One Bolt, A World Displaced

by Boltsinger

Surprise Reunion

Boltsinger entered the school the next morning, looking around with a sigh. “So, weird body… friends who barely know me… Can’t get back to see my own son… and now it turns out that the version of my mom that lives in this world is not only alive, but does weather work… Heh… Fitting.”

“Fitting? I can do one of those if you’d like.” Rarity chimed in, passing him from behind. “What do you have in mind?”

Boltsinger halted a moment, giving her a confused glance. “Um… wait, what? No, I was talking about how it’s fitting that this world’s version of my mom does weather work.”

“Oh, I see.” she said, looking him over. “Still, a new ensemble might do you a world of good.” She brought her hand up to his head, finding it to be a tangled mess. “And… how do you function with hair like that?! Oh, we simply must get you treated!” She turned around, starting him towards the office. “Today after school, I’m taking you to the mall! We’ll get you fixed right up, and everything will be all better!”

“B-B-But Sunset and I were gonna investig--” he started, finding a finger on his mouth.

“No buts! You can do all of that at the mall anyway.” she told him. “I dare say there’s little you can’t do there!”

“Sounds… fun…” he affirmed, spying the door with special text on the window. “So, where are you taking me?”

“Oh, I’m just taking you to see Principal Celestia so you can move around a little more freely around here!” she elaborated, putting her hand on the doorknob. “You can’t just follow Fluttershy around all day again. It might give people ideas.”

He looked nervously through the window, making out a purple and yellow blur with a violet and blue one going about their business. “And the principal is basically like the head-mare?”

“Um… something like that.” she knocked on the door, slinging her bag over her shoulder and flashing him a smile. “Good luck!”

“Come in!” a familiar maternal voice called from behind the door. Boltsinger flinched, slowly reaching for the doorknob. “Hello? Is anybody there?” As his hand nearly touched the metal surface, it began to turn. The door swung open, and in the opening stood a woman who stood at roughly Boltsinger’s height, if not a hair taller. She had light purple skin with two additional shades of the color making up her long, flowing hair. It was clear from her violet shirt and dark blue pants that she was one of the blurs he had seen through the window, with a moon clip decorating her white collar, Boltsinger had an immediate idea as to who this was.

“Yes? What is it you need?” the woman asked. “Wait… I haven’t seen you around here, before. Are you a new student?”

“Um… yes?” he answered, not sure just where to go with it. “I was told I needed to talk with Prince-- I mean Principal Celestia. Is she in?”

“I’m right here!” the maternal voice called again, a pink hand rising from behind the woman in the doorway. “You can come in.” The woman stepped aside, revealing a tall, slender woman in a gold jacket over a purple and white shirt, a sun symbol pinned onto the collar. She wore purple pants and gold shoes, and had flowing hair like the other occupant of the office. However, rather than the dark colors of her partner, her hair was a bright trifecta of pink, blue, and green. She took a long look at Boltsinger, as if trying to recognize him. “Aren’t you the boy who was with Fluttershy all day yesterday?”

“Uh… Yes! Yes I was!” he told her, rapidly nodding. “Is that… okay?”

“It wouldn’t be the first time a student has shown up out of the blue.” Celestia reasoned, sitting in her chair and stroking her chin. “Although, the last time that happened, there were some pretty big problems… What’s your name, young man?”

Man? “Boltsinger, ma’am.”

“I see…” She tapped her cheek, gesturing to the chair opposite her desk. “Feel free to sit.” Boltsinger did so without hesitation. “Are you aware of the electrical discharge that started coming out of our statue yesterday?”

“You mean those sparks of lightning?” he asked. She gave a solemn nod. “I’m… intimately familiar with that lightning.”

“Oh? And why is that?” the darker woman inquired, sitting on the desk corner.

Boltsinger froze. He had said too much. He looked between the women, reminded very much of the Royal Sisters back in Equestria. If there was anyone besides his friends that he could trust in this world, it had to be these two. He slapped either side of his face, taking a deep breath. “Are you familiar with the world Sunset Shimmer comes from?”

Celestia’s hands came together, resting her elbows on the desk. “I’m as familiar as I need to be. Would you happen to be from that world?”

“As a matter of fact, yes.” he confirmed. “I have no idea exactly why I’m here, but I don’t plan to cause trouble. Pretty sure my wi--I mean Princess Twilight wouldn’t appreciate it if I did.”

“That’s good to hear.” the Principal stated. She stood from her chair, heading back to the door and opening it. “I’d like for you to keep a low profile while you’re here. The students don’t need to be sent into another magic-induced panic.”

Boltsinger stood up, clenching a fist in front of him. “Don’t worry about me. I don’t plan to be here any longer than I have to be.”

Celestia smiled, patting him on the back. “Now, just because you’re keeping a low profile, that doesn’t mean you’re not allowed to make friends and enjoy yourself. I’m going to have you attend classes with Sunset Shimmer, since she’s the most familiar with your situation.”

Boltsinger made his exit, laughing to himself. “Well then she’s way ahead of you.” He gave her his most sincere smile, waving farewell. “But seriously, thank you for understanding, Princess.”

Celestia recoiled as he walked away, looking to her sister. “Princess?”

---

The last class of the day was half over, Boltsinger sitting in the back of the room. The day had been long, with several of the teachers reminding him of friends from Ponyville. He found it a bit odd that they all taught different subjects, considering he learned all he did from just one, admittedly brilliant, pony. The familiarity served another purpose as his mind wandered, casting his gaze outside and looking at the clouds. That one’s shaped like a cradle… he thought, pointing his eyes at a particular cloud. He lazily drifted to another one. That one… a diaper? Well, at least it’s not a used diaper… Finally, his eyes set on a third cloud, which seemed to move, looking back at him with imaginary violet eyes. There was a twinge of pain in his torso as he looked back longingly. He quickly looked away, bringing his attention to the front of the room. Sunset and Twilight looked back, each giving him a smile and a wave as Cheerilee finished up their lesson. The bell rang with impeccable timing, and they made their way to the door.

“So, Rarity wants to take me to a place called the ‘mall’, today. Should I be scared?” he asked, following them down the halls.

The girls laughed to each other, shaking their heads. “No, it’s not anything you should be concerned about.” Twilight stated. “I was actually going to go there, myself, after practice.”

Sunset nodded, looking back at him. “Actually, I think I’ll go too. We might be able to pick up some information on that magic there.”

“Okay then.” Boltsinger responded with a small nod. They walked for a few seconds more, the girls leading him further from the school’s main entrance. He looked back, wondering why they weren’t going there, then thought back on their conversation. “Wait… practice? What kind of practice?”

---

The amp clicked on, reverberating throughout the room. Rainbow Dash strapped on her guitar, going through some practice licks. She was soon joined by Sunset and Applejack, while Twilight proceeded to check the mic. Boltsinger stood at the room’s entrance, his eyes bafflingly wide as he looked around the room. Pinkie Pie sat behind a set of drums, twirling her drumstick while she waited for Fluttershy and Rarity to ready their respective instruments.

“So… you ladies are all in a--" Boltsinger was cut off as Rainbow struck a power chord, her arm making a wide and dramatic circle as she smirked at their guest.

“A band!” the rainbow-haired girl declared. “Boltsinger, meet the Rainbooms!”

The girls looked to one another with a smile, Pinkie tapping her sticks together. From there, they began to play. The song was fast-paced, Twilight and Fluttershy providing backup vocals while Rainbow Dash belted out the lyrics. This particular song seemed self-serving, but not mean about it, giving Boltsinger the impression that it was Rainbow Dash that wrote it. About halfway through the song, he felt a pulse throughout the room. From the band members came a familiar light. Their ears disappeared, replaced by pony ears at the tops of their heads that poked out of their hair, which had extended two to three times their original length like a ponytail. Wings sprouted from the backs of Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy, the guitarist of the three taking full advantage of the fact. She hovered above her bandmates, darting in different directions as they went through the rest of the song.

As Rainbow Dash landed and the girls returned to normal, Boltsinger’s hindquarters hit the floor. “Do you ladies know that you--"

“Pony up whenever we’re playing well or whenever we do things that reflect our true selves to give us ears and tails and some kind of CRAZY rainbow friendship laser that we use to take out bad guys all the time?!” Pinkie finished, tossing some sprinkles into the air that proceeded to glow pink and explode like fireworks.

“... Yes, that.” he affirmed, pointing at the drummer. “Are you sure you need my help with whatever magic is happening? ‘Cause you might have it covered.”

“We do have a history of getting stuff done whenever magic is involved.” Rainbow bragged, un-slinging her guitar. “You ever try singing? I mean, it’s in your name, and all.”

Boltsinger stood up, waving his hands defensively. “I can sing, but I’m not sure how good I’d be with the kind of music you play.”

“Oh, nonsense! I’m I’m sure you’d sound lovely!” Rarity argued, pulling on his jacket to bring him into the group. “You never know until you give it a try, after all!”

He shook his head, trying his best to pull back and reaching for the door. “Nah. I’d need to familiarize myself with the song, come up with harmonies, descants, figure out exactly what key to use, and I don’t even have my wings to help me manage it all, so I’m not so sure I could do something like this!”

“Descants?” Sunset repeated.

“Harmonies?” Fluttershy followed suit.

Twilight stepped up to him, taking a look at the mark on the back of his coat. “Boltsinger, do you do all of the steps in a song by yourself?”

“For the most part, yeah.” he admitted, finally getting his arm free. “Not much ensemble work growing up, so I just kinda made what I could with what skills I had.”

“So, you do a capella?” Rarity wondered.

“A ca-what-a?” Pinkie replied, tossing up another handfull of exploding sprinkles.

Boltsinger laughed, straightening his jacket. “A capella. It’s a style of music that doesn’t use instruments. Just your voice, body, and some way to amplify your voice.”

“Oooooooooooooh, so you break into song with the music coming from everywhere at once!” Pinkie concluded.

Boltsinger slowly inched towards the door, giving them a nervous smile. “Anyway, I’m not really in a singing mood right now. I’m gonna head out. You have a good practi--”

In a flash of rainbow light, Rainbow Dash stood between him and the door. “Oh, no, we’re not leaving you alone for a second!” She locked the door behind her, moving back to her spot with the band. “If we let you loose in this world, there’s no telling what will happen to you. And that’s something we don’t want to put Princess Twilight through.”

He raised a finger to argue, trying his best to come up with something to say, but his arm fell limp. “... Okay that makes sense… But don’t try to make me sing. I’m… just not up to it.”

“Oh, fine. But you still have to listen!” Rainbow told him, readying her guitar again.

“You say that like it’s a bad thing.” he retorted, sitting by the window and looking down at his pendant.

---

The mall was an… interesting place. According to Rarity, it was a shopping paradise, but Boltsinger found himself experiencing a bit of sensory overload. So many different people, stores, sounds, and smells, that he just didn’t know what was what for a few moments upon their arrival. He clutched his head, staggering a bit as Twilight and Sunset held him up.

Boltsinger righted himself, beginning to make sense of his surroundings. “You said this place was nothing to be scared of… How the hay do you make sense of all of it?”

Rarity spun around to face him, placing her hand on her hip. “Oh, Boltsinger, it’s easy to find your way around!” She gestured to a shop in the distance. “There’s the boutiques…” Her hand pointed to another, similar place of business. “The general outfitter…” Once more, she pointed to a fashion-centric store. “The tailor…” She then motioned to the rest of the complex, spreading her arms wide. “And then there’s everything else!”

The foreigner to the world looked at the plethora of stores, not even attempting to hide how dumbfounded he was. Twilight giggled at him, patting him on the back. “There’s more than just fashion, of course. My favorite place to go here is the bookstore.” She pulled out one of the devices Boltsinger had come to know as a ‘phone’, slightly widening her eyes. “Oh! Speaking of which, I’m meeting Timber there in five minutes!” She started off into the crowd, waving to them. “I’ll see you all later!”

Boltsinger looked at Sunset, cocking an eyebrow. “Timber? Who’s that?”

“He’s… a friend.” she explained, beginning to walk in another direction. “You’ll probably meet him sometime. He visits pretty often.”

“I look forward to it.” he said, making to follow her with Rarity following close behind.

The three of them weaved through the crowds, Sunset and Rarity each grasped one of his wrists, guiding him expertly about the masses until they found themselves in front of the tailor. Rarity let go, giving off an excited squee of a giggle as she entered the shop. “Now, you sit tight! I’ll be right back!”

Boltsinger nodded silently, looking in the general direction he saw Twilight run off to. “Okay. Sounds good.”

Sunset followed his gaze, trying to spot anything of note. After turning up nothing, she looked at Boltsinger himself. His eyes were distant, staring off into something she felt she could only dream of. She nudged his arm, pulling him back. “Hey, you okay?”

“Huh? Yeah, I’m fine.” he stated, putting on a fake smile. “Just…”

“Thinking of home?” she guessed.

Boltsinger let out a sigh as Rarity made her return, ready to take measurements. “When am I not?”

“Not what?” the fashionista wondered, raising her new friend’s arms and wrapping the measuring tape around him. “Oh, do come in! I can’t get a very good bead on you out here!” She pulled him inside, where several people were either being measured or fitted. Rarity set to work immediately, taking a measurement and writing it down, repeating the process ad nauseam in a veritable tornado of measuring tape mixed with the designer’s features. When the dust settled, Rarity leaned against a counter, going over the notes she had taken and drawing up a design, Sunset looking over her shoulder to offer notes.

“So… we can keep moving, yes?” he requested, pointing to the exit. “It feels a little stuffy in here.” The girls looked up from their notes, smiling and following suit. As they took their leave, Boltsinger felt a tug on his sleeve.

“Boltsinger…?” a girl began. He turned around to see a dark-skinned, green-eyed girl with long black hair that faded to white at the root. She wore a form-fitting, sleeveless dark blue shirt with a pattern of smouldering sparks going from shoulder to shoulder along the collar, and a knee-length white skirt over high-heeled black boots. “Boltsinger, is it really you?”

Rarity and Sunset turned to face the girl, who had an expression of utter disbelief across her face. “Boltsinger, do you...know this girl?”

“I KNEW IT!” the girl shouted. She lunged forward, catching him in a tight embrace. “I can’t believe it! It’s a miracle! Oh, Brightling is going to be so happy!”

“Brightling…” Boltsinger began, speaking as if he was recalling a faint memory. After a second of silence, his eyes went wide. “Wait a minute…” He broke the embrace, grabbing her shoulders and getting a good look at her face. “Sparks?!”

The girl nodded enthusiastically. “Yes! Yes, it’s me!” She grabbed his wrist, pulling him deeper into the mall. “Here, come with me!” Sparks broke into a run, dragging Boltsinger behind her. Sunset and Rarity looked at each other, shrugged, and followed close behind.

“I thought you didn’t have family in this world…” Sunset pointed out, looking questioningly at the girl.

“I don’t…” he confirmed.

“Then why did you know her name?” she asked. “And why did she recognize you? Do you know her counterpart in Equestria?”

He nodded discreetly, doing his best to not draw the girl’s attention. “My sister-in-law. This version is a lot nicer, for some reason…”

“Okay, wait here!” Sparks instructed, motioning to a table at the food court. “I’ll be right back.”

Rarity pulled up a chair, taking a seat and resting her head in her hand. “Well, she’s… interesting… I wonder why she looked so terrified when she saw you…”

Boltsinger sat down, his elbows on his knees. “Your guess is as good as mine…”

Sunset sat next to him, gesturing to an approaching boy that walked with Sparks. He was a faded yellow with short brown hair and brown eyes. He was half a head taller than Boltsinger, with a slim but well-built frame. He wore a pure white tank top with a red and yellow letterman jacket tied around his waist, bearing a patch of a light bulb on the shoulders, along with a pair of black slacks and white tennis shoes. “You think he may have an idea?”

Boltsinger leaned back in his chair, eyeballing the familiar face that threatened to loom over him. “I think so… I mean, he is my brother…”

Author's Note:

I know, it feels like I keep dangling you off of a cliff, but it just felt right to end this chapter where I did. Work on the next one has already begun.

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[Zapper Frost]

When you catch up to the story but you have to stop reading it