Unexpected Relations

by Edward256

Chapter 3

It had now been about a month since the three fillies finally got their slightly less unique Cutie Marks in a very unique way at the same time. Some may say getting a Cutie Mark is like a pony coming of age, or hitting puberty. In reality, those are three different things all together, but depending on circumstance could happen at the same time, if rarely. Coming of age is when one is old enough to become independent and move away from home. Puberty is when the body prepares itself for the task of procreation, a task generally not done until after coming of age. A Cutie Mark appears when the pony discovers and embraces their true talent which can be at any age.

On this particular nice day in Ponyville, neither filly were ready to build a family or move away from home, but Saffron Mango was having thoughts about her family. Specifically, her adoption. It was on her mind a lot lately. She was wondering who her biological parents were and why they gave her up. Did they see early on she could not fly and were ashamed? Did they happen to die in an accident and she was found? Was she a mistake they could not afford? She knew that when adult ponies fell in love and married they eventually had a baby. She did not know the specific details of how ponies could have a child, just that it happened, and usually the parents were of different genders.

"Saffron! Saffron Mango! Hello!" squeaked Bon Jour as she tried to catch her friend's attention, though her squeak was less noticeable now. Maybe she had gone through puberty at the same time?

"What? Oh, sorry. Guess my mind drifted," said Saffron Mango, blinking the questions out of her mind. "What were you saying?"

"I was asking if you met anypony with a Cutie Mark problem?" repeated Bon Jour.

"Oh. No, I haven't," replied Saffron, looking slightly away.

"It has been a slow week," intoned Sandwisp, looking up from her homework. "Even with this new method o' doin' our own stuff ta find more ponies with problems."

"Yeah, it's not like a new foal arrives in Ponyville every week," said Bon Jour. "And our class only holds nine at a time."

It was - in an ironic way - that which they got their Cutie Marks in: helping others discover their true talents. Seeing as they went through practically everything in an attempt to earn their Cutie Marks - even studying the subject at length - what other Cutie Mark experts were there in Ponyville? One could argue in all of Equestria, but with a population of over two million ponies there is bound to be at least one Cutie Mark scholar somewhere. When they started their new so-called "job", they had difficulty finding ponies who needed their help. Once they split up to various corners of Ponyville and did their own thing their chances grew. That said, what job is not without its highs and lows.

After the big party celebrating their newly marked flanks, the elated fillies could not wait to go home and tell their parents the good news. Sandwisp was not in any hurry because her immediate family was already there. Bon Jour went back to the boutique with her older sister and waited a few days for her parents to return from their umpteenth vacation. When they did, they were proud of her. When Saffron Mango returned home, it was late which meant her mothers were probably asleep, but she could not help herself. She burst into their room and bounced on them until they were awake. Their annoyance was quickly replaced with pride once they saw their daughter's new Cutie Mark. This was definitely something worth being woken up for. There was just one thing. Yes, they were proud - almost overjoyed - and she could feel all of their love, but it suddenly got her thinking: Would her biological parents be just as proud of this moment?

The three fillies were now going to have a sleepover at Bon Jour's parents' house, mostly because in Sandwisp's case her grandmother and big brother had to do business out of town. It also coincided with hers and Bon Jour's older sisters going off on an adventure somewhere. When they entered, Bon Jour's father greeted them, giving an extra congratulations to Sandwisp and Saffron. It was then Saffron noticed there was a mix of pride and regret in his voice. It was very subtle and she almost missed it. When she looked up, he was already turning away towards the kitchen. It got her thoughts on her adoption to resurface.

"So, got any plans the next couple o' days that may result in finding somepony with a Cutie Mark problem?" asked Sandwisp.

"Hm?" Saffron Mango came back to the present a little quicker this time. "Oh. No, not really. Thought I'd try some stunts around town for a while."

"Speaking of stunts," interjected Bon Jour, "I came across a word the other day called parkour. It is where a pony would run and jump across buildings rather than the streets."

"Where did ya come across that word?" asked Sandwisp incredulously.

"I was reading one of Porcelain's magazines," replied Bon Jour. "It was mostly about fashion, but there was a small entry about the sport. It had a picture of a pony with one hoof on a wall in front of the Statue of Friendship. I looked up the word in a dictionary. Seems like it is mostly practiced in Manehattan."

"Huh. Sounds like an interesting sport. Maybe I'll give it a try tomorrow," said Saffron as she scratched her chin with a hoof.

"I don't know..." said Bon Jour. "I read that a lot of training is involved. And not sure if the hay roofs here are sturdy enough."

"Didn't Mare Do Well jump across those roofs without problems?" asked Saffron.

"Huh. Your right," said Bon Jour. "Still, it is very dangerous if you should slip and fall. I'd hate to see you get hurt."

"If it is anything like the stunts I do among the stalls and wagons along the street, I should be able to handle it," said Saffron with an air of confidence. Since Saffron Mango had gotten the hang of her scooter, she has been escalating her stunts bit by bit. She tried bigger things after seeing some stunts pulled by a pegasus named Sail. She idolized the pegasus, and secretly envied her. Sail could do more crazy stunts up in the air with barely any obstacles in her way. Despite her little envy, Saffron used her obstacles to her advantage to try to perform stunts that were just as crazy.

At one point, Sail took notice of this and gave her a compliment. That compliment went to Saffron's head, and she tried to impress herself upon Sail hoping she would become like an older sister to Saffron. Her two friends had older sisters so she felt a little left out. While her antics did not impress the older pegasus, after an incident that got Saffron to reveal her feelings, Sail agreed to take Saffron under her wing and be her big sister.

They then heard a voice call up from downstairs. "Girls! Dinner's ready!"

"Coming, mom!" shouted Bon Jour, her squeak returning in full for a moment.

---

"So, any more customers coming to your little workshop?" asked Bon Jour's father as he took another bite of his food.

"No. It has been a slow week," replied Bon Jour. "Besides, it is usually that we go out to them."

"I hear you've tried your hoof at crocheting," said Bon Jour's mother, after swallowing her bite.

"Yeah," said Bon Jour. "It is quite fun, even if nothing nice comes out of it."

"Oh don't you worry none, honey," said Bon Jour's mother, waving a dismissive hoof. "I'm sure with enough time you'll be an expert at it."

"So how about you?" Bon Jour's father asked Sandwisp. "Doing anything interesting as of late?"

After chewing and swallowing her bite, the earth pony filly replied "Well, Ah did try dancin' not taa long ago. It was fun, despite still stumblin' every now n' again. Haven' done much else on account o' farm work."

"Well ain't that sweet," said Bon Jour's mother. "I'd like to see you dance some time. Just a shame our radio is broken at the moment."

"Yeah, been meaning to get it repaired at some point," said Bon Jour's father as he stroked the back of his head. There was a moment's pause as Saffron looked up at him. As he turned to look down at her, she quickly looked down at her food and took a bite. "How about you kid?" he asked.

Still with a bit of food in her mouth, she replied "Jusht shje uzhual shtunts." She swallowed. "Though I'm thinking of trying some parkour tomorrow."

"Well, ain't that ambitious," chuckled Bon Jour's father. "You sure are quite the little daredevil. They should make you an honorary Wonderbolt even if you can't fly."

Saffron brightened up and looked up at him. "You really think so?" she asked, full of glee.

"It wouldn't surprise me if they custom tailored an official uniform for the Youngest Wonderbolt in Equestria," teased Bon Jour's mother with a wink of her eye.

Saffron Mango got giddy with the idea. She calmed down slightly knowing it did not work that way, but the idea was still fun to toy around with. She was thinking of mentioning this to her idol, Sail, who was now in the Wonderbolts reserves.

After dinner the three fillies went back upstairs and continued with their homework. While Saffron was still a little distracted she did manage to help the others, although it did seem as though Saffron and Bon Jour favored helping each other more. They studied, talked and laughed until it was time for bed. Bon Jour's mother tucked them in, gave each a kiss, and left them to sleep. Saffron was the last to fall asleep, her gaze locked on some thought beyond the ceiling.

Author's Note:

Just to note, this was written before The Washouts episode.

Comments

[FictionalNightmare]

Good story so far, though I do have to ask: why did you change their names?