Scootaloo's Shadow. Book 1: Return

Chapter 2 Reveal

"Hello Dash,"  I looked up at her, her face was a triad of emotions: the two most prevalent being confusion and worry, but I could see 'relief' hidden down lower.

"Yu you- you, I just,  Scoots!"  I smiled: at least I wasn't forgotten.  I knew, however, I was about to be barraged by questions.

"Look, I know you're about to ask me a ton of questions, but I don't think I should answer them,"  Her face showed puzzlement,  "Just come by Twilight's tomorrow, I need to talk to her, and everything you ask, and more, I will answer over there,"

"So, I'm not worth an explanation?"

"No that's, ah, yes I do own you all the answers, and I did earn all the hatred towards me for leaving, and I do-"  She cut me off with a hoof; I was rambling a bit.

"Don't take it too far; we don't hate you, but we were worried.  If you answer any question, please let it be this one:  what happened?"

"That one I, I can't answer, not now, at least,"

"Ugh, Scootaloo, where have you been for four years?"

"Well, in Manehatten,"

"Where did you stay?"

"I made uh- a 'friend',"

"A friend? Okay if you say so.  Why did you come back, after four years?"

"I, I don't know, I guess I just missed Ponyville, I missed everyone,"  She smiled, I hoped that put an end to her questions.  The answer to that: no.

"If you can't answer those questions now, when can you?"

I thought for a second, "Like I said, tomorrow I am going to talk to Twilight; as she's coming home, you should come over with me.  Every question you have I will answer, but I want her to hear as well, you might not believe the answers right now,"

"Okay, Scoots, but, do you have anywhere to stay, it's getting late,"  The orange ball belonging to Princess Celestia, began to dip into the horizon; the sky's colors moving outward from the star: Orange , then a purple, the color then turning a darker blue until black.

"Honestly, I was gonna sleep on a cloud, where it's quiet and private,"

"You could come back to my house, I have a spare room,"  I thought about it for a second, I was really considering turning the offer down, as I didn't want to, you know, rip her throat out only hours after meeting her again after four years.  Bloodlust, you know how it goes...

"I don't really think that's neces-"

"Do you now?  No, I'm not taking 'no' for an answer,"  I Sincerely hope, that for your sake Rainbow Dash, this ends well...  She jumped off the cloud and hovered in the air for a second before I took off after her.  Rainbow's face lit up after my wings spread open, seeing this I asked what was the object of her mirth.

"Your wings, they're, they're, big!"

"My wings?  Oh yeah, they -err- grew,"  I sounded like an idiot.

"That's a little more than obvious, I thought they were, you know, stunted,"

"It, they resolved that themselves, so, we were flying to your house?"

"Oh yeah, it's across Ponyville,  it shouldn't take that long now you can fly..."

"It would be so much easier for me to just sleep on a cl-"

"No, now come on. I bet I can beat you there,"

"We both know you can beat me, but if we must,"

"OK ready set-GO!"  The race wasn't even fair.  Honestly, I felt a bit bad for her, I would go as far to say that this race might have hurt her ego a bit.  You know, having to wait on me...

Rainbow Dash is one of the fastest flier Equestria, rivaled only by maybe the Wonderbolts on a good day.  My 'affliction'  gives me somewhat of increase endurance to chase prey (ugh, I hate that word), this endurance allowed me to merely catch up to Dash, but not over take her; she probably toned down her speed as to not create a Sonic Rainboom..

We neared her home, the cloud on which it was built beckoned me.  Rainbow Dash landed gracefully, hovering down then touching to cloud before turning and watching my less-than-graceful landing, and by that I mean that I crashed into her home.  Head first, I slammed into her wall about a foot above the cloud which it was built on, I then proceeded to fall flat on the cloud.

"Scootaloo!  Are you OK?"

I pretended to be hurt; I didn't feel a thing,  "Ow, yeah, I will be fine thanks,"

"OK, are you sure?"

"Yeah,"

She opened the door and trotted in, and I was unable to follow her.  I hope she doesn't make a big deal over this,  "Um, can I come in?"

"What?  You don't have to ask that your a friend an-"

"Please, just say 'yes, come in.' and we can be on our way,"

"Um, come in.  Scootaloo, you're acting weird,"  You have no idea.  I stepped inside the cloud house, looked around and noticed the cloudy landscape:  As you can see, from left to right, we have a cloud couch and armchair, then a cloud counter-top and kitchen, next we go down the cloud hallway to the cloudy bedroom and guest bedroom, within these quarters is a bed on which happens to be a cloud with cloud pillows.  Clouds, gotta love 'em.

"I'll take the the guest room?"

"Um, sure yeah.  I've had a long day of cloud kicking and weather changing so..."

"Right, off to bed, yes I'm tired too, um good night,"  Feeling quite awkward, I walked into my dorm, and lie down on the cloud that would serve as a bed (Not that I had any problems about that).  I suppose sleep is in order so I might as well let its embrace take me.  Every passing moment my eyes grew heavier until...

Shut.

Open.  I looked to the opening in the cloud wall; the sun has just started to come up.  I don't sleep, and I knew this would happen, I knew I would wake up two, maybe three hours later (if I'm lucky).  Vampire's don't need sleep as much as normal ponyfolk do; eight hours can cover a month.

But, I do just love sleep.

Walking.  Quietly.  Past.  Dash's.

"Scootaloo?  Is that you?  Why are you up so early?"

Door.

Why me?  Why couldn't she have let me sleep on my cloud?  "Yeah, I'm gonna go outside for a bit, you just go back to bed, OK?"

"Yeh, Yo kaaay,"  Yawns, so many yawns.

I crept closer towards the door, opened it, then stepped out into the sun.  The morning sun is one of the most beautiful occurrences, fitting that a vampire would like the sunrise.

___________________________________________________________________________________________

We turned the corner and the tree-house which served as the library came into view.  While on the way there the conversation (which was rather one-sided) had turned to Rainbow Dash's most recent aerial stunt she had perfected, one 'Super Looper Tail-Flip Sure-to-get-me-in-the-Wonderbolts 6000'  or something to that effect.  We approached the door, and I asked Rainbow,  "Would you be so kind and get Twilight, while I look for a book?"

"Uh, sure.  After you,"  She opened the door, and I stepped in.  Like always, I winced at the thought of not being invited in, but this is a public place after all.  Dash had trotted off to another room to find Twilight; I began to browse the various book titles, all the while, planning out the course of action I was going to take.  Ooh, looky, a vampire love novel, these trashy things ruin our 'good' name.

"I don't know why you need me 'Dash, but I'll go in the back room:  SO STOP PUSHING!"  Oh boy, here we go.

"Look she just need's your help with something, just come on,"  I grabbed the 'trashy vampire book' as Twilight and Rainbow Dash walked in,  Twilight promptly sat on the couch in the middle of the room, as instructed by Rainbow Dash, before noticing me.

"Oh hello, do you need help with anything?"

"That's who I was talking about, she needs your help,"  Rainbow's cool voice was level, probably waiting for me to reveal my face and make everything right again.  Sorry, egotistical time equals over.

I plopped the book into her lap, and she read the title,  "Oh, if you were looking to check this out, you could have told me, you did have to do this,"  She motioned to the room, and the current situation, then returned to the book: reading the title,  "Not something I would have chosen, but I can get this ready for you if you want it,"

"No, no, I don't need to check this book out, but I do need something similar from you.  Introductions are in order,"  I began to pull my hood off,  "You know, those things ruin our reputation,"

"Nice to meet you, I'm Tw- Wait?  Scootaloo?  Dear goddesses where have you been?  We thought you were dead, where were you?"

"That's what I asked; she didn't tell me though..."  Dash cut her off, adding to her statements

"Look if you'd let me explan-"

"What happened to you,"

"Quiet, please," I tried to hush them.

"See, you're asking all the things I was,"

"I. Said.  QUIET!"  I tried.  "Good.  Now every question will be answered,"  I let that set in.

"First, for four years I have be living in Manehatten.  Second, you thought I was dead, you had every right to believe it as it's partially true, thir-"

"Wait, what?"

"Let me finish.  Third, and the one I hate the most:  'What happened to me'.  Let's just cut to the chase,  I'm dead, err half dead, well kind of dead but still breathing, I'm a vampire,"  Oh boy, here we go.

"A what?  Do you really expect me to believe that?"  Twilight was flabbergasted.