One Bolt, Moving Forward

by Boltsinger

Finding the Flurriest Foal

“What do we do? What do we do?!” Twilight asked, clutching her head with her forelegs. “Flurry is lost somewhere in the Faire, and you and I both still have work to do! We can’t keep up with all of it!”

“Um… uh… Okay! Let’s split up, search every corner of the Faire, and see if we can find her!” Boltsinger suggested, spreading his forelegs for emphasis. “We’re fast! We pay attention! We got this, right?!”

“Obviously not enough to keep track of a teleporting foal!” the Princess reiterated. “I’ll go get Starlight! She can make this go faster!”

“Okay. Just don’t tell Cadence or Shining Armor that we lost their daughter!” the stallion said, putting the saddlebags in the back of the stroller. “I don’t wanna know what they’d do to us if they found out!” He slapped his muzzle with his wings. “Don’t think about it, Bolt! We’re the ‘Best Aunt Ever’ and ‘Uncle Bo-bo’! We’ve got this handled!” He took off down the road with the stroller, his speech devolving into a fit of nervous laughter.

Twilight ignited her horn, willing herself to Starlight’s location. She appeared behind the mare, creating a bubble of silence around them and covering her mouth from behind. The Unicorn mare gasped, trying to let out a scream as the Alicorn hushed her further. “Starlight, I need you to be quiet and listen to me.” Starlight nodded, prompting Twilight to withdraw her hoof. “Flurry has gone missing and we’re going to go find her. We need your help, but you can’t tell Cadence or Shining Armor!” Starlight quietly nodded again. Twilight teleported the two of them back to her previous location. “Okay, now you can talk.”

Starlight looked around, taking a deep breath. “HOW DID YOU LOSE FLURRY HEART?!” She yelled, her body rising from the force. “It was just a jousting match! Were you seriously so fixated on watching Bolt lose that you didn’t notice her run off?”

“I… well…” the Princess hung her head. “You’re right… But that’s not important right now! We need to find her!”

“Right. We can talk about it more, later.” Starlight concurred. “We can meet back here in an hour!”

---

The search commenced. Twilight ran towards the petting zoo, where the ewes were all playing and hopping up to the pony visitors. She walked up to the pony looking after the place, asking if she had seen the filly.

“She came by not long ago, following one of the ewes, but then something caught her eye.” The Crystal mare explained. “Next thing I knew, there was a yellow flash, and she was gone!”

“Can you tell me what she was looking at when she vanished?” Twilight asked, leaning in hopefully.

“I think she was looking at the berry treats some fillies were eating.” the mare answered.

Twilight gave a graceful bow. “Thank you very much, ma’am.” with that, she darted off into the distance.

---

Starlight’s luck fared no better. She had asked around various stalls regarding where the petit Princess had gone, getting shaken heads and general negative replies. She sighed, moving onto the berry fields. She saw one of the bushes begin to rustle, hearing a foal’s laughter coming from within.

“And what’s this I hear?” She called, receiving a louder giggle in reply. “I wonder where she went… Maybe I’ll have myself a few of these yummy crystal berries to help me think!” She wrapped her horn with magic, picking all of the berries off of the moving bush.

“Yummy!” the filly cried, flapping out of the bush and snapping up one of the berries. She fluttered in place, laughing.

“Hi, there, Flurry!” Starlight greeted, feigning surprise. “Are you ready to go back now?” Flurry shook her head, flying over and eating berry after berry. Starlight began floating the berries all over, causing the filly to chase them around. Each time she would get close, the target berry would fly away, and she would pursue. After the tenth berry was munched, a Crystal Pony walked by with a hoof-crafted hat on. She gave a squee of excitement, flying away from the field and disappearing in another flash. Starlight groaned, cantering off to where she hoped the foal might have gone to.

---

Meanwhile, a frantic Boltsinger was galloping through the Faire, calling out Flurry’s name. He stopped at every stall he could see, asking if they had seen a flying filly, but no results came his way. He slapped his muzzle with his wings, calming himself down and sitting on the ground. His ears sat up as high as his stiff wings, listening closely for any signs of uproarious toddlers. Every time a laugh sounded, his ears twitched in its direction. Each new fit of laughter led to another filly or colt, not a wing or horn in sight.

“You’d think finding a single filly wouldn’t be so difficult…” he grumbled, finding his way to the stand where traditional crafts were made. He attuned his ears again, hearing a much more familiar giggle. Perking up, he ran to the source of the laughter, seeing the flying filly flitting about over a number of hats and other crafts. “Flurry! There you are!” He stepped up to the stall, where the little pony landed and approached him. “Do you want a pretty hat to wear?” Flurry nodded profusely, trotting in place. “Okay. If you come with me, I’ll get you a hat, and we can go meet up with Aunty Twily! How does that sound?”

“Aunty Twily!” Flurry repeated, rearing up. She turned around and faced the proprietor of the stall, who smiled down at her. The Crystal stallion presented her with myriad options, with Flurry picking out materials, colors, and styles. She ended up with a coned hat that fit snugly over her horn, flying alongside Boltsinger as they left.

“Flurry, I’d feel better if you got in the stroller.” He suggested, motioning to the empty seat. She shook her head and flew ahead. “Please, Bug, I need you to come here!” ” Flurry blew a raspberry at him, flying further ahead. Boltsinger let out a low growl, “Flurry, PLEASE!” His raised voice echoed through the streets, sending Flurry reeling. She looked back at him with tears budding in her eyes. “Oh no…” He began to step forward, but was stopped in his tracks by the loud cries coming from the filly. He stepped over to her, promoting her to fly farther away, erecting a magical bubble around herself. He bent down next to her, pressing his face against the bubble. “Hey, little one… I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to raise my voice at you… Can you forgive me? Please?” The bubble dissipated, her crying continuing as she flapped her wings, flying off into the distance. Boltsinger looked up at her, desperately. “Aww crabapples…”

A minute later, Twilight and Starlight trotted up to the sorrowful stallion. He was looking at the horizon, pawing at the ground with his hoof.

“I screwed up…” he told them as they stopped on either side of him. “Flurry will never trust me again…”

“What do you mean?” Twilight wondered, sitting next to him.

He looked at the lilac pony. “I raised my voice to her…”

Starlight tilted her head. “Do you mean normal raising your voice? Or… Bolt-level raising your voice?”

Boltsinger gave the Unicorn a flat look. “Considering I’m the ‘Bolt’ in question, what do you think I meant?”

The mares cringed, knowing just how bad it can get when this particular Pegasus decides to make himself heard. Twilight put her hoof around him, patting his back. “I know how scared she gets when you have to yell at her, but it doesn’t mean that she’ll never trust you again. Just let her know how much you care!”

Boltsinger breathed a heavy sigh. “You’re right. But I can’t do that by moping, huh?”

Twilight nodded, standing up. “Right! Now let’s go find that filly!”

“Right!” He replied, standing firm and spreading his wings. He directed his eyes back to Starlight. “Can you take care of Flurry’s things? I can’t exactly hold onto them where I’m going!”

Starlight gave a nod, letting the orange pony take off, a streak of orange with a blue lightning bolt inside following behind him. She looked over at Twilight, a little dumbfounded. “You’ve got handling him down to an art form, you know that?”

Twilight beamed, taking to the air. “He does the same for me all the time. We’re a team, and we pick each other up when we fall apart. It’s not really any different from how it is with any good friendship.” She started flapping after Boltsinger, looking back for a moment. “Thanks for all your help! We’ll see you back at the castle!” With that, she sped off after her favorite stallion.

---

Twilight caught up to Boltsinger with relative ease. The two divided the horizon between them, each scanning the city for signs of the littlest pony in their family. Boltsinger attuned his ears to her cries, while Twilight’s horn remained lit, hoping to detect signs of her magic activating. The sounds and sensations of the Faire around them filled their senses, overpowering what they could normally handle and throwing their wings off balance for a moment. Gritting his teeth, Boltsinger powered through the vertigo, righting himself as he descended towards the town, Twilight quickly following suit. Below, the Crystal Ponies were going about their business, all of the typical activities seeing full utilization. After a number of minutes, Twilight’s horn twisted her head around, acting like a rudder that turned her in the direction of the magic she sought. She beckoned her companion along, coming to a landing just outside the jousting arena.

There, flitting above the crowd and unbeknownst to anypony but those specifically searching for her, was Flurry Heart. She was looking around with a panicked expression, as if trying to find an adult to bring her home. The knights took their places, dragging their hooves on the ground as Shining Armor stepped up to announce. As his voice sounded, Flurry’s ears perked up.

“Begin!” Shining Armor called out, his daughter flying towards his voice. The knights began their charge while the filly flew perpendicular to them.

Boltsinger’s eyes went as wide as possible. The world slowed down for him as an orange light shone from his pendant. Gotta be honest with Flurry… Honest… Direct… STRONG!!! The lightning of his wings came about once more, flashing in the same color orange as the light from his necklace. He charged headlong towards the crowd, following behind the filly and leaping over the masses in one swift motion. Onward, he galloped as the knights came ever closer, the little pony unaware of the impending danger. He picked up his pace, overtaking the filly and diving under the now-crossing lances. He performed a furious buck on the lances above him, denting them to point at a ninety-degree angle as the ponies flew into the air with their weapons, landing behind the stands as the stallion reared up, spreading his forelegs and bracing himself. Flurry barreled into him, sending him skidding back a few feet as he caught her in a tight hug.

“Boltsinger?!” Shining Armor wondered, noting the strange color of his lightning as the Pegasus fell over onto his rump. “What’s going on?”

The stallion ignored his fellow Prince, looking down at the filly that now cried into his chest. “Thank Celestia you’re alright…” He squeezed the foal, causing her to look up and struggle a bit. “I’m so sorry that I raised my voice to you… But you had your aunt and I so worried all day!” The littlest Princess ceased her struggle, looking into the stallion’s concerned eyes. “We could barely get anything done ‘cause of how crazy we went trying to find you!” He nuzzled her tiny cheeks, pools of water forming in his eyes. “I love you, Flurry Heart. Please, never make us worry like that again…” The orange light faded from his pendant and wings as his strength left him. His forelegs fell limp as his eyes closed, falling over completely. Flurry hovered in place, lighting up her horn’s yellow aura and wrapping it around her uncle, struggling to pick him up as she landed. She gave all of her concentration, lifting him off the ground and holding him in the air, where Twilight stepped up to the two, positioning herself under her husband and bringing her head low enough to nuzzle her niece.

“Thank you, Bug.” she started, lifting the foal into the air and bringing her close as the stallion fell limp on her back. “Why don’t we go back to the castle?” Flurry nodded, giving a nuzzle to her aunt as the Princess of Friendship began to walk off.

“Now, wait just a minute!” Shining Armor cried, stopping Twilight in her tracks. “What in Equestria is going on here?” A shiver came down the mare’s spine, turning her to face her now-approaching brother with the biggest, most nervous smile she could muster and laughing awkwardly.

---

Twilight stood before Shining Armor in the castle, Boltsinger laying in a nearby bed with Flurry curled up next to him. Starlight was going through Flurry’s things, putting them aside and listening to Twilight’s explanation. The elder brother’s expression was a mix of sternness and relief as he put his hoof to his muzzle.

“I can’t say I’m not disappointed that you lost track of her.” he started, casting a look at the passed-out pony. “But you both came through in the end, and that’s what matters. What on earth happened to Bolt, though? The way he moved was… different. It kind of reminded me of Applejack.”

“I don’t know… Whatever happened, it took everything he had…” She took a seat next to to the pony in question, putting her hoof on his. “I hope he’s okay…”

As if on cue, Boltsinger’s eyes began to open. He put his free hoof on top of his wife’s, smiling at her. “I’m fine… I don’t know what hit me, but I just used up too much energy. I feel okay now.” He sat up, stretching his wings and tussling the sleeping filly’s mane. “So, what time is it? Any announcements left?”

“All that’s left is the final unity ceremony.” the Prince informed him. “We’ll all be there for it, but you can still announce it if you want.”

Boltsinger got out of the bed, limbering up his legs as he made for the balcony, wings spread in preparation. He looked behind, seeing Twilight and Shining Armor join him. After a few moments, Cadence stepped onto the balcony as well, followed by a number of ponies from all over Equestria, all of them smiling and having a good time. The Crystal Princess stood next to her husband, the two leaning against one another as the performance pony inhaled deeply. “Citizens of the Crystal Empire, it gives me great joy to bring the Crystal Faire to a close! May the love and unity within us all flow into the Crystal Heart, that its power may continue to protect us!”

The crowd cried out, cheering like Boltsinger had never seen. They all planted their hooves on the ground, bowing regally as the Crystal Heart below them spun rapidly. Lights emanated from their bodies, surging through the ground and into the relic, which shined brightly and shot a burst of magic upward, through the entire castle in a magical shockwave that erupted out of the top in a magnificent aurora. Boltsinger looked up at the lights, admiring their beauty for a moment as his wings and Cutie Mark finally returned to normal. He let out a happy sigh, turning to see everypony else. He stopped dead as his eyes fell on Twilight, whose entire body had a crystal sheen to it, ornate earrings hanging from her ears, with her mane pulled up into a bun and a tight curl in her bangs. She looked at him through half-lidded eyes, stepping towards him as his wings demanded to stiffen up again.

“You look… beautiful… Like, a different kind of beautiful... Is this normal here?” he asked, trying desperately to hold his wings in place. “I mean the whole ‘crystal’ thing for Princesses, not the beautiful thing.”

Twilight laughed, holding her pendant up to show the stallion his reflection. “It’s not just Princesses. Everypony that isn’t already Crystal gets to have a taste of it when the Crystal Heart’s magic activates.” The reflection Boltsinger saw in the sparkling pendant showed crystal facets through his body, his mane having gone from its typical messy and wind-blown style into a windy, swirling style, creating spirals in what otherwise looked like how his hair was whenever Rarity would prepare him for a formal event. “And, I have to say, you look great!”

Boltsinger waved a hoof in front of him. “Meh. I dunno about great. I look okay.” He walked up to Cadence and Shining Armor, taking a bow. “It was an honor to assist you in this important event. And I’m sorry about what happened with Flurry.”

Cadence jumped slightly. “Something happened with Flurry?”

Her husband pulled her closer. “I’ll explain it to you later. Everything’s fine.”

Boltsinger took a bow, flourishing his wing. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, there’s one more thing I feel I need to do tonight.” he informed them, turning to walk into the room again. “Flurry’s gotta go to bed, after all.” He trotted over to the bed with Twilight following close behind, picking up the now-Crystal filly with his wings. She opened her eyes, wrapping her wings around his neck.

“Bo-bo!” She cried out, pulling herself in for as tight of a hug as she could manage.

“I’m glad you’ve forgiven me, Flurry. But it’s bedtime right now.” he said, rounding the corner to her bedroom. “Aunty Twily and I are gonna tuck you in, okay?” Flurry nodded, snuggling up to her uncle. He looked back at Twilight, who was smiling warmly at the two of them.

“To think, this is going to be an everyday thing for us soon… But with our own little foal…” she mused aloud, shortening the gap between them as they trotted. “I just hope that the ‘everyday’ thing isn’t as crazy as it was today.”

Boltsinger chuckled softly. “Yeah, I don’t think I could handle it if every day was this weird. I could barely handle it when super-focused from the lightning. If I had to have an adventure like that on a constant basis, I think I’d literally fall apart.”

“I think you handled yourself well when you weren’t moping.” Twilight corrected. “You’ll be a great father!”

The stallion looked softly at the toddler he carried as the two came to a stop, lowering her into her bed and sitting beside it alongside his companion. “I hope so…” Twilight magically grasped the blankets, pulling them over the little pony. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath as the foal’s parents appeared in the doorway.

“~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…~”

Twilight looked at her husband, her own eyes appearing as tired as those of the young one below. She leaned into him as the deep breath came again.

“~Slee-eep, sleep, my love, my only…
Dee-e-eep, 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, de-e-eep, in the dunge_ and the dark…~”

The lullaby came to an end as the song’s target fell back into a deep slumber. Boltsinger lifted his head and turned to his tired companion. She picked her head up from his shoulder. “That was beautiful…”

“It’s a lullaby my mom used to sing for me.” he explained, standing up and offering a wing in assistance. The Alicorn put her wing in his, rising to her hooves. “You seem tired, though. Let’s head to bed, okay?” He was met with a nod that led to more weight on his wing than he expected. He rolled his eyes, hoisting the mare up and making for the door. “Good night…”

Author's Note:

I'm very glad I decided to split this chapter. It gave me some much-needed perspective. Next one should be an interesting one in a myriad of ways!

EDIT: I forgot to mention the song I used. It's known as "The Frog's Lullaby". I sadly don't know where it originally came from, but the version I heard first was done by a "Draco Stormdancer". A friend of my mother's. As always, I claim zero ownership.