Mansion on Haunted Hill [Closed]

Dash picked up his plate and moved himself over closer to one of his friends, Lightning Flash. He nibbled on his sandwich as he looked around at the other items in the box. The monocle made him laugh slightly as he looked closely at it. He looked over when Sooth Sight explained his room situation and had it confirmed by Ginger Ale, "Oh yeah." Dash said, nodding to Ginger Ale, "I remember you. No objections from me either."

Sooth Sight watched as the ponies, griffons and zebras all got acquainted with who they would be sharing their rooms with. Many of them knew eachother already. It made sense, Stableton was a small town from what he understood, "Ah, it is good that all of you are comfortable with your room situations. I would like to ask you all if-..."

Sooth Sight got no farther before there was suddenly a massive din of noises coming from the walls. The sound of metal sliding and clanking together, "In the name of..." Sooth said, perplexed. The sounds then faded until there were only a few distant clanks of metal before the house was quiet again... Even more quiet than before, "Well... I believe my personal watch must have been a few minutes slow." Sooth Sight said, "I could have sworn that the automated lockdown was not going to occur for at least another 10 minutes... But I guess that is a moot point now... We're all trapped in here until morning... I say that because the password to the maneframe was lost about a century ago... All we have been able to do is maintain the machines."

Seeing as everyone was eating already, Kestrel began to eat his meal. It was well prepared, not flavored the exact way he would have done so himself, but he was not going to complain.

After finishing the food Kestrel cleaned his beak off and sat back in his seat. The sound of the house locking itself down was not precisely comforting. Again, no outward sign of discomfort ran across the griffons features.

"Let the game begin." Kestrel thought to himself looking over to Sooth Sight. "The lockdown program has been running on an automatic system this long?" The griffon asked at the comment from the stallion.

Cuppa had seen the name on the pistol, but it didn't make it any more special, sure, she would keep hold of it, but she wasn't in awe of having this pistol with her name on it.

Regardless, being told who she was to share a room with, Cuppa gave a sheepish wave to the zebra before the clanking of metal rang out through the halls, making her jump a little. The mention of the automated lockdown, which had now trapped them, made the coffee unicorn rather nervous. "Weren't ya plannin' t' be on yer way b'fore now?" She decided to ask the stallion between bites of her meal, ensuring to swallow her food before she spoke, table manners and all that.

Ale had just started to eat when the sound of metal caught his attention. "Well that has to get annoying every night." When sooth sight mentioned that there was no way to cancel the lock down ale raised an eyebrow. "Wait, you mean to tell me that if this place was to, say catch on fire then there would be no safety to open the doors and let us out? That's crazy why couldn't you just hit the "I forgot my password" button?" Ale asked clearly concerned.

Lightning flashed a small smile toward Dash as he walked over and sat next to him. He bowed his head slightly and just continued to eat until the sound of clanking metal and their host looking rather surprised explaining what just happened to them. 'Great,' Lightning thought to himself. There was nothing that he disliked more than feeling trapped or confined. Perhaps that is because of the stallion's constant love for flying and anything keeping him down generally annoyed him.

Dash looked up and around as the sounds faded. The stallion hadn't been lying, but the explanation was far more unsettling, "Lost the Password!?" Dash said, echoing the thoughts and voice of a few others. Dash absolutely hated the feeling of being trapped. Although he had come here willingly knowing it wound happen, the fact that it had happened earlier than it was supposed to, and was apparently irreversible even in the case of an emergency made him feel restless.

"What about the courtyard, is it even possible to get out through there in an emergency?"

---

Sooth Sight looked around at the guests, who's collective mood was rapidly declining, "Indeed, this was the plan, but the exact timing for the automated lockdown had taken place precisely at the same time for 200 years... I merely wanted you all to to have the chance to leave if you so wished before that time arrived... Hmmm... Perhaps I should adjust the clocks or graphs if this is the time the lockdown will take place at, from now on."

He looked over to Kestrel, "The system has infact been running automatically all these years. My ancestor may have originally intended for this mansion to be a sort of a town in of itself for Stable 113 to join with, but that never ended up being the case as Stable 113 never opened until a roughly year ago. Long after the mansion's lockdown password was lost. I believe the legend is that the system went into automatic mode after no input was made for a month after the password was lost. Which segways to Mr. Ale's comment about the lost password function... My ancestor was eccentric about guarding this house from the bombs. He made it impossible for a hacker to possibly gain control of the security systems without the password. We still have the password for the more... Aggressive... Security measures, however."

He then looked at Dash, "Yes, erm... Aside from losing this contest as a result, you'd have to cut through some electrified barbed wire draped over it. It is charged with around 10,000 Volts. I wouldn't recommend it."

---

Dash gritted his teeth when Sooth Sight explained that going through the courtyard wasn't a possibility. He forced a smirk, "Ah, that's uh... Good to know."

Ale leaned back in his chair, "Yeah i guess, an option like that would be a big, "Hey hack me" sign for anypony that knew how to. Well then nothing we can do but wait out the night" He sat back up and continued to eat his meal, only stopping to to take a drink from the glass of hard apple whiskey that was also provided. With his food now put away he pushed the plate away and patted his stomach. "My complements to the chief, whoever they are." Ale again sat back and started to pick at his teeth with a fork, using a spoon as a mirror, While he waited for the others to finish.

Kestrel saw little point in commenting further on the situation. The situation was what it was, and he was going to just have to make do with it. Looking around at least Kes could see a few semi-competent folk, so if, somehow, the shit hit the fan things would get to far out of claw.

That didn't mean the big griffon exactly liked the idea that things might get out of claw however, or better yet, the idea that if things got so bad he, or anyone else, needed to get out of here they basically couldn't without dying.

"Backed into a corner, and nowhere else to run..." Kestrel thought to himself, looking around and finally finishing up his meal. "Thanks for the meal."

Rad had looked up from the table at the sounds of the lockdown, the monocle dropping from his eye. He listened to Sooth's explanation of how there was basically no way for them to leave now, really it should have unnerved the pegasus... But it just excited him. He looked around the room as everypony reacted in their various ways, and let out a little chuckle. "Looks like we're locked in... Now nopony get in... An' nopony gets out alive!" He added some mysterious arm movements to the last part, clearly just finding all the fun he can out of the situation.

Deus simply stared at Rad. She hadn't touched her food, and had mostly looked at her survival kit with varying degrees of disgust. When the building had locked down, she had simply looked to Sooth for the answer that he gave almost immediately. And now they're locked in here with me. Let's paint these walls RED!! Oh no, we're locked in, we can't leave, no one will ever notice us now... I suppose this makes us the ballerina now?

"Alright, that's it!" Bane Silver shouted after Sooth Sight finished his speech. With a flick of her magical aura, a royal guard spear floated over to her from a display fixture on the wall. Sooth Sight looked over at his wife as she spun the spear so it was point up and planted it on its shaft, "Yes dearest?" Sooth Sight asked calmly and with a still quite friendly tone.

Bane Silver looked at Sooth Sight and motioned over to the corner of the room with the spear. Sooth Sight nodded to his wife and trotted over to the corner away from the guests. The two then began whispering to eachother.

"You just arm them and let them loose in our house during the lockdown, which starts early to make it look like they all had to stay against their will!? Are you crazy!? What if they're planning something?" Bane Silver hissed quietly. Sooth Sight shook his head, "Many of those ponies are from Stable 113. The very place I likely would have been born in had my ancestor not given up his spot in it." Bane Silver growled slightly, "If you've even heard half the shit I've heard about Stables, you'd be far less trusting of anypony from one."

Sooth Sight sighed heavily, "Being friends with Stableton may end up being beneficial to us one day, dearest, please... Let us just get through this night and then we can think through our situation with them later tomorrow."

Bane Silver rolled her eyes and turned to the group of guests, "Whatever... I'm going to bed." she declared, lowering the spear toward the guests, "But whoever goes poking around somewhere they shouldn't, or does something they shouldn't... I'm going to drive this spear through their skull... Goodnight." she growled and stalked off toward a door out of the room nearest her. She twirled the spear beside her, she evidently had quite some practice with such a weapon. Sooth Sight sighed heavily and returned to a position near the group.

----

Dash continued nibbling on his dinner uncomfortably as Bane Silver had demanded her husband's attention. He looked over at Lightning, "Man." Dash whispered to his blue friend, "It makes you kinda glad that most mares nowadays aren't so prissy... You know?"

The thought made Dash once again miss Meadowsong back in Friendship City, her sweet voice and her cute, curious demeanor. He and Meadow never argued, but more, debated. Both he and Meadow were intelligent ponies, and if anything the light-hearted mini-debates they had added more to their relationship. However, Dash knew all he could do right now was enjoy the party he had decided to attend with his friends.

"But whoever goes poking around somewhere they shouldn't, or does something they shouldn't... I'm going to drive this spear through their skull... Goodnight."

Kestrel narrowed his gaze ever so slightly as he heard those words leave the mouth of the rather angry Bane Silver. The more she spoke and the more Kestrel learned of her the less he liked the mare.

He would definitely be keeping an eye out for sure now, however. If she wanted to make true to that threat, Kestrel would be ready to...reeducate her on the intricacies of pony anatomy. Specifically just how many nerve endings could be found within the nose and jaw area.

"Have you anything more to show us, Mr. Sight?" Kestrel asked, seemingly unfazed in his mood. None would be knowing what he was thinking at the time if he had anything to say about it.

Ale had closed his eyes as he leaned back in the chair, the only thing showing that the buck was still awake was the levitation field he cast to keep the chair from tipping over backwards. However when bane shouted the field imploded and the floor rushed to meet a now off kilter ale. "Ow." ale mouthed as he rubbed his back. Looking up he saw that bane and sooth where having a not so private discussion. Ale did not like what bane silver was saying about stableton, sure stables didn't have the best reputation but the town was still nice, and full of wonderful ponies. Ale watched as the mare announced her retirement for the night, and her apparent skill with the pre-war artifact. "Spears." the white unicorn thought. "Who in the wastland do i know is good with spears? Fiends? no they use more crude weapons. Khans? no they prefer punching and shooting. The legion? Yeah that's it. Wait was bane a member of the legion?" After righting himself and the chair he sat back down and decided to investigate on his suspicions. "Great wife you've got there." ale said as he turned to sooth sight. "Wherever did you find her?"

Sooth Sight looked over to Kestrel as he spoke, to which he sighed heavily once again, "Hm... No, I suppose not, unless you'd like a now less time-constrained continuation of the tour of the house. Other than that, I don't believe there is that much else of note here other than particular pieces of my ancestors' collection..." He looked back to the door that his wife had exited the room through, "Perhaps I could go talk to her and get her back down here and be more friendly."

He then heard Ale's question which made Sooth Sight freeze up and go quiet for a short while, "Ah... Where did I find her indeed." Sooth Sight said quietly, "Silver has a bit of a... a troubled past. She was born and raised by a quite ferocious raider gang by the name of The Chosen; Who until about 20 years ago, camped out just down by the base of the hill, and had been there for generations. They often preyed upon caravans resting in the place where Stableton now stands. Lots of cover, it made their signature spears quite deadly. They knew the firing arcs and positions of my automated defenses, and use it so that their camp was nigh impossible to assault. One day, a squad of slavers managed to figure out just how to attack them, and they managed to make off with many of their number. Bane Silver included. She managed to fight herself free from the slavers, however, and made her way back here, looking for the rest of her tribe. But they had moved on or been killed, their camp had been compromised. Bane Silver ascended to the front door of the house, expecting the automated defenses to tear her asunder, but I had taken them offline for maintenance. She was alone, starved and hopeless. I took her in and gave her free room and board. She was the only mare outside of my family I would likely ever meet, so I developed a fondness for her. She eventually developed a fondness for me, but only just. I don't believe she will ever truly overcome her raider past, but she has adjusted to her new life well."

---

Dash listened to the story quietly. It was freaky that the snooty female unicorn had been a raider at one point, but there were stranger stories out here in the wasteland. It explained her hostility to a degree, but that she had been living here for 20 years, she had also developed the high-society prissiness as well. It was quite an odd combination. Raiders were a tough case to Dash, however. They were arguably worse than slavers, but at least they had the excuse of mental instability, drugs, and trauma to them. Slavers knew exactly what they were doing at almost all times, making them summarily worse in his book. If a raider could reform, it was something praiseworthy.

Kestrel jotted down the given information into a mental file and packed it away. Well, that certainly did explain a few things. The notable detachment, the aggression, and the other behavior quirks of the mare thus far.

It did not however, make Kestrel any less suspicious of the mare. If anything he'd just be watching her closer than ever now. The last thing he felt like doing was dealing with an ex-raider mare and her bad attitude just because he opened the wrong door.

Trails just chuckled to himself at Bane Silver's threat. So little miss high class was an ex raider, that explained plenty. The stick up her flank for one. No matter how hard she tried to pretend she was born and raised with a silver spoon, or that she was anything more than that little filly murdering caravaners, she wasn't.

"Remind me to keep an eye out," he joked as he rose from the table, "for high class mares with spears."

Cuppa had been quietly sat, eating her dinner after everything settled once more, then Bane Silver grew aggravated and started threatening them all, mostly if they bothered her whilst she was trying to rest.

And was it just her, or was Cuppa the only one who hid under the table for a brief moment before everything calmed down again? It must've been.

She arose from under the table whilst listening to the story about how Bane Silver had been found by Sooth. Slavers could really do a lot to a pony... She somewhat sympathised with the mare, almost wanting to go talk to her, were it not for her threat earlier.

Once everypony seemed to be done, Cuppa had finished her meal, so she rose from her seat and gave a polite bow towards Sooth Sight. "Thanks fer the meal. Mr Sooth Sight. If ya dun mind, ah'd like t' have a look in yer library, have a lil' read o' what ya've got from b'fore th' war."

Lightning simply frowned a little at Bane Silver getting rather worked up at Stable ponies. He resisted the urge to stand up and debate about Stable ponies and he just stared on quietly. The pegasus smiled a little at Dash's comment to him and he whispered back, "Thankfully, right?"

Their host, Sooth Sight, quickly explained Silver's situation which did more to make the stallion feel uneasy rather than reassure him. A raider is trapped in the same home they are and already made a verbal threat on their lives. This night is going to be a very interesting one. Lightning took a little glance at Cuppa as she asked to go to the library which quickly sparked his interest in pre-war books as well. "Perhaps I will go to the library as well, if that is alright with you, Mr. Sight."

" of course, raiders, why wouldn't it be raiders. I mean their bucking everywhere." ale thought as sooth sight explained. "And now we get to be locked in the same house with one." Ale was starting to second guess his efforts to save the mare from the chandelier earlier. "Goddess, i'm going to need a lot more alcohol if i'm going to get through tonight." ale broadcasted. The white unicorn turned to the black pegasus across the table from him, "Hey dash. Want to go raid the mini bar back in our room?" He asked.

Sooth Sight looked around at his guests as some began discussing what they were going to be doing for now. He sighed heavily, "Well. I suppose you may go about the house as you please for now. I see no harm in allowing you into the library, but do take care to not damage any of the books within. They are all still in quite fine condition. The Library is located on the third story in the West Wing. Take care, though, some of the hallways in that wing are confusing, and there are no signs."

"Also, although that knowledge of her may make you uncomfortable around her, I feel as though I must get her back down here to at least attempt to get her to apologize to you all for saying all those things. If any of you wish to continue the tour, I'll be back down here in about an hour at most. She does have a bit of a tendency to... well. Go off on rants. Farewell for now, and... Stay safe." Sooth Sight then left the room through the same door Bane Silver had left through.

---

Dash looked over to Lightning and Cuppa when they said they were going to the library, then to Ale who said that they could go get some drinks at their room. Dash didn't know Ale all that much, but he was all for making new friends, "Well. Yeah, sure." Dash said. He thought about the layout of the mansion and remembered where the rooms were. He just hoped no pony else would get lost in here.

Seeing as how everyone was breaking up to go their separate ways now, Kestrel decided he was going to start his own private tour of the homestead he'd been invited too.

"If I'm needed I'll be in the greenhouse." The griffon stated calmly and coldly, as was tradition. If no-one decided to stop him, he'd be on his way without so much as a click of his talons.

Cuppa nodded. "Ah promise ah'll be careful wi' th' books, sir. T'aint nice t' go ruinin' somepony else's things." She spoke whilst moving from her seat. "Thanks fer the meal, ah'll do muh best t' not get lost." Cuppa smiled, glancing at Flash and then heading for the door, she'd never taken him for the sort to go about reading books, but then again who knows what everypony else actually did in their free time?

Stepping out of the main hall and heading for the west wing, Cuppa kept her eyes and ears open in case something like the chandelier happened again.

Ale stood up and gave a bow to sooth sight. "Thanks for the grub." he said before turning to the door and walking out, sidestepping the broken Chandler. As ale trotted down the hall with dash he decided to strike up a conversation with the buck. "So duck tape." the unicorn started. "Think this place is really haunted, cuz i'm leaning towards the "really dark secret in the basement" possibility."

Rad had just sat eating his food through all the ranting, raving and calm discussions of the others, so when Sooth said they can move around the house freely Rad knew it was when the fun would really start. "So Deus, where'd ya want to go first... A whole mansion of rooms an' stuff eh? This is gonna be fun..." Rad looked around, he hadn't payed much attention to the route on the tour, so he didn't really know where anything was, though he would just revert back to his usual technique of wandering until he found something he recognised. It's not like you could get lost forever in a building, surely he would find his way back eventually, right?

Lightning took a glance back at Cuppa, giving her a small nod before looking at the others. "I assume the rest of you will find your own past time? We shouldn't be in the library long. Kes, I'll return to the room once I'm done with my little reading session with Cuppa in the library." The pegasus looked back at Cuppa, smiling at her and adding a polite, "After you."