Scootaloo awoke to a pair of lavender hooves around her body. Confusion set in her mind as she tried to remember what had happened to land her in the situation she’d found herself in. It must have been early in the morning. The light of the sun was barely peeking through the window. And despite her school hours, Scootaloo was not a morning pony.

She gave up trying to figure out what had happened and just relented to letting the comfortable situation remain as such. She wriggled closer to her spooning partner and sighed. Taking in the scent of the pony who made her feel so safe and happy, her calm morning was about to be interrupted by her mind as the memories came flooding back.

Scootaloo’s eyes snapped open. She remembered everything. Twilight’s diary, the enclosed secret love that the princess held towards her, her first masturbatory fantasy and the following revelation that she’d developed a crush on Twilight in turn. And finally the offer to sleep with Twilight in her bed, the very bed that she was in at this moment.

She looked down at the hooves that protected her from the outside world. As she’d failed to register earlier, they were in fact the same shade of lavender that Twilight was known for. Scootaloo realised that she was being held in Twilight’s arms. That this was a fantasy that the Princess no doubt entertained, or perhaps the aftermath of a fantasy. And she realised that it would have been the same for her as well.

Scootaloo blushed as she realised that she was being held by the pony who loved her. It in no way reminded her of Rainbow Dash. In fact it reminded her of how not like Rainbow Dash this was. She wasn't a mushy kind of pony who held public displays of affection. Scootaloo began to wonder why that was. After all, it felt good. Though Scootaloo began to wonder if that might have just been a result of her being held by her crush.

Scootaloo blushed again. It was strange referring to Twilight as her crush. But she was happy. She had a chance at love; a shadowy, secretive and ultimately illegal love, but a love all the same. And it wouldn't be possible if it weren't for…

THE BOOK!!! she screamed in her mind, eyes widened to the size of dishes. She’d left Twilight’s diary under the pillow in the spare bedroom. Spike would no doubt come along sooner or later to strip the bed. He’d wind up finding the book and put two and two together. It wouldn't take a genius to figure out that Scootaloo had taken the diary, and that would cause Twilight to panic beyond the point of calming her down. Scootaloo didn't want to do that to her. No, She would allow the relationship they both desired to form naturally. Or as naturally as possible when she’d planned on rigging it for success and she had what was essentially a walkthrough guide at her disposal.

But first, she needed to get that book. Being careful not to wake Twilight, Scootaloo slowly slid herself out from underneath the princess' clutches. Although slow, the action still caused Twilight to stir, but thankfully, she did not wake up. Scootaloo fought the urge to sigh in relief, not wanting to risk waking her up. She waited for about half a minute before moving again, slowly crawling backwards off the side of the bed.

Touchdown; the hard part was over. Now all she needed to do was sneak around the bed, leave Twilight's room, enter the spare room and grab the diary. All while making next to no noise at all. She audibly gulped at the task ahead. With a single step, she was on her way. As she crept, she kept an eye on Twilight at all times, ready to freeze if the mare stirred again. As Scootaloo turned her head to see how far from the door she was, she found herself rearing back as the door was less than an inch from her face. She sucked in air and held it for a moment before exhaling quietly. She reached for the handle and turned it, flinching as it made a squeaking sound. Why couldn't the doors be made of crystal too? she whined to herself as she heart Twilight turn in her sheets. Scootaloo looked back to find Twilight facing her, but still asleep.

The silence was deafening. This was taking too long. With a quick tug, the handle lowered all the way and the door opened. As it moved, Scootaloo suddenly found herself wondering if it squeaked or not. She couldn't remember hearing anything last night. To her relief, not a sound came from the door. She released the handle and stepped through the archway, reversing the process on the other side. She was quicker this time, making sure that the noise was minimal. She looked around and saw the place was empty.

Scootaloo repeated her sneaking stride to the spare room and opened the door haphazardly, forgetting the rest of the plan and hurried over to where she'd left the book. She lifted the pillow and saw it. In the light of the morning sun, it seemed far more imposing. After all, it contained a deep dark secret, yet it was unphased by Celestia's light.

A shiver ran along Scootaloo's spine as she picked the book up and looked at it. She'd succeeded in obtaining it. But...Wait, where the hay am I gonna hide it?!

A cold sweat broke in Scootaloo's forehead as the realisation that she had nowhere to hide it became clear to her. She knew she couldn't hide it under her wing. Pegasi were known for emphasising their emotions through the use of their wings. And with Twilight as smart as she is, she might pick up on the fact that I'm not using them.she thought. The orphanage gates weren't open yet and there'd be nowhere within the castle that would be safe from Twilight's ever seeking eyes. Scootaloo thought about hiding the diary outside the castle, but remembered what it said about it potentially ruining the princess' good name. If somepony were to find it and read it, Twilight would be ruined.

That realisation made Scootaloo's heart twist in her chest. She could wind up not being a princess anymore... and I wouldn't be allowed near her. Scootaloo began to panic. She looked around frantically for anywhere to hide the book. If only she could fly, she'd be able to dash to the orphanage and hide it there. Oh, but the others might find it. she thought.

With a defeated sigh, she decided to hide it underneath whatever was in the bedside table drawers. She opened the top draw and found it empty. She blinked before closing it and opening the middle one. Empty again. She repeated the action with the third one and found it empty also. The gears in her head were working overtime to try and figure out what to do.

So... these drawers aren't used. And if they're not used, then nopony would open them. And if nopony would open them, then that means... she opened the top drawer again and placed the book inside, closing it again. She closed the bottom drawer as well, leaving everything as it was. With a relieved sigh, she made her way out of the room, closing the door behind her. It was as she was descending the stairs, she spotted Spike leaving his own little room downstairs.

"Hey, Spike." she said casually. Spike yawned and waved to the filly, none the wiser about what had happened upstairs. As the two met, Scootaloo decided to ask Spike about what Twilight might enjoy doing for their day out.

"Dunno. Twilight's always been a rather indoorsy pony. Unless it's a symposium or a lecture on magical studies, she's not exactly what you'd call relatable." he replied. Scootaloo sighed, wondering what they might be able to do together.

"Can you think of anything that we both like?" she asked him. She watched as Spike's mind went into overdrive... or as close to it as a half asleep dragon could go.

"I suppose you could try the theatre. Twilight's a Daring Do fan, and apparently they're showing some musical parody of her first adventure. Twilight's been talking about seeing it, but her and Rainbow's calendars haven't exactly been in sync lately." he replied. Scootaloo beamed at the smart young dragon. She pulled him into a big hug.

"That's perfect! Thanks Spike." she said, squeezing him tightly. The young dragon was still too tired to fight her off, so he just went with it.

"Careful, Scootaloo. Spike's the only one here who knows how to cook. I'd like breakfast before you break him." a familiar voice jested. Scootaloo released Spike and turned to Twilight, smiling at her with a mixture of awe, envy and lust.

Twilight returned the look with a similar mixture of love, care and... veiled lust. Nevertheless, the two were happy to see each other. "Hey, Twilight. Thanks for letting me stay here last night." the filly said, opening with a casual show of gratitude. Twilight just made one of those humming chuckles. "Of course. It was my pleasure." she replied. I don't doubt it. Scootaloo thought as the two of them made their way to the breakfast table.

As Spike cooked, Scootaloo and Twilight filled the time with idle chatter. Scootaloo wanted to save the offer of the theatre performance for something to talk about over the actual meal. Fortunately, the wait wasn't long as Spike emerged with a large stack of pancakes for everypony in one hand, and a large helping of maple syrup. Scootaloo envied the dragon's ability to balance so well. No doubt his tail had something to do with it.

As the meal began, Scootaloo took the chance to suggest the theatre as a potential place to go. "So I was talking to Spike earlier, asking him what he thought we might like to do together today; and he suggested the theatre. There's supposed to be a Daring Do musical showing." Before Scootaloo could ask if that was a viable option, Twilight put her cutlery down, her mouth full of pancake and started waving her hoof at Scootaloo with excitement. She took a moment to swallow what was in her mouth before answering.

"Yes! I've been wanting to go and see that or a while now, but Rainbow's always been busy when I was free, and vice versa. I'd have gone by myself, but the theatre isn't exactly something you go to alone." she said. Clearly, she was excited by the prospect of finally seeing it.

"You just wanna deliver a scathing review." Spike said, causing the table to chuckle.

"Let's go see it then." Scootaloo said, making the outing with Twilight official.

"Alright then. Spike, would you like to join us?" Twilight asked.

Spike smiled at them and waved his claw to decline. "Thanks, Twilight. But I'm not that big a fan of Daring Do. Besides, I promised Rarity I'd help out at the Boutique when I got the chance, and weekends are the hardest for her." he replied.

"Fair enough. Tell her I said hello?" she asked, receiving a a nod of confirmation from the dragon as he dug into his meal. "The show starts at midday, which works out well, because there's some business I need to take care of that I don't think can wait. Is it alright with you if I take some of our time away to do this?" she asked Scootaloo who seemed curious but wrote it off as Princessly duties. The filly nodded and continued to eat her pancakes.

"It's fine. I wanted to tell the girls I wasn't going to be free today anyway. Did you want to meet up somewhere before the show so we could go together?" she asked. Twilight smiled and thought about it for a moment.

"How about we take an early lunch at Sugarcube Corner? Say around Eleven? That'll give us a good two hours to do what it is we need to do first." Twilight offered.

"Sounds good to me. Should we head off after breakfast?" she asked. Twilight nodded and went into her breakfast.

Twilight had plans, but none of them princessly. She'd been contemplating it for a while, but she believed that certain things were preventing her, but now she felt secure in her decision. She walked casually towards the southern end of town, wondering how Scootaloo would react to the news.

It didn't take Twilight long to reach a metal fence with the gates open. There was a sign above the fence that created an archway. The sign read as follows:

Ponyville Orphanage
cura aeternam

Twilight smiled and stepped through the gates, following the cobblestone path up to the front door of the small mansion-like building. It was well maintained for an orphanage, certainly more so than the ones in Manehattan and Trottingham. Twilight knocked on the front door and a beautiful chocolate coated mare with a cream coloured mane and tail that had been styled beautifully to the left, a loose ponytail tied with a blue band on her mane and tail both.

The caretaker, Twilight assumed, was surprised to see her local princess visiting unexpectedly. "P-princess Twilight? My word, what an honour it is. Please, come in." the caretaker said, opening the door fully to allow Twilight access.

"Thank you, Miss..."

"Oh, Guylian, your highness. Guylian Seashell." the mare replied.

"Like the chocolate?" Twilight asked, hoping not to have offended. Nevertheless, Guylian smiled and even deigned to chuckle.

"Exactly like the chocolate, your highness. My mother had a particular sweet tooth for them." she replied.

"Please, just Twilight. It still feels strange to be called things like Princess and your highness. Half the time, I turn around thinking Princess Celestia or Luna have appeared beside me without my notice." Twilight said, earning a sympathetic giggle from Guylian.

"As you wish, Twilight. So, what brings you to our humble little orphanage?" Guylian asked, leading Twilight to what she assumed was her office.

"Just one thing, divided up into two sub-things... if you get what I mean." she said with a sheepish grin.

"I believe so."

Twilight cleared her throat before speaking again. "First off, I wanted to let you know that Scootaloo stayed in the castle with me last night." she began earning a relieved sigh from Guylian.

"Thank goodness. It always worries me when my foals don't come back in time. Were it up to me, we wouldn't have that gate, but being so close to the Everfree Forest, we have the curfew for their own safety. I tend to patrol the perimeter before midnight, but last night would have been pointless. The rain made it difficult for me to even see what was in front of my nose."

Twilight nodded in understanding. "I'm sorry to have worried you, but Scootaloo had expressed an interest in me prior to my life here in Ponyville, and I couldn't rightly turn her down. Long story short, our conversation went on for longer than we'd anticipated, and by the time it ended, the storm had already begun." she said.

"Well thank you for taking care of her, Twilight. Where is she now?" Guylian asked.

"She's probably with her friends. I've made plans to have an early lunch with her and then we're going to the theatre to see the Daring Do Musical." she replied. Guylian chuckled at the sound of the musical.

"No doubt she'll enjoy it. She's always raving on about Daring Do, when she's not gushing about Rainbow Dash. I swear, everypony here knows the characters of the series like the backs of their hooves." Guylian laughed.

"Which brings me to the other sub-topic; having Scootaloo spend the night has made this morning a lot livelier than usual. I'd been considering it for a while, but I knew she was holding out for Rainbow Dash to be the one." Twilight began.

"You wish to adopt Scootaloo?" Guylian asked, unable to hide the surprise in her voice. Twilight smiled. She knew that a Princess adopting would be cause for the foal to live up to great expectations, but Twilight was not like other princesses. She was noble, but not nobility. She had no intention of using Scootaloo for any political attention. She just wanted Scootaloo, period. But that would be difficult to convey without it sounding rather taboo.

"Scootaloo is a special filly who has touched the hearts of everypony around her. Her wings are small and weak, but that hasn't stopped her from dreaming big and pushing herself farther than any other pegasus. I believe that Scootaloo will make a name for herself in Equestria as an idol to other challenged ponies, not just pegasi. I see her potential and I wish to nurture it, to invest in it. What comes if it will make no difference to me because she will be my daughter." Twilight said, blushing as she realised she'd gone off into a little speech.

Guylian just stared at Twilight, awestruck. "You know... most parents tell me they want a foal because they can't conceive or because they're lonely and believe that a foal will brighten their life. But you, are the first one ever to make me believe that you have what it takes to be a good parent. Ponies have come and gone wanting to adopt because they're just going through the motions, playing the game that is life and family. I worry how my foals have turned out whenever I sign off on the adoption. But I know I won't have to worry about Scootaloo."

"I promise, I'll take good care of her. I'll bring her back here after the theatre performance so you can tell her the good news yourself and say goodbye. Clearly, you love these foals, otherwise you wouldn't call them yours." Twilight said.

Guylian failed to stop a tear from escaping her eye as she sniffed. She stood before the greatest thing to happen to Equestria since the Alicorn Sisters took the throne over a thousand years ago. "Bless you, my princess... bless you." Though Twilight had asked her not to refer to her as Princess, she knew that Guylian wasn't able to help herself this time. She let it go as she wrapped the caretaker in a gentle hug. She could feel it. Guylian had become her first loyal subject outside her circle of friends.

Author's Note

For those of you who might be wondering, I decided to have Guylian an inverted version of Button's mom. Why? Because despite the whoretastic fanfics of her, BM is easily the most motherly looking pony in the whole series, followed closely by Twilight Velvet and Princess Celestia. Not only that, but with swapped colours she would kind of look like a guylian seashell, and yes, that's a real chocolate.

As for that 'first loyal subject' bit; in this story, and indeed potentially the canon, Equestria is generally subject to all the princesses, but when one calls themself a particular princess' loyal subject, it's time to play favourites.

So yeah, this is Chapter 3, sorry it took so long, but as I mentioned in an earlier blog post, I'd hit a roadblock.