Twilight sat in the throne room, a number of items laying on the map before her. Boltsinger and Spike sat on either side of her, hopeful looks on their faces as the Princess pointed her horn at the first item, a teddy bear. “Okay… I can do this… my magic should be working fine by now!” She closed her eyes, concentrating as a line of magenta light made its way up the spiral of her horn. The teddy bear became enveloped in a magenta aura, slowly being lifted from its spot and into the air.
“Yeah! Go, Twilight!” Spike cheered, breaking the Princess concentration and forcing her to drop the plush onto the table. She glared at the dragon. “Oops… sorry…”
Boltsinger patted the Alicorn on the back with his wing. “It’s okay, Twilight. You were able to lift it with no problems!” He looked at the myriad items around them, ranging from the teddy bear to a teacup to an egg, each getting more and more fragile as they looked on.
“At least you didn’t drop the teacup!” Spike added.
Twilight giggled a bit. “You’re right. It’s progress. I just never thought I’d see the day where the basics of magic were so difficult again! It’s a pretty big change from what I’m used to. I feel… weaker without it.”
“Isn’t that what friends are for?” the stallion asked, leaning on the map. “Spike and I are here, and all of our friends explicitly said they’d be here at the drop of a hat.” He let out a small laugh as he thought of some of them. “And I bet Pinkie meant that literally!”
Twilight and Spike laughed out loud at the idea, certain that he was spot-on. After a moment of levity, Spike began to heave, quickly letting out a loud, flame-filled belch that formed a scroll in his claws. “A letter?” Twilight wondered. “What does it say?”
Spike opened the scroll, looking at the writing in front of him. “‘From the desk of Princess Celestia. It has come to my attention that Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship, has entered a state of vulnerability during her pregnancy, and may require additional protection.’”
“Protection?” Boltsinger repeated. “But who in Ponyville would want to harm you?”
“Nopony I can think of.” the Princess affirmed. “Ponyville is the friendliest place in Equestria!”
“It keeps going.” Spike stated. He cleared his throat and continued on. “‘However, due to the nature of her home and the town in which it stands, I do not believe a full regiment of guards is required. Therefore, until further notice, she shall be assigned… a personal bodyguard from the ranks of the Royal Guard.’” He rolled the scroll up. “The rest is all the details on when he’ll be arriving. I wonder who it’s gonna be…”
Boltsinger stood alone on the boarding platform at the Ponyville train station, twitching his tail as he waited. Why does Celestia think Twilight needs protection, anyway? He thought, letting himself grimace a little. Spike and I are with her all the time! And even without magic, she’s still an Alicorn! That’s gotta amount to something, right? And even after all of that, she’s got the girls to back her up! I don’t wanna see what happens to the pony that gets on Applejack and Rainbow Dash’s bad side… He took a deep breath as a large crystal-decorated train made its way towards the station. Oh well… doesn’t matter… It’s Princess Celestia’s decision. It’s not up to us…
The train pulled in, the door opening to reveal a familiar yellow Pegasus from the Crystal Empire. He stepped onto the platform, looking around. “Where is everypony?” he asked himself, walking past Boltsinger.
The messy-maned stallion raised a hoof, moving to follow the armored pony. “Um, excuse me, sir!” He started, trotting to follow. The Pegasus stopped, causing Boltsinger to bump into him and fall over as the new arrival looked back.
“What was that about?” he inquired, looking at the orange pony. He examined for a moment, remembering the details he saw. “You’re the pony I jousted against at the Crystal Faire, right?”
Boltsinger rubbed his head with his wing, standing up again and taking a look at him. “I… think so? Flash Sentry, right?”
The guard nodded. “That’s me.” He looked around the station. “Why are you here? I was supposed to meet somepony important to take me to the castle.”
Boltsinger sighed, stepping up to him. “That’s me.” He stated. “I’m Boltsinger, and I’m the one who is here to meet you.”
“I don’t believe you.” Flash deadpanned, turning around and walking away. “Oh well, it’s not like I can’t find the castle from here.” He spread his wings, ascending into the air to get the lay of the land, easily catching a glimpse of the crystal structure. He pulled back, making ready to shoot forward as he was met with a pair of purple eyes.
“Well, that was rude.” Boltsinger started. “I wasn’t lying, you know. I’m the pony you were supposed to meet here.”
Flash scowled at the living lightning bolt. “Who are you, then?”
“Princess Twilight’s husband.” He answered, his gaze and tone firm. “I’m pretty sure you knew that, given how angry you were during our match.”
“I know who you are…” he confirmed. “But that’s not important. Princess Twilight is what’s important.”
Boltsinger relentingly averted his gaze. “You’re right. She’s the most important one.” He turned around, motioning towards the castle. “Come on. I’ll show you the way.” He gave a hard flap of his wings, shooting off in the direction of his home.
“Fine…” Flash huffed, following the Prince’s lead.
“I HAVE RETURNED!” came the stallion’s bellow from the foyer. Twilight jumped for a moment, slowly lowering the teacup in her magical grip back down to the map.
“I’m in the throne room!” She called, heading for the room’s entrance. She opened the door with a smile, a blue-maned stallion she loved to see coming into view. “I’ve gotten back to where I can handle the teacup! At this rate, my magic will be back in a--” Another blue mane caught her eye, the pony it belonged to appearing to be shockingly familiar. “Flash?!” She jumped back slightly. “You were the guard Princess Celestia appointed?!”
For the first time since reaching Ponyville, Flash smiled, looking upon the Princess of Friendship. “When I heard you needed additional protection, I volunteered as soon as I could.” He explained, walking over to her. “It’s wonderful to see you again, Princess Twilight.”
Twilight smiled in turn, her face flushing at the guard’s reasoning for being there. “It’s nice to see you, too, Flash.”
Boltsinger cocked an eyebrow, noting the sudden redness in his wife’s cheeks. “That’s right, you two know each other!” He stated, the twitch of his tail picking up its pace. “Okay. I think I’ll give you some time to catch up. Either of you want anything from Sugar Cube Corner?”
Flash shook his head. “Nothing for me, please.”
“Something chocolate for me, please.” Twilight requested. Boltsinger nodded and turned to walk out. “Oh! And Pinkie Pie’s strawberry cinnamon cilantro swirl cupcakes!”
Both stallions’ eyes went wide, looking back at the adorably smiling Princess. They both let out an enamored sigh, goofy grins making themselves known on their muzzles. Upon hearing one another, their heads simultaneously recoiled as their eyes came to meet. “Well, I’m gonna go get those cupcakes! Don’t have too much fun without me!” Boltsinger nervously said, his tail looking like it could whip a whole swarm of parasprites out of the air.
So, I guess Twilight wasn’t kidding when she said she and Flash have some… ‘history’... I just wish the lightning mindset hadn’t erased her promise to tell me about it! He thought, kicking up a cloud of dust on the dirt road behind him. He snorted a few times, trying not to let his temper get the better of him. I mean, those two seemed downright flirty! And what’s this about him volunteering the moment he knew she needed protection, huh? I mean… It’s great that she has a good friend among the Royal Guard, but… I mean… his head sank, slowing his pace as his tail calmed down. “I shouldn’t get in the way of their friendship… I’m just... “ he let out a defeated sigh. “... jealous… and probably overreacting… “ He lifted his head up, slapping his muzzle with his wings and going into a trot. “Besides! What do I have to be jealous of?”
“Jealous of what?” a high, squeaky voice asked from beside him. The stallion gave a sharp yelp, jumping to the side and looking at the source, where stood Pinkie Pie's inquisitively beaming form. “Something on your mind?”
“Cupcakes!” He blurted. “Just… just going into town for some cupcakes! Twilight wanted something chocolate! As well as some… strawberry cilantro cinnamon something…?”
“Strawberry cinnamon cilantro swirl cupcakes? Why in Equestria would she want that?” Pinkie asked, giggling as the two continued on their way. “Then again, she is gonna have a baby in just seven months! And when you’re gonna have a baby, you start wanting really weird food!” She bounded a little closer to him. “So, what else is bothering you?”
Boltsinger’s tail twitched. “Bothering me?” he repeated, putting on a fake smile with another snap of his tail. “Nothing! Nothing’s bothering me!” Another twitch. “What could possibly be bothering me?” Twitch, twitch, twitch. “Everything is just great! The new guard arrived, and he and Twilight know each other and he makes the same goofy face I do when he looks at her and she blushed at the very first thing he said to her and…” His tail twitched so hard that it cracked like a whip. “... I’M JUST FINE WITH THAT!”
“New guard?” Pinkie repeated, putting her face a mere inch away from his. “You mean the guard that Princess Celestia assigned to protect Twilight that turned out to be her old crush Flash Sentry that beat you seven embarrassing times in a jousting tournament in the Crystal Empire and seems to really really really dislike you because you married the mare he likes and got her pregnant with a baby that’s messing with her magic?”
Boltsinger blinked a couple of times, his rump hitting the ground. “Yes.” He said. “That’s it exactly.” He got up, attempting to continue his walk as his own tail whipped him in the flank with realization. He turned around and looked at Pinkie in a panic. “Wait, her ‘old crush’?!”
“Yeah! Didn’t she tell you?” she asked, backing off and pulling down a projector screen from… somewhere, where images of Twilight in crayon began following the events she described. “They met just after Twilight became Princess, and she had this big adventure in some other place and the guy she liked over there had a counterpart here, and those two were all laugh-y and flirt-y and blush-y and it was so cute it would make you wanna EXPLODE!”
“I see.” Boltsinger started, his tone flatter than Pinkie had ever heard from him. He turned to continue to Sugar Cube Corner, followed closely by the frizzy mare. “That’s nice…”
Pinkie stopped for a moment, tilting her head. “What the…?” she started, making to carefully follow him.
Twilight and Flash sat in the throne room, the Royal Guard inspecting the chamber for any possible dangers while the Princess continued practicing with her magic. “No threats here.” Flash said, fluttering down beside the mare. “So, what are you doing?”
“Covering my magical basics.” she explained. “My magic is still a little weak after that initial shorting out, and everypony agreed that taking baby steps is the safest way to get back into the swing of things. I don’t want to overdo it and suddenly fizzle out again!”
“That would be bad. But that’s why you have me here.” He told her, sitting next to her throne. “I’ll make sure nothing bad ever happens to you!”
Twilight allowed a small flush to escape onto her face, nodding curtly. “Why, thank you, Flash. But you’re not the only one here who can help me. Boltsinger and Spike are always here, and my other friends here in Ponyville have promised to come by whenever they can, too.” She began to concentrate on the next item, floating it gingerly into the air. “I appreciate your dedication, but don’t push yourself too hard just for my sake.”
Flash raised a hoof, attempting to bring a point along with it, but was stopped short by the sound of the castle doors opening with a crash, galloping accompanying a squeaky soprano voice. “TWILIGHT!” Pinkie called, skidding to a stop next to the Alicorn. She knelt down, bringing her forehooves together above her head. “I’m sorry!”
Twilight put her object back down on the map, getting out of her throne and looking quizzically at the party pony. “What are you so sorry about?”
Pinkie got up, looking frantically to either side, most noticeably out the door before she came in close to her royal friend. “I broke Bolt!”
Twilight cocked an eyebrow. “Pinkie, what are you talking about?”
Pinkie looked back at the door, where Boltsinger was silently walking in. He slowly made his way to the throne room, a box on his back with his tail twitching a mile a minute. He entered the throne room with a blank stare, sliding the box onto the map, giving his wife a lifeless peck on the cheek, and making his exit towards the stairs. Twilight had a flabbergasted face, furrowing her brow at what had just transpired. “I broke him…”
“How did you ‘break’ him?” the Alicorn inquired.
The pink pony prodded the purple Princess, parading her way farther from the resident guard. Once the yellow stallion was safely out of earshot. “You know how I tend to start talking and then never stop talking until I’ve said the worst possible thing I could say to the pony I’m talking to and they feel worse than they did before like it’s some kind of exposition for a third party to understand what’s going on?”
Twilight shook her head, attempting to fully grasp what it was her eccentric friend was getting at. “I… guess…? What does that have to do with ‘breaking’ Boltsinger?”
Pinkie put her hooves on Twilight’s shoulders, bringing herself muzzle to muzzle with the magical mare. “EVERYTHING! I told him about your history with Flash! And then he suddenly went all--” She made the same kind of blank face the orange stallion had been wearing, her mane imitating his to a degree, quickly returning herself to normal. “--- and then we went to Sugar Cube Corner to get his order, and he tried a strawberry cinnamon cilantro swirl cupcake, and… He didn’t gag!” She shook Twilight rapidly. "HE DIDN'T GAG, TWILIGHT!!!"
Twilight slowly floated one of the aforementioned cupcakes over to herself, taking a gleeful bite. “I don’t see how that’s so strange, Pinkie.” She told her, her mouth stuffed full of the supposed treat and swallowing with a smile. “These are delicious!”
“Twilight, I’m gonna be honest with you.” Pinkie said, her face flattening out. “You’re pregnant, so right now what tastes good to you doesn’t really count.”
Twilight smiled sheepishly, wiping the green frosting from her mouth. “I suppose you’re right… Are you sure Bolt is… broken, though?”
“Well, he did say something about being jealous when I first saw him today.” she added, looking at the hallway. “And his tail was a-twitchin’ worse than when I get my Pinkie Sense!”
Twilight put her hoof to her muzzle, remembering what she saw. “His tail was moving a lot… I’m gonna go check on him!” She walked to the door.
Flash Sentry soon followed suit. “Don’t forget me.” He started, coming up behind the Princess.
“Um… Actually, Flash, could you… um… escort Pinkie home?” Twilight suggested, motioning back to the party pony. “I’d feel safer if my friends were safe, too.”
Flash looked back at her, seeing a cheerful and enthusiastic wave coming back. “I… think she can handle herself.”
Twilight stopped, turning around and looking at her friend. “Are you sure? Did you see her when she came in? She was so… um… helpless and distraught!” She sent a wink at Pinkie, who smiled and winked back with a giggle. There was a moment of silence, Twilight coughing into her wing. “I said… SHE LOOKS SO HELPLESS AND DISTRAUGHT!”
Pinkie’s eyes widened, getting the picture and falling to her knees. She let out a number of fake sobs, bringing her forelegs to the floor and pounding it with her hoof. “Oh noooooooo! I feel so bad about what happened that I am now completely helpless and distraught! Woe is me!”
Flash recoiled at the unexpected change, looking back at Twilight. “You see?” she said, pushing him towards the mare who cried such crocodile tears. “She can’t possibly get home by herself! I’d really appreciate it if you would make sure she gets home safely!” She raised her head, leaning in close and batting her eyelashes. “Please?”
Flash internally swooned. “Okay, I’ll do it.” He replied, immediately acquiescing. “Just make sure you stay safe.”
“I’m in my own castle. I couldn’t be safer!” She affirmed with a smile. “You go and make sure Pinkie Pie is just as safe!” She waved a wing, then paused. “And all my other friends, too! You should check on all of them, just to be sure.”
Flash tilted his head, finally shrugging and turning around to escort the living bubble of laughter back to Sugar Cube Corner. “Come on, Miss Pie. Let’s get this done quickly.”
Thanks, Pinkie… I’m gonna have to make this up to everypony tomorrow… Twilight thought, turning to gallop into the depths of the castle. She went to the library first, thinking that he would bury his troubles in a book. Finding nopony there, she sat for a moment, shifting her ears to listen in several directions for the sounds of music. Again, no signs of the stallion. She thought for a moment more, finally slamming one forehoof into the other as the “Aha!” came out. “The music room!”
The pacing had begun on the music room floor. But the rambling was nowhere to be found. Instead, Boltsinger unconsciously whipped his tail around, occasionally hitting a shelf or stand. He kept going like this for several minutes.
“Bolt?” Twilight called from outside. “Are you in there?” Boltsinger jumped, moving to a corner of the room silently. “I’m coming in, okay?” The door opened slowly, a lilac hoof appearing from beyond to be followed by the Princess it belonged to. She looked around the room, her eyes falling upon the Pegasus she sought. “Hey, Bolt… Are you okay?”
“I’m fine…” he told her. “I’m fine, I’m fine, I’m fine I’m fine I’m fine I’m fine… I’m… fine…”
“Are you sure you’re fine?” she asked, walking up next to him.
“Yep. I’m fine.” He continued. “Totally fine…”
“I’m not so sure you’re as ‘fine’ as you say you are.” she stated, sitting down and scooting closer.
“No, I’m exactly as fine as I say I am, because ‘F.I.N.E.’ is an acronym!” He blurted out, his eyes finally returning to normal as his nervous smile came on full display.
“An acronym?” Twilight wondered. “What does it stand for?”
His breathing slowed down as his head drooped. “It… It stands… It stands for ‘Fractured’...” His wings sank to the floor. “... ‘Insecure’... ‘Neurotic’... and… and... “
“Go on…” the Alicorn encouraged.
“... ‘Emotional’... So, yeah… I’m F.I.N.E… Totally… totally fine…”
“Boltsinger, be honest with me.” Twilight started, putting her wingtip on his chin and lifting his head. “Are you uncomfortable with Flash being here?”
Boltsinger took a deep breath, slapping his muzzle with his wings. “I don’t have anything against Flash…” he told her, pulling his head back. “And, it shouldn’t make me… uncomfortable…” He shook his head, repeating his wing-slapping gesture. “Oh, who am I kidding? It makes me very uncomfortable!” He averted his gaze to the floor, pawing at what he saw below. “You… You liked him… really liked him…” he looked back at her, his face contorted with pain. “And right away, too! And… He still likes you… anypony can tell... But… but..” His breathing grew staggered as he once again slapped his face with his wings, his tail whipping the wall behind him. “You… chose… me…” Another slap to his muzzle came as he raised his hoof, bringing it down hard upon his reflection. “You could’ve had better... Had a Royal Guard! But you chose me…” Tears began flowing out if his eyes at this point. “You chose me…! You could have had somepony who could really protect you and make you happy and you chose me…” He fell forward, his head resting against her as she wrapped him in her forelegs and wings. He reached his foreleg forward, putting his hoof on her belly. “And now we’re having this foal… and it’s messing with your magic and making you feel so weak… and it’s all my fault…! You could have had so much better… and you chose me…” He continued in his repetitious ramble for another minute, eventually devolving into incoherent sobs as he put his forelegs around the mare he loved. Finally, he took one more deep, staggering breath. “Why in Equestria did you choose me?!”
Twilight squeezed him tighter than she ever had before, resting her head on top of his. “Bolt… I chose you because I love you… You know that!” She pulled back, putting her hoof on his cheek. “Come with me.” She stood up, offering her hoof to assist him in the same. “I want to show you something.”
He put his hoof in hers, slowly rising. “What is it?”
She coupled her wing into his, leading him out of the music room and into the halls proper. “You’ll see when we get there. Come on.” The two of them walked in silence for several minutes, eventually heading into a room with a number of jewels that resembled the ornaments on the chandelier of the throne room. On a desk at the edge of the room lay a sewing set and a selection of photos. “Rarity and I set up this room a long time ago, so that we could create more ornaments for the chandelier.” She guided him to the desk, sitting him in the chair and laying out several photographs. She pointed to the one on the far left, showing a spooked orange stallion in the fetal position in the Castle foyer, six mares and a dragon all gathered around him. “This was the night you arrived in Ponyville. You were so excitable back then!” She pointed to the photo next to it, a picture of him staring up at the chandelier. “This was the day you realized you were home here…” The next picture showed Boltsinger at Sweet Apple Acres, his mouth open as if he were letting out a bellow. “Your first day working the farm…” Another picture showed him sitting at a school desk in the library, writing fervently with Twilight at a chalkboard. “Our first tutoring session!” She showed more and more photos, some of them during times he could have sworn there was no camera there. She sat next to him, directing him to look her in the eye. His tears still flowed, but they were softer and more reverent. “Don’t you see? You shared so many wonderful memories with all of us! You are so much more than just a crush I had! You started off as my friend, and that makes all the difference in the world!” She reached forward, pulling him into another hug. “You do so much more than a fun little flirt… truly enriching all of our lives…” She pulled back enough to look at him again, leaning in and giving him a firm kiss to the lips. After a moment, the two separated, she beamed at him, wiping his tears away with her wing. “Choosing you was the best decision I could have made! I couldn’t possibly have had better!”
Boltsinger smiled, pulling his wife in for another embrace. “And here I thought I was supposed to be there while you cried during all of this…”
Twilight packed him on the back, laughing. “At least you had a good reason for it. I just go into random fits of crying or laughter every now and then.” The two shared in a laugh, finally getting up and moving back to the throne room.
The next morning, Boltsinger sat on a chair that had been brought into the throne room in his typical spot, quill in his teeth and parchment beneath him. Twilight was in the middle of enjoying her cupcakes as Pinkie Pie brought more in from the kitchen. Flash Sentry stood on the other side of the open doorway, keeping an eye out for potential dangers.
“Dear Princesses Celestia and Luna,
Sometimes, it’s easy to forget your worth when somepony more outwardly impressive shows up. You might start to think that if that pony had taken your place, then things would have been better, even if they didn’t spend as much time with your loved ones as you have! But the memories you make with those same loved ones always creates something irreplaceable. If you weren’t a part of their lives, then those lives would be remarkably different. But that doesn’t necessarily mean it would be a good kind if different, and that’s the part that’s hard to remember. That lesson, there, lets me know to make sure I create as many good memories as possible with the baby, so that that foal doesn’t have to learn lessons like these the hard way, like I did.
Your friend,
Boltsinger”
Boltsinger rolled up his letter, tucking it under his wing and standing up. He walked over to the Princess and the Pinkie, an inquisitive look lining his face. “So, I have to know… How did you all get those photos? I could have sworn there weren’t any cameras at half of those events!”
“Ask Pinkie!” Twilight stated, pointing at the party pony. “She’s the one that took all of them.”
Boltsinger turned his head towards the pony in question, the question in his eyes as obvious as the color of her coat. Pinkie gave him a smug smile, putting her hoof around him. “Let’s just say I have a sense for these kinds of things.” Twilight performed a spit take with her cupcake, giving off a guffaw like the stallion had only rarely heard before. Pinkie’s knees began to shudder, followed by a whipping of her tail and a shivering of her back, making her jump and let her whole body vibrate for a moment. “Ooh! Excuse me!” She exclaimed, twisting her head and poking into her mane with her prehensile forelock. From the far reaches of the frizz came a camera, which she hung from her neck, speeding out of the castle with a hearty giggle.