//------------------------------//
// The Forty-eigth of the First Moon, year 1820 of Celestia's reign 
// Story: Scootaloo's Hollow 
// by Dead_Mares 
//------------------------------//

Dreadwing heard the familiar sound of light footsteps behind him and turned to greet Scootaloo as usual, but was taken aback by her appearance. Her mane, while normally a little messy, was instead an unkempt mess, she staggered along the dirt path like some drunkard, and perhaps the most perplexing thing was the defacing black mark around one of her eyes. Accompanying her appearance was an equally unusual feeling of despair he had not sensed in her for months.

"What happened to you?" He wondered aloud.

Scootaloo shrugged. "I fell down the stairs from our attic this morning."

"The attic? What were you doing in there?"

"I was just grabbing something. I'm fine, really. It's nothing too serious," Scootaloo said dismissively. By now Dreadwing had known her long enough that he wasn't going to get any more information out of her, either through words or thoughts. He detected guilt during their conversation, leading him to catch her lies. Even so, he decided against confronting her. Scootaloo was a stubborn pony who didn't want to admit her problems, and there was nothing to gain from listening. He would have to figure it out for himself.

The day went on fairly normally. A few of the other students at school were curious about Scootaloo's injuries, but they all fell for her lies, including Cheerilee. Dreadwing could sense her guilt growing with each retelling of the façade, and he knew she could not go through many more school days in a similar situation. It was something he was strongly against as the murk surrounding Scootaloo's home made it unbearably unpleasant, but he knew he had to find out what was going on in that building once and for all. He could not let her suffer any longer. For his friend, he would do anything.

Dreadwing waved goodbye that night and watched Scootaloo head home. She had left a few minutes earlier than usual, to account for her slowed travel she said. A sigh escaped his large black beak as she disappeared from his sight, and he used his magic to make himself invisible to her once again. He needed to observe her in secret if he was to discover the truth.

Halfway down the path to her house, Scootaloo suddenly turned off into the woods, making Dreadwing frown. Why was she not going home? Had she seen something in the trees? No, he could sense no curiosity or excitement from the filly's mind. In fact, she was continuing on as if this were part of her usual schedule. What business did she have in the middle of the forest when the sun was sinking past the mountains?

It took Dreadwing a few minutes to realize Scootaloo's intentions. She had settled into the hollow underneath a large tree's roots and was sitting silently, gazing out into the forest. For what reason he was not certain. If he had to guess, she was merely passing the time and trying to avoid going home for as long as possible. Why she would keep this from him he did not know. Dreadwing already knew her home wasn't a cheerful place to be, and he would have happily waited for her as long as she wanted. However, she seemed to want this moment peacefully to herself, so he relented and allowed her the time.

The full moon was nearing its peak when Scootaloo finally arose and walked down the path to her home. There was a sense of determination about her, as if that entire time was spent steeling her courage to enter the foul building. She strode quietly through the front door and shut it silently behind her.

Dreadwing glanced up at the moon after the orange pegasus disappeared into the dark space. "Midnight," he thought to himself. The passage of time was inconsequential to him, yet he still kept track of it. He didn't know why. He wasn't sure why he had decided to interfere in this pony's life, either. Maybe it was curiosity, boredom, or something else. Either way, he knew he needed to protect his friend from whatever awaited her.

Dreadwing took a deep breath, prepared himself for the darkness that awaited, and stepped through the wall straight into Scootaloo's room.