Chapter 4: Getting into the Mansion

The group continues on their way to the mansion in hopes to get into the place and talk to Lord Chester. Shining recalls something that Cadance told him about before, "Before you go into Lord Chester's Mansion, can you come back here? Something has concerned me."

The group arrives at the town square and goes to the door that leads to the mansion. When the gang opens it, they hear screaming but not of fear but screams of fury. Then they see some of Discord's creeps running pass the gang in pure fear.

"What the heck is that about?" Rainbow asks her friends who shrug a bit, having no idea.

The group moves on further but saw a gate of electricity blocking the way to the mansion. Lorcan frowns while exclaiming, "Oh great; how are we going to get through that dumb gate?!"

"There must be a switch around here somewhere." Rarity said thoughtfully. "Perhaps we should go look for one."

"In that case, let's ask Lord Chester's new wife Lady Lesille. Perhaps she would know." Twilight said with a nod. Of course, the mare notices that the undead ponies got grim looks. "What's wrong? Did something happen?"

"Oh...yes, sadly. Shining, Twilight, sorry but...Lady Lesille is gone." Fluttershy said in sadness.

"Gone? What do you mean?" Shining ask Fluttershy in concern.

Rainbow explains, "While we were trying to find you two, those monsters attacked us. Lady Lesille tried to find out what happened to her husband and so...she sacrificed herself so we can escape."

"Yes, that was you found us when we were knocked out." Rarity said with a grim look.

"So she's dead?" Shining ask his friends in shock and sadness.

"Sadly yes...and since Lady Lesille is already dead, she will never come back." Luna said grimly. "If we gotten the Forbidden Book of Spells, we could bring her back...but as it stands, I'm afraid there's nothing we can do."

"That monster! How could this happen?! Discord is really getting his now!"

The group continues onward to a giant scaffolding. Shining uses his soul robber to head up with the others either holding on or flying. They came to a boarded gate that Twilight smashes with her magic, revealing a lever.

"There's a switch to turn the electricity off." Twilight said as Spike pulls the lever. Soon the power is heard turning off from it. That gate should be off now.

The gang then heads back to the mansion but just then a familiar hunchbacked assistant appears, blocking their way. Shining exclaims, "Igor! Where's Lord Chester?"

"You can't pass. Master's strict orders," Igor said to the group sternly. "Sorry, you know how he is."

"But we gotta rescue Lord Chester from Discord." Rarity protests to Igor with a frown. "Can't you make an exception for us?"

"Sorry, no. Master said if I let anyone in, I don't get a cookie...and I'm starving. Say...the Witches' Shop, can you bring me a cookie?"

"Fine, if we get you one, would you let us in?" Lorcan asks Igor impatiently.

"Yes, yes, I will do so for you." Igor said with a nod. "Get going, I'm getting hungry here!"

The group heads off to the shop. They should get a cookie/biscuit, give it to Igor and then the heroes are on their way to Lord Chester. But suddenly, before they can leave the area, a metal fence appears behind them, blocking all exits out.

Rover appears, exclaiming, "Ponies! Don't think I am so forgiving like Fido is!"

The other two Diamond Dos appears, Fido nods while saying, "I let you all win before!" Twilight roll her eyes, she knew that he would lie about being nice after his previous defeat.

"Shut up!" Spot snaps as he hits Fido on the head in annoyance.

"All right, time for some help!" Rover laughs evilly as he took out a wand and uses it. Ghosts came out of the ground, roaring. "Get them all!"

The heroes fight off the ghosts while dodging their attacks. Shining and Twilight combine their magic to destroy some of them. Spike and Lorcan uses their flames, Rainbow, Rarity, Fluttershy and Luna use their own attacks to destroy them all.

Once the battle is over, Rover looks confused as he asks, "Wait, where did ghosts went off to?" He yelps upon seeing the heroes glaring at him, "GOTTA GET OUT OF HERE!"

Rover jumps over the wall, disappearing from sight before the metal fences are gone. The heroes can now move onward now.

---

The trip to the Witches' Shop was a bust as the gang looks frustrated. Spike groans, "Oh man! I can't believe that all the cookies were eaten."

"Yeah, how will we get a cookie for Igor now?" Fluttershy ask in concern.

"Perhaps we should ask Apple Bloom. Let's see if we can borrow one from her." Twilight said thoughtfully.

Luckily, it didn't take long for Shining's group to find Apple Bloom. Lorcan spoke up, "Filly, we need that cookie so give it to us."

"Yew want mah cookies? No way, these are mine!" Apple Bloom protests to Lorcan with a pouty look.

"Look, I can be tough if I have to so..."

"Lorcan," Shining scolds Lorcan before turning back to Apple Bloom. "Sorry for Lorcan's usual rudeness. Listen, we need that cookie to save Lord Chester from the clutches of Discord. So if we can have it..."

"Awww, these cookies are mine!" Apple Bloom protests then looks at her cookie that she's holding. "Shucks, then again yew y'all need it more than Ah do. Tell yew what: Ah will give ya a cookie if yew passed mah quiz all about Halloween Town. It should be easy few yew, Zombie Pony King."

"Okay, give it to us, Apple Bloom!" Rainbow exclaims with a smile; A quiz to get a cookie, no problem (hopefully).

"First question: what day is Halloween?"

"October 31, what else?"

"'Dat's right!" Apple Bloom exclaims with a smile, "All righty, Question 2. How many hanging Digimon does Cherrymon have?"

"Five, we counted." Lorcan answers Apple Bloom correctly.

"Correct! Question 3, what color is 'de water in 'de town square fountain?"

"I believe it's green." Luna explains to Apple Bloom with a nod.

"YEEHAW; 'Dat's right," Apple Bloom exclaims eagerly. "Now fourth question: what is 'de main ingredient used fer Halloween?"

"Thrills and chills." Twilight answers Apple Bloom.

"'Dat's right! Question 5, what is 'de name o' de town where Shining an' Twilight lives in?"

"Halloween Town," Everyone in the group said at once. It's an obvious one.

"'Dat's right!" Apple Bloom exclaims with a smile. "Question 6, how many hooves does Shining have on his forelegs?"

"Four?" Rarity guesses Apple Bloom hopefully.

"Correct! Question 7, what is Shining's last name?"

"Armor," Shining said to Apple Bloom with a smile on his face.

"'Dat's right! O' course, Ah also would've accepted Sparkle." Apple Bloom said with a smile. "All righty then, next question: St. Patrick's Day, Independence Day an' New Year's Day. O' all dese holidays, which one doesn't have its own holiday door?"

"New Year's Day," Spike answers Apple Bloom's question with a nod.

"Right; Question 9, what color is Cadance's mane?"

"It's long dark violet, moderate rose and pale gold." Twilight said, recalling Cadance's mane thoughtfully.

"'Dat's right! Now then, question 10, how many bolts does Lord Chester have on a part o' his head?" Apple Bloom asks the group the next question.

"Eight." Shining said with a nod.

"Yew got it! Let's see how much yew know...shucks, unreal! A perfect score! Okay, everypony, a deal is a deal so here is my squirrel shaped cookie!"

Apple Bloom hands the cookie over to the group who takes it and heads on back. Now it's time to get by Igor.

---

Igor smiles as the group gave him a cookie and he ate it. The hunchback mumbles, "Cookie tastes so good."

"All right, we gave you your cookie. Now remember your promise to move aside." Shining reminds Igor of his promise.

"Of course, I always keep promises."

The group rush by him but before they could get into the mansion, a bolt of lightning nearly hit them, forcing the good guys to back away.

"Something isn't right here!" Luna exclaims with a frown before turning to Igor, who is covering in fear. "Where is that thing getting its power from?"

"Lord Chester got a big generator power over. You must smash it to make the lightning stopped." Igor explains to the group in worry.

"Well, that won't stop the lightning for long." Rarity said in concern. Even if the group turns the generator off, who knows how long before the generator is turned back on.

"Plus, even if we don't get fry from that thing, I know Lord Chester will try to do the thing to us." Shining said with a frown.

"Lord Chester must have a weak point of sorts." Twilight said with a frown. "But what..."

"Wait, perhaps we should ask Cadance." Fluttershy said thoughtfully. "She has been with him longer, right? Perhaps she may have an idea or two."

"Good idea, Fluttershy. I will go back to ask her." Shining said as he gallops off to meet up with Cadance. "Also, Cadance might also tell me why she wanted us to meet her back there anyhow."

---

It was a while later when Shining came back with deadly nightshade, frog's breath and worm's wart along with a list. The stallion said, "Hey, I'm back."

"About time; what is that stuff you got for anyway?" Spike asks while glancing at the items held by Shining.

"These are the ingredients for the Sleeping Soup that Cadance makes whenever she needs to sneak out. When Lord Chester drinks this stuff, he will be out like a light from what Cadance herself told me. Of course, she usually cooks the soup inside the mansion...and we can't get inside right now."

"Allow me, big brother!" Twilight exclaims as she uses her magic to mix all the ingredients together. The others watch as the mare makes the Sleeping Soup. "There!"

"Good work, Twilight!" Shining exclaims as he takes the soup. "Now time to deal with that generator. Let me get that gate out of the way first."

The others look amazed as Shining turns into his Zombie Pony King form. Luna said, "Impressive."

Shining blows fire right at the gate, causing it to burn to the ground. Once the stallion is back to normal, the gang goes through a maze like area, dealing with electric fence. Once they found the generator, Shining, Twilight and Luna destroyed it.

"Take that, feeble generator!" Luna exclaims in determination.

"Okay, that electric rod should be turned off now!" Rainbow exclaims with a smike. "Let's get into that mansion!"

The group goes back to the road to the mansion but find monsters infesting it. Igor appears to be gone. Fluttershy ask in worry, "Where's Igor?"

"Must be in hiding; Come on, we should find him, Shining." Twilight said to Shining seriously.

The group goes up to the mansion, not bothering with the monsters in their way. They came into the place and hear a familiar voice greeting them, "Hey, pooooooooonies! I was wondering if you would show up!" The gang looks up to see Rover at the top of the railing near an elevator, taunting them all, "Ha ha ha! Think you could reach me?! Try it, it's so much fun! I am having a ball already!"

A large ball came out of a tube nearby, going down the slide that is also a stairway. Rover laughs, "Hate to 'crush' your spirits, I only wanted to 'crush' your body; Ha ha ha!"

The gang groans at the bad puns made by Rover as they hurry up the stairway, dodging the large ball objects along the way. This goes on for a while until they reach the top. Rover yelps in alarm upon seeing them before he waves a white flag as if giving up.

"Sorry, sorry, only playing a trick." Rover apologize, making the gang roll their eyes. As if they could believe that.

The heroes head off, seeing Rover following them. Shining sternly demands, "We mean it, stop helping Discord or else!" The Diamond Dog shrugs as he place his arms behind his back as if playing innocent...just like Fido.

"Okie dokie lokie! Hee hee hee!"

The group moves onward, leaving Rover behind. The gang looks around and hears a noise like someone was trying to break a door down. They find what was causing the noise and hear it speaking while hitting the door, "This door and the beast of Discord will not keep me from saving you big brother."

The figure smashes the door open then rush through it. The others follow it, preparing for what could be the worst.

Author's note
The gang are inside the mansion but who is that figure wanting to save her big brother? In the next chapter, they and the figure teams up to fight Lord Chester, whose brain has been switched by Discord and his minions. And who is the big brother? Read, review and suggest!