//------------------------------//
// The Forty-sixth of the Sixth Moon, year 1819 of Celestia's reign 
// Story: Scootaloo's Hollow 
// by Dead_Mares 
//------------------------------//

Heavy snow had fallen overnight, meaning the school had been closed for the day. Even so, Scootaloo still rode her scooter, trying to leave all of her problems in the wind behind her. Dreadwing knew it wouldn't work, but he could sense it gave her the strength to continue, which was something she desperately needed.

After an entire day of riding through Ponyville, Scootaloo finally took a break. She climbed into a tall tree on the edge of the town that overlooked the buildings, flapping her small in an attempt to make the ascent a little easier. Upon reaching about half of its height, she nestled into a hollow in the trunk and stared out at the empty town as the sun began to set. It was her favorite place to go to be by herself, and if she wasn't on her scooter, she was in this tree.

Dreadwing floated to the foot of a nearby tree and sat down with his back against it. It was at times like this when Scootaloo's mind tended to wander the most, and Dreadwing almost thought he had felt a little something in her mind before she pushed it away once, some small hint as to what was keeping her so distressed. Over the past moon, Dreadwing had gotten the feeling there was more to her pain than just fighting parents.

Her thoughts went to their usual comforting places. Soaring high in the clouds with other pegasi, speeding along a racetrack on her scooter, romping around with friends who didn't exist... They were all fantasies she wished she could have. Not once had Dreadwing seen her talk to another pony her age. She tended to avoid the others in her school, and while Cheerilee had noticed something was off and tried talking to Scootaloo, the orange pegasus just put up an act, pretending to be happier than she was. The only reason Dreadwing was able to see so much was because he was there when Scootaloo thought no other pony was looking. He was the only one to ever see her cry.

Darkness brushed the edge of Dreadwing's mind from his link with the filly, and he glanced up at Scootaloo's hollow. As usual, the thought vanished almost as soon as it had appeared, but it gave a brief insight. This time he had gotten a faint sense of betrayal, and a single word reverberated in his own mind. "Why?"

Scootaloo's mind didn't go back to that dark place. She ended the day lost in her fantasies, and when the moon had begun to rise, she slithered back down the tree and rode her scooter home again.