The Search
An hour had passed, and Boltsinger sat alone in the throne room. Twilight was still reeling from the emotional impact of her experience. Luna was staying in the bedroom with her, helping her back to sleep. He looked up at the chandelier, seeing happy memories in each of the ornaments.
“What have I done to her?” He asked himself, lingering on the image of her smiling face.
“Whaddaya mean, sugarcube?” Applejack asked, coming in from behind followed by Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Fluttershy.
Boltsinger looked back at the gathering mares. “You heard what she said…” he looked at his reflection in the map. “That word she used… The ugliest word I know, and she uttered it… all because of me…”
“You mean the one she used to describe her feelings about… her?” Rarity guessed. Boltsinger nodded, closing his eyes. “Darling, from what I heard, her feelings are completely justified.”
“Yeah! She saw somepony she loves being attacked, and she went in to take out the one responsible!” Rainbow exclaimed, hovering above the stallion. “You didn’t do anything to her.”
“But she’s the Princess of Friendship! Is she even allowed to feel that way about somepony?” He reared his head back, falling over backwards to stare at the ceiling. “And if I hadn’t come along, she would never have heard of Sparks, never have had to get into my dreams, and never have gotten that awful feeling…”
“But if you never came along, then you’d still be the sad panicked pony you were a year ago!” Pinkie added, putting her head over his. “Would that really be better? ‘Cause it doesn’t sound very fun to me!”
“Who cares what happens to me?” He retorted, rolling onto his side. “I’m just one pony who smacked into a wall. I’m nothing compared to the Princess of Friendship and her best friends. I may have made you all laugh sometimes, and I really do love all of you, but… Are your lives better because of me?” He sat up and pointed his hoof in the direction of Twilight’s room. “Is her life better because of me?! She’s supposed to be the biggest advocate for friendship and harmony that anypony has ever seen, and I brought that dark feeling into her heart through the sheer association I have with somepony else!”
Fluttershy sat on the floor beside Boltsinger, gingerly putting her wing around him. “Princess or not, she’s still a pony. We’re all allowed to… um...” she paused, a shade of pink appearing on her face as she moved her mane to the side to look at him. “feel…”
Boltsinger sighed, diverting his gaze back to the floor. “And we all know what happened the last time an Alicorn allowed herself to feel hate…”
All raised rumps in the room hit the floor in that instant. All eyes fell on the orange Pegasus as the realization hit them.
“You’ve got… a heck of a point, there.” Applejack admitted. “Tell ya what. Why don’t we all sleep on it? It’s pretty late, and y’all just had a doozy of a dream. So we’ll all stay here fer the night, and see where we are in the mornin’!”
“Okay… I can work with that.” he admitted, starting a shaky walk back up to the bedroom. “I’ll see you all tomorrow…” he turned his head to face forward, setting his gaze on his destination and opening his mouth with a whisper. “I’m sorry…”
Morning arrived with the blowing of the whistle on the Friendship Express. The Sound carried through town as it made its departure, finally reaching the ears of a soundly-sleeping Princess in her bedroom. She woke up with a yawn and a stretch, looking around to see not much out of the ordinary. Her special somepony wasn’t in the bed this morning, but after nights like the one they had just gone through, he was more likely to wake up early. She lazily went through her morning routine, half-asleep as she entered the dining room, where her guests were all gathered around the table.
“Morning, everypony…” she said with a yawn. “Why are you all here so early?”
“We all stayed overnight.” Fluttershy informed her. “Just to make sure you were okay… if that’s okay.”
“Well, you’ve already done it, so of course I don’t mind.” The Princess replied, taking a seat.
“How’re ya feelin', sugarcube?” Applejack inquired. “Any better since yer… encounter?”
Twilight nodded, crossing her forelegs on the table in front of her. “A little. Princess Luna helped me get a good night’s sleep, and my mind is a lot clearer after that.”
“Glad to hear it!” The farm pony exclaimed. “Is Bolt sleepin’ in like usual?”
Twilight gave a puzzled look. “I don’t think so. I haven’t seen him.”
“But don’t you lovebirds sleep in the same bed?” Applejack wondered. “If y’all haven’t seen ‘im after a nightmare like that… Oh no…” She rose from her seat, running into the hallway. “BOLT! WHERE ARE YA?!” She called, galloping through the castle.
Shining Armor poked his head into the hall, looking back and forth. “What’s going on? Why is it so strange that he woke up early?”
The rest of the element-bearers at the table exchanged worried looks. Rainbow Dash shot out of the room, joining Applejack in her search. Pinkie soon followed suit, bouncing along in her usual way. Fluttershy looked down at the table, a somber expression lining her muzzle.
“I don’t understand… What’s wrong?” The Princess asked.
Rarity moved to sit beside her lilac-coated friend. “Last night, we had a little… chat… with Boltsinger regarding something you said when you woke up. A specific word you used… affected him. Do you recall how you were feeling after that dream?”
Twilight’s head lowered. “Of course… I felt awful. I was happy that he was okay, but I was so… angry… I hated Sparks for all the pain she caused him.”
“That’s what worries him so much.” Rarity stated. “The fact that you said that you hated her. Dear, I know you’re aware of what happened the last time an Alicorn experienced hate.”
“Nightmare Moon…” Twilight confirmed. “But… I would never let darkness like that take hold!”
Rarity nodded, leaning in closer. “Yes, but you can’t stop the fear of something like that happening. And as the Princess of Friendship, hate is something that should be the furthest thing from your heart… At least, in his opinion.”
“Okay, you have a point…” Twilight admitted, leaning on the table. “But why is everypony wondering where he went?”
Rarity sighed, explaining the rest of the situation in detail. “So, you see, I believe they’re worried that he might have… Oh my, we really must find him!”
Twilight raised her head, looking wide-eyed at Rarity. She jumped from her seat, rushing into the castle. Rarity and Fluttershy looked at one another, rising up and following their friend.
As the room emptied, Spike walked in, a trolley full of delectable breakfast fixings covering the surface. He looked around, seeing nopony but Shining Armor and Flurry, who were, themselves, making for the exit. He shrugged, taking some of the morsels and wolfing them down.
Minutes later, the six gathered in the foyer, breathing heavily as Shining Armor cantered over to them.
“Did you find him?” He asked.
Twilight shook her head, her eyes closed. “No… He wasn’t in the library, the music room, his old bedroom… None of the places he would usually be.”
“I searched the entire west wing, an’ I didn’t see hide nor hair of ‘im!” Applejack added. “What about you, Rainbow?”
“I got nothing!” she answered. “He’s not on the east side and there’s no sign of him in the clouds above the castle, either!” She stomped her hooves, lowering her head angrily. “I just knew he’d pull this kinda stunt! We shoulda tied him down and made him understand!”
“He could still be in Ponyville.” Fluttershy suggested. “Where does he normally go when he’s not home?”
Pinkie raised her foreleg enthusiastically. “Ooh! Ooh! I know! Pick me! Pick me!” She called out.
“Um… Pinkie Pie?” The pink-maned Pegasus started. “You wanted to sa--”
Pinkie took an impossibly deep breath. “He could be at Sugar Cube Corner, Sweet Apple Acres, DJ PON-3 and Octavia’s house, the general store the book store, Quills and Sofas, Hay Burger…” she went on for several minutes, listing nearly every location in Ponyville.
“Well, he could be at the spa.” Rarity implied. The other ponies all deadpanned in her direction. Rarity gave a sheepish smile back, letting out an embarrassed chortle. “Yes… I suppose not.”
“All right, girls, fan out! We’ve got a stallion to find!” Twilight exclaimed, spreading her wings regally. The other mares nodded in unison, each giving their own confirmations as they bolted out the door.
As Twilight knelt down to take off, a hoof touched her shoulder. “Twily, can I talk to you for a second?”
“What is it?” She replied, turning to face her brother.
“I know you’re worried about Bolt. And I don’t blame you.” He told her, walking over to one of the benches at the side of the room and taking a seat. “I mean, his freak-outs are almost as big as yours these days. But, I’m sure he’ll be back. He probably just needed some space to clear his head. It’s not like he’d just run off and leave you right now, what with all he had planned.”
Twilight inhaled sharply, putting a hoof above her heart and extending her foreleg out as she exhaled. “You have a good point… With what I did to that… thing in his mind, there’s nothing to stop his better judgement from guiding him home.” She got up, trotting to the door. “I’m still gonna look for him, though. He owes me an explanation for leaving before breakfast at the very least!” Shining Armor smiled, magically pulling his daughter’s carriage to him with the foal in question sitting inside as he followed the mares.
Each pony searched different parts of Ponyville. Applejack went home to the farm, asking if Boltsinger had been there, to which she was met with a definite “Nnope!” Pinkie searched every nook and cranny of Sugar Cube Corner, including under the rocks, in the mailbox, and her party planning cave. No sign of him there. Rainbow Dash sped all over the place, looking on every cloud, in every relaxing hangout, in the training field. She covered as much ground and sky as she possibly could, only to come up empty. She growled in frustration as she flew, letting it boil up and come out as a loud yell as she bucked a nearby storm cloud.
Fluttershy’s search, from her perspective, was a daunting one. She had asked all of the animals she could find, but none of them or their families could find any trace of Boltsinger in or around Ponyville. She looked over at the only other possible location, her teeth chattering in fear as she thought of the idea of entering...
“The Everfree Forest…!” She said to herself. The trees loomed over her as she stood at the edge. She was used to going in there more often, thanks to Zecora, but the thought of going in there still scared her to no end. “Well… Boltsinger knows how scary it is in there… he wouldn’t go in and get lost, right?” She turned around, wanting to go home. “But… if he is lost… He could be in danger! I can’t possibly leave him alone in there!” She turned back to the forest, galloping in with all of her might.
Ten minutes later, she flew out of the forest, screaming in terror. The animals in the meadow looked up at her, Angel chief among then. He shrugged, closing his eyes and shaking his head, soon scampering back to the cottage.
Rarity took the best approach she could think of. She donned an outfit from her “Femme Mystique” collection and set out asking everypony in town if they had seen a pony matching Boltsinger’s exact description, occasionally getting into an involved conversation that would lead into her question. Her investigation was long and hard but it turned up no results. All the while, Twilight and Shining Armor were going to all of the ponies that her special somepony had befriended in Ponyville over the past year. She would show up at a house, asking the residents if they had seen him, only to receive a solemn shake of the head that caused her to slump over and continue on her way.
After searching the entire town, the ponies gathered once again in the castle foyer. They were all breathing heavily, tired from all the activity and looking at one another.
“Twilight! There you are!” Starlight cried out, cantering over to the group. “You need to see this!” She turned to head for the throne room.
“What is it?” Twilight asked, following her student. “Did you find Bolt?”
“Yes… and no.” The Unicorn said, opening the door and stepping aside. Sitting in the middle of the map was a familiar book, one of Boltsinger’s air pockets placed above it. There was a piece of parchment sticking out of the book, very much unlike a bookmark.
Twilight floated the book over to her. It was the book she and Boltsinger had been reading together since they started dating. She opened it to the page the parchment marked, where a topaz decorated lightning bolt pendant fell out, only just hanging on the book’s binding. She looked at the necklace with sad eyes, knowing what it's presence implied. She held the book in her wings, tentatively directing her magic at the letter to unfold it in front of her eyes.
“To the mare who is my world: Twilight Sparkle,
I’m sorry. I’m sorry that knowing me has brought something so horrible into your life… I’m sorry that all the complications surrounding me have led to so many unpleasant encounters, painting your opinions of ponies, towns, and anything else that might have otherwise been better. I’m certainly no monster, but Sparks wasn’t completely wrong. I’m not exactly changing lives for the better, am I?
Maybe if you just… move on, live your life the way you did before I crashed into it, things can go back to how they felt back then. You’ll feel better about yourself, all of you won’t have to plan for that extra stallion who needed so much help from everypony so long ago, and you won’t be bogged down by feelings of hate towards somepony that’s not worth the effort.
Don’t get me wrong. This has been the single best year of my life. All of you are the greatest ponies I’ve ever known, and Ponyville is my favorite place in all of Equestria! It will always be my home. You will always be my home.
But I’m used to not having a home. I’ve lived like that before, and now I can do more to help ponies! I can make friends all over, and really make a difference! I’ll always be grateful for everything all of you have done for me. The magic of Friendship is strong, and this pony is a true believer.
You’ve made my life so much better, and brought in love that I didn’t know I was capable of.
Thank you for everything.
Boltsinger
P.S. Abu is at Sweet Feather Sanctuary, he’s gonna be helping to care for the animals. He likes to ride on ponies’ backs, groom them, and be swung around on wings and tails when he’s not swinging somewhere else.
P.P.S. You can pop the air pocket now.”
Tears flooded down Twilight’s face as she read the letter, falling to the parchment below. It was clear from the smudged ink and dark marks on the letter that the parchment was no stranger to crying ponies. Twilight put the book and letter back on the map, turning around to leave. “He’s… he’s gone…” she told the group, doing her best to stay strong. Her friends and relatives in the room looked on with shock. Shining Armor raised a hoof, wanting to reach for his sister. She sniffed up an encroaching sob, closing her eyes and wiping away her tears as Rainbow Dash flew over, standing on top of the map. She reached forward with one of her wings, poking the air pocket.
A familiar voice carried through the room, echoing off the walls and speaking through what sounded like a wall of tears. As her ears caught the words, Twilight fell to the floor, breaking down completely, all of her friends gathering together and embracing her tightly.
“I love you… Goodbye…” is all it said.
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8638040
Do you have any voice actors in mind who might come close?
8690696
A friend of mine says that Sean Schemmel and I sound very much alike in some regards. Definitely not on the Goku front, though. I'm not as high of a pitch as he is. Once I've got some of my own voice over online, I'll let you know. But if you want to hear at least a version of the first song that was sung by Boltsinger in the story, I can link you to that. It was recorded by my brother and I.