Chapter 24
Ghost POV
I followed Scootaloo back to Sweet Apple Acres, making sure to stay a good ways behind. She probably had a lot of questions, and would probably start asking them the second she got back to the farmhouse. I didn't want to pressure her by being there to possibly confuse her or tamper with any answers that Applejack, Applebloom, or Big Mac might give. And hopefully Scootaloo would see that I wasn't here to do anything bad.
It had been about 10 minutes after Scootaloo went zooming off towards the farmhouse when I arrived, the sun already setting after the incredibly long ordeal that just happened. I hadn't slept since Applebloom woke me up to go to school 2 days ago, and I was beginning to feel the effects. A few lights were visible from the outside of the house, and Scootaloo's scooter was still parked outside, meaning she was obviously still here.
I walked up to the door and tried to open it, but I was surprised to find it locked. I knocked on the door and called out. "Hello? It's me Ghost!" I cried, stepping back a bit. I looked at the window that looked into the living room, but I saw that the curtains were drawn and the lights shut off. "Anypony awake? It's only about 8..." I said, muttering the last part. I saw a rustling by the curtains upstairs, by the window which led to Applebloom's room. "Applebloom! It's Ghost! Can you open the door?"
As I looked up at the window, I didn't notice that somepony was already opening the door, revealing Granny Smith with a bleary look in her eye. "Now what's goin' on out here? Why are ya makin' all that racket?" She groaned, rubbing her eyes.
"Me and Scootaloo were gone for about 25 minutes, why did you lock the doors and shut the blinds?" I asked, wondering what was gong on.
"It was Applebloom's little pegasus friend that did it. She comes in here yellin' to see my grandchildren upstairs, lockin' all of the doors and closin' all of the curtains. Ah thought she was goin' mad with all o' the hollerin' and screamin' she was doin'." Granny Smith explained, walking over to her rocking chair as she did. I blushed bashfully after I realized I woke her up, and turned my attention upstairs.
I made my way towards the stairs quietly, knowing that they knew I was in the house now. I snuck up the creaky stairs, using the trick 64 taught me about standing on walls to avoid making any noise, and stood in front of Applebloom's room. I could hear hushed talks on the other side, but nothing definitive. Deciding that I didn't need to be there, I began to walk away, but I heard the door creak open behind me.
I turned around and saw that Big Macintosh was looking at me with his same neutral stare, before his head nodded to come inside. I gulped silently and looked into the room, seeing Scootaloo and Applejack both looking at me through the opened door. I walked inside and saw that Applebloom was still in bed, a worried look on her face.
"Don't ya worry Ghost. We explained everythin' to Scootaloo. Ah had thought ya had already told her everythin' though." Applejack said, tilting her head a bit in confusion. I looked down a bit in embarrassment before answering.
"Well, I've been really careful about who I do and don't tell. I would've definitely told Scootaloo eventually, but I guess she found out on her own..." I muttered, "My job is to help Applebloom recover after what happened at Smokey Mountain, and it seems that she's recovered a lot faster than anypony in Canterlot anticipated. I was never really supposed to tell anyone what I was, but I decided it was for the best. I really am sorry that I didn't tell you sooner Scootaloo."
She still looked mad, but a bit understanding. "I get it. You were scared of what might happen when you told me. I guess my running away when I saw didn't exactly help with that either. But we're friends, and friends aren't supposed to hide things from each other." Scootaloo said, giving me a small smile. "Is there anything else you're hiding from me?"
"Besides the fact that I'm trained by Equestria's most unique assassin in the arts of deception and stealth... not much else!" I said jokingly, but the horrified look on Scootaloo's face told me she didn't know what I was talking about. "I mean 64, you know? The human?"
Her face lit up with realization, before smiling once again. "Oh I already knew that."
"Well now that everything's all settled and done with, how about ah whip you 3 up some dinner before light's out? Ah think ya still need some time ta talk about this." Applejack offered. Scootaloo grinned and nodded, as Applejack left the room along with Big Macintosh. The large stallion gave me a small grin before he left, reminding me of something I had wanted to ask.
"What did Big Mac say about me?"
"He said , 'Ah may not like him, but he wants to protect mah sis, an' that's good enough for me.' Applebloom imitated, gaining laughter from me and Scootaloo. "I'm glad everythin's alright, but do ya wanna tell other ponies about this now?"
"Probably not. Not everypony needs to know. I think I might tell Ms. Cheerilee, but that'll be it." I explained. I noticed that in her bed, Applebloom was beginning to sweat a little bit. I opened the window to let some air in, but as I did, I noticed something. There was a small ledge just outside of Applebloom's window, and on it, was a small grey feather. I picked the feather up with my magic and looked at it, before gasping in horror.
I knew whose feather this was. And he was watching the entire time.