//------------------------------// // One Bolt, Spreading Harmony // Story: One Bolt, Moving Forward // by Boltsinger //------------------------------// Blackness. That was all anypony in Ponyville could see on this joyous day. The sun was black, the sky was black, even the light that shone from a Unicorn’s horn was quickly snuffed out. On the wind, they could hear a baby’s cry. Talk spread through town about the baby that was said to have been born, and many ponies wondered if, by chance, it was the source. How right they were. After some time fumbling through the hospital, Twilight and Boltsinger made it outside, their best friends following close behind alongside Discord and the Royal Sisters. “My… You weren’t kidding when you said the sun was… gone!” Princess Celestia pointed out. She raised her foreleg over her eyes, trying to find a mote of light somewhere in the distance. “How in Equestria is he doing this?” “I don’t know!” Twilight admitted, looking around in an attempt to see something beyond the color of pitch. She brought her horn to life, catching a glimpse of the ponies around her, but felt a tugging at her horn. She turned her head In the direction of the pull, finding her own magic to be yanked away from her in a way she swore she recognized. “I think… maybe he’s absorbing it! Or at least… somehow redirecting it!” Boltsinger looked over at the magenta glow, watching it pull away from its owner. “Redirecting it? You mean like…?” “Right, like when my magic shorted out all those times!” the lilac Alicorn confirmed. She turned to Discord, magic beginning to emanate from her horn. "And if you hadn't scared him, he wouldn't be up there, scared, alone, and crying!" She stomped over to the Draconequus, rising to her hind legs and pulling him down by the beard. "If something happens to my baby because of you, I promise that turning back into stone will be the most comfortable outcome!" Discord's eyes grew visibly wider. "A-and what do you mean by that?" "Do you know what happened to the Storm King?" She asked. "Can't say I do..." the chaos spirit fibbed. Twilight lifted a rock with her wing, encasing it with her magic. She scrunched her face for an instant, and with that, the rock was powder. "Twilight, stop!" Boltsinger called, racing to his wife and putting his trembling hoof on her shoulder. She looked at him through the dimming light of her horn, releasing Discord's beard. His face was awash with distress, sweat and tears rolling indistinguishably down his face as he stared into her eyes. "I know how you feel, believe me, I do. But this isn't the time to be pointing hooves! We need to get up there and save our son, no matter what!" Twilight took a moment to gather her emotions, dropping back to all fours. She brought her hoof to her heart with a deep inhale, extending her foreleg as she exhaled. "You're right. It's not important how it started..." She turned around to look back in the direction her magic had been pulled, the calmness she had forced quickly fading once more. "We need to get our baby back..." Discord put his paw up over his eyes, letting out a sigh. “Well, I guess since this whole thing is my fault, you want me to fix it, yes?” Boltsinger shrugged, giving the chimera like creature a shaky smirk. “Your magic is pretty handy. If you want to get our baby back for us, I see no reason to not let you.” Discord smirked back, giving off a dishonest huff. “Oh, fine, I’ll do it! You don’t have to be such a nag, you know!” He raised his eagle talon, snapping his claws to appear atop a winged elephant. “Discord, away!!!” The elephant took off at a speed that seemed unreal for such a large creature, speeding towards the center of town. “Does he remember what happened the last time he got close to something that can suck out magic?” Starlight asked, raising a hoof to her ear. “Three… two… one…” CRASH. Discord could be heard in the middle of town, groaning in pain. “I guess he didn’t.” “So even Discord’s magic gets sucked in if it gets too close… How do we help him… how do we help him?!” She stewed for a moment, coming up with as many solutions as she could. “Bolt… I know this is sudden, but I think you might be able to get to him!” Boltsinger flared his wings, the lightning within sparking to life in an instant. “Already on it, dear!” the blue glow the lightning created lit up a small area around him. He hunched over, his Cutie Mark crackling like mad as he lifted off. “DADDY’S COMING, LITTLE GUY! Twilight and her friends looked on at the lightning bolt that was Boltsinger, barreling towards the one speck of light that flew above the town. As he drew closer, his speed began to decrease. The lightning continued to move to the baby, but the blackness only grew deeper. In the distance, they heard a loud crash, eliciting a gasp from the gathered mares. Twilight looked around, igniting her horn one more time. “Everypony, get close!” she directed, waving them to her. Once she confirmed they were all close by, she turned to Celestia. “Princess Celestia, do you think you could manage a teleportation spell to take us all to Bolt? I don’t want to risk running through town like this!” Celestia nodded, bringing her horn to life. “I believe so.” She turned her attention to Luna. “Sister, would you be able to help me with this?” Luna lit her horn, adding to the glow around them. “Of course, sister.” she brought her horn forward, making contact with her sister’s. “Everypony, put your hoof on the pony next to you! We do not want to lose one another in this darkness!” The ponies did as directed, soon finding themselves in a blue and yellow flash that landed them next to the castle. Near the door, they heard a familiar groan. “Okay, so… my lightning just gets absorbed, too! Good to know!” Boltsinger said, shaking his head as he rose up. He looked back at the mote of light, letting his composure fall away. “I promise you, I’ll get to you and bring you home…” “Bolt! Are you okay?” Twilight asked, nearly bumping into him as her gallop came to a halt. She found his face with her hoof, bringing her head close. “Did you see him?” “I did.” he confirmed. “He’s scared, Twilight. Scared and alone… My lightning couldn’t get me up there…” He turned to the wall, punching it as hard as he could with his foreleg. “Right when I need them to do their thing, these stupid wings aren’t good enough!” Twilight reached forward and put her hoof on Boltsinger’s, looking him in the eye. “You know that’s not true! We just need to find a solution!” “What kind of solution will work?” he wondered, retreating his hoof. “He’s pulling in every kind of magic he can! It wasn’t just my lightning that stopped working, but my wings couldn’t keep me in the air anymore! Not to mention what he did to Discord!” “So he even took your innate Pegasus magic?” Twilight inquired. Boltsinger nodded, looking back to the speck that was his son. “The ability to take magic on that level… I haven’t seen something like that since Tirek!” Celestia reasoned. “Can you fly again now?” “I can, but if I get too close, he just sucks it all up again.” he informed her. “I don’t think we can get to him through normal means…” “Well if normal means won’t work, what if we used something different?”  Fluttershy suggested. “There has to be something we can do.” “Well, there’s the Elements of Harmony, but those are with the Tree.” Twilight stated. She brought a contemplative hoof to her muzzle. “I doubt we could get through the forest unscathed with darkness like this… But we need that kind of power!” She huddled up to her friends, discussing different strategies and possible methods. Boltsinger trudged his way along the wall, finding himself at the door. He sat on the steps, looking up at his newborn foal. “No lightning, no Elements… What the hay are we supposed to do? It’s not like we have some always-available super powerful magical solution!” As if to retort, a pulse of light came from behind the door. “No, that sounds wrong…” he stated as his wings began to stiffen. The light pulsed again, a faint magenta glow beginning to shine from his pendant. “What do you mean, ‘Rainbow Light’?” Another pulse came, prompting a magenta discharge to surge from his wings. “I get it… Yeah! That’s it!” The stallion peeked behind him, seeing a slit of light under the door. “Twilight! Girls! Come here! I know what to do!” Twilight brought her head out of the huddle, looking over at the sparking stallion. “What is it?” she asked, breaking the formation to face him. “Wait a minute… are you…?” She paid special attention to his wings, noting the color of the discharge. She waved her friends and teachers along, cantering to her spouse. “Okay, so what do we do?” “Follow the light!” he directed, giving the front door a buck. It swung open, booming as it hit the wall. Inside the castle was a pulsing light that refused to ebb. They entered the gargantuan crystal structure, which lit up further with their hoofsteps, and made their way to the source of the light. Boltsinger took a single flapping leap over them, coming to a stop in front of the throne room, where the door had opened itself and revealed a fiercely glowing map. “Princess, you said yourself that you haven't seen something like what the baby is doing since Tirek, right?” Celestia nodded, stepping forward and investigating the map. “Yes, but I’m not sure what that has to do with the map.” “Well, how did you all defeat Tirek?” he asked. “Oh! I remember!” Pinkie cried out, rushing to the map. “First, Twilight took in the magic of all the other Alicorn Princesses after Discord betrayed everypony! Then when Tirek found out that Twilight existed, he captured all of us and stole our magic! Then Twilight and Tirek had a BIG magic fight that looked like it was straight out of a story book that destroyed the library she was living in, and then he said…” She swept her hoof through her mane, appearing with a white mane and beard. “‘WE ARE AT AN IMPASSE! GIVE ME YOUR MAGIC AND YOU GET YOUR FRIENDS!!!’” She shook her head, appearing normal once more. “And so she did! And we all went free and Discord saw that friendship is magic and we put Twilight’s key in the chest and grew these super long colorful manes that let us shoot a big friendship laser at Tirek and give Equestria its magic back!” She took a deep inhale, making ready to speak more. “And then--" Boltsinger’s hoof found its mark over Pinkie’s mouth, where she continued rambling in a muffled voice. “So… what if you used the same thing you used to defeat Tirek?” he suggested. Twilight shook her head. “But we don’t have the chest anymore. It--” Boltsinger removed his hoof from Pinkie’s muzzle. “--the chest dug into the ground outside of Ponyville and this whole castle we’re standing in grew out of it where the map--" The discharging Pegasus replaced his hoof, pointing his wing at the glowing map. “Call me crazy, but I've just started hearing this voice in my head telling me to use the ‘Rainbow Light’.” he explained. “At first, I didn’t know what it meant, but then I remembered that we needed the most powerful magic there is, friendship! It’s the only kind of magic that can’t be stolen away, and you six can channel that like… well… I channel all of you!” “And if we don't have the Elements…” Twilight started, looking around at the thrones. “I get it now! Everypony, to your throne!” She jumped over her husband, taking a seat in her throne, her best friends quickly following suit. As each mare landed, the Cutie Mark on their respective thrones flew off, encircling the image of Ponyville on the map. “I knew it! Everypony, touch the map on my mark!” She raised her hoof. “Ready… Now!” The six of them reached forward, placing their hooves on the edge of the map in the same manner as their respective keys so many years ago. In response to their touch, a rainbow light exploded out of the map, wrapping itself around each of them. Boltsinger sat back in awe as his favorite ponies were all transformed by the magic. Their manes grew longer, taking on colors, accessories, and shapes that complemented their natural styles, with additional marks accentuating their hooves and Cutie Marks and added color coming to wings of Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Twilight. They floated in a circle above the map, the light of friendship surrounding them. “Absolutely beautiful…” Boltsinger stated, staring adoringly at his wife and their best friends. “But… will it work? It doesn’t feel like enough…” “Let’s find out!” Twilight declared, shooting out the door. The other Element-bearers cheered, following suit at full speed. Starlight, Boltsinger, and the Royal Sisters galloped after them, the stallion’s wings still alight with magenta lightning. “Okay, so they’ve done the big friendship transformation… But I’m confused.” Starlight admitted as they raced through the foyer. “Is that what your channeling was meant to do?” “Um… Wait, I’m channeling right now?” Boltsinger wondered, looking back at his wings. The lightning surrounding them sparked out at him, as if to remind him it was there. “Hm. Apparently I’m channeling! Never had this color before. Which do you think it is?” “Seriously? That should be obvious.” she deadpanned, tilting her head to the flying ponies ahead of them. Boltsinger’s head reeled back for a moment as the realization struck him. “Ah. Twilight.” “Eeeyah.” Starlight droned. “Anyway, is that whole friendship magic thing what you were meant to do with it? Or is there something more?” “I’m not sure.” he told her, looking ahead again. “Normally, I do what I’m supposed to, then the magic ends and I pass out, so… I’m guessing I’m not done.” As they made it outside, the light of the mares’ transformation shined bright, not giving way to the blackness around them despite the baby’s cries. Twilight flew ahead of the group, coming to a hover in front of her son. “Hey… shhhhh… Don’t cry, little one.” she softly said, inching closer. “Don’t be scared… Mommy’s here with you…” She extended her forelegs out to the foal, attempting to take hold of him. “Come here…” The baby’s cries continued, his horn letting out a spark of lightning that pushed the powered-up Princess away. She reeled back at the shock, turning to face her friends. “He’s not listening!” She took a tentative look back at the foal, getting as close as the lightning would allow. “Mommy will be right back, sweetie. I promise!” She returned to her friends, her face fraught with concern. “I don’t know what to do… He’s not listening, and when I try to get close, his lightning just pushes me back!” “Couldn’t we use this power of ours on him?” Rarity mused, looking at her hooves. “We’ve gone to the trouble of transforming, it only makes sense that we use the power we’ve been given!” “Yeah! Let’s fire one of those friendship lasers and get rid of this darkness!” Rainbow added, pumping her foreleg enthusiastically. Twilight brought her hoof to her chin, pondering on the idea. “I don’t think I’m comfortable firing any kind of laser at my newborn son…” “Then how about firing it at me?” Boltsinger suggested from below. The mares all turned to face him, each of them looking utterly flabbergasted by the idea as he smiled up at them. “No, seriously, fire it at me!” “WHAT?!” Twilight shouted, descending to the ground and trotting up to him. “That’s just as bad! Who knows what that kind of magic would do to you!” “Wouldn't you know?” he retorted, stepping closer. “The way I see it, you six have control over just what your big friendship magic laser does every time. So, why not take advantage of that?” “But… I…” Twilight started, putting a hoof on his cheek. “I don’t want to hurt you…” “I know…” he replied, putting his hoof on hers. “But for our son, it’s worth the risk.” Twilight looked back at the foal in the black sky above them, her worry only increasing. “Well…” She looked back into her favorite stallion’s eyes, seeing in them a determination she had never seen before. “... Okay…” She leaned in, giving him a solid kiss on the lips before flapping her wings once more. “I hope you’re right!” She returned to the gathering of her friends in the air, facing her husband in earnest. “Okay, girls, let’s try his idea. Use the magic on Boltsinger, but focus on something that will help the baby!” “Right!” the five mares responded in unison, facing their friend below. They all closed their eyes, concentrating the power within. Around the group, a rainbow aura began to form, quickly starting to spin and expand. The mares opened their eyes, all glowing a pure white as a white bean flew out, surrounded by the rainbow aura, rocketing towards Boltsinger. As the blast hit its mark, The rainbow surrounded the stallion, lifting him into the air in a manner reminiscent of the other six. When the rainbow dissipated, Boltsinger emerged, floating in place without the use of his wings. Said wings had nearly doubled in size, a light blue leading to a darker shade on the tips of his feathers, while lightning bolts of the same colors coiled around his hooves. His mane and tail had similarly grown, reaching twice their original length with a jagged yellow stripe running through the middle of each, sparks of electricity discharging from them almost constantly. His Cutie Mark, while unchanged, was now accentuated by a number of musical notes that looked to be formed from the same kind of lightning as the microphone’s cord, all of it moving and crackling around wildly. He shot up into the air, leaving a trail of electricity behind him as he approached the mares. “WOW!” he exclaimed, shaking his head rapidly. “What just happened?!” Twilight and her friends looked at the supercharged stallion in shock, their mouths hanging open. “I think you just transformed... “ Twilight said, getting an agreeing nod from the other Element-bearers. “But… how?” Boltsinger brought his wings forward, making grasping motions with his feathers. “I… have no idea. But I do know one thing…” He gave his friends a wide smile, a spark of lightning gleaming in his eye as he swept his wings in different directions. With each swipe, a trail of electricity followed, finally ending in a dramatic flare that shot lightning out six different ways. “I have complete control over my lightning in this state!” He looked up at the crying baby above them, softening his expression as the metaphorical lightning hit. “And I… I think I may know what to do… Follow my lead, ladies.” Boltsinger flapped his wings, slowly moving closer to his foal. Twilight quickly followed suit, the parents taking a position on either side of him while their five friends made a circle around them. Boltsinger’s flaps continued, creating a familiar breeze throughout the town as he opened his mouth. “~Slee-eep, sleep, my love, my only… Deep, deep, in the dunge, and the dark… Be not afraid, and be_ not lonely For this is the hour… when frogs in the brush… Praise the world from the woods and the rush… Rest from caring, my love, my only… Dee-e-eep, deep, in the dunge, and the dark…~” Over the course of the lullaby, the orange stallion and his royal wife closed the distance between themselves and the littlest Prince. The verse repeated itself, joined in harmony by the six mares as the foal lashed out with his lightning again, only for the shocks to be absorbed by his father. The lullaby kept going, the parents making contact with the baby and bringing him into an embrace. At the contact, his cries finally began to fade. By the end of the third verse, his eyelids felt heavy, and the family had begun their descent. From below, Starlight, Celestia, and Luna stepped forward. They looked up at the descending ponies, smiles widening as the blackness began to give way to the sun’s warmth. “It’s working! Oh, thank Celestia! It’s working!” Starlight exclaimed. She heard the clearing of a throat behind her, causing her to tense up and look at the source. “Oh, you know what I mean!” “I think it may be more appropriate to say ‘Thank Twilight’ in this case.” Celestia suggested, giving her former pupil a proud smile. Starlight beamed, nodding up at the Princess of Friendship. The descent came to an end along with the lullaby, the light having returned to the world. The baby let out a sleepy yawn, nestling himself into his parents’ outstretched wings. They both leaned in and gave the foal a kiss on each cheek, the magic that transformed them finally fading away and returning the ponies to normal. “Mommy and Daddy love you very much, little one…” Twilight told the baby, caressing his head with her hoof. “Never forget that…” Boltsinger looked up from the newborn, giving his wife a smile. “So… home?” Twilight nodded, rising to her hooves with her son in her wings. “Home.” The next morning, Twilight, Spike, Boltsinger, Celestia, Luna, and Starlight sat in the throne room, the baby cradled in the lilac Princess’ wings. The previous day’s chaos had taken its toll, and the hospital’s discharge procedure had not made it any easier on them. But, at last, they were home and ready to start their new chapter together. “So, after all of that, are you still not sure about the baby’s name?” Starlight inquired. “Actually, I’ve thought of something that I think might fit.” Twilight informed them. “Oh? And what sort of name might you give the foal?” Luna wondered, looking curiously at the mare. “I was thinking… Nova.” she said, looking lovingly at her baby. “Nova?” the Sun Princess repeated, getting up and trotting over to the couple. “And why would you give him that name?” “Because, when a star, like the sun, goes out and reaches the end of its life, it’s called ‘going nova’.” the Princess of Friendship clarified, creating an image of a star that expanded outwards, then faded away entirely with her magic. “And, considering the first big thing he did in his life was blacken the sun, it feels right that he has a name that reflects that!” She looked around the room. “What do you think?” Boltsinger put his hoof on Twilight’s back, sitting on the arm of her throne. “I think it’s perfect.” He reached his wing forward, running it through the foal’s mane. “Don’t you think so, too, Nova?” The smallest pony in the room giggled, taking his father’s feather in his forelegs and sticking it in his mouth. “I’ll take that as a yes.” Celestia smiled, reaching over and tickling Nova with her hoof. He let out another laugh, refusing to let go of the wing he held. “I think it’s a lovely name.” After a few minutes, Nova gave off a small yawn, smacking his lips as his eyes closed. The grown ponies took the opportunity to move from their spots, taking him through the castle and into the nursery. They laid him down in his bed, slowly rocking him back and forth. He opened his eyes halfway as he heard the sound of the door closing, taking in the sights of the room. All around him, he saw apples, balloons, butterflies, jewels, rainbows, and stars. They reminded him of the ponies he had met, all willing to come to him and soothe him when he was scared, no matter how much he lashed out. The biggest star made him think of his mommy. If there was one pony he knew at a glance, it was most certainly her. The roof of the room held another interesting image. All around it, he could see bolts of lightning, spiraling, coiling, and forming occasional musical notes. They reminded him of his daddy. He seemed a little strange, but he was funny, and he was the first one to start singing that song he liked. As he remembered the song, sleepiness began to set in again. He happily gave into its demands, drifting off to dreams of lightning, music, and stars.