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.”

“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.

“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.

Find me, Rarity.