The little colt jumped on his bed while his mother tried to reason with him.
"It's time for sleep." His mother waved her forelegs around.
"But I don't wanna." But he continued bouncing.
"Come on, you have school tomorrow." A vein appeared on her forehead.
"But I'm not tired." He ignored her pleas.
With a sigh, she sat down on the bed beside him. She rubbed her forehead with her hooves. Finally, an idea popped into her head. A way to put her darling colt to sleep, something that her mother always did for her. She patted a spot next to her and said, "Settle down, Bolt, and I'll read you a bedtime story."
"Yay! A story!" Grinning wide, Crimson Bolt stopped jumping and snuggled next to his mother's side.
Shining Hope smiled and began. "Once upon a time, in the magical land of Equestria, there were two regal sisters who ruled together, and created harmony for all the land." Crimson Bolt leaned closer, his forelegs rigid and his eyes wide.
"To do this, the eldest used her unicorn powers to raise the sun at dawn; the younger brought out the moon to begin the night."
"What were their names?"
"The older was Celestia, and the younger was Luna," she continued, "Thus, the two sisters maintained balance for their kingdom and their subjects, all the different types of ponies."
Bolt nodded several times.
"But as time went on, the younger sister became resentful."
He tilted his head.
"The ponies relished and played in the day her elder sister brought forth, but shunned and slept through her beautiful night."
His ears drooped and his lips curled downward.
"One fateful day, the younger unicorn refused to lower the moon to make way for the dawn. The elder sister tried to reason with her, but the bitterness in the young one's heart had transformed her into a wicked mare of darkness: Nightmare Moon."
He reached out a hoof as if to say something, but he remained quiet.
"She vowed that she would shroud the land in eternal night. Reluctantly, the elder sister harnessed the most powerful magic known to ponydom: the Elements of Harmony. Using the magic of the Elements of Harmony, she defeated her younger sister, and banished her permanently to the moon."
"What does permanently mean?" Bolt asked.
"Forever," Hope said, spreading her hooves through the air.
"Oh." His jaw dropped open.
She continued, "The elder sister took on responsibility for both sun and moon and harmony has been maintained in Equestria for generations since."
"But Mommy, why did she do that? She just wanted someone to admire her night."
"If Celestia didn't do that, then Nightmare Moon would have shrouded Equestria in eternal darkness." Her mother nuzzled him on the neck.
"What does shroud mean?"
"To cover."
He pouted. "But... that's so mean. She just wanted a friend. Perhaps she was just really lonely?"
With a chuckle, the mother patted her colt on the head and tucked him into bed. "Now, now. I read you a story now. It's time for sleep." She kissed him on the forehead.
"Okay." He wiggled into bed until he was comfortable. After his mom wished him a good night and left the room, he started thinking.
"They didn't even give her a chance," he muttered, staring at the ceiling. "She was just lonely."
He gazed out the window towards the brightly lit moon hanging in the sky. After a few moments of silence, his ears lay flat against his head. Then, his ears perked up again as a brilliant idea popped into his head.
"One day, Luna, I'll visit you and be your friend." As he drifted out to sleep, a smile appeared on his face. “You’ll see...”
*****
Crimson Bolt leaped into the air, only to come crashing down seconds later. He tried to fly again, but Shining Hope put a hoof on his shoulder.
"There's no need to rush it. You'll be able to fly soon enough. Besides, you'll hurt yourself if you keep doing that."
He shook off his mother's hoof and said, "I'll be fine. You worry too much."
After several more unsuccessful attempts, Hope shook her head. "Why are you trying so hard to fly now anyway?"
Bolt, scruffy with bruises and caked with dirt, threw his hooves into the air. "For Luna!"
"For Luna?"
"Yes! I want to fly so I can go to the moon and be Luna's friend!"
Hope paused. She chuckled and patted him on the head. "Well, if you're going to do that, then come inside and eat some food first. You won't be able to fly to the moon unless you eat your vegetables, after all."
He looked at the ground, his tail gently swishing behind him. "Okay..."
His mother went back into the house. Before following her, Bolt turned around and looked up at the sky. "Soon," he muttered.
*****
Bolt climbed the mountain top, occasionally pausing to gather his wits and rest his legs. With labored breathing, he continued his ascent. Sweat trickled down his body. Finally, he could see it. The top of the rocky cliff. With a final heave, he grunted and pulled himself over the edge.
Rolling over onto his back, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Wiping off a bead of sweat that had accumulated, he imagined himself soaring towards the moon.
“Just wait a little bit longer, Luna. I'm coming,” he murmured.
*****
His eyes popped open. Struggling to his hooves, he glanced towards the sky. The cool breeze drifted through his mane and he flexed his tiny wings, spreading them as far as they would go. With a few flaps, he created a small undercurrent.
Backing up to the back of the cliff, he looked towards the moon. He broke into a steady gallop as he approached the cliff edge.
He looked towards the moon... and jumped.
It felt as if he was frozen in mid-air, his wings emitting a gentle buzz as he held himself aloft.
Then, he fell.
His heart leaped into his throat. Plummeting towards the ground, his wings weren't able to flap fast enough. The wind rushed past him, causing his body to tense up. A sense of helplessness flowed through his brain, and then after what seemed like forever... euphoria. An image of Luna's smiling face appeared in his thoughts, and he braced himself.
He bounced off the ground like a rubber ball. He heard a crack as he landed in a sprawled-out heap. Blinding pain shot through him, but he ignored it.
"Luna... Luna... Luna..." he chanted. Crawling to the base of the mountain, he began to climb again.
*****
“What’s taking so long?” said a voice in front of him.
Crimson Bolt shook his head, trying to register who the voice belonged to. He looked forward and saw a dark-blue alicorn sitting in front of him.
“Well?” she asked.
He paused, his eyes bulging. He tried to find his voice. Finally, he cleared his throat. “I’m coming, I’m coming. Hold your horses, Luna.”
Trotting alongside his friend, Crimson Bolt gazed upward and noticed the rays of sunshine beaming from overhead. A cool breeze wafted through his wings, making him shudder. How did he get here? He didn’t know, but chose not to think about it.
"Come on, Bolt. Let's race! Last one to reach the top of the hill buys the other a glass of apple cider!" She pointed towards a spot in the distance, several hundreds of meters away.
"You're on!" Flexing his legs, he braced himself and waited for the signal.
"Go!"
He took off like a bullet, his hooves pounding the ground beneath him like a piston engine. Before long, he panted heavily. Once he had trotted for several seconds, he turned around, expecting to see her behind him. "Haha, slowpok—"
She wasn’t there.
"You're the slowpoke!" said a voice from beside him. Not only had she caught up, she didn’t seem out of breath at all. She shot him a raspberry and zoomed ahead, her wings tucked at her sides.
"Oh no, you don't!" He took a deep breath and concentrated. Ignoring his aching ribs, he pushed forward. As Adrenaline rushed through him, he felt his limbs fill with new life. It was like eating an extra-delicious apple and getting a boost of energy. He began to catch up, as he gradually increased his cantering speed. "I'm gonna win. Just watch me!"
"Uh uh!" She shook her head. They raced as fast as they could, neck in neck. The crest of the hill loomed before them, coming closer with every step. Suddenly, they gazed into each other’s eyes. Time felt as it slowed down, the world around them becoming a blur. Then, she blew him a kiss.
“What th—” He felt something caught my hooves and before he knew it, he was facedown in the dirt. He fell and slid across the ground. The sound of laughter grew further away from him as she climbed the hill, her legs beating against the ground in a flurry.
“That... that was a dirty trick!” he shouted. In a quick moment—just like that—he had lost. Getting to his feet, he walked over to where she stood victorious.
“I won!” came her cheerful cry as she threw her hooves up into the air. Her wings flared outwards. Between giddy bouts of squeals, she performed a celebratory dance.
“Okay, okay. I get it. You won. Still, that was dirty.” He folded my hooves and frowned.
“Aww, don’t be like that.” She planted a kiss on his cheek. “Just a little friendly competition.”
Caught off-guard, his wings flared out.
“Looks like you liked it,” she said as her tail lightly swished behind her.
“Yeah, yeah. Whatever. At least I’m stronger.”
Suddenly, she jumped forward and pounced on him. They rolled through the grass, their legs and wings locked together. She giggled as they finally came to a stop, with her flank planted squarely on top of him. He squirmed to escape her hold on him, but he couldn’t budge an inch.
“Or not,” he admitted.
Luna let go of him and lay on the grass beside him. “I’m glad we met.”
“M-me too.” Bolt held her hoof in his. "No matter what happens, Luna, I'll always be with you. Always."
Luna snuggled up to his side, and he closed his eyes. “Always and forever.”
*****
He felt something soft laying by his side. When he opened an eye, he found himself not in an open field but in his own bedroom. Luna was gone, replaced by a pillow.
“No! Luna!” He sat up, sweat dripping from his chin. The small remnants of a pleasant dreams faded from his memory, like a long-forgotten memory. All he could remember is how warm he felt.
He gazed out the window. The chirping of crickets quickly hummed underneath the hanging moonlight. On the surface of the moon, five bright stars glistened from above. As he watched, they slowly merged onto a single point.
It formed a pattern of a face. He felt as if it was staring back at him. It felt familiar, but he couldn't put his hoof on why. A chill ran down his spine. He sighed and gently rolled back over, snuggling deeper into the bed sheets.
"Oh Luna..."
“Yay! I’m doing it! I’m really doing it!” Bolt’s wings flapped through the air, holding his entire body up as he surveyed the environment. Vast grassy fields extended below him, and the inhabitants of Ponyville quickly became ants. He soared higher and higher, wind flowing around his body.
“Yeah! Woohoo!” he shouted, spinning around in a circle. “I knew I can do it!”
Finally, after years of countless botched attempts at flight, he had achieved something in his life. Struggling to stifle his giggles, he looked towards his primary goal: the moon.
“Just wait, Luna!”
Pulling his wings back, he flew upwards in the air. Slowly gaining altitude with the wind building beneath his wings, Bolt smiled. He zoomed upwards like a cannon.
“Almost...” He reached a hoof towards the moon.
Onwards, he went. He flew for what felt like forever, but the moon still seemed out of reach. “Come on...”
With labored breathing, his lungs grasped for air. His wings started burning and his body became tense. Finally, he could go on no longer. His legs became stiff and the gravity pulled him downwards.
Drifting... drifting...
Just before he lost consciousness, he felt a gathering of blue smoke whisk him away. Finally, he could be with his Luna. Even if it was just a dream, he could finally be happy.