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// How To Make An Honest Flim-Flammer 
// Story: One Bolt, Many Questions 
// by Boltsinger 
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Twilight sat in a room of the hotel she had found a friend at, the friend in question laying on the bed. He had been performing all day, and gotten little rest. The Princess had carried him to his room, and started working on a new performance schedule for the stallion, should he stay on. As she continued her work, she took the occasional glance back at him. The bags under his eyes began to fade, but he was tossing and turning in his sleep. Her gaze lingered as she thought back on their reunion. She let out an exasperated sigh, turning back to her work.
Hours later, as the sky turned orange outside, Boltsinger groaned loudly, slowly opening his eyes. Twilight jumped from her chair, turning to look in his direction. Upon seeing him stir, she scrambled to his side, her head hanging over his.
“Twilight?” The stallion started as her face came into view. His eyebrows raised as the vision of her refused to disappear as his sight cleared up. “You’re really here?! I wasn’t dreaming?”
“Yes, Boltsinger, I’m really here.” She confirmed, slowly nodding. “Is that really such a surprise?”
The blue-maned stallion nodded in silence, his eyes watering. “After what happened at the Gala… I just… I thought that my time with everypony was over…” He heaved another breath. “I thought I’d never see you again… that...  that--”
Twilight put a hoof over his mouth, a warm smile present on her muzzle. “I told you… I’ll do everything in my power to get you home.” She lifted him into a sitting position with her magic, then proceeded to float the pendant off of her neck, returning it to its rightful place around the stallion’s neck. “You dropped something at the Gala, by the way.”
Boltsinger looked down at the crystal and topaz necklace, the water in his eyes beginning to flow out. His gaze drifted back to the Princess before him, his breath heaving once again as any semblance of composure melted away. He broke down completely, lowering his head and leaning into his friend. She put her forelegs and wings around him, cradling him as he wept.
“I saw Brightling there and I just... I couldn’t stop myself.” He started, slowly calming down through hics and sobs. “Everything I ever felt over the years just… It all came back, and I lost control… I landed here, and I thought it was something I deserved… That it was my punishment for finally being happy… That everything Sparks ever said about me was spot-on… I thought you all saw that, too, and…” He lost himself for a few seconds more, the Alicorn stroking his mane.
“We heard all about it from Grand Pear.” Twilight informed him. “None of it was your fault. You didn’t have any control back then.” She lifted Boltsinger’s head with the tip of her right wing. “There is nothing that either of them could have said that could change the way we all think of you.”
The stallion sniffed up some of his tears, wiping the rest away with his wings. “Thank you…” He sat up on his own, moving over to the desk with a deep breath. “So, what have you been working on so diligently?” He looked closely at the production schedule that Twilight had been working on.
“That would be a new and improved schedule for your next performance!” The Princess announced, taking a seat at the desk. “It puts you at one show a day, and gives us ample prep time before it starts! You should be able to get quite a few more songs into one show with this!” She telekinetically lifted the schedule over to show him. His mouth opened softly as his eyebrows rose.
“Wait, this implies that you…” He started.
“Yup.” Twilight finished, nodding proudly.
“And then we would…” he continued.
“That’s right!” She confirmed.
“I see…” he said, looking over the paper and at the mare. “You’re brilliant, you know that?”
Twilight blushed slightly, leaning into the compliment. “So I’ve heard.” She got up and walked over to the window. “Next, we just have to line up a replacement act.”
“Flim and Flam can do that. They need to learn to put actual effort into this kind of stuff.” Boltsinger stated. He walked up next to Twilight, looking out the window as his head began to tilt. “Then again… I can think of a pony that might help to convince them…”
Twilight turned her gaze towards her Pegasus friend. “You can’t possibly be thinking of…?”
“As a matter of fact, I am!” Boltsinger turned towards his Alicorn friend. “Starlight tells me that pony always wanted to do a show in Las Pegasus, after all.”
Twilight let a devious grin emerge on her muzzle. “You’re brilliant, you know that?”
Boltsinger smirked, looking back out at the view. “So I’ve heard.”





The next day, Boltsinger and Twilight were backstage doing final preparations for the show on the new production schedule. Boltsinger was standing by the curtain, each wingtip holding a different pocket of air while Twilight held eighteen more pockets in place with her magic. She smiled at the stallion as he looked back at her. His wings jolted as his face went calm, wings still doing their work. Flim and Flam were in front of the curtain, doing their intro as he stepped out. From backstage, Twilight could hear a far more upbeat song begin, sounding downright jazzy. She found herself dancing to the beat that his hooves made as he flapped along. As the crowd cheered, Twilight brought forth three of the orbs she held, placing them above her friend onstage as a four-part harmony began, sounding something akin to a barber shop quartet. With each new song, Twilight would bring forth three more orbs, until six remained. Boltsinger twitched his tail behind the curtain, alerting Twilight to an upcoming finale. She brought the remaining orbs forward to place them in the corners of the auditorium, the familiar song of the previous day ringing in her ears.
As the crowd began cheering, Boltsinger retreated behind the curtain with a graceful bow, turning to Twilight. He was breathing heavily, but smiling as if he had been re-energized. “So, how was it?” He asked.
Twilight laughed out loud. “I think you should ask the audience!” She trotted over and gave him a quick hug as the proprietors of the establishment came forward.
“That was amazing!” Flim began.
“Stupendous!” Flam continued.
“Top-of-the-line!” Flim added.
“One hundred percent…” Flam lead.
“Extraordinary!” The two simultaneously concluded.
“We can’t wait to see what you’ll do tomorrow night!” Flim told them.
“I’m glad you enjoyed it, gentlecolts.” Boltsinger started. “Because it was most definitely…”
“Absolutely…” Twilight continued.
“Positively…” Boltsinger added.
“One hundred percent…” Twilight lead.
“The last show you’ll get!!!” The two winged ponies simultaneously concluded, each raising a foreleg and laughing.
The salesponies’ jaws dropped, looking back and forth between one another and the ponies before them.
“But-but-but… What about the show?!” Flim asked. “We don’t have anypony else lined up to replace you!”
“Oh, we took care of that.” Twilight informed them. “She should be arriving in the morning!”
“Is she good?” The mustachioed brother inquired.
Boltsinger snickered. “Oh, you don’t have to worry. She’s great!”
Flim and Flam looked at them, bright-eyed. “Yes?”
Twilight nodded with her friend. “She’s powerful!”
The brothers cocked opposite eyebrows. “Powerful?” They wondered.





The door swung open to the hotel the next morning, revealing a blue Unicorn mare with a light blue mane and tail taking a cocky stance upon her entrance. She had purple eyes, and wore a purple pointed hat and cape that had blue and yellow star patterns strewn about, with a jewel buckle holding the cape on her.
“The Grrrrrreat and Powerful TRIXIE has arrived!!!” She exclaimed, fireworks going off behind her. She walked up to the counter. “I have an appointment with the Princess here. Would you be so kind as to direct me to her room?”
Trixie made her way into the room she was informed of, seeing Twilight with the stallion Starlight had introduced her to a month ago. To her left, she saw a couple shady-looking salesponies.
“Hi, Trixie!” Boltsinger greeted, waving one of his wings. “Glad you could make it!”
“Of course!” The illusionist answered. “When I heard there was a show slot waiting for me in Las Pegasus, I couldn’t help but come!” She looked over at the greedy-eyed Unicorns in the room. “Are these the owners of this place?”
“You mean you couldn’t tell from the statues?” Twilight asked.
Trixie scoffed. “Oh, I didn’t pay any attention to those gaudy things! I had more important things to worry about.”
“So, can you do the show?” Flim queried.
“Well, I’ll need some things to perform at my best…” Trixie told him. She began listing a number of props, along with a new hat and cape, as well as a slew of assistants and effects. Twilight and Boltsinger headed out the door.
“Well, we’ll leave you to it!” Boltsinger called out, delivering a mock salute with his foreleg as he and Twilight sped out the door.





Trixie stood onstage, several handsome stallions surrounding her as she struck a pose. She wore a shining silver version of her normal hat and cape that bore golden stars and a ruby cape clip. Massive magical fireworks shot off from behind her, showering the cheering audience with sparkles. Twilight and Boltsinger were in the front row, stomping and woo-hoo-ing happily at the finale.
As the winged ponies turned to leave, they felt a sudden pulling at their hind legs. They turned around, seeing Flim and Flam gripping them tightly.
“Please don’t leave her here!” Flim pleaded.
“She’s so demanding!” Flam added.
“So expensive!” Flim continued.
“So--” the brothers were cut off as the Princess spoke up.
“So good!” She corrected. “Look at that crowd!”
“Bigger than my crowd, that’s for sure.” Boltsinger commented. “Looks like they had a better time, too.”
The Flim-Flam Brothers let go of the objects of their begging to stand up. They looked at the excited ponies in awe.
“Why, you’re right!” Flam admitted.
“You mean, this is what happens when we put real effort into the show?” Flim asked.
“I’d say it’s worth the cost of admission, wouldn’t you?” Twilight pondered, turning to her orange friend.
“Why, I’d shell out quite a few bits to see a show that good.” Boltsinger stated. “I bet all these ponies agree with me, too.” He motioned to the crowd with his wing.
“I dare say you ponies have a point!” Flim announced. “If we can deliver shows this good…”
“We can afford to double ticket prices!” Flam finished. “Excuse us, Miss Trixie!” The brothers climbed up onstage, conversing with the star of their show.
Twilight turned to Boltsinger as her Cutie Mark started to glow. “Well, it seems our work here is done.” She turned to leave, playfully swishing her tail in the stallion’s muzzle. “It’s been a pleasure working with you!”
Boltsinger let out a goofy grin as he trotted to catch up. “Let’s go home!” He jumped into the air, fluttering for a couple seconds as he hollered in excitement.