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// Arc 11-4: A Cute Ceanera to reflect 
// Story: My Little Pony: One as a Family.  "Life in Canterlot" 
// by SaburoDaimando 
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	A Cute Ceanera to reflect



It was evening in the backyard at Danged Spell’s house in Canterlot.  Many young students along with a handful of adults gathered, celebrating into the evening sky as fireworks went off.  Stellar Flare and Sunspot had arrived with Firelight Glimmer and Starseeker, enjoying the entertainment while celebrating Sunburst.  The young colt cheered as his cutie mark lit up for everyone to see.
“I still can’t believe Sunburst finally got his cutie mark,” Stellar Flare said as she wiped a tear from her cheek.  “I’m so proud of him.”
“We should all be proud,” Sunspot said.  “We didn’t enroll Sunburst into the School for Gifted Unicorns for nothing.”
“Well I don’t think it will be long before Starlight gets her cutie mark,” Firelight Glimmer said.  “After all, she and Sunburst are good friends.”
“Indeed,” Starseeker said.  “They represent what Sire’s Hollow is capable of.”
“Now that’s a place I want to visit one day.”  Firelight, Starseeker, Sunspot and Stellar turned their heads to see Fortwright and Shanoa approach them with a platter of food.
“Fortwright and Shanoa,” Stellar Flare said as she approached the couple.  “I must thank you for allowing Sunburst to live in your household while he attends the School for Gifted Unicorns.”
“It wasn’t easy to allow another youngling into our household,” Shanoa said.  “But Fortwright insisted, claiming he wanted Danged Spell to have a special friend to chat with.”
“I also heard he helped save Sunburst from the Windigo’s Guild,” Sunspot said.  “And he used this curse to ward off those monsters.  What was it, Wolf’s Breath?”
“It was one of the reasons why we brought Danged Spell to Canterlot,” Fortwright said.  “He had a lot of potential, but he also bore a curse since he came into this world.  We couldn’t figure out why his curse went off.  So we figured that moving to Canterlot would help.  Though Spell was upset that he had to move away from Lio Lani.”
“Lio Lani?”  Firelight said.  “Now that’s a place I always wanted to visit.  I can’t believe you came from Lio Lani.”
“It’s mainly a set of islands populated by local earth ponies,” Shanoa said.  “But Fortwright here was the lone unicorn born on the islands till Danged Spell and Dream Seeker came around.”
“I was born in another part of Equestria,” Shanoa said.  “I moved to Lio Lani at the request of my own father.”
“Guess we’re all more connected in this world than we realize,” Stellar Flare said as she raised her glass of apple cider into the air.
“Here’s to all of us,” Fortwright said.  “For our younglings who made their greatest progress, and for how proud we are.”
Stellar Flare, Sunspot, Firelight, Starseeker, Fortwright and Shanoa clanged their glasses together before taking a sip of apple cider.
Nearby, Sunburst was already in full celebration at the nearby table with his friends seated next to him.  He was stuffing his face full of cake while Twilight, Sunset and Wanda giggled.  Seated next to Sunburst was Pinkie Pie, who looked as cheerful as ever.
“When it comes to planning a party,” Sunburst said after gulping down a good chunk of cake.  “You sure went all out.”
“What did I tell ya?”  Pinkie Pie replied after chugging down some punch.  “I’m a master of the art of partying.  I’ve done research on what every pony in La Maresa likes.”
“I heard mommy gave you information on what we all like when it comes to parties,” Wanda said.
“Your mommy did just that, Wanda,” Pinkie Pie said.  “One example is that Twilight Sparkle has a thing for vanilla ice cream, red balloons and dancing.”
“That’s exactly right,” Twilight said.  “I prefer the simple things when it comes to ice cream.”
Pinkie turned her attention to Twilight and said “But let’s just say you’re afraid of quesadillas, mainly because they’re just so cheesy.”
Twilight Sparkle’s tone turned sour as she lowered herself under the table with only her head popping out.  She barely reached out to Pinkie before she said “I had a nightmare about quesadillas becoming sentient and devouring every pony in Canterlot, which unfortunately included Wanda and Sunset.”
Wanda looked like she was shaking in fear.  She turned around and grabbed onto Sunset as she said “Save me from the Quesadilla monsters.”
Sunset just looked up at Twilight and said “Quesadilla monsters.  That’s one nightmare Wanda’s going to have.”
“Another one I have is Moondancer,” Pinkie Pie said as she pulled out a list.  “As she happens to enjoy the colors of space, Moondancer is very fond of grape soda and galaxy light projectors.”
“Oh my,” Moondancer said as she blushed.  “That’s totally true.”
“And as for Starlight,” Pinkie Pie said as she turned to face Starlight, who looked like she was spacing out in a bad way.  “Starlight?”  Pinkie added.
“Starlight,” Sunburst said as she tapped Starlight on the shoulder.  “Is something wrong?”
Starlight let out a big sigh and said “Well that’s just it.  You all have your own destinies, and you all have your own cutie marks.  I’m now the only pony without a cutie mark.”
Wanda rose up and ran towards Starlight.  She got down on one knee and said “Well look on the bright side.  I don’t have a cutie mark.”
Starlight just sighed and said “Well it’s because you’re a man’s cub.  I’m just a pony.  We’re supposed to have our cutie marks.  But now I feel like I’m the one left out because I’m still a blank flank.  What if I don’t get my cutie mark?”
“Pumpkin, I’m assured you will get a cutie mark.”  Starlight turned around and saw Firelight hovering right behind her.  
“Daddy?” Starlight said.
“It took me a while to get my cutie mark,” Firelight said.  “There were times where I wanted to give up on getting my cutie mark, and I wanted to just give up and be a blank flank.”
“You did?” Starlight said as she rose up a bit. 
“Yes,” Firelight said.  “I believe that getting a cutie mark will come naturally.  It’s hard to describe it.  But I know you’ll get your cutie mark.  And it will be a sight for you to believe, my daughter.”
“Oh daddy,” Starlight said as she jumped out of her seat and gave Firelight a big hug.
Sunburst and Danged Spell watched from their seats as Starlight embraced her father.  The duo turned to each other with a smile.
“Do you think Starlight will get her cutie mark?” Danged Spell asked.
“It’s going to happen,” Sunburst said.  “But she’s going to go through a hard time to get it.  Envy will drive her mad.”
Danged Spell sighed as he took a drink of punch before slamming his cup onto the table.  “Something tells me she’ll need all the help she can get so that all of us will have a cutie mark.”
“Except me,” Wanda said as she kneeled right beside Danged Spell.  “I’m the only one who can’t get a cutie mark because of who I am.”
“That’s right,” Danged Spell said.  “And not only that, you’re not even from around this planet.”
“I can’t believe you got that right,” Sunburst said as he pulled out a book and opened it.  “Some say you’re from the planet Earth where humans exist.  It’s supposed to be a place that long ago lost its unique form of magic.”
“That does bring up one question,” Twilight said as she reached across the table.  “If Wanda’s supposed to be from Earth, then where did she get that kind of magic?  It doesn’t even look to be of Earth origin since the magic they had was far different.”
“And not to mention that Wanda was supposed to transform into a pony when she came here,” Sunset said.  “It still baffles my mind that a human from Earth would be able to maintain her form here in Equestria.  But that doesn’t mean she isn’t my sister.  In fact, I’m lucky to have her as my sister.”
“Oh Sunset,” Wanda blushed.  “I’m glad you’re my sister as well.”
But before Wanda could move, Starlight jumped off of Firelight and glomped onto Wanda, pinning her down with a great big hug.
“Starlight,” Wanda giggled.  “You’re tickling me with your fur.”
“I know,” Starlight said.  “But promise me this.  Will you still consider me a friend once I get my cutie mark?  After all, you’ll be the only one without a cutie mark.”
“I will always consider you a friend, with or without a cutie mark,” Wanda said.  “After all, mommy taught me to always be respectful towards those who need it.”
“Thanks Wanda,” Starlight said as she and Wanda embraced each other.  “You and Sunburst are some of the best friends I’ve ever had.”
As Starlight and Wanda continued to hug on the grass, Firelight walked over to Sunset Shimmer and Twilight, whose focus was on Sunset’s human sister.
“I was wondering if you both could continue to look after Starlight,” Firelight asked.
“That you can count on, Mr Glimmer,” Sunset said.  “I can assure you that we will get Starlight her cutie mark before the first year is over.”
“She’s been like a sister I never had,” Twilight said. “Even Shining Armor and Spike enjoy her company.”
“That’s great,” Firelight said.  “I’ll come back to check on her in a couple of months to assure her that she will get her cutie mark.  Well, unless she gets it before then.”
“Mr Glimmer,” Twilight said.  “If we get that before then, that would be a great accomplishment.”
Firelight let out a laugh as he said “Well, once the sun shines in Equestria, we’re going back home to Sire’s Hollow.  But it sure was fun to come up to Canterlot, and to meet Danged Spell’s parents.”  Firelight turned around and began to walk away, but not before saying “I never realized that Danged Spell was from a beautiful place called Lio Lani.”
As Firelight walked away, Moondancer turned her head towards Danged Spell, who had a big grin on her face.
“You didn’t tell us that you were from Lio Lani,” Moondancer said.
“What?”  Danged Spell replied.  “I didn’t know if you were going to feel Fine-Apple about it.  Get it?”
“Danged Spell,” Everyone yelled before erupting into laughter.
Meanwhile, as the younglings laughed really loud, Abigail and Spike were sitting underneath the table, sharing a small slice of the cake together.  As Abigail ate the bite off her paw, Spike pulled a piece out and held it out in front of the kitty.  Abigail meowed with delight and accepted the cake piece before taking a bite from it.  Spike giggled as the two baby creatures continued to eat the cake.

The next day, at the School for Gifted Unicorns, every youngling is already in their assigned seating with Abigail and Spike underneath Wanda and Twilight.  Pinkie Pie once again stood next to the doorway as everyone awaited Princess Celestia.
“So did you hear the rumors?” Sunset asked Twilight.
“Yeah,” Twilight replied.  “We’re supposed to be going to Mount Aris in a few days.”
“Another field trip?” Moondancer said.  “After what happened in La Maresa?”
“And unlike the last time,” Golden Lace said with a smirk on her face. “I get to go with you.  Daddy’s orders.”
“You really want to put yourself in danger like that?”  Danged Spell said.  “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
Golden Lace held her nose high and said “Hmph.  If those Windigo delinquents get in my way, I’ll just brush them off with my magic.”
Wanda stared at Golden Lace and said “You can’t live with her, and you can’t live without her.”  This caused most of the class to laugh really hard while Golden Lace just held her nose up even higher.
As every student laughed, Pinkie Pie turned her head outside the doorway and saw two figures walk towards the classroom.  She got her head in and yelled “HEY EVERYONE!  PRINCESS CELESTIA AND PRINCESS LUNA ARE ON THEIR WAY!”
Everyone stopped laughing as they sat up at full attention.  Golden Lace, despite her lack of laughter, lowered her head down towards the front as Princess Celestia and Princess Luna walked on in.  Celestia approached the front and cleared her throat.
“As you are aware,” Princess Celestia said.  “We’re going to have another field trip in a few days to Mount Aris. There, we will get to visit the Hippogriff kingdom and meet with Queen Novo and Princess Skystar.”  Celestia shifted her tone as she added “And yes.  Golden Lace will be coming with us to Mount Aris.”
Golden Lace jumped out of her seat as she yelled out “YES!”  Danged Spell, Moondancer and Sunset Shimmer just hid their faces in total embarrassment.
“Well, that being said,” Princess Luna said.  “I believe we do have a bit of entertainment due to how well you all did on the test.”
Princess Luna pulled out a crystal from her mane and used her magic to levitate it towards the projector in the back, placing it right into the slot.  The projector turns on and emits the image onto the screen.
“At least it can’t be worse than that film about Queen Eternia and Icelina,” Moondancer said as her attention was glued on the screen.
The image portrayed what appears to be a pair of cute foxes running through the forest, smiling for each other as the daylight beamed across the woods.
“This doesn’t look too bad,” Starlight said as she paid attention to the footage.
“Something tells me I’ve seen this before,” Sunburst said.  “But I can’t exactly put my hoof on it.”
As the two foxes on the screen wandered happily, a pair of vicious shadows armed with torches grinned as they hovered over the two vulpes.  The two foxes looked up in terror as one of the figures flung the lit torch upwards into the air before it landed into a patch of dry grass, setting it ablaze.  The foxes turned their attention from the figures to the fire, watching as it grew bigger before turning tail and running.
In the classroom, the students watched as the foxes ran for their life as they were chased by the two figures.  Wanda and Starlight stood there, staring at the screen while their eyes began to water.
“No,” Wanda said to herself as she looked like she was about to cry.  “Leave the fox alone.”
On the screen, the foxes ran as fast as they could, trying to outrun the fire and the two figures.  The bigger one tripped over a rock and fell on its side while the smaller one ran as fast as possible.  The bigger one tried to get up, only for a flaming tree to fall right in front of it.  The big fox turned around to see the two figures inch their way towards the fox.
Wanda and Starlight could do nothing but stare at the screen as everyone else began to take notice at the two.
“Oh no,” Sunset said as she watched her sister’s tears build up.  “Not again.”
Suddenly, the sound of a loud bang echoes through the room.  Sunset turned her head and was shocked in horror as the smaller fox stood there, looking like it was about to cry.  Sunset covered her ears, preparing for the worse.
“This is going to hurt,” Sunset said to herself.
With a loud whine, Wanda and Starlight burst into waterfall tears.  Everyone in the classroom, even Golden Lace, were completely focused on Wanda and Starlight’s crying.
“Oh for crying out loud,” Golden Lace said to herself as she covered her head in embarrassment.  “What were my parents thinking in making me attend this school?”
As Golden Lace slammed her face down, Sunset, Twilight, Sunburst, Moondancer and Danged Spell stood there, watching Starlight and Wanda cry their eyes out.  Abigail and Spike watched from underneath as the tears from the two kids splashed onto the ground.
“What kind of sick joke is this?” Moondancer said.
“Whatever it is,” Danged Spell said in disgust.  “I’m not laughing.”
“I’m with you on that,” Sunburst said.  “Besides, I think I know where I saw this flick.”
Twilight and Sunset turned towards Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, glaring at the two alicorns with a cold stare.  Celestia and Luna blushed with embarrassment as the bigger alicorn turned towards her sister.
“Where did you get that video?” Celestia said in a stern tone.
“It was the only one I could find,” Luna replied.  “The others were being checked out from the library.”
Celestia let out a sigh and said “This is going to look bad on our reputation.”
Luna used her magic to shut off the projector before walking up to Wanda and Starlight.  She used her magic to lift both crybabies towards her before proceeding to hug them both at the same time.  Wanda and Starlight proceeded to cry into Luna’s chest.
“It’s alright there,” Luna said.  “I didn’t mean to show you that horrible cartoon.”
As Wanda and Starlight continued to cry into Luna’s chest, Sunset walked up Golden Lace with a scorned look on her face.
“I hope you’re happy,” Sunset said.  “You’re most likely going to tattle tale on your folks over this.”
“Are you kidding me?” Golden Lace replied as she got up.  “I enjoy seeing these kinds of movies.  In fact, this isn’t the first time that an incident like this has happened.  At least the school that I originally came from is still in existence.”
As Golden Lace slammed her face on the table, Twilight Sparkle walked up to Sunset Shimmer and merely shrugged her shoulders.  All Sunset could do was let out a sigh and walked back to her desk.  Pinkie Pie just looked at Wanda and Starlight and just shook her head.
Underneath the tables as Wanda and Starlight cried their eyes out, Abigail and Spike stood there huddled together, watching the two younglings cry.  Both creatures worried for the Man’s Cub and the blank flank unicorn as they held each other, side by side.


	To Be Continued in…


	Arc 12: The Trip to Mt. Aris


	Where have all the Hippogriffs Gone?