//------------------------------//
// Arc 5-3: The Foalsitter's Club 
// Story: My Little Pony: One as a Family.  "Life in Canterlot" 
// by SaburoDaimando 
//------------------------------//


The Foalsitter’s Club


It is the early part of the evening.  Princess Celestia was walking down the street with Princess Cadance by her side. Right behind them were Wanda Young, Sunset Shimmer and Abigail Albright.  While Cadance had a smile on her face, there was a bit of concern from her adopted mother.
"Are you really sure you want to go through this?" Princess Celestia asks.  "Pranking someone like Buck Withers"
"He won't listen to me when I want to say no," Princess Cadance says.  "It's like he wants to insert himself into my life.  Plus I am upset at what he did to Wanda."
Princess Celestia turned around and saw Wanda with a bit of a scowl on her face, still upset over Buck Withers tossing her up and down like some kind of play thing.
"Bad pony gonna pay," Wanda said as that scowl failed to escape her face.
"It's that bad, my darling?" Celestia said.
"It is," Wanda said.  "Promise you won't let Bad Pony treat me like a toy."
"Don't worry," Celestia said in hopes of assuring Wanda.  "If he does that again, I'll give him the Celestia Special."  Those words were enough to cause Wanda to giggle.
"Guess that brightened her mood Mommy," Sunset said as Abigail leaped onto Wanda’s shoulder.
“Wanda,”  Princess Cadance said.  “You don’t need to worry.  When this is all over, I’ll make sure your brother-in-law will be Shining Armor.  Besides, he’s not as rowdy as Buck Withers.”
“Your older sister is right,”  Sunset said to Wanda.  “Compared to Big Bag Buck, Shining Armor’s like a cuddly teddy bear.”
“And speaking of which,”  Princess Celestia said as she came to a stop.  “We’re here.”
Princess Cadance, Wanda Young and Sunset Shimmer comes to a stop as they had arrived at a house in the middle of Canterlot.  Cadance had a smile on her face as she approached the door.
“Wait till Twilight realizes that we’ve arrived for tonight,”  Princess Cadance says as she knocks on the door.  Princess Celestia walks up alongside her adopted daughter and waits in anticipation.
“I’ve put up with the nonsense in the Senate,” Celestia said.  “At least mingling with the citizens feels far more relaxing.”  
Celestia’s words only caused Cadance to laugh.  But as she laughed, the door opens and we see two adult individuals at the door: Night Light and Twilight Velvet, the parents of Twilight Sparkle and Shining Armor.
“Your majesty,”  Night Light said.  “I was hoping for Princess Cadance to show up.  I didn’t know you were going to be here.”
“Well we are going to attend a theatrical play,”  Princess Celestia said.  “And you know Cadance doesn’t like to look at that kind of stuff.”
“I’m looking forward to tonight,”  Twilight Velvet said as she looked down at Sunset and Wanda.  “And it looks like you brought your sisters with you..”
“Hello,”  Wanda said as she waved at Twilight Velvet.
“Aren’t you the cutest widdle thing ever,”  Twilight Velvet said as she tickles Wanda’s tummy with her hoof.  Wanda rolls backwards and starts to laugh really loud.
“Cut that out,” Wanda laughed.  “That tickles.”
Sunset Shimmer could only watch her younger sister endure the tickle torture as she casually blows the front tuft of her mane upwards.  
“Reminds me of when mommy kept surprising me with a tummy buzz,”  Sunset said.
It didn’t take long for Twilight Velvet to stop tickling Wanda.  The Man’s Cub was able to sit right back up as Twilight Sparkle emerged from behind the doorway.
“Twilight,”  Wanda waved.  “We made it.”
“Wanda, Sunset, Cadance,”  Twilight said as she ran out to greet her friends.
“That’s the pony I was looking forward to seeing,”  Princess Cadance said as she ran up to Twilight Sparkle.  As soon as they were close, they both did their ladybug dance together.
“Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake.  Clap your hooves and do a little shake,” Twilight and Cadance sang as they danced.
Once again, Wanda and Sunset looked at Twilight and Cadance and they gagged as usual.
“No way are you getting me to do a friendship dance, sister,”  Wanda said.
“Don’t worry, Wanda,” Sunset joked.  “I’m with you on that.”
Suddenly, Sunset was tackled from right out of nowhere, startling Wanda a bit.  When Sunset looked up, she saw the friendly face of Starlight Glimmer, who was happy to see her.
“Sunset,”  Starlight said as she gave Sunset Shimmer a big hug.  “I missed you so much.,”
“Hi there Starlight,”  Sunset said.  “You really didn’t have to tackle me like that.”
Starlight got off of Sunset and blushed with embarrassment.  Sunset was able to pick herself up and dust herself off while Wanda approached Starlight.
“How come you’re at Twilight’s place?”  Wanda asked.
“Well my parents and Twilight’s were able to meet after I was accepted into the School for Gifted Unicorns,”  Starlight said.  “Mommy and Daddy wanted me to attend, but they also wanted to show support for Sire’s Hollow.  So they let me stay at Twilight’s during my stay here.”
“Nice,”  Sunset said.  “That means we can see each other more, provided you don’t tackle me like you’re a cat.”
But as Sunset said those words, she heard the growling of a cat.  She turns her head downwards to her right and sees Abigail snarling at her, offended by Sunset’s choice of words..
“Whoops,”  Sunset said.  “Didn’t mean to offend you, Abigail.”

A bit later on, everyone was inside the house.  Princess Celestia was alongside Twilight Velvet and Night Light, while Princess Cadance was right next to Twilight Sparkle, Sunset Shimmer, Starlight Glimmer, Wanda Young and Abigail Albright.  Celestia was about ready to leave the house with Night Light and Twilight Velvet.
“Now if anything horrible happens,”  Princess Celestia said.  “Let us know about it.  After all, you are capable of transmitting any message to me through your magic.”
“No problem, Mom,”  Princess Cadance said.  “Besides, I’ve known these tykes for a long time.    You’d think they would go and swipe all of the candy from the house?”  Wanda, Sunset, Starlight and Twilight couldn’t help, but giggle at Cadance’s comment.
“Now you two,”  Celestia said to Wanda and Sunset.  “Promise you’ll be on your best behavior for your big sister.”
“Oh I promise,”  Wanda said as she put her right hand in the air.  
“No argument with her,”  Sunset said.
Celestia just giggled and said “And with that, we are on our way.”  But as they were about to step out, Shining Armor came running down the stairs in a hurry.
"Sorry," Shining Armor yelled. "But I am late for my Ogres and Oubliettes meeting "  As he approached the door, Shining Armor took notice of Princess Cadance, who only giggled at how much of a mess the young stallion was, especially in the mane.
"Hello Shining Darling," Cadance giggled.
"HELLLLLO!" Shining Armor yelled in the most obnoxious and cheesy voice, before prancing out of the house.  Cadance could barely contain her laughter while Twilight and the other kids were not amused.
"Real smooth, brother," Twilight said to herself.
"And I thought the ladybug dance was annoying," Wanda said to herself.
Celestia, Twilight Velvet and Night Light let out a chuckle before they walked out the door.  But as she was about to step outside, Celestia turned her head towards Cadance.
“I know what you’re thinking about Buck Withers,”  Celestia said.  “You don’t have to marry him.  But you have to convince him that he ain’t your type.  Besides, I’ve known you and Shining Armor for a long time.”
And with that, Celestia steps out the door with Night Light and Twilight Velvet behind her before Cadance shuts the door.  Her usually optimistic smile was replaced by a mere smug grin.
“Sunset,”  Cadance said.  “Could you take Starlight upstairs for a bit?”
“Uhhh Sure,”  Sunset said as she turned towards Starlight.  “Come on.  I think our big sister is on a train of thought.”
“Err, okay,”  Starlight said as she and Sunset walked towards the staircase.  Nearby, Abigail looked on in curiosity as Sunset and Starlight went upstairs.  She turned towards Twilight, Wanda and Cadance as the trio were in discussion.
“Twilight,”  Cadance said.  “Did you get any info on Buck Withers?  Or on your brother?”
“I know a lot about my brother,”  Twilight said.  “As for Buck Withers, I had to talk to Sunburst about it.  He’s got some information on the adventurer.” 
“Sweet,”  Cadance replied.  “What can you tell me about him?”
“Well there is one catch,”  Twilight said with a smirk on her face.  “You’re going to need a lot of note taking.  His strengths, weaknesses, likes, dislikes, fears, popularity, and everything else but the kitchen sink, and we haven’t gotten into Buck Withers yet.  I hope you brought along proper label markers, and a binder to keep those notes intact.”
“Oh please,”  Cadance replies.  “I always keep a spare set of that handy.”
“If that’s the case,”  Twilight said.  “Where did you put it?”
“Ask and you shall receive,”  Princess Cadance said as she flicks her horn with a spark of magic.  In a flash, a bag full of notebooks popped out in front of her.  Twilight was awed at the sigh of the contents of the bag.
“So, what should we use to arrange every one of our notes?”  Twilight asked. “Should we use wide-ruled paper or academy paper?”
“Oh no no no no,”  Cadance replied.  “These notebooks go beyond even academy-based paper.  I also brought pencils that were made perfectly for this kind of paper.  And I know what you’re gonna ask: What about label markers?  Well I brought 37 different colored sheets of paper for my label markers.  Beat that.”
“That’s my big sister,”  Wanda said with a smile.
Cadance turns towards Wanda and says “Okay Wanda.  Are you ready for an assignment?”
Wanda salutes Cadance and says “Aye aye, Captain.”
Cadance turns back to Twilight and says “Give her the details.”
“Wanda,”  Twilight said.  “There is a book upstairs in my room that goes into detail about Buck Withers.  It would be great if you brought it down to us.”
“Roger roger,” Wanda yelled.  Soon, that man’s cub ran up the stairs like she was in a hurry.  Abigail wasted no time following her human companion up the flight of stairs as well.

Upstairs, Wanda entered Twilight’s room with the intent on getting that book on Buck Withers.  Inside, Sunset Shimmer and Starlight Glimmer were staring at a crib.  Wanda paused to look at Sunset and Starlight as Abigail ran up to the trio.
“What are you three doing?”  Wanda asked.
“Oh hey Wanda,”  Starlight said.  “Do you remember that baby dragon that came out of the egg?”
“The one that Twilight was able to hatch?”  Wanda replied.
“Well Twilight’s been looking after it,”  Sunset replied.  “Much like how you’re looking after Abigail.”
“Isn’t he such a cutie?”  Starlight said as she and Sunset moved aside.  Inside the crib was baby Spike, sucking on his own tail.  Wanda stepped up and stared at the baby dragon.
“Wow,”  Wanda said.  “I didn’t know mommy let Twilight raise a baby dragon.”
“Well she’s not the only one who’s taking care of him,”  Starlight said.  “Twilight’s big brother’s been helping out, and so am I.  But I really like to look after him.  Isn’t he so precious?”
Sunset only laughed a bit and said “When it comes to that baby dragon, Starlight seems to be attracted to him. I think this is the reason why she was eager to bring me upstairs.”  She then turns her eyes towards Spike and says to Wanda “Go ahead.  It’s okay.  He won’t bite.”
Wanda approached Spike’s crib and reached out with her right hand.  Spike lets go of his tail and looks at Wanda’s hand before looking back at Wanda.  The Man’s cub look hesitant on wanting to touch Spike, but she swallowed hard and places the tip of her fingers on Spike’s head.
“His skin is soft,”  Wanda said.
“They’re called scales,”  Sunset said.  “Dragons, unlike the rest of us, have scales as a means of protecting themselves from the harsh elements.  Especially hot lava.”
Wanda wasn’t paying attention as she rubbed behind Spike’s ear.  The baby dragon cooed as Wanda stroked him slowly and calmly.
“He seems to be attracted to you.”  Starlight says.
“I never thought I would live in a world where dragons exist,”  Wanda said.  “I wonder what my life would have been like if I wasn’t raised here in Equestria.”
Just then, the voice of Princess Cadance yells out “Hey Wanda.  Do you have that book yet?”
Wanda yelled out “Hang on.  I’m trying to find it.”  She lifts her hand off of Spike before turning to Sunset and said “The book on Buck Withers.  Do you have it?”
“Right here,”  Sunset said as she lifted a book in the air with her magic and handed it over to Wanda.  “Sunburst was able to acquire this book at the library.  He said something about Buck Withers having some sort of fear of rocs.”
“Thanks,”  Wanda said as she took the book and left the room.  Abigail looked like she was going to go after Wanda, only to turn her head towards Spike.
“Poor Spikey,” Starlight said.  “He was bonding well with Wanda, and now he’s all alone.”
“Not quite,”  Sunset said as Abigail leaped into the crib and landed next to Spike.  “Seems Abigail has taken an interest in Spike.”
Abigail looks at Spike as the baby dragon looks back at the kitten.  She sniffed Spike’s forehead and let out a curious meow.  Spike does nothing but stare at Abigail.
“Do you think they’ll get along?”  Starlight said.
“Watch,”  Sunset said.  “It’s rare to see a cat alongside a dragon.  Much less these two.”
To the surprise of the unicorn fillies, Spike and Abigail were able to stand on their two feet.  Abigail looked like she was about to lose her balance, but Spike was able to catch her with her arms.  Abigail looked up and saw Spike’s face.  The two looked at each other like they had an attachment to each other.
“Awww,”  Starlight said.  “I think these two are in love.”
“Not really,”  Sunset said.  “I think it’s more that they’re good friends.  And that’s what counts the most, Starlight.”

Later that night, the living room was a bit of a mess.  Papers were scattered around.  Two charts are on full display.  And there were at least five plates with bits of spaghetti on them.  Wanda, Cadance, Twilight, Sunset and Starlight were overlooking the two charts, one with Shining Armor on it, and the other with Buck Withers on it.  Nearby, Spike and Abigail were observing Cadance, Wanda and the other fillies from afar.  
“You sure know how to take research seriously,”  Sunset said to Twilight.
“What did you expect?”  Twilight replied.  “It’s one of my quirks.”
“So uhhh,”  Starlight said.  “What exactly is all this about?”
“Glad you asked,”  Princess Cadance replied.  “It’s how I can win Shining Armor’s heart for good.  Twilight and I have done some research on getting our stallion and beating back Buck Withers.”
“I helped,”  Wanda said with a grin on her face.
“Anyway,”  Cadance says as she gives off a devious smile.  “Thanks to the book that Sunburst delivered to Twilight, it seems we have discovered a weakness in Buck Withers.  Turns out, the brave adventurer is afraid of one creature: a roc.”
“He’s afraid of rocks?”  Starlight said.  “I thought he took down one of those Cyclops Golems.”
“Not rocks, Starlight,”  Sunset giggled.  “Rocs.  They’re giant birds that are said to be the apex predators of the skies.”
“And some say Buck nearly got eaten by one when he was a kid,”  Princess Cadance said.  “His father was fortunate enough to have rescued him from that giant maw of a beak.”
“And since then,”  Twilight said as she read through the book on Buck Withers.  “Buck cowers at the mere sight of a roc.  And not just the real thing.  He freaks out at even an illusion, or a paper mache variation of those giant chickens.”
“So on the night of the Fall Formal Festival,”  Cadance said.  “We’re going to create a roc illusion with our magic, and use that to scare him silly.  Once he flees for his life, I’ll be able to sweep Shining Armor off his hooves, and we will be the Fall Formal Princess and Prince.  It will be GLORIOUS!”  And with that, Princess Cadance laughed hard like a maniac, all while everyone else looked at her like she had gone crazy.
“Okay,”  Wanda said as a drop of sweat rolled down her head.  “That was embarrassing, even by big sister’s standards.”
“Sorry,”  Cadance replies as she blushed with embarrassment.  “Force of habit.”
“For a moment,”  Twilight laughed.  “I thought you were some big changeling in disguise.  Like the evil Queen Chrysalis.”
“Or maybe I am,”  Princess Cadance said with a devilish smile.  “And maybe I’ll take you away to become my newest changeling subject, if you tell Shining Armor about tonight.”  She turned to the other girls and said “And that goes for the rest of you.”
Wanda, Sunset and Starlight swallowed hard as they all said  “Yes ma’am.”
“Good”  Cadance said as she turns her head back to Twilight.  “Do you solemnly swear not to tell Shining Armor about tonight, until we arrive at the Fall Formal Festival?”
“I swear to keep my mouth shut about tonight,”  Twilight said as she holds her left hoof in the air.
“Very good,”  Cadance replies.  “To ensure that your vow of secrecy is sincere, we must perform the one thing that guarantees our friendship.”
“Yes,”  Twilight replied with a smile.  “We must perform...OUR LADYBUG DANCE!”
Those words were enough to cause Wanda to freak out.
“Oh no,”  Wanda yelled.  “I’ve already heard you do that silly dance early ago.  No way am I going to listen to that agan.”  Wanda was about to run off, only to be pinned down by Sunset and Starlight.
“Not tonight, sis,”  Sunset said as she held down Wanda’s arms.  
“Let me go you big palooka,”  Wanda yelled as she struggled to get loose.
“Starlight, I think you should cheer her up on this,”  Sunset said.
“With pleasure,”  Starlight said as she removed Wanda’s shoes and socks.
“Don’t you dare do it,” Wanda yelled as Sunset pinned her down. “Don’t you dare tickle me.”
“Tough luck,”  Starlight said as she pulled out a tickling feather and began to tickle Wanda’s feet with it.  The young man’s cub could barely contain herself.
“HAHAHAHAHAHA!”  Wanda giggled as she was being tormented by Starlight’s tickling feather.  “I GIVE UP!  I SURRENDER! PLEASE KNOCK IT OFF.   HAHAHAHAHAHA!”
Princess Cadance and Twilight Sparkle watch Sunset and Starlight torment Wanda.  They turned to each other and laughed.
“You know the drill, Twilight,”  Cadance said.
“Just like we’ve done many times before,”  Twilight replied.
The duo then turned towards each other, and once again did their ladybug dance.
“Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake.  Clap your hooves and do a little shake,”  Twilight and Cadance sung.  “If I do lie and spill the beans, you can stuff my mouth full of sardines.”
“NOOOOOOO!”  Wanda giggled as Starlight continued to tickle her.  “NOT THAT! HAHAHAHAHA!  ANYTHING BUT THAT!”
“I’m sorry I had to do this to you sis,”  Sunset said as she kept Wanda held to the ground.  “But you promise not to tell Shining Armor of our plan.  Promise?”
“I PROMISE,”  Wanda giggled.  “I PROMISE!  NOW GET OFF OF ME!”
Nearby, Spike and Abigail look onwards as Sunset and Starlight finally got off of Wanda and got her up.  The two babies then looked at each other and began to cuddle a bit.  Abigail purred while Spike let out a gentle coo.  Compared to the chaos going on in the room, these two seem to be calm and content.
Freed from being pinned down, Wanda runs up to Abigail.  And for some reason, she seems excited.
“Did you hear, Abigail?” Wanda said.  “We’re going to scare that Buck Withers to Tatarus.  But it’s going to be our little secret.”
Suddenly, Wanda paused for a moment and her face frowned at a revelation, all while Abigail looked at her with a hint of concern..
“But, I don’t think Danged Spell will be able to join us,”  She said.  “Well with his obsession of Buck Withers.  What am I to do?”
“It’s going to be alright,”  Sunset said as she walked up to Wanda. “It wouldn’t hurt to ask, but if he declines, I understand.  After all, it’s his idol we’re talking about.”
“Aww, thanks sis,”  Wanda said as she rubbed the back of Abigail’s ear.
“Anytime,”  Sunset said.  “And I’m sorry for pinning you down and tormenting you to that silly dance.  Just wanted to give you a hard time.”
And with that, Sunset gave Wanda a bit of a hoof noogie.  The Man’s Cub giggled as she took her hand away from Abigail.  Spike came closer to the kitten and cooed gently at her. This caused Wanda and Sunset to pause for a moment.
“I think Spike and Abigail just became best of friends,”  Sunset said.
“Wow,”  Wanda replied.  “I never thought that Abigail would be pals with a baby dragon.”


	To be Continued in…


	Gathering of the Shrews