History Of Devotion
Boltsinger knew just what waited for him beyond the large set of doors in front of him, and yet it still seemed imposing. He pushed the door open and stepped into the office, seeing Twilight sitting behind her desk expectantly. “Um… Hi, honey.” A twinge of guilt suddenly crept up his spine. “I-I mean head-mare! Head-mare! That’s what I meant!”
The stern head-mare’s face quickly loosened up into a smile and a giggle. “It’s okay, Bolt. You don’t have to be formal with me here.”
Boltsinger let out a room-shaking sigh, giving her a stern look of his own and flaring his wings. “Then what was with the ‘serious educator’ look you just had?”
The giggle turned into full-on laughter as her head fell to the desk. “Oh, Bolt, don’t be such a scaredy-cat! That was just a little fun!” She put her composure back on, beckoning him over to the chair opposite her. He laughed along, taking a seat and getting comfortable. “I do have something I’d like you to do, though. If you don’t mind.”
Boltsinger nodded confidently. “Anything for my Twilight. What do you need?”
“I’d like to… Or, that is, the students would like to have you along on next field trip.” she explained.
Boltsinger cocked an eyebrow, unconsciously improving his posture. “Ooooookay… I think I can handle being a chaperone…”
“Actually, I was thinking of having you lead the field trip.” she corrected. “Several of the students really appreciated your lesson on devotion, and they wanted to learn a bit more about it. Especially considering these particular students are learning the concept first hoof.”
The stallion’s eyes became pinpricks, his jaw hanging slightly ajar. “L-l-lead? You want me to lead a field trip?! As in the whole class?!”
“Not the whole class. Just six students.” Twilight stated. She brought forth a series of photos, placing them on the desk in front of him. One featured Gallus, and another was of Ocellus. The third picture was of a young brown and tan Yak with black horns and thick braids on either side of her head that had been brought up into a loop with pink beads. She had green eyes, and wore a green cloak over her back. Another featured a bright pink Hippogriff with talons and a beak of a darker pink. Her mane and tail were an alternating two-tone blue, with purple eyes that shone with pure excitement. Another picture showed an orange dragon with a gold underbelly, wings, and horns. Her spines were a bright orchid that reminded him of Scootaloo, and she had bold cyan eyes with a ‘tough girl’ smirk on her face. The last picture showed an Earth Pony colt with a light green coat, blue eyes, a messy mane and tail of teal and turquoise, and a Cutie Mark of three sea turtles. “These six, to be exact.”
“So, Gallus and Ocellus, I’ve met.” he told her, looking over the photos. “The rest are… Yona, Silverstream, Smolder, and Sandbar, right?”
“That’s right.” The Princess confirmed. “These are the students that wanted to learn more about devotion from you.” She brought a contemplative hoof to her muzzle. “Well, Ocellus and Silverstream were the most interested, but they’re very good friends, and decided to all go on the trip together. Do you think you’ll be able to do it?”
“Didn’t they just recently go on a field trip with Rainbow and Applejack?” He inquired, going over the photos further. “If I remember right, that didn’t exactly go well.”
Twilight lit her horn, putting the pictures back in their places. “Unfortunately, yes. With those two, there was a lot of competition going on. You shouldn’t have any trouble like that on your trip.”
“Okay, then, where are we going?”
“I’ve decided to leave that to you. It’s going to be your lesson, after all.”
“Wonderful…” Boltsinger leaned on the desk, resting his head on his hooves. “So, when is the trip?”
The head-mare pulled up a calendar, examining it closely. “Next field trip is next Tuesday. Do you think that would be enough time?”
“I don’t really have a choice in the matter, do I?” he queried. Twilight shook her head with a mischievous smile. “We got anyone to take care of Nova?”
“Spike has been having an issue with a breakout lately, but Starlight has offered to help out.” She told him. “She doesn’t have much to do as guidance counselor, so she’s volunteered for that day.”
“Then it looks like I’m heading up a field trip on Tuesday.” Boltsinger confirmed, getting up and stretching. “Well, if you need me, I’m gonna be in the library. Got lots of things to figure out…”
Twilight waved her husband a farewell. “Have fun with your research!”
The Friendship Express rolled out of Ponyville, an orange stallion standing in the aisle of one of the passenger cars. In the seats were six different creatures, chatting amongst themselves and laughing. He stepped up to the front of the car, clearing his throat. “Excuse me, students!” he started. Ocellus pulled her attention from the larger group, fixing her eyes on the stallion. The other students weren’t quite so attentive, prompting him to clear his throat once more at a higher decibel. “Excuse me, students!” Sandbar and Silverstream looked up this time, joining their Changeling friend. Three more students were still practically ignoring him, though, which he admitted to himself was mildly frustrating. Finally, he took a deep breath, patting his chest and clearing his throat as loudly as he could. “Excuse me, students!” He bellowed for a third time. Despite the fact that he wasn’t quite yelling, the volume of his voice seemed to shake the train car, overwhelming the unprepared ears of those that ignored him. Yona, Gallus, and Smolder all fell to the floor, their attention forced towards the pony at the front of the car. He brushed his hoof against his chest, letting a hint of smugness onto his muzzle. “Thank you.”
“What pony want?” Yona asked, stomping as she rose from the floor. “And why pony have to be so loud?!”
“Because if pony wasn’t loud, Yak wouldn’t hear pony.” Boltsinger explained.
Yona raised her hoof to argue, but paused. “Pony… make good point.”
“Good. Now, I was told that you all wanted another lesson on what devotion is, but honestly, I pretty much said my whole spiel last time.” he elaborated, making way for the passing snack vendor. “Or at least that’s what I thought.”
The excitement in Silverstream’s face seemed to only increase as she brought her talons together. “What kind of lesson do you have planned this time? Does it involve activities? A tour? Tell me it involves something fun!”
“This lesson is going to be one of self-discovery.” he told the Hippogriff. “In learning about the concept of devotion, you’re all going to learn something new about yourselves!” He gestured his foreleg to all of them, spreading his wings enthusiastically.
Gallus shot their teacher for the day a confused glance. “Learn about ourselves? That just seems lazy. Where exactly do you plan on taking us to learn about ourselves?”
Boltsinger sighed and moved to the window. “We’re going to Vanhoover, my hometown.”
“So you’re using us as an excuse to visit home?” Smolder deadpanned.
Sandbar shook his head. “I don’t think that’s the case. I mean, just look at him.”
Ocellus rose from her seat, stepping up next to the Pegasus and sharing his view. “You look like you’re not looking forward to this… Why is that?”
Boltsinger sent a weak smile the students’ way. “You’ll see once we get there. It’s… definitely a place where you can learn a lot.”
They had disembarked, taking in the town around them. Silverstream gave a hard flap of her wings, taking off over the town. “Oh my gosh! Are those real pears?” She landed next to the closest vendor, eyeing the green fruit excitedly. “I’ve never seen a fruit like this! What does it taste like? What all can you do with it? Are they as good as apples?!”
Boltsinger placed some bits on the vending cart, taking a bag of pears and handing it to the Hippogriff. “See for yourself.” The vendor glared daggers at the Pegasus, watching carefully as he walked back to the other students.
Yona barrelled forward, stopping just short of Silverstream with an expectant smile on her face. “YES! Yaks best at pear-eating!” She planted her rump on the ground, wagging her tail and waiting patiently.
“Why is he back here…?” The vendor asked under his breath.
“The monster returns…” Another pony said.
“Look at the ones he brought with him…” a third pony chimed in. “Is he trying to bring in more monsters?”
Silverstream tilted her head at the comments, slowly walking back to the group. “Did you hear what they just said?”
Boltsinger nodded, giving a regretful twitch of his tail. “Yeah. I’m used to it by now, though. Besides, it’s not important.”
Silverstream furrowed her brow, running to her current instructor’s side. “How is it not important? It sounded so… mean!”
“Not everyone is going to be as friendly as the ponies we know, Silverstream.” Gallus informed her, nonchalantly walking ahead of them. “Griffons say mean things to each other all the time, but you don’t see me sweating about it!”
“Gallus just live with other mean Griffons, though!” the young Yak stated, making to follow her friend. “Yona never seen ponies act this mean before! Why ponies so mean, Professor?”
Another weak twitch flew from the stallion’s dock. “First of all, not a professor. You can call me Bolt if you want. Second, they’re only that mean with me. I’m not exactly well-liked in this town.”
“But… isn’t this the town where you were born?” Sandbar wondered, looking at all the glaring faces. “Why don’t the ponies here like you?”
“Don’t you have family that loves you here?” Ocellus added.
“My brother, his wife, and my nephew are among the very few ponies here that like me.” The stallion confirmed, starting along a route he knew all too well. “Plus one Changeling that spends her time in a pony shape.”
Gallus stopped for a moment, looking curiously at Boltsinger. “So… what about your parents?”
“What a coincidence.” the Pegasus began with a soft grin, motioning his tail for the students to follow. “I was just taking you to meet them!”
Smolder flapped her wings, looking around the town from a dragon’s eye view. “But, aren’t we headed out of the main town? What kind of place do your parents live in?”
“Oh, you’ll see. In the meantime, I have a bit of a story for you.” Boltsinger looked back at Sandbar, trying to take on more of a teacher-like expression. “Sandbar, have you told your friends about Cutie Marks and how we ponies get them?”
“Uh, yeah. Did that when school started.” He replied.
Boltsinger’s grin turned into a full-on smile. “Wonderful. That makes things easier on my end.” He looked forward, slowing down enough for the students to surround him. “Well, this story covers a few things, but chief among them is how I got my Cutie Mark.”
Smolder landed next to him, matching his pace. “And what does that have to do with devotion?”
“Excellent question!” Boltsinger declared, more of the dismay leaving his face. “You see, the story of how I got my Cutie Mark is intrinsically connected to how my sense of devotion was born.”
Yona tilted her head, bringing her hoof to her chin. “So, Bolt devotion come from pony butt mark?”
Gallus nudged the bovine with his elbow. “Just let him tell the story!” He spat, drawing the attention of another beaked creature among them.
“Thanks, Gallus. Anyway…” Boltsinger cleared his throat into his wing. “Before I can cover the event in question, you’re going to need a little context. You see, back when I was a colt, there were exactly four Pegasi living here in Vanhoover. Me, my big brother, Brightling, and our parents, Gusty Gale and Tailspin. My parents were, if you couldn’t already tell, dedicated weather ponies. They moved here while Mom was pregnant with me, because the town didn’t have anypony local to keep an eye on the clouds. They were really good at their job, too. A lot of the time, just the two of them would be enough to handle the whole town! But… Let’s just say my brother and I weren't such naturals. Brightling was, and still is, afraid of heights….”
“But how can a Pegasus be afraid of heights? That’s just silly!” Silverstream commented.
“You have Fluttershy as a teacher and you ask that? Clearly you don't know the Kindness professor all that well.” Boltsinger commented back. “I can’t explain his fear of heights, he just has it. He’s just weird like that. Anyway, along with his fear of heights, I was…” He looked at his wings, chuckling to himself. “A really weak flyer, even despite what you see now. Brightling did his best to teach me how to fly so that he wouldn’t have to go up there as much, and while we definitely made progress, it wasn’t enough for the next big weather project.” He looked up at the sky, focusing on a particularly large cloud. “A storm.” He heard a series of gasps from Silverstream, Ocellus, Sandbar, and Yona. “We hadn’t had rain for a while, so my parents and the ponies from Cloudsdale worked together to make a storm that would cover the whole town. Now, I was able to fly okay by then, but nowhere near well enough to handle myself in a storm. So, Brightling joined my parents and the other weather ponies in managing the storm while I kept watch from the porch of our house.” He refocused his eyes on the destination, feeling the closing proximity between him and his more intrigued students. “Then the storm began… For a while, it was rain and wind, with the occasional bolt of lightning. Pretty standard downpour. Until the hail started. The wind picked up, and ponies' homes were taking a doozy of a beating. Then came the big one.” He looked back at the students, eyes wide and ears low. “And I mean that literally. Biggest hailstone ever!” His wings flared wide to emphasize his point, facing the road again. He twirled his wingtips to create a sphere of air, sending it towards the dirt ahead. “It moved with the wind, starting to roll and bounce towards my family.” as the pocket hit the road, he swept his left wing up, creating an updraft that made the sphere seem to bounce. “Of course, I saw it first, and I tried to tell my family to watch out. But, even with the loud voice I had back then, the wind was like a brick wall. I couldn’t get through.” He maneuvered his wings some more, making the air pocket pick up speed as it seemed to bounce ever onward. “And the hailstone just kept going… And I knew that I had to reach them! So, I reared up…” He reared up. “Spread my little wings…” He spread his larger than average wings. “And right as I flapped, I screamed…” He performed a heavy flap of his wings, creating a funnel of air in front of him as he opened his mouth. “WATCH OUT!!!” The shout he released shook the ground around him, throwing the students off balance as the sound carried through the air funnel and pulverized the cloud above into nothing. “And they were able to get away in time!” He got back on all fours, looking around at the creatures around him and scratching his mane with his wing. “Sorry about that… Got carried away…”
As the students got up, their eyes went wide while they attempted to clear out their ear canals. Gallus jumped over the Pegasus, landing in front of him with a wide-eyed excitement Boltsinger had never seen before. “How did you do that?! That was awesome!”
“Um… I flapped my wings and yelled.” He answered, continuing onward. “And after that, I realized something. A kind of spark showed up in me. I decided that if my voice, or any of the other things that I could do, could help others like that, I wanted to help them. I would be there.”
“And that’s when your Cutie Mark showed up?” Sandbar guessed, leaning in with a face full of intrigue.
“Yes.” Boltsinger confirmed. “And it’s also when I got struck by lightning.” The six students all stopped completely as their instructor moved obliviously forward. After a moment, he stopped as well, looking back at all of them. “Something wrong?”
“Bolt get hit by lightning?! How pony survive that?!” Yona asked.
“I think it was probably the fact that it hit while my Cutie Mark appeared.” he explained. “‘Cause that lightning is still in me. But I’ll go into detail on that soon enough.”
“So what about all this led to your ‘sense of devotion’, anyway?” Smolder queried as the group began moving again.
“That spark I mentioned was the beginning of it.” Boltsinger continued, catching a glimpse of their destination. “My life became devoted to others. What they might need that my talents can provide for. Always being there when I’m needed. That’s my calling in life.” He let out a heavy sigh, raising his wings high. “When I woke up after the lightning strike, something was… different about me. I felt this tingling in my wings. My mom and dad were worried beyond reason. They came close to try and give me a hug, but…” A small discharge arced between his wingtips. “The lightning came out and practically blasted them… even hitting Brightling when they were… sent flying… Then, with absolutely no say in the matter, I took off, almost as fast as Rainbow Dash. And I didn’t stop flying until I landed in Ponyville. Helped a pony get a music-related Cutie Mark, then took the next train back.”
“So… what happened to your parents?” the Changeling asked him, stepping tentatively forward.
Silverstream tapped Ocellus’ shoulder, drawing her attention. “Ocellus, you might want to take a look around.”
Ocellus, along with the others, did as directed, taking in the sights. All around them were stones that stuck out of the ground. Some were ornate, sculpted into sorrowful works of art, while others were simple, drab slabs that simply poked out of the dirt. On each and every piece of stone, there was an engraving of a Cutie Mark, a name, and a pair of dates. “You mean…”
Boltsinger came to a stop in front of two headstones, bowing respectfully and turning to face those in his charge. “Students, I would like to introduce you to my parents.” He stepped aside, revealing the faces of the stones to show Cutie Marks of a whirl of clouds on one, and a hard gust on the other. “They… never woke up from the coma that… I inadvertently put them in…”
There was a moment of silence between the seven of them, tears starting to form in Silverstream and Ocellus’ eyes. Finally, Smolder stepped forward, crouching down in front of the graves and patting them with her claws. “You two sure raised an… interesting… pony. I’m sure your flame still burns within him!”
Boltsinger sent the dragon a warm smile, wiping his eye with his wing. “Thank you, Smolder. That means a lot.”
Smolder stood tall, putting her claws on her hips and flaring her wings. “They were passionate about what they did, and gave their all to protecting their young when it mattered most! No way am I not gonna recognize strength like that!”
“They really did give it everything they had…” The stallion affirmed. “I didn’t find out about their coma until I came back the first time.”
“Did you get to visit them?” Sandbar inquired.
Boltsinger slowly shook his head. “Nnope. I had only just barely gotten into town when the ponies in it started throwing rocks at me. Called me a monster, said it was my fault my family was in the state they were in, and how I just did it for the sake of it. All I could do was get out of town. My wings whisked me away again, and I kept helping everypony I met, living up to that devotion for years... Up until I crashed into the wall above Princess Luna’s balcony.”
Yona cocked an eyebrow. “What happen then?”
“I met Twilight and your other professors. My devotion expanded to encompass all of them, and my life changed for the better.” He stated, looking down at his pendant. “Friendship changed my life for the better.”
“Okay, so where is the devotion lesson?” Gallus wondered, stepping closer to the stallion and the graves he had shown them.
Boltsinger straightened up, clearing his throat one more time. “After really thinking about it, it dawned on me that, while devotion isn’t, itself, an Element of Harmony, it does stem from them. In my case, I’d say my devotion comes from a combination of kindness and loyalty.” He pointed his wing between the students, making certain to emphasize each of them. “You six were able to become fast friends, establishing a bond that nocreature expected, and the devotion to match. Now the question is, where does that devotion come from? What drives you? Which of the Elements, and by extension, aspects of friendship as a whole, do you resonate with the most? It could be just one, or it could be any number of them! And that’s your ‘assignment’ for this lesson. I want you to look into yourselves, and look at each other. Discover what binds you to your friends. What makes you tick. There’s no paper, and no due date. When you discover which of the Elements leads you to devotion, I just want to hear what and why it is what it is. Can you do that for me?” The students all gave confirming nods and comments of the same vein. “Excellent. So, who’s ready to head back?”
Boltsinger and the students started towards the exit, some moving at a rapid pace, with some going slowly and somberly. One student hadn’t moved at all. Boltsinger turned to see who had straggled, finding Gallus standing over the graves with his head low. “Hey… uh… Say ‘hi’ to my family for me, would ya?” He whispered, making the stallion’s ears twitch.
“Hey, Gallus, you coming?” The instructor inquired.
The Griffon jumped, quickly turning to face the pony. “Huh? Oh, yeah! Let’s go!” He jumped into the air, soaring over the Pegasus and landing next to his friends.
Boltsinger walked ahead of them for a while, coming to a clearing and stepping into the middle. “Okay. This should be good enough.” He spread his wings, looking back at the lot of them. “Everycreature grab on!”
Sandbar stepped up beside the older pony, looking curiously at him. “Grab on? What do you mean?”
Boltsinger took Sandbar’s hoof and placed it on his side, where a jolt of electricity held him in place. “I mean grab onto me. Yona, you grab the other side, and everyone else, hold onto each other until we make a circle, okay?” The remainder of the students followed the instructions given, each feeling a distinct shock as they made contact that didn’t let them pull away. “So, a little bit of info about that lightning of mine. Normally, I don’t have a choice when my lightning kicks in and makes me fly off to help someone who needs me, but… After a while I learned a little trick.”
Sandbar looked between his sparking hoof and the smirking stallion in front of him. “Wh-what kind of trick is that?”
“If there’s someone who has a constant need for me, like, say, Twilight or Nova, I can just activate my lightning and go straight to them!” He elaborated, showing them a big, confident smile. “Just…” The students’ eyes went wide. “... like…” They simultaneously swallowed lumps in their throats. “... THIS!!!” Boltsinger flapped his wings, taking off in a flash with six screaming students latched firmly onto him.
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perfect just perfect
Oh?
(hugs Gallus) I saw the cartoon about him. the poor kid. I cant wait for more. Idea... Bolt and Twilight adopts Gallus. Nova could use a big brother.
This one is my favorite chapter as of now... To see the reactions and what they did was a curve into a new group of charactors...
Can't wait for them one by one to turn in there thoughts....
Btw I think the charactors should send in their dovotions and then put who they click with....
Something like a list? I dont know...
I haven't been keeping up with this... :(
lh4.googleusercontent.com/FoWJwo2ckx2o5KvIC8fWWlkTk9QixKqGWSWQaMB76rX0uAnkx56cvqcrzb3E0EisjSnMyk6OBYS4FciOzFo7=w1360-h631-rw