One Bolt, Moving Forward

by Boltsinger

Memories

Boltsinger and Spike approached the front door of the Castle of Friendship, laughing together as they reflected on their time in Canterlot. Once Celestia had taken over in instructing the stallion for his ‘royal training’, things had gone quite smoothly, and he had gotten to know both of the Royal Sisters a great deal more. He whipped his wing forward, using a small gust of wind to open the double doors just enough for the two of them to walk through.

Boltsinger took a deep breath to begin his standard bellow to announce his return, but a small sound in the distance crept into his ears. It was Twilight’s voice, a sad laughter softly reverberating off of the walls. He exhaled, starting towards the hall. “Do you hear that?” he asked the dragon.

Spike shrugged, not understanding what his friend meant. “I don’t hear anything. What’s going on?”

Boltsinger’s ears homed in on the sound. “Twilight’s laughing.”

“So? She laughs a lot!” Spike commented, spreading his arms. “Maybe she found a really good book?”

“I know she laughs a lot. But it’s the way she’s laughing.” the Pegasus clarified. He offered a wing, motioning to his back. “Hop on.” Spike stepped onto the outstretched wing, receiving a springboard-like boost that sent him into the air, landing on Boltsinger’s back. Once the dragon was in place and comfortable, he cantered off into the depths of the castle.

“Hey, Boltsinger!” a voice came from above. “Why’re you in such a hurry?”

Boltsinger stopped, looking up to see Soarin in the air above him. “Soarin? What brings you to Ponyville?”

“I’m here to make sure Rainbow Dash sticks to her training while she’s on break.” he elaborated. “I’m gonna be staying in Ponyville for a while.”

Boltsinger nodded, continuing on his way. “Ah. Makes sense.” The two continued in silence for a while. Boltsinger stopped again soon after. “Wait, why is Rainbow on break? Does this have anything to do with why Twilight is so… happy-sad?”

Soarin landed, bringing his hoof to his muzzle. “Um… I don’t understand… She’s both happy and sad at the same time?”

Boltsinger picked up his pace. “At least, that’s what it sounds like. I’m on my way to check on her now.”

“So, what happened with Rainbow Dash?” Spiked wondered. “And… why would it bug Twilight so much?” Soarin took a position next to Boltsinger, going with him the whole way as he explained his side of the events at the Wonderbolts compound. Spike and the stallion he rode looked at one another, nodding in understanding as they rounded last turn leading to the master bedroom, where Twilight’s reminiscent laughter could be heard by everyone. Soarin stepped back as those closest to the Princess stepped through the door. Twilight sat on the couch, looking over the original copy of the friendship journal. She was laughing to herself, but her breathing was staggered and heavy. She had a weak smile on her muzzle as she read through the rather roughly-written pages of Rainbow Dash’s section with small beads of water forming in her eyes.

Boltsinger stepped beside his wife, wiping the water from her eyes as Spike moved to stand between them. “Hey… You okay?” Twilight looked up from her book, her weak smile reminding Boltsinger of himself. She reached up to him, putting her hoof on his shoulder, to which he responded by pulling her into a hug. Her breathing grew heavier as the smile melted away. “You don’t have to hold it in, Twilight. It’s okay…” He wrapped his wings around her and rubbed her back. Spike climbed up onto the couch and joined the two, offering what support he could as the Princess wept her way through the next several minutes.

The Alicorn finally picked herself up, looking between her husband and her best friend. “Thank you…” She said, putting a wing around Spike and pulling the two of then closer. “I needed that. You have no idea what kind of day I’ve had…”

“Actually, Soarin told us on the way up here.” Spike corrected. “At least, what he could make of it.”

Boltsinger looked over at the friendship journal, recognizing Rainbow Dash’s mouth-writing. “So, what kind of adventures have you had with Rainbow, anyway? I’ve read about a lot of your exploits in the journal, heard about them from Celestia, but I never got a first hoof perspective. Would you care to help me fix that problem?”

Twilight gave her favorite stallion a wide, genuine smile. “I’d love to help you with that. But, I think we can handle that later. We have a hungry guest.” She got up from the couch, heading to the hallway. “He’s been waiting patiently for a while, now.”

“I can make dinner!” Spike offered, running ahead of them. “You two just have a good time ‘till then, okay?” Before the mare could open her mouth, the baby dragon had beckoned Soarin down the hall, already out of earshot.

Twilight looked at the now-empty hallway with a grin, happy to know that Spike always had her happiness in mind. She turned around, looking back at Boltsinger. “Well, then, I guess we have some time! Which story would you like to hear first?”

“The beginning, of course!” He replied, trotting up next to her. “I’d like to hear everything. Or, at least as much as you can bring yourself to share.”

Twilight nodded, starting to think up the best way she could tell him these stories. She knew that he’d be happy with just hearing about them from her, but she did know another way she could convey memories that was much more dynamic and interesting. She teleported the two of them to the library, sorted all of the books within, and saw to it that there was ample room to move around, turning to face her husband once more. “Are you ready?” she asked, spreading her wings and hunching over.

Boltsinger looked around the room, not quite sure what she meant. “Um… Ready for what? Aren’t you just gonna tell the story?”

Twilight shook her head gleefully, magic beginning to swirl around her horn. “Nope! Where’s the fun in simply telling you when I can show you?” she cast her spell, a bead of magic erupting from her horn and coming back, hitting her squarely over her heart. Boltsinger cried out, extending a foreleg forward as it struck her, the spell extending outward and enveloping the room.

Boltsinger stood in a field in Canterlot, where several Unicorns were going about their day. Under a nearby tree was a pony the stallion found all too familiar. He trotted over to Twilight, who was obsessively hunched over a book. “Twilight! There you are!” He started, letting out a sigh of relief. “I thought that spell did something awful!” He heard a giggle come from above him as he laid down in front of her. He took a good look at the mare, noting all of her features. It was then that he noticed something was… missing. “Um… Twilight? What happened to your wings? And… um… is your horn shorter than it normally is?” Twilight didn’t respond. She just kept reading her book aloud. It was the story of how Nightmare Moon came to be. She paused for a moment, wondering about the Elements of Harmony, then stood up, galloping off and phasing right through the unsuspecting Pegasus.

Twilight’s laughter could be heard from above, uproarious, but not at all cruel as her husband shivered. “I’m sorry! I couldn’t help but lead you on a little. You remember this spell, right?”

Boltsinger thought for a moment, finally raising his hoof. “Ah! This is the one Starlight used to help me show you my memories, right? So does that mean the Twilight I just saw was…?”

“That’s right! That’s me back when I was still a Unicorn!” She confirmed as the Pegasus followed the mare’s younger self. “This is the day it all began for me….”

To say the experience Twilight was giving him, seeing her memories as if he was present for the events, was unreal would have been an understatement. The scene changed many times, leading to what felt like a brand new tour of Ponyville along with a re-introduction to all of the other Element-bearers, plus more members of the Apple family than he could even comprehend. The memories showed him how all of them were long before even the friendship journal could date back to, and, as always, the ponies all of them were before he knew them fascinated him. He could see very clearly how they had all grown since these events, and it had him more in awe than ever. Twilight led him through their first trek through the Everfree Forest, where they each displayed the qualities that defined them, going into the Castle of the Two Sisters to find the Elements and face Nightmare Moon. After a morning celebration in Ponyville, the scene faded back into the Castle library, where the Twilight He was most familiar with stood before him.

“So, what do you think?” she inquired with a grin. “Would you like to make this a regular thing?”

Boltsinger looked at the Princess with wide eyes and a wider smile. “Absolutely!” He leaped over to the mare, giving her a firm hug and pulling back. “Learning more about all of you is always a pleasure!” He took a closer look at her smiling face. “And it seems like doing this helped you a little, too.”

“It did. I think I needed to share it with somepony.” She stated, sighing and hanging her head. “I still don’t know what to do about Rainbow Dash as things are now, though…”

Boltsinger put his wing on her chin, lifting her head to look at him. “That’s something we can figure out together. Right now, though, I think it’s best that we give her the space she’s asked for and let Soarin do his thing.”

Twilight gave a slow nod, leaning in closer to him. The two closed their eyes, steadily closing the gap between their muzzles, nearly touching their lips together until…

A loud rumble sounded, sending both of them reeling for a moment. Twilight corrected herself first, a sheepish laugh coming out of her as she blushed. “Are you hungry?” she wondered, putting her hoof over her stomach. “Because apparently a spell like that takes a lot of energy. I’m starving!”

The Pegasus let out a loud guffaw, clutching his belly with his wings as he struggled to maintain his balance. “Yeah, let’s eat!” He finally managed to say.

Twilight laughed as the two trotted into the hallway. “I wonder what Spike is making… I’ve had a strange craving for hot sauce on cupcakes lately…”

Author's Note:

This is another one of those chapters that ended up on the shorter side, and I'm only a little sorry for that. In the end, though, I felt that trying to pad it out for word count would make it lose meaning. So, I decided to submit is as-is. And I've already got my idea for the next chapter! (I've got ideas for several chapters, actually. I just need to figure out the order in which I want to put them!)

Comments

[MagicLover2128]

Nice call back to the first episode with the Hot Sauce.