Something felt a little different this morning. Boltsinger knew that last night was Hearth’s Warming Eve, and that today was going to be on the quiet side since the family had all done their festivities the day before. His bed felt a lot softer than normal, though. He opened his eyes, seeing a fancy canopy that wasn’t there before. There was a weight on his stomach as well. He took a deep breath, trying to sit up, but there was more weight on his shoulder. He looked at the source of it, seeing Twilight’s head resting there, her right foreleg spread out over his chest. His mouth opened into a perfect little ‘o’ shape as his pupils shrank. Well, this is unexpected… What happened last night?
Twilight stirred a little, gripping him tighter as she opened her eyes. She lifted herself up with a yawn, looking around the room and catching Boltsinger in her gaze. “Oh! You’re awake! Good morning!” She rolled over, giving him some space to move. “You scared me last night. Are you okay?”
Boltsinger sat up, looking at her. “Yeah. So, what exactly happened?” He asked, more than a little confused. “I remember you opening the door, and… my stuff was in here? After that, I don’t remember anything.”
“Oh! Well, I wanted to surprise you for Hearth’s Warming.” Twilight began, scooting closer. “And I felt we were ready to take another step together. So, I moved your things in here, since my room was bigger. And it’s not like we haven’t spent nights together before.” She got up and moved to her mirror, running a brush through her mane. “At least you didn’t go into a panic this time!”
Boltsinger got up from the bed, looking into the photo-lined mirror with Twilight. “Well, to be fair, I was the one that passed out first this time.” The two let out a laugh. “Are you sure we’re ready for this big of a step, though?”
“I know I am. I’ve been thinking about it for weeks!” she exclaimed. “What about you?”
“I don’t know... “ He admitted. “I was just so happy with things as they were, I never really thought about moving forward.”
Twilight put a hoof around him. “That sounds familiar. Like a certain stallion I know before he poured his heart out to the mare he liked.” She teased. “Take as much time as you need. I’ll be waiting.” She patted him on the back as he turned to leave.
The day was as quiet as expected. Boltsinger would often fly into the air and play various games with Flurry Heart while Twilight kept her parents entertained. Before they even realized, the holiday was over. Boltsinger sat in the library, looking for the book that had all the information on dating that he and Twilight had read. Once he fished it out, he plopped down onto the couch, skimming through as quickly as he could without missing any information.
“She said she’s been thinking about it for weeks… She has to have been looking through this again!” He told himself, turning the page once more. “Where is the section on this next step…?” He reached the end of the book, flipping it over and going to the table of contents. “If all else fails, I guess… Let’s see… Does this qualify as ‘moving in together’?” He skipped to the page indicated, looking it over. “Let’s see… ‘When considering the idea of moving in together, both ponies involved must trust one another completely…’ Twilight says she trusts me, and… I feel the same… But… I dunno…” He brought his wings forward, looking at them carefully. “It’s not that I don’t trust Twilight. That would be stupid. But…” He let out a loud yawn, closing the book and laying down. “Maybe… I…” Before he could finish his thought, his head hit the couch cushions, consciousness leaving him entirely.
Boltsinger walked through an empty hallway, feeling more tired than he had ever experienced in his life. He came upon a large door, smiling and pushing it open. Inside, there was an enormous and inviting bed. He fluttered his wings, rising up into the air and seeing the bed in full. Twilight was laying on her side, looking invitingly at him and patting the bed next to her. She sat up farther and beckoned him over with a foreleg. He let a goofy smile escape onto his muzzle, hearts in his eyes as he dove into the bed. The blankets fluffed up all around them, pillows releasing every feather inside. Boltsinger walked over to the content-looking Twilight, his wings stiff.
“Are you ready for this big step?” Twilight asked in a sultry tone, opening her forelegs to invite him in. “I trust you completely, you know…”
“Oh, I’m ready…” the stallion replied, nodding slowly so as to keep his eyes on the Princess before him. He brought his front half low, then leaped forward, diving into her. The two met in an embrace, falling to the bed below as the two giggled. Twilight looked longingly into Boltsinger’s eyes, leaning in close as his wings wrapped around her forelegs. He looked at his wings, wondering what was happening as they coiled in a strange way. “What’s going on…?” His wings continued their coiling, covering her forelegs entirely and lifting her into the air.
“I don’t know!” Twilight answered, struggling to get free. Boltsinger’s wings somehow extended, holding the Alicorn high in the air as an electrical current flowed through them.
“No… Please, wings, don’t!” the Pegasus pleaded. The electricity continued its encroachment, shooting up until it hit Twilight. “NNNNOOOOOOOOOOO!!!” Twilight let out an ear-shattering scream as lightning surged out of her body, disappearing in a flash. Where she was, a pile of ash had formed. Boltsinger fell to the ground, his wings returning to normal at his sides while a dark mist formed around him. He looked at the ash pile with tears trickling down his muzzle, all hope in his eyes lost.
From inside the mist, a green light shone. “You see? You destroy every life you touch…” a mare’s voice said. The light stepped forward, revealing the form of Dimming Sparks. “The simple idea that you would deign to get close to anypony is a disaster! Monsters like you aren’t meant to be happy!” She reared up, a sinister smile on her muzzle as she brought her hooves down.
“ENOUGH!!!” Another voice came from the mist as a chill wind blew it away entirely. Standing between Boltsinger and Sparks was an Alicorn mare whose coat was the same color as the night sky itself. She had a starry, misty mane and tail that flowed as if the wind blew gently through it at all times. She wore elegant silver shoes on each hoof and a pitch-black necklace that bore the same moon symbol emblazoned on her flank, along with a dark crown that rested against her horn. Her blue eyes looked fiercely at the mare in front of her, her muzzle showing gritted teeth. Sparks stood her ground, horn lit furiously as she grew in size, rearing back up as the Princess of the Night lit her horn in reply. “Boltsinger! Art thou alright?”
“Princess Luna?! What are you doing here?!” He replied.
Luna fended off a furious stomp from the giant mare. “I am here to protect you!” She created a bubble around the two of them, turning to face him. “Who is this pony? And why is her presence in your mind so ruthlessly strong?”
Boltsinger slowly stood up, looking at the giant. “That’s Dimming Sparks… My sister-in-law.” He informed her. Sparks took a step back, shooting a humongous blast of magical energy at the bubble and sending it rolling into a starry void.
“You’re not worth it, Boltsinger!” the giant screamed. “Everypony knows it!”
Luna turned back to face Sparks, flaring her wings and jumping out of the bubble. She ignited her horn furiously, loosing a blast several times her size at her foe. “You will not influence him any further! I will not let you!!!”
“No, Princess! Don’t!” Boltsinger shouted, running to the edge of the bubble and reaching his foreleg forward. “She’s too powerful!”
The giant version of Sparks let out a blast that matched Luna’s in both power and scale, the clash of the two energies causing a massive blue and green explosion as the Unicorn laughed to herself. She stepped forward, green cracks appearing in the ground where she placed her hoof.
“Fair Boltsinger, I am the Princess of the Night!” Luna began, straining to hold herself steady against the force she faced. “None are more powerful than I in the world of dreams!” Her eyes lit up, her magic growing in power and forcing the green energy back. She flapped her wings, moving towards the giant mare with a force unlike anything the Pegasus had ever seen before. Luna rammed into the giant mare, horn-first. The light engulfing Sparks’ horn faded as she stepped back, a black smoke coming from the hole made by Luna’s horn. The hole expanded, cracking all over and spreading through her entire body with green light. She let out a reality-distorting scream, the cracks engulfing her entirely, finally exploding in a cloud of green magic. Luna looked sternly at the shards of the nightmare as they scattered about, breathing heavily. Once everything was calm, she turned back to face the dreamer she had come to aid, moving the bubble he was in so as to place him in front of her. “If I am to be honest with you, I have been attempting to work my way into your nightmares for moons to no avail. I believe her presence in your psyche may have been the cause of it.”
“Considering the fact that her special talent is influence, and she can magically manipulate ponies to be something she wants them to be, I can understand that.” He told her. “I’ve been hearing her voice in the back of my mind for years, now. Always telling me that I wasn’t worth it for myself or anypony else… It wasn’t until recently that I even knew that voice was her.”
“I see… But that presence is not what troubles you so on this night, is it?” Luna inquired, sitting down. “It brought her to the forefront, but it is your own fears that plague you at the moment.”
“Yeah…” He admitted, looking at the ground below him. “I’m afraid of… well…” He lifted his wings, creating an electric spark between them. “These. You see, Twilight believes she and I are ready to take the ‘next step’ in our relationship, which, considering the fact that we already live together, means sleeping in the same room… and bed.”
“And why do your wings cause you fear in this regard?” Luna wondered, raising a hoof to her muzzle.
“So, I read in the dating book Twilight and I have been working with that ‘moving in together’, which is what this basically is, requires us to trust each other completely.” He continued. Luna cocked an eyebrow and tilted her head. “And we do trust each other! Trusting her is not the issue! It’s that… I don’t trust me. Whenever somepony is nearby when my wings start sparking the way they do, they are either whisked away along with me, or seriously hurt… Half the time it starts, I’m not even aware that it’s happening, and it has happened in my sleep before!”
“You know, though, that risk is a part of any friendship.” Luna stated. “The very Princess you are concerned for has risked her very being for others for as long as I have known her. I am certain she sees what risks present themselves with what she has deemed herself ready for.”
“You’re right, of course…” Boltsinger said, hanging his head. He let out a resigned sigh, looking the Princess in the eye. “I’ll talk to Twilight about it in the morning. Of that, you can be sure.”
Luna gave a warm smile, standing to her full height. “I am pleased to hear it. But I must offer up a warning before I depart.” Her look turned to one of regality. “I fear I was not able to eradicate the presence that plagues you.” She turned to walk away, looking back at the stallion. “Should it return, I pray you inform me. I suggest speaking with Twilight on the matter, as well. I may be able to step into your dreams, but the only way to truly heal such a wound is with the help of loved ones.” She flapped her wings, taking off into the sky above and disappearing into the moon. The light from her exit shone brightly, enveloping everything in view, including Boltsinger himself.
Boltsinger opened his eyes, seeing the walls covered in books and feeling the couch beneath him. He groaned, pushing himself up with his forelegs. His entire body ached, as if he had been thrashing around all night, confirmed by the presence of his most recently-read book lying on the floor, open and pages down.
“I need to talk to Twilight…” He said, slowly working his way to the floor. “I... need to…” His knees buckled underneath him, sending him falling to the floor.
As the thud of his impact sounded, Boltsinger heard galloping headed his way. A set of blue hooves on white legs came rushing to his side.
“Bolt!” Shining Armor called out, having heard the sounds of a falling pony from the hallway. “Are you okay?” He used his horn to work his head under the Pegasus’ body, lifting him up.
“I think so… Just had one hay of a nightmare, though…” He explained. “Thanks for this…” He pointed a wing at the older stallion, motioning between the two of them.
“It’s no problem.” he replied with a smile. “Where to?”
“I need to talk with Twilight.” Boltsinger began. “Could you take me to her?”
“I think I can manage that.” Shining Armor agreed. “Everyone is having breakfast soon, so she’ll be in the dining room. You look like you could use a good meal, anyway.”
“To the dining room, then!” Boltsinger proclaimed, pointing a foreleg forward as Shining Armor carried him to their destination.
In the dining room, a meal had already been laid out. Twilight was dishing out everypony’s meal as her brother trotted in. She smiled at him, raising a hoof to wave as she lifted another plate with her magic. “Morning, Shining Armor!” She started. “What took you so lo--” She dropped the plate, seeing a certain Pegasus draped over Shining Armor’s back. She leaped over the table towards them, looking at Boltsinger. “What happened?”
“You ever have a nightmare so bad that you feel like you didn’t sleep at all when you wake up?” Boltsinger lead. “Princess Luna says ‘hi’, by the way.” Shining Armor chuckled, lifting the orange pony with his magic and placing him in one of the chairs. “I’ll explain everything later. Food first.”
After breakfast came a time nopony was looking forward to. Cadence and Shining Armor gathered their things into what was a substantially larger stack than before, while Night and Velvet followed suit. Twilight gave each of her family members a farewell embrace as they left, paying special attention to Flurry. When they were gone, Twilight turned back towards the dining room, coming in to see Boltsinger working his way to his hooves. He waved a wing to greet her as his knees shook.
“Are you feeling okay?” She asked, ready to help at a moment’s notice. He nodded sheepishly, taking a few steps closer. “What kind of nightmare saps your strength like that?”
Boltsinger started towards the hall, beckoning her along with his wing. “So… there’s a few things... “ He told her about the dream that he had, leaving out some of the more embarrassing parts. Twilight looked puzzled as he described the battle between Luna and the mental image of Sparks, wondering how something born from a dream could ever be a match for the dreamwalker. They made their way into Twilight’s room, where he sat down and looked at the imposing bed. “And that leads me to the thing that caused it in the first place. I do trust you completely. And i know that you trust me. It’s more that I don’t trust…” He splayed his wings, twiddling the feathers. “These malfunctioning things. I don’t always have control, and when that happens… Well, you’ve heard about what happens when somepony is too close while they do their thing…” He lowered himself to the floor, putting his head on his forelegs.
Twilight stepped closer, laying in front of him and placing her hoof on his. “So that’s the issue you were having... “ She said with a relieved smile. “I wish you had told me sooner. I know you never told me directly, but I figured you’ve had times where you fly off in your sleep.” Boltsinger raised his head again, opening his mouth to speak. “I mean, it’s been happening for years, so it’s not too farfetched to think that something like that has happened.” She leaned in close to him. “When I was still living in the Golden Oak library, I was fully aware of the dangers of living in a tree during an electrical storm, so I set up a magical lightning rod to protect it. Since your wings create lightning, I made some… adjustments… to the bed!” She flew up to the top of the canopy, lifting her companion along with her to see a silver rod coming out of the top. “There’s lightning rods here at the top, and one at every corner of the bed! If those wings of yours start sparking, they’ll draw it all in and protect us!” Boltsinger looked, wide-eyed, at the devices, then back at Twilight. He flapped his wings, dispelling the field around him as he lunged forward and hugged her tightly.
“Thank you…” He told her, pulling back and looking down at the inviting mattress. “I think I’m ready, now.” He lowered himself onto the bed proper, falling onto his side and passing out.
Twilight smiled softly, landing next to him and resting one of her wings on his Cutie Mark. “You’re welcome.”