One Bolt, A World Displaced

by Boltsinger


Facing The Truth

Twilight brought her bag to the floor, opening it up to let Spike out. She plucked the piece of cloth from his collar. “Okay, Spike, can you still get the scent?”

“Of course!” the dog confirmed, raising a confident paw the brought a shriek from Gusty’s mouth.

“How is that dog talking?!” the meteorologist exclaimed. She squatted down next to Spike, putting a hand on either side of his head and examining him. “Are you… from the same place as Boltsinger?”

“Nah. I’ve totally been there, though!” he stated. He moved away from her hands, sniffing the piece of cloth to discern which of the scents on it was the one he wanted. “I got it! Follow me!” He scampered off, heading for the door and pawing at it.

Boltsinger opened the door, prompting the girls to file out as quickly as they could. As Sunset approached the door, Gusty reached out. “My son is going to be okay, right?”

Boltsinger walked over and gave his mother a hug. “If my friends have anything to say about it, I’m certain he’ll be just fine.”

“Thank you, son…” she said, returning his embrace. He backed up, giving her the most confident smile he could muster as he ran out the door with Sunset.

“You know that magic has a history of turning people into monsters in this world, right?” Sunset pointed out, running with him as the group followed Spike.

Boltsinger slapped his own face again, giving her a smirk. “Nothing we’re not used to. Now let’s go!”

BOOM!

The magical pulse from the night rang out anew, sending a shockwave through the area. From the source of the noise sprang up a pillar of yellow light that rivaled the sun in its intensity. The group skidded to a stop, gawking at the light above for a moment before Applejack ran to the tour bus. The engine started up, the farmer poking her head out of the window. “I think it’s obvious where ‘e went! Get on!” The rest of the gathering did as directed, Twilight scooping Spike up and holding him close. Once everyone was on, Applejack wasted no time in starting down the road. “Everybody hold onto sumthin’! This ain’t gonna be a smooth ride!”

Everyone took their seats as Applejack made a sudden U-Turn, driving at top speed towards the light. She was as fast in the bus’ velocity as she was careful in her driving, thanking her lucky stars that there weren’t many other drivers on the road that day. Her stars weren’t at their luckiest, though, as the residential roads were filled with potholes, doing a number on the undercarriage. After ten minutes of driving full bore, the cemetery was in view, and Applejack slammed her foot on the brakes.

The bus’ door opened, letting the group out to make their approach. As they left the sidewalk, a bolt of lightning struck in front of them, as if to keep them at bay. “Don’t you dare come any closer!” Brightling shouted. He was kneeling over the grave, his smoking fingers extended towards his would-be assailants. “Not when I’m this close!” He held out the crackling pendant, the frequency of its discharge increasing as the larger pulse intensified. “I’ll get your memories back, Bolt! I swear!”

“No, Brightling, you won’t!” Boltsinger argued, stepping past the point where lightning struck. “Because I’m not the same Bolt! I already told you that!”

Brightling snapped his attention to his ‘brother’, his eyes glowing a bright yellow with a jolt of electricity coming out of them. "Then why didn’t you tell me from the get-go? Why did you act like you were him?!”

Boltsinger continued his approach, meeting Brightling’s gaze with one of compassion. “Because I was dealing with my own problems, and I wasn’t thinking clearly!” He stepped up to him, placing his hands on his shoulders. “I didn’t know what to do until my friends helped me see things as they are. I’m I’m so sorry for confusing you, big brother. Really, I am! But you have to face the fact that he’s gone, and the guilt that comes with it…”

The pulse slowly began to die down as Brightling stood up, turning to face him properly. “Yeah… you’re right… He’s gone…”

Boltsinger smiled softly, reaching for him once more. “I know how it feels to be part of the reason for a family member’s--"

Faster than Boltsinger could comprehend, Brightling reached over and latched onto both of his arms, his body charged with electricity. “But that’s okay!” he said, meeting Boltsinger’s soft smile with his own crooked one. “Because you're so much better than he was!” In one swift motion, he took the pendant in his hand and hung it from his own neck, the lightning surrounding it beginning to coarse over his body from the chest out. From the lightning came black armor with lightning-shaped yellow accents, electric spikes protruding from his shoulders, elbows, and knees as a three-pronged helmet formed over his head. “You think more properly, you have real friends, and you’re alive! You can just stay with me and we can pretend all of this ‘death’ never happened! Wouldn’t that be great?!” He sent a current through Boltsinger’s body, making him cry out in agony. “Now I don’t ever have to lose anybody!”

“BOLT!!!” came the cries of the onlooking ladies.

Rainbow Dash narrowed her eyes, breaking into a sprint at the electrified individual. “You get your hands off of him, NOW!”

Brightling looked over his victim as he slumped over, spotting the rainbow-haired girl with his head cocked to the side. “Well… Now that I think of it…” He tossed Boltsinger aside, sending him sliding over his doppelganger’s grave as he reached for Rainbow Dash. “He is gonna need friends!” He splayed his fingers, sending a surge of lightning at her.

Rainbow smirked, clutching her geode and veering to the side in a rainbow stream. She slid to a stop several feet from the attacker, darting past him and scooping her friend up in her arms, turning back and returning to her friends and laying him down in the middle of the group. “What do you think? Is he okay?”

The girls all knelt down over him as Spike jumped on his chest. He poked the boy’s cheek with his nose, eliciting a scrunching of his face. “Well, he’s alive.” He turned to glare at Brightling, going into a growl. “Better than he’s gonna be…!”

Twilight petted Spike with a confident smile. “Don’t worry…” She rose up with her friends, a loose fist over her heart as they all took a ready stance. “We’ve got this!” They each brought a hand up, clutching their respective geodes to create a rainbow light that quickly engulfed them to reveal a silhouette. Their ears were replaced with pony ears at the tops of their heads, their hair pulled back in ponytails at a length that was longer than natural. They all wore outfits that consisted of a hair band or tiara, and a dress that reflected their talents with matching pants, boots, and either bracers or gloves that covered their entire forearm. From Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy, there were shining crystal wings flared out on either side, with a pair of translucent purple goggles covering Twilight’s eyes.

Brightling gave off a laugh of pure glee as the girls descended to the ground. “You weren’t kidding when you said you had your own magic! This is perfect!” He clenched his fists, taking a low horse stance. “We can all stay together and protect him!” He gestured to beckon them over. “Come on! Help me out, here!”

“Protect him?” Twilight repeated, raising a glowing hand. “You electrocuted him! How can you say you’re ‘protecting’ him when you’re the one hurting him?” She magically lifted Brightling off of the ground, pulling his arms and legs in to straighten his body out. “No, we’re going to protect him from you!”

Brightling gave her a furious expression, building up a charge around his body. “NO!!!” He shook for a moment, breaking out of the magic and floating in place. “I’M NOT LOSING HIM AGAIN!!!” He flew towards them, bolts of lightning beginning to surge around his hands.

Rainbow shot into the air, making a swift dive at the charging foe and ramming into him. He slid back, grabbing her arm and throwing her aside. As she flew back, he swung his arm at her, encasing her in a rope of electricity that held her in place, sending her reeling in pain while she squirmed to get free. He turned his sights to Fluttershy, who shrieked and covered her face with her arms. At the sound of her voice, a large flock of birds flew from the trees all around. They swarmed around him, making diving pecks at every opportunity. Fluttershy reached for the birds, screaming for them to get away to safety. Brightling clenched his fists, a dome of lightning sparking outward and scaring the birds off. He continued his charge, lighting up his hands again. As he closed the gap, the image of a diamond appeared in front of him and pushing him back again.

“That’s quite enough of that, now!” Rarity declared, stepping in front of her terrified friend with a raised fist, her other arm jutted out in front of her. Brightling took a swing, slamming his fist into the shield, making a large crack appear. Rarity stepped forward, pushing back and repairing her shield. Brightling grunted, punching the shield again. With the second impact, it shattered, prompting Rarity to bring her other hand forward. She added another five shields to the defense, layered in front of each other. He glowered at the defense, continuing his assault. With every swing of Brightling’s fist, a shield shattered, only to be replaced by another with a smirk from their conjurer. He grimaced, pulling his arm back as far as it would go with another large surge of electricity. He lunged forward, pounding the shield in front of him with all of his might. Rarity clenched her fists and her teeth, increasing her focus to the utmost as the shields formed one solid diamond. With one final, screaming push, the diamond shattered, sending Rarity reeling. She fell to her knees next to Fluttershy, who caught her friend and looked up at the figure looking over her. He held out his hand, creating a discharge that wrapped itself around the two of them that forced them to fall prone.

“You won’t get between me and my brother, you hear me?” he growled. From behind him, there was a small explosion. He turned around to see Pinkie Pie with a large tub of what appeared to be sprinkles held under her arm. She reached her hand back in, grabbing a sizable handful of the topping.

“Come on, Brightling, ya ain’t thinkin’ straight!” a drawl called from behind him. He started to turn his head to look at the source, only to fall victim to an explosion of pink in front of him. He stomped towards the poofy pink party planner, letting his fist loose a bit of lightning, only to find a pair of arms wrapping around his shoulders in a full nelson. “Ya need ta calm down! Take off that darn necklace!” Brightling let out a thunderous scream, squirming in his attempts to break free. Her hold was tighter than he could have expected, and she held him firmly in place, sneaking a glance at her friend. “Now, Pinkie! Get it off ‘im!”

“Okey dokey!” Pinkie affirmed, tossing the entire contents of the tub at his face. The sprinkles began to violently glow, sparking all over until they exploded in a flash of pink. She bounded up to Brightling, who had closed and averted his eyes. She reached for the pendant that hung from his neck, coming ever closer until…

Brightling gave off another shout, bending over to lift Applejack off of the ground. As tightly as she could hold him, the difference in size allowed him to pull her up with ease. He shook his upper body repeatedly, twisting around until she could no longer keep her grip and was sent flying into Pinkie Pie with another electric restraint surrounding them. He panted numerous times, seething with rage as he turned to face Twilight and Sunset. The former of the two rose into the air, raising her hands and wrapping her neutralized friends in her magic. As the magenta aura surrounded them, the lightning that held them lashed out, striking her to break her concentration. She made a landing next to her fiery friend, looking up as their attacker made a slow approach.

“Come on, Brightling, you’re better than this!” Sunset pleaded, standing between him and Twilight. “I know that you feel responsible for what happened to your brother! I know the guilt that comes with doing something horrible that you can't take back! But you can’t hide from the truth! And you can’t just replace him and forget it happened!”

“You don’t know anything!” he countered, swinging a lightning-filled arm in front of him. He stopped his march, standing less than a foot on front of her. He forcefully grabbed her by the front of her dress, lifting her into the air. “But you will…

Spike looked at the scene ahead of him in horror, his mouth hanging open. He gave a thought to biting the armored person in the ankles, but cast the idea aside based on what he had just done to his friends. He turned around, hopping on Boltsinger’s chest. “Come on, Bolt, wake up! Wake up! Your friends are in trouble! They need you!”

The canine’s words echoed in his mind, triggering something with in. The pendant beneath Spike began to shine a bright blue, sending a pulse out into the streets as he opened his eyes. “They need me…” he repeated.

In the statue base at Canterlot High’s entry plaza, the lightning continued to crackle. After a moment, a pulse of blue light ran through, wrapping the base in its radiance. The lightning surged around the statue base, shooting up into the air and rocketing towards its host, where it struck home in an instant.

“They need me!” He said again, the impact from the lightning sending him to his feet. He landed with a clap of thunder, eyes closed and fists clenched as Brightling turned to face him. “And do you know what happens when someone needs me?”

Brightling let go if Sunset, facing his brother properly. “No. What does happen when someone needs you?”

Boltsinger opened his eyes, a spark of blue lightning coming out of each of them. “I…” His ears vanished as his hair returned to its standard, nearly electrified mess, pony ears sprouting from within. “... get…” His hair glowed, a lightning bolt-shaped clip appearing in it as the mess grew to three times its original length from beyond that point, looking like a pony’s tail. “Serious!” Out of his back came a large pair of Pegasus wings, roughly twice the size of normal ones that gave a constant discharge of blue lightning. He gave a strong flap, rocketing forward with a trail of electricity following him as he rammed into the armored boy in front of him.

Brightling planted his feet, digging into the pavement below him. “You’ve never been able to overpower me before, Bolt! What makes this any different?!”

“What’s different?” he asked, flashing a smirk. “The other Bolt never had wings!” He jumped with a flap of his wings, looping around and scooping Brightling up by the shoulders. He leaned his head in close as he ascended again, rising high above the trees.

Brightling looked at the ground below, a feeling of vertigo overwhelming him. “Wait… What are you doing?!”

“You know, you’re a lot like my brother back in the place I come from. Little too rigid in your thinking, but flexible enough to come up with some bright ideas.” he started, laughing in his ear. “I mean, who else would think to bring the other Bolt back from the dead? Wow! I mean, it’s crazy, but… It’s an idea, right?” He rose up higher. “Took him a while to appreciate my friends, though. You seem to be having that problem right now. And you know what else he was known for?” He made one more hard flap, rising another twenty feet. “He’s afraid of heights!” He stopped flapping for a moment, sending them falling a few feet with a shrill shriek from Brightling. “Looks like you have the same problem…” He rose back up, looking over at the purple-haired girl that worked her magic, giving her a smile. “Twilight, everyone ready to go?”

Twilight spread her arms wide, nearly as high up as Boltsinger was. Her friends, freed from their electric shackles, floated into the sky beside her, all looking fiercely at Brightling. “We’re ready!”

“Do it!” he ordered.

“What’s going on…?! What are you doing?!” Brightling asked, his eyes darting nervously between them, a state of panic setting in from the altitude as the rainbow light made its return. It spread out from Twilight into Rainbow Dash and Applejack, moving to Fluttershy and Rarity, then Pinkie Pie and Sunset to create a white light in the circle they had formed. The girl at the center opened her eyes, which glowed in the same light.

Boltsinger closed his eyes, leaning in one more time. “Helping you, big brother. They’re helping you.” His arms fell limp, releasing Brightling from his grasp as the white light shot forward, the rainbow swirling around it and flying into the transformed boy. He began to writhe, quickly entrapped in the harmonious magic that swarmed him and slowly descended to the ground in front of the grave he had come to see. The bolts of lightning that he once shot like mad threw themselves out, finding themselves caught in the rainbow, slowly fading in color and fizzling out.

“They’re not helping… My brother is still gone…” he called, the rainbow leaving him as he knelt over the headstone, his transformation undone, and the crackle of the pendant having ceased. He put his hands on the dirt beneath him, clenching his fists with a small puddle forming between them. “My brother is gone and it’s my fault!”

“It’s not your fault, Brightling.” Boltsinger argued, landing behind him, his wings vanishing as his ears and hair returned to normal.

Brightling lowered his head further, looking at his dirt-covered hands. “You don’t mean that…”

“I do mean it.” he assured, dropping to a knee beside him and putting his hand on his shoulder. “I mean, my parents back home… They’re gone… and it’s all because some lightning came out of me and hit them when I was a co--... A little kid.” He slowly rubbed his back, leaning against the larger boy. “But, as Granny Smith says, magic is as magic does. And both of us had some… run-ins… with magic lightning. That doesn’t make us responsible for what happened. So I’ll say it again. It’s not your fault, Brightling.”

The brunette looked sorrowfully at the bluenette, shaking his head vehemently. “No…”

“It’s not your fault, Brightling.” he repeated, his voice firm, yet compassionate.

Brightling sniffed up an encroaching sob, pushing himself away from the familiar face. “No!” He stood to his full height.

Boltsinger followed suit, stepping forward as his friends came to a landing that encircled them, returning to normal. “It’s not your fault, Brightling!”

Brightling let out another furious scream, throwing his fist at Boltsinger. “NO!!!”

Boltsinger tilted his head to the side, the fist passing harmlessly by as he lunged forward, catching the faltering fighter in a firm hug. “It’s not your fault…”

“But… I threw him out there… in a fit of rage… And then…”

“It’s not your fault.”

Brightling’s arms fell to his sides, and Boltsinger felt a mass of wetness on his shoulder as the sobs began. The two of them fell to their knees, Brightling slowly bringing his arms up to join in the hug. One by one, the girls gathered round came forward, joining in the hug as the mourner let out his pent up emotions.


Sunset sat in the plaza outside Canterlot High after a long day of school, the journal she used to communicate with her otherworldly friend sitting, open, on her lap. She held a pen in her hand, quickly putting it to the page.

“Dear Princess Twilight,

I know things have been busy for you, what with the school opening and everything, but I think you’ll want to read this when you can. Boltsinger has been busy these last three days. He’s been learning what he can about this world at school, but I think he’s been more engaged in his visits with his doppelganger’s family. He told them everything. Who he is, what he is, and all about his life with you and everyone else back in Equestria. Gusty was enamored with it all, but Brightling… Well… Brightling has been getting help from a lot of places. He was signed up for grief counseling, which, I think, is going to really help him out. Sparks has been a source of constant support, too, driving him around and keeping at least a little bit of a smile on his face. Friends and family have been with him every step of the way, but he’s still got a ways to go before he can really move on.

Boltsinger has really been getting into the swing of things here, but I can see his homesickness coming back. He’s said his farewell to Gusty and Brightling, and we’re all going to meet him here for one last send-off. You should see him by tonight.

Sincerely,
Sunset Shimmer”

“So, her situation improve at all?” Boltsinger wondered, his head right next to Sunset’s ear.

A hint of surprise crossed her face for an instant, quickly replaced with a smirk as she looked in his direction. “You’ll have to ask her when you get back.” She lightly elbowed him in the gut, closing her book and standing up. “So, am I gonna hear from you after you go?”

Boltsinger rose to his full height, rubbing the area of impact. “Of course. I’ve got plenty of reason to visit.” He moved over to the statue base, reaching out and tapping it. A ripple flowed out across the surface, offering no resistance. “But I really need to get back.”

“You’re not leavin’ without sayin’ goodbye, are ya?” Applejack inquired, pulling his attention back. His friends had gathered behind Sunset, boring into him with their eyes.

Boltsinger met their glare with a grin, putting his hands on his hips. “Nnope! I was waiting for you!”

Pinkie’s attempt at a stern face quickly deflated with a massive sigh. “Oh, good! I was afraid you were gonna just leave and never say hi or come back and forget about us like none of this ever happened!”

“I don’t think I’ll ever forget any of this.” he assured her, approaching the gathering. He brought his hands up, twinkling his fingers. “I mean, I have hands here!” He placed said hands on the closest shoulders to him, smiling wide. “And friends.”

“Good. ‘Cause you’ve still got a lot to learn!” Rainbow stated, punching her palm.

“And you still haven’t visited the animal shelter.” Fluttershy added. “I bet the critters would just love to have you!”

Rarity gave Fluttershy a knowing look, nudging her in the side. “I’m sure the animals aren’t the only ones who would ‘love’ to have you around…”

“Well, before I go, there’s a few things I need to address.” Boltsinger started, pulling at the sleeves of his jacket. “First of all, Rarity, I need to speak with you.”

Rarity curiously stepped forward. “Me? What do you need to talk with me about?”

“I can’t tell you enough how awesome this coat is." he told her, sliding out of the garment. “Easily the most comfortable thing I’ve worn in a long time “

“Why, thank you, dear. It was my pleasure to create it for you!” she affirmed, striking a confident pose. As she saw the article in question get folded up by its owner, she took an uncertain look at him. “But… why are you taking it off?”

“‘Cause I’m not sure it’ll fit so well back home.” he answered, holding it in front of him. “So, would you be willing to hold onto it for when I come back?”

Rarity almost literally lit up, taking the coat in her hands and spinning in place. “Of course I would! Why, I can already see how I can make it even better! Maybe create an entire ensemble to go with it!” She looked at him over the coat, stars in her eyes from the anticipation. “I promise, you’re going to love it!”

Boltsinger smiled back, chuckling fondly. “I look forward to it.” He walked back over to the statue base, reaching up to the top only to pull something down behind his back. He took an extra deep breath, approaching his friends once more. “Now… Twilight, I have something for you, too.”

Twilight pointed to herself, stepping forward. “Me? Okay… What is it?”

Another, mildly nervous, deep breath came out of him, gaining a determined face. “So, since this world is lacking its it's own Boltsinger now… It’s pretty clear that it’s… well…” He averted his eyes, breathing a sigh. “It’s not possible for this world to have someone like Nova… He just won’t have anything in this world to represent him.” He brought the bundle behind him forward, holding the small pony plush from the amusement park at arm’s length to Twilight. “Except for this. And… I can’t think of anyone more deserving of it than you.”

Twilight’s eyes grew as wide as possible, making a tentative approach as she reached for the plush. “Are you sure you want me to have this? I didn’t even win it for you!”

“Yeah, but it just makes sense for Twilight Sparkle to have a little pony named Nova.” he argued, walking closer and placing the plush in her hands. “You take good care of him, okay? Don’t let Spike tear it up.”

Twilight smiled down at it, making to tickle its nose. “I promise you, this little pony is in good hands!”

“Oh, I’m certain about that.” he stated, turning back to the statue. He stepped over to the stone surface, which still rippled from his earlier touch. He brought his hands up, slapping his face as hard as he could as he faced the group one more time. “You know, when I came to this place, I was confused beyond reason. I’m just glad I found some familiar faces…” He scratched the back of his head, laughing to himself. “The friends I love back home are well-represented here, and just as amazing in their own right!” He sent them all a wide grin, “I wish I could stay a bit longer, but I’ve got a family that needs me.” He started to turn back to the portal, then paused for a moment, taking a final look back at them, giving a solid point of his finger. “I will be seeing all of you again, though. You can be sure of that!” He faced the portal, taking one final slap to the face.

Sunset ran forward, tapping him on the shoulder and leaning in close. “Hey… Be careful of those first steps when you get back… I have yet to go back to Equestria without losing my balance.”

“Gotcha. I think I can handle it.” he replied. “Keep me informed on what goes on here, okay?”

“Of course!” she affirmed, slapping him on the back. The force of the impact sent Boltsinger reeling forward, falling unceremoniously into the portal before him. She backed off, letting out an embarrassed laugh while she put one hand in the other arm. “Oops… Sorry!”