//------------------------------//
// The Best/Worst Night Ever 
// Story: One Bolt, Many Questions 
// by Boltsinger 
//------------------------------//

The morning of the Gala had arrived, and a certain stallion of interest was asleep in the bed of a guest room. He was sleeping soundly, his snores echoed through the halls, alerting a great many ponies to his presence. As he rolled over, getting more comfortable, the door swung wide open, slamming into the wall. Six mares stood in the doorway.
“SURPRISE!!!” they simultaneously exclaimed, all raising a foreleg, with three sets of wings spreading at the same time.
Boltsinger sprang up from his bed, hitting the ceiling and getting his head stuck. He kicked his hind legs rapidly, pushing against the ceiling with his wings and forelegs until his head popped out, sending him falling into the bed below.
He poked his head out from the pile of blankets surrounding him. “I’m awake! What’s going on?!” He looked over at the mares in the room.
Twilight trotted over to the bed and floated his blankets off of him. “Good morning, Boltsinger! How did you sleep?”
“Um… I slept. It was restful.” He stepped out of bed. “What’s with the huge gathering?”
Pinkie bounced over to the stallion, hopping onto the bed and putting her head next to his ear. “Well, we were gonna come in and see if you were ready to do stuff with us before the Gala, but then the door opened and you were like ‘AAAAHHHHH!’” She jumped into the air, fluttering her legs before landing in the same position. “And then you made that hole in the roof. But now you’re awake! So, you ready for a big day of fun followed by the BEST PARTY EVER?!”
“Sounds like fun!” Boltsinger smiled, trotting over to the group. They moved out into the hallway, where Starlight and Sunburst were casually walking up, chatting the morning away.
As the group headed downstairs, more ponies joined them. Apple Bloom was among them, followed by the two fillies he had seen with her around town. One was a darker orange Pegasus with a messy hot pink mane and tail and purple eyes. Her Cutie Mark had a similar shield motif to Apple Bloom’s, but her personal symbol featured a lightning bolt inside a wing. The other was a white Unicorn with a curly pink and violet mane and tail. She had green eyes, with another shield Cutie Mark featuring a musical note inside a star. An Earth Pony mare slowly walked over to Pinkie. She had a grey coat with a purple mane and tail, along with purple eye-shadow. Her face was completely blank, and she wore a blue dress with a black belt that covered her Cutie Mark. Apple Bloom noticed Boltsinger, and trotted over to him. The fillies with similar Cutie Marks followed her.
“Howdy, Bolt!” the yellow filly greeted.
“Hi, Apple Bloom!” Boltsinger replied, waving a wing. “Who are your friends?” He looked back and forth between the two fillies.
“You mean I never introduced you?” Apple Bloom asked, tilting her head. “I coulda sworn y’all had met before!”
“Nope. I’ve seen you fillies around town before, but I was generally doing other stuff.” Boltsinger explained. “I take it from your Cutie Marks that you’re really good friends?”
The Pegasus filly chimed in. “You got that right! I’m Scootaloo, and this…” she pointed a hoof at the Unicorn filly. “... is Sweetie Belle!”
“It’s nice to meet you, Boltsinger!” Sweetie Belle began, walking up and offering a hoof in greeting. “My sister, Rarity has told me all about you!”
Boltsinger laughed and shook the filly’s hoof with one of his wings. “Well, I hope she didn’t tell you too much.” He looked at Rarity, then back at Sweetie Belle. “You certainly seem just as refined as your sister. Must run in the family.”
Sweetie Belle smiled with a faint blush at the compliment. “Why, thank you, good sir.” She responded, bowing as gracefully as she could.
“Anyway, you’re right about us!” Apple Bloom continued. “‘Cause together, we are…” She and Sweetie Belle backed up, standing next to their Pegasus friend.
“THE CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS!!!” the fillies shouted in unison, raising their heads up high.
“We’re Ponyville’s resident Cutie Mark experts!” Scootaloo started, flapping her wings in place
“Helpin’ young ponies like us get their Cutie Marks!” Apple Bloom added.
“And helping to remind ponies that have their Cutie Marks of their true purpose!” Sweetie Bell finished.
“We’ve got a pretty good track record, so far.” Scootaloo bragged.
Boltsinger looked at the fillies, their faces shining brightly as they told him of their talent. “Well, that explains your interest in mine when we first met.” He said, motioning to his own Cutie Mark with his wing.
“Yep! Applejack told me what it does!” Apple Bloom went on, taking a look under Boltsinger’s wing at his flank.
As if out of nowhere, Pinkie appeared behind them. “Hey, Bolt! Have you met my sister, Maud?” She held a hoof out, pointing at the grey mare walking up. “She’s the best ever!”
Boltsinger looked over at the mare. “You mean her?” He asked, pointing a wing at her. Pinkie nodded enthusiastically, pulling him over. He looked at the new face and tilted his head. His legs were already in a state of wanting to run away as quickly as possible, but fought past it for his friend. “Um… Hello, Maud. I’m Boltsinger!” He greeted, extending a hoof.
Maud blinked slowly, her face otherwise unchanging. After a long pause, she took a breath. “... Hi.”
The stallion smiled awkwardly, his hoof hanging in the air in front of him. He held there for a while, Maud remaining completely rigid.
“Wow! She’s so happy to meet you!” Pinkie shouted, bouncing up next to her sister. “I just knew you would be friends!”
“Um…” Boltsinger put his hoof back on the floor. “Very nice to meet you, Maud. You seem like a very… interesting pony. I look forward to getting to know you better.”
Maud blinked, waiting several seconds to respond. “... Yeah.”
Boltsinger smiled and turned to walk away. “Cool. I’m gonna go see what everypony else is up to, okay?”
After yet another steady blink, Maud turned towards Pinkie. “... Sure. Nice to meet you.”
Boltsinger waved at her with a wing as he walked towards Twilight, who was chatting with Rainbow Dash.
The group of ponies spent the morning going to various places in Canterlot, enjoying donuts at Pony Joe’s, checking up on Canterlot Carousel, and visiting various local friends. Before too long, the afternoon approached.
“So, this is my first Gala. Any advice?” Boltsinger asked, looking at Twilight and her friends.
Spike walked up next to Twilight. “Whatever you do, don’t go after some crazy dream while you’re there.” He told the stallion. “If you have weird expectations, you’ll only end up disappointed!”
Boltsinger looked at the dragon. “Speaking from experience?” He asked.
Spike nodded, pointing a claw at Twilight. “Our first Gala, those six all had ideas in their heads of what it would be like for them. I just wanted to spend the evening together with everypony, but they all messed things up.”
Twilight giggled and pulled Spike in with one of her wings. “Yes, but in the end it was one of the best nights we ever had!” The other mares all nodded and commented in confirmation.
Applejack walked over to Boltsinger. “The best advice anypony can give you is to just have fun. If you fret too much about what might happen, you’ll miss out on everything that will happen!” She put her hoof on the stallion’s shoulder, bringing her head closer to his ear. “And when it comes to Twilight, ain’t no harm in askin’ ‘er. I’m sure she’d be happy to dance with you.”
Boltsinger raised his eyebrows, taken aback as his blush returned. He shook his head profusely, holding up a wing in denial. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I think I’ll just… go do… stuff… while you ladies get ready.” He waved over at Sunburst, who was chatting with Maud. “Hey, Sunburst! Why don’t we go do… something… while the girls prepare?”
Surprised, Sunburst looked towards Boltsinger. “Uh-Oh! Yeah! Let’s do… something!” He waved a farewell to Starlight and Maud, walking over to his fellow stallion. He gulped loudly and looked back at Starlight. “You ladies have a good time!”
“Your first Gala, too?” Boltsinger asked.
Sunburst laughed nervously. “Is it that obvious?” He looked forward at the castle they were headed towards. “Starlight asked me to be her plus one, and it’s a nice change of pace from my duties at home.”
“Princess Cadence got you working overtime?” Boltsinger asked.
Sunburst shook his head. “No, it’s not that. Honestly, I’d take any chance to see Starlight. She didn’t have to invite me to some big party.”
“I see…” the Pegasus began, letting out a sly smile. “So, it’s a case of mutual feelings, huh?”
“What was that?” Sunburst wondered.
“Nothing. It’s no big deal.” Boltsinger looked onward.
“So, who are you going with?” the Unicorn queried.
“Me? Oh, I’m with Twilight.” He told the crystaller. Sunburst unleashed his own sly grin at the comment. Boltsinger thought back on his words, then shook his head rapidly. “No, not like that! I mean I’m here with Twilight! Just like you’re here with Starlight!” He looked at the ground as they proceeded. “Don’t mince my words…”
“Well, tonight should be pretty incredible... “ Sunburst concluded, trotting ahead to the castle. Boltsinger flapped his wings, catching up from the air.





The hour arrived, and Boltsinger looked in the mirror in his room. He wore a pitch-black tailcoat with a white button-up shirt underneath. Under the collar of the shirt, he had an electric blue bow tie hanging. It was untied, and he was fiddling with it using his wings to try and get it on right. He sighed, picking up a fedora that bore an electric blue stripe and placing it on his head, his ears poking through some well-placed holes.
Once the hat was on, he looked at himself in the mirror again, taking a deep breath and slapping his face with his wings in an attempt to psyche himself up. “Come on, Bolt, you’ve got this… It’s just another party!” his face flushed again. “That Twilight invited you to that happens to be the biggest night of the year for a lot of ponies that Rarity went and made you a fancy outfit for and even went as far as to give your hair its first treatment in waaaaaaaaaaaaay too many years… Totally not nervous... “ He heard a knock at the door, causing his entire body to tense up, wings sticking straight up. “Okay! Definitely nervous!”
“Boltsinger, are you ready?” Twilight’s voice came from beyond the door. The door cracked open, and the stallion forced his wings into a relaxed state. He turned to the door, scrambling with his tie some more as it swung open. Twilight stood by herself in the doorway, wearing a pure-white gown that rode just a tad high over her tail. It featured gold adornments around her neck and waist, decorated with amethysts, and shoes in a similar style on each hoof. Her royal crown sat upon her head, with her mane done up to where there was a tight curl at the end of her bangs, and the hair on the back of her head styled with both curls and a bun, creating a spiral pattern with the streaks in her hair.
The stallion looked at the mare in awe, his jaw dropped as far is it could go, his wings once again standing stiff. “I-I-I just need to do m-my t-t-tie... “ He finally said. He looked away from her for a second, sneaking a look back at her.
Twilight looked at Boltsinger and laughed, trotting up and taking hold of his tie with her magic. “Well, you look great.” She expertly tied the bow tie into place, resting it flawlessly against his neck above his pendant.
“Yeah… Um… You, too…” He faced her properly again, his blush making a triumphant return. “You’re beautiful.”
Twilight’s cheeks turned a similar color, turning to the door. “Well then, shall we?” She offered.
Boltsinger slapped his face with his wings, walking up next to her and holding out his right wing in an inviting gesture. “Indeed we shall!”
Twilight cupped her left wing into Boltsinger’s right as the two of them trotted off towards the ballroom.





At the entrance to the biggest party of the year in Canterlot, Princess Celestia stood at the top of a stairwell, greeting a large line of ponies to the event. She wore a simple pink gown that bore designs drawing inspiration from her Cutie Mark, otherwise wearing that which she typically wore on a daily basis. She had greeted several of the guests already, including Twilight’s friends and a great many important ponies from all over, but she hadn’t caught sight of her beloved pupil as of yet. She sighed, wondering if Twilight had decided to refrain from appearing, greeting ponies all the while.
As she continued on with her duties, the trumpets began to sound once more. From there, a regally dressed unicorn came forward, his nose turned up.
“Announcing; Princess Twilight Sparkle and her guest, Boltsinger!”
The Princess looked forward, excited to hear her student’s name as she appeared in the doorway, wing linked with the Pegasus beside her. Together, they looked like opposites that belonged together, black and white. She smiled softly as they approached, offering a foreleg to embrace.
“Welcome, Twilight.” She greeted, hugging her fellow Princess tightly. “I thought for a moment that you had decided not to come.”
“Why would you think that?” Twilight asked, breaking the hug.
“We can talk about that later.” Celestia answered. She turned to the stallion in black. “And Boltsinger, it’s such a delight to see you again! Have you made any progress with your wings?”
Boltsinger bowed his head to the Princess of the Sun, lifting his free wing. “I’m honored to be here, Princess. To answer your question, my wings haven’t been doing their thing quite as often, but it still occasionally happens.” He lifted his pendant slightly with his wing. “It’s thanks to this that everypony at home can find me  and I can get back.”
“Ah, yes. Twilight wrote to me about your pendant. I’m glad you have better control over them, now.” She pushed them along with one of her wings. “Now, you two enjoy the Gala.”
“Don’t you need my help to welcome the guests?” Twilight asked, looking hopefully at her mentor.
“Not this time, Twilight.” Celestia confirmed. “I just want you and your friends to enjoy the evening.”
Twilight frowned slightly, but looked into the party proper. “All right… Let me know if you need anything, though!”
“Of course.” Celestia confirmed. Twilight smiled and turned to enter the ballroom, wing still linked with that of her guest. She turned her eyes to the orange Pegasus, smiling. “Home, huh?”
As the two made their way into the party, they soon found themselves surrounded by friends. Rainbow Dash was in her Wonderbolts uniform, as the group had a performance later that night in honor of the occasion. Scootaloo, on the other hand, wore a Rainbow Dash-inspired gown, reminiscent of her role model’s outfit for her first Gala. Sweetie Belle, as well, wore a dress similar to one her sister had worn to her first Gala, but with darker shades of purple, and without the glass slippers. Apple Bloom wore a dark green gown with white trim that featured apple patterns along the edge of the skirt, her hair bow covered in small jewels. Applejack, in turn, wore a similar, yet more flattering dress with the red and green opposite of her younger sister’s outfit. Her mane and tail were exquisitely braided, and she wore a brand new hat atop her head that featured apple-shaped rubies along the side. Fluttershy was wearing a simple, earthy dress that flowed to the floor, primarily a forest green, but with tree bark brown patterns leading all the way down, flowers strewn majestically throughout her hair. Pinkie had a bright blue poofy gown, candy patterns everywhere. The sight of it made onlookers hungry. Maud, however, wore the simplest of obsidian black dresses, nothing too fancy. Spike wore his own black tailcoat with a button-up shirt, a red bow tie present around his neck with his spikes pulled back in a definitively suave manner. Starlight wore a dark blue dress with a high collar, a design similar to the glimmer of her Cutie Mark accenting the outfit all the way down to the bottom of the skirt, where the star aspect of the same Cutie Mark lined the hem. Her mane was curled up several times over, creating a bouncy effect. Sunburst was next to her, his mane, tail, and beard all featuring a curl at the ends, not a stray hair in sight. He wore a brighter version of his standard cloak. Rarity trotted up from behind the group, wearing a sleek red dress that sparkled in the light. Her mane and tail were in their usual style, but she had replaced her standard blue eye shadow with the same color red as the gown she wore.
Boltsinger looked at the mares gathered, amazed at the sight. “You ladies all look amazing!” He directed his gaze at Rarity. “You really do incredible work!”
Rarity laughed to herself, raising a hoof to her face. “Why, thank you. I decided that this time around, I would go with a theme of “simple, yet elegant’! To be honest, it was your outfit that inspired them all.”
“Really? Well, thank you.” He looked around the room, seeing the band playing on the stage, the wonderful decorations strewn throughout the room, and various refreshments laid out on the table. He looked at the food there and gulped, swallowing the drool that threatened to escape his mouth. “I’m… gonna get some of those refreshments over there!” He finally let go of Twilight’s wing, fluttering slightly over the crowd and landing at the back of the line. Pinkie bounced along the other side of the table, a plate on her back. She was piling an absurdly large number of sweets onto her plate with her tail as Starlight came up next to the stallion in line.
“So, Sunburst tells me he’s your plus one to this shindig.” Boltsinger began, piling a few things onto his plate. “Is there any particular reason you decided to invite him?” He smiled knowingly, seeing Starlight’s magic flicker to the point of dropping the cupcake she was getting.
“Well--uh… Same reason Twilight invited you!” She told him, her blush more obvious than ever.
“Wait, you mean Rarity convinced you to ask Sunburst?” the stallion clarified. “Or were you thinking she had some ulterior motive in inviting me?”
“You clearly don’t know how much she talks about you when you’re not around, huh?” Starlight informed. “I’m not sure even she realizes it.”
“Oh?” he started. “Well, I guess it sorta makes sense, seeing as we do both spend a lot of time in the library.”
“Yeah, it’s definitely because of that.” Starlight said, a distinct level of sarcasm present in her tone. She filled her plate and trotted over to Sunburst, who followed her out into the garden.
Boltsinger smiled as the two Unicorns made their way. He moved over to a nearby table, setting his plate down and enjoying what he’d gathered. As he looked around, he saw several of his friends laughing and chatting with one another. Rarity was talking with the high society ponies of Canterlot, expanding her social presence while at the same time introducing her sister to the lot of them. Rainbow Dash had taken Scootaloo into the private section where the Wonderbolts were gathered, talking with another Ponyville Wonderbolt named Thunderlane. Applejack and Apple Bloom had a stand set up to sell various treats, while Pinkie and Maud were on the dance floor. Pinkie was bouncing all over, dancing every which way, while Maud stood almost completely still, blinking and swaying her head to the music.
“Go Maud! It’s your birthday!” Pinkie chanted, cheering her sister on. “Yeah! Shake it!!!”
Boltsinger looked at the Pie sisters’ antics and laughed. Continuing his visual tour, he noted that Discord was there, wearing a swanky orange suit and hat with a green slime monster dancing on the floor next to him as he made jokes with Fluttershy. Everypony seemed to be having the time of their lives.
This really is a big deal of a party, huh? He thought, looking at his plate. I should make my own memories tonight! He scarfed his food as fast as he could, slapping his face with his wings and getting up with a determined face. He trotted over to Twilight.
“Twilight!” He started, stepping boldly forward. “I have a… uh… request to make!”
Twilight, who was likewise enjoying the view of the Gala, looked over at the black-clad stallion, smiling. From Boltsinger’s perspective, the world around her lit up as she walked up to him. “Yes?”
“Well, I was wondering if you would like to… that is to say…” He continued. “The music is lovely tonight, isn’t it?”
Twilight giggled into her hoof, walking closer to him. “You wanna dance?” She extended one of her wings forward.
“Yes! Absolutely!” he answered, taking her wing with his as the two walked onto the dance floor.
When they found their spot, their wings uncoupled, and Boltsinger lingered. He extended the same wing out, resting it briefly over Twilight’s flank, right where her Cutie Mark was as she took a position directly in front of him. She began bobbing her head to the music, kicking out and smiling as she danced. The stallion smiled wide, mirroring her movements as the music played on.
Several minutes later, the song changed, and the music began to slow. Twilight and Boltsinger slowed their pace. Twilight turned her head slightly, looking at the stallion with a smile. “Another song?” She requested.
Boltsinger nodded and bowed, offering a hoof to the lady. “It would be my honor.” Twilight placed her hoof in his as the two moved closer together, swaying to the music in an embrace of one foreleg and both wings.
Applejack looked over from her stand, seeing the winged ponies in their dance. “Well, wouldja look at that…” She smiled softly as the Wonderbolt Soarin came up to the cart, ordering his usual apple pie. Apple Bloom stood on her sister’s back, trying to get a glimpse of the scene before them.
Sunburst, coming into the room once more with Starlight, took a look at the dancers. He smiled sheepishly with a red face, turning to Starlight. “You, uh… You wanna dance?”
Starlight’s face turned the same shade of red, nodding as she led her friend to the dance floor. The two took a position not far from their friends, moving slowly to the music.
Spike walked over to Rainbow Dash, who was preparing for the upcoming performance. He tapped the mare’s shoulder with one of his claws. “Check that out!” He pointed over at Twilight and Boltsinger, Rainbow Dash directing her attention at the two.
“Oh, yeah!” Dash cheered, rising up into the air. “Way to go, Twilight!” She hovered in place, spotting something in the distance.
Rarity was chatting with the Unicorn named Fancy Pants, unaware of the goings on. Fancy Pants directed his attention to the dancing Princess, putting a hoof up to get a better view.
“I say, who is that stallion dancing with the Princess?” He wondered, squinting his eyes.
“Oh!” Rarity chimed in, directing her gaze towards them as well. “Why, that’s our friend, Boltsinger! He’s been living in Ponyville for a while now.” She stepped closer to the two, beaming. “It’s lovely to see them together like this.”
“Indubitably!” Fancy Pants confirmed.
Pinkie and Fluttershy, having been talking with one another for a while, joined the group of onlookers, smiling at the sight of their dancing friends.
“Ooh! That looks fun!” Pinkie started. “Buuuut… I think I’ll stay out of it this time.” She turned to Fluttershy, who silently nodded in agreement.
“I’ve noticed something about you, recently.” Twilight began, talking into Boltsinger’s ear.
“Oh? And what would that be?” the stallion replied.
“Your coat has gotten a lot brighter than it was back when we first met.” she explained, backing her head up to get a good look at his face. “You look a lot happier!”
“Well… I am happy.” he confirmed, looking into the Alicorn’s eyes. “Before I met all of you, I had nothing. I thought I was nothing. And then… for the first time, I end up somewhere in which the ponies I meet… rather than wanting me to do something for them, and then sending me on my way… They’re actually worried about me… Then I met everyone in Ponyville, and… Everything just kept getting better and better. Now, here I am, with all of those friends, as the plus one of the Princess of Friendship, dancing with the mare that I love and--” Boltsinger stopped in his tracks, both he and Twilight ceasing their dance.
The world around the two of them seemed to go into slow motion. Twilight’s eyebrows raised, wide-eyed as her mouth went agape, staring at the stallion in front of her. He was smiling weakly with red cheeks, looking at her through half-lidded eyes. Heat built up in her own face as she tried to form words in response, attempting to understand the emotions that had begun swirling around inside her. She looked on, seeing his smile falter as a hoof slammed into the side of his muzzle, sending him flying through the wall, rolling on the ground in the garden, through several bushes and coming to a halt outside on his back. The chain of his pendant had broken, the topaz-crested lightning bolt lying at Twilight’s feet.
Twilight snapped out of her daze, looking at the source of the hoof. There stood a furious Pegasus stallion. His coat was a faded yellow, with a short-cut dirt brown mane and tail. His Cutie Mark was a shattered light bulb, and the feathers on his wings were balled up in a way that resembled fists. He stood on all fours, snorting like mad. The stallion leaped forward, clearing the gap between himself and Boltsinger in a single jump and landing on him, where he began hitting him repeatedly in the face with both of his forelegs and wings.
“WHY ARE YOU HERE, MONSTER?!” He shouted in his rage. “OUR PARENTS ARE GONE, AND IT’S ALL BECAUSE OF YOU!!! SO WHY?! WHY ARE YOU ANYWHERE THAT PONIES COULD POSSIBLY BE HAPPY?!?!”
A rainbow streak slammed into Boltsinger’s assailant, knocking him away. Rainbow Dash landed in front of her friend, head low and wings spread intimidatingly as she dragged her hoof on the ground with a massive snort.
“STAY AWAY FROM MY FRIEND!” the Wonderbolt yelled, beginning a mad charge at the faded stallion.
“What do you mean, ‘friend’?” The stallion asked as he turned around. He bucked Rainbow Dash in the jaw, sending her flying into the air. “That piece of trash doesn’t deserve friends!” He put his hind legs back on the ground, whipping his tail. He looked back, seeing a flash of blue magic, where Starlight appeared and launched a magical blast at him. He jumped out of the way and ran at her, balling his wings up in an attempt to take a swing.
As the stallion closed the distance, a yellow magical field surrounded him, freezing him in place. He struggled frantically to move, but to no avail.
“That. Is. Enough!” Celestia’s voice boomed from above. In a flash of light, the Sun Princess appeared, descending to the ground in front of the stallion. She brought her face close, looking sternly into his eyes. “Why have you assaulted my guest?”
The stallion gritted his teeth, still struggling. “If you knew the kind of pony he was, you would do the same thing!”
Twilight galloped onto the scene, “Do you know what kind of pony he is?” She ran over to Boltsinger. His face was red and puffy from the assault, his hat torn up and his suit in tatters. He sat up, shuddering in terror, breaking into a run towards the farthest corner. Twilight looked upon the angry stallion, magic swelling up in her horn as her face turned to anger.
Twilight's friends all galloped into the garden, the Cutie Mark Crusaders close behind as Rainbow Dash landed. The group surrounded the struggling stallion, closing in.
Before Celestia could open her mouth, a dark green magical field replaced her own, pulling the assailant away.
“Brightling, what are you doing?!” a mare’s voice asked from behind the crowd. The stallion was floated over them, where a Unicorn stood, the same green magic emanating from her horn. She had a dark grey coat with a turned-up muzzle and green eyes. Her mane and tail were white at the root, fading to grey and finally black at the ends in a medium-length messy style reminiscent of Fluttershy and a Cutie Mark featuring three smoking sparks. “What set you off this time?”
Brightling looked over at the mare, released from her magic and standing on his own. “He is here… I couldn’t stop myself.”
“I see.” the grey Unicorn replied. “Well, then, I don’t blame you. Did you at least deal some damage?”
“Of course, Sparks. At least until that rainbow one barged in.” Brightling looked angrily at Rainbow Dash. “I can’t believe any of these ponies would be on that thing’s side…”
“Yes, it’s clear that even Princess Celestia has no good sense anymore.” The Unicorn turned to leave. “Well, then, we’re leaving. No need to wallow in the trash here.” She sauntered off, whipping Brightling’s flank with her tail. He turned to follow, struggling to un-ball his wings and put them at his side.
Twilight, enraged, began to gallop after them, only to run into Celestia’s wing. “Let them go, Twilight.” the white Alicorn said, looking stern yet concerned. “They will never be coming back. Besides...” She looked over at the shuddering orange Pegasus in the corner. “I believe you have something far more important to attend to.”
The magic in Twilight’s horn began to ebb as she followed her mentor’s gaze, seeing a frighteningly familiar sight. Boltsinger was in the same huddled position he was in when they had first met, apologizing profusely and repeatedly as he shook with fear. Twilight ran to him, bringing her face close to his.
“Boltsinger… It’s okay!” She affirmed. “You’re okay…” She sat on the ground, her face not leaving its proximity as her wings came forward around him.
“I’m sorry… I’m sorry… I’m so… so sorry…” He repeated, his wings growing tense.
“You don’t need to be sorry… Everything is fine!” Twilight said, smiling weakly at him.
Boltsinger’s eyes shot open, pupils shrunken and eyebrows raised. “NO!!!” He shot up into the air, electricity surrounding his body.
“Boltsinger, NO!!!” Twilight called, reaching a hoof out to him. The discharge built up into a sphere around the stallion as his entire body stiffened. His direction changed in midair as he let out a scream that reverberated throughout the city, shooting off in a bolt of lightning and leaving the Princess of Friendship sitting in the garden, tears flowing down her cheeks. “No…”
Celestia looked at her student somberly, turning to the guards at the exits and giving a firm nod. The Pegasi nodded in turn, taking off and scouring the castle for the assailant and his accomplice. She mentally cursed herself for not acting sooner and getting lost in the emotion of the situation. But now, all she could do was be there for Twilight.
Spike came up to Twilight, putting his arms around her and holding out the Pegasus’ pendant. The Princess embraced the dragon, floating the pendant in front of her with sad eyes. Starlight, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash all gathered around their friend, sitting next to her and going in for a group hug that was joined soon after by Princess Celestia.
Twilight accepted every inch of the embrace of everypony around her. She looked up, seeing the electricity lingering in the air. “He said… he loved me…” She looked at the pendant that she floated with her magic, dropping it into a free wing and holding it close. She looked forward with a face of sheer determination. “I have to find him…”