//------------------------------//
// TTS Chapter 8 
// Story: Unexpected Relations 
// by Edward256 
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Saffron Mango was not usually grounded.

This was partly because, as far as her mothers knew, she did not misbehave often, and partly they could not stay home to make sure she did not leave the house.

They also did not know the ponies of Ponyville well enough to ask them early in the morning to foal-sit there grounded daughter on such short notice.

The very few times she was grounded, she had done something very bad, and felt guilty enough about it to not want to do anything, or face any-pony.

This time was no different.

The mothers could tell by the guilty look on her face that Saffron Mango would behave and stay home.

For the rest of the weekend, Saffron Mango stayed at home and tried to do her homework, but most often found herself staring at it instead.

When Monday morning came, Saffron decided to walk to school rather than ride her scooter.

She was still sore and wearing some bandages, but felt that she would take the pain as part of her punishment.

When she reached the school, she was spotted by her friends Bon Joor and Sandwisp.

Bon Joor noticed Saffrons new coat color and bandages and asked, "What happened to you?"

Saffron looked up at Bon Joor and suddenly saw her in a new light.

She took a moment before hesitantly answering solemnly, "Parkour accident."

Bon Joor gawked. "You what?"

She attempted to chase away the mental image of her best friend falling off the Statue of Friendship.

Sandwisp's mouth was just as open.

Saffron Mango said, "I felt compelled to try it out as soon as I heard about it."

She looked away from her friends' gawking faces in shame.

The silence stretched on a while yet before Sandwisp spoke up. "Guess we oughta be careful what we say around you from now on, huh?"

Saffron said, "Don't worry. I won't be doing that again for a while yet."

Bon Joor noticed something else was bothering Saffron.

She looked pained, and it was not due to the bruises she was rubbing.

"Is something wrong?"

Saffron looked up again, and again seeing Bon Joor differently.

Before she could think of how best to answer, the teacher called everyone to class.

"I'll tell you at lunch."

...

During the lunch break, the 3 fillies sat down in a corner of the playground.

Sandwisp said, "You've looked pratty distracted and down all day. Was the fall that bad? Did the doctors give ya bad news?"

Saffron shook her head. "No, I'll be fine in a few days. Just... Could we all go to Porcelain's after school?"

Bon Joor said, "I don't know. I don't think she's willing to put up with us today. Besides, she'd really like some advanced warning, even if she may forget it."

Saffron said, "Please, it's important. There is something I need to discuss with you all. Her included."

Sandwisp asked, "What's this all about, Saffron?"

Saffron said, "I'd... rather get it all out in 1 breath."

She looked at Bon Joor with pleading eyes.

Bon Joor said slowly, "All right... Just don't expect to stay long."

...

School came to an end, and the 3 of them walked back to Bon Joors house to pick up her stuff.

Not much was said throughout the day or during the walk.

When they reached the house, Bon Joors parents were outside with a carriage full of luggage, a quarter of which was Bon Joors stuff for her stay at her sister's, and the rest was for her parents' trip.

Saffron saw them in a different way, and yet it almost felt like she knew all along they were her parents too.

Bon Joors father said, "Hey, kiddos!"

Bon Joor answered, "Hi dad!"

Saffron was close to saying those exact same words.

Bon Joor asked, "Mind giving all 3 of us a ride?"

Ebb said, "No problem, hop on in."

They all jumped into the carriage and the driver pulled them off to Porcelain's boutique.

Bon Joors mother noticed Saffrons bandages and said, "My, looks like you got a little ambitious with 1 of your stunts."

Saffron noticed how pained she looked when she spoke, as if Saffron was her child, which she was.

Seeing Ebb, Cupid and Bon Joor as her biological family felt so new to her, and at the same time it felt like something old and familiar.

Something she knew from the start.

In retrospect, all the hints were so plain she felt silly for missing them.

Saffron answered, "You could say that. Kinda got distracted and missed my mark."

Ebb said, "I do believe high speeds and distractions don't mix well."

He looked a little pained himself.

"Sometimes I wonder why that 1 pegasus... Sail, was it? Keeps crashing so often. Maybe she keeps seeing good looking ponies and forgets to keep her eyes where she's flying."

Saffron chuckled a little.

The mention of Sail got her thinking that she now had 3 sisters.

Before she could mull it over any more, the carriage had stopped in front of the boutique.

Despite her injuries, Saffron grabbed 1 of Bon Joors bags in her mouth and hopped off the carriage.

Sandwisp asked, "Should ya be carrying that in your condition?"

Saffron put down the bag by the boutiques door and answered, "I just thought every-pony could help out in carrying something."

They all gave a small shrug, picked up at least 1 bag each and marched in, letting the bell over the door announce there presence.

"Be with you in a moment," sang Porcelain as she rounded a corner. "Oh, it's you. It's all of you?"

Bon Joor answered, "Yes, it's all of us."

Bon Joors father said, "Just going to leave Bon Joors stuff and we'll be on our way."

Porcelain said, "Well, I certainly hope so. I simply do not have the time to entertain any-pony. I do hope you understand, dear."

Bon Joor whispered to Saffron Mango, "Told you."

Saffron took a moment to gauge every-pony's position, then put down the luggage she was carrying in her mouth and said,  "Actually, there is something I need to tell you."

Porcelain asked, "Yes, what is it dear?"

While she was a little stressed with her work, she did notice there was something not okay in Saffrons tone.

Saffron made sure Ebb and Cupid were as far in the boutique as possible before saying, "I... I'm sorry, sis."

"Whatever for dear see-ah-ooo-What did you say?"

She had no idea why Saffron said, sis, as in, sister, to her, nor why she was about to respond in kind, as if she was addressing Bon Joor.

The silence was momentarily interrupted by the sound of a bag being dropped from Ebb's position.

Every-pony was stock-still, and looking at Saffron in bewilderment.

Saffron was shaking all over due to being super nervous as she continued. "I... I've lied to you all."

She then looked straight at Ebb and Cupid.

"And... and so have ah, your parents."

More silence.

Some minds were racing, other minds did not know where to go with this information, and a pair of body's were sweating.

Porcelain finally cleared her throat and asked, "Would you... mind clarifying what you mean?"

Ebb suddenly suggested, "Oh hey, look at the time, we should probably get going now."

Porcelain said, "Just a moment, please! I'd like to know what's going on here."

Saffron Mango took a deep breath. "I am adopted." She paused for a moment, stealing herself, while Sandwisp's and Bon Joors mouths hung open. "And I just found out who my real parents are."

All eyes turned on the couple who tried to retreat moments before.

Ebb grimaced as he felt there stare on him, while Cupid felt ill.

Porcelain enquired, "Mother? Father? Is there something you'd like to tell us?"

The ponies in question slowly turned around, visibly sweating now.

"Eh, heheh... Well, um..." Ebb was trying furiously to find a start to a story, or even a story at all. "Well, you see... Um... Ever wondered where you got your sense of elegance? Your Canterlotedness, as it were?"

Porcelain said, "If I remember correctly, you said I had inherited a lot of my attributes from my grandparents on my mother's side."

Ebb said, "Yes... I did say that. Well... If you look at us, we're not exactly Canterlot material."

Porcelain rolled her eyes at that.

"And the relationship between your mother and her parents weren't exactly steady. Didn't help that she chose me over some stuck-up rich guy. They tolerated us at most."

Cupid continued, "When I got you, they tried to make you what they couldn't make me."

Porcelain said, "Yes, I remember there upbringing a little too well. All because even then, you went on so many trips, leaving me with them."

Cupid said, "We wanted to see the world. And get away from my own mother."

Ebb said, "And before we got Bon Joor, we got her." He gestured towards Saffron. "The biggest surprise in every-pony's lie-eves."

Porcelain said, "Well, I admit that with all the unicorns in the family that having a pegasus all of a sudden can be a little shocking."

Cupid continued, "You don't understand. While both sides of the family have been unicorns as far back as we can see, the fact that I gave birth to a pegasus would be scandalous to my side of the family. They always believed to be pure unicorns. Today, eye know that D N A isn't always perfect, and a mutation can spontaneously happen, or that a pegasus was part of a distant relative's life, but if my parents found out about this they'd tear us apart! They'd think I wasn't faithful, which I have been! I swear!"

Ebb said, "With the amount of trips we took, it was hard for them to keep track of her pregnancy. But they did manage to figure out when it would be due. We... we're not proud of this, but when she arrived we told them that she was stillborn."

Porcelain and the kids winced at the thought.

Taking a moment to think about what was said, Porcelain then said, "Yes, I can see where you are coming from. However, if memory serves they died 2 years ago."

Ebb said, "Well, my parents... um..."

Porcelain said, "Your father, is quite senile as it is. While yes this may have given him a shock and made him worse, he would probably have forgotten it by the next morning and we'd still be together. Although I think your mother would've been a bit more understanding than him."

Porcelain took a moment to calm herself before addressing her mother.

"Still, it would've been nice to have known this when they passed. When you no longer had any obligations to them."

There was a moment's silence as the parents considered this.

Then Saffron spoke up.

"Sew. I was left at the orphanage as soon as I was born?"

The parents simply nodded in response.

Bon Joor asked, "Sew... This means I've had another sister all this time?" 

She walked up to Saffron, almost studying her as if she was seeing her for the very first time.

Sandwisp came up to Saffron and asked, "But why did ya not tell us you were adopted?"

Porcelain said, "Easy now, it may be too sensitive of a subject for her."

Saffron said, "No, you have a right to know. I shouldn't have lied to you for this long. I had sort of always known I was adopted, and only recently found out the details."

Cupid asked, "How did you find out it was us? I don't think we left any details or anything."

Saffron answered, "The hospital had papers detailing my birth."

The parents looked at each other, realizing the hospital would have had some birth record written down.

Saffron continued, "I guess why I never said anything was, well, I just wanted to be treated for who I am and not have ponies feel sorry for me for not having real parents. It's bad enough that I cannot fly."

Bon Joor put her hooves on Saffrons shoulders and said, "Look, I won't lie. I do feel sorry for you that my grandparents made my parents feel like they needed to give you up like that. However, I do not feel sorry for you that you were adopted. It would have been worse if you never were adopted. It shows that you are some-pony worth loving and taking care of."

Saffron Mango could not help but start crying, both out of relief she got a lot of this off her chest, and from the words that were just spoken.

The 2 of them hugged each other tightly.

Porcelain got pretty emotional as well, but did not join the hug.

After a good while they parted the hug.

Sandwisp suddenly asked, "Are ya gonna move in with them?"

Saffron had already decided, but she did not answer immediately.

She looked back at the parents. Her, parents.

There heads were low in shame, but they still looked up hoping to get there daughter back.

She looked towards Porcelain who was a little worried she was going to have to foal-sit another sister, but she was not completely against the idea either.

She was willing to accept Saffron as her own no matter what.

She then looked into the hopeful eyes of Bon Joor, which made her next words a little more difficult to say.

"No. As much as I would like to, I'd rather stay with my adoptive mothers, even if they are more absent."

Porcelain said, "Well, that's sweet of... Wait, mothers?"

Bon Joor asked, "As in plural?"

Sandwisp asked, "As in 2 mares?"

Saffron answered, "Yes. As in 2 mares married to each other. And you are all welcome to meet them on my birthday," she finished while turning towards her biological parents.

Ebb said a little nervously, "Oh, um, sure. Would love to."

The matter of the fact was they were not entirely okay with same-gendered relationships.

They were taught such things were considered unnatural.

When they heard she was part of a lesbian family they reeled.

However, considering they gave there abandoned daughter a home, and seemed to have taken care of her well, they were willing to give it the benefit of a doubt.

Ebb probably more so than Cupid.

Porcelain was okay with the idea.

She asked, "Sounds wonderful dear, but why specifically then?"

Bon Joor answered, "I heard they worked really long hours."

Saffron Mango clarified, "Yeah. They don't get home until late and are too tired to have guests over. They work practically every day, weekends included. There only days off are my birthday and the holidays."

Porcelain said, "Oh dear. What do they do that takes so much time?"

Saffron said, "1 of them works at the burger place in town. Can't remember what the other does, but she flies off to clouds-dale every day."

Ebb and Cupid were starting to retract there idea of actually considering these mothers as good guardians if they were going to leave there daughter alone at home for so many hours.

Ebb was starting to line up the ponies working at the joint in his head to see which 1 could be 1 of her adoptive mothers, and considering never eating there again.

Saffron continued, "And actually, a second reason would be I'm actually grounded for the rest of the week because they found out that I've been lying to every-pony about my situation."

Sandwisp asked, "Golly, there that strict?"

Saffron said, "It's.... a little more than that, and I don't wanna talk about it. At least not now."

Porcelain said, "Look, it's clear to me that this has not been easy for you to reveal. We're not happy to find out you've been lying, but I for one am not angry about it either. I can understand that there are some in the world that would frown upon, well, a lot of things in your life. Mares marrying each other, orphans, the only pegasus in a line of unicorns, and such ponies can go rethink there life choices on the moon for all I care."

Ebb and Cupid suddenly retracted all there negative thoughts and looked extremely ashamed.

Porcelain concluded, "No matter what has happened, or what you choose, I'll love you like my own sister."

Bon Joor gave a hug and proclaimed, "Me too!"

Sandwisp joined the hug and chimed in, "Me 3!"

Porcelain placed a hoof on Bon Joor and stuck her head in to nuzzle all 3.

The parents looked on from a distance, unsure if they were accepted in this family any more.

Truth be told, if they kept there prejudice in check they would most probably be, but right now they did not feel worthy of being part of what they saw.

Ebb finally said, "We... need to catch the train."

Bon Joor said, "Okay. Have fun."

They all waved each other off.

Once they had left, Saffron said, "And I should probably go back home as well. I'm still grounded. My mothers allowed me to come here today so I could tell you the truth. I've said it, so I should go back now."

"Awe." protested Bon Joor. "I feel like I've gotten to know you for the first time. It's weird seeing you as a sister now."

Saffron Mango said, "Believe me, when I found out, it felt weird for me as well. Maybe differently because it felt like I've always known even before you started school."

They giggled at the notion.

"Hey," Sandwisp suddenly interrupted. "Ah just had a crazy thought. If Sail has adopted Saffron as her sister, would she technically be your sister too?" She gestured towards Bon Joor and Porcelain.

"Oh, heaven forbid," said Porcelain, rolling her eyes.

Every-pony giggled at that.

While Porcelain and Sail were on opposite ends of the spectrum in personality and interests, they did get along.

Still, the idea of being related was not something either were looking forward to.