A New Colt in Town

by Tony Flash

The Reception

The Reception

I could hear dash squealing like a filly. She’d finally found Gilda in the crowd. The tables were stuffed full of ponies and others munching away happily. Solly and Tia were gabbing and actually FLIRTING off in a corner to themselves. I didn't blame either of them. After all a god and Goddess can get away with anything. There were a couple other reunited couples as well, Scotch and Shy were holding hooves and blushing, and Rarity and elusive were deeply liplocked
"Terry?"
I turned.
"Well, where were you?"
I hugged my female counterpart, Chocolate Sundae or princess Giana
"Damn, G, I missed you"
'We shouldn't have taken a century away from the castle"
Sundae was built curvy, the one odd difference between our universes
"Heh, has blitz been stuffing your face full of food, or what?"
She snickered "more like stuffing somewhere else, instead"
I laughed my flank off for a couple minutes.

"*hic* Tee...cansh I *hic* talk to you a minush" an inebriated Blueblood had sauntered up, starting to wobble
"Whoa, blue, I think you had a little too much"
*only hash...one or two" he giggled
"THIS is the guy you were dating at one point?"
I rolled my eyes "yeah..."
Blueblood leaned on me, and suddenly game me an alcohol fumed smooch
"I shtill wanna...bucksh you...you lefsh before we gosh to..."
I blanched, and Sundae started to laugh
"He really IS still in love with you, isn't he?"
I sighed "damn colt can't hold a beer, I swear"
"Ish Guinnesh" he physically held up a glass with dregs of draft Guinness in it
I facehoofed "it was one or two KEGS, wasn't it?"
He just giggled, hiccupped, and leaned on me...hard
"Aw crap...lets get you home"
I started to lead him over to a waiting carriage when he suddenly hollered
"Hey, ish tha bushing cow from the Gala!" he got this mean look
A steamed rarity stomped over, still levitating a couple plates
"What are you doing with THIS royal lout?"
"Why you bushing..."
My temper went off, and I gut punched him one. All that did was make him barf copious amounts of beer, and groan
"Maybe that'll learn ye, ye stupid git" I said without thinking
Rarity gasped loudly "Sure and I havena heard that in..." she realized HOW she was saying it at the same time I realized how I'd said my piece, we looked at each other stunned. I cleared my throat
"You wanna apologize to the lady, or what?"
He looked up, barf and drool hanging from his lip "donsh punsh me again, Tersh, Shorry, mish Rarishee"
He tried to kiss me one more time, but I wasn't about to deal with it
"Bout time ya act like a gent" i hauled him to the nearest carriage and had them take him home.
I sheepishly walked back over to rarity.
'What was with the..."she gasped
I nodded "that's why he rejected you so hard at the gala, he was still...in love with me"
She giggled at that "that explains a lot, actually"
Yeah" i rubbed the back of my neck, a little habit that I'd picked up from dash
"Faith, I think I smell Guinness!” her home accent popped back out again, and she looked guiltily at me
"I’ll keep quiet if you will, lass"
She blushed
"Well, we MAY have to tell the Applejacks. They’re gonna spot it sooner or later. Can’t keep up the Posh forever"
"Mum was east Shireland, you?"
"Nanny, Lowlands near Yokeshire, as a foal" I’d said the town name like a native "apparently, so I was told, the first word outta my muzz was "bairns" "
"Do be quiet about this"
"Pinkie pie swear" i made the motions "by the way...hers sneaks out on occasion"
"Pinkie Pie has an accent?"
I just smirked
Where IS the Guinness?"
"Just ask the bartender for a pint, he'll know. And for Pete’s sake, tell Luce where someone won't hear you"
She only smiled, and made a beeline for the bar
"Isn’t this GREAT, Sunny?"
I turned "wrong half, Berry" i gave him a play punch in the shoulder. He had gotten out of his dress blacks, but was still sporting the Hat
"Hehe...sorry, Choccie"
"How’s the food holding up so far?'
"Pretty good, I had grampy pie do some Shoofly pies"
I heard my stomach roar, and then "Schufluze? Best news I've heard all night!" Gilda came over, munching away on something. I could see a piece of meat snuck in under a lettuce leaf or two
I grinned "see you found it"
I got a sly grin in return
"Found what?" Berry tried to see what was hiding on Gilda's plate
"Don’t be a nosy Fotze, berry"
Berry stopped dead, his jaw hanging open, while Gilda laughed hard and sprayed bits of food
He grinned, though "you’re as much of a pekerfatze as Sundae is!"
"Arshlo!"
"arschnoddle!!"
Gilda was rolling in the aisles, now, plate forgotten. Berry and I grinned at each other, and brohoofed
"I’ve been waiting to do that for ages!"
"Sure your not one of us, HMMMMMMMMMM??!” berry gave me an eye
"Heh. Nah. Enjoy your rhumspringa while you've got it, berry"
"Oh, that party will NEVER end!" he bounced away, probably off the brag to pinky
Gilda finally caught her breath as a concerned Iron Bulwark trotted up.
"Everything all right, Gil?"
She wiped tears out of her eyes "yeah, just funny as all buck. WHERE did you learn all that?"
"Pinky. That’s how I learned how to cook AND got my cutie mark"
I think Iron's eyes lit up "really...um, you got any here?" he asked with a bit of lip smacking
"If pinky didn't eat em all, there's some with the deserts"
He grinned, and trotted off at full speed
"He’s got a big time sweet tooth, doesn't he?"
With OUR job, well, sometimes you need the sugar"
There was a few seconds of silence as she gathered her plate pack up, and slucked down the meat on it.
"I wanna thank you two for coming out. It just meant so much to Bo...and she deserves the best"
Gilda blushed a bit 'well, it was so good seeing both of you again I..."
"Wait...BOTH of us?"
"Like I'm gonna forget THAT tasty looking flank."
I didn't know whether to blush or blanch at that
"Are you flirting with my man, G?"
Dash came over, and smacked me one on the plot "it IS a tasty flank, though" she winked and giggled
After whinnying rather loudly, I shot her a look somewhere between annoyed and amused. She killed that look with tongue work.
'Thanks for getting Gilda here, babe"
"My wedding present to you" we smooched again
"Flash, DUDE, what the buck is going on here?" a slightly snookered Rainbow Blitz trotted over, fiddling uncomfortably with his collar "who WAS that?"
Well, if it isn't the colt-crudder" dash shot at him
HONK "you wanna say that again?" blitz said, smushing muzzles with Dash
I gave him a good sized dope smack on the back of the head "you want me to get G back over here...YOUR G?”
"Ow!" he rubbed the back of his head, then it sunk in "uh...no. Heh"
"Then sit your plot down a minute"
That’s exactly what he did, as if my own sister had ripped him a new one.
My eyebrows practically disappeared under the Circlet on my head at that.
"THAT was this world's equivalent of your best friend in flight school. She moved on, but I wanted her here...for Dash. That’s my wedding present to her. Don’t tell me you wouldn't like to see YOUR best buddy from flight school again?"
"Well..." he sighed "after that screw up with the guys where Galdor was being such a bucking FEATHER brain..." he hung his head
"Dash told me just how much she missed Gilda, and I found out why she was acting like a total Plothole when she visited. Gilda was supposed to literally serve dash's head on a silver platter just so her old man wouldn't beat the crap out of her, for tradition's sake. Galdor probably had to go through the exact same crisis. She couldn't do it, and neither could your buddy, Galdor"
He looked up in shock
"Gilda was gonna..." dash gulped audibly
"They couldn't" i repeated. "They ARE your friends, that's what stayed their claws, and they're better gryphons for it"
Where blitz looked ashamed, dash was crying happily.
"Go see your best friend, Hun...before you stain the gown anymore" i smirked, then looked at blitz while dash nearly rainboomed off.
"If your buddy shows up, be happy for him, okay?"
"Yeah, I...guh. Sorry, flash"
I popped the uncomfortable collar for him. "Have one for Galdor...and for Pete’s sake, kiss my sister now and then"
"Heh" I left to head over to where dash was sobbing on a puzzled Gilda.
"Sorry, G, i had to tell dash's male counterpart the whole story. He was all like "what the BUCK" and stuff, and Bo was listening"
She actually smiled, and looked sappily at Iron briefly
"Best decision i ever made."
i looked up at Iron, smacking his lips more while snacking on a tray of my hoof made chocolates, and got an evil smirk, winking at Gilda, i said." G told me I had a hot flank in flight school"
Iron bulwark did a spit take, Gilda guffawed and dash just stood there and tried NOT to laugh. Iron finally surrendered and laughed when dash cracked out "you thought he was cute, too?" causing Gilda to blush HARD.
Just then there was a tingtingting as someone tapped a utensil against a glass
'Ladies and gentlecolts..."
"eHEM"
"And guests of other species"
"That’s better"
The band is now set up. It’s time for this party to kick into high gear"
'YEEEEEEEEEEEE HAW" came from two dimensions worth of the Apple family.
We all gathered round the tables, some still chewing leisurely. The band promptly struck up a familiar tune, and attention shifted to my sister and her wife, as the fist couple's dance started to Barry Maneilow’s "Could It Be Magic"
They looked so sweet together, and i think Luna was crying. Flashbulbs went off everywhere
When the song ended, Luna suddenly hugged me HARD
"That was adapted from a Chopin piece, oh Terry!"
"I knew you'd like it, Lu"
"And the lyrics?" Twilight asked
"That’s why I picked it...it was both of you wrapped up into one song"
The glass got tinged again, and Tia picked up where she'd left off
And now for the second couple's dance!" Tia looked straight at me, as the band struck up Aerosmith
"So AWESOME!" i made dash's squee face, she laughed hard, and we got into each other's arms.

I don't know how long it was, but I barely registered when the song ended, just like the lyrics said, I'd wanted to stay in the moment forever. The applause from all corners was deafening, both for the band, and for us. I was told, later that we had kind of done a routine to the song, which was later proved with pictures. All I knew was that EVERY couple had been holding each other all through the tune. I think that was the first time I ever saw blitz a mushball. Solly was even holding on to Tia in a way I found both disturbing and comforting at the same time. I just winked at the two of them, and got two gigantic grins in return
"What’s THAT about?" Dash asked
"Same thing as with rare and Luce, or scotch and shy"
Wait a...should I be disgusted or happy for them?"
I laughed, shoulders shaking.
when we sat down again after the band resumed some normal tunes, a lot of couples stopped by, thanking us for reminding them of why they fell in love to begin with. Mac even showed up to give me thanks from granny smith for helping her remember her late husband fondly for the first time in years.
"You never DID look at your ring" dash said suddenly
"Huh?" i finally did...and went wide eyed
"The Golden Rainboom?!"
The design on it was that of a rainboom in pure bright gold
"You...remembered all that?"
You had me from the boom, Tony. All of me"
I just held her hard
* * * * * * *
The rest of the reception, even to the cutting of the cake, went by in a blur. I heard a few relationships and a couple foals were made that night.
It was weddings to remember.