Star-crossed

Katie liked to think of it as her secret garden. The same way she used to have her secret river, nopony knew about her hideaway deep in the Everfree; excepting Fluttershy who found the place on accident as a filly. It was always green there. Unlike the other places in the forest, which changed seasons on their own and experienced fairly normal weather, it was always spring there, always. The flowers were always in bloom, the fruits were always in season, and the animals never fought each other. The garden had a natural stream running through it that ended in a large pond. During her living with Discord, she had grown uncomfortable with things that are too peaceful and too quiet, but this place was the exception. Simply being there in the first place had the effect of relaxing even the most stressed and nervous of ponies. It was, she decided, the perfect place to ask questions and tell secrets. As a result, it was here that she decided to take her coltfriend and the filly she wanted to adopt on a picnic. It was here, she hoped, that they would achieve a happy ending, or rather, a new beginning. Assuming all went according to plan.

"Please, please, please, please, please, tell me we're almost there." Scootaloo pleaded. Her legs were getting tired, but Katie had said that they were going someplace really special, so she was willing to walk just a little bit longer. Also the scent of freshly baked pies and cookies wafted from the bag that Katie was carrying, and if it meant that she could have some, Scootaloo would endure a little leg pain.

"Yes, we're nearly there now. Trust me, you'll know it the moment you see it." Katie said. She hadn't stopped smiling since the group had left the house, but it was slightly forced. Try as she might, she couldn't get the possibility of Scootaloo's refusal out of her mind. It nagged at her constantly, even though she knew that it was unlikely. The filly had already confessed that she enjoyed spending time with Kaite. And to give credit where it's due, she took the matter of Discord being her coltfriend rather well, all things considered. What worried her the most, though, was the thought of how the filly would react if she ever found out about Katie being a human and not a pony at all. That thought was the one that plagued her, but her face didn't show it for an instant.

"No worries, Scoots, I've heard her mention it before it passing. It's worth the wait." Discord was having trouble staying patient too though. He was just as excited and nervous as Katie was, but with a difference. Ever since he was reunited with his chaos, it was determined to make sure that he didn't forget who he was. His inner chaos, or Little Discord as he often called him, was what caused him to get into trouble so often. He often found himself getting into arguments with his inner chaos. 'Oh come on, you know it would be funny.' 'She's my marefriend, LD.' 'She's not even a mare!' 'Not the point, I refuse to do something like that to her.' 'It would only be a little scare.' 'It doesn't matter, I've listened to you more times than I should have in the past, but there's no way I would do something so mean to her.' 'You're no fun.' 'I'm plenty fun, but i'm done being mean to the ones I love. If I want them to like me back, I need to stop treating them like i'm so much better than them.' 'You are so much better than them.' 'Sometimes, but I won't treat them like they are.' 'You've changed, Discord. But for the better? I don't think so...Besides you take it from me, this whole thing is going to be one big sob-fest. Why should we bother with a filly? We have enough to deal with.'

"We're here!" Katie reached forward with her hoof and pulled a curtain of vines to the side. "Welcome to my garden."

A whole swarm of butterflies flew around gently on the breeze, adding to the beauty of the scene. Everything that the most beautiful about nature and spring could be found in that forgotten clearing. Even Discord, who enjoyed making things look completely out of the ordinary and just plain strange, stared in awe at the sight before him.

"Well are you just going to stand there or come in?" Katie laughed. Her smile was not forced now. Her joy was genuine, any stress she felt going in was gone almost instantly. The effect was almost magical, a sort of natural magic that happened all on it's own. Her companions walked slowly into the garden, savouring the feel of the soft grass on their feet, and the smell of the air. Katie had the exact same reaction the first couple of times she came to the garden, it still took her breath away but she was a little used to it by now.

"What is this place?" Scootaloo asked. She tried in vain to chase a butterfly, but it flew high in the air and evaded her grasp.

"The only place in Equestria where it's constantly spring. Very few ponies know it exists. I know, Fluttershy knows, and now both of you know."

"It's amazing, Katie. It's the perfect place." Discord created a large blanket out of thin air and spread it out on the emerald grass. The trio sat on it and took in the environment around them. The very air was intoxicatingly fragrant.

"So what is it you guys wanted to talk to me about? You didn't think I forgot did you?" The orange filly asked. Her gaze was turned to the sky, her eyes followed to path of a scarlet colored bird with long feathers.

Katie took a deep breath, it was now or never. Discord squeezed her hand reassuringly.

"We wanted to talk about you, Scoots. About you living on your own, without any parents."

Scootaloo turned her gaze away from the bird she had been watching to Katie. Her shoulders slumped and she frowned slightly.

"What about it?" Her nervousness was apparent in her tone.

"Katie, to convince me why you should stay the night, told me about your situation on the condition that I don't spread it any farther. I thought about it a lot last night and decided to make some calls. I found the orphanage you used to live at and called them about you."

Scootaloo stood straight up and faced them angrily, "You're sending me back?"

Katie quickly stood next to her and hugged her. "Not even close, Scoots. We wouldn't dream of sending you back. Especially since you're so happy here with all your friends. Please, calm down and hear us out."

Scootaloo calmed and sat down, but she still looked down at the grass worriedly. "Katie was telling me a lot about you last night. She was telling me how wonderful you are, and how you asked her to be your mom for a day. She told me how brave you were against those bullies, and how proud she was when you defended your friends even in the face of danger."

Scootaloo turned to Katie, "You saw all that? How?"

"Well, Discord isn't the only pony in Ponyville that's strange. Remember how I was telling your class about being able to relate with animals, to put myself in their shoes?"

"Yeah...like Fluttershy."

"Not exactly, with Fluttershy it's more of a psychological thing. Meaning that for her, it's more a part of her personality than a separate ability. For me, it's a lot more literal."

"What do you mean?"

"You remember the timberwolf?" The filly nodded, "That was me, I was the timberwolf. I have the natural ability to change my species at will. When I saw you in trouble I went on gut instinct and came out a timberwolf, I didn't even realize that I had changed until ponies started screaming."

"That was you? You're the one who saved us?"

Katie nodded quietly. The filly thought about what that meant but didn't say anything.

"The reason I talked with your old orphanage was not to send you back, but to ask officially if you could stay here permanently. They were happy to know that you had been getting along so well, and that you were ok. They agreed to send someone over today while you were at school to give me these." Discord pulled a scroll out of the air. He never needed to carry anything on his person, he could carry anything with him anywhere using pocket dimension, it was more safe and more portable than any lockbox ever invented. He smiled and handed it to Katie.

"What's that?" The filly cocked her head trying to read what was on the paper.

Katie looked at Discord, who nodded encouragingly, and then at the filly. "They..They're adoption papers."

Realization dawned on the pegasus. Emotions swirled through her mind. These two ponies loved her and wanted to adopt her. She wouldn't have to be alone anymore. They could be her real actual, parents. She might even get grandparents too. The filly stared at her hooves trying not to cry, then she would have to kiss her street cred goodbye for sure.

"Are you ok, Scootaloo?" Katie asked.

"You guys...want to adopt me?" She sniffled.

"That's what we're hoping. If you are willing to adopt us, that is. All we have to do is sign the papers and send them off to Canterlot." Discord said. I told you it would end up one big sob-fest. You really should listen to me more often. He told himself to shut up.

It was too much for Scootaloo. Sure she had friends, but no one ever loved her like a daughter. She spent so many years in the orphanage. Her wings didn't grow as fast as her peers' did, and no one wanted to adopt a defective filly. That's what they always said when she asked them. These ponies barely knew her, and yet they were willing to open their home to her so she could live a better life. An even tougher filly than Scootaloo couldn't have stopped themselves from getting teary-eyed. Scootaloo stumbled forward into the arms of her new family.

"That's a yes then?"

Scootaloo couldn't speak but she nodded her head up and down as tears streamed down her cheeks. Katie seemed to only just remember that they came for a picnic. She was sure the filly would be hungry soon. Discord and Katie both signed the paper and he teleported it to Canterlot Adoption Agency. Katie was able to coax Scootaloo into eating some of the food they brought. Discord, on the other hand, enchanted some flowers and trees into an entire orchestra which he proceeded to direct. His motions were so energetic and wild that it looked more like he was just having fun with a stick than actually directing, but the instrumental plants didn't seem worried and they played a joyous tune all on their own.

"When you finish eating, Scootaloo, there's another member of the family that I would like you to meet."

Scootaloo gulped to clear her mouth, "Who's that, mom?"

Katie's heart swelled with pride at her new daughters words. She was a mom now. "Your new grandmother. I know she's just aching to meet you."

"She knows about me?"

"Only a little, only that I had met a wonderful filly that I desperately wanted to adopt. I wasn't sure exactly what to do to ask you to be my daughter, so I went to her to ask advice. She's just waiting for me to contact her about whether you said yes or not."

Scootaloo smiled wide, "Well, what're we waiting for?"

Katie cocked her head thoughtfully, "There's exactly two ways for me to contact my mom directly, one requires it to be nighttime, and the other involves going to a haunted castle."

"She lives in a haunted castle?"

Katie laughed, "No, but it's our secret meeting spot. I can send her messages from there and she'll race right over to talk."

Scootaloo bounced up and down excitedly, "When can we go?"

Discord got bored with messing with the plants and laid down next to Katie, "Soon as you finish your sandwich eager beaver." Scootaloo hurried and scarfed down her sandwich and chased it down with the rest of her chocolate milk.

"All done! Let's go!" All three ponies laughed happily.

"Alright, alright!" Katie giggled, "For added fun, how would you like to try a hoof at wolfback riding?"

"Are you serious?" Scootaloo grinned.

"Completely! Climb on!" Katie flashed into a timberwolf and crouched down low to the ground. Discord scooped up Scootaloo and put her on Katie's back. After a bit of thought he transformed into a pegasus and sat down behind Scootaloo.

"Hold on tight, Scoots!" He laughed. Katie stood up carefully, even just this act caused Scootaloo to squeal with excitement. When Discord was a pony she was plenty strong enough to carry both of them easily. The wolf took it slow at first but in no time at all she was bounding quickly through the forest. The ponies on her back whooped and cheered her on. She gladly obliged, going faster and faster to her top speed. Discord slid off her back and turned into a wolf too and they proceeded to race each other to the castle. He shot a challenging glare at her and bounded ahead.

"Are you really gonna take that from him?" Scootaloo laughed. Katie sped forward and caught up with him challenge accepted. The two wolves charged through the forest. Scootaloo was having the time of her life, and who would ever believe that she got to ride on a timberwolf? Sure, she wasn't technically the first pony in Ponyville to do that but Sweetie Belle had been unconscious so that didn't really count. When they got to the bridge Discord turned back into a draconequus and flew over while Katie carried Scootaloo over it. Inside Scootaloo slid off onto the stone floor.

"That was so awesome! We went much faster than my scooter ever goes!" She beat her wings up and down, trying to achieve lift, but she just dragged around on the ground instead.

"I rather enjoyed that too, Katie. We should do that more often." Discord smiled. Katie flashed into a unicorn long enough to activate the crystal and then turned into a pegasus. She really didn't like spending longer as a unicorn than she had to, using too much magic gave her a headache. All she knew was what Rarity had showed her anyway, because she wasn't on good terms with Twilight yet.

"You ready to meet my mom, and your new grandmother?"

Scootaloo nodded and just as she did a flash filled the room and when it faded none other than Princess Luna stood in the room. Scootaloo was shocked, Katie's mom is Luna! The Princess Luna? Does that make me a princess too by adoption? Well, nothing says I have to be a girly-girl kind of princess. Luna isn't very girly-girl and she's waaaay cooler than Celestia. At first, since the filly was too shocked to say anything, Luna didn't even notice she was there and instead gave Katie a hug.

"Good evening Katrina, dear. How is your evening?" She asked her.

"As beautiful as ever, mom. But do you remember that filly I was talking to you about yesterday? The one I wanted to adopt?"

"Yes, how did it go?"

Katrina turned and waved to Scootaloo and Discord. The draconequus poked the stunned pegasus gently bringing her back to the real world. Scootaloo stumbled forward in front of the princess.

"Mom, I'd like you to meet your new granddaughter, Scootaloo!"

Luna smiled and laid down next to her. Even laying down she was a lot taller than the filly. "Hello Scootaloo." She said gently. She missed when Katrina was this small, it felt like an eternity ago. Of course, it was an eternity ago, but it felt like even longer.

"Hi," Scootaloo said nervously,"I never had a grandma before."

"I've never had a granddaughter. I guess we both get to try something new then."

"Sounds like fun!" The filly smiled happily. She took a chance and nuzzled Luna who giggled and hugged her back.

"You're right, Katie. She is a wonderful filly. Welcome to the royal family, Scootaloo."

Scootaloo thought for a moment but the second she opened her mouth Katie cut her off.

"No, that does not affect you having to go to school tomorrow."

"Awww."

Luna smiled. "That's ok little filly, I didn't like going to school much when I was your age either. Granted, when I was your age, Canterlot wasn't even built yet. The pony sisters, being Celestia and I lived here, back when it was splendid and beautiful, and the Everfree hadn't overgrown it forcing us to leave."

"Wow, that must have been a long, long, long time ago."

"It was." Discord smiled, "It was hilarious, though! Imagine the Everfree forest quadrupling in size overnight! In hindsight it was rather rude of me, but at the time I couldn't stop laughing for days!" To demonstrate his point he broke out in a fit of laughter, causing everypony else to roll their eyes, but eventually they all laughed too.

It was the perfect end to a perfect day. But one has to wonder, how long can it really last?

Author's Note:

Hey guys! I hope you liked the last few chapters!

I know I did!

Do you ever sleep?

Of course I sleep, silly filly!

How do you always know the second I'm doing one of these?

Oh, that's easy! Itchy knee, floppy ear, hoof twitch!

You have a Pinkie sense for when I'm writing author's notes?

I have a Pinkie sense for everything! Except bananas, but really who has a Pinkie sense for that?

Do you like bananas?

Don't even go there.

no?

No.

Not even a little bit?

*sigh* Maybe later. I'm in the middle of something at the moment. How about tomorrow? I have some schoolwork to do, but I'm all free otherwise.

... Okay. See you later, Whovian.

Bye....I guess..

You don't like bananas?

Not really, I like them a little bit but I'm not about to get shot to the moon over it. Anyway, the next chapter will be sort of a mini story on it's own, basically an episode, in honor of Nightmare Night! It will take a bit longer to get out but I think it'll be worth it.

Katrina and the Cutie Mark Crusaders team up to defeat a great evil that threatens all of Equestria! Who's behind the mysterious disappearances? What has Celestia so on edge? What in the world is a cherrychanga? and what makes them so fregging good? Find out in the next episode length Nightmare Night special of:

Star-crossed!

<3<3<3 WhovianPony