"When you sneeze, do you ever release an icy stream of air? No... interesting." Twilight's questions seemed endless and covered all kinds of situations or aspects, from how it feels to control magic as a pegasus to whether I can affect the weather with my mood... some things that I really don't know, it's not something I can notice in a forest where every two steps there can be totally opposite weather.
"Here it comes!!" Pinkie Pie yelled all happy as she waited excitedly at the entrance, Fluttershy came over and talked to her, but my attention was drawn back to Twilight.
"Well that's all my questions so far, thank you very much Flash for giving me some of your time, oh here, the princess sent you this yesterday, I forgot to give it to you I was too busy organizing books" Twilight gave me a smile cheerful while her tail and ears were very animated, but what caught my attention was the letter with the royal seal, I can only keep my thoughts for while I receive the letter and save it for later, for now, I want to enjoy the party.
I headed to the punch area to freshen my mouth after such an existing scientific interrogation, during that, Gilda finally arrived and was now talking to Pinkie Pie, leaving her to guide the whole event, I stretched my hoof towards one of the punch drinks.
"Take this one, Flash!" Suddenly Dash interrupted me by giving me another glass of punch, I couldn't help but look at her suspiciously, she has behaved a little differently today.
"Thank you..." I walked away, but I didn't take my eyes off Dash who now returned to Gilda, I couldn't help but appreciate how excited and expectant Dash was with something related to Gilda.
I closed my eyes as I remembered Rainbow welcoming me Dash-style... meaning challenging me to various competitions and a barrage of harmless pranks.
Well, this could go very wrong with Gilda's grumpy personality that she has been displaying, intervene or not to intervene...
"Hey Dash" I approached her once I saw that she finished laughing to see Gilda totally fall for the canned snake jokes, a very childish joke at the same level of childishness that surrounds ponies.
As I grew up with ponies I understand that they are not making fun of Gilda, but I don't see that she understands this and neither does Dash.
"Yeah, tell me?" Dash is slow to respond as I catch my breath from laughing so hard.
"Aren't you giving Gilda a Dash-style welcome?" She just gave me a look that gave me the feeling 'it's not obvious, I'm Rainbow ''Dash''.
"I hope and those are all your prepared jokes because I don't think she can receive many more" I looked in Gilda's direction who was still arranging her fur and feathers, while she murmured something possibly not pretty by the look in Gilda's eyes.
"Don't be a spoilsport Flash, we're talking about Gilda! Obviously, she can handle this and more, you'll see!! I know her well!" Dash said with complete pride and determination, not enough to convince me, but she's the one who really knows Gilda, not me.
"Well, maybe it's just advice, remember that we are different cultures, there can bad interpretations" I left my penny in the situation, we are all adults enough to know what we are doing, well, except Spike, he is the only kid at the party.
"Bah, calm down and enjoy the party, maybe later we'll have a little competition between the three of us, oh we can compare tricks!!" The idea excited Dash enough that she started bouncing in place of her as she moved imperatively.
"Ho, if it's Mr. Speedy, I finally meet another great pony apart from Rainbow Dash" Gilda at some point approached while talking to Dash who only let out a small cry of shock at the abrupt interruption with the big hug that Gilda gave her.
I could see a bit of jealousy and mistrust on Gilda's part in her tone of voice and in her eyes.
"So the hen can't remember me" A confident smile came to my face as I decided to pick on Gilda a bit with the nickname she had been given when we were kids.
I could see how Gilda got ready to answer me, but Dash intervened excited by the small meeting between the three of them.
"Gilda! Gilda! The pegasus in front of you is the little sparky foal!" Dash said my old nickname during camp.
Gilda froze in her place as she froze trying to remember me.
"I'm the only possible another pony that you liked during junior flier camp, Storm Flash or Sparky as Rainbow Crash said, who's still having accidents just like before."
"HEY! THEY ARE NOT THE SAME!" Dash couldn't help but defend her pride and deny my opinion.
"You keep failing every time you do a new trick, same as when they added a curve to the flying track when we were foals"
"Grrr!" Dash growled at me as she looked ready to pounce on me for a grappling match, but Gilda still wouldn't release her from her embrace.
"You're telling me that the little foal smaller than the two of us is now him!" Gilda seemed to snap out of her stupor as she let go of her thoughts and pointed her claw at me.
"Don't you see my golden eyes, my weird bangs, or my cutie mark?" I said cheekily but was interrupted.
"I understand that you're fast, you already were, but I'm surprised that you talk more, you're even a bit more...pony than before and..." Gilda seems to place a lot of emphasis on my personality as well as my height, which, if it is something surprising since I went from being one of the smallest foals to a fully formed and tall Stallion for some reason and I still have not stopped growing according to Pinkie Pie who usually notices very strange things.
"Did you call me?!" Pinkie Pie jumped off my back and came over looking cheerful as usual.
"Weren't you about to bring that thing, Pinkie?" Dash intercepted her, while she stayed with Gilda who is now much more relaxed than before.
Maybe I shouldn't interrupt, but the idea that Dash and Gilda's friendship is threatened by a misunderstanding doesn't leave a good taste in my mouth... I feel that interacting a lot with the girls is affecting me, before this I wouldn't mind ...haa~, the things a friend does.
"Gilda, I hope, you don't take the jokes to come to heart, Rainbow just wants to give you a memorable welcome, just so you know, ponies always want to laugh with you, not at you" Gilda showed a surprised face for a moment.
"I will keep it in mind, but it will be difficult, everything seems so false to me"
"I get it, but you're in Ponyville, a town, not Canterlot or Manehattan, everyone here is honest, although it's hard to accept that when you come from a place where everyone takes care of themselves, but now you're with the sugary and friendly ponies," I said as I watched the others enjoy something as simple as seeing others laugh.
She kept silent, I guess she is processing what I told her, it is not the truth of the universe, but it is something that has to be understood and I had to learn my first years, that's why I love this town so much.
"Anyway, now that I know who is pranking me, it will be difficult for Crash to trick me anymore, I have several ideas" Gilda walked away from a little excited while her feline side began to dominate her when she walked away with the idea of pranking Dash from what I could make out of her murmur.
I stayed for a moment alone in my corner enjoying some snacks.
At some point, I met Big Mac, I don't usually interact with him much... almost nothing, since I don't usually leave my comfort zone, it's rare for me to make new friends. It is not surprising that I don't know him very well, he is usually mostly with his family taking care of his grandmother, or anything on the family farm.
I looked at him and he looked back at me, I reflexively inspected his body by seeing a large amount of bulging muscles on his body, it is surprising how much muscle mass is hidden under his fur.
Big Mac nodded at me as if to say, thanks for the compliment… now I'm the one being inspected.
We had a little conversation in silence, the guy is a fan of apples, but I still stand that grapes are better, so to see who was right we almost had an arm-wrestling match, but we realized instantly... that his magic inherent as an earth pony is a problem.
We stared at each other in silence, until I had the bright idea to cancel his magic, I don't know if it's possible, but I have nothing to lose by trying.
"You're sure?" Big Mac seems a little unsure that my idea will ever work, I just roll my eyes,
"Trust me" He doubted it, but in the end, he agreed, so we cleared the nearest table and got into position, a little awkward, but we managed to get into position.
I focused on him trying to block his magic, I didn't think it was possible since as soon as my will touched his body, there was an instinctive resistance, but it's not what I wanted to block or overcome, so to test it I exerted a little force that Big Mac instantly responded and looked at me questioningly.
"Bingo!" A smile surely formed on my face because of the great discovery I just had when I felt a very similar essence that I know well as magic, but this one had a different feeling, I suppose it is due to its properties or any other aspect that differentiates it to the magic that I have as a pegasus.
"May the best win!" I'm sure I have a bastard smile on my face from the excitement of fighting, even if it's just a comparison of strength, I can't help it, my blood is burning with emotion.
"5!" Pinkie shouted excitedly to start this arm-wrestling match, I don't know when everyone gathered around us, I was very focused on my experiment.
"4!!" All of Big Mac's muscles tensed like this making them more marked, my breathing only getting heavier with excitement.
I saw a bit of concern in Big Mac's eyes at my minor lack of control, but it soon recomposed when I looked determinedly into his eyes and whispered "grape pie is better"
"3 2 1 GOO!!" Pinkie couldn't wait and started the match by hitting the table with a pink pennant.
As fast as I could, I used the explosive strength that I have trained but soon collided with Big Mac's monstrous stamina and brute force.
"MAC! MAC! MAC!!" Applejack supported her brother with all her energy. "Show him that apples are better!!"
The others evenly supported the two, who, considerate, but I don't care at this moment, my being was focused on defeating my ene- opponent.
‘Second impulse!’ I loosened my thrust a bit so I could make a second attempt to get over the wall that Big Mac seems to be.
He obviously tried to take me down in that little moment of weakness I showed, but it was also almost his loss when I made my second drive and more than half of his side was just down the road.
But soon Big Mac recovered and showed why he is an Earth Pony, even without magic, he out-strengthed me with raw power alone.
'Agh! Damn magical world, I almost won, I removed my hoof a little sore from all the struggle - *CRACK!*
"Uh!?" Big Mac was surprised when he broke the table by just leaning on it he looked confused just like everyone else.
"My fault, your magic is out of control because I was suppressing it, I'm sorry Pinkie for breaking your table" I approached Pinkie to apologize.
I could see Twilight in the distance scribbling furiously on her parchment with the use of her magic.
"Nah it's okay, it was the oldest table, it had termites, I was thinking of leaving it in the woods tonight, see!" Pinkie just smiled as she showed me the termite-eaten bits of wood.
"uh, ok"
"It was amazing how you almost beat Big Mac, it's the first time I've seen him almost lose against another stallion" The girls approached curious and excited, Big Mac stayed behind taking care of the debris and trying to regain control over his strength, giving the feeling of a giant in a porcelain shop.