Chapter 11 - Escaping The Sun

"Did your cutie mark just glow?" Celestia asks. Polished Silver perks up at this, eager to see what happens when she finds out about your cutie mark.

With most of your attention on these unexplainable emotions, you find yourself unable to do more than simply embrace the bliss of a mothers love, only understanding the question enough to say - "Hmm?"

With a hoof, Celestia lifts your eyes to meet hers. "Your cutie mark Sunset. I saw a glow, as though you had just re-earned it."

Staring into her eyes, you begin to realize that you are not in your mother's hooves, but Celestia's. As you process the emotions you now know are not your own, you don't seem to take much notice of Celestia's question until she speaks her next words.

"May I see your cutie mark? I must admit that I am curious to see what the flash was about."

At Celestia's words, your eyes move to look to your flank, widening in fear soon after.

With a malicious grin on her face, Polished Silver trots her way over. "Here Princess, let me lift her skirt for you."

"No no no. Don't look at it." You scream as you run back to your room.

"What?" Celestia asks. "Did something happen to her?"

"Come on Princess, let's get her to spill the beans already." Polished Silver insists.

"No." Celestia sighs. "If she doesn't want me to know, then I'll respect her wishes and hope she tells me later."

"Hmph." Polished Silver pouts.

Polished Silver enters your room to see you packing your things into your saddlebags. "Hey Oranges, you can stop packing, Celestia decided to let you keep your secrets." She let's you know, clearly upset things didn't escalate further.

"I can't stay here Polished." You reply, your eyes filled with tears as you're flooded with more emotions than you can handle.

Polished Silver looks into your eyes and tries to make sense of what she's seeing. "You know, from what I've seen, I'm pretty sure she'd forgive whatever you've done. And I can tell you're ready to change. Nopony willing to do something evil would cry over something like this, especially if they knew they got away with it."

You look back to your things. "No polished. She would be willing to forgive mom, not me. I'm just a clone, a clone of the very pony she sees as family. If she finds out what I am." You gulp not wanting to imagine the kind of things she'd do to you.

"But the way you hugged each other. No way that was all fake."

"No, it wasn't fake. All of those emotions were real. They just weren't mine. What you said about me. You were closer than I'd like to admit. I'm not a liar. I'm the lie. Lies can't be allowed to exist."

Polished Silver just stands there trying to make sense of everything. "This... This is real... Isn't it?"

You look back to Polished Silver seeing her own eyes filled with tears and horror. "Are you okay?" You ask.

"You really are a clone aren't you." Polished Silver sits herself down as she accepts what she had believed impossible. She hangs her head in shame. "And I treated you so horribly."

You envelope Polished Silver in a hug. "I forgive you."

"What?" Polished Silver asks in disbelief.

"Well, I don't know what mom did to you, but I can tell she must have hurt you. And you thought I was her, so I understand."

"I hate to be the one to tell you this, but your mom was a jerk."

"I know." You admit as you get back to packing. "But she made me and even promised to be my mother, so can she really be that bad?"

Polished Silver has questions about that. However, seeing that just talking about her seems to cheer you up, she can't bring herself to voice these thoughts. "Even if you are a clone, I'm sure Celestia would be willing to help you with any problems you might have."

You stop packing for a moment. "Mom warned me Celestia might not approve of my existence. Your dad told me there are laws about clones. I checked the book on clones I bought, and it says clones are illegal in part because of their changeling like ability to imitate a pony. I don't know what a changeling is, but clearly ponies fear them enough that they fear us clones due to how similar they see us. And this is all before mentioning that I am the clone of the pony that the princess herself sees as family. I just can't risk it, especially with mom's emotions influencing my behavior around Celestia."

You finish packing and levitate the saddle bags onto your back. "Fine." Polished Silver sighs in defeat. "But I'm still watching over you, so where you go I go."

You look back to Polished Silver and give her a smile. "Thank you."

"Yeah, yeah. Just let me go convince the princess to leave and I'll get myself ready. And I hope you know we're most likely going to be in big trouble for this."

Moments later you hear a nock at the door followed by Celestia's voice. "Your friend tells me you wish me to leave, that I am making you uncomfortable?"

"I'm sorry Princess. I'm just not ready right now." You answer, a bit of fear entering your voice as you hope she doesn't enter the room.

"I see. Very well Sunset, I shall leave." You let out a breath you didn't realize you were holding. "But before I do, I want you to know that I am willing to adopt you as my niece."

"Your niece? Why?"

"When I sent you away, that wasn't just to teach you a lesson. It was also an attempt to remind myself that our relationship is one between teacher and student. I was trying to undo a bond between us that I had aloud to grow, a bond I believed improper. However, I believe what had transpired after only proved to hasten this bond to the point that I can no longer deny it. This and the knowledge I have come to find that your parents have neglected their duty toward you and pawning their responsibilities to you on to me have lead me to make a decision."

"A decision?"

"Yes Sunset. I would like to formally adopt you as my niece. We can talk about it now, or if you still wish it, I can leave."

You take some time to think. Remembering why you ran into the room in the first place, you turn to the mirror and lift your skirt to look at your cutie mark hoping it was Sunset's. Unfortunately, it is not. your cutie mark is a pair of suns, one orange, the other yellow, both of them touching the other. You can't let Celestia see this cutie mark, but you think maybe you could do something for your mother before it's too late. "I would love to be your niece." You say as you open the door.

Celestia smiles and embraces you once more. "We will hold the event tomorrow in full view of the public."

Again you feel Sunset's emotions attempt to take over. You back away and suggest. "Actually... I was hoping maybe we could do it now in private. I want to be your niece now."

Celestia is a little disappointed that you rejected her embrace but gives you a nod and leaves to have her guard send the necessary paperwork. "It could be some time before the right ponies get here Sunset."

"My hosts have a teleport pad." You show her the closet which houses said pad.

Within half an hour, ponies come through the portal pad into your host's home. Silver Shade comes through with them and sits on a couch with his sister to watch with her.

Legal ponies sit themselves at the table helping you and Celestia sign on the correct lines. Meanwhile, Silver Smith and Silver Sales return home to see the conclusion of the event. Polished Silver and Silver Shade meet their parents at the door. "Hey mom." Silver Shade greets. "The princess adopted Oranges as her niece."

"What?" Silver Smith and Silver Sales voice their surprise both at once.

"Why don't you go to your room and play Silver Shade?" Polished Silver suggests.

"But I want to see what happens."

"Just go play and let the big ponies do their business."

"Mom." Silver Shade whines.

"Listen to your big sister." Silver Sales answers. "If she wants you to leave the room, I trust it's for a good reason." Silver Shade groans in frustration, but obeys and goes to his room to play.

You and Celestia meet your hosts at the door as the legal ponies all go back through the portal pad, their job done. Silver Smith and Silver Sales bow to their princess. "Good afternoon princess." Silver Smith greets. "I hope the kids haven't given you any trouble." Celestia gestures them to rise, and it is only now that they realize that some of their property has vanished. "Were we robed?"

Celestia shakes her head no. "I'm afraid there had been an accident earlier today. As the accident was partly caused by my guard, I will be covering the cost of repair and replacement."

Silver Smith and Silver Sales bow once again. "Thank you princess." They once again answer in unison.

Celestia turns her attention to you. "Now I am afraid it is time for me to take my niece back to the castle. We have much to catch up on. Please inform her parents."

You look back to Polished Silver. "Actually princess, do you mind if I stay for a while longer. Polished Silver and I have just settled our differences and I would like to get to know her better."

"You've finally made a real friend?" Celestia asks with pride. Silver Sales wears a smile of her own, just as happy the two of you have become friends. "Are you sure? I would be willing to allow her to visit with us provided her parents accept."

"Of course we accept, right honey?" Silver Sales asks Silver Smith, who quickly agrees.

"No thank you princess." You answer. "I'm just not ready to come back yet. Please understand."

Celestia gives a nod. "Very well Sunset, take as much time as you need. I shall return to the castle and make preparations for your return."

You bow to her. "Thank you princess."

Celestia gives a chuckle. "You may call me Aunt Celestia from now on." With that the princess leaves for her carriage along with her guard to return to the castle.

Later that night, you and Polished Silver leave her home and make your way to the train station. "You know Twin-Sun, we don't need to stowaway on the train. We can ask dad for money. We don't even have to tell him what it's for."

"No." You argue. "I don't want anypony to know where I'm going. I need to do what mom made me to do, and I need to do it before they find out what I am."

"Do you really even need her approval any more? I mean come on Twin-Sun, you're Celestia's niece."

You look back to Polished Silver a little annoyed. "I don't care about that. I didn't sign that document for me, I signed it for mom. Now I need this so she'll adopt me and when I call her mom it won't just be a fantasy." You wipe away a few tears before you realize. "Hey, when did you stop calling me Oranges?"

Polished Silver's ears droop as she looks away. "I only called you that to insult you. Now that we're friends, I don't want to hurt you anymore."

You smile at her answer. "It's okay Polished. I love mom, but I didn't really care much for the name she gave me at first. But it's kind of growing on me. Same thing for the nickname you guys gave me. So I don't really mind if you call me Oranges if you want as long as it's not to hurt me."

"Alright Oranges, if we're gonna do this then let's just do it already." With that done, the two of you sneak onto a train and find a place to hide yourselves from view. "I probably should have asked this earlier, but do we know where this train is going?"

As you realize that this was a poorly thought through escape, the train conductor yells - "All aboard."

Author's Note

Celestia has made Twin-Sun her niece believing her to be Sunset Shimmer and Twin-Sun's journey finally truly begins.