Under the afternoon sun, Boltsinger made his way through the castle halls. Now that his training with Rainbow Dash for the day was over, he knew exactly what he wanted to do. His plan today: spend some quality time with Twilight. It had been some time since the two of them had gotten together and just done something. He smiled confidently. This was going to be the day that changed.
He made his way to the library, taking a peek in the door to see a large stack of books piled on the table. He pushed the door open the rest of the way, slowly walking over to the chair where a book was floating with a telltale magenta magical field around it. He stopped in his tracks. Should I really disturb her while she’s reading? He thought. I mean, she does all sorts of research, and I would hate to get her held up… Maybe I should just--
“Spike? Is that you?” She asked, not looking up from her book. “I thought you were going to be with Big Mac talking about sports today!” Boltsinger opened his mouth and raised a hoof. “Well, since you’re here, can you fetch me a copy of ‘Cutie Mark Conundrums - Flailing and Flabbergasting Flanks’?”
Boltsinger shut his mouth and flew up to the shelves, searching for the book. After several seconds, he found it. He quickly brought it to the Alicorn’s side and held it out with a wing. She floated the book over to herself and began searching through it.
“Thanks, Spike. So, how did your visit with Big Mac go?” She asked, eyes still glued to the pages.
“Um… He’s still with Big Mac.” Boltsinger told her. Twilight looked up from her book, turning her head to get a look at the one that handed her the volume. Boltsinger stood, quietly, scratching his mane with his wing and smiling weakly. “Hi.”
“Oh!” Twilight began, seeing the pony before her. “I’m sorry. I thought you were Spike!” She placed bookmarks in the volumes she was working with, setting them on the table. “How was your training?”
“It was good. Rainbow Dash says my speed has really improved. I’m still nowhere near as fast as her, though.” He answered. “Um… how is your research going?”
“I’m a little stuck.” She admitted, hanging her head. “I’ve learned quite a lot on the subject, but a phenomenon like yours has never been documented! The book you handed me was the last one on the topic that I hadn’t read yet. If there’s nothing there, then… Oh my gosh…”
“What?” Boltsinger asked, stepping forward.
“If there’s nothing in that book about the phenomenon with your Cutie Mark... “ Twilight’s face lit up as she looked the stallion in the eyes. “That means that we’re the ones that made the discovery!!!” She put her hooves on Boltsinger’s shoulders. “Do you know what that means?!”
“Let’s see... “ Boltsinger brought a wing to his chin, the gears turning in his head. “If there’s no documentation of something… And we discover it… Oh!” His ears perked up as he looked into the Princess’ eyes. “It means--”
“It means we get to write the book on the subject!” Twilight let out an excited squee, jumping up and flapping her wings for a very brief hover. “This is so exciting!” She let go of the stallion, rushing back to her chair and picking up the new book.
Boltsinger looked at the excited Alicorn, surprised. “Well, I guess I’ll let you do your read--”
“Done!” Twilight closed the book and placed it, hard, on the table. She activated her magic, picking up every single unshelved book in the library and floating them to their proper places. In a matter of seconds, the room was clear, and the books were sorted.
Boltsinger’s jaw dropped at the display. “You read that whole book?” Twilight nodded, walking proudly over to him. “In half a second?” Twilight nodded again. “And… that magic… It’s all sorted?”
“Yup!” she confirmed, walking towards the door. “And I have good news!” Boltsinger followed her as she went out into the hallway. “I~ didn’t find anything!!!”
“So you get to write the book, right?” Boltsinger guessed. Twilight nodded, smiling wide and letting out an excited laugh. After a few seconds, she jumped into the air, fluttering her legs in a manner reminiscent of Pinkie Pie, taking off down the hallway. “Hey, Twilight! Wait up!” Boltsinger cried out, galloping after her.
Later, in the throne room, Twilight’s friends all sat in their respective thrones, at the request of the Princess. The door opened, Twilight happily trotting in with Boltsinger in tow.
“I’m glad you’ve all come!” She greeted, taking a seat on her throne. “I bet you’re all wondering why I’ve asked you all here.”
“Yes, I’m afraid you were rather... vague in your message, dear.” Rarity replied.
“Is there some kind of problem?” Fluttershy inquired. “It was pretty sudden for you to call us.”
Twilight smiled. “Nope! I actually have some great news!”
Pinkie gasped, jumping up from her throne at the same time. She sped over to Twilight, asking her directly to her face. “Is Princess Celestia throwing a pancake breakfast?” She put her forelegs over Twilight’s shoulders, getting closer. “Are the Griffons hosting an Equestria-wide friendship party?” She brought her face mere inches away from Twilight’s muzzle, her pupils shrunken and her ears low. “Are the Equestria Games coming to Ponyville?!”
Twilight laughed and pushed Pinkie back with a hoof. “No, Pinkie. It’s my discovery!” She raised her forelegs, beaming.
“What kinda discovery is it?” Applejack asked, leaning forward.
“Yeah, don’t keep us in suspense!” Rainbow Dash added, slamming her hooves on the map table.
“That’s the best part!” the Princess continued. “I didn’t discover anything!!!” She reared up, kicking the air in front of her with her forelegs as Boltsinger stifled a laugh. The mares in their thrones all looked at their lilac-coated friend. Seeing the looks on their friends’ faces, Twilight and Boltsinger laughed out loud..
“What she means is that there wasn’t any pre-existing information on that thing my Cutie Mark does.” Boltsinger explained. “Which means…”
“Which means we get to write the book on the whole phenomenon!” Twilight announced. “We get to investigate it and write down our findings in a real official DOCUMENTATION!”
The other ponies all looked at their friend in both awe and confusion.
“Why that’s fantastic news!” Rarity started, eyes wide. She thought for a second, putting a hoof up to her face. “I… think.”
“Uh… What exactly does it mean?” Applejack wondered aloud. “D’ya mean that yer gonna be the one doin’ the research?”
“Yup!” Twilight said, puffing out her chest in pride. “I’ll be paying close attention to Boltsinger’s Cutie Mark so that anytime something new happens, we can learn about it and document it and further the study of Cutie Mark magic!” Rainbow Dash snorted, trying to suppress a laugh.
“Uh... Dash? What’s so funny?” Applejack asked. Rainbow Dash trotted over to her, whispering something in her ear behind a raised wing. Applejack’s mouth made a kind of “O” face as she looked at Twilight, Rainbow Dash snickering. Finally, Applejack and Rainbow Dash burst into hysterics, the mares putting their hooves over their stomachs while falling happily to the floor.
“I don’t understand…” Fluttershy commented. “What’s so funny?”
Applejack wiped a tear from her eye, settling down and looking over at her kind companion. “Don’t you worry about it. I’ll explain it to ya later.”
“Oh… Well, okay.” Fluttershy nodded.
“Well, darling, while I may not understand what all of this means, it’s certainly cause for celebration!” She ran up to Twilight and put her hoof around her, pointing out the open door. “Everypony, to the spa!!!”
Twilight’s best friends all trotted to the foyer, heading for the door. Twilight was about to follow suit as she noticed the orange pony, who was sitting on the floor, watching the ladies leave.
“Hey, you wanna come along?” She asked, offering a hoof. “I know it seems kinda ‘girly’, but you never know! You might enjoy some of the things they have there!”
Boltsinger took her hoof, getting up. “Um… Actually, Twilight, I’ve been wanting to ask you something…” He kept his hoof on hers, looking at the floor with some noticeable red popping up on his cheeks. “I’ve been doing a lot of stuff with a lot of ponies for a little while, now, and… I realized I haven’t spent any kind of ‘quality time’ with you lately… Not since the night I arrived.” He slapped his face with his wings, the red going away as he looked her in the eye. “Do you want to do… something… with me, sometime soon? I know it’s a lot to ask, especially since you’re a Princess and all, but I really…” he averted his gaze once more. “Really wanna spend some time with you… Besides just the usual stuff we do around here.”
Twilight’s cheeks began to turn their own shade of red. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, her face quickly returning to normal. “I would love that! After I get back, I’ll get straight to work on a schedule for a full day of things for us to do together!” She leaned in towards the stallion. “How does that sound?”
Boltsinger laughed sheepishly. “Sounds perfect.” He put his hoof back down on the floor, starting to walk. “I hope you have a great time with the girls. I’m gonna sit this one out… Every time a pony tries to brush my mane or my tail, it breaks their hair brushes. Plus, I wouldn’t know what to do if I went in there. Maybe another time, okay?”
Twilight nodded, trotting past Boltsinger. “All right, then. I’ll see you later!”
Boltsinger sat in the foyer as the Princess left, waving a wing and a hoof softly together. “Yep… later…” He looked at the floor and pawed at the reflection he saw there. “Later…”
The next morning, Twilight was cantering through the hall towards Boltsinger’s room, floating a long piece of parchment with her as she made her way. She skidded to a stop in front of the door to Boltsinger’s room. With a smile on her face, she burst through the door.
“Rise and shine!” Twilight called out.
Boltsinger shot out of bed and into the ceiling, landing rather ungracefully on the floor. He raised his head quickly. “I’M SORRY!!!” He shouted, looking around frantically. His eyes fell on Twilight, the hyperventilating ceasing.
“Are you ready for a full day of fun?” the Alicorn asked. “I’ve got a full schedule of things to do!” She floated the parchment in front of him, showing a remarkably detailed schedule. Even events like ‘waking up Boltsinger’ and ‘breakfast’ were factored into timeframes.
Boltsinger looked at the schedule, trying to see what the plan was as Twilight pulled it away. She rolled it up and tucked it under her wing. “You’ve really got it all set up, huh?” He stood up, putting his blanket back on his bed. “So, what’s on the agenda?”
“That’s a surprise! Come on!” She pulled him along with her magic. “Spike is making pancakes for everyone!”
Boltsinger chuckled and started moving his legs, trotting as Twilight let him go. The Princess fell back to trot beside her friend, taking a look at the pendant he wore. “I noticed you didn’t take any time at all to put that on. How’d you do it so fast?” She asked.
“Oh, I never take it off.” Boltsinger explained. “Not unless I’m bathing or something along those lines.”
Twilight tilted her head. “Never? Why is that?”
Boltsinger looked down at the topaz-decorated lightning bolt. “Well… It’s too important to me.” He used a wing to hold it up slightly. “Not just for the thing it does. But because of the friends that made it for me.” He looked at Twilight. “You and Rarity worked extremely hard on it. I didn’t even expect either of you to notice me, but you went so far as to give me something this special… Such a precious thing will never leave me.”
Twilight looked at the stallion with soft eyes. “That’s really how you see it?” She inquired. Boltsinger simply nodded. Tears began to form in Twilight’s eyes as she rushed into a hug. “That is so sweet… It makes me so happy to know how much it means to you!” She broke the embrace, the two continuing on.
“It’s not just you and Rarity, either.” Boltsinger added. “Fluttershy helped me warm up to the idea of talking with all of you. We had some common ground that I think I needed right away. Pinkie did everything in her power to bring a smile out of me, and she’s super fun to hang out with. Rainbow Dash… Well… I’m actually a decent flyer now, because of her training regimen. I’m not great, but I’m able to actually follow her in the air, now!”
“What about Applejack?” Twilight asked.
“She gave me a job.” he told her. “I only have bits to spend because they hire me on for odd jobs at Sweet Apple Acres.” He pulled a wallet out of his mane, showing it to be full of bits. “I’m particularly good at calling the pigs and chickens.” He smiled and put his wallet away.
After breakfast, Twilight floated all of the dishes into the kitchen, putting a wing around the Pegasus and starting toward the foyer.
“All right, let’s go!” she exclaimed, spreading her free wing as they trotted on.
Spike ran to the door as they exited, waving. “See you later! Have fun on your date!” Twilight and Boltsinger stopped for a second, looking back at the baby dragon, then at one another with a nervous laugh before continuing.
The door to the weather factory in Cloudsdale opened wide, Twilight and Boltsinger walking out. The two were laughing and conversing as they went.
“I can’t believe you’ve never toured the weather factory!” Twilight said, looking at her companion. “I thought all Pegasus had been there!”
“Well, I wasn’t born in Cloudsdale. I was born in Vanhoover, and I didn’t really spend much extended time anywhere else after I got my Cutie Mark.” the stallion explained. “The only reason I’ve even been to Cloudsdale is because somepony needed me to take over announcement duty for the flight school once. So... “ He spread his wings for emphasis.
“Well, our next destination is a ways away… We should be able to make good time if we fly straight there.” She pointed to Canterlot on a map of Equestria. “So, you ready?” She spread her wings, putting the map away and raising a foreleg.
Boltsinger smirked, keeping his wings spread as he ducked low. “I’ll race you to Canterlot!” He said, seeing the Princess take a similar stance. “THREETWOONEGO!”
The two of them took off at their full speed, leaving flight trails behind them as they flew. Boltsinger’s training with Rainbow Dash was evident, as the higher speed wasn’t an issue for him. He looked behind him, seeing Twilight catching up. He flapped faster as she gained, widening the gap between them. Twilight looked at the orange Pegasus, smirking. Her horn lit up as she picked up speed, gaining on him as they neared their destination. Boltsinger looked back one more time. Twilight’s face went from determined to worried as she reached a foreleg forward. Boltsinger tilted his head, not quite understanding her concern as he felt a sudden impact, stopping him cold with a loud crash. He fell to the ground below, rather unceremoniously. Twilight swooped down and lit up her horn, her magic slowing her friend’s descent.
As she landed, she ran up to where he was floating down, a familiar dark blue Alicorn joining them.
“Boltsinger…” Princess Luna began. “We absolutely must stop meeting like this.” She walked next to Twilight as the Pegasus sat up. “I pray you are uninjured?”
Bolsinger looked over at the night Princess, blushing faintly and scratching his mane. “I’m okay. Just a little stunned.” He got up and brushed himself off. “I wasn’t flying fast enough to pass out this time, at least. Um… how have you been, Princess Luna?”
Princess Luna let out a sigh, smiling as she walked over to the stallion. “Things have been as they always are.” She said. “I am happy to see that you are not so jumpy anymore.”
“Well... “ he snorted a bit, pointing a wing over at Twilight. “You have her to thank for that…”
Twilight laughed. “Well, it’s not just because of me! We all played a part!”
“She’s right about that.” Boltsinger confirmed. He turned to Twilight. “So, are we here to… um… visit the Royal Sisters, or something?”
Twilight shook her head. “No, this was just a happy accident.” She trotted over to Boltsinger, looking at the other Alicorn. “It’s been wonderful to see you, Luna, but we need to keep going. Got a schedule to keep, after all!” She put her magic around her stallion friend again, pulling him along as they went to their next destination. Luna waved her foreleg, taking flight to return to the castle.
Boltsinger looked at Twilight. She was trotting along excitedly, heading towards Restaurant Row. “Are you alright? You seem… Well, I don’t know what you seem like. It just seems a bit weird.”
“Oh, it’s nothing!” Twilight told him, turning to look at him. “I just wasn’t expecting to see Princess Luna, and I really want to get to the next place so that we can eat! You understand, right?”
The Pegasus chuckled, “Okay. Well, lead the way.” He looked at the ground, which was now several feet below him as the Princess pulled him along. “I can’t really move, anyway.”
The two of them sat at the Tasty Treat, enjoying some spicy soup. Boltsinger looked at his friend, then back at his soup, wondering how to phrase his next question.
“Um… Twilight, I have a bit of a… request.” He finally said.
“Oh? What kind of request?” She wondered aloud, looking at him with soup on her mouth.
“So, before I get around to my request, I have a teensey confession to make.” He finished his soup with one gulp, then slapped his face with his wings. “So, you remember how I said I was never able to stay in one place for very long once I got my Cutie Mark?”
Twilight nodded. “Yeah, you said it made it hard for you to make friends for a really long time.”
“Yep. But there’s more to it than that.” Boltsinger continued. “I was still a pretty young colt when that happened. I was in school at the time, and I had just enough education in me to know that I liked to read and do what I got my Cutie Mark for. From there, I never really… got a formal education. I just learned everything I knew about society and some really, really basic knowledge from books. Part of the reason I like libraries so much.” He blushed and looked at his empty bowl. “It wasn’t intentional, but… I became a bit of a dropout.”
Twilight dropped both her jaw and her bowl, the soup falling perfectly into it. “What?! That’s awful!”
“Yeah, it wasn’t easy.” He confirmed. “But now, I seem to have a better handle on it all. And… You’re easily the most studious pony I’ve ever met, and I know Sunburst! And… well… I don’t want to just go to the school house. I don’t have any problems with Miss Cheerilee’s teaching skills, but… I don’t really want to be in a course with foals. Not to belittle the foals, or anything. I just don’t want anypony getting weird ideas. And… well… That brings me to my request... “
Twilight’s face lit up. “Yes?”
“Well… I was hoping…” Boltsinger raised a hoof to his muzzle.
“Yes?!” Twilight brought her forelegs up with excitement.
“Could you maybe… be my tutor?” He asked, giving a nervous smile.
“YYYYYYYYES!” She shouted, fluttering in the air. “YESYESYESYESYES!!!” She landed next to him. “I would love to be your tutor!” She started eating her soup again, talking at length about a schedule and all of the options for teaching him everything she could.
Well, this is definitely going to get interesting… Boltsinger mused, resting his head on his hoof as he listened to the Princess in his company.