enjoyed my tribute to Luigi's Mansion. Plus the jokes from Super Mario 64, New Super Mario Bros, and Emperor's New Groove.
And you got more information about the Power Hearts too!
Okay, so you've seen Mario became a Ghostbuster, next time, he'll embrace his inner Indiana Jones. Fedora included!
Peace Pony Fans!