She was adopted - that much was for sure - but it had never been brought up. Not that it was really needed, but it was on her mind quite often now.
For most of her young life, she had had a notion that she was adopted. It was never brought up, but it never needed to be brought up. Her life with her adopted family had been good, but after getting her Cutie Mark the thoughts of her adoption started to grow and get to her.
After quite a few years of being in the fandom, and some recent ideas popping up here and there, I have a (unique) story I can put these ideas to good use. This will probably be the only story I put here.
If you are a little confused here and there, not to worry. I tend to be a confusing person.
This was first conjured up when the Season 8 leaks circulated and I heard some rumours of Scootaloo's real guardians. Never dug deep into them myself, and even after the reveal decided not to change this.
The AU tag is there partly because this deviates slightly from canon, but mostly because of the change in names. One could think of it as a PU where ponies are named after their coat color. The reason being once I learned of Twilight's coat color name and discovered a "connection", I really wanted to use this somewhere.
Saffron Mango had always felt different. This was quite normal considering her situation. Due to a birth defect she was unable to fly, or at least she was not able to gain enough lift. What her wings had managed to do so far was give her forward thrust. With a set of wheels, an extra pair of wings, or a parachute, she was able to get pretty far.
Another thing different about her was that she had two mothers and neither of them were her biological mother. It had never been said aloud, nor had she found any adoption papers, but she had still known for most of her young life. Partly it was one of those instinctual feelings that told her these two mares were not her biological mother, and partly she had some distinct memories of being in another home with other children and adults. It did not feel like a preschool or a daycare center, but it did not feel like a home either.
Her adoptive mothers were called Japonica and Spray, and were hard working ponies. Spray was a pegasus and worked as an accountant in Cloudsdale. Japonica was an earth pony and worked as a cashier at the local burger joint. They could spend more time with Saffron when she was younger, but once they realized their economic situation they needed to work extra to compensate. When she started school and was able to find her way around, she saw less and less of them.
She used the hours of peace until her mothers got home to do her homework. When her mothers finally got home, they made a quick dinner, ate, then collapsed into bed. Saffron Mango went to her room shortly after and either looked over her homework or read a book until she fell asleep. In the mornings the mothers prepared breakfast for everypony and a packed lunch for Saffron to take with her to school before heading off to their time-consuming jobs. They took time off for her birthday and got one day off for the holidays, but she saw little of them outside of that.
"All right class, we've got a new student this year."
It had been a year since Saffron Mango had started school, and the teacher was announcing that a new student was attending this class - a unicorn filly. She was looking around nervously before speaking.
"Um... Hi. I'm Bon Jour," she announced quietly.
"Hi, Bon Jour," said the class in unison.
Saffron Mango noticed a mocking tone in the chorus. She recognized one of the voices as belonging to a school bully named Classic Rose. She came from a rich family who spoiled her, and her mother was president of the school board. That was likely why Classic Rose acted as if she could get away with anything. Saffron was bullied by her and her friend Tower Gray, and knew Bon Jour had become their new target.
"Now, go find your seat and we'll get started," said the teacher, and Bon Jour trotted up to an empty seat next to Saffron.
The lesson passed uneventfully and recess arrived soon enough. Bon Jour was making her way out into the schoolyard and Saffron stayed close to her. She felt something towards the unicorn, but thought of it as just wanting to protect her. As they were leaving the schoolhouse, Saffron introduced herself.
"Hey, name's Saffron Mango."
"Um, I'm Bon Jour," replied the filly, a little unsure why the pegasus was so forward.
"You nervous about your first day?" asked Saffron.
"A little," admitted Bon Jour, looking away.
"Don't worry. You'll be fine," assured Saffron. "As long as you don't cross paths with--"
"Well, well... Making friends already?" said a haughty voice from their side.
"...them," finished Saffron in a defeated tone. Bon Jour was visibly uncomfortable with the tone of voice used by Classic Rose.
"Although I must make a comment as to your taste in friends," mentioned Tower Gray, walking up to their other side. "It's, like, terribly poor."
"What's wrong with being her friend?" asked Bon Jour before she could help herself.
"What's wrong is that no one would want to be friends with a flightless pegasus like her," said Classic Rose. "I mean, can you imagine the shame?"
Saffron Mango was visibly fuming, but decided to move in the direction of an opening between the three. Bon Jour started to look concerned at Saffron, and after a moment started in the same direction.
The bullies took notice of this during their demeaning laughter, and Classic Rose stopped her by saying "Oh please, why would you be concerned for her well-being when her own parents would dump her? Face it, she's not worth anypony's time if she can't fly, whereas I have everything!"
Bon Jour's face was one of surprise, but slowly morphed into anger.
"What a mean thing to say!" she squeaked. "I'm sure her parents love her no matter what!" And with that she stormed off.
"Pfff. Whatever," mocked Tower Grey with a roll of her eyes. "If you wanna be in the loser club, go right ahead."
Saffron Mango trudged off to a spot behind the schoolhouse and just sat there. She was angry and was fighting to hide her tears. Despite being picked on for a year now, it had hardly gotten any easier to deal with. Not once did she mention anything about her mothers, yet for some reason the bullies said something about parents abandoning her once before. Saffron wondered if it was because one or both of their families were rich enough to get that kind of information.
"Hey, Saffron."
Saffron Mango was so into her steady plodding to nowhere she had not realized Bon Jour was not far behind and was now taking a seat next to her. Apart from glancing slightly at Bon Jour, Saffron did not show any interest.
"Have they been like this all the time?" ventured Bon Jour. The only response she got was a lowered head and frown. "Look, whatever they've said, I'm sure they're just trying to make themselves feel better."
Saffron Mango mumbled something along the lines of "They're not wrong..."
"What?" inquired Bon Jour.
Saffron stiffened for a split second. She told herself that she would never mention her family situation to anypony, making it seem like she had a normal life with a mother and a father. She was not sure if Bon Jour had not heard what she mumbled or if she was waiting on a clarification on what she had said. She decided to reveal her shortcoming instead.
"I... cannot fly."
"Well that's no reason not to be your friend," said Bon Jour. "And I'm sure you'll get there some day."
"It's just, most pegasi younger than me are able to fly with ease. Why is it so hard for me?"
"If it is any consolation, I find using magic to be pretty hard." To emphasize her point, Bon Jour strained herself in concentration and produced the tiniest bit of spark from her horn. Saffron Mango felt a little bit better that she was not the only one with a handicap. "My sister Porcelain says I'll get there eventually, but she doesn't have time to train me."
This last bit caught Saffron's interest. "Your sister? What about your parents?"
"My parents are barely around. They like to go traveling a lot and they leave me with my sister most of the time."
"My parents are hard working ponies so I barely get to see them myself."
"Looks like we got something in common."
For the rest of the day the two fillies stayed together and tried to keep their distance from the bullies as best as they could. When school ended, they watched as most classmates - including the bullies - were picked up by at least one older pony, whether it be a parent or sibling. The rest stayed behind in the playground waiting for their escort to finish their work and pick them up.
"Where's your sister?" asked Saffron Mango, expecting to see an older version of Bon Jour coming up the road.
"She is quite busy herself," replied Bon Jour. "She might be in the middle of making a fancy dress for somepony important."
"Sounds like a boring job," said Saffron.
"It's not that boring!" protested Bon Jour with a squeak. "I'd like to be just like her one day. Sewing some of the most beautiful dresses in all of Equestria."
Saffron Mango rolled her eyes slightly. She never understood the point behind ponies wearing clothes. She asked her mothers once about it and there was no single answer. Something about formality, showing off a status, showing which team or department a pony belonged to, or when it got really cold. While it did sound reasonable she still could not quite grasp the concept, except for being cold. Although why would ponies be cold in the middle of summer?
"What about you?" asked Bon Jour. "Isn't one of your parents going to come?"
"Nah. They don't get off work until sunset," said Saffron Mango. "I usually make my own way home."
"Oh." Bon Jour felt a little sad at that thought. She so wanted to accompany Saffron to her home, but she knew if she left without giving any advanced notice to her sister Porcelain, Porcelain would get mad and hysterical. They spent about an hour in the playground before a sophisticated voice called out Bon Jour's name.
"Oh, there she is. I'll see you tomorrow then," said Bon Jour to Saffron as she trotted off.
"There you are," called Porcelain. Despite both sharing the same white coat color, their manes and tails did not match. "So sorry for being late, darling. I was finishing off the touches to a very gaudy dress. The patterns this mare was asking for aren't exactly what I would call chic, although I must admit the colours she chose do have a certain charm about them."
"That's nice, Porcelain. I made a new friend," Bon Jour tried to interject.
"Yes, yes, very nice. I mean, I swear, why in all of Equestria does she not want a single straight line in her dress? The only thing symmetrical about that dress is where the legs go and how long it hangs!"
"There are also bullies at the school..."
"Yes, of course. Oh! I'm almost running out of the blue silk. I should probably buy some more on my way home. Wait, am I running out of cornflower blue or picton blue? I should probably get the whole set just in case..."
The monologue faded off as they got further away. Saffron Mango almost felt lucky she only had her mothers who cared deeply for her, even if they were not around all the time.
"We're home!"
"Mom! Mommy!" shouted Saffron Mango in delight as her mothers came in the door, running up to them.
"Well, aren't you chipper today," said Spray, giving Saffron a hug. "Had a good day at school?"
"Yeah. A new unicorn started at school today, and we became instant friends!" said Saffron.
"Well, good for you," said Japonica with a slight chuckle. Saffron did make some friends during her first year at school, but never had any of them made her this excited. It seemed to them as though she made a special connection with this new friend of hers. "Let's get dinner going and you can tell us all about your new friend."
Saffron Mango went off to help set the table, Spray went to the fridge to bring out some ingredients, and Japonica brought out the kitchen utensils in order to prepare said ingredients.
"I haven't seen her this happy for a long while," commented Spray.
"Sure is nice," said Japonica. "What are the chances she'll be asking to stay the night at her friend's place?"
Spray did a slight double take. "You really think it could come to that?"
"Well, sure. Just look at her." A thought suddenly crossed her mind and she gave a teasing smirk. "Are you afraid she's gotten herself a coltfriend?"
Spray chuckled as she sorted through the ingredients. That question did catch her by surprise, but she still managed to retort with a wink "Or a fillyfriend."
That got a laugh out of both of them. "Still, not to sound mean," said Japonica, as she chopped the food, "if she did spend the night at somepony else's it would mean less cooking for us."
"I may feel a little guilty for saying that. But it would be nice to just grab a cracker and head right for bed now and again."
During dinner Saffron Mango practically exhausted her mothers with the tale of her day at school, only mentioning the bullies once. The mothers were surprised to hear Saffron took the initiative in talking to the new unicorn filly and warning her about the bullies.
"Hey, you wouldn't mind if I hung out with her after school?"
The mothers stopped dead in their eating and exchanged looks with each other. Finishing off her bite and swallowing, Spray asked "Well, um, for how long were you thinking?"
"Well, I, uh, will be home in time for dinner," ventured Saffron, a little unsure if she had overstepped her bounds.
"Oh don't worry about that," said Japonica. "As long as you get homework done, you could even spend the night."
Spray gave a look as if to protest it was too soon to bring that up.
"Really? Thank you!" exclaimed Saffron.
"Just give us a heads up about it, please," said Spray.
"Sure thing!"
And so Saffron Mango spent more time with Bon Jour, anything from only a few hours after school to spending the night at Bon Jour's parents' place, and very few times at Porcelain's. There were a few times when Bon Jour asked to go to Saffron's place, and she managed to stay there for a while, but only once. She never got to meet the mothers.
It had been about half a year since Saffron Mango and Bon Jour met, and it seemed as though the bullies had all but forgotten about them. For a time the school tried splitting the foals into two classes to better accommodate them, and Saffron and Bon Jour were relieved to not be in the same class as the bullies.
Saffron Mango decided to get out of the house that weekend to try out some tricks on her scooter. At least, that was what some called it; it was basically a wooden board with four wheels and a raised handlebar attached to the front. Her mothers had given it for her some birthdays ago and she quickly discovered she could use her wings to gain even more speed than by simply kicking at the ground. Mastering the scooter was an on-going challenge, however, because she was self-taught, and the endeavor came with bumps, bruises and scrapes. She was glad for the helmet her mothers had given her alongside the scooter.
As she sped through town looking for something to flip her scooter over she spotted Bon Jour.
"Bon Jour!" called Saffron, as she slowed down to a stop beside the unicorn.
"Oh, hey Saffron!" replied Bon Jour with a squeak in her voice. "What's up?"
"Oh nothing special. Just riding on my scooter a bit. What about you?"
"Just going to Sugarcube Corner for something sweet. Wanna join me?"
"Sure! Sounds like fun."
They headed off together toward Ponyville's famous bakery, where a friend of Bon Jour's older sister worked. Upon arriving they saw that Sugarcube Corner was decorated with streamers and balloons.
"Hey look! It looks like there is going to be a party," noted Bon Jour.
"What luck," said Saffron Mango. "Wonder what the occasion is?"
"You never know with Chantilly."
Chantilly was the friend of Bon Jour's sister who worked at the bakery. She was always coming up with new and interesting treats that were the reason the place had become so famous. She also had a knack for organizing parties for any and every occasion, even going as far as making up a holiday just to have an excuse to scratch that "throw a party" itch. While her efforts were definitely appreciated they were sometimes a bit too much, especially if she was trying to get the whole town to celebrate somepony's first kiss.
As they stepped inside, they saw treats decorating the tables and caught the smell of something burning from the kitchen.
"Seems like somepony's stressed if they forgot something in the oven," said Saffron Mango.
"Guess it is going to be something big," said Bon Jour. "Let's have a seat and see where it leads."
Before long Saffron and Bon Jour were hiding under a table as it turned out the guest of honor was Classic Rose who had recently gotten her Cutie Mark. So many ponies had arrived by that point they could not get to the exit without being seen and teased for not having Cutie Marks. They were now convinced they were the only two in their school who had not gotten theirs yet.
"Well, this sucks," whispered Saffron Mango. "There is nowhere we can sit and hide our flanks."
"And we can't get to the front door, the kitchen, or the stairs to Chantilly's room," whispered Bon Jour.
"Nor to the stairs to the basement. It seems like we'll have to hide here throughout the whole party."
"And we won't be able to grab anything more without ponies noticing. I'm actually getting--"
Bon Jour's thoughts were interrupted when she noticed a table with a bowl of punch scurry across the floor for a few feet before settling down a moment.
"Hey, Saffron, look," whispered Bon Jour as she motioned with her hoof, careful not to draw any attention to them. The table they had hidden under had a tablecloth that only reached halfway to the floor allowing them to see some of the party if they were pressed close to the floor.
"Huh. Did Chantilly make a wandering table to make sure everyone got a drink?" asked Saffron Mango as a pony leaned over the now stopped punch bowl and took a sip.
"If so, then why is it heading for the exit?"
The scurrying table stopped right next to the front door, and an earth pony filly got out from under it. She was about to head out when she was stopped by a larger earth pony.
"Sandwisp! You made it!" said the larger earth pony in a southern drawl, pushing the younger one back into the shop. "After Ah heard about your friend's new Cutie Mark, Ah was 'fraid you wouldn't show up. Ah sure am glad you came to your senses about this all Cutie Mark thang. These things happen when these things are supposed to happen. Tryin' to rush it will jus' drahve you crazy. Ah'll let you be. Looks like your friends wanna talk ta you."
Bon Jour and Saffron Mango watched as the big earth pony kept on walking up to the counter while the filly struggled to get around her and reach the exit.
"Are you seeing what I'm seeing?" asked Bon Jour.
"Yeah, that pony is pretty strong, not to mention oblivious to what is going on with the filly," said Saffron Mango.
"No no, not that. Her flank," Bon Jour pointed with her hoof. "It's blank."
Saffron Mango only now noticed as the other filly, known as Sandwisp, quickly pulled a tablecloth off of a table and wrapped it around herself as a makeshift dress. Just then the bullies approached her.
"Well, well, well. Look who's here," said Classic Rose in a haughty tone.
"Nice outfit," mocked Tower Gray.
"Jus' someth'n' I, uh... pulled together last minute," said Sandwisp with the same southern drawl as the older pony from earlier.
"It really shows off your Cutie Mark," said Classic Rose. "Oh, wait. That's right. You don't have one."
Bon Jour noticed what was happening right away and gasped. "Saffron, they are picking on her because she doesn't have her Cutie Mark!"
"Those no good rotten ponies," said Saffron as her anger rose, but then she stopped. "But it looks like she's managing to handle it."
Indeed, Sandwisp was managing to convince them she had gotten her Cutie Mark earlier today.
"Oh really?" asked Classic Rose. "Let's see it."
"Ah shouldn't. Ah couldn't," said Sandwisp after a moment's thought. "Mah Cutie Mark is so unb'lievably amazin'. Ah'm afraid that if I showed it off, ev'ryone would start paying attention to me instead of you. Outshined at your own Cuteceañera? Can you imagine how embarrassing that would be?"
"Uh, forget it. I didn't really want to see it anyway."
"Okay! Well, Ah'm gonna go mingle. Enjoy your party!"
Saffron and Bon Jour looked at each other with mild surprise.
"She managed to pull it off," said Saffron. "If she's lucky, she'll be able to get out of here pretty soon."
Just then Sandwisp stepped onto the tablecloth she was wearing and stumbled right into the record player, cutting off the party music. This, of course, brought all eyes onto her. Not only that, but her tablecloth had fallen away revealing her bare flank.
The bullies were quickly on her again, laughing.
"Wow, that is an amazing Cutie Mark," said Tower Gray sarcastically.
"Nice try," said Classic Rose, "blank flank!" they said in unison.
After a moment of laughter, almost everyone there was chanting "Blank flank" towards Sandwisp. Saffron Mango could not hold it in any more. She knew she had to do something. She had to stand up to this filly.
"You got a problem with blank flanks?!" she heard herself shout. Bon Jour looked at Saffron in surprise, but realized she was feeling much the same: something had to be done.
Once the attention was now on the table and the face peeking out from under the tablecloth, they both emerged fully from their hiding spot, and Saffron repeated "I said, you got a problem with blank flanks?!"
"The problem is, I mean, she's, like, totally not special," replied Tower Gray.
"No, it means she's full of potential," said Bon Jour, coming up to Sandwisp's side.
"It means she can be great at anything," said Saffron Mango, coming up to Sandwisp's other side. "The possibilities are, 'like, endless'," she said, mocking one of the bullies' voices.
"She could be a great scientist," suggested Bon Jour, "or amazing artist, or a famous writer. She could even be mayor of Ponyville some day!"
"And she's not stuck being stuck-up like you two," said Saffron, which earned a giggle from everypony.
"Hey!" protested Classic Rose. "This is my party, why are you two on her side?"
"Because," said Saffron Mango, and both her and Bon Jour raised their rumps to each other.
Sandwisp was not sure what was going on until she noticed what she was actually looking at, and she gasped. "You don' have your Cutie Marks either?! Ah thought Ah was the only one!"
"We thought we were the only two," said Saffron.
"I for one think you are three very lucky fillies," said a unicorn, walking up to them. Bon Jour immediately recognized her as the new librarian who had moved into the town library not too long ago. She was also the one who ran off with her older sister and defeated an evil alicorn on her first night in Ponyville.
"Lucky? How can they be lucky?" asked Classic Rose, narrowing her eyes in disgust.
The unicorn librarian took a moment to give the bullies a look before answering "They still get to experience the thrill of discovering who they are and what they're meant to be."
"And they've got all the tahme in the world to figure it out," said the earth pony who shoved Sandwisp into the shop earlier on. "Not just an afternoon," she added, looking sternly at Sandwisp with a smile.
"Wow, Sandwisp," said one of the guests.
"Do you really think you can be a mayor?" asked another.
"I wish I could be a scientist," said another.
"Maybe I got my Cutie Mark too soon?" said yet another. One by one the guests were now huddling around Sandwisp, Bon Jour and Saffron Mango.
"Hey, what's everypony doing?" protested the guest of honor. "This is my party, everypony's supposed to be paying attention to me!"
Her words were lost to the crowd's focus on the three blank flanks. When the crowd began talking amongst themselves, the trio turned to each other.
"Name's Saffron Mango."
"And I'm Bon Jour."
"Sandwisp."
Once they got some space and the party picked up again, the three of them went off to an unoccupied table to get to learn more about each other.
"So Ah was thinkin'," said Sandwisp. "Now that we're friends..." Sandwisp stopped herself, realizing what she had said. "Ah mean, we are friends, right?" She looked over to Saffron.
"How could we not be?" replied Saffron. "We're totally alike. We don't have Cutie Marks, those two drive us crazy," she pointed a hoof at the two bullies who were halfway up the stairs and watching the party with sulking expressions on their faces.
"Totally crazy!" squeaked Bon Jour. They all laughed at the statement.
"Well, now that we're friends," repeated Sandwisp, "what if the three of us work tagether ta find out who we are and what we're supposed to be?"
The other two looked at Sandwisp, one with concern, the other with surprise.
"Ooo! Ooo! We could form our own secret society," suggested Bon Jour.
"I'm liking this idea!" said Saffron, now fully on board.
And so they formed their little club to try to discover their talents together. This meant Saffron got out of the empty house more often, especially on the weekends when she was alone at home for the whole day.
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.
The next morning the girls awoke in a bit of a cuddly mess. The upper half of Saffron Mango's body was laying across Bon Jour's midsection, who in turn had her head on Sandwisp's head, whose hind legs had wrapped around Saffron's flank. Sandwisp was the first to wake up, and in moving her head Bon Jour's head fell to the bed, waking her up. She looked around to notice the mess of the bed covers and the snoozing figure across her back.
"Looks lahk you got yerself a li'l probl'm there," teased Sandwisp in a whisper.
Indeed Sandwisp was not wrong. Bon Jour did not dare move any more in fear of waking Saffron, despite the little drool staining her coat. She was too cute like this.
"Shall Ah ask them ta bring u' breakfast?"
Bon Jour's cheeks flushed. Her parents coming up and seeing this was too embarrassing. She glared at Sandwisp, who just returned a smirk. However, Saffron Mango did start waking up. She looked over to see Bon Jour's face.
"Morning," she mumbled. As her vision cleared she noticed the angle of her friend, and that she was laying on her. She quickly lifted herself off.
"So sorry," she apologized. She then noticed Sandwisp's legs and pulled herself away from them.
"It's all right," reassured Bon Jour. "I didn't really mind."
"Ya sure don' as long as yer parents don' see it," said Saffron, that smirk still hanging in there.
Both Bon Jour and Saffron Mango made almost identical expressions of embarrassment.
Sandwisp laughed. "Come on. Let's get some breakfast."
They made their way down stairs, had breakfast, and went out to have their fun, hopefully to bump into somepony that needed help with their Cutie Mark. Saffron Mango put on her helmet, mounted her scooter, buzzed her wings, and set off through town. She had a plan in mind and that was to try to reach new heights with her scooter; to try and do some parkour with her scooter.
She scouted out her surroundings, looking for something worth grinding on or kicking off from, or both. She saw a fence and steered towards it. She made a jump with her scooter, grinded along the fence, jumped over a couple of heart-shaped posts and returned to the ground after the last post. She did not see anything in particular she could jump up to from the fence. A little disappointed she looked again.
She spotted her next target: a fence that started in the ground and angled its way up to a post. Apparently somepony had figured they could save some money by letting the ends of the fence go into the ground rather than buying end-posts. Not far from this angled end was a tarp pulled very low over a shop entrance. Saffron quickly calculated her next move: Grind up the fence, kick off the post, bounce off the tarp, and land safely on the other side.
She beat her little wings hard to gain momentum and executed her plan. Before hitting the fence she angled the scooter a little and slid up the fence. She kicked off the post as she hit it, and landed on the tarp, though not in the dead center. Bouncing off the tarp and doing a flip she quickly saw she was about to land on a bench, and to one side of it sitting in a peculiar way was a green unicorn mare. Saffron did not let that distract her and quickly corrected her aim with her wings so she would miss the unicorn. She landed on the bench anyway but missed the unicorn only by a hoof, startling her. Saffron rolled off the bench and continued on unscathed, looking for her next thrill.
It took Saffron a while before she found something, and she had to look again before seeing a potential. She saw a bench next to a house with sturdy flower boxes on the front corners. The flower boxes looked like they were part of the rest of the structure - almost like balconies made just for the flowers - and could potentially hold Saffron's weight. She saw her mark: Grind across the backrest of the bench, jump off and grind along the edge of one of the flower boxes, then jump to the other flower box on the other side of the building, possibly grind it backwards, and land safely on the other side. As much as she wanted to reach up onto the roofs, she did not see the opportunity right here.
Once again she revved up her wings, rocketed towards the bench, and jumped. She grinded the backrest of the bench with the scooter at a greater angle than before, and kicked off just before the bench ended. She soared up and towards the flower box, her wings correcting hers and the scooter's angle. She was focused, she was confident...
"Congrats on gettingyou..."
"Dad?"
And she was distracted. If she was just about to hit the ground there would be a very small chance she would be able to miss it. Unfortunately she was at the apex of her ascent and there was a wooden corner coming at her very quickly. During her distraction she had turned her head away from her goal, and in doing so the rest of her body and scooter followed slightly.
This meant instead of catching onto the edge of the flower box, the back wheel caught the side of the flower box, tipping the whole thing into the flowers growing there and the handlebar being violently yanked out of Saffron's front hooves. With her previous momentum and the tipping of the scooter, she flew into the corner of the wall the flower box was attached to and slammed her back into it. Because of her angle she spun a bit, hitting her helmeted head against the wall, and crashed through the flowers. However, she did not stop in time and slipped off the edge of the flower box, falling into a bush below. As if to add insult to injury, as her head rolled out of the bush and her chin hitting the ground, her scooter landed on her helmeted head and the handlebar hitting her on the nose.
There she lay for a while in a daze - covered in scrapes and bruises - having the whole event replayed in her mind, forwards and backwards and in no particular order all at the same time.
"Hey, are you all right?"
Saffron Mango came out of her daze at the sound of that voice. She looked up and saw a pony had come out of the house. No doubt he had at the very least heard the clatter of the scooter, if not the thump of her body against the wall.
Saffron got up out of the bush, wincing as the branches scraped her sore spots and any other open wounds, and replied "I'll be fine."
"What in Equestria were you--" the pegasus pony stopped in mid-sentence as he looked up and spotted the ruined plants in the flower box. "Did you just plough your way through that flower box?"
"Sorry," said Saffron Mango apologetically, picking up her scooter. "Was trying out a stunt and got distracted."
The male pegasus shook his head. "What were you trying to do while flying with that thing in hoof?" he gestured at Saffron's scooter.
"Actually, I... I can't fly," said Saffron guiltily. "I actually..." She looked towards the bench. "I kinda..."
The male pony looked to where Saffron was looking, then he looked up at the flower box.
"Oh," he said as he realized what the filly was trying to accomplish.
He looked at Saffron again and uttered another "Oh," as he slowly realized something else.
"Oh!" he gasped as things finally clicked in his mind. "Saffron Mango?"
"Yeah...?" answered Saffron with uncertainty. "How do you know my name?"
"My name's Zest. You probably don't remember me very well. You were quite young when we took care of you."
"Took, care, of..." Saffron repeated the words very carefully, a battle of shock and joy that this could be her biological father, and possibly a mother hiding in the house.
"Yes, you and the rest of the orphans here," Zest gestured towards the house. Saffron's heart sank, as did her face. Zest noticed this. "Oh, um. Did I say something wrong?"
"No, no... Just... For a moment..." Saffron took a moment to compose herself. "You wouldn't happen to know who my real parents are?"
Zest did a double take. He knew kids that were adopted from here would one day come around and ask such a question, but he did not think it would be at this age.
"I'm afraid not," he answered. "You were kind of left on our doorstep. No faces, no note. You looked to be newly born. We were the ones who named you."
"Oh," uttered Saffron in a disappointed tone.
"Are... are you okay with your adoptive parents?"
"Yes! I'm okay with them. I love them. I just... You know... Wanted to know."
Zest nodded his head in understanding. "I can understand that."
"Hey, Saffron Mango!" a familiar voice called out.
"Hello, Princess Light Wisteria," said Zest, bowing.
"Please, no need for that," said the princess waving, a dismissive hoof. Her title was relatively recent. She used to be a unicorn, and in fact the very same unicorn who became Ponyville's librarian. After her many accomplishments she was given a pair of wings and the title of Princess. She later got a castle which grew out of nowhere North of Ponyville.
She turned her attention to the smaller and slightly more colorful pegasus. "Saffron, you look pretty banged up there. What happened?"
"I, um... Tried a new stunt," she said, looking up at the flower box. "Thought I would combine my scooter tricks with parkour."
Wisteria did a double take. "That's a very dangerous sport! And at such high altitudes!" she exclaimed, following Saffron's gaze to the flower box. She winced as she imagined every possible scenario the filly could have gotten up there and every possible horror that could have happened to have given the filly those scrapes and bruises. Most of these thoughts were dismissed seeing as Saffron Mango was alive, standing, moving, breathing normally and talking coherently.
However the bruise growing on Saffron's back got Wisteria worried.
"I think you should get yourself checked up at the hospital."
"I feel fine, really," said Saffron through a slight wince.
"I must insist, Saffron. I'll even accompany you there," said the princess, as she ushered Saffron onto the scooter so Saffron did not have to put any strain on her legs. Wisteria used her magic to push the scooter along as they headed toward the hospital.
"Your as bad as a mom!" complained Saffron Mango as she was rolled into the hospital's lobby by Princess Light Wisteria. She had complained about going to the hospital almost all the way. A few times she tried to steer or kick off to some other direction, but Wisteria's magic caught her each time.
Wisteria smirked at Saffron's last comment and replied "I was your tutor for a while. I'd say I'm almost there."
Saffron Mango groaned as she was wheeled up to the reception.
"Oh my. What happened to you?" asked the receptionist, seeing the rough state of Saffron's body.
"Quite a nasty accident from high up," replied Wisteria. "I was hoping somepony could take a look at her."
"Of course. Please, have a seat and somepony will be with you shortly."
They took a seat each and waited. They doubted they needed to wait long as there were only two ponies there. Saffron still fidgeted, wanting to get out of there. Before long a nurse walked up to them. She did not need to look twice to know who the patient was.
"Oh dear. That does look bad," she remarked. "I do hope you don't take after Sail and make frequent visits here."
Despite Sail being part of the Wonderbolts reserves, she still got a little carried away by trying some new stunts, which usually got her a little too close to the ground for comfort and landing her in the hospital. As much as Saffron Mango wanted to be just like Sail, she did not want to follow her every hoofstep.
"I'm just fine," grumbled Saffron.
"I'll be the judge of that," said the nurse, as she ushered them both to an examination room.
There the nurse performed the usual tests by pressing on certain spots on Saffron's body, asking what hurts and how it hurts, checking the blood pressure, cleaning and patching up the scars.
"How did this happen anyways?" asked the nurse.
Saffron was a little reluctant to answer, but eventually said "I jumped off a bench to grind along a flower box..."
"That was on the second floor of a house, no less," interjected Wisteria.
Saffron winced at the princess's tone while the nurse winced at the mental image playing out in her mind.
"And I missed my mark..." finished Saffron.
"Well, you are lucky you didn't break anything and no joints are out of place," said the nurse. "But I'd recommend not doing anything with that scooter of yours for a few days."
Saffron groaned loudly.
"I know it is tough," said the princess. "And I know you'd like to be just as awesome as Sail. But you shouldn't try to rush things, especially something like this. You should practice bit by bit, and in the case of parkour without your scooter."
The nurse paled when she realized what Saffron was attempting, which was quite the accomplishment considering her coat was already one hundred percent white. She composed herself and said "Like I said, you're lucky. Seeing as it isn't too serious I won't inform your..."
She paused and looked towards Light Wisteria. At one of Saffron's visits, and when she was alone, she asked the nurse not to reveal she had two mothers. By oath of doctor-patient confidentiality, she agreed.
"...parents immediately," she continued. "But I will be sending them a note that you are to take it easy."
This got Saffron a little on edge. She knew her mothers were not going to be happy she got this hurt, and especially when they could not be there. Then another thought struck her, but she did not want to say anything in front of Wisteria. She quickly looked for an excuse to excuse the princess. She could not find anything except one thing.
"Wisteria," she said, crossing her hind legs. "There's something I need to discuss with the nurse in private."
Wisteria looked to the nurse who gave a nod. "Of course. I'll be in the waiting room."
When Light Wisteria was out of Saffron's view, she asked "Could I see m... my birth certificate?"
The nurse stopped in her tracks in retrieving gauze to wrap Saffron up in. Wisteria stopped in her tracks because she had not left earshot yet. She wondered why Saffron Mango was asking about such a thing.
"What brought this up all of a sudden?" asked the nurse as she slowly wrapped the gauze around Saffron. "Did they tell you?"
"No. I kinda knew all along," answered Saffron. "And I just... want to know."
The nurse stood back and studied the filly in depth, trying to remember if she helped deliver a pegasus filly with those colors, or saw in a crib in the display room. She drew up a blank and figured she was off duty at the time.
"When's your birthday?" she asked.
"Um, in three months and two days, I-I think," answered Saffron.
"I'll go check the archives. Don't go anywhere."
The nurse trotted out and made a beeline for the archives, completely oblivious to the fact Princess Light Wisteria had slowly made her way closer to the door and was now leaning against the wall, lost in her thoughts. She was going over the words in her head several times, wondering what words she was missing out on to know what they were talking about. Did Saffron not trust that her parents were her real parents?
Wisteria then noticed something was definitely missing, and it was not a word from the conversation. It was her own memory. Not once - throughout all her time spent with the three fillies and teaching them to hone in on their talents - did she ever get to know Saffron Mango's parents. Wisteria practically got to know Sandwisp's entire family tree when she first arrived in Ponyville, and got to see Bon Jour's parents while undoing some dark magic that occurred during the Foal and Filly Fair.
It then occurred she had not seen Sail's parents either. Sail never spoke about her family, and it never occurred to Wisteria to ask. She was starting to panic a little. So little she knew about her friends. So little she knew about the residence of Ponyville; the residence of a village which was now her kingdom.
"Princess?"
Wisteria jumped out of her thoughts and back several steps with a shrill squeak from the nurse's voice.
"What are you doing here?" asked the nurse, holding a folder in her hoof.
"Me? I was, uh, just, um. Thinking!" stuttered the princess, a plastic smile plastered on her face. "Thinking I would, um, escort Saffron home!"
The nurse gave her a look, then said "You will have to wait a while yet. We're not done yet."
"Right! Of course. I'll just... wait in the waiting room. Where ponies wait."
The nurse sighed, walked into the room and closed the door behind her. Wisteria thought about eavesdropping some more, but it was not the right thing a friend should do. Her curiosity was strong, but so was her guilt in eavesdropping in the first place. She slowly and reluctantly made her way to the waiting room.
The nurse sat down in front of Saffron Mango and rested the folder in both of her front hooves.
"I did not find anything that matched you on that specific date," informed the nurse. "I did, however, look through other files surrounding that date. I may have found a match barely a day before what you mentioned."
Saffron Mango watched with rapped anticipation as the nurse opened the folder and started reading it.
"Twenty-three minutes past ten at night. Four pounds, twelve ounces. Pegasus. Orange coat, purple hair, lilac eyes. No name registered."
Saffron was hanging off the edge of her seat, trying to get a look at the files. "And the name of the parents?"
The nurse took a deep breath. She got a bit of a shock the first time she read the names and she knew Saffron was most probably going to have just as big of a shock if not worse.
Saffron Mango came into the waiting room a while later followed by the nurse. Wisteria got up and immediately noticed the expression on Saffron's face.
"Are you all right, Saffron?" asked Wisteria. "You look like you've seen a ghost."
"I, um..." she tried to get out, but she was still in shock.
"She'll be fine," answered the nurse in her stead. "Needles are never pleasant."
Wisteria winced. "I can understand that."
The nurse leaned down and said "Now do remember that you need to take it easy for a few days. That means no tricks on your scooter. I've sent a letter to your home, but in case it doesn't arrive you should let them know."
"I could tell them," Wisteria spoke up before Saffron had a chance to groan.
Instead of groaning, she looked up and questioned "What?"
"I thought I'd walk you home. When we arrive I could make sure the message is delivered."
"I believe I can make my own way home," said Saffron, almost pleading, flapping her wings.
"Now don't start that again. I insist on making sure you get there safe and sound."
"Well, they don't get home until late anyways."
"Oh." Wisteria's face fell a bit as did her hopes of meeting Saffron's parents. "Still, I want to make sure you get there and rest."
Saffron Mango looked up to the nurse hoping for some kind of help. Unfortunately she only had a sigh to give. When Wisteria was set on something there was little one could do to dissuade her. Some secrets could never be hidden for very long.
"Go with the princess, Saffron," she eventually said.
Saffron turned her head back to face forwards with a frown. She put on her helmet, mounted her scooter, and buzzed her wings. Wisteria followed after her, but did not use any magic to steer seeing as she did not know where Saffron lived.
When they got outside, Saffron kept her wings at a steady and slow pace, partly to take as much time in getting home and hopefully find a plan to lose the princess, and partly she was still a little numb from the news she received. She was also split with what she wanted to do. On the one hoof she wanted to go home and rest, on another hoof she wanted to go and confront her biological parents, and on a third hoof she wanted to lead Wisteria on a wild goose chase. Each choice was as inviting and uninviting at the same time. Leading someone on - especially a princess - was not a very nice thing to do, she did not feel ready to confront her parents, especially if somepony was going to witness it, and she especially did not want to show anypony where she lived. Her steady speed allowed Wisteria to walk beside her.
"Sooooo..." began Wisteria. "It occurred to me that I have never met your parents."
Saffron Mango stayed silent, looking around for any options to present itself.
"In fact, I don't think you've ever mentioned them while you were my student at the library. Are they good parents?"
"Yes," muttered Saffron.
"That's good to hear. To have parents. To have good parents!" Wisteria chuckled slightly. "I'd hate to think you were orphaned or something."
Saffron Mango went stiff all the way out to her wingtips and was slowing to a crawl. Before she came to a complete stop she kicked off with her hind hoof to catch up with Wisteria. When she was beside her Saffron started her wings again and matched Wisteria's speed.
"It's just I don't think I've ever heard you talk about them so I was curious," continued Wisteria.
"Sail never speaks about her parents, maybe she's an orphan," countered Saffron.
It was Wisteria's turn to stop in her tracks. Whether Saffron noticed or not she kept going. Wisteria took a moment to recover and trotted up beside Saffron.
"I'll get to her soon enough," said Wisteria. "Maybe tomorrow. Right now you are here, and I'm trying to get to know you a little better. I wouldn't be doing my duty if I didn't get to know every pony in Ponyville. Which reminds me I should probably stop by the mayor's office and pick up a copy of the civil registry."
Saffron Mango realized Wisteria may already know something. She could tell by the way she was acting. She still kept her stern frown looking every which way for something to delay the inevitable, if nothing else. She spotted Sugarcube Corner in the distance and two thoughts came to mind. The first being this was probably the best place to get Wisteria distracted while she sneaks off home alone. The other thought - which was more felt - was she had not eaten since breakfast and it was probably an idea to get lunch. Without saying a word she steered off towards the bakery. Wisteria was not so deep in her thoughts that she noticed the sudden change and was quickly by Saffron's side again.
When they got closer to Sugarcube Corner Saffron pointed up at the building.
"Hey, can we make a stop here?" she suddenly said. "I'm feeling hungry."
Wisteria stopped and looked up. She was a little surprised from the sudden outburst.
"Okay, I guess," she eventually said.
They stepped inside and were greeted not by Chantilly, but by one of the owners of the bakery. Saffron had hoped Chantilly was here because she would be perfect to distract the princess. She ordered a slice of strawberry cake, Wisteria ordered a slice of apple pie, and they took a seat next to the front window.
They ate in silence for a bit before Wisteria asked, "So, what do your parents do?"
"Do?" asked Saffron, looking up from her food.
"Yes, like what do they work with?"
"I, never asked."
"Oh. They never spoke about their job?"
"Not that I can recall." Saffron was almost lying. Their jobs sounded boring, but she knew she would not bump into them easily. There was one time she and her friends invited the princess out to the local burger joint, and it was pure luck they made their order when Japonica was having a break.
"What are their names?" asked Wisteria suddenly.
"What?"
"Your parents. They do have names, don't they?"
"Their names?" fumbled Saffron nervously.
"Yes. They should have told you by now."
"Well, yes, it's, um, Eb...bon...ee... Ebony," she lied, combining Ebb's and Bon's names.
"Is that your mother's or father's name?"
Saffron thought about it, but tried not to take too long to answer. It sounded a little feminine and decided to reverse the roles a bit.
"My mother," she finally said.
"That's a nice name," commented Wisteria. "And your father?"
"His name's Eagle," blurted Saffron. It caught her by surprise that that was the first thing she could think of. In fact, there was no time to think if she wanted to sound convincing.
"Sounds like he's a soldier," said Wisteria.
"Heeey, Wisteria!" called a high pitched voice from the entrance. "Hey, Saffron! What happened to you?"
"Hey, Chantilly," answered Saffron. "Had a bit of an accident."
"One of your super duper stunties go super duper whoopsie-daisies?"
"You could say that," answered Wisteria. "Once we're done here she's gonna go home and rest for a few days."
"Oh wow," exclaimed Chantilly. "Does that mean no scooter tricks? Hope you got enough to read. I can't imagine not doing anything for a whole day."
"Well, I do get to move around a little," interjected Saffron.
"I mean, Sail would go absolutely stir-crazy if she got nothing to do but stir her drinks with her favorite straw all day," continued Chantilly as if nopony had said anything. "I should probably come by with something fun to do."
"No no!" cried Saffron a little too hastily. "No need for that. I can come out here, no problem!"
"Are you sure? Those booboos look pretty bad."
"I just need to take it easy. I'm not totally bed-ridden."
"Okie dokie lokie! If you say so. Just that you may just become the ghost of the party with those bandages. Get it? Toast? Ghost?" giggled Chantilly. None of them had noticed how Wisteria's face had transformed when Chantilly mentioned coming over to Saffron's home.
"You know where Saffron lives?" asked Wisteria.
"Oh no," muttered Saffron, becoming rigid. Chantilly knew everypony in Ponyville, even those who were visiting and stayed long enough to cross paths with her.
"Of course I do," she answered.
"Do you know Saffron's parents?"
"Parents?"
This was what Saffron Mango was afraid of. Chantilly had met her mothers and threw a few birthday parties at their house, but most of them occurred either at the school or the bakery. Fortunately for Saffron, Chantilly assumed Wisteria was thinking "guardian parents" and continued.
"Oh yes. I've met them. They sure are a cute couple. And I know they just love their little Saffron. It's just a shame their work keeps them apart for so long. But what can one do when there aren't enough jobs that require their special talents."
Before Wisteria could ask any further, the shop owner called out.
"Chantilly! Could you watch the twins for a bit? My husband needs to go out on an errand."
"Sure thing," responded Chantilly. "See you 'round!" she waved to Saffron and Wisteria and hopped up the stairs.
Saffron was glad she had left, and had completely forgotten she was to instigate a distraction so she could run off on her own. They finished their lunch in silence and headed out, only this time Saffron did not look for any other distractions but instead made her way straight home.
"Well, this is it," said Saffron as they arrived. It was pretty much the first thing she said since Sugarcube Corner. She was still a little shaken she had forgotten how much Chantilly actually knew.
"Well, let's get you tucked in," said Wisteria, making her way to the door.
"I can tuck myself in," interrupted Saffron, zipping to the door and blocking Wisteria's path.
"Are you sure? I mean, you are going to rest, aren't you?"
"Yes! Totally!" said Saffron nervously, as she squeezed herself and the scooter through the door. "N-not feeling especially energetic at the moment."
Light Wisteria looked at her sceptically, but in the end gave in.
"All right, if you say so."
"I do. Good night, Princess!" she said and slammed the door.
Wisteria was a little confused. Something seemed a little wrong, and Saffron seemed a little energetic, but it is said that when kids got overtired they could show a great deal of sudden energy bursts. She slowly made her way to a window to surreptitiously look inside.
The place was well kept. No signs of mess or disorder. She spotted some picture frames but could not quite make them out. One or two she saw had two mares in them, and she figured it was either a sister or a cousin to the mother.
Saffron Mango came into view and walked straight for one of the doors on the far side of the room. Wisteria was thinking this could be the bedroom, but was not completely sure. She could trot around the house to make sure, but she felt she had overstepped her bounds already. Once Saffron was out of sight she decided to trot on home. It was a weekend so the mayor's office was not open today.
What Wisteria did not realize was that Saffron Mango did not go into her bedroom but had gone into her mothers' bedroom. She was on a quest to find her adoption papers. It definitely did not feel right to be in here without their permission. They did not forbid her from going in their room - she could come in if something scared her - but there was something they had said after she got her own room. She could not remember the details, but what was most important was her sense of respect for their privacy.
She opened the closet and found a pair of wedding dresses, formal attire, some work clothes and some sets of horseshoes of varying shapes. She had learned the meaning behind formal wear, but most of why ponies wore clothes still escaped her.
She closed it and opened a chest by the foot of the bed. Inside she found some socks and what looked like a large jelly worm. She wondered why her mothers had not eaten it yet, or why they had not thrown it out when it started to make the chest smell musty. She had a thought of throwing it away for them, but that would show she had been in their room and rummaging. She did not want them to know she was in there if she did not find what she was looking for. She carefully moved the objects to see if there were any papers hiding at the bottom.
When she did not find any papers she moved on to the vanity and looked through the drawers. All she found were some brushes and make-up. She looked in the drawer of one of the bedside tables and found two books. One had some abstract, colorful and a little scary art on its cover simply titled "eric", while the other had a depiction of a beach on its cover with a title written in another language.
Not finding what she was looking for, she moved around the bed to the other bedside table and opened its drawer. She found one book with a silhouette of a pony on its cover, except its muzzle was longer, and the word "Diary" written in the corner. She noticed a piece of paper sticking out of the pages a bit and carefully opened the bookmarked page. She unfolded the paper to find more papers folded inside. Unfolding them she saw a heading she was looking for.
For a moment the mothers thought their eyes were deceiving them. If they did not hear a response immediately then it meant Saffron Mango was in her room studying and was about to greet them. If they did not hear anything within the next few seconds then it meant she was staying at a friend's place. Yet she was right there sitting at the table looking both gloomy and guilty. The next thing they noticed about their daughter were the bandages wrapped around her.
"Oh no. What did you do this time?" asked Japonica with concern, and a little anger. She did not want to know what kind of bill was going to appear at their doorstep. As the mothers gathered around her, Saffron could not find her voice as she mouthed "I'm sorry". If one listened closely one could almost hear her whisper it.
"What's the matter?" asked Japonica. Her breath left her as she saw the papers in front of Saffron. Spray had noticed them only seconds before.
"Did you just... Were you..." she tried to ask, glancing towards their bedroom door.
"I'm sorry," said Saffron a little more audibly. During the hours after finding the adoption papers she had been trying to decide whether she should stick them back where she found them and continue to keep quiet, or come clean with what she knew. Even though she knew it all, finding the papers was still a bit of a shock for her. She read and reread the papers several times. In the end she decided to sit herself down at the table with the papers. If she had not moved from that spot by the time her mothers got back, then she was going to come clean.
"What got you to look for these all of a sudden?" asked Spray.
"I'm sorry," repeated Saffron with a sob in her throat. "Please don't hate me. I... I love you guys, but... I kinda always knew, somehow."
The mothers stared. Whatever anger they had because their daughter had gone through their stuff had given way to shock.
"Did..." began Japonica. She did not know where to go with that. "Did we do something wrong?"
"Did somepony tell you?" asked Spray.
"No," answered Saffron, tears forming. "You've been great. You've been the best... parents I could hope for. Even if you've been away, I've always loved having you. You did n-nothing wrong, and nopony told me anything. And yet... I've always known."
The mothers listened. Even if they could not understand it, they were still understanding.
"And, this," continued Saffron, gesturing to her bandages. "I kinda ran into the orphanage... and a little through it... Had a chat with the owner."
The mothers' expressions changed to one of pain as they imagined how she may have hit the building and at what speeds, to one of sullen realization.
"But if you already knew, why did you go through our things?"
"I'm sorry. I just... I don't know. I had confirmation, and still I wanted something more." Saffron turned around and gave her mothers a hug, starting to cry properly.
"Shhh, it's okay," consoled Japonica as they both returned the hug. "We don't hate you. We're just upset that you didn't tell us sooner."
"Were you looking to see who your biol--" began Spray, but stopped herself in case Saffron did not know that word. "Who your real parents were?"
"I ah... I actually asked at the hospital," responded Saffron. "They, found a match."
"Oh. What are their names?"
Just then there was a knock on the door.
"Who could that be?"
Saffron suddenly felt a little anxious as Japonica went off to answer the door. For as long as she could remember the only visitor they got when the whole family was home was Chantilly on her birthday. She wondered if Chantilly came over to throw a "get well soon party" already now.
"Hello. Are you Saffron Mango's mother Ebony?"
Saffron Mango's heart stopped right then and there. When she decided to come clean she did not expect to do so on such a level. Her heart did not want to beat any further as she felt two pairs of eyes glare her way.
The intense silence seemed to last for hours before the guest broke it.
"Um, is this a bad time?"
Japonica turned back to the door and said "Not at all, Princess. Please, do come in."
"So your names are Japonica and Spray," said Light Wisteria slowly as she took in the true story of Saffron Mango's family life. "You are a married couple, and you adopted Saffron a few years later."
"Yes," said Japonica. "Is there a problem with that?"
"No, no, of course not!" said Wisteria quickly, waving her hooves. "I'm no bigot if that's what you're worried about. Love is just a stronger form of friendship, and I have no problem if it just so happens to be two mares."
"Which begs the question," said Spray, looking down at her daughter. "Why did you lie? To a princess no less."
While the mothers had told their story, Saffron sat between them in complete guilty silence. She knew she was in deep trouble.
"I... I just..." She was not sure how to answer. "I saw other kids having one mother and one father and... well... I never really said I didn't have two mothers... I just... never corrected anypony."
"Why didn't you?" asked Spray. "Are you ashamed of having two mothers or being adopted?"
"No! Not at all. It just... well... Because I couldn't fly I didn't want to feel any more different."
"Not accepting your differences is much like being ashamed of them," said Wisteria, walking up to Saffron and sitting on the floor so their gaze was as level as possible. "I can understand not being able to fly is difficult for you, but is having two mothers really that bad?"
Saffron lowered her head. She did not realize what she had done by not telling the truth.
"I know that same-gendered marriages - stallion and stallion or mare and mare marriages," continued Wisteria, "aren't that common, but there are quite a few of them in Equestria. It is nothing to be ashamed of."
Saffron remained silent for a while yet, feeling terrible. She was asking herself over and over why she never told the truth. While it was not her real family, it was better than if nopony picked her at the orphanage. It could have been worse if she lived all her life there. She did love her mothers - she loved what she had - and they were proud of her for the most part. So what was it she was not proud of that kept her from telling the truth to the ponies around her?
"Honey," Japonica decided to venture on a topic. "Did you happen to mention something during kindergarten and somepony gave you a hard time?"
Saffron Mango thought for a bit. It seemed logical she and some other kid argued over what was the norm. She tried to remember if anything like it occurred, or something similar.
"I... I think some kid said 'papa' to a stallion once," she finally said, still trying to remember the details. "And I think I asked 'what's a papa'. I think... I think the kid looked at me oddly... So did the father... He may have looked at me with concern. And... It may have been the teacher who answered that it is the opposite of a 'mama', that there is one of each in every family. I did not like her tone of voice."
The grown-ups wore expressions of realization on their faces. The mothers tried to think of when this may have happened, based on what they assumed their daughter's vocabulary was like and how good her memory was.
"Look," said Wisteria. "I can understand where you are coming from, but it still wasn't right of you to lie to me. To any of us. We're your friends, and you should know us well enough that you can trust us with these things."
Saffron felt ashamed she did not trust her friends enough, and that she - if not flat out lied - omitted some of the truth to her friends.
"I'm sorry," she finally uttered.
"I have a feeling you'll be apologizing to more ponies than just the princess, Saffron Mango," said Japonica sternly. "Starting with your closest friends."
"But we won't insist on you telling everypony at school," added Spray. Saffron felt a little better at that, but she still felt pretty bad.
"We don't normally do this, but... Consider yourself grounded for a week," said Japonica. Spray was a bit surprised at that, but she did agree some form of punishment was in order. "You are only allowed to go to school but otherwise you are not leaving the house. That means no crusading. We expect you to tell your friends when you see them at school."
"Oh, that reminds me," interjected Wisteria. "Saffron's not allowed to exert herself on her scooter for a few days in light of her accident."
"That is definitely not going to be a problem for a whole week," said Spray. After a moment's pause, she added, "By the way, you said you knew your b... real parents?"
Saffron had completely forgotten she had said that. It took her a little by surprise.
"I... don't want to..." she started, looking up at Wisteria.
"Now, what have we said about withholding the truth?" said Japonica.
"It's just... It is something I want to discuss with them on my own and..."
"Please, do tell us."
Saffron looked directly at Wisteria. "Promise not to tell anypony? One could say it is part of my apology to my friends, and I'd like to tell it without any forewarning."
Wisteria thought for a moment. In the end she agreed, gesturing a hoof over her heart. "I promise if you promise."
Saffron picked up on the gesture and knew what the princess was indicating.
"Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye," they swore in unison. Saffron hesitated a bit on the word "fly" because she did hope to fly one day, but was probably best not to get there on a lie. Saffron took a deep breath and steadied herself.
"You remember Bon Jour?" she slowly said.
"Yeah," answered Spray somewhat slower, while the others nodded slowly. They had a sneaky suspicion they knew where this was going.
"Well... Turns out... She's my sister."
If jaws would actually hit the floor there would be quite the clatter right about now. Aside from the proverbial sound effects, everypony were in stunned silence. Saffron Mango was waiting for even a pin to break the silence.
"That... would mean..." Wisteria tried to utter. "P... Porcelain...?"
Saffron slowly nodded. "Is also my sister."
"And... What were their names now..."
"Ebb and Cupid. They are m-my real parents."
More silence.
"Do... Do you want to... move in with them?" Spray was afraid to ask this question. She had hoped for a few more years with their adopted daughter before she started asking about her biological parents, if at all.
"No!" Saffron's response was immediate. This put the mothers at ease. "I love you! I don't want to leave you. I will stay!"
She gave them a hug which was returned.
"I know I'm grounded, but I happen to know that they will be leaving town again on Monday and... I'd like to speak to them after school."
The mothers looked at each other for a moment, thinking things over.
"All right, we'll make an exception just that day," said Japonica. "But you make your way right back here after you've said your piece, got it?"
"I promise."
The moment was interrupted by a gurgling sound.
"Oh gosh, we completely forgot about dinner," said Spray. She then looked towards Wisteria. "And, um, we did not plan on any guests."
"Look, you obviously need food," said Wisteria, getting up. "I'd be happy to help you cook."
"But, you're a princess! A royal guest... in our house..." It suddenly came back to Spray who they had in their home and shock was spreading across her face.
"Please, you've been through a lot, and right now you need to eat. Do not see me as a princess nor a guest and just point me to the kitchen."
Spray took a moment to get over her shock and eventually lead the princess to the fridge. Wisteria took out some food and gave half of it to Spray to chop while she chopped some herself. Japonica placed some pots and pans on the stove then went to set the table with Saffron. Before long they were all seated and eating a hearty meal.
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 foalsit their 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 anypony. This time was no different. The mothers could tell by the guilty look on her face 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 Jour and Sandwisp.
"What happened to you?" asked Bon Jour, noticing Saffron's new coat color and bandages.
Saffron looked up at Bon Jour and suddenly saw her in a new light. She took a moment before hesitantly answering solemnly "Parkour accident."
"You WHAT!?" gawked Bon Jour as 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.
"I felt compelled to try it out as soon as I heard about it," said Saffron Mango, looking 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?"
"Don't worry. I won't be doing that again for a while yet."
Bon Jour noticed something else was bothering Saffron. She looked pained and it was not due to the bruises she was rubbing. "Is something wrong?" she asked.
Saffron looked up again, and again seeing Bon Jour differently. Before she could think of how best to answer the teacher called everyone to class.
"I'll tell you at lunch."
"You've looked pratty distracted and down all day," said Sandwisp as they sat down in a corner of the playground at lunch break. "Was the fall that bad? Did the doctahs 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?"
"I don't know," said Bon Jour. "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."
"Please, it's important. There is something I need to discuss with you all; her included."
"What's this all about, Saffron?" asked Sandwisp.
"I'd... rather get it all out in one breath," Saffron looked at Bon Jour with pleading eyes.
"All right..." said Bon Jour slowly. "Just don't expect to stay long."
School came to an end and the three of them walked back to Bon Jour's house to pick up her stuff. Not much was said throughout the day or during the walk. When they reached the house Bon Jour's parents were outside with a carriage full of luggage, a quarter of which was Bon Jour's 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.
"Hey, kiddos!" called Bon Jour's father.
"Hi dad!" answered Bon Jour. Saffron was close to saying those exact same words. "Mind giving all three of us a ride?"
"No problem, hop on in."
They all jumped into the carriage and the driver pulled them off to Porcelain's boutique.
"My, looks like you got a little ambitious with one of your stunts," remarked Bon Jour's mother when she noticed Saffron's bandages. Saffron noticed how pained she looked when she spoke, as if Saffron was her child - which she was. Seeing Ebb, Cupid and Bon Jour 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.
"You could say that," answered Saffron. "Kinda got distracted and missed my mark."
"I do believe high speeds and distractions don't mix well," said Ebb, looking a little pained himself. "Sometimes I wonder why that one 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 three sisters. Before she could mull it over any more the carriage had stopped in front of the boutique. Despite her injuries, Saffron grabbed one of Bon Jour's bags in her mouth and hopped off the carriage.
"Should ya be carrying that in yer condition?" asked Sandwisp.
"I just thought everypony could help out in carrying something," answered Saffron as she put down the bag by the boutique's door. They all gave a small shrug, picked up at least one bag each and marched in, letting the bell over the door announce their presence.
"Be with you in a moment," sang Porcelain as she rounded a corner. "Oh, it's you. It's all of you?"
"Yes, it's all of us," answered Bon Jour.
"Just going to leave Bon Jour's stuff and we'll be on our way," said Bon Jour's father.
"Well, I certainly hope so. I simply do not have the time to entertain anypony. I do hope you understand, dear."
"Told you," whispered Bon Jour to Saffron Mango.
Saffron took a moment to gauge everypony's position, then put down the luggage she was carrying in her mouth. "Actually, there is something I need to tell you."
"Yes, what is it dear?" asked Porcelain. While she was a little stressed with her work, she did notice there was something not okay in Saffron's 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 seeeaaaawwwWhat 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 Jour. The silence was momentarily interrupted by the sound of a bag being dropped from Ebb's position. Everypony was stock-still and looking at Saffron in bewilderment.
"I... I've lied to you all," continued Saffron, shaking all over due to being super nervous. She then looked straight at Ebb and Cupid. "And... and so have o- 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. "Would you... mind clarifying what you mean?"
"Oh hey, look at the time, we should probably get going now," suggested Ebb all of a sudden.
"Just a moment, please!" said Porcelain. "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 Jour's 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 their stare on him, while Cupid felt ill.
"Mother? Father? Is there something you'd like to tell us?" inquired Porcelain. 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?"
"If I remember correctly, you said I had inherited a lot of my attributes from my grandparents on my mother's side."
"Yes... I did say that. Well... If you look at us, we're not exactly Canterlot material," said Ebb. 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."
"When I got you," continued Cupid, "they tried to make you what they couldn't make me."
"Yes, I remember their upbringing a little too well," recalled Porcelain. "All because even then you went on so many trips, leaving me with them."
"We wanted to see the world. And get away from my own mother."
"And before we got Bon Jour, we got her," said Ebb, gesturing towards Saffron. "The biggest surprise in everypony's lives."
"Well, I admit that with all the unicorns in the family that having a pegasus all of a sudden can be a little shocking," said Porcelain.
"You don't understand," continued Cupid. "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 I know that DNA 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!"
"With the amount of trips we took, it was hard for them to keep track of her pregnancy," said Ebb. "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 two years ago."
"Well, my parents... um..." started Ebb.
"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.
"So, I was left at the orphanage as soon as I was born?"
The parents simply nodded in response.
"So... This means I've had another sister all this time?" asked Bon Jour, walking up to Saffron, almost studying her as if she was seeing her for the very first time.
"But whah did ya not tell us you were adopted?" asked Sandwisp, coming around herself.
"Easy now, it may be too sensitive of a subject for her," intoned Porcelain.
"No, you have a right to know," said Saffron. "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."
"How did you find out it was us?" asked Cupid. "I don't think we left any details or anything."
"The hospital had papers detailing my birth," answered Saffron. The parents looked at each other, realizing the hospital would have had some birth record written down. "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."
"Look, I won't lie," said Bon Jour, putting her hooves on Saffron's shoulders. "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 somepony 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 two 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.
"Are ya gonna move in with them?" asked Sandwisp all of a sudden. Saffron had already decided, but she did not answer immediately. She looked back at the parents - her parents. Their heads were low in shame, but they still looked up hoping to get their daughter back. She looked towards Porcelain who was a little worried she was going to have to foalsit 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 Jour, 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."
"Yes," answered Saffron. "As in two mares married to each other. And you are all welcome to meet them on my birthday," she finished while turning towards her biological parents.
"Oh, uhm, sure. Would love to," said Ebb a little nervously. 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 their 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.
"Sounds wonderful dear, but why specifically then?" she asked.
"I heard they worked really long hours," answered Bon Jour.
"Yeah. They don't get home until late and are too tired to have guests over," clarified Saffron Mango. "They work practically every day, weekends included. Their only days off are my birthday and the holidays."
"Oh dear," intoned Porcelain. "What do they do that takes so much time?"
"One of them works at the burger place in town. Can't remember what the other does, but she flies off to Cloudsdale every day."
Ebb and Cupid were starting to retract their idea of actually considering these mothers as good guardians if they were going to leave their 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 one could be one of her adoptive mothers, and considering never eating there again.
"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 everypony about my situation."
"Golly, they're that strict?" asked Sandwisp.
"It's.... a little more than that, and I don't wanna talk about it. At least not now."
"Look, it's clear to me that this has not been easy for you to reveal," said Porcelain. "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 their life choices on the moon for all I care."
Ebb and Cupid suddenly retracted all their negative thoughts and looked extremely ashamed.
"No matter what has happened, or what you choose, I'll love you like my own sister," concluded Porcelain.
"Me too!" proclaimed Bon Jour, giving a hug.
"Me three!" Sandwisp chimed in, and joined the hug. Porcelain placed a hoof on Bon Jour and stuck her head in to nuzzle all three. The parents looked on from a distance, unsure if they were accepted in this family any more. Truth be told, if they kept their prejudice in check they would most probably be, but right now they did not feel worthy of being part of what they saw.
"We... need to catch the train," Ebb finally said.
"Okay. Have fun," called Bon Jour, as 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."
"Aww," protested Bon Jour. "I feel like I've gotten to know you for the first time. It's weird seeing you as a sister now."
"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 jus' had a crazy thought. If Sail has adopted Saffron as her sister, would she technic'lly be your sister too?" She gestured towards Bon Jour and Porcelain.
"Oh, heaven forbid," said Porcelain, rolling her eyes. Everypony 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.
Due to a birth defect she was unable to fly, or at least she was not able to gain enough lift.
What her wings had managed to do so far was give her forward thrust.
With a set of wheels, an extra pair of wings, or a parachute, she was able to get pretty far.
Another thing different about her was that she had 2 mothers, and neither of them were her biological mother.
It had never been said aloud, nor had she found any adoption papers, but she had still known for most of her young life.
Partly it was 1 of those instinctual feelings that told her these 2 mares were not her biological mother, and partly she had some distinct memories of being in another home with other children and adults.
It did not feel like a preschool or a daycare center, but it did not feel like a home either.
Her adoptive mothers were called Japonica and Spray, and were hard working ponies.
Spray was a pegasus and worked as an accountant in clouds-dale.
Japonica was an earth pony and worked as a cashier at the local burger joint.
They could spend more time with Saffron when she was younger, but once they realized there economic situation, they needed to work extra to compensate.
When she started school and was able to find her way around, she saw less and less of them.
She used the hours of peace until her mothers got home to do her homework.
When her mothers finally got home, they made a quick dinner, ate, then collapsed into bed.
Saffron Mango went to her room shortly after and either looked over her homework, or red a book until she fell asleep.
In the mornings the mothers prepared breakfast for every-pony and a packed lunch for Saffron to take with her to school before heading off to there time consuming jobs.
They took time off for her birthday, and got 1 day off for the holidays, but she saw little of them outside of that.
"All right class, we've got a new student this year."
It had been a year since Saffron Mango had started school, and the teacher was announcing that a new student was attending this class, a unicorn filly.
She was looking around nervously before speaking.
She announced quietly, "Um. Hi. I'm Bon Joor."
"Hi, Bon Joor," said the class in unison.
Saffron Mango noticed a mocking tone in the chorus.
She recognized 1 of the voices as belonging to a school bully named Classic Rose.
She came from a rich family who spoiled her, and her mother was president of the school board.
That was likely why Classic Rose acted as if she could get away with anything.
Saffron was bullied by her and her friend Tower Gray, and knew Bon Joor had become there new target.
The teacher said, "Now, go find your seat and we'll get started."
Bon Joor trotted up to an empty seat next to Saffron.
The lesson passed uneventfully and recess arrived soon enough.
Bon Joor was making her way out into the schoolyard, and Saffron stayed close to her.
She felt something towards the unicorn, but thought of it as just wanting to protect her.
As they were leaving the schoolhouse, Saffron introduced herself.
"Hey, name's Saffron Mango."
The filly replied, "Um, I'm Bon Joor."
She was a little unsure why the pegasus was so forward.
Saffron asked, "You nervous about your first day?"
Bon Joor admitted she was a little nervous.
Saffron assured her, "Don't worry. You'll be fine. As long as you don't cross paths with."
"Well well... Making friends already," said a haughty voice from there side.
"Them." finished Saffron in a defeated tone.
Bon Joor was visibly uncomfortable with the tone of voice used by Classic Rose.
Tower Gray walked up to there other side and said, "Although I must make a comment as to your taste in friends. It's, like, terribly poor."
Before she could help herself, Bon Joor asked, "What's wrong with being her friend?"
Classic Rose said, "What's wrong is that no one would want to be friends with a flightless pegasus like her. I mean, can you imagine the shame?"
Saffron Mango was visibly fuming, but decided to move in the direction of an opening between the 3.
Bon Joor started to look concerned at Saffron, and after a moment started in the same direction.
The bullies took notice of this during there demeaning laughter, and Classic Rose stopped her by saying, "Oh please. Why would you be concerned for her well being when her own parents would dump her? Face it. She's not worth any-pony's time if she can't fly, whereas, eye, have everything!"
Bon Joors face was 1 of surprise, but slowly morphed into anger.
"What a mean thing to say," she squeaked. "I'm sure her parents love her no matter what!"
And with that she stormed off.
Tower Grey rolled her eyes and said, "Puff. Whatever. If you wanna be in the loser club, go right ahead."
Saffron Mango trudged off to a spot behind the schoolhouse and just satt there.
She was angry and was fighting to hide her tears.
Despite being picked on for a year now, it had hardly gotten any easier to deal with.
Not once did she mention anything about her mothers, yet for some reason the bullies said something about parents abandoning her once before.
Saffron wondered if it was because 1 or both of there families were rich enough to get that kind of information.
"Hey, Saffron."
Saffron Mango was so into her steady plodding to nowhere she had not realized Bon Joor was not far behind, and was now taking a seat next to her.
Apart from glancing slightly at Bon Joor, Saffron did not show any interest.
Bon Joor ventured, "Have they been like this all the time?"
The only response she got was a lowered head and frown.
Bon Joor continued, "Look, whatever they've said, I'm sure there just trying to make themselves feel better."
Saffron Mango mumbled something along the lines of, "There not wrong..."
"What?" inquired Bon Joor.
Saffron stiffened for a split second.
She told herself that she would never mention her family situation to any-pony, making it seem like she had a normal life with a mother and a father.
Saffron was not sure if Bon Joor had not heard what she mumbled, or if she was waiting on a clarification on what she had said.
Saffron decided to reveal her shortcoming instead.
"I... cannot fly."
Bon Joor said, "Well that's no reason not to be your friend. And I'm sure you'll get there some day."
Saffron Mango said, "It's just. Most pega-sigh younger than me are able to fly with ease. Why is it so hard for me?"
Bon Joor said, "If it is any consolation, I find using magic to be pretty hard."
To emphasize her point, Bon Joor strained herself in concentration and produced the tiniest bit of spark from her horn.
Saffron Mango felt a little bit better that she was not the only 1 with a handicap.
Bon Joor continued, "My sister Porcelain says I'll get there eventually, but she doesn't have time to train me."
This last bit caught Saffrons interest.
"Your sister? What about your parents?"
Bon Joor said, "My parents are barely around. They like to go traveling a lot and they leave me with my sister most of the time."
Saffron Mango said, "My parents are hard working ponies so I barely get to see them myself."
"Looks like we got something in common."
For the rest of the day the 2 fillies stayed together and tried to keep there distance from the bullies as best as they could.
When school ended, they watched as most classmates, including the bullies, were picked up by at least 1 older pony, whether it be a parent or sibling.
The rest stayed behind in the playground waiting for there escort to finish there work and pick them up.
Saffron Mango asked "Where's your sister?"
She was expecting to see an older version of Bon Joor coming up the road.
Bon Joor replied, "She is quite busy herself. She might be in the middle of making a fancy dress for some-pony important."
Saffron said, "Sounds like a boring job."
Bon Joor protested, "It's not that boring! I'd like to be just like her 1 day. Sewing some of the most beautiful dresses in all of Equestria."
Saffron Mango rolled her eyes slightly.
She never understood the point behind ponies wearing clothes.
She asked her mothers once about it, and there was no single answer.
Something about formality, showing off a status, showing which team or department a pony belonged to, or when it got really cold.
While it did sound reasonable, she still could not quite grasp the concept, except for being cold.
Although why would ponies be cold in the middle of summer?
Bon Joor asked, "What about you? Isn't 1 of your parents going to come?"
Saffron said, "Nah. They don't get off work until sunset. I usually make my own way home."
"Oh." Bon Joor felt a little sad at that thought.
She so wanted to accompany Saffron to her home, but she knew if she left without giving any advanced notice to her sister Porcelain, Porcelain would get mad and hysterical.
They spent about an hour in the playground before a sophisticated voice called out Bon Joors name.
As Bon Joor trotted off, she said to Saffron, "Oh, there she is. I'll see you tomorrow then."
"There you are," called Porcelain.
Despite both sharing the same white coat color, there manes and tails did not match.
"So sorry for being late darling. I was finishing off the touches to a very gaudy dress. The patterns this mare was asking for aren't exactly what I would call chic, although I must admit the colours she chose do have a certain charm about them."
Bon Joor tried to interject, "That's nice, Porcelain. I made a new friend."
Porcelain continued, "Yes yes very nice, I mean, I swear, why in all of Equestria does she not want a single straight line in her dress? The only thing symmetrical about that dress is where the legs go and how long it hangs!"
Bon Joor tried again to say, "There are also bullies at the school."
Porcelain just kept going, "Yes of course. Oh! I'm almost running out of the blue silk. I should probably buy some more on my way home. Wait, am I running out of cornflower blue or picton blue? I should probably get the whole set just in case."
The monologue faded off as they got further away.
Saffron Mango almost felt lucky she only had her mothers who cared deeply for her, even if they were not around all the time.
Later that day...
"We're home!"
"Mom! Mommy!" shouted Saffron Mango in delight as her mothers came in the door, running up to them.
Spray gave Saffron a hug and said, "Well aren't you chipper today. Had a good day at school?"
Saffron said, "Yeah. A new unicorn started at school today, and we became instant friends!"
Japonica chuckled slightly and said "Well, good for you."
Saffron did make some friends during her first year at school, but never had any of them made her this excited.
It seemed to them as though she made a special connection with this new friend of hers.
Japonica said, "Let's get dinner going and you can tell us all about your new friend."
Saffron Mango went off to help set the table, Spray went to the fridge to bring out some ingredients, and Japonica brought out the kitchen utensils in order to prepare said ingredients.
Spray said, "I haven't seen her this happy for a long while."
Japonica said, "Sure is nice. What are the chances she'll be asking to stay the night at her friend's place?"
Spray did a slight double take. "You really think it could come to that?"
Japonica said, "Well, sure. Just look at her."
A thought suddenly crossed her mind and she gave a teasing smirk.
"Are you afraid she's gotten herself a colt-friend?"
Spray chuckled as she sorted through the ingredients.
That question did catch her by surprise, but she still managed to retort with a wink, "Or a filly-friend."
That got a laugh out of both of them.
Japonica said, "Still, not to sound mean, if she did spend the night at some-pony else's it would mean less cooking for us."
Spray said, "I may feel a little guilty for saying that, but it would be nice to just grab a cracker and head right for bed now and again."
During dinner, Saffron Mango practically exhausted her mothers with the tale of her day at school, only mentioning the bullies once.
The mothers were surprised to hear Saffron took the initiative in talking to the new unicorn filly, and warning her about the bullies.
Saffron then blurted, "Hey, you wouldn't mind if I hung out with her after school?"
The mothers stopped dead in there eating and exchanged looks with each other.
Finishing off her bite and swallowing, Spray asked, "Well, um, for how long were you thinking?"
Saffron was a little unsure if she had overstepped her bounds. She said, "Well, I, uh. Will be home in time for dinner."
Japonica said, "Oh don't worry about that. As long as you get homework done, you could even spend the night."
Spray gave a look as if to protest it was too soon to bring that up.
Saffron exclaimed, "Really? Thank you!"
Spray said, "Just give us a heads up about it, please."
"Sure thing!"
And so Saffron Mango spent more time with Bon Joor, anything from only a few hours after school, to spending the night at Bon Joors parents place, and very few times at Porcelain's.
There were a few times when Bon Joor asked to go to Saffrons place, and she managed to stay there for a while, but only once.
It had been about half a year since Saffron Mango and Bon Joor met, and it seemed as though the bullies had all but forgotten about them.
For a time, the school tried splitting the foals into two classes to better accommodate them, and Saffron and Bon Joor were relieved to not be in the same class as the bullies.
Saffron Mango decided to get out of the house that weekend to try out some tricks on her scooter.
At least, that was what some called it.
it was basically a wooden board with 4 wheels and a raised handlebar attached to the front.
Her mothers had given it for her some birthdays ago, and she quickly discovered she could use her wings to gain even more speed than by simply kicking at the ground.
Mastering the scooter was an on-going challenge, however, because she was self-taught, and the endeavor came with bumps, bruises, and scrapes. She was glad for the helmet her mothers had given her alongside the scooter.
As she sped through town looking for something to flip her scooter over she spotted Bon Joor.
Saffron called out to her as she slowed down to a stop beside the unicorn.
Saffron said, "Oh nothing special. Just riding on my scooter a bit. What about you?"
Bon Joor said, "Just going to Sugarcube Corner for something sweet. Wanna join me?"
Saffron said, "Sure! Sounds like fun."
They headed off together toward Ponyville's famous bakery, where a friend of Bon Joors older sister worked.
Upon arriving they saw that Sugarcube Corner was decorated with streamers and balloons.
Bon Joor said, "Hey look! It looks like there is going to be a party."
Saffron Mango said, "What luck. Wonder what the occasion is?"
Bon Joor said, "You never know with Chantilly."
Chantilly was the friend of Bon Joors sister who worked at the bakery.
She was always coming up with new and interesting treats that were the reason the place had become so famous.
She also had a knack for organizing parties for any and every occasion, even going as far as making up a holiday just to have an excuse to scratch that throw a party itch.
While her efforts were definitely appreciated, they were sometimes a bit too much, especially if she was trying to get the whole town to celebrate some-pony's first kiss.
As they stepped inside, they saw treats decorating the tables, and caught the smell of something burning from the kitchen.
Saffron Mango said, "Seems like some-pony's stressed if they forgot something in the oven."
Bon Joor said, "Guess it is going to be something big. Let's have a seat and see where it leads."
Before long Saffron and Bon Joor were hiding under a table, as it turned out the guest of honor was Classic Rose, who had recently gotten her Cutie Mark.
So many ponies had arrived by that point they could not get to the exit without being seen and teased for not having Cutie Marks.
They were now convinced they were the only 2 in there school who had not gotten there's yet.
Saffron Mango whispered, "Well, this sucks. There is nowhere we can sit and hide our flanks."
Bon Joor whispered, "And we can't get to the front door, the kitchen, or the stairs to Chantilly's room.
Saffron whispered, "Nor to the stairs to the basement. It seems like we'll have to hide here throughout the whole party."
Bon Joor whispered, "And we won't be able to grab anything more without ponies noticing. I'm actually getting."
Bon Joors thoughts were interrupted when she noticed a table with a bowl of punch scurry across the floor for a few feet before settling down a moment.
Bon Joor whispered, "Hey, Saffron, look."
She motioned with her hoof, careful not to draw any attention to them.
The table they had hidden under had a tablecloth that only reached halfway to the floor, allowing them to see some of the party if they were pressed close to the floor.
Saffron Mango asked in a whisper, "Huh. Did Chantilly make a wandering table to make sure everyone got a drink?"
A pony leaned over the now stopped punch bowl and took a sip.
Bon Joor whispered, "If so, then why is it heading for the exit?"
The scurrying table stopped right next to the front door, and an earth pony filly got out from under it.
She was about to head out when she was stopped by a larger earth pony.
"Sandwisp! You made it," said the larger earth pony in a southern drawl, pushing the younger 1 back into the shop.
"After Ah heard about your friend's new Cutie Mark, Ah was afraid you wouldn't show up. Ah sure am glad you came to your senses about this all Cutie Mark thang. These things happen when these things are supposed to happen. Trying to rush it will just drive you crazy. I'll let you be. Looks like your friends wanna talk to ya."
Bon Joor and Saffron Mango watched as the big earth pony kept on walking up to the counter, while the filly struggled to get around her and reach the exit.
Bon Joor asked in a whisper, "Are you seeing what I'm seeing?"
Saffron Mango whispered back, "Yeah, that pony is pretty strong, not to mention oblivious to what is going on with the filly."
Bon Joor whispered, "No no, not that. Her flank. It's blank."
Saffron Mango only now noticed as the other filly, known as Sandwisp, quickly pulled a tablecloth off of a table, and wrapped it around herself as a makeshift dress.
Just then the bullies approached her.
Classic Rose said in a haughty tone, "Well well well. Look who's here."
Tower Gray said mockingly, "Nice outfit."
"Just something I uh... pulled together last minute," said Sandwisp with the same southern drawl as the older pony from earlier.
Classic Rose said, "It really shows off your Cutie Mark. Oh wait. That's right. You don't have 1."
Bon Joor noticed what was happening right away and gasped.
"Saffron! They are picking on her because she doesn't have her Cutie Mark!"
Saffrons anger rose as she said, "Those no good rotten ponies."
She then stopped herself, saying, "But it looks like she's managing to handle it."
Indeed, Sandwisp was managing to convince them she had gotten her Cutie Mark earlier today.
Classic Rose asked, "Oh really? Let's see it."
After a moment's thought, Sandwisp said, "Ah shouldn't. Ah couldn't. My Cutie Mark is so unbelievably amazing. I'm afraid that if I showed it off, everyone would start paying attention to me instead of you. Out shined at your own cute cenyera? Can you imagine how embarrassing that would be?"
Classic Rose said, "Uh, forget it. I didn't really want to see it anyway."
Sandwisp said, "Okay! Well, I'm gonna go mingle. Enjoy your party!"
Saffron and Bon Joor looked at each other with mild surprise.
Saffron said, "She managed to pull it off. If she's lucky, she'll be able to get out of here pretty soon."
Just then, Sandwisp stepped onto the tablecloth she was wearing, and stumbled right into the record player, cutting off the party music.
This, of course, brought all eyes onto her.
Not only that, but her tablecloth had fallen away revealing her bare flank.
After a moment of laughter, almost everyone there was chanting, blank flank, towards Sandwisp.
Saffron Mango could not hold it in any more.
She knew she had to do something.
She had to stand up to this filly.
"You got a problem with blank flanks," she heard herself shout.
Bon Joor looked at Saffron in surprise, but realized she was feeling much the same. Something had to be done.
Once the attention was now on the table and the face peeking out from under the tablecloth, they both emerged fully from there hiding spot, and Saffron repeated, "I said, you got a problem with blank flanks?!"
Tower Gray replied, "The problem is, I mean, she's, like, totally not special."
Bon Joor came up to Sandwisp's side and said, "No, it means she's full of potential."
Saffron Mango came up to Sandwisp's other side and said, "It means she can be great at anything. The possibilities are, 'like, endless'," she said, mocking 1 of the bullies' voices.
Bon Joor suggested, "She could be a great scientist, or amazing artist, or a famous writer. She could even be mayor of Ponyville some day!"
Saffron said, "And she's not stuck being stuck-up like you 2."
This earned a giggle from every-pony.
"Hey," protested Classic Rose. "This is, my, party, why are you 2 on, her, side?"
"Because." Both Saffron Mango and Bon Joor raised there rumps to each other.
Sandwisp was not sure what was going on until she noticed what she was actually looking at, and she gasped.
"You don't have your Cutie Marks either?! Ah thought Ah was the only 1!"
Saffron said, "We thought we were the only 2."
A unicorn walked up to them and said, "I for 1 think you are 3, very lucky fillies."
Bon Joor immediately recognized her as the new librarian who had moved into the town library not too long ago.
She was also the 1 who ran off with her older sister and defeated an evil alicorn on her first night in Ponyville.
Classic Rose narrowed her eyes in disgust and asked, "Lucky? How can they be lucky?"
The unicorn librarian took a moment to give the bullies a look before answering, "They still get to experience the thrill of discovering who they are and what there meant to be."
The earth pony who shoved Sandwisp into the shop earlier came up and said, "And they've got all the time in the world to figure it out. Not just an afternoon," she added, looking sternly at Sandwisp with a smile.
The guests were in awe.
"Wow, Sandwisp."
"Do you really think you can be a mayor?"
"I wish I could be a scientist."
"Maybe I got my Cutie Mark too soon?"
1 by 1 the guests were now huddling around Sandwisp, Bon Joor, and Saffron Mango.
The guest of honor protested, "Hey, what's every-pony doing? This is, my, party, every-pony's supposed to be paying attention to, me!"
Her words were lost to the crowd's focus on the 3 blank flanks.
When the crowd began talking amongst themselves, the trio introduced themselves.
"Name's Saffron Mango."
"And I'm Bon Joor."
"Sandwisp."
Once they got some space, and the party picked up again, the 3 of them went off to an unoccupied table to learn more about each other.
Sandwisp said, "So Ah was thinking. Now that we're friends..."
Sandwisp stopped herself, realizing what she had said.
"Ah mean, we are friends, right?"
She looked over to Saffron.
Saffron replied, "How could we not be? We're totally alike. We don't have Cutie Marks, those 2 drive us crazy."
She pointed a hoof at the 2 bullies who were halfway up the stairs and watching the party with sulking expressions on there faces.
Bon Joor squeaked, "Totally crazy!
They all laughed at the statement.
Sandwisp said, "Well now that we're friends, what if the 3 of us work together to find out who we are and what we're supposed to be?"
The other 2 looked at Sandwisp, 1 with concern, the other with surprise.
Bon Joor said, "Ooo! Ooo! We could form our own secret society."
Saffron said, "I'm liking this idea!"
And so they formed there little club to try to discover there talents together.
This meant Saffron got out of the empty house more often, especially on the weekends when she was alone at home for the whole day.
It had now been about a month since the 3 fillies finally got there 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 3 different things all together, but depending on circumstance could happen at the same time, if rarely.
Coming of age is when 1 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 there 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 Joor 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?
Saffron Mango blinked the questions out of her mind and said, "What? Oh, sorry. Guess my mind drifted. What were you saying?"
Bon Joor repeated, "I was asking if you met any-pony with a Cutie Mark problem?"
Saffron replied, "Oh. No, I haven't."
Sandwisp looked up from her homework and said, "It has been a slow week. Even with this new method of doing our own stuff to find more ponies with problems."
Bon Joor said, "Yeah, it's not like a new foal arrives in Ponyville every week. And our class only holds nine at a time."
It was, in an ironic way, that which they got there Cutie Marks in.
Helping others discover there true talents.
Seeing as they went through practically everything in an attempt to earn there Cutie Marks, even studying the subject at length, what other Cutie Mark experts were there in Ponyville?
1 could argue in all of Equestria, but with a population of over 2000000 ponies, there is bound to be at least 1 Cutie Mark scholar somewhere.
When they started there new so-called job, they had difficulty finding ponies who needed there help.
Once they split up to various corners of Ponyville and did there own thing, there chances grew.
That said, what job is not without its highs and lows.
After the big party celebrating there newly marked flanks, the elated fillies could not wait to go home and tell there parents the good news.
Sandwisp was not in any hurry because her immediate family was already there.
Bon Joor went back to the boutique with her older sister and waited a few days for her parents to return from there 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 there room and bounced on them until they were awake.
There annoyance was quickly replaced with pride once they saw there daughter's new Cutie Mark.
This was definitely something worth being woken up for.
There was just 1 thing.
Yes, they were proud, almost overjoyed, and she could feel all of there love, but it suddenly got her thinking.
Would her biological parents be just as proud of this moment?
The 3 fillies were now going to have a sleepover at Bon Joors 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 Joors older sisters going off on an adventure somewhere.
When they entered, Bon Joors 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.
Sandwisp asked, "So, got any plans the next couple of days that may result in finding some-pony with a Cutie Mark problem?"
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."
Bon Joor interjected, "Speaking of stunts, 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."
Sandwisp asked, "Where did ya come across that word?"
Bon Joor replied, "I was reading 1 of Porcelain's magazines. It was mostly about fashion, but there was a small entry about the sport. It had a picture of a pony with 1 hoof on a wall in front of the Statue of Friendship. I looked up the word in a dictionary. Seems like it is mostly practised in main hat N."
Saffron scratched her chin with a hoof and said, "Huh. Sounds like an interesting sport. Maybe I'll give it a try tomorrow."
Bon Joor said, "I don't know... I red that a lot of training is involved. And not sure if the hay roofs here are sturdy enough."
Saffron asked, "Didn't Mare Do Well jump across those roofs without problems?"
Bon Joor said, "Huh. Your right. Still, it is very dangerous if you should slip and fall. I'd hate to see you get hurt."
Saffron confidently said, "If it is anything like the stunts I do among the stalls and wagons along the street, I should be able to handle it."
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 1 point, Sail took notice of this and gave her a compliment.
That compliment went to Saffrons head, and she tried to impress herself upon Sail, hoping she would become like an older sister to Saffron.
Her 2 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!"
Bon Joor squeaked back, "Coming, mom!"
...
Bon Joors father asked, "So, any more customers coming to your little workshop?"
Bon Joor replied, "No. It has been a slow week. Besides, it is usually that wee, go out to them."
Bon Joors mother said, "I hear you've tried your hoof at crocheting."
Bon Joor said, "Yeah. It is quite fun, even if nothing nice comes out of it."
Bon Joors mother waved a dismissive hoof and said, "Oh don't you worry none, honey. I'm sure with enough time you'll be an expert at it."
Bon Joors father asked Sandwisp, "So how about you? Doing anything interesting as of late?"
After chewing and swallowing her bite, the earth pony filly replied "Well, Ah did try dancing not too long ago. It was fun, despite still stumbling every now N again. Haven't done much else on account of farm work."
Bon Joors mother said, "Well ain't that sweet. I'd like to see you dance some time. Just a shame our radio is broken at the moment."
Bon Joors father stroked the back of his head while saying, "Yeah, been meaning to get it repaired at some point."
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.
Bon Joors father asked, "How about you kid?"
Still with a bit of food in her mouth, she replied, "Jusht je oo shual schtunts." She swallowed. "Though I'm thinking of trying some parkour tomorrow."
Bon Joors father chuckled, "Well ain't that ambitious. 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.
Bon Joors mother teased with a wink, "It wouldn't surprise me if they custom tailored an official uniform for the Youngest Wonderbolt in Equestria."
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 3 fillies went back upstairs and continued with there homework.
While Saffron was still a little distracted she did manage to help the others, although it did seem as though Saffron and Bon Joor favored helping each other more.
They studied, talked, and laughed, until it was time for bed.
Bon Joors 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.
The next morning the girls awoke in a bit of a cuddly mess.
The upper half of Saffron Mango's body was laying across Bon Joors midsection, who in turn had her head on Sandwisp's head, whose hind legs had wrapped around Saffrons flank.
Sandwisp was the first to wake up, and in moving her head, Bon Joors head fell to the bed, waking her up.
She looked around to notice the mess of the bed covers, and the snoozing figure across her back.
Sandwisp whispered, "Looks like you got yourself a lil problem there."
Indeed Sandwisp was not wrong.
Bon Joor did not dare move any more in fear of waking Saffron, despite the little drool staining her coat.
She was too cute like this.
Sandwisp whispered, "Shall Ah ask them to bring up breakfast?"
Bon Joors cheeks flushed.
Her parents coming up and seeing this was too embarrassing.
She glared at Sandwisp, who just returned a smirk.
However, Saffron Mango did start waking up.
She looked over to see Bon Joors face.
"Morning," she mumbled.
As her vision cleared she noticed the angle of her friend, and that she was laying on her.
She quickly lifted herself off.
"So sorry," she apologized.
She then noticed Sandwisp's legs, and pulled herself away from them.
Bon Joor reassured Saffron. "It's all right. I didn't really mind."
Sandwisp said, "Ya sure don't as long as your parents don't see it."
Her smirk was still hanging in there.
Both Bon Joor and Saffron Mango made almost identical expressions of embarrassment.
Sandwisp laughed. "Come on. Let's get some breakfast."
They made there way down stairs, had breakfast, and went out to have there fun, hopefully to bump into some-pony that needed help with there Cutie Mark.
Saffron Mango put on her helmet, mounted her scooter, buzzed her wings, and set off through town.
She had a plan in mind, and that was to try to reach new heights with her scooter. To try and do some parkour with her scooter.
She scouted out her surroundings, looking for something worth grinding on, or kicking off from, or both.
She saw a fence and steered towards it.
She made a jump with her scooter, grind-ed along the fence, jumped over a couple of heart-shaped posts, and returned to the ground after the last post.
She did not see anything in particular she could jump up to from the fence.
A little disappointed, she looked again, and she spotted her next target.
A fence that started in the ground and angled its way up to a post.
Apparently some-pony had figured they could save some money by letting the ends of the fence go into the ground rather than buying end-posts.
Not far from this angled end was a tarp pulled very low over a shop entrance.
Saffron quickly calculated her next move.
Grind up the fence, kick off the post, bounce off the tarp, and land safely on the other side.
She beat her little wings hard to gain momentum, and executed her plan.
Before hitting the fence, she angled the scooter a little, and slid up the fence.
She kicked off the post as she hit it, and landed on the tarp, though not in the dead center.
Bouncing off the tarp and doing a flip, she quickly saw she was about to land on a bench, and to 1 side of it sitting in a peculiar way was a green unicorn mare.
Saffron did not let that distract her and quickly corrected her aim with her wings so she would miss the unicorn.
She landed on the bench anyway but missed the unicorn only by a hoof, startling her.
Saffron rolled off the bench and continued on unscathed, looking for her next thrill.
It took Saffron a while before she found something, and she had to look again before seeing a potential.
She saw a bench next to a house with sturdy flower boxes on the front corners.
The flower boxes looked like they were part of the rest of the structure, almost like balconies made just for the flowers, and could potentially hold Saffrons weight.
She saw her mark.
Grind across the backrest of the bench, jump off and grind along the edge of 1 of the flower boxes, then jump to the other flower box on the other side of the building, possibly grind it backwards, and land safely on the other side.
As much as she wanted to reach up onto the roofs, she did not see the opportunity right here.
Once again she revved up her wings, rocketed towards the bench, and jumped.
She grind-ed the backrest of the bench with the scooter at a greater angle than before, and kicked off just before the bench ended.
She soared up and towards the flower box, her wings correcting hers and the scooter's angle.
She was focused, she was confident...
"Congrats on getting ur"
"Dad?"
And she was distracted.
If she was just about to hit the ground, there would be a very small chance she would be able to miss it.
Unfortunately she was at the apex of her ascent, and there was a wooden corner coming at her very quickly.
During her distraction, she had turned her head away from her goal, and in doing so, the rest of her body and scooter followed slightly.
This meant instead of catching onto the edge of the flower box, the back wheel caught the side of the flower box, tipping the whole thing into the flowers growing there, and the handlebar being violently yanked out of Saffrons front hooves.
With her previous momentum and the tipping of the scooter, she flew into the corner of the wall the flower box was attached to, and slammed her back into it.
Because of her angle, she spun a bit, hitting her helmeted head against the wall, and crashed through the flowers.
However, she did not stop in time, and slipped off the edge of the flower box, falling into a bush below.
As if to add insult to injury, as her head rolled out of the bush and her chin hitting the ground, her scooter landed on her helmeted head, and the handlebar hitting her on the nose.
There she lay for a while in a daze, covered in scrapes and bruises, having the whole event replayed in her mind forwards and backwards and in no particular order all at the same time.
"Hey, are you all right?"
Saffron Mango came out of her daze at the sound of that voice.
She looked up and saw a pony had come out of the house.
No doubt he had at the very least heard the clatter of the scooter, if not the thump of her body against the wall.
Saffron got up out of the bush, wincing as the branches scraped her sore spots and any other open wounds, and replied, "I'll be fine."
"What in Equestria were you."
The pegasus pony stopped in mid-sentence as he looked up and spotted the ruined plants in the flower box.
"Did you just plough your way through that flower box?"
"Sorry," said Saffron Mango apologetically, picking up her scooter. "Was trying out a stunt and got distracted."
The male pegasus shook his head.
"What were you trying to do while flying with that thing in hoof?"
He gestured at Saffrons scooter.
Saffron guiltily said, "Actually, I... I can't fly. I actually..."
She looked towards the bench. "I kinda..."
The male pony looked to where Saffron was looking, then he looked up at the flower box.
"Oh," he said as he realized what the filly was trying to accomplish.
He looked at Saffron again and uttered another, "Oh," as he slowly realized something else.
"Oh," he gasped as things finally clicked in his mind. "Saffron Mango?"
"Yeah," answered Saffron with uncertainty. "How do you know my name?"
"My name's Zest. You probably don't remember me very well. You were quite young when we took care of you."
"Took. care. of." Saffron repeated the words very carefully, a battle of shock and joy that this could be her biological father, and possibly a mother hiding in the house.
Zest said, "Yes, you and the rest of the orphans here."
He gestured towards the house.
Saffrons heart sank, as did her face.
Zest noticed this.
"Oh, um. Did I say something wrong?"
Saffron replied, "No, no... Just... For a moment..."
Saffron took a moment to compose herself.
"You wouldn't happen to know who my real parents are?"
Zest did a double take.
He knew kids that were adopted from here would 1 day come around and ask such a question, but he did not think it would be at this age.
Zest answered, "I'm afraid not. You were kind of left on our doorstep. No faces, no note. You looked to be newly born. We were the ones who named you."
"Oh," uttered Saffron in a disappointed tone.
Zest asked, "Are... are you okay with your adoptive parents?"
Saffron answered immediately, "Yes! I'm okay with them. I love them. I just... You know... Wanted to know."
Zest nodded his head in understanding. "I can understand that."
A familiar voice called out Saffron Mango's name.
Zest bowed while saying, "Hello, Princess Light Wisteria."
The princess waved a dismissive hoof and said, "Please, no need for that."
Her title was relatively recent.
She used to be a unicorn, and in fact, the very same unicorn who became Ponyville's librarian.
After her many accomplishments she was given a pair of wings, and the title of Princess.
She later got a castle which grew out of nowhere North of Ponyville.
She turned her attention to the smaller and slightly more colorful pegasus.
"Saffron, you look pretty banged up there. What happened?"
Saffron Mango said, "I, um... Tried a new stunt. Thought I would combine my scooter tricks with parkour."
Wisteria did a double take and exclaimed, "That's a very dangerous sport! And at such high altitudes!"
She followed Saffrons gaze to the flower box.
She winced as she imagined every possible scenario the filly could have gotten up there, and every possible horror that could have happened to have given the filly those scrapes and bruises.
Most of these thoughts were dismissed seeing as Saffron Mango was alive, standing, moving, breathing normally, and talking coherently.
However the bruise growing on Saffrons back got Wisteria worried.
"I think you should get yourself checked up at the hospital."
Saffron said through a slight wince, "I feel fine, really."
The princess said, "I must insist, Saffron. I'll even accompany you there."
She ushered Saffron onto the scooter so Saffron did not have to put any strain on her legs.
Wisteria used her magic to push the scooter along as they headed toward the hospital.
"Your as bad as a mom," complained Saffron Mango as she was rolled into the hospital's lobby by Princess Light Wisteria.
She had complained about going to the hospital almost all the way.
A few times she tried to steer or kick off to some other direction, but Wisteria's magic caught her each time.
Wisteria smirked at Saffrons last comment and replied, "I was your tutor for a while. I'd say I'm almost there."
Saffron Mango groaned as she was wheeled up to the reception.
The receptionist saw the rough state of Saffrons body and asked, "Oh my. What happened to you?"
Wisteria replied, "Quite a nasty accident from high up. I was hoping some-pony could take a look at her."
The receptionist said, "Of course. Please, have a seat and some-pony will be with you shortly."
They took a seat each and waited.
They doubted they needed to wait long as there were only 2 ponies there.
Saffron still fidgeted, wanting to get out of there.
Before long a nurse walked up to them.
She did not need to look twice to know who the patient was.
The nurse said, "Oh dear. That does look bad. I do hope you don't take after Sail and make frequent visits here."
Despite Sail being part of the Wonderbolts reserves, she still got a little carried away by trying some new stunts, which usually got her a little too close to the ground for comfort, and landing her in the hospital.
As much as Saffron Mango wanted to be just like Sail, she did not want to follow her every hoof step.
Saffron grumbled, "I'm just fine."
The nurse said, "I'll be the judge of that."
She ushered them both to an examination room.
There, the nurse performed the usual tests by pressing on certain spots on Saffrons body, asking what hurts and how it hurts, checking the blood pressure, cleaning and patching up the scars.
The nurse asked, "How did this happen anyways?"
Saffron was a little reluctant to answer, but eventually said, "I jumped off a bench to grind along a flower box..."
Wisteria interjected, "That was on the second floor of a house, no less."
Saffron winced at the princess's tone while the nurse winced at the mental image playing out in her mind.
Saffron finished, "And I missed my mark..."
The nurse said, "Well, you are lucky you didn't break anything and no joints are out of place. But I'd recommend not doing anything with that scooter of yours for a few days."
Saffron groaned loudly.
The princess said, "I know it is tough. And I know you'd like to be just as awesome as Sail. But you shouldn't try to rush things, especially something like this. You should practice bit by bit, and in the case of parkour, without your scooter."
The nurse paled when she realized what Saffron was attempting, which was quite the accomplishment considering her coat was already 100 percent white.
She composed herself and said, "Like I said, you're lucky. Seeing as it isn't too serious I won't inform your..."
She paused and looked towards Light Wisteria.
At 1 of Saffrons visits, and when she was alone, she asked the nurse not to reveal she had 2 mothers.
By oath of doctor-patient confidentiality, she agreed.
She continued. "...parents immediately. But I will be sending them a note that you are to take it easy."
This got Saffron a little on edge.
She knew her mothers were not going to be happy she got this hurt, and especially when they could not be there.
Then another thought struck her, but she did not want to say anything in front of Wisteria.
She quickly looked for an excuse to excuse the princess.
She could not find anything except 1 thing.
"Wisteria," she said, crossing her hind legs. "There's something I need to discuss with the nurse in private."
Wisteria looked to the nurse who gave a nod. "Of course. I'll be in the waiting room."
When Light Wisteria was out of Saffrons view, she asked "Could I see... my birth certificate?"
The nurse stopped in her tracks in retrieving gauze to wrap Saffron up in.
Wisteria stopped in her tracks because she had not left earshot yet.
She wondered why Saffron Mango was asking about such a thing.
The nurse slowly wrapped the gauze around Saffron and asked, "What brought this up all of a sudden? Did they tell you?"
Saffron answered, "No. I kinda knew all along. And I just... want to know."
The nurse stood back and studied the filly in depth, trying to remember if she helped deliver a pegasus filly with those colors, or saw in a crib in the display room.
She drew up a blank and figured she was off duty at the time.
She asked Saffron, "When's your birthday?"
Saffron answered, "Um, in 3 months and 2 days, I-I think."
The nurse said, "I'll go check the archives. Don't go anywhere."
The nurse trotted out and made a beeline for the archives, completely oblivious to the fact Princess Light Wisteria had slowly made her way closer to the door and was now leaning against the wall, lost in her thoughts.
She was going over the words in her head several times, wondering what words she was missing out on to know what they were talking about.
Did Saffron not trust that her parents were her real parents?
Wisteria then noticed something was definitely missing, and it was not a word from the conversation.
It was her own memory.
Not once, throughout all her time spent with the 3 fillies and teaching them to hone in on there talents, did she ever get to know Saffron Mango's parents.
Wisteria practically got to know Sandwisp's entire family tree when she first arrived in Ponyville, and got to see Bon Joors parents while undoing some dark magic that occurred during the Foal and Filly Fair.
It then occurred she had not seen Sail's parents either.
Sail never spoke about her family, and it never occurred to Wisteria to ask.
She was starting to panic a little.
So little she knew about her friends.
So little she knew about the residence of Ponyville.
The residence of a village which was now her kingdom.
"Princess?"
Wisteria jumped out of her thoughts and back several steps with a shrill squeak from the nurse's voice.
The nurse was holding a folder in her hoof.
She asked, "What are you doing here?"
The princess stuttered, "Me? I was, uh, just, um. Thinking!"
A plastic smile was plastered on her face.
"Thinking I would, um, escort Saffron home!"
The nurse gave her a look, then said, "You will have to wait a while yet. We're not done yet."
Wisteria said, "Right! Of course. I'll just... wait in the waiting room. Where ponies wait."
The nurse sighed, walked into the room and closed the door behind her.
Wisteria thought about eavesdropping some more, but it was not the right thing a friend should do.
Her curiosity was strong, but so was her guilt in eavesdropping in the first place.
She slowly and reluctantly made her way to the waiting room.
The nurse sat down in front of Saffron Mango, and rested the folder in both of her front hooves.
The nurse said, "I did not find anything that matched you on that specific date. I did, however, look through other files surrounding that date. I may have found a match barely a day before what you mentioned."
Saffron Mango watched with rapped anticipation as the nurse opened the folder and started reading it.
"23 minutes past 10 at night. 4 pounds, 12 ounces. Pegasus. Orange coat, purple hair, lilac eyes. No name registered."
Saffron was hanging off the edge of her seat, trying to get a look at the files. "And the name of the parents?"
The nurse took a deep breath.
She got a bit of a shock the first time she read the names, and she knew Saffron was most probably going to have just as big of a shock, if not worse.
Saffron Mango came into the waiting room a while later followed by the nurse.
Wisteria got up and immediately noticed the expression on Saffrons face.
Wisteria asked, "Are you all right, Saffron? You look like you've seen a ghost."
"I, um..." she tried to get out, but she was still in shock.
The nurse answered in her stead, "She'll be fine. Needles are never pleasant."
Wisteria winced. "I can understand that."
The nurse leaned down and said, "Now do remember that you need to take it easy for a few days. That means no tricks on your scooter. I've sent a letter to your home, but in case it doesn't arrive you should let them know."
Before Saffron had a chance to groan, Wisteria said, "I could tell them."
Instead of groaning, Saffron looked up and questioned, "What?"
Wisteria said, "I thought I'd walk you home. When we arrive I could make sure the message is delivered."
Saffron flapped her wings and almost pleaded, "I believe I can make my own way home."
Wisteria said, "Now don't start that again. I insist on making sure you get there safe and sound."
Saffron said, "Well, they don't get home until late anyways."
"Oh." Wisteria's face fell a bit as did her hopes of meeting Saffrons parents. She said, "Still, I want to make sure you get there and rest."
Saffron Mango looked up to the nurse, hoping for some kind of help.
Unfortunately she only had a sigh to give.
When Wisteria was set on something there was little 1 could do to dissuade her.
Some secrets could never be hidden for very long.
The nurse eventually said, "Go with the princess Saffron."
Saffron turned her head back to face forwards with a frown.
She put on her helmet, mounted her scooter, and buzzed her wings.
Wisteria followed after her, but did not use any magic to steer, seeing as she did not know where Saffron lived.
When they got outside, Saffron kept her wings at a steady and slow pace, partly to take as much time in getting home and hopefully find a plan to lose the princess, and partly she was still a little numb from the news she received.
She was also split with what she wanted to do.
On the 1 hoof she wanted to go home and rest, on another hoof she wanted to go and confront her biological parents, and on a third hoof she wanted to lead Wisteria on a wild goose chase.
Each choice was as inviting and uninviting at the same time.
Leading someone on, especially a princess, was not a very nice thing to do, she did not feel ready to confront her parents, especially if some-pony was going to witness it, and she especially did not want to show any-pony where she lived.
Her steady speed allowed Wisteria to walk beside her.
"So." began Wisteria. "It occurred to me that I have never met your parents."
Saffron Mango stayed silent, looking around for any options to present itself.
Wisteria continued, "In fact, I don't think you've ever mentioned them while you were my student at the library. Are they good parents?"
Saffron muttered a "Yes."
Wisteria said, "That's good to hear. To have parents. To have good, parents!"
Wisteria chuckled slightly. "I'd hate to think you were orphaned or something."
Saffron Mango went stiff all the way out to her wing tips and was slowing to a crawl.
Before she came to a complete stop, she kicked off with her hind hoof to catch up with Wisteria.
When she was beside her, Saffron started her wings again and matched Wisteria's speed.
Wisteria continued, "It's just I don't think I've ever heard you talk about them so I was curious."
Saffron countered, "Sail never speaks about her, parents. Maybe, she's, an orphan."
It was Wisteria's turn to stop in her tracks.
Whether Saffron noticed or not she kept going.
Wisteria took a moment to recover and trotted up beside Saffron.
Wisteria said, "I'll get to her soon enough. Maybe tomorrow. Right now, you, are here, and I'm trying to get to know, you, a little better. I wouldn't be doing my duty if I didn't get to know every pony in Ponyville. Which reminds me I should probably stop by the mayor's office and pick up a copy of the civil registry."
Saffron Mango realized Wisteria may already know something.
She could tell by the way she was acting.
She still kept her stern frown, looking every which way for something to delay the inevitable if nothing else.
She spotted Sugarcube Corner in the distance and 2 thoughts came to mind.
The first being this was probably the best place to get Wisteria distracted while she sneaks off home alone.
The other thought, which was more felt, was she had not eaten since breakfast, and it was probably an idea to get lunch.
Without saying a word, she steered off towards the bakery.
Wisteria was not so deep in her thoughts that she noticed the sudden change and was quickly by Saffrons side again.
When they got closer to Sugarcube Corner, Saffron pointed up at the building and said, "Hey, can we make a stop here? I'm feeling hungry."
Wisteria stopped and looked up.
She was a little surprised from the sudden outburst.
She eventually said, "Okay, I guess."
They stepped inside and were greeted not by Chantilly, but by 1 of the owners of the bakery.
Saffron had hoped Chantilly was here because she would be perfect to distract the princess.
She ordered a slice of strawberry cake, Wisteria ordered a slice of apple pie, and they took a seat next to the front window.
They ate in silence for a bit before Wisteria asked, "Sew, what do your parents do?"
Saffron looked up from her food and asked, "Do?"
Wisteria said, "Yes, like what do they work with?"
Saffron answered, "I, never asked."
Wisteria said, "Oh. They never spoke about there job?"
Saffron said, "Not that I can recall."
She was almost lying.
There jobs sounded boring, but she knew she would not bump into them easily.
There was 1 time she and her friends invited the princess out to the local burger joint, and it was pure luck they made there order when Japonica was having a break.
Wisteria suddenly asked, "What are there names?"
Safron asked, "What?"
Wisteria said, "Your parents. They do have names, don't they?"
"There names?" fumbled Saffron nervously.
Wisteria said, "Yes. They should have told you by now."
Saffron stuttered, "Well, yes, it's, um, Ebb. bon. E... Ebony," she lied, combining Ebb's and Bon's names.
Wisteria asked, "Is that your mother's or father's name?"
Saffron thought about it, but tried not to take too long to answer.
It sounded a little feminine and decided to reverse the roles a bit.
She finally said, "My mother."
Wisteria said, "That's a nice name. And your father?"
Saffron blurted "His names-eagle."
It caught her by surprise that that was the first thing she could think of.
In fact, there was no time to think if she wanted to sound convincing.
Wisteria said, "Sounds like he's a soldier."
Suddenly, a high pitched voice called from the entrance, "Hey, Wisteria, Hey Saffron, What happened to you?"
Saffron answered, "Hey, Chantilly. Had a bit of an accident."
Chantilly asked, "1 of your super duper stunties go super duper whoopsie-daisies?"
Wisteria answered, "You could say that. Once we're done here she's gonna go home and rest for a few days."
Chantilly exclaimed, "Oh wow, does that mean no scooter tricks? Hope you got enough to read, I can't imagine not doing anything for a whole day."
Saffron interjected, "Well, I do get to move around a little."
Chantilly continued as if no-pony had said anything, "I mean Sail would go absolutely stir-crazy if she got nothing to do but stir her drinks with her favorite straw all day, I should probably come by with something fun to do."
Saffron cried out a little too hastily, "No no! No need for that. I can come out here, no problem!"
Chantilly said, "Are you sure? Those booboos look pretty bad."
Saffron said, "I just need to take it easy. I'm not totally bed-ridden."
Chantilly said, "Okie dokie lokie, if you say so, just that you may just become the ghost of the party with those bandages. Get it? Toast? Ghost?" Chantilly giggled.
None of them had noticed how Wisteria's face had transformed when Chantilly mentioned coming over to Saffrons home.
Wisteria asked, "You know where Saffron lives?"
"Oh no," muttered Saffron, becoming rigid.
Chantilly knew every-pony in Ponyville, even those who were visiting and stayed long enough to cross paths with her.
She answered, "Of course I do."
Wisteria asked, "Do you know Saffrons parents?"
Chantilly asked, "Parents?"
This was what Saffron Mango was afraid of.
Chantilly had met her mothers and threw a few birthday parties at there house, but most of them occurred either at the school or the bakery.
Fortunately for Saffron, Chantilly assumed Wisteria was thinking, guardian parents, and continued.
"Oh yes, I've met them, they sure are a cute couple and I know they just love there little Saffron, it's just a shame there work keeps them apart for so long but what can 1 do when there aren't enough jobs that require there special talents."
Before Wisteria could ask any further, the shop owner called out.
"Chantilly! Could you watch the twins for a bit? My husband needs to go out on an errand."
Chantilly responded, "Sure thing! See you around!"
She waved to Saffron and Wisteria, and hopped up the stairs.
Saffron was glad she had left, and had completely forgotten she was to instigate a distraction so she could run off on her own.
They finished there lunch in silence and headed out. Only this time Saffron did not look for any other distractions but instead made her way straight home.
...
When they arrived, Saffron said, "Well, this is it."
It was pretty much the first thing she said since Sugarcube Corner.
She was still a little shaken she had forgotten how much Chantilly actually knew.
Wisteria made her way to the door and said, "Well, let's get you tucked in."
Saffron interrupted, "I can tuck myself in."
She zipped to the door and blocked Wisteria's path.
Wisteria said, "Are you sure? I mean, you R, going to rest, aren't you?"
Saffron said, "Yes! Totally!"
She squeezed herself and the scooter through the door.
"Not feeling especially energetic at the moment."
Light Wisteria looked at her sceptically, but in the end gave in.
"All right, if you say so."
Saffron said, "I do. Good night, Princess!"
And she slammed the door.
Wisteria was a little confused.
Something seemed a little wrong, and Saffron seemed a little energetic. But it is said that when kids got overtired, they could show a great deal of sudden energy bursts.
She slowly made her way to a window to surreptitiously look inside.
The place was well kept.
No signs of mess or disorder.
She spotted some picture frames but could not quite make them out.
1 or 2 she saw had 2 mares in them, and she figured it was either a sister or a cousin to the mother.
Saffron Mango came into view and walked straight for 1 of the doors on the far side of the room.
Wisteria was thinking this could be the bedroom, but was not completely sure.
She could trot around the house to make sure, but she felt she had overstepped her bounds already.
Once Saffron was out of sight, she decided to trot on home.
It was a weekend, so the mayor's office was not open today.
What Wisteria did not realize was that Saffron Mango did not go into, her, bedroom but had gone into her mothers' bedroom.
She was on a quest to find her adoption papers.
It definitely did not feel right to be in here without there permission.
They did not forbid her from going in there room, she could come in if something scared her, but there was something they had said after she got her own room.
She could not remember the details, but what was most important was her sense of respect for there privacy.
She opened the closet and found a pair of wedding dresses, formal attire, some work clothes and some sets of horseshoes of varying shapes.
She had learned the meaning behind formal wear, but most of why ponies wore clothes still escaped her.
She closed it and opened a chest by the foot of the bed.
Inside she found some socks and what looked like a large jelly worm.
She wondered why her mothers had not eaten it yet, or why they had not thrown it out when it started to make the chest smell musty.
She had a thought of throwing it away for them, but that would show she had been in there room and rummaging.
She did not want them to know she was in there if she did not find what she was looking for.
She carefully moved the objects to see if there were any papers hiding at the bottom.
When she did not find any papers she moved on to the vanity and looked through the drawers.
All she found were some brushes and make-up.
She looked in the drawer of 1 of the bedside tables and found 2 books.
1 had some abstract, colorful, and a little scary art on its cover, simply titled, eric. while the other had a depiction of a beach on its cover, with a title written in another language.
Not finding what she was looking for, she moved around the bed to the other bedside table and opened its drawer.
She found 1 book with a silhouette of a pony on its cover, except its muzzle was longer, and the word, Diary, written in the corner.
She noticed a piece of paper sticking out of the pages a bit, and carefully opened the bookmarked page.
She unfolded the paper to find more papers folded inside.
Unfolding them she saw a heading she was looking for.
For a moment the mothers thought there eyes were deceiving them.
If they did not hear a response immediately, then it meant Saffron Mango was in her room studying and was about to greet them.
If they did not hear anything within the next few seconds, then it meant she was staying at a friend's place.
Yet she was right there, sitting at the table, looking both gloomy and guilty.
The next thing they noticed about there daughter were the bandages wrapped around her.
Japonica asked, "Oh no. What did you do this time?"
She was concern, but also a little angry.
She did not want to know what kind of bill was going to appear at there doorstep.
As the mothers gathered around her, Saffron could not find her voice as she mouthed, "I'm sorry".
If 1 listened closely, 1 could almost hear her whisper it.
Japonica asked, "What's the matter?"
Her breath left her as she saw the papers in front of Saffron.
Spray had noticed them only seconds before.
Glancing towards there bedroom door, she tried to ask, "Did you just... Were you..."
"I'm sorry," said Saffron a little more audibly.
During the hours after finding the adoption papers, she had been trying to decide whether she should stick them back where she found them and continue to keep quiet, or come clean with what she knew.
Even though she knew it all, finding the papers was still a bit of a shock for her.
She red and re-red the papers several times.
In the end she decided to sit herself down at the table with the papers.
If she had not moved from that spot by the time her mothers got back, then she was going to come clean.
Spray asked, "What got you to look for these all of a sudden?"
"I'm sorry," repeated Saffron with a sob in her throat. "Please don't hate me. I... I love you guys, but... I kinda always knew, somehow."
The mothers stared.
Whatever anger they had because there daughter had gone through there stuff had given way to shock.
Japonica started, "Did..."
She did not know where to go with that.
"Did we do something wrong?"
Spray asked, "Did some-pony tell you?"
"No," answered Saffron, tears forming. "You've been great. You've been the best... parents I could hope for. Even if you've been away, I've always loved having you. You did nothing wrong, and no-pony told me anything. And yet... I've always known."
The mothers listened.
Even if they could not understand it, they were still understanding.
Saffron gestured to her bandages and said, "And, this. I kinda ran into the orphanage... and a little through it... Had a chat with the owner."
The mothers' expressions changed to 1 of pain as they imagined how she may have hit the building, and at what speeds, to 1 of sullen realization.
Spray asked, "But if you already knew, why did you go through our things?"
Saffron said, "I'm sorry. I just... I don't know. I had confirmation, and still I wanted something more."
Saffron turned around and gave her mothers a hug, starting to cry properly.
They both returned the hug.
Japonica said. "Shush, it's okay. We don't hate you. We're just upset that you didn't tell us sooner."
Spray asked, "Were you looking to see who your bio."
She stopped herself in case Saffron did not know that word.
"Who your real parents were?"
Saffron answered, "I ah... I actually asked at the hospital. They, found a match."
Spray asked, "Oh. What are there names?"
Just then there was a knock on the door.
"Who could that be?"
Saffron suddenly felt a little anxious as Japonica went off to answer the door.
For as long as she could remember the only visitor they got when the whole family was home was Chantilly on her birthday.
She wondered if Chantilly came over to throw a, get well soon party, already now.
"Hello. Are you Saffron Mango's mother Ebony?"
Saffron Mango's heart stopped right then and there.
When she decided to come clean, she did not expect to do so on such a level.
Her heart did not want to beat any further as she felt 2 pairs of eyes glare her way.
The intense silence seemed to last for hours before the guest broke it.
"Um, is this a bad time?"
Japonica turned back to the door and said "Not at all, Princess. Please, doo come in."
...
"So your names are Japonica and Spray," said Light Wisteria slowly as she took in the true story of Saffron Mango's family life. "You are a married couple, and you adopted Saffron a few years later."
Japonica said, "Yes. Is there a problem with that?"
Wisteria waved her hooves and quickly said, "No no, of course not! I'm no bigot if that's what you're worried about. Love is just a stronger form of friendship, and I have no problem if it just so happens to be 2 mares."
Spray looked down at her daughter and said, "Which begs the question. Why did you lie? To a princess no less."
While the mothers had told there story, Saffron sat between them in complete guilty silence.
She knew she was in deep trouble.
"I... I just..." She was not sure how to answer. "I saw other kids having 1 mother and 1 father and... well... I never really said I didn't have 2 mothers... I just... never corrected any-pony."
Spray asked, "Why didn't you? Are you ashamed of having 2 mothers or being adopted?"
Saffron answered, "No! Not at all. It just... well... Because I couldn't fly, I didn't want to feel any more different."
Wisteria walked up to Saffron and said, "Not accepting your differences is much like being ashamed of them."
She satt on the floor so there gaze was as level as possible.
"I can understand not being able to fly is difficult for you, but is having 2 mothers really that bad?"
Saffron lowered her head.
She did not realize what she had done by not telling the truth.
Wisteria continued, "I know that same-gendered marriages, stallion and stallion or mare and mare marriages, aren't that common, but there are quite a few of them in Equestria. It is nothing to be ashamed of."
Saffron remained silent for a while yet, feeling terrible.
She was asking herself over and over why she never told the truth.
While it was not her real family, it was better than if no-pony picked her at the orphanage.
It could have been worse if she lived all her life there.
She did love her mothers, she loved what she had, and they were proud of her for the most part.
So what was it she was not proud of that kept her from telling the truth to the ponies around her?
Japonica decided to venture on a topic. "Honey. Did you happen to mention something during kindergarten, and some-pony gave you a hard time?"
Saffron Mango thought for a bit.
It seemed logical she and some other kid argued over what was the norm.
She tried to remember if anything like it occurred, or something similar.
She finally said, "I... I think some kid said, papa, to a stallion once. And I think I asked, what's a papa. I think... I think the kid looked at me oddly... So did the father... He may have looked at me with concern. And... It may have been the teacher who answered that it is the opposite of a mama, that there is 1 of each in every family. I did not like her tone of voice."
The grown-ups wore expressions of realization on there faces.
The mothers tried to think of when this may have happened, based on what they assumed there daughter's vocabulary was like, and how good her memory was.
Wisteria said, "Look, I can understand where you are coming from, but it still wasn't right of you to lie to me. To any of us. We're your friends, and you should know us well enough that you can trust us with these things."
Saffron felt ashamed she did not trust her friends enough, and that she, if not flat out lied, omitted some of the truth to her friends.
She finally uttered "I'm sorry."
Japonica sternly said, "I have a feeling you'll be apologizing to more ponies than just the princess, Saffron Mango. Starting with your closest friends."
Spray added, "But we won't insist on you telling every-pony at school."
Saffron felt a little better at that, but she still felt pretty bad.
Japonica said, "We don't normally do this, but... Consider yourself grounded for a week."
Spray was a bit surprised at that, but she did agree some form of punishment was in order.
Japonica continued, "You are only allowed to go to school but otherwise you are not leaving the house. That means no crusading. We expect you to tell your friends when you see them at school."
Wisteria interjected, "Oh, that reminds me. Saffrons not allowed to exert herself on her scooter for a few days in light of her accident."
Spray said, "That is definitely not going to be a problem for a whole week."
After a moment's pause, she added, "By the way, you said you knew your... real parents?"
Saffron had completely forgotten she had said that.
It took her a little by surprise.
She looked up at Wisteria and said, "I... don't want to..."
Japonica said, "Now what have we said about withholding the truth?"
Saffron said, "It's just... It is something I want to discuss with them on my own and..."
Japonica said, "Please, do tell us."
Saffron looked directly at Wisteria. "Promise not to tell any-pony? 1 could say it is part of my apology to my friends, and I'd like to tell it without any forewarning."
Wisteria thought for a moment. In the end she agreed, gesturing a hoof over her heart. "I promise if you promise."
Saffron picked up on the gesture, and knew what the princess was indicating.
"Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye," they swore in unison.
Saffron hesitated a bit on the word fly, because she did hope to fly 1 day, but was probably best not to get there on a lie.
Saffron took a deep breath and steadied herself.
She slowly said, "You remember Bon Joor?"
"Yeah," answered Spray somewhat slower, while the others nodded slowly.
They had a sneaky suspicion they knew where this was going.
Saffron continued, "Well... Turns out... She's my sister."
If jaws would actually hit the floor, there would be quite the clatter right about now.
Aside from the proverbial sound effects, every-pony were in stunned silence.
Saffron Mango was waiting for even a pin to break the silence.
Wisteria tried to utter, "That... would mean... Poh... Porcelain...?"
Saffron slowly nodded. "Is also my sister."
Wisteria said, "And... What were there names now..."
Saffron answered, "Ebb and Cupid. They are my real parents."
More silence.
Spray was afraid to ask her next question. "Do... Do you want to... move in with them?"
She had hoped for a few more years with there adopted daughter before she started asking about her biological parents, if at all.
"No!" Saffrons response was immediate.
This put the mothers at ease.
"I love you! I don't want to leave you. I will stay!"
She gave them a hug which was returned.
Saffron continued, "I know I'm grounded, but I happen to know that they will be leaving town again on Monday and... I'd like to speak to them after school."
The mothers looked at each other for a moment, thinking things over.
Japonica said, "All right, we'll make an exception just that day. But you make your way right back here after you've said your piece, got it?"
Saffron said, "I promise."
The moment was interrupted by a gurgling sound.
Spray said, "Oh gosh, we completely forgot about dinner."
She then looked towards Wisteria. "And, um, we did not plan on any guests."
Wisteria got up and said, "Look, you obviously need food. I'd be happy to help you cook."
Spray said, "But, you're a princess! A, royal, guest... in, our, house..."
It suddenly came back to Spray who they had in there home, and shock was spreading across her face.
Wisteria said, "Please, you've been through a lot, and right now you need to eat. Do not see me as a princess nor a guest and just point me to the kitchen."
Spray took a moment to get over her shock and eventually led the princess to the fridge.
Wisteria took out some food and gave half of it to Spray to chop, while she chopped some herself.
Japonica placed some pots and pans on the stove, then went to set the table with Saffron.
Before long they were all seated and eating a hearty meal.
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."
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.
