[Wizbell's POV]
"The explanation is simple, but you've got the general idea. I'll count it as correct..."
I drew a small smiley face on the assignment and was about to pick up the next one when Stella jumped onto my desk with a pink letter clenched between her teeth.
"Mail."
She dropped the letter in front of me. I lifted it with my telekinesis, and the moment I broke the seal, a shower of confetti burst straight toward my face. It all froze in midair before it could reach me.
"...Pinkie Pie."
One glance was enough to recognize her style. It was an invitation to a welcome party for a new...
The word "pony" had been crossed out with several thick crayon strokes. Above it, written in different ink, was a single word.
Griffon.
I let out a quiet sigh.
"It still surprises me how she finds the time and energy to throw a party every time someone sets hoof in Ponyville... even if they're only staying for a day."
I tucked the invitation into my saddlebag.
"You coming, Stella?"
"Nah!"
I shrugged and picked up the next assignment. This time I graded it less strictly. A quick read was enough to confirm it met the requirements. I signed the parchment and set it aside.
I'll head over once I'm done with all of this.
"I'm going to pick up the order Pinkie asked for, brother! See you at the party!"
As we passed by the marketplace, I spotted Applejack walking away while pushing a cart loaded with apples and jugs of apple juice they hadn't managed to sell that day.
Big Mac answered with a slight nod. As soon as he noticed me, he started walking over.
I could tell his injuries had improved considerably, though several bandages still covered parts of his body.
"Looks like Applejack still won't let you help."
My gaze drifted toward her. She was already quite far away, pushing the cart by herself. Even from here, I could tell her mane looked a little more unkempt than usual. The stress of handling all the work alone was probably starting to catch up with her.
"Eeyup."
A small smile appeared on his face.
"She's real overprotective. She's workin' herself too hard over a silly bet... but that's alright. In the Apple family, lessons are learned by stumbling."
I nodded in understanding. It wasn't a philosophy I entirely agreed with, but I couldn't say it was ineffective. After all, Big Mac seemed to have accepted that he needed to stay off his hooves.
"By the way."
I looked back up.
"Have you seen, or do you know, the griffon who's getting the welcome party this afternoon?"
Big Mac thought for a few seconds before slowly shaking his head.
"Nnope."
He paused briefly.
"Just gossip. Ponyville sees a different race, gets nervous... and keeps its distance."
"I see... If it weren't for Pinkie Pie's letter, I wouldn't have even known."
We resumed walking toward Sugarcube Corner. We hadn't gone very far when Flash descended from the sky and landed right in front of us.
"There you guys are!"
"We should get together more often instead of only meeting whenever there's a party."
"Hey, Flash."
I returned the greeting before shaking my head.
"That'd be difficult. Big Mac's busy with the farm and his family, you're tied up with weather duty and your training, and I barely have any free time with my schedule."
"True! But where there's a will, there's a way. We just need to carve out a little time in each of our schedules. We could get together one afternoon, grab a drink... or play a few card games while we have some cider."
"We could use my family's barn."
"And I'll bring the drinks! I can fly up to Canterlot whenever we need to. I know where they sell the best batch of cider."
It didn't sound like a bad idea.
"I suppose we could invite the rest of the stallions in Ponyville too. There aren't many of us, and to be honest... I barely even know their names."
I fell silent for a moment, thinking it over.
"...Although I'm not sure. To be honest, I don't really get along with many ponies either."
"Honestly, I wouldn't recommend it. I tried getting along with a few of them, but... nope. Caramel's way too paranoid. Talking to him always ends up feeling awkward. You can barely ever find Dr. Hooves because he somehow always gets lost. In fact, only one of his friends ever manages to find him... and it's usually by accident. As for the rest... their mares keep them on a very short leash."
"Wizbell, I've been here for over a year, and the only stallion I've really become friends with is Big Mac."
"Eeyup."
"And that's only because I fly over his farm all the time, and we make little weather-for-apples deals!"
Flash pointed a hoof at Big Mac.
"The big guy knows practically everypony in town, but you know how adult life goes. Even if we all live in the same place, everyone ends up following their own path."
A teasing grin spread across his face.
"And let's be honest... they don't exactly want us hanging around too much. We steal the spotlight."
"..."
Big Mac let out a quiet snort.
"It's not our fault the others only do the bare minimum. The real problem is they stop acting naturally whenever we're around. The moment they get together with us, everything turns into a competition to prove something."
Flash sighed.
"That's why I'd rather accept another ridiculous challenge from Rainbow than put up with that atmosphere."
"You either get used to it... or they stop trying."
Big Mac answered calmly.
I hadn't thought about it that way.
"I suppose that makes sense. We've got the Adonis of Earth Ponies here, with enough strength to break records. Then there's you, Flash, pulling off aerial stunts every day at speeds only Rainbow can match."
I nodded as I finished putting the thought together.
"It's only natural that some ponies feel small by comparison."
"Hold on, hold on!"
Flash came to an abrupt stop and stepped right in front of me, forcing me to stop as well.
"There are three of us outcasts."
He pointed a hoof at himself before aiming it directly at me.
"You're a young mage of the Royal Court, Princess Celestia's personal protégé, and an honors graduate from the Royal Magic University."
"Me!? I'm a magic nerd. I went through my entire school life without getting a single confession letter or anything like that. The closest I ever got was ponies asking me for help with something related to magic."
Flash planted a hoof against his face.
"See, Big Mac? I've been dealing with this since we were colts! This is exactly why I can't with this guy!"
"Eeyup."
"Again. I didn't say 'good student.' I said: young mage of the Royal Court, Princess Celestia's personal protégé, and an honors graduate from the Royal Magic University."
"Yeah."
I nodded.
"Yep. Total magic nerd. Look, I'm the only pony in all of Ponyville who wears a sweater. I don't even bother fixing my mane. I have no idea how I ended up being lumped together with you two."
"Forget it. Just tell us if you know anything about the griffon. I saw you talking to her at the market."
Big Mac stopped Flash by grabbing his hoof just as he raised it with every intention of smacking me.
Barbarian.
"I'd like to know too."
I looked at Flash curiously.
"So how did the little pony made entirely of muscles and powered by a tiny barbarian brain end up talking to the new griffon in the middle of the market?"
"It's not what you think."
Flash let out a small sigh.
"I was actually there trying to keep her from causing a bigger problem. I had to give her an ultimatum because she almost hurt Fluttershy. I don't think she was really going to do it. That chicken... sorry, griffon... makes a lot more noise than she's actually capable of backing up. Still, that doesn't exactly help the impression she gives."
He paused for a moment before continuing.
"Her name's Gilda. She's an old acquaintance and Rainbow Dash's best friend. From what I could piece together, everything that's been happening in the Griffon Kingdom has made her a lot grumpier... and given her some pretty chaotic tendencies."
"Explain."
I tilted my head slightly.
"How does someone almost end up hurting Fluttershy? I mean... she's Fluttershy. I'd understand if it had been Rainbow, or even Pinkie Pie, but... her?"
I tried to picture the scene.
What could Fluttershy possibly have done to provoke that kind of reaction?
I couldn't come up with many possibilities.
'...Maybe she treated her like one of those exotic animals from the Everfree Forest and accidentally offended her.'
"She just bumped into Gilda. I don't know what things are like in the Griffon Kingdom, but she's way too on edge. The only time she behaves herself is when Rainbow's around. In fact, she got even tenser after Rainbow left with Pinkie to get the party ready and left her alone."
Flash shrugged.
"So I stuck around and kept an eye on her for a while, until somepony finally handed her the invitation. After that, there wasn't much point in following her around anymore."
"Cultural differences..."
I fell silent in thought.
"I think I remember reading something about griffons. They place a great deal of value on courage and ferocity. Maybe it's simply the result of spending years in a culture that looks down on any sign of weakness."
"Eeyup..."
Big Mac nodded calmly.
"We've had other griffons visit before. They acted pretty much the same."
We kept talking until we reached Sugarcube Corner. Quite a few ponies had already gathered, scattered around the area while waiting for the party to begin.
Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie were darting back and forth, putting the finishing touches on everything. Pinkie was hanging streamers, balloons, and decorations in the unmistakably cheerful, childlike style that always accompanied her parties. The moment she finished putting something up, Rainbow would swoop in behind her and replace it with something much more... extreme. Fewer pastel colors, more flames, lightning bolts, guitars, spikes, and anything else that, in her opinion, would make Gilda's welcome feel about twenty percent cooler.
Those changes didn't seem to excite the pink mare very much. Even so, she didn't complain. She simply watched Rainbow's adjustments for a while before eventually beginning to imitate them on her own, gradually blending her own style with that of her friend.
The three of us took a table in one of the quieter corners of the shop. A short distance away, the rest of the girls were gathered around another table. Fluttershy sat in the middle of the conversation while the others kept asking her questions about something that was making her visibly uncomfortable.
"Even from here, I can see how excited Rainbow is about this party."
"Yeah. You should've seen her this morning. She was trying everything she could think of to impress Gilda and make her like the town. Whenever Rainbow was around, everything seemed to work, but the moment she turned her back, Gilda started judging everything like it was beneath her. So I knocked her pride down a peg after she bragged about being one of the fastest griffons..."
Flash let out an amused snort.
"Of course, she bounced right back by calling me an old nickname. That damn chicken always has a sharp comment ready."
"Let her be. As long as it doesn't go beyond words..."
I gave a slight shrug.
"In the end, actions are what matter."
"What are you worried about? If she sticks around town, she'll soften up just like every other creature that spends enough time around ponies. Whether she likes it or not, that's just how things work here."
Flash tapped the table with a hoof.
"Alright. Seven cards for everyone."
I pulled out the One Hoof deck and began dealing.
Just as I finished, a tiny hoof gently nudged my side. I glanced over and found three little fillies watching us with eager expressions.
They obviously wanted to play too.
"Do you know how to play?"
All three nodded so quickly it almost looked like they were competing with one another.
"Then have a seat."
Scootaloo was the first to react. She hurried over to sit beside Flash and barely managed to rest her tiny forehooves on the edge of the table. Without taking his eyes off his cards, Flash extended one wing to hold her hand up in front of her.
Apple Bloom sat next to Big Mac. He held her cards with one hoof since the deck was far too large for a filly to hold comfortably on her own.
Sweetie Belle ended up sitting beside me. With a small spell, I kept her cards floating in front of her in a neat fan so she could see them easily.
While we waited for the party to begin, we started a game of One Hoof. Scootaloo took the first turn.
It didn't take long for us to become completely absorbed in the game. Eventually, winning stopped being the main objective. At that point, the only thing that mattered was making life miserable for whoever happened to be sitting across from you.
The bastard Flash had already intercepted me four times simply because he could.
Big Mac, with that calm expression that never seemed to change, had hit me with a double +4 without the slightest hint of remorse.
The fillies didn't know all the house rules we were using yet, but if there was one thing they were learning from us, it certainly wasn't sportsmanship.
"Ahem!"
Someone cleared their throat, trying to get our attention.
"Hey! Boys...!"
None of us reacted.
"For Celestia's sake! I'm out of green cards!"
Flash shot up from his chair and pointed a hoof at me.
"And you! Stop stealing my turns!"
The three fillies burst into laughter.
I met his glare with a broad grin. The card that had been floating in front of me for a while slowly drifted downward under my magic before landing on the table.
A green two.
"Intercept."
"So... who's winning? Apple Bloom? She only has three cards."
Pinkie tilted her head as she began counting one by one.
"Wizbell has... one, two, three... fourteen. Big Mac has eight... and Flash..."
She stared at the enormous fan of cards spread between his wings.
"...Flash has his own deck."
Rainbow, who had just walked over, leaned against Flash to get a better look at the game. The moment she realized he really didn't have a single green card left, she burst into laughter.
Behind her, Gilda laughed as well.
"Your luck sucks, Sparky!"
"Tch. Unless you came here to smuggle me a green card, quit rubbing salt in the wound."
"A while ago, winning stopped mattering."
Apple Bloom answered before her brother could say anything.
"Now we're just seeing who can make everyone else draw the most cards."
"Grrr...! Cheaters!"
Scootaloo puffed out her cheeks as she hugged the enormous pile of cards she could barely hold.
"You all teamed up against the pegasi!"
Flash immediately raised a hoof.
"That's a pretty serious accusation! I'm a pegasus too."
Scootaloo pointed at him without hesitation.
"You already lost!"
"Alright! Quick introductions!"
Pinkie pointed at Gilda with an enormous smile.
"This is Gilda, the griffon and Rainbow Dash's best friend, who's also Ponyville's fastest flier! The pegasus over there is Flash Storm, our other speedster and Ponyville's weather pony! Next to him is Scootaloo, the most hyperactive filly in the whole town!"
She spun around and pointed at Big Mac.
"Next up is Big Mac! The biggest and strongest pony you'll ever meet! If you ever need brute strength, he's the very first pony you should look for. And sitting next to him is his little sister, Apple Bloom! They're both Applejack's siblings, whom you've already met."
Her next hoof pointed toward Sweetie Belle.
"The little unicorn filly is Rarity's little sister! Her name's Sweetie Belle!"
Finally, she pointed at me.
"And sitting over there, wondering what to do now that the game is over, is Wizbell Star! Our magic teacher and resident eccentric wizard! Treasure this moment, because it's incredibly rare to see him outside his natural habitat, which consists of scrolls, books, and even more magic."
Pinkie spun around before giving anyone a chance to respond.
"Quick! There are still lots of ponies you haven't met yet!"
She grabbed Gilda by the claw and practically dragged her across the room. Rainbow let out a small laugh before following after them.
"Loser! We have to play that game later."
She stuck out her tongue at Flash as she walked away behind them.
"Another round?"
"Nah. Let's enjoy the party instead. I'll go grab some cupcakes for everyone."
"Here. You three can keep playing."
I handed the deck to Sweetie Belle. It was obvious she, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo wanted to continue the game, so I shrank the cards with a small spell until they were easy enough for them to hold.
"She doesn't seem nearly as grumpy as Flash made her sound."
I subtly gestured toward Gilda with my head. Somehow, she was actually managing to keep up with Pinkie and Rainbow.
"Eeyup."
Big Mac didn't take his eyes off the scene.
"She got angry real easy at the market."
Flash returned a short while later carrying a tray full of cupcakes.
"Here."
He handed one to each of us before turning toward the fillies.
"I'll take the rest over to them and let Rainbow start pulling her pranks. We'll see if Gilda keeps acting the same."
He let out a quiet chuckle.
"I don't wish her any harm, but Pinkie's and Rainbow's pranks can drive anypony crazy... especially when they're as excited as they are today. So if you end up joining one of their party games, be careful."
He walked away with the tray while the three fillies had already settled onto the floor, completely absorbed in a game of matching pairs with the cards.
I simply watched from the table as Flash and Big Mac eventually wandered over to join the others... or at least help with the next activity. Before I realized it, I had been left sitting there alone.
"Is there room at this huge table for one more?"
Twilight appeared beside me and sat down before she had even finished asking.
"Well... if you're going to steal the seat without giving me a chance to answer..."
"Go ahead. I dare you to tell me no."
She gave my shoulder a playful tap with her hoof, smiling with unmistakable satisfaction.
When I looked at her more closely, I noticed a faint pink tint to her coat. She also carried the subtle scent of cider.
'I guess she was drinking with the others.'
"I wouldn't."
I nodded toward the other side of the room, where everypony was trying to pin the tail on the pony.
"Aren't you going to join the others?"
"Let them have their fun."
She smiled softly.
"They're having fun... and so am I."
"Uh...!"
I jolted awake.
It took me a few seconds to bring the room into focus. The music had faded away long ago. Every candle in Sugarcube Corner had burned out, and the silence now filling the bakery was broken only by the occasional deep breath or the quiet mumbling of some dreamer.
I blinked several times as I tried to sort through my memories.
'...Right.'
'I drank way too much cider.'
Not enough to black out, but enough to end up falling asleep without even realizing it.
I tried to sit up.
Something warm slowly slid down my side before gently dropping onto the floor with a muffled thump.
I looked down.
Twilight was still fast asleep. She had probably been leaning against my side for who knew how long.
Her breathing was calm, and part of her mane completely covered her face.
I stared at the floor for a moment.
'...That can't be comfortable.'
With a brief flash of magic, I pulled over one of the cushions still scattered around the room. I carefully slid it beneath her head, making sure not to wake her.
Much better.
I stretched to work the stiffness out of my body before making my way toward the exit.
It didn't take long to spot Flash.
He, Rainbow, and Gilda were sprawled across the floor with their forelegs draped over each other's shoulders. Both pegasi had their wings stretched completely open while the three of them snored away in absolute peace.
I stood there watching them for a few seconds.
'...This deserves to be remembered.'
I'd barely taken a few more steps when I found half of Pinkie Pie's body buried inside the gigantic party cake.
Only her hind legs and tail were sticking out.
...
I didn't ask any questions.
I wasn't sure I wanted to know the answer.
Night had completely settled over Ponyville.
The streets were almost deserted as I walked back home. The cool air helped clear away the last lingering traces of cider still clouding my head.
I opened the door, walked straight inside, and headed directly for my bedroom.
All I wanted was to sleep.
I let myself fall onto the bed with a long sigh.
"You smell so much like the nerd..."
Stella's voice came from somewhere in the room.
"...I missed out on a real treasure."
I didn't even bother opening my eyes.
I ignored her completely.
She let out an amused little giggle while I settled in among my pillows.
Before long, I drifted back to sleep.