The Manor on the Hill (Nightmare Night Scary Story Submission)

Gravel and dirt shift as an ambulance comes to rest on top of it. Inside the occupants of the vehicle can barely make out the shape of a large manor backlit by the full moon. The lights in the front of the vehicle dissipate as the engine is turned off, leaving the area ahead in darkness. The doors to the vehicle open, and two ponies dressed in EMS uniforms step out. From the driver side, an older earth pony stallion of 36. From the passenger side, a young mare of 22. The doors of the ambulance are shut, and the pink mare taps her radio. “Dispatch, we’ve arrived on scene. Doesn’t look like any lights are on.” Flashlights are equipped, and turned on, giving the two some amount of light. The radio chimes “Copy that Responder 143. Officers are on their way. About 10 minutes out.” The pink mare taps her radio again. “We can’t afford to wait for them. We should be out before they arrive.” Once again the radio chimes “Copy that. Good Luck.” “Jeez. Talk about old fashioned huh?” The older stallion chortles to himself. “Yeah. This place has to be at least 300 years old.” The younger mare responds. The two approach with their flashlights pointed towards the front door. The aged wooden steps onto the porch creak, and bend as they struggle to support the weight of the two paramedics. A gust of wind picks up discarded leaves, and whips them about over the porch. “Maaaan. Why do we always get the weird calls? It’s like we’re-” The older stallion stops in the middle of his sentence. “Woah. Did you just see that?” The pink mare raises an eyebrow. “See what?” “In the window on the left. Thought I saw someone walk by holding a candle.” “Maybe that’s our patient?” The front door groans after having been opened for the first time in what could have been decades. It’s hinges squeal, and the wood creaks. Asuka is afraid to turn the doorknob too harshly for fear of it just falling out of the door. The moment her head passes through the doorway, the not so little voice in her head attempts to alert her. ‘Nope. Screw this. Let’s get out of here, or at least wait for the police officers.’ She has a brief mental argument with herself before continuing on. Now was not the time to be doubting herself. Someone was in distress, and it was her job to help them. The only issue was, no one knew exactly where this person was. “Hello? Anyone home?” Asuka’s voice echoes through the large foyer, up the stairs, and all throughout the first floor of the home. The following silence shakes Aska to her very core. There’s something off about just how silent it is here. Maybe the person they’re here to rescue has already died. The two make their way into the foyer proper before turning to each other. “Well. I guess we just search the first floor first, then move up to the second?” The older EMT heaves a shrug. “That’s probably our best bet if we can’t get this person to respond.” Asuka nods in response. Frank’s mouth opens to speak, but he’s cut off by the sound of a large pipe organ permeating throughout the manor. The two paramedics find themselves unable to move. A cold chill rattles their bones, and causes their bodies to shiver violently for a second. When Frank finally realizes what’s being played, he nearly shouts “Oh come on! This song?!” All throughout the manor an organ can be heard playing Toccata & Fugue in D Minor. “What is this? Some sort of trial run for a haunted house?” Asuka tries to make a joke, but neither find it all that funny. “I think it’s coming from upstairs.” The older EMT begins to walk towards the large set of stairs leading up to the second floor. Asuka remains frozen in place for 3 more seconds before she’s able to force herself free, and follow him up the stairs. The two crest the stairs, and the EMT utters an expletive. “You gotta be kidding me. Hey! Did your light just go out?” Asuka gently pats her flashlight. “Yeah. I swear this thing had a full charge when we started our shift.” The older EMT grumbles. He stops, allowing Asuka to make her way to his right to peer down a hallway. “Hey, I think I can hear where the organ is coming from.” Asuka takes a step, but her body freezes when the EMT begins screaming panicked expletives. She turns back around to see the EMT staring down the left hallway, petrified. “WHAT WAS THAT?!” Asuka can’t form any words to ask questions, but she gets an answer regardless. “I swear! There were at least 6 guys in plague doctor outfits or something down that hallway! They were carrying candles!” “C’mon Frank. We’ve only been in the dark for 3 seconds. It’s way too early to start hallucinating.” “No! I swear they were there!” The two stop for some time as Asuka leads Frank through a few breathing techniques she’d learned from her counselor. After which Frank has managed to calm down enough to continue. The duo continues down the right hallway inching ever closer to the source of the organ. Asuka leads, with Frank following behind. With what little light the moon gives through the windows the two are walking by feel more than sight. Asuka reaches the door from which the organ can be heard. She places a hoof on the door, and begins to push it open. “HEY!” Asuka quickly whips around. Frank is nowhere to be seen. “F-Frank?” No response. Only silence. “Frank!” Asuka cries out for her partner, but she gets no response. Not even the shuffle of hooves. The creaking of the door she just opened brings her attention back to the room. As her vision passes into the room the organ music appears to change sources. Now it’s coming from the basement. Checking the interior of the room Asuka finds it to be a bedroom. It appears to have been well kept, save for the heavy layer of dust that had accumulated on every surface. She quietly calls out, but receives no response. Asuka slowly closes the door, and shuffles her way back towards the stairs. Her front right hoof hits the first step. As if on cue her ears perk. She can hear something else from below now. Another step down. The sound is only slightly louder. Asuka slowly, and cautiously descends the steps. She grabs her radio halfway down. “Dispatch. I’ve lost my partner, and my flashlight isn’t working. I’m going to head out, and wait for the officers.” She waits for a response, but it doesn’t come. “Dispatch?” Nothing. Her radio must be out too. Panic begins to grip the paramedic. Her breathing techniques do little to ease the rising panic as she begins rapidly descending the stairs. She runs forwards, but she can’t see the door. Asuka slams face first into a solid wall. The door’s gone. Maybe it was never even there to begin with. The sound is clear now. It’s a voice. A young mare, likely in her mid teens. She’s crying “Please! Help me!” between fits of sobbing. Asuka could look around for another exit, but she doubts she’d find anything. She could look for Frank, but she has no idea where to start. Against the protests of her not so little voice Asuka approaches the door to the basement. It was as if she was in some sort of trance, unable to control her own actions. She shoves the door open with little effort, and descends the staircase despite her heart rate rapidly increasing. If she were to go into cardiac arrest here, she’d consider that a merciful end. Instead, Asuka finds herself in the basement with the source of the voice just out of view. The young mare’s cries become more frequent, and urgent. She knows Asuka is there. A few steps forwards, and Asuka finally sees her. The teenage mare, dressed in clothing from the 1700’s. She looked as if time had left her untouched. The mare looks to Asuka. Her face is a mess of tears, red cheeks, and dry eyes. “Please! Help me!” she cries out before a fit of sobs. Asuka approaches, but despite her own fright she speaks calmly. “Don’t worry. I’m going to help you get out.” “We’ve got eyes on the ambulance dispatch. No sign of the paramedics.” Officer Hilbert keys his radio. He and his partner Officer Glide step out of their patrol car, and equip their flashlights. “Copy that. Do you see anything in the windows?” The radio responds. Officer Glide keys his radio. “Not a thing dispatch.” “Understood. Head inside, but if you get the sense something is off, get out of there as quick as you can.” Officer Hilbert nods despite only Glide being able to see it. “Roger. We’ll keep you posted.” Creaking wood, howling wind, and the caw of crows. The two officers enter the manor with their flashlights raised. A chill sends a shiver down their spines. Officer Glide begins to grumble. “We don’t get paid enough to deal with this stuff man.” Officer Hilbert shakes his head. “Neither do the EMTs.” Their attention is ripped away in an instant. From below the two officers can hear Fantasia & Fugue in G Minor being played on an organ. “That’s [EXPLETIVE]ing creepy.” Officer Glide shudders. “Looks like we know what to check out first.” Officer Hilbert motions to his partner as he heads over towards the door to the basement. “Hold on one second. My light just went out.” Officer Glide stands in the foyer as he attempts to get his flashlight to work. Officer Hilbert stops halfway to the basement as his own flashlight ceases to function. He hears an expletive shouted by Glide, followed by three discharges from his sidearm. By the time he’s turned to see what’s happened Glide’s sidearm clatters to the floor, with no trace of the officer who had been holding it. Officer Hilbert has little time to react. The basement door swings open, and a series of wails, and cries for help emerge from within. The voice sounds like a mare. Likely in her early twenties. She’s calling out for help. “Glide!” Officer Hilbert unholsters his own sidearm. “Glide! You there?!” Nothing. Officer Hilbert begins to back up towards the front door. His rear bumps solid wood. He turns, but finds no door. Was there even a door in the first place? How did he get in here if there was no door? The basement beckons. Officer Hilbert’s thoughts of escaping are dashed. Against his own will his body begins to move to the basement. He tries to stop himself, to scream for help, but nothing works. He feels like a helpless passenger as something else pilots his body down the basement stairs. His hooves hit the cobblestone floor, and his ears can hear the cries much better.Officer Hilbert's body steps forwards, and his eyes see her. A young paramedic with pink fur, and a long blonde mane, desperately calling out for help. Her face is red, cheeks stained with tears, and eyes bloodshot. Ever since that night, not a single soul has ever entered the Dimsmew Manor. Not the bravest of adventurers, or most oblivious of teenagers. No police officer, mage, or search and rescue team has ever dared to set foot in that cursed manor. Some come to visit the manor, and gawk in it’s otherworldly appearance from outside, but no one ever enters. Some who have visited the manor claim to see figures staring at them through the windows. Figures wearing outfits of medieval plague doctors, carrying candles. Others claim to hear a voice, pleading for their help. Some say the young paramedic who entered the Dimsmew Manor long ago is still there. Still stuck in the basement. Still desperately calling for rescue. Rescue, that will never come.