One Bolt, Many Questions

by Boltsinger

Chaotic Company

Several days passed, and the sun rose over Ponyville once again. Fluttershy had invited Boltsinger over for tea in the afternoon, but before then, the Pegasus wanted to pay a proper visit to Applejack's home, Sweet Apple Acres. He flew through the town, seeing the bustling town in its usual state. The shops were busy, Fluttershy was going to various stores, likely in preparation for the afternoon, and Pinkie Pie was bouncing through town greeting everypony she could see.

After a few more minutes fluttering along, Boltsinger ascended, looking for the barn that marked Ponyville's founding farm. Once the big, red building was in view, he made a beeline for the place, skidding to a stop directly in front of the farm house's closed door. He raised a hoof, knocking on the door a number of times.

“Eh? Uh-what's goin' on?” An elderly voice called, coming up to the door. Before the stallion could move out of the way, the door opened swiftly, knocking him into the wall next to it. An elderly green mare with a bun in her white mane, orange eyes, and an orange bandana featuring an apple pattern on it poked her head out of the top half of the door. “Who's there?!” She asked.

The mare looked around, trying to find whoever knocked on the door. She grumbled in frustration as she closed the door, leaving Boltsinger to droop onto the ground.

“Howdy, there, Bolt!” A familiar voice called. “What brings you to Sweet Apple Acres?” Applejack trotted up to the Pegasus, offering a hoof to help him up.

“Well, I've never really paid your farm a proper visit.” He told her, accepting the offer and climbing back up to his hooves. “I thought now was a good time to fix that problem.”

“Well, I'd be happy to give ya the tour!” Applejack replied, pointing a hoof at herself, then making a following gesture with her foreleg. “Come on! I'll show ya around!”

Applejack led the stallion around the farm, explaining all the best parts about each section. She went on about many of the crazy things that she and her friends had all done in the fields, and how busy and fun it gets when the Apple Family Reunion comes to town. The orchards were beautiful, with ripe, red apples hanging abundantly from every tree. Boltsinger looked at all of them and found himself drooling, his stomach growling loudly.

“Hey, would it be alright if I took some apples to put in my food bag?” He asked, reaching into his mane. Applejack looked at Boltsinger puzzlingly.

“Uh... food bag?” She inquired. “Whaddya need a food bag for?”

“Well, when you're flying for days on end, you get hungry.” the Pegasus explained. “I eventually just decided to get a bag full of food so that I have something to eat when it happens.” He revealed and opened up the bag, showing off a bunch of hay and daisies inside. “And I'm running a bit low after my trip to Manehattan.

Applejack's face lit up with understanding. She ran into the orchard and bucked a tree so hard that a large bushel of apples flew off of it, flying towards Boltsinger, who shrieked and held his open bag in front of him, the apples falling in and nailing him in the face through it.

“Well, I'll be!” Applejack exclaimed as she trotted back over. “That was a mighty fine catch, there, Bolt!”

Boltsinger moved the bag away from his face, revealing himself to be covered in large red bumps, eyes googly, but otherwise smiling as he put the bag into his tail. “Thanks, Appletini... I think I'm ready for the BIG LEAGUES now...!” He said. Applejack laughed, proceeding to shake him back from his daze.

“Bolt, snap out of it!” She said, bonking him on the head. His eyes snapped back to normal as he looked at the farm pony. “Say, y'all wanna have some lunch with me and the family? It's gettin' to be 'bout that time, and you seem a little outta sorts right now.”

Boltsinger shook his head, coming to his senses. “I have tea with Fluttershy later, but... I suppose lunch is still possible.” He confirmed.

Applejack led him into the house, where the grumbling elderly mare from before was cooking some food. He took a look at her apple pie Cutie Mark and cleared his throat.

“Boltsinger, I'd like to interduce you to the pony in charge 'round here!” She gestured over to the green pony. “Meet Granny Smith!”

Granny Smith looked over at the orange stallion, confused. “S' who's this?” She asked.

“Granny, this is that new pony in town that I've been talkin' about.” Applejack informed her.

“Yeah?” Granny Smith started. “Well, what's 'e doin' here?”

“I invited him fer lunch, Granny.”

“Well why didn'tcha say so?!” Granny shouted. “All right, then, pull up a stool. We're havin' soup fer now!”

Boltsinger took a seat at the table as Granny Smith walked outside, ringing a loud triangle and calling for the other family members. Apple Bloom came rushing in, immediately taking a seat at the table while Big Mac casually walked in, sitting down and nodding in Boltsinger's direction.

“Hi, Bolt!” Apple Bloom greeted. “You here for some lunch?”

“I guess so.” he affirmed. “I've never been on a farm, before. There’s one in my hometown, but I never got to visit that one. This place is a really nice change in scenery from the more town-and-city environments I'm used to.”

“Eeyup.” Big Mac said, nodding at Boltsinger's statement.

“Plus, if the stuff you all sell is as consistently delicious as the food I've already had, then it's worth every bit!”

Granny Smith proceeded to divy up the meal, and Applejack placed the bowls on the table. Whatever the soup was, it was delicious. The family conversed constantly through the meal, and it felt like they were extremely close. Apple Bloom asked again and again about Boltsinger's Cutie Mark, but he refrained from giving excess details to the filly so as to save her the headache of trying to understand it. He leaned his head on a hoof, thinking back.

It's been a long time since I've been with a real family... He mused. I guess you never really get used to seeing things from this perspective when you've been on the outside for so long. He smiled and finished his meal, thanking them for their hospitality, leaving.

---

That afternoon, at Fluttershy's cottage, Boltsinger knocked on the door, where Fluttershy poked her head out.

“Oh! Boltsinger, you're here!” She said, opening the door and letting him in. “Welcome to my cottage.” She bowed her head, slightly, as she made way for her guest.

Boltsinger bowed in return as he walked in, seeing the earthy décor and all the animals going about their day happily. He smiled as he took a seat on what looked like a brown blanket on the couch.

As his rump touched down, he heard a loud ‘OOF’. In that instant, the thing Boltsinger thought was a blanket disappeared in a white flash. Boltsinger jumped, searching the room.

“This is the guest you told me about?!” a voice sounded from nowhere. “Why, he looks positively terrified!”

Fluttershy trotted into the living room, looking up at the ceiling. “Yes, Discord, this is my new friend.” She confirmed, beginning to pour the tea. “Please, don't tease him. He has trouble meeting new ponies.”

From behind Boltsinger, a bird talon and a lion paw appeared on either of his shoulders, with a creature with a goat-like head that bore a single fang and mismatched horns poked its head out. It had eyes with red pupils, where what would normally be white was yellow instead. “Oh, Fluttershy, you know me better than that!” the smiling creature said, pulling its long, snake like body out from the air behind the Pegasus and pulling on his wings. It had a brown body, with a normal Pegasus wing on one side, and a bat wing on the other. One of its legs was a cloven deer's hoof, while the other looked like a green reptile's leg, with a red dragon-like tail. “I promise I won't traumatize him, but you can't possibly expect me not to give him a little grief!”

Boltsinger looked up at the chimera-like creature, his eyes shrunken and his heart racing. His ears and muzzle were both drooping, not quite sure what to make of the being before him, save for the absolute fact that it makes no sense to even exist. His feet started shuffling in an attempt to run, but before he could start moving, he heard a snapping noise and a flash of cold hit him.

Shivering, his eyes darted around, trying to find out why he couldn't move. The room looked like he was seeing it through distorted glass. It was apparent after a few moments that he was frozen. But how is that possible in the middle of summer?

“Discord!” he heard, Fluttershy's voice more than a little upset. “I asked you not to tease him!”

“I didn't 'tease' him.” Discord argued, folding his arms. “But you didn't say anything about whether or not I could 'freeze' him!” He snapped two of the toes on his lion paw, and Boltsinger saw a white flash, suddenly appearing unfrozen and hanging by his wings from the creature's talon.

The stallion screamed, squirming and working to free his wings from Discord's grip. Discord let go with a snicker, and Boltsinger went flying into the wall, crashing through it.

“Hmm...” Discord started. “It seems he's not interested in having tea today. Oh well! More for us!” He sat on the couch, his paw popping off of his hand and walking over to one of the cups. The paw grew a miniature version of Discord's head and moved to drink from it, but saw the face of a disappointed Fluttershy staring down at it.

“Discord, I'm very disappointed in you...” She said, as Discord's face lost much of its structure, his paw reappearing on his arm. “I thought we had been through this! You know better than to torture ponies that I become friends with!” Discord raised a claw, opening his mouth to respond. “No 'buts'! Go apologize, right now!” Fluttershy pointed her hoof towards the door. Discord hung his head, slowly getting up and walking out.

Discord stepped outside the door and snapped his claws, causing Boltsinger to appear in the air in front of him and fly headlong into a nearby tree. The spirit of chaos walked over to the Pegasus, groaning from having to apologize while the stallion groaned in pain.

“I'm sorry.” Discord said, frankly. “I shouldn't have done what I did, and I need to be more understanding that my best friend has other friends.”

Boltsinger sat up, slapped his face with his wings, and looked at Fluttershy's... interesting... friend. “You… practiced that, didn't you?” He asked.

“You can tell, huh?” Discord confirmed. “You're sharper than I gave you credit for, aren't you?”

“Well, you're not exactly very similar to somepony like Fluttershy.” Boltsinger noted. “I'd imagine you two don't always agree.”

“You can put it that way...” Discord grunted. “Do you accept my apology or not?”

Boltsinger laughed, offering a wing in greeting. “Sure. I'm Boltsinger. And you are...?”

“Discord, spirit of chaos, and Fluttershy's best friend.” He grasped the stallion's wing with his talon, lightly shaking it. “Now, shall we go inside and continue?”

Boltsinger nodded and climbed to his hooves, walking back towards the cottage where Fluttershy waited.

“Okay...” Boltsinger said as he sat back on the couch. “I'm okay now.” He took a deep breath, looking at the hostess of their gathering and smiling. “So, how are you?”

The tea party went on for another two hours. Discord kept things lively with his various magical antics. He regaled Boltsinger with the story of how he came to be reformed, and the various ways in which he's been instrumental in saving Equestria on a myriad of occasions. All the while, the spirit of chaos made it painfully obvious that he was Fluttershy's friend, as if trying to bar the stallion from getting in the way of something. Boltsinger simply shrugged, not really thinking of intruding on anything with anypony more than he already had. He waved goodbye to Fluttershy as Discord disappeared in his usual flash of light, and made his way back to the castle.

---

As Boltsinger returned to the castle, Starlight met him outside, having come home from something of her own. Boltsinger offered a greeting, pushing the door open.

“So, what were you up to, today?” he asked, curious as to what Starlight had to do outside the castle.

“Oh, I was just visiting my friend Maud.” She told him. “She lives just outside of Ponyville in a big cave.”

“A cave?” Boltsinger repeated. “Why does she live in a cave?”

“She... really likes rocks.” Starlight clarified. “You'll learn all about them when you meet her.” The two ponies laughed and conversed about the day's events as they passed the library, where Boltsinger immediately turned to go in.

Inside, Twilight was sitting in her study chair reading several books at once, seeming to be researching something while Spike piled more books on the table in front of her. Boltsinger walked up next to her.

“Whatcha reading?” He asked. Twilight squealed and jumped up into the air, hovering in place as the books she was researching with fell pages first to the floor. She looked down, seeing the orange pony below and descended into her chair, lifting the books up with her magic.

“I'm just doing some research.” She confirmed, burying her face in the books again. “I'll tell you all about it, later. Right now, I need to concentrate.”

Boltsinger nodded and grabbed a book from the shelf that he had been reading for the past few days, settling down in one of the many chairs in the room and burying his own nose in the pages.

Hours later, the Pegasus in the room felt a rumbling in his belly. He put a bookmark into his book and got up, ready to head to the kitchen. He opened his mouth to inquire whether or not the Princess was hungry, but before any words could come out, she jumped from her chair again.

“I'VE GOT IT!” She shouted. “I think...” She floated back down to the chair.

“Um... What is it that you've got?” Boltsinger queried.

“I've been researching Cutie Mark magic.” Twilight explained. “It's a topic I've been interested in for a long time already, since my friends and I all obtained our Cutie Marks at the same time. The same happened for the Cutie Mark Crusaders.” She looked back at the books. “And now there's the way your Cutie Mark responds when your own magic kicks in... I've got a lot of reasons to look further into it.”

“I see.” the stallion replied, scratching his head. “So, what have you got so far?”

“I need to reference some other books on the subject before I can really be sure.” the Alicorn continued. “So, I want to go visit the best pony I know for finding the right book. His name is Sunburst, and he lives in the Crystal Empire.”

“Sunburst?” Boltsinger said. “I think I know that name... A while back, my wings took me to the Crystal Empire. I helped a Unicorn there who had a sun-related Cutie Mark by delivering messages back and forth from him to the library or the castle while he was sick. I saw Princess Cadence a few times while I did, since I used my air pockets to deliver some of them. He wanted to make absolutely sure that the Princess got absolutely accurate information.”

“Oh? Well, then, do you want to come with me?” Twilight offered. “I'm going to invite Starlight to come along as well, since Sunburst was her first friend, and all.”

“Sounds good to me.” the stallion told her. “It'll be the first time I'll get to really meet somepony I've helped after the fact.”

“You can count me out!” Spike said from the shelf ladder. “I don't really need a dose of fame right now!”

“Fame?” Boltsinger asked.

“He's pretty famous in the Crystal Empire.” Twilight answered.

“Saved it from total destruction!” Spike added, coming down to the floor. “Twice!.”

“So, what about all of your other friends here in Ponyville?” Boltsinger wondered.

“Of course I'm inviting all of them!” Twilight confirmed. “It's been a long time since any of us has been to the Empire. Rarity wouldn't let me hear the end of it if I didn't at least bring her along!”

The three of them laughed as a rumble was heard from Twilight's stomach.

“I was wondering if you were hungry, too.” Boltsinger said. “So, dinner?”

Twilight giggled and nodded. “Dinner.”