One Bolt, A World Displaced

Chapters

Familiar Faces
Getting His Bearings
Surprise Reunion
We've Got Your Back!
Grave News
Confrontation
Facing The Truth
Epilogue: Home Again
Prologue: Into The Mirror
Shades Of Home

Familiar Faces

“NOPE!” Boltsinger shouted, bringing his digits to the ground, turning around. He saw what looked like the base of a statue standing there, electricity coming out of the wall facing him. He did his best to run on all fours towards it. “NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE!” He reached for it, but found himself blown back by the sparks emanating from it. “Wait, is that my lightning?! Why would my own lightning hit me?”

“What the…? What is that guy talking about?” someone from the crowd asked. Boltsinger looked to the source of the voice, spotting a blue female of the creatures with two-tone blue hair and golden eyes, much like the pony he knew as Lyra Heartstrings.

“I don’t know… I’ve never seen somebody like that before.” another voice responded. It looked to be male, but his features were something he couldn’t quite recognize.

“Um…” Boltsinger started, a furious blush coming to his cheeks. He looked around the area, several creatures looking at him like he was insane. Many of them had an air of familiarity to them, while others were completely new. “I… uh…” He brought up his digits, waving gingerly. “Hi…” Many of the creatures shrugged, continuing about their business. He observed how they moved, seeming to fall from one leg to the other in a repeated sequence. He put his hindquarters under him, using what he normally knew to be his hind legs to rise up. Surprisingly, despite his lack of a tail, he found balance easy. He brought his digits up, experimenting with their dexterity. These feel like my feathers… He took a step towards the large building, then another, and then more, finding himself somehow not tripping over his own lower appendages. Doesn’t seem to be anywhere else to go… I just hope I can find somepony that can explain all… this…

Inside the building was a large entry hall filled with trophy cases and bulletin boards. Posters were strewn about the exposed walls, and the halls contained lockers as far as the eye could see. Several more of the creatures socialized next to them, walking from room to room until a bell rang. Boltsinger cringed, covering his ears as the halls filled completely with the creatures. He worked his way through the crowd, trying to find some space until he felt an impact that threw off his new sense of balance. He fell onto his hindquarters, shaking his head and opening his eyes. In front of him sat a female creature with features that reminded him of one of his best friends. She was yellow, with long, pink hair and blue eyes that had eyeshadow over their lids in the same shade as her hair. She wore a long, teal sundress with green trim along the hem and pink shoulder straps. The dress bore three butterflies on the right side of the skirt in white and two shades of pink, and she wore butterfly-themed pink open-toe shoes with ribbons wrapped halfway up her legs, along with transparent green sleeves on her otherwise-exposed arms. Most notably, around her neck hung a pink geode pendant that bore the Cutie Mark of…

“Fluttershy?” he asked.

She rubbed her own hindquarters, not having noticed the one who had bumped into her as the hallway cleared. “Ow… What happened?” Out of her backpack, a bunny resembling Angel hopped, scampering down the hallway. She jumped up, scooping up her backpack and running after the rabbit. “Angel, wait! You’re not supposed to come out when we’re inside!”

Boltsinger got up, doing his best to follow the familiar face. “Certainly sounds like Fluttershy!” As he rounded a corner, he saw that she had already picked the bunny up and was hugging it tight.

“Oh, Angel, please don’t run off like that again! I don’t want the staff to find out I’ve got pets in school!” she told the bunny. It nuzzled her back, climbing onto her shoulder and into her backpack. She started back the way she came, pulling out a strange device and looking at it. “Oh, my! I’d better hurry or I’ll be late for class!” She broke into a run, rounding the corner past Boltsinger, who reached his arm out at her.

“Fluttershy, wait!” he called.

At the sound of her name, Fluttershy yelped, stopping in her tracks and turning around. “Um… yes…? Can I… help you…?”

Boltsinger smiled wide, throwing his head back. “Oh, YES! Finally a friendly face!” He put his digits on her shoulders, making her yelp some more. “How did you get here? Does Twilight know what happened to me? Is there any way I can get home?”

With each question, Fluttershy backed up, bringing her arms up defensively and hiding her head behind her hair. “I… I go to school here… I don’t know what you’re talking about getting home… And… and…”

He came a little closer. “And…?”

“I have no idea who you are!” she exclaimed, bringing herself low. “Can you please let go of me?”

Boltsinger recoiled. “You don’t… know… me…?” his digits fell from her shoulders, staggering back a few steps. “But… but you were just in the library with Nova… You were so…” His back hit the lockers behind him, sliding his way down to the floor and clutching his head.

Fluttershy pulled her hair aside, getting a look at the one fretting before her. “Are you okay…?”

“She’s Fluttershy but… but she’s not Fluttershy but she’s totally Fluttershy! But she’s not and…” he rambled, eyes darting around the hallway, repeatedly refocusing on her.

She stood up, tentatively walking over to him. “I think you may need some... help…” She reached her arm out. “Here, take my hand.”

He looked up at her, his face stricken with confusion. “What the heck is a ‘hand’?”

“Oh! Well… um…” She grabbed his arm, helping him up. “Just… come with me, please.” She pulled him along, leading him through the building. “This Is going to sound strange but… Are you… not from around here?”

“What was your first guess?” he asked, giving her an uncertain smirk. “Sorry for scaring you like that…”

“Not as sorry as you’re gonna be!” a familiar rasp shouted. Fluttershy and Boltsinger looked in the direction of the voice, where a girl with medium-length hair of six different colors stood. She wore a short-sleeved blue jacket with yellow stripes over a white shirt with an unmistakable mark. Covering her legs were black pants with rainbow-patterned lightning bolts on the outside and blue and white shoes with red laces. Her wrists, with rainbow-colored wristbands, rested on her hips as she leaned towards them with a fierce scowl. “Fluttershy was late, so Miss Cheerilee sent me to make sure she’s okay!” she stomped up the Boltsinger, grabbing his shirt collar and getting in close. “So what’s your excuse, buster?”

Boltsinger went pale, letting his knees shake without cease. “Excuse? What do you mean excuse? Am I doing something wrong?”

“What are you doing with Fluttershy?!” she spat.

His eyes shot back and forth, wondering what she might be implying. “I… uh…”

“Rainbow Dash, stop!” Fluttershy cried, putting her hand on her shoulder. “He’s… new… here, and I was taking him to Principal Celestia’s office… But… I think he might want to meet Sunset first…”

“Sunset? Like, Twilight’s book pen pal Sunset?” he inquired, looking between the two.

Rainbow Dash let go of Boltsinger’s shirt, pointing a finger at him and looking at her friend. “Is he from…?”

Fluttershy nodded. “I think so. What do you think we should do?”

Rainbow Dash pursed her lips and squinted her eyes, looking the boy up and down. “He seems mostly harmless…” She poked his nose aggressively. “I’m gonna let Fluttershy keep an eye on you till lunch. Don’t make me regret it!”

“Okay. Yeah. No regrets here!” he told her, raising his hands. “I know better than to make you regret stuff!”

Rainbow gave him a confused look, then shook her head, turning down the hall. “Whatever… Come on, Miss Cheerilee is waiting for us.”

“Coming!” Fluttershy answered, following along. She took hold of Boltsinger’s wrist again, pulling him towards the classroom. After they had walked for a while, she stopped, looking back at him. “Oh! I’m so sorry I didn’t ask this earlier… But what’s your name?”

Boltsinger pointed to himself. “Me?” His new acquaintance nodded, prompting a sigh of realization out of him. “Right… You don’t know me… My name is Boltsinger.”

Fluttershy gave him a wide smile. “Well, Boltsinger, let me be the first to welcome you to Canterlot High School!” She held her hand out, wide open. Boltsinger eyed her palm curiously, unsure of what she was doing. “Um… Do they have handshakes where you’re from?”

“Ah! Yes! Hoofshake! Why didn't I think of that?” He placed his hand in hers, grasping it firmly and giving a modest shake. “So, this is a school, huh? Ironic…”

The bell rang again, becoming less panic-inducing each time Boltsinger heard it. Fluttershy had led him through various classes, where she advised him in some of the terminology, such as the word ‘person’, ‘people’, and use of the term ‘everybody’ instead of ‘everypony’. Amongst the students, he found various girls who looked shockingly familiar. One was orange with blond hair and a stetson, wearing cowboy boots that each had three apples on them, along with a denim skirt and a white shirt with short green sleeves and a bright red apple on the front. Another was two shades of pink, wearing a white, sleeveless shirt with a balloon pattern, a poofy pink skirt over white pants, bright blue shoes and a blue bow in her frizzy hair. Finally, there was a white girl with curl-treated purple hair with a diamond-themed hair clip. She wore a bright blue sleeveless tunic with a bejeweled green collar and another purple jewel design near the flared out waistline, over a modest purple skirt, and wore jewel-encrested purple high heels. They would all stop and look at Fluttershy’s current companion curiously, sometimes talking amongst themselves. This time, Fluttershy took him to a much more open room, full of tables, with a line of students holding trays at one end.

Fluttershy let go of his wrist, turning to Boltsinger and gesturing daintily to the room. “And this, Boltsinger, is the--"

“Cafeteria, right?” he finished, stepping forward. “I got pretty familiar with the one at Ponyville General over the last year.”

“Oh? And what were you doing at the hospital so much?” she wondered as they made for the line.

“Twilight and I were… On second thought, it’s not important.” he told her.

“What was I doing that’s not important?” a girl’s voice queried from behind him. Boltsinger turned around, reeling back at what he saw. The lilac, the purple hair, the pink stripe, the star pattern in both her hair tie and on the dark purple skirt she wore. Nearly everything about this girl reminded him of his favorite mare, and the features that weren’t completely spot-on, such as the blue-striped shirt with the puffy shoulders and the thick-rimmed glasses, didn’t surprise him in the slightest. She waved to Fluttershy, then eyed Boltsinger. “I think I’d remember doing something with you… Wait… who are you, anyway?”

Those words from that voice stabbed at his heart fiercely. He stumbled back, hitting the counter behind him. After a second to process his situation, he brought his hands up, slapping his cheeks as hard as he could. “I-I-I’m… I’m nopo- I mean nobody important… Don’t… don’t worry about me…”

The girl shrugged. “Well, okay, then. If you say so.” She moved behind Fluttershy in line, taking a tray and making her lunch selections.

After receiving a meal from someone who looked strangely like Granny Smith, Boltsinger was led to a table where all of the girls he had previously seen were gathered, chatting and laughing about a number of things he didn’t understand. At the edge of the table sat one face he couldn’t even begin to recognize. She had amber skin with cyan eyes, with long hair of a fiery crimson and yellow. She wore a short-sleeved orange shirt with a sun symbol under a black vest, and sported a maroon skirt that was held up by a black belt and fastened by black straps, with high-heeled black boots covering her feet. Fluttershy and the girl he had most recently spoken with sat down next to the new face, the former of the two looking up at him. “Come on, Boltsinger, sit down. It’s okay.” Fluttershy said, patting the spot next to her at the table.

The newcomer did as directed, eliciting a glance from the red-haired girl. “Oh? And who’s this? New friend?”

Boltsinger scratched his neck, averting his eyes. “Um… you could… say that.” He held out his hand to the unfamiliar female, trying to imitate the gesture Fluttershy had given him that morning. “I guess… Fluttershy already said my name, but… I’m Boltsinger. It’s a pleasure to meet you!”

The girl smiled, grasping his hand with a rapid shake. “Nice to meet you, too, Boltsinger. My name’s Sunset Shimmer.”

Boltsinger’s grip tightened as he snapped his gaze to her, leaning in closer. “As in Sunset Shimmer from the book in the library that glows and vibrates Sunset Shimmer?!”

Sunset’s eyes matched the size of the boy shaking hands with her. “Wait, you mean the book in the castle in Equestria?”

The boy’s arms shot upward, letting go of her hand as he rose from his seat and let out a cheer. “YYYYYES! Finally, somepony who knows what I’m talking about!” he shouted, the sheer volume of his voice causing the tables in the room to shake.

Sunset reached forward, putting her hands on his shoulders. “Hey! Wait! Calm down for a second!” She eased him back down to his seat, lowering his arms. “Okay, so you’re from Equestria?”

“Eeyup.” Boltsinger answered with a nod.

“So you found the book that Princess Twilight uses to talk to me?” she continued.

“Eeyup.” he repeated. “Saw something in the process of being written, too.”

“Okay, this is gonna be weird, but bear with me.” she told him as she grabbed onto his wrist, her eyes going white.

In her mind, Sunset saw a myriad of images. An equine version of this boy crashing into a wall, spending time with Princess Twilight and her friends. A pendant, a brother, a reunion, a kiss, reconciliation, and a wedding. Then came a surprise, a dramatic year full of ups and downs, a persistent Princess with an uncertain stallion, all leading up to… a baby. Finally, she found what she had come to see. He stood over a book in the library as his wings sprang to life, shooting him into an all-too familiar mirror.

She let go of his wrist, hyperventilating as she looked him in the eye. “You’re… Twilight’s… husband?!”

Author's Note

I know this chapter is pretty standard length for my work, but I actually plan on this story being on the shorter side. I have an idea for the overarching plot. I mostly needed this to be the catalyst that really gets it going. I hope you like what you read!

Getting His Bearings

“Her HUSBAND?!” the girls repeated, nearly falling from their seats. Boltsinger looked down at his lunch, his cheeks a bright red.

“Princess Twilight got married?” the pink one stressed. She grabbed Sunset’s vest, shaking her emphatically. “Why didn’t you tell us Princess Twilight got married?!”

Sunset pushed her friend off, rubbing her temples. “Because, Pinkie, I knew you all would react like that. Besides, I told you about him already. I just… hadn’t told you that part.”

“Wait, you mean that guy she met that had the powerful voice ‘n the lightnin’ that sent him off to every place that might need ‘im?” the blonde one, who Boltsinger could only guess was Applejack, guessed.

“Certainly sounds like me.” Boltsinger confirmed, picking up a piece of lettuce.

The purple-haired girl, unmistakably Rarity, stepped forward and put her hands on either side of his face, leaning over him and giving his looks a thorough examination. “Well, you’re certainly not who I would have expected her to fall for, let alone marry.”

Boltsinger removed the hands from his cheeks, backing up a bit. “Yeah, nop--body ever really expects me. Although, coming from you, that sounds weird.”

“How so?” she retorted, crossing her arms.

“‘Cause it was the Rarity back home who egged me on the most to make a move on her.” he explained. He picked up his lettuce again, taking a bite and quickly consuming it. “Talking about her looks, saying that I must, must, MUST, and then going to so much trouble to try and work a confession out of me. She was adamant that romance happen.”

Rarity’s eyes widened for a moment, then she returned to her usual relaxed state. “Oh, yes, well that does sound like something I’d do, doesn’t it?”

“OH! OH! What did I do? What did I do?!” Pinkie inquired, waving her hand. “I bet it was something super fun and memorable, huh?”

Boltsinger took a deep breath, making the excitable girl’s eyes light up with anticipation. “Parties.”

Pinkie jumped from her spot, pumping her fist and knee as she danced in place. “YES! I knew it! Any Pinkie is a party Pinkie no matter how you part the Pie!”

As the girls laughed at their friend’s antics, Sunset leaned over to Boltsinger. “Are you sure you should be telling them about their counterparts in Equestria?”

He waved a dismissive hand. “Eh. They asked. And it’s nice to have at least something feel like home…” He lifted his pendant, looking into it at the small sparks of electricity with a sigh.

As they got up from lunch, Boltsinger felt a tap on his shoulder, drawing his attention behind him. Standing there was the girl whose features reminded him most of home, her hand raised gingerly with her other arm wrapped around a book. “Excuse me… Can I, maybe, talk to you?”

Boltsinger recoiled slightly. “Um… Twilight… yeah… What do you need?”

She shook her head, putting her hand up between them. “Not here… Can we talk… privately? After school?”

“Yeah, sure. Wherever is fine with me.” he stated, looking back and pointing to Fluttershy with his thumb. “So, um… I’m gonna head out… Gotta stay with Fluttershy for now. See you later?”

“Yeah! Definitely.” she affirmed, twinkling her fingers as he walked off. “See you soon.”

At long last, the final bell rang, and Boltsinger found himself in the plaza at the front of the building again. He walked towards the statue base, which still gave off an electrical discharge from his arrival, and extended a hand towards it. As he came close to the surface, he felt another tap on his shoulder. “GAH!” He shouted, jumping from the shock. He spun around, finding Twilight, reeling back. “Oh! T-Twilight! Hey!” He stepped back, moving to the side of the statue. “Sorry about that… Just got a little spooked, is all.”

“Oh. It’s okay.” She adjusted her glasses, investigating the surface he had reached for. She had come to know that a portal existed there, but she hadn’t examined it since her first time at the school. “I have to say, this is a phenomenon I’ve never seen before.” She looked over at him, straightening herself again. “Is it a result of your arrival?”

Boltsinger observed the electricity, trying to make sense of it. “I… think so. I’m not as well-versed in magic as Twi-- the other Twilight, but I think… it’s keeping me here, like how my lightning usually works when I’m sent somewhere.”

Her eyes lit up with curiosity as she closed the distance between them. “Oh? So you’re familiar with its properties? How does it typically behave under normal circumstances? What do you mean when you say you’re ‘sent somewhere’?” Her questions continued for a solid minute, inquiring about every little detail. He put his hands on her shoulders, guiding her to a spot where they could sit down, and began the long and involved explanation of how his lightning came to him, how it normaly behaves, and the various nuances he had learned over the past few years.

“And now, when there’s someone that I know has a consistent need for me, like the Twilight I know, or Nova, I can… kinda trigger the lightning to activate whenever I want, just as long as I’m going to them.” he finished. “It makes getting home really easy.”

“I see…” she responded, furiously writing in her notebook. She brought her pencil to her lip, directing her eyes back to him. “So… Who’s Nova?”

Boltsinger was beginning to think that this Twilight was exceptionally good at saying painful things. He winced, doing his best to hide the fact, then looked over at the school building. “He’s… well… I’ll tell you some other time. Anyway, you said you wanted to talk to me about something?”

Twilight put her notepad away, standing up. “Oh, that’s not important right now. I’ll see you tomorrow, right?”

Boltsinger shakily worked his way to his feet. “Considering I don’t know anywhere else to go in this place, yeah. Probably gonna stick around here.” He waved her off, turning back to the main building. “Won’t be the first time I’ve slept in a library…”

He began walking, looking at the myriad students making their exit. Many of them looked familiar, so much so that he felt he could guess their names at a glance. Bulk Biceps stood out like a sore hoof, along with Trixie, the CMC’s, and Big Mac. It felt like he was still back home, like nothing had really changed. Save for one difference. One small presence that had come to mean everything. He stopped, looking up at the grey clouds above him. As he inhaled, another student came up next to him. “You really miss him, don’t you?”

Boltsinger looked out of the corner of his eye, spotting Sunset Shimmer looking up next to him. “What do you mean?”

“That little colt in your memories.” she clarified. “I can see the memories of anybody I touch. It’s… kind of my ‘special talent’.”

His head and shoulders slumped, directing his gaze to the strange-looking feet at the ends of his legs. “Eeyup…”

“I talked to Princess Twilight since lunch, you know. She was really worried about you.” she informed him, putting a hand on his shoulder. “I told her you’re fine, and she says that the baby is okay. He’s a little fussy, but he’s okay.”

“That’s… that’s wonderful.” he affirmed, wiping his eyes with his sleeve. “Now I just need to figure out how to get home… Anything you need help with that needs… Well, I guess I can’t do sound amplification without my wings, but… I guess some of my other skills might be needed, otherwise I wouldn’t even be in this world.”

“There’s been some magic moving around the city. I’m not sure exactly what’s going on, but there’s been a pulse that I can see all the way from my place.” she explained. “If you saw me writing to Princess Twilight about it, then that might be what called you here. You wanna help me look into it?”

He nodded, finally looking at her properly. “Eeyup.” He took a calming breath, continuing his trek towards the school.

Sunset grabbed the hood of his jacket, yanking him back a little. “Where are you going?”

Boltsinger looked curiously back at her, pointing at the school. “I was gonna find the library. I don’t exactly have a place to stay, and books are surprisingly comfy.”

Sunset shook her head with a smile. “You really are part of her family, aren’t you?” She gestured behind her, starting a walk away from the school. “Come on, you can stay at my place while you’re here.”

A sense of surprise seemed to encapsule the blue-haired boy. “You sure? I mean, would your family really be--”

She smirked, waving him along. “It’s fine. I don’t have any family here. They’re all back in Equestria.”

Boltsinger tilted his head, cautiously following her. “Well, that explains a lot.” He picked up his pace, coming to a casual stride beside her. “You do realize that you owe me a story, right?”

Sunset chuckled, fixing her eyes on her destination. “All right, I guess I can give you that much.”

“So you and Starlight have a lot in common, huh?” Boltsinger wondered, taking in the sights of the city around him.

“Yeah, I was pretty evil back then.” Sunset confirmed, scratching her cheek. “But I’ve got forgiving friends. Your wife included.”

“So… where do you think this magic is coming from, anyway?” he queried, noticing some fancy outfits in a window display. “I learned a lot about magic from my friends back home, but I’m not quite sure it works the same way in this place.”

“Honestly, I’m not sure where it’s coming from or what it’s doing.” she said, looking in the direction of the pulse. “But magic in this world has a history of doing… bad things… when people start messing with it. Something about transforming into monsters.”

“Okay… So, definitely make sure no one’s been messing with it. Got it.” He looked around some more, spotting a sweet shop that seemed to be run by a couple more familiar faces. “Are those… the Cakes?”

Sunset stopped and followed his gaze, spying the owners in the window. “Oh, yeah. They’ve got some of the best food in Canterlot.” She looked at him through the corner of her eye. He was hungrily licking his lips, his feet just barely beginning to scoot forward. “You wanna see for yourself? My treat.”

A starving smile appeared on his face as he looked at her, his feet already moving in the shop’s direction. “Well, if you insist… I really hope it’s as good as Sugar Cube Corner!” He broke into a run the moment the opportunity arose, eagerly standing beside the door in a matter of seconds.

Sunset rolled her eyes as she made her way to the door. She sat him down at her favorite table of the shop, placing their order and sitting across from him. She reached into her backpack, retrieving a pencil and a sketchbook with an intrigued grin. She placed the book on the table, opening it to a blank page, and began drawing. Boltsinger looked around the establishment, hoping that what he got was going to be as good as the items he saw looked, and then noticed something… odd… hanging in a corner of the room. A device with a picture on it that seemed to be… moving. It reminded him of various spells he had seen Twilight, Starlight, and various other magically talented ponies use, but there wasn’t an aura around it, nor did he believe that magic had anything to do with it.

“Hey, Sunset…” he started, putting his hand on her free arm and pointing to the box. “What is that thing?”

She looked at the device. “That’s a TV. It basically takes a recording someone has made and broadcasts it everywhere.” She returned to her work, intensifying her focus. “I’ve got one at home if you want to learn more about it. We can watch a movie or something.”

“Sounds good…” he replied. “Hey, what are you drawing, anyway?”

“You.”

“Me?”

“Yup. You.”

“Why?”

“Curiosity.”

“Curiosity?”

“Yeah. I want to see if I saw you accurately in your memories.”

“How’d it come out?”

She held up the sketchbook, showing him an unfinished image of what he could almost guarantee was himself as he saw whenever he looked in a mirror. “What do you think?”

“I think Ink would be jealous of what you can do.” he told her, examining as closely as was comfortable. “If this is just a doodle from memory, I’d love to see what you can do when you really try!”

She smiled, stowing the sketchbook away. “Well, thanks. But it’s far from done. Who’s Ink, anyway?”

“Oh, she’s a friend.” he answered. He went into the story of his first friendship mission, helping a mare named Ink Rider and her little brother as their order came. Afterwards, they continued their walk, swapping stories of good memories as they went. Boltsinger was surprised to learn of the Flash Sentry that existed in this world, finally understanding the initial attraction she had with the Flash he knew. While he learned more of the world he was now a guest in, he was able to give Sunset a better idea of what life in Equestria was like in her absence. She had been back a number of times, but never really long enough to see just what was going on in the world. She found herself especially intrigued by the being that Boltsinger called ‘Discord’, hoping she might meet him someday.

By the time they entered Sunset’s loft, they were laughing at the latest story told from the girl’s perspective. The sky outside had turned dark, and a yellow light was pulsing in the distance. Sunset guided him to the window, pointing at the light. “That’s the thing I’ve been seeing. I know it’s Equestrian magic, but I’m not sure just who it is or what they’re up to! What do you make of it?”

Boltsinger looked out at the light, seeing a slight rhythm to it, but unable to make out much else. “Not quite sure. I’m up for investigating tomorrow if you want.”

“Okay.” she responded, moving away from the window and over to her dresser. “Make yourself at home. I’m gonna… well… you know.”

Boltsinger looked around the abode, curious about some of the things he saw. “Oh, yeah… I’ll… take a look around.” He made for the couch, inspecting a bar-like device that had a number of buttons sticking out. He picked it up, pressing the red button as a light flashed on from across the room.

“--ere in Canterlot City with a high of sixty-six degrees and a low of fifty-one.” the TV on the other side of the room blared. Boltsinger yelped, scooting back on the couch. He fumbled with the device in his hands, accidentally tossing it up and making a desperate grab for it, only for it to land on the floor below. He let out a few panicked breaths, curling into a ball and wallowing in his unfamiliarity as Sunset ran over.

“Are you alright?!” she asked, kneeling down next to him. “You look like you just saw a ghost!”

“Wasn’t… expecting… that…” he admitted, pointing at the screen.

She let out a sigh of relief, bringing herself onto the couch. “Oh, that’s all it was… I told you I had a TV at home.”

“I remember, but… who is that?!” he wondered, directing her attention to the lady on the screen. Her skin was the same shade of orange as Boltsinger’s, with a bobbed dirt brown hairstyle and a hair clip of a blowing gust on her right side. She wore a bright blue suit with a darker orange shirt underneath, and was standing in front of what looked like a map with all sorts of patterns and symbols on it. “She looks… familiar.”

Sunset got a look at the screen, a smile crossing her lips. “Oh, that’s the weather person, Gusty Gale! She’s the best meteorologist in Canterlot.”

Boltsinger slowly turned his head to look at her, utterly dumbfounded. “Did you say Gusty Gale?”

Sunset cocked an eyebrow, looking back. “...Yeah. Why?”

“Because… well… my mother’s name was Gusty Gale…” he stated. “And… well… Back home, she’s not quite so… alive.”

Author's Note

I admit, still shorter than my average, but I'm thinking longer chapters on this story might not be a good idea, considering the setting giving me such a hard time. Still gonna see this through, though, even despite the downvotes.

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.

We've Got Your Back!

Sunset sat at the computer in her loft, looking over the monitor at the boy on her couch. He was slouched forward, flipping through channels on the TV with a sour look on his face. She let out a sigh, returning her attention to the screen where her friends stared back at her. “He’s… sulking. Anything happen to him before you left?”

Twilight fervently shook her head, raising her hands defensively. “No! Nothing at all! He just…” She averted her eyes, twisting a lock of her hair with her finger. “He’s homesick.”

“I can’t really blame him.” Sunset stated. “So, it’s decided?”

“Of course!” Rainbow Dash affirmed. “This is gonna be the best weekend ever!”

“Yes, it would do that boy some good to just relax and forget his troubles for a spell!” Rarity added.

“It’ll be like one big two-days-long PARTY, I tell ya!” Pinkie shouted. “With rides and attractions and cute little animals and balloons and cake and ice cream and--"

Sunset clicked on the mute option over Pinkie’s screen, where she continued to list things off ad infinitum. “Okay. So we meet in the morning?” She was met with confirming responses from all sides, bringing a smile to her face. “Okay. See you all later.” She ended the call, turning the device off and moving over to the couch.

“So what was all that about?” Boltsinger asked as his host sat beside him.

Sunset leaned back, resting her head on her hands. “Just making plans for the weekend.”

“Oh? And what kind of ‘plans’ might those be?” he wondered, flipping to the next channel.

“You’ll see.” she replied. She took the remote from him, switching the television over to what looked to be a blank screen. “Now, I hear you’re a fan of Daring Do…” She pressed another button, and the heroine’s name appeared in the screen. “Let me introduce you to the movie.”

“Boltsinger, wake up!” Sunset called, the sound of running accompanying her voice. He slowly opened his eyes, seeing her going back and forth, grabbing various things. “We need to get ready!”

Boltsinger slowly sat up, met with a steaming beverage on the coffee table in front of him. “What are we getting ready for?” he groggily asked, reaching for the cup and taking a whiff of its contents. “You said that there weren’t classes today…”

Sunset walked back in, running a brush through her hair. “That doesn’t mean we aren’t doing anything today. We’ve got some big plans for today, so come on!”

Boltsinger groaned, taking his jacket from the arm of the couch and slipping it on as he searched for his shoes. “Pardon me for not being used to needing clothes when I wake up…” A honk came from outside, making Boltsinger jump in such a way that his feet slipped into his shoes, robbing him of his balance. He fell to the floor, landing on his side.

“Y’all ready? Everyone’s waitin’ for ya!” Applejack cried from outside.

“We’re on our way!” Sunset answered, pulling on Boltsinger’s arm and leading him out the door. “Trust me, you’re going to love what we have planned!”

After a drive in what was easily the largest vehicle he’d been in so far, Boltsinger found himself pulled into another building by Rarity and placed into a chair that gave him an odd, terrifying nostalgia. “All right, dear, before we go out, I simply must do something about that unruly mess atop your head!”

Rarity spun his chair around, where he saw a large mirror looking back at him. The fashionista was standing behind him with a comb and scissors raised, an ecstatic yet devious smile on her face. “Wait… you mean…?” he began. Rarity nodded emphatically, bringing her instruments ever closer. “Oh, no…”

Those who looked upon the spectacle saw a cloud of hair care, pieces of combs flying out as Rarity did her work. “Just what kind of…” she gave a grunt of effort. “... things have you been doing to…” Another uncharacteristic grunt erupted from her. “... get such intricate tangles?!”

“Mostly-- OW!-- Mostly flying!” he told her, giving off a pained yelp. “High speed. Lots of wind!”

“Well, you won’t have to worry about that now, because…” The cloud dispersed, revealing a panting Rarity, with Boltsinger leaning back in a small daze, his hair out of its tie and noticeably longer than before and showing alternating streaks of the blue hues where once lived a mangled mess of cyan on blue. “It’s all ready, now!”

“Good…” Boltsinger said, sitting up. “Does that mean we’re done?”

“But I haven’t styled it, or anything!” Rarity argued, holding her scissors up once more. “Do you honestly want it to look like that?”

Boltsinger rose from his seat, brushing off the bits of comb and hair from his clothes. “Trust me, you’ve done more than enough…” He started walking to the door, putting his hands in his pockets.

“Actually…” the designer started, erecting a force field in front of him. “I haven’t done enough.” He turned around, seeing Rarity standing before him with her pony ears and magically lengthened hair while holding a folded black mask of fabric that bore his Cutie Mark on it. “Because I haven’t given you this!” She unfurled the fabric, revealing a black trenchcoat with cyan trim all about. She quickly turned it around, showing off the mark on the back once more. “As much as that jacket of yours becomes you, I felt that you needed a fashion upgrade. I wanted to make you a whole new outfit, but that takes time. So, I opted to alter this coat so that it would fit you, both in style and in size!”

Boltsinger stared at the garment with wide eyes. He didn’t understand much about fashion for ponies, let alone the kind of creature he was at this point, but this was something he could understand fairly well. He immediately slid out of his hooded jacket, taking Rarity’s gift in hand. He looked up from the jacket at her, letting her see his uncertainty. “Are you sure…?”

“Absolutely!” she replied with a confident nod. “Think of it as a token of our friendship!”

He ran his thumb over the stitching, feeling a small spark of her inner magic, then smiled. “Thank you.” He draped it over his shoulders, sliding it on like a second skin that flared out from the waist. “To put it in Rainbow’s words, it’s awesome!”

“What… is… this?!” Boltsinger audibly inquired, looking up at the fantastic structures around him. “When did we go to Las Pegasus?”

“Las… Pegasus?” Applejack repeated, giving him a quizzical glance. “Is that some kind o’... Aw, never mind.”

“This is just the amusement park.” Sunset explained, walking ahead of the group. “It’s not that big of a deal. Just a fun place to go for the afternoon.”

“Okay… And why are we doing this, per se?” he continued, looking back at everyone.

“‘Cause it’s fun! Duh!” Pinkie stated, bounding along.

“What’s the matter? Scared of a little thrill?” Rainbow teased, nudging him in the side as she and Rarity walked by. “If ya ask really nice, I might catch you if you fall!”

Twilight patted him on the shoulder, making her way to the rest of the gathering. “After last night, you looked like you needed something of a distraction.” She said, looking excitedly at a roller coaster in the distance. “Plus, it’s been a long time since any of us has been here! It’ll be fun!”

“Well, you ladies are the experts…” Boltsinger reasoned, starting into a comfortable stride behind them all. “Who am I to argue?”

Inside the park was a crowd of people heading to and from games, attractions, rides, and vendors. Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack headed to the games almost instantly. They looked at the myriad prizes they had available, prompting a bubbling of joy from Pinkie Pie as she turned around, waving. “HEY BOLT! COME OVER HERE!!!” she shouted.

Boltsinger followed the party animal’s suggestion, coming up to a booth where stacks of three bottles were set up on the far end, people throwing balls at the stacks to no avail. He looked to the side of the structure, finding Applejack encompassing his vision. “Care ta join us for a toss?”

“What do you mean?” he wondered, staring back at the game.

“I’m glad you asked, my good sir!” a swanky voice answered. A yellow-skinned man with green eyes and swept back red and white hair slid over. He wore an old-fashioned hat with a blue and white striped vest over a white button-up shirt, a bow tie resting comfortably in the collar. “The object of the game is simple, you see!”

Another mustachioed man with the same outfit hopped up from under the counter. “All you need to do is take one if these…” he brought up a tennis ball, tossing it up repeatedly. “And throw it with enough power and accuracy to knock those bottles over!”

“For just five dollars, you get three attempts! Win, and you can have your pick of these amazing prizes! What do you say, young man? Want to test your skill?” The first of the men leaned on the counter, twirling three tennis balls between his fingers.

Boltsinger took a glance at the bottles, unsure of whether or not he wanted to go for it. “I… think I can do that. Just throw the ball, right?”

“I’ve got this!” Pinkie announced, slapping down a piece of paper that Boltsinger could only assume was money. “Bolt, you go first, then I’ll go, and then…”

“If you two can’t do it, then leave it to me!” Rainbow declared, raising her fist and flexing. “I’m not the captain of every sports team in school for nuthin’!”

“You sure you want me to go?” Boltsinger asked, holding up his hand and flexing his fingers. “I’m not exactly used to throwing with these.”

Rainbow put her hand on his shoulder, placing a ball in his hand. “Don’t worry. It’s easy!” She turned him to face the target, pulling back his arm to hold the ball up. “Start here, then just chuck it as hard as you can!”

Rainbow Dash released his wrist, and Boltsinger swung his arm forward. The ball flew from his hand hurtling towards the bottles, only to bounce off of the wall behind them. “Aww crabapples!” he exclaimed, stepping aside for the next thrower.

Pinkie stepped up, tossing a ball and catching it. “It’s okay, Bolt. At least you made it to the wall! Now…” She put a hand on her shoulder, winding her arm up. “Watch an old pro show you how it’s done!” She took a step back, waving her throwing arm in a circular motion so fast that it looked like a wheel of pink. The windup shifted her balance, forcing her to lean forward on one foot as she hopped back into place, letting the ball fly. It soared, much faster than what Boltsinger had displayed straight for the stack, inching closer… and closer… Pinkie turned around to face him with a sly grin, her hands on her hips. “Ya see? Leave it to an old rock-thrower to get it--"

“And that’s another loss for you!” one of the men announced.

“WHAT?!” Pinkie shrieked, twisting around and looking at the bottles. There they sat, unmoving as always. Pinkie’s arms straightened out over her torso, a growl coming from deep within her throat. She grumbled to herself, walking away from the stall until she saw a balloon float on by. As soon as it came into view, her smile returned. “Ooh! Something floaty!” She jumped for it, pulling it out of the air and tying it to her wrist, happily prancing away.

“So even Pinkie couldn’t do it, huh?” Rainbow noted, picking up a ball and tossing it between each hand. “I guess that means it’s my turn!”

“Bet’cha five bucks ya can’t do it.” Applejack offered.

Rainbow eyed her farming friend with a cocky smirk. “Oh, you’re on!” She tossed the ball up higher, spitting in her right hand and rubbing both hands together. She caught the ball and took a pitching stance, raising her leg and focusing on her target. With a well-practiced grace, she threw the ball at a speed that put the previous two tosses to shame, almost instantly dinging against the bottles and bouncing off the ceiling. “Ha! You owe me five--”

“And that’s three losses! Too bad for you, kids!” the shaven man announced. Rainbow Dash looked again at the bottles, seeing them as perfectly stacked as before, not not even wobbling from the impact. She growled furiously, pulling another bill out and placing it in Applejack’s outstretched hand.

“Care to give it another go?” the mustachioed brother queried, resting his elbow on the table and leaning in.

“I’ll take ya on.” Applejack announced, placing the bill she just received on the counter. She took hold of a ball, playfully tossing it upward as she brought her other hand to her necklace. A small flash of orange came from the stone while she fixed her eyes on her target.

“Did she just…?” Rainbow started, making note of the sudden clench of her friend’s fingers.

Applejack wound her arm back, extending it out to its it's full length, throwing the ball as hard as she could. The brothers laughed to each other, clutching their vests confidently. “And that’s another--” They simultaneously began, cut off by a loud crash that threw off their balance. They turned to face the bottles, which lay in hundreds of pieces on the floor below, save for the bases of the bottom two still situated firmly on the stand. Behind what remained of the bottle, a nearly perfectly circular hole had formed in the wall, just a hint of smoke coming from it. “A… winner…?”

Applejack gave the brothers a cocky smile. “Yer darn right! Woulda been easier if y’all hadn’t glued ‘em all together and stuck ‘em to the stand there!”

A look of mock shock came to the men’s faces, the shaven one pointed an aggressive finger at the blonde. “Now, young lady, that’s a dangerous accusation!”

“Indeed!” the other brother affirmed, symmetrically matching his companion’s pose. “I don’t suppose you can prove it, can you?”

Applejack huffed, putting her hand on the counter and lifting herself over, walking over to the remains of the bottles. “First of all, anybody with a sense o’ smell can tell ya used a whole heap o’ glue, here.” She brought her hand to the stand, lifting it off of the ground with ease and flipping it over. “Plus, if they weren’t glued on, I couldn’t do this!” She pointed to the main surface of the stand, where the bottle bottoms stayed rooted in place. She flipped it back over, placing it down normally.

The brothers’ firm faces fell flat, their facade flawlessly foiled. They were met with a number of glares from potential customers around them, several of them grumbling and pocketing their money. They returned their attention to Applejack, who crossed her arms in defiance of them. “You’re not going to… tell everyone about this, are you?”

“Why wouldn’t I?” she deadpanned. “If I wasn’t honest with everyone, y’all would just keep flim-flammin’ ‘till the cows came home!”

“We promise we won’t do it again!” one brother begged. “We’ll even give you an extra prize as a token of our change of heart!”

Applejack looked at the wall of prizes, a puzzle working itself out in her head. “You promise you’ll be more honest with yer games?”

“Promise!” they simultaneously cried.

“Pinkie Promise?” the farmer stressed. She was met with looks of sheer confusion, prompting a sigh. “All right, repeat after me.” She brought her hand up, pointing to her heart.. “Cross my heart…” she made a crossing motion over her heart, moving her arms to her sides and flapping them. “... and hope to fly…” She brought her right hand forward, bringing it up to her eye and covering it. “... stick a cupcake in my eye!”

The brothers looked at each other, then back at Applejack. “Seriously?” they asked.

“I mean it! If you don’t do exactly that, I’m gonna tell everybody y’all’re frauds!” she belted, stomping her foot.

The brothers gave a relenting sigh, repeating the motions and phrases they had just been subject to. In that moment, they felt a presence behind them. Something dark and foreboding, yet bright and cheerful. Something that bubbled up and placed its pink hands on their shoulders. “No one breaks a Pinkie Promise!” she declared, bringing her head between theirs. “Okay? Okay!” She bounded out of the stall, grabbing something from the prize wall as she went as the brothers fell to their knees.

Applejack smiled down at the cowering men, waving her hand nonchalantly. “Well, that’s our prize! Pleasure doin’ business with y’all!” She hopped back over the counter, joining her friends as they all walked away.

Boltsinger looked back at the stall’s owners, reminded of someone he’d previously done business with. “You sure they’ll stick to their promise?”

“They made a Pinkie Promise. Ain't no gettin’ outta that!” the farmer confirmed. Pinkie leaned forward from beside her, nodding profusely.

Boltsinger laughed, knowing the full extent of Pinkie’s wrath when her patented promise is broken. “Well all right, then.” He looked curiously at the prize Pinkie picked. “So what prize did we win?”

Pinkie, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash laughed to one another, sneaking a look at Pinkie’s bag and redirecting their attention forward. “Oh, you’ll find out!” Rainbow assured, patting his back. “Last one to catch up with the others is a mute siren!” she broke into a run, soon followed by Applejack and Pinkie Pie.

Boltsinger stood still for a moment, his friends’ acceleration leaving behind a small dust cloud. His eyes turned fierce, taking a running stance. “Oh, it’s on!” He sprinted forward at full speed.

The day onward consisted of a veritable onslaught of thrills, from a roller coaster that had Twilight giddily giggling all the way up to the top of the track to a haunted house that had him remembering his own experience in scaring others. They went to nearly every attraction and ride in the park, finally congregating at a bench near the entrance.

Boltsinger sat at the end of the bench, leaning back and looking up to the sky. “So… This place rocks!” he declared, sitting up with a hint of strain. He cast a look at all of them with a soft but genuine smile. “But… why did we come here today?”

From behind Fluttershy, Pinkie burst forward, pointing her finger at his grin. “THAT!” she shouted. “You’re smiling! Really smiling! You haven’t done that ONCE since you got here!”

He recoiled, trying to recall some instance of giving them all a genuine smile. “I haven’t?”

Pinkie shook her head rapidly, crossing her arms. “Nope! You’ve been mopier than Maud in a meadow ever since you got here!”

Fluttershy blinked, looking confusedly at Pinkie. “What’s so bad about a meadow?”

Boltsinger and Pinkie Pie both looked at Fluttershy. “No rocks.” they simultaneously stated. They snapped their attention back to one another, both failing to stifle a laugh.

As the two of them calmed down, Applejack put a hand on his shoulder. “It ain’t no secret that you’ve been homesick, sugarcube. We just wanted to let you know that you’ve got friends here.”

“Indeed!” Rarity affirmed. “You should know that it’s okay to feel at home in this world, too! We’re here for you, just as we know you’d be there for us if we were trapped in Equestria!”

Boltsinger took a look at all of the smiling faces around him, thinking, not of his friends back home, but of the people he was coming to know. “Thank you…” he started, making to stand up. “I… I think I just might be able to do this!”

Sunset beamed, putting her arm around his shoulder. “That’s what I like to hear.” She began walking towards the entrance, waving everyone along. “Because tomorrow, I’d really like to start searching for that magic in earnest.”

“Wait a second!” Twilight called. “Before we go, there’s one thing we need to do.”

Sunset and Boltsinger turned back, seeing the gathering of their friends all standing with their hands behind their backs. “What is it?” the bluenette wondered, stepping closer.

“Well, it’s about the prize for that game.” Rainbow said, gesturing to Applejack.

Applejack nodded, pulling her hat off and holding it firmly in front of her. “Yeah… Actually, when we all got a look at it, we figured it’d be best if it went to you.”

“Oooookay… So what is it? He asked, scratching his head.

Twilight put her hand on her necklace, a magenta aura forming behind her. “It’s… this!”

Boltsinger’s eyes grew as wide as possible as Twilight presented the prize. The orange coat, purple mane, violet eyes… He jumped forward, tackling it with a delicate embrace. “NOVA!” He cried at the top of his lungs, the volume blowing the girls’ back. He tightened his embrace, water starting to roll down his cheeks. “Oh, sweet Celestia, Daddy missed you so much!”

“Daddy?” Fluttershy repeated. “You don’t mean…”

“Well, it’s no wonder ‘e’s been s’ dang homesick…” Applejack reasoned, finding her emotional hardness falling away.

Twilight’s jaw dropped as she found herself staring at him. “Nova… is… Oh my gosh…”

He kissed the bundle in his arms repeatedly, slowing down as he felt something… different. There was no warmth. No laughter. No wings, no horn. He loosened his embrace, getting another look at what he held.

It was a plush toy with a dark orange coat, dark purple mane, and violet eyes in the shape of a little pony.

Boltsinger dropped to his knees, hugging the doll as tightly as he could as he let out an ear-piercing scream that carried through the park. Onlookers came forward, taking tentative glances at him before turning back to the people they had come with. He lingered in his position, taking slow and staggered breaths. Sunset stepped forward, kneeling next to him and putting her hand on his back. “Hey… You okay?”

“No…” he told her, looking longingly at the pony plush in his hands. He started working his way to his feet, slowly rising up and looking at his friends. “But… I think… I think I will be...”

“Wait, isn’t that…?” one voice called from among the spectators, drawing his attention.

“He was in the news, wasn’t he?” another asked.

“How is he…?” another voice.

“Does the family know?” Another… The voices kept asking questions of a similar nature, dragging his attention every which-way. His mind raced as he walked briskly to the exit. The rest of the group, confused beyond words, followed suit.

After they had put some distance between themselves and the park entrance, Boltsinger stopped, turning to the group. “So… I think I owe you all an explanation…”

“No, I think your actions just now explained everything.” Rarity informed him. “You and Princess Twilight are parents. That much is obvious.”

Boltsinger averted his eyes, letting a hint of embarrassment onto his cheeks. “Yeah… I suppose a display like that says it all, huh…?” He turned to the vehicle they had all come in. “He’s the reason I’ve been so homesick. Just born pretty recently…”

“I can’t say I blame ya.” the farmer assured him as she walked past. “It’s tough, bein’ apart from family. Just don’t forget ya got friends to help you out.”

“Yeah, we’ve got your back!” Rainbow added, punching his shoulder as she passed.

“Oh, believe me, after today, I know that better than ever before.” He confirmed, starting to follow them. He stopped short, feeling a tugging at his sleeve and the train of his jacket. He turned around to see Twilight and Spike, each holding a part of the garment to get his attention.

“I want to apologize to you…” she stated, avoiding eye contact.

“For what?” he asked.

“For being so insensitive.” she clarified, removing her glasses and cleaning them with her handkerchief. “Asking so much about your home... Making you feel so homesick…”

“Asking about your son while she sounds just like the Twilight you know and making you feel totally alienated.” Spike deadpanned.

Twilight gave her dog a dirty look, quickly relenting as she looked back at Boltsinger. “And that… I know that I look and sound--"

“And act.” Boltsinger poignantly interjected.

Twilight rolled her eyes, nodding in agreement. “... And act just like the girl you met first. I understand how confusing it can be.”

Boltsinger put a reassuring hand on her shoulder, showing her that genuine smile again. “Yeah, but I know that you’re not her. I admit, it gets hard to tell sometimes, but at the end of the day, you’re different poni-- I mean people.”

She smiled back at him, bending over to pick her pet up. “That’s a relief. I was afraid things were gonna get awkward.” She paused for a moment, thinking on all of her interactions with him thus far. “... More awkward, really.”

“How about we try for ‘no awkwardness’?” he suggested, offering a hand to her.

“That sounds great!” she agreed, taking his hand and giving it a firm shake.

“Good. ‘Cause I may need your help with something.” He continued the walk towards their transportation, explaining in detail what he had in mind.

Author's Note

I feel like this is the story's turning point. It covered a few major things in one go, plus gave us a fun little romp at foiling Flim and Flam. Things are going to be going a bit quicker from here on out, as I'm fleshing out the events leading up to the climax a bit better as I go. To those waiting patiently for season 3, don't worry, it shouldn't be too much longer!

Grave News

Sunset and Boltsinger walked through Canterlot City at midday, looking at the people walking about. Sunset had a device hanging over her ear that extended out next to her mouth, a familiar voice ringing in her ear.“You should be finished with that area soon. Have you gotten any readings?” Twilight’s voice asked her.

Sunset looked down to the circular orange device in her hand. Around an image of what Boltsinger believed to be her Cutie Mark, there was a large number of blue lights, none of which were lit up. “Nothing yet. How is everyone else?”

In Sunset’s loft, Twilight sat at a normally empty part of the desk with a headset settled firmly over her ears, hunched over a laptop that showed the individual marks of various friends on a large map. Rainbow Dash and Applejack were paired up in one corner, while Pinkie and Rarity were in another. Sunset’s mark traveled alone on the streets, as the most recent addition to their group lacked any means of tracking she had available to her. “Nobody else has found anything, either. Are you sure there’s magic on the loose? Because everything seems normal right now.”

“I’m sure.” Sunset replied, guiding Boltsinger to the next destination. “I think someone must have come across it recently, but I have no idea who it could have been!”

“It could have been someone you don’t know.” Boltsinger pointed out. “There’s a lot of people in this city. No telling who could have found magic and messed with it.”

“That’s a good point.” the fiery-haired girl admitted, looking at the device she held. “But that’s why we have these.”

Twilight typed furiously at her laptop, opening up a new window and entering some information before returning to the map. “They’re based on the device I originally made to detect magic. Except these ones don’t suck it in. But, they also serve as a tracking device for my new ‘Cutie Map’ program. But, it is untested, so I can’t guarantee its reliability.”

Sunset shrugged, shaking her head with a soft smile. “As long as we can keep in touch, I’d call it good to go.”

“Agreed!” Rarity affirmed through their headsets. “But, I must admit, all this searching isn’t exactly doing wonders for my poor, achy feet. Would it be possible to meet up sometime soon?”

Fluttershy stepped over to Twilight, a similar communication device to Sunset’s covering her ear, and looked at the screen over her shoulder. “I wouldn’t mind getting out and seeing everyone.” A bird flew in and landed on her shoulder, tweeting into her ear. “Oh, that’s okay. Thank you ever-so-much for your help, Mister Bird.” The bird nodded, flying off and out the window. “The birds haven’t found anything out of place, but they told me they’ll keep looking.”

Twilight smiled back at her compassionate friend. “Thanks, Fluttershy.” She turned back to her screen, hovering her cursor over a spot between the three groups. “It should be plausible to take a break at the cafe. I’ll text you all the address now.” She produced her phone, entering some information and sending it out as she closed her laptop. She pulled her own detector close, hanging it from her neck as she got up. “Might as well join them. Come on, Fluttershy!”

The group gratefully gathered at the given location, sitting around a large table outside. Twilight was once again hunched over her laptop, looking up some information on the side while they all discussed their findings. Fluttershy held out her hand, prompting a bird to land on her finger as she looked over to her friends. “I know that Sunset said we’re looking for magic, but… What kind of magic are we after, anyway? None of the animals have found anything out of the ordinary.”

Sunset looked at her tracker, watching it spin on the string in front of her. “I don’t know, exactly. I’ve been seeing a bright yellow pulse from my window every night for the past three weeks, but nothing has really been changing. If I knew exactly where the pulse was coming from, I could figure out what’s going on.”

“Do ya know what direction it’s at from here?” Applejack inquired.

Sunset sat up, looking at the streets around her. “No… I can’t really tell.”

“Times like these, I’d normally just get a Pegasus perspective.” Boltsinger stated, leaning on the table. “Hard to miss certain things when you’re up that high.”

“You need to be up high, huh?” Rainbow asked, pondering an idea.

Rainbow Dash walked through the streets in a huff, folding her arms. “I was hoping I’d be the one in the skyscraper…”

“I’m sure that’d be great fer you, Dash, but not all that productive.” Applejack pointed out, walking beside her. “Twilight’s the one with the fancy computer ‘n all that sciencey stuff, so it makes sense that she’s up where she can see everythin’.”

In another nearby part of town, Pinkie nodded. “Besides, out here you get to run around and smell the flowers and chase bad guys!” She ran to a nearby guardrail, hopping up and bouncing off of it with a spin. “there’s so much fun we can have out here it’s CRAZY!”

“Besides, you of all people can get around faster than anyone.” Twilight stated. The sky outside had begun to go from a shade of orange to a much darker purple, letting her know to stick near the windows. “Okay, everyone, I’ve got my eyes peeled for that pulse. If anything comes up, I’ll let you know.”

“Right!” came six voices from all over. Twilight glanced back at the laptop screen, where her friends’ marks dispersed further.

“Oh! And, Sunset, could you tell Bolt that the search is underway?” the science whiz requested.

“Uh, sure.” she responded, repeating the information aside. “What kind of search is it?”

Walking next to Sunset, Boltsinger chimed in. “Well, I heard some people… talking… yesterday at the park after my little episode.” he explained. “They said something about me being in the news last month. I can only assume they meant the me that’s from this world. So, I asked the best researcher in this world to find out what exactly happened to him.”

“Now that you mention it, Brightling said that you’d been gone for about a month, too.” the artist noted. The two of them looked around the area, spotting a large grassy field with a large number of stone slabs coming out of the ground. There was a black-cloaked figure making their way into the area, a hood draped over their head so as to conceal their face. Sunset raised her hand to her ear, looking aside. “Who’s that?”

Boltsinger squinted at the person in the distance, scrunching his face with curiosity. “I dunno… But if I’ve learned anything from years of reading, it’s that you don’t wanna trust a shadowy figure.”

Boltsinger stepped back, making ready to run after the cloaked figure. As he stepped forward, Sunset grabbed the train of his jacket, causing him to fall unceremoniously onto his rear. “Wait a second!” she whispered, crouching down next to him. “We don’t know if that person has what we’re looking for!” Boltsinger nodded in understanding, directing his eyes back to their potential target as they inched closer. They hid by one of the headstones, getting a look at the grave the figure stopped at. The figure dropped to its knees, putting its gloved hands on the dirt in front of the headstone, running its fingers through the dirt.

“Why isn’t it empty…?” came a muffled voice from under the hood. Boltsinger got a jolt of familiarity from the voice, but couldn’t quite place it. “Oh well… I can still use it. Maybe give him back his memories.” It waited a few moments, holding out a pendant in the shape of a lightning bolt that crackled with yellow electricity. “Something that belongs to him… Something of value… Should spark the--" The headstone, like the pendant, crackled to life, creating a magical pulse of yellow light that shone high into the night sky.

“I see the pulse!” Twilight announced over the phone. “Everybody get to--"

“The cemetery…” Sunset finished. “Bolt and I are already here. There’s someone at one of the graves… That’s where the magic is coming from!”

“I can get everyone there no sweat!” Rainbow stated. “Just tell me where to go!”

The pulse continued for several minutes as a rainbow streak dashed along, bringing another of their friends to the area with each pass, finally revealing Rainbow Dash as it ended. Sunset looked around at the girls, making a circular motion with her fingers as they all spread out, each hiding behind a different headstone. She pointed towards the cloaked person, standing up.

“Hey!” Rainbow called, announcing their presence as the group began walking towards the shadowy figure. “What do you think you’re doing?”

The kneeling person jumped as the magical pulse stopped. It turned to face them, springing to its feet, ready to run as Twilight reached out to it. “We’re not going to hurt you! We just want to ask you some questions!” The group closed in further, causing the figure to step back.

“No… You can’t interfere!” it shouted. It broke into a run, barreling straight for Fluttershy, who screamed and jumped to the side into a low crouch.

Rainbow glowered at the figure as it ran, lighting her necklace and running after it. Rarity ran to her terrified friend, kneeling beside her and helping her calm down while Spike jumped out of Twilight’s backpack. The canine barked incessantly, running after the figure that Rainbow pursued. Sunset, Pinkie, and Applejack sprinted in kind, hoping to catch up. Rainbow easily overtook the object of her chase, taking an aggressive stance in front of it. She lunged forward, making to catch it, only to grab hold of empty space as he weaved around her. She turned around, soon joined by Spike as she continued her chase. Applejack powered on by, while Pinkie was nowhere to be found. The figure rounded a corner, finding the pinkest girl in the world smiling fiercely at him and bringing forth a small cannon. She pulled the string on the back, sending a barrage of confetti at him with a loud boom. The figure turned back, finding Spike growling at him. It bolted in another direction, running into a hedge between two houses. It struggled for a moment, its cloak caught on a cluster of branches. With a ripping sound, it was freed, continuing on its way. Rainbow ran to the other side of the hedge, waiting for it to come out, but nothing did. Applejack and Sunset took positions on either of the sides it might have escaped from, still finding nothing.

“Where could he have gone…?” Sunset asked, looking into the hedge. “They can’t have just disappeared, can they?”

“Maybe they’re faster ‘n they look?” Applejack suggested.

Rainbow Dash zipped over to her freckled friend, her fists resting on her hips.”And what do you mean by that?”

“I mean that it’s possible they’re faster than they look, an’ maybe they’re smart enough to wait until we’re…” the hedge rustled once again. “... distracted!” Rainbow turned around, jumping into the air as Applejack put her hands under the athlete’s feet. She sprang Rainbow into the air with all of her might, breaking into a run of her own.

“They’re gone…” Sunset informed her friends as they congregated at the edge. “Whoever it is, that’s the one behind the pulsating…”

“Hey! Hey! I found something! I found something!” Spike called out, hopping and barking. He scampered over to the group, a piece of black cloth in his mouth. “This must’ve ripped off when they were getting away!”

Sunset took the cloth, examining it close. “This is good. Something we can use! Good job, Spike!” She reached down and tussled his head, turning to face everyone else. “Okay, let’s get this back to--”

“Girls… You may want to get back here.” Twilight told her through the phone. “There’s something you should see…”

“We’re on our way.” Sunset confirmed. She looked to the others, who nodded and started back to the cemetery.

The girls arrived back at the graveyard, where Boltsinger stood before the lightly glowing grave, his face contorted with shock at the words in front of him. He dropped to one knee, placing his hand on the headstone. “Suddenly things make… a lot more sense…”

Sunset snuck a glance over his shoulder, letting out a gasp. “Oh my gosh…”

“Yeah…” Boltsinger affirmed. He gave his face a firm slap, standing up and taking a deep breath. “Ladies… There’s someone I’d like you to meet.” he declared. His friends looked on confusedly as he stepped aside. He gestured to the writing on the grave, letting out another sigh. “Introducing… My counterpart!” The grave gave off one more pulse of light, revealing the engraving to the onlookers.

“R.I.P.
BOLTSINGER
BELOVED BROTHER AND SON"

“This… ain’t what I expected…” Applejack said, walking up to the grave with her hat over her heart. “An’ here I was lookin’ forward to meetin’ ‘im someday…”

“Me, too…” Pinkie said in kind.

“Yeah… I think… I need to go.” Boltsinger told them, beginning his walk to the sidewalk.

Twilight followed, quickly catching up to him and taking a look at his face. There was a stern sadness to him that looked out of place on the boy she was coming to know. Like he knew what to do, but hated that he had to do it. “Are you okay?” she asked, reaching for him.

Boltsinger looked back at her, his lips turning up slightly at the sight. “Absolutely not.” he answered, returning his attention to the road ahead of him.

Her pace slowed, eyeing the mark on his back as he walked ahead. “That was… surprisingly blunt.” she mentioned, adjusting her glasses.

Spike ran up next to the pair, looking up at Twilight. “Well, how would you feel if you were standing over your own grave?”

“I understand, but…” She directed her gaze back to him. “This can’t be easy.” She pulled out her laptop, opening it up to look at the page she had pulled up. “So that’s what happened…”

“What’d you find, Twi?” Spike wondered, putting his paws on her leg.

Twilight lifted her dog up, putting him in her bag, where he peeked over her shoulder. “Do you remember how there was a storm front coming through last month?”

“Of course!” Rainbow replied, coming forward to look at the screen. “You wouldn’t shut up about the ‘opportunities to learn about weather patterns’ and all that junk.”

Twilight laughed nervously. “Yes, well it was a rare occurrence. How else do you expect me to learn about the practical applications of a generator with a built-in lightning rod?”

“It exploded…” Sunset deadpanned, following Rainbow’s lead with the rest of the group. “But what does that have to do with this?”

“Well… It was an electrical storm…” She began. Boltsinger stopped in his tracks, listening intently. “And he… Well…”

“Let me guess…” he interjected, turning to face them. “He got struck by lightning?”

“How did you know?” Twilight inquired.

“Because…” He turned again, ready to keep walking. “He’s Boltsinger. And Boltsinger isn’t Boltsinger unless he’s been hit by lightning at least once… He just… didn’t have magic…”

The girls solemnly looked down, Twilight closing her laptop and beginning to follow him. “So… what do you have to do?”

Boltsinger breathed another heavy sigh, straightening his posture. “Talk with my family, of course…”

Author's Note

I know, I know... Short chapter. But it would have felt like padding if I hadn't done it this way.
Besides, things are winding down from here. I'm hitting the point I want to soon, and I hope you enjoy it.

Confrontation

Boltsinger looked cautiously at the phone in his hands. It had Brightling’s name on it with a green icon underneath, as Sunset had set up. He closed his eyes, bringing his thumb down on the screen and raised the phone to his ear. After a series of buzzing rings, a tenor voice sounded in his ear. “Hello?”

“Hey, Brightling! It’s Bolt.” he greeted. “How was your weekend?”

“Tiring…” Brightling replied. “What’s up? You wanting to come over today?”

“Eeyup.” he confirmed. “Actually… I’m wanting to talk with Mom today, if that’s okay.”

The sound of clamoring came from Brightling’s end. “You sure? You think she can handle that?”

“She’s gotta find out eventually.” He reasoned. “And, besides, I’ve missed her.”

“Okay, little brother. Just let me know when you’re ready.” Brightling told him.

“Oh, don’t worry about that. My friends have transportation covered.” Boltsinger assured.

Brightling let out a contented laugh. “Friends… Never thought I’d believe it when you said that word. Okay, I’ll see you later.”

“Eeyup. Later.” he repeated, moving the phone away from his ear and pressing the red icon. “Okay. Visit set for today.”

Sunset plucked the phone from his hands, pocketing it and sitting on the couch next to him. “Cool. And I’ve got a response from my latest message to Twilight.”

Boltsinger perked up considerably, looking brightly at her. “Oh? How did the opening go?”

“Well, the funny thing is… The one who replied was Spike.” she stated.

Boltsinger blinked a few times. “Spike?”

“Spike.” she affirmed, bringing forward and opening the book. “Apparently the school’s opening and first few days didn’t go all that well. Something about trying too hard to meet with approval.”

“Yeah, I saw that crash a mile away.” he deadpanned. “Pillow fort?”

Sunset nodded. “Pillow fort.”

Sunset and Boltsinger both let out a knowing sigh, leaning back into the chair. “I’m gonna have a heck of a story to tell everypony, aren’t I?”

“It’s no weirder than any of the things we dealt with when Twilight was here.” she told him, patting him on the shoulder. “Just a different friend along for the ride.”

Boltsinger slowly stood up, pulling his jacket on. “Well, we should probably call everyone else. I want all of you along for this.”

“What are you planning?” she wondered.

“Honestly? I don’t know.” he admitted, opening the door. “I just know that I’d be able to handle it better with my friends there." Sunset let a warm smile slip onto her face as she raised her phone.

“I know we’re going for another reason, but I’m really excited to meet Gusty Gale!” Twilight declared, looking out the window of the tour bus. “I have so many questions on meteorology! Do you think she’ll sign my weather notebook? Or would that be asking too much?”

“If she’s anything like my mom was back in Equestria, I’m sure she’d be happy to oblige.” Boltsinger assured her. “She was always as friendly as they come… Or at least that’s how I remember her.”

Rarity let a small smile onto her face as she checked herself in her mirror. “She sounds wonderful, darling. But, I wouldn’t expect much. She just lost her child, after all.”

Fluttershy took a look out the window, drawing circles on the glass with her finger. “It’s been a whole month, though, hasn’t it?”

“I’m not sure if a month is enough fer a loss like that one.” Applejack argued, her eyes unmoving from the road ahead as their destination came into view.

“Applejack has a good point.” Twilight stated, pulling another book from her backpack. “According to this, there are five stages of grief. Denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. How much time somebody will spend in each stage varies based on their connection with the deceased. With a mother losing her child… That could be a really long time…”

“I think we’re going to find out just where she’s at soon.” Sunset said, the tour bus coming to a stop. She stood up, turning to her friends. “Is everyone ready?” Everybody on the bus immediately nodded, Spike jumping back into Twilight’s backpack. “Then let’s go.”

As they left the bus, Boltsinger leaned over to Spike. “You’ve got the thing you found last night, right? You can get the scent?”

“Of course!” the canine confirmed, pointing to the scrap of cloth stashed under his collar. “Just say the word!”

The door to the house creaked open, Boltsinger stepping inside. He looked around the living room, taking in the nostalgia as he waved his companions in. “Welcome, ladies, to… um… ‘my’ house.”

Rainbow Dash strolled around the room with Pinkie and Rarity following closely. They eyed the photos in the room, sometimes snickering to each other at some of the less dignified moments. “This is a lovely home, Boltsinger. I have to admit I’m a little envious.” Rarity admitted, looking back at him.

The sound of stomping came down the stairs, Brightling quickly appearing in the room and looking at the rather large number of guests. “So… You brought all of your friends, huh?”

“Eeyup!” Boltsinger replied, beaming. “I wanted to show them around! Not to mention, Twilight is really excited to meet Mom!”

“Do they all want to meet her?” he wondered, pointing his finger between the lot of them.

Boltsinger nodded firmly, pointing to his purple-haired friend. “Preferably, but it’s mostly Twilight.”

Brightling gave the girls an awkward smile. “Okay… Well, Mom is in her room. I’ll… show your friends around.”

“Awesome.” he replied, turning to Twilight. “You ladies make yourselves at home.” He walked past his brother, patting him on the shoulder as he ascended the stairs. He proceeded down the hallway, placing his hand on each of the doors he passed until he reached one with sound coming from inside.

“A sunny day come Wednesday… But it looks like there’s some high winds coming in…” an alto voice rambled on. The tone rang familiar in Boltsinger’s ears, sending images into his mind of his days as a colt, long before the scattered memories of his foalhood, where he knew there were at least two loving faces he could always rely on. He placed his hand on the door, letting it slide down until he balled his fingers up into a fist, turning it around and rapping the wood. “Yes? What is it, Brightling?”

Boltsinger brought his hands together on either side of his face, psyching himself out as best he could. His hand returned to the door as he found his words, taking a deep breath. “It’s… um… It’s not Brightling, Mom.”

From the inside of the room, Boltsinger could hear a chair scooting back, followed by quick, thundering footsteps that came ever-closer. Finally, the doorknob turned, swinging the entryway open to reveal a woman who stood nearly as tall as Boltsinger himself, with the same skin color. She had bobbed, dirt-brown hair, and wore a professional-looking business suit with the jacket draped over the chair behind her. She had a look of shock and awe on her face, like all of her dreams had come true. “Bolt…? My little Bolt?!” She brought her hand up to his face, slowly caressing his cheek. “Have you really come back to me?”

Boltsinger found himself lost in his emotions. Equine or otherwise, the voice and features before him were undoubtedly those of his mother, Gusty Gale. He brought his hand up, placing it on hers. “Hi…” he said, letting a stray tear erupt from his eye.

Gusty reached forward, pulling herself in for a warm embrace in which she repeatedly rubbed his back, as if to check and see if he was truly there. “It’s really you…! My little Boltsinger!” she cried, bringing forth the sobs of a mother awash with joy. “I thought you’d never come back…! You were out in that storm… Then that lightning… That lightning…! Oh, my little boy! My little Bolt!”

Boltsinger’s arms wrapped around her, squeezing as tightly as he could. He had gotten used to hugs over the years, but this… This was something special. A good embrace was always wonderful, but nothing in the world could ever compare to the unconditional love of a parent, and the embrace that came with it. He reveled in it, gently rubbing her back and leaning into her. “I’ve… really missed you, Mom! It felt like forever! I’m so… so sorry for everything I’ve done… Everything I put you through…!”

“It’s alright, Bolt… I’m just so happy you’re--” She gave pause, pulling back to look at him. “Everything you’ve done? Sweetie, what are you talking about? You haven’t done anything wrong!”

Boltsinger wiped his eyes, looking earnestly at her. “I know… I just… I couldn’t help myself. There’s something I need to talk to you about…”

Gusty smiled, putting her full attention on the purple orbs in front of her. “You can talk to me about anything, dear. Just say the wor--” She trailed off. As she peered deeper into her son’s eyes, there was something missing. He didn’t have the sense of belonging she was used to seeing. He had a level of experience that one his age couldn’t possibly have, and the maturity to match. “You… are my son, aren’t you?”

Boltsinger guided her into the bedroom, letting her sit on the bed while he sat in the chair. “Yes and no.” he answered. “I’m Boltsinger, but… not the one you know. But, I guess you can already tell, huh?”

“I thought so…” she stated, letting out a staggering breath. “A mother knows when she’s looking into her son’s eyes… He’s really gone, isn’t he?”

“I’m afraid so…” he confirmed. “I wish I didn’t have to make you relive your loss, but… Truth is, I wanted to see you no matter what. Because… Well… You may not be the one that I knew, but you’re still Gusty Gale, my mom!” He reached forward, making sure to not make contact. “And just hearing your voice made me miss her so much... “ He slapped his face again, snapping himself from his reverence. “And I need to talk to you about something! A-A lot of things! But this one has to come first!”

The motherly meteorologist calmed her breathing, looking at the seriousness of his expression. “I’ll tell you whatever you need, son.”

A relieved sigh came out of the panicky performer, who looked at her with renewed vigor. “What can you tell me about… well… when you lost your son?”

Gusty closed her eyes, letting her reverence be known as she gathered her thoughts. She slowly opened her eyes, looking straight at the boy that resembled her child. “Life for Boltsinger..." She paused, giving him a weak smile. "... For my Boltsinger... It was… interesting.”

Brightling sat in a chair in the living room, looking cautiously at Sunset, Twilight, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie, Rainbow, and Applejack as they talked quietly amongst themselves. “So… What have you girls been up to lately?”

“Not much.” Sunset replied. “We had an interesting night, last night.”

Brightling cocked an eyebrow, leaning in. “Oh? What did you do?”

“We chased down a shadowy figure that was--” Pinkie found herself muffled by Rainbow’s hand.

“We did some running. It was harder for some than for others.” Rainbow trailed off, pulling Pinkie aside. “Careful, Pinkie. We don’t wanna be too obvious about it!” Pinkie nodded, giving a muffled sound of understanding.

“How about you?” Sunset started, approaching Brightling. “Do anything… interesting last night?”

“Sparks and I had a date. It was good.” he told them, rising from his seat. “Come on, I did say I would show your friends around.” He placed his hand on Sunset’s shoulder, causing her eyes to turn white with a sharp inhale.

Boltsinger had grown up without much in the way of interaction with other people. Like his Equestrian counterpart, he found himself alone, as often of his own volition as due to circumstance. He found solace in the internet, spending his days utilizing his musical talents on his computer. One would never see him without a pair of headphones coupled with some electronic device beyond his typical phone. Often times he would find people to talk to online, creating arrangements and connections that extended far past the confines of his room.

And Brightling was having none of it. He was of a mind to say that they can’t be a friend if you can’t reach out and touch them. “Why don’t you just talk with the people at school?” He would ask.

“That would require them wanting anything to do with me.” was Boltsinger’s typical answer.

The more he heard the answer, the more his resentment built up. For years, he would hear his younger brother in his room, laughing like he was in a large group. Every time he opened the door, though, he would be alone.

When Boltsinger and his distant friends released their first self-published album, Gusty had swelled up with pride. She presented him with a white crystal pendant in the shape of a lightning bolt. Upon receiving it, it never left his neck, much to his brother’s chagrin. He doubled down on his seclusion, earning a level of resentment from his elder brother. The brothers continued to argue about the merits of his activities, always with the same answers. Finally, it all came to a boil when the thunder rolled in.

Brightling swung the door to Boltsinger’s room open wide, spotting his brother sitting in his chair moping. The computer had been turned off, for fear of a power surge, and he found himself with little to do. “What are you doing in here? Get out of this room and join your family!”

Boltsinger tightly gripped the sides of his chair, turning his gaze to his sibling. “Why? So you can complain about me some more?”

Brightling let out a low growl, forcefully grabbing Boltsinger’s arm and pulling him out of the room, down the stairs and into the living room. “I wouldn't have to complain if you actually went out and did something!”

“Have you even listened to what my friends and I have done?!” Boltsinger argued, pulling a CD player from his pocket. “I do plenty! You just don’t care because it’s not on your terms!”

“Boys, stop it!” Gusty commanded, stepping up to her sons. “You argue about this every other day!”

“No, Mom, I can’t let this keep going anymore!” Brightling countered, stomping in Boltsinger’s direction. “Did you ever stop to think that maybe I want you to do things on my terms because I know that you can do well that way? You’re a talented kid, Bolt! Why don't you show that to the people around you?!”

Boltsinger growled back at his brother, clenching his fist and stomping in kind. “Don’t you think I’ve tried that?! Nobody at school cares!” He swung his arm toward the door, pointing at the outside world as lightning struck beyond the window. “No one in this town has ever been able to appreciate what I have to offer! Not like the people out there have!”

“Out there… Out there… OUT THERE! That’s all you care about!” Brightling grabbed his brother by his shirt collar, lifting him off the floor. “You want to go out there so much? Fine!” He dragged him to the door, throwing it open to let the harsh wind and rain blow its way inside.

Gusty ran to her oldest son, pulling on his shoulders in an attempt to get his attention. “Brightling, stop it! This isn’t the way to resolve this!”

Brighting paid his mother no mind, pulling the object of his resentment along to the front steps. “GO OUT THERE!!!” He picked Boltsinger up again, tossing him with all of his might into the storm. “And don’t come back!” He walked back inside, slamming and locking the door behind him.

Gusty met her son at the entrance, giving him a disapproving stare that sent a chill down his spine. She slapped him on the cheek as hard as she could, sending him reeling towards the wall next to him as she made her way to the door. The sound of thunder rolled through the house again, making the presence of nearby lightning known. She shifted her expression to one of concern as she grabbed the doorknob, scrambling to unlock the door. The thunder rolled again, lasting several seconds as the lock came undone. Gusty pulled the door open, running outside to see her son standing there, looking back at the house, the rain hiding the true nature of his intense expression. She kept going, reaching out, all the while minding the sky.

It was that moment that things took a turn for the worse as time itself seemed to slow. A bright yellow light shone from the cloud above Boltsinger, unleashing a bolt of electricity that careened toward the boy below. Gusty kept moving, picking up her pace in desperation. All was in vain, though, as the lightning hit home.

The storm had passed. Gusty’s cries could be heard at full volume all through the house, and Brightling sat in the living room, his face totally blank. Dangling from his hand was the pendant his brother never removed, which let out a constant crackle of yellow electricity. His silence spoke volumes, making the air itself thicken from the emotions swirling around. He brought his hands together, placing the lightning-covered lightning bolt between his palms, sending a jolt into his arms as he brought it up to his face. Finally, letting the realization set in, he took a heavy breath, adding to the cries his mother created.

Sunset’s vision continued, showing her images of a funeral, the sorrowful faces of a mother and brother standing over a casket. Another image came, where a black-cloaked figure held out the crackling pendant in front of the gravestone, a spark of electricity arcing between it and the headstone with the words ‘BRING HIM BACK’ repeating themselves and drowning out all sound. The images increased in speed, always showing the figure in front of the grave, a spark of lightning illuminating the memorial and creating a bright yellow pulse of magic, up to the point where she saw the Boltsinger that she knew standing in the mall. She twisted her body around, pulling herself away from Brightling, glaring daggers at him.

“You… You were there last night!” she exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger at him.

Brightling recoiled, raising his arm defensively. “What are you talking about?”

Sunset scowled, taking a step closer. “At the cemetery! You were the one at his grave!”

“Wait, it was him?” Twilight asked. “How do you know?”

Brightling narrowed his eyes, clenching his fists and standing tall over Sunset. “Good question…”

“Because you’re not the only one with access to magic, and mine just showed me your memories!” she exclaimed, meeting his gaze with a challenging one of her own. “You’ve been trying to bring your brother back!”

“Bring him back?” an alto voice repeated. All eyes in the room fell upon the source, Gusty Gale, standing at the base of the stairs with Boltsinger behind her. “What do you mean, ‘bring him back’?”

Brightling took a deep breath, an intense look forming on his face. “Okay, fine! I’m guilty!” he shouted, proceeding to point at Boltsinger. “But it worked! I thought that spark was some kind of magic, and I was right! It worked perfectly!” He moved past his mother, putting his hands on the bluenette’s shoulders with a crooked smile. “You’re alive again! You don’t have all of your memories, but you’re alive! That’s the most important thing!”

“Brightling…” Boltsinger started, putting his hand on the older boy’s wrist.

“If I just keep doing that thing with the magic each night… It’ll get your memories back, too!”

“Brightling!” Boltsinger repeated, increasing his volume.

“And then you can do stuff with your real, real live friends!” Brightling continued, letting go and nudging him. “Maybe hook up with one of them? That’d be pretty sweet!”

“BRIGHTLING!!!” he shouted, reaching a volume that shook the house.

The brother in question stopped, turning to face him. “Yeah, bro?”

Boltsinger slapped his own face again, looking sternly into his eyes. “I know this is going to be hard for you to accept, but… I’m not your brother.”

“What?! Of course you are!” he argued, running his hand through Boltsinger’s hair. “You are, unmistakably, Bolt! Nobody else has this kind of mess!”

Boltsinger caught Brightling’s wrist, moving his hand aside. “Okay, yes, I am Boltsinger. But I’m not your brother!” He brought his hand up to his chest, clenching his fist. “Heck, I normally don’t even look like this! I’m not from here!”

Brightling took several steps back, shaking his head. “No… No… No! It has to be you! It just has to be!”

“No, son. It really isn’t.” Gusty confirmed, reaching for him. “You can’t keep denying it!”

“NO!!!” he yelled, slapping her hands away, a trail of yellow lightning following his movements. “I’ll prove that it’s really him!” He ran to the door, turning to look back at them one more time. “I’ll prove it to all of you!” He slammed the door, a jolt of electricity showing out the window as the engine of his car revved to life.

Author's Note

Strangely enough, the easiest part of this for me to write was that flashback. As you might already know, I have a hard time justifying flashbacks like that unless I can contextualize it well. I think having it come from two simultaneous perspectives helped in that regard.
Admittedly, that brotherly resentment is a bit of venting on my part. Families are hard, and this was a good way to cope and add to the story at the same time.
If you've seen EqG stuff before, I'm willing to bet you know what's next. I hope you like it! :twilightsheepish:

Facing The Truth

Twilight brought her bag to the floor, opening it up to let Spike out. She plucked the piece of cloth from his collar. “Okay, Spike, can you still get the scent?”

“Of course!” the dog confirmed, raising a confident paw the brought a shriek from Gusty’s mouth.

“How is that dog talking?!” the meteorologist exclaimed. She squatted down next to Spike, putting a hand on either side of his head and examining him. “Are you… from the same place as Boltsinger?”

“Nah. I’ve totally been there, though!” he stated. He moved away from her hands, sniffing the piece of cloth to discern which of the scents on it was the one he wanted. “I got it! Follow me!” He scampered off, heading for the door and pawing at it.

Boltsinger opened the door, prompting the girls to file out as quickly as they could. As Sunset approached the door, Gusty reached out. “My son is going to be okay, right?”

Boltsinger walked over and gave his mother a hug. “If my friends have anything to say about it, I’m certain he’ll be just fine.”

“Thank you, son…” she said, returning his embrace. He backed up, giving her the most confident smile he could muster as he ran out the door with Sunset.

“You know that magic has a history of turning people into monsters in this world, right?” Sunset pointed out, running with him as the group followed Spike.

Boltsinger slapped his own face again, giving her a smirk. “Nothing we’re not used to. Now let’s go!”

BOOM!

The magical pulse from the night rang out anew, sending a shockwave through the area. From the source of the noise sprang up a pillar of yellow light that rivaled the sun in its intensity. The group skidded to a stop, gawking at the light above for a moment before Applejack ran to the tour bus. The engine started up, the farmer poking her head out of the window. “I think it’s obvious where ‘e went! Get on!” The rest of the gathering did as directed, Twilight scooping Spike up and holding him close. Once everyone was on, Applejack wasted no time in starting down the road. “Everybody hold onto sumthin’! This ain’t gonna be a smooth ride!”

Everyone took their seats as Applejack made a sudden U-Turn, driving at top speed towards the light. She was as fast in the bus’ velocity as she was careful in her driving, thanking her lucky stars that there weren’t many other drivers on the road that day. Her stars weren’t at their luckiest, though, as the residential roads were filled with potholes, doing a number on the undercarriage. After ten minutes of driving full bore, the cemetery was in view, and Applejack slammed her foot on the brakes.

The bus’ door opened, letting the group out to make their approach. As they left the sidewalk, a bolt of lightning struck in front of them, as if to keep them at bay. “Don’t you dare come any closer!” Brightling shouted. He was kneeling over the grave, his smoking fingers extended towards his would-be assailants. “Not when I’m this close!” He held out the crackling pendant, the frequency of its discharge increasing as the larger pulse intensified. “I’ll get your memories back, Bolt! I swear!”

“No, Brightling, you won’t!” Boltsinger argued, stepping past the point where lightning struck. “Because I’m not the same Bolt! I already told you that!”

Brightling snapped his attention to his ‘brother’, his eyes glowing a bright yellow with a jolt of electricity coming out of them. "Then why didn’t you tell me from the get-go? Why did you act like you were him?!”

Boltsinger continued his approach, meeting Brightling’s gaze with one of compassion. “Because I was dealing with my own problems, and I wasn’t thinking clearly!” He stepped up to him, placing his hands on his shoulders. “I didn’t know what to do until my friends helped me see things as they are. I’m I’m so sorry for confusing you, big brother. Really, I am! But you have to face the fact that he’s gone, and the guilt that comes with it…”

The pulse slowly began to die down as Brightling stood up, turning to face him properly. “Yeah… you’re right… He’s gone…”

Boltsinger smiled softly, reaching for him once more. “I know how it feels to be part of the reason for a family member’s--"

Faster than Boltsinger could comprehend, Brightling reached over and latched onto both of his arms, his body charged with electricity. “But that’s okay!” he said, meeting Boltsinger’s soft smile with his own crooked one. “Because you're so much better than he was!” In one swift motion, he took the pendant in his hand and hung it from his own neck, the lightning surrounding it beginning to coarse over his body from the chest out. From the lightning came black armor with lightning-shaped yellow accents, electric spikes protruding from his shoulders, elbows, and knees as a three-pronged helmet formed over his head. “You think more properly, you have real friends, and you’re alive! You can just stay with me and we can pretend all of this ‘death’ never happened! Wouldn’t that be great?!” He sent a current through Boltsinger’s body, making him cry out in agony. “Now I don’t ever have to lose anybody!”

“BOLT!!!” came the cries of the onlooking ladies.

Rainbow Dash narrowed her eyes, breaking into a sprint at the electrified individual. “You get your hands off of him, NOW!”

Brightling looked over his victim as he slumped over, spotting the rainbow-haired girl with his head cocked to the side. “Well… Now that I think of it…” He tossed Boltsinger aside, sending him sliding over his doppelganger’s grave as he reached for Rainbow Dash. “He is gonna need friends!” He splayed his fingers, sending a surge of lightning at her.

Rainbow smirked, clutching her geode and veering to the side in a rainbow stream. She slid to a stop several feet from the attacker, darting past him and scooping her friend up in her arms, turning back and returning to her friends and laying him down in the middle of the group. “What do you think? Is he okay?”

The girls all knelt down over him as Spike jumped on his chest. He poked the boy’s cheek with his nose, eliciting a scrunching of his face. “Well, he’s alive.” He turned to glare at Brightling, going into a growl. “Better than he’s gonna be…!”

Twilight petted Spike with a confident smile. “Don’t worry…” She rose up with her friends, a loose fist over her heart as they all took a ready stance. “We’ve got this!” They each brought a hand up, clutching their respective geodes to create a rainbow light that quickly engulfed them to reveal a silhouette. Their ears were replaced with pony ears at the tops of their heads, their hair pulled back in ponytails at a length that was longer than natural. They all wore outfits that consisted of a hair band or tiara, and a dress that reflected their talents with matching pants, boots, and either bracers or gloves that covered their entire forearm. From Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy, there were shining crystal wings flared out on either side, with a pair of translucent purple goggles covering Twilight’s eyes.

Brightling gave off a laugh of pure glee as the girls descended to the ground. “You weren’t kidding when you said you had your own magic! This is perfect!” He clenched his fists, taking a low horse stance. “We can all stay together and protect him!” He gestured to beckon them over. “Come on! Help me out, here!”

“Protect him?” Twilight repeated, raising a glowing hand. “You electrocuted him! How can you say you’re ‘protecting’ him when you’re the one hurting him?” She magically lifted Brightling off of the ground, pulling his arms and legs in to straighten his body out. “No, we’re going to protect him from you!”

Brightling gave her a furious expression, building up a charge around his body. “NO!!!” He shook for a moment, breaking out of the magic and floating in place. “I’M NOT LOSING HIM AGAIN!!!” He flew towards them, bolts of lightning beginning to surge around his hands.

Rainbow shot into the air, making a swift dive at the charging foe and ramming into him. He slid back, grabbing her arm and throwing her aside. As she flew back, he swung his arm at her, encasing her in a rope of electricity that held her in place, sending her reeling in pain while she squirmed to get free. He turned his sights to Fluttershy, who shrieked and covered her face with her arms. At the sound of her voice, a large flock of birds flew from the trees all around. They swarmed around him, making diving pecks at every opportunity. Fluttershy reached for the birds, screaming for them to get away to safety. Brightling clenched his fists, a dome of lightning sparking outward and scaring the birds off. He continued his charge, lighting up his hands again. As he closed the gap, the image of a diamond appeared in front of him and pushing him back again.

“That’s quite enough of that, now!” Rarity declared, stepping in front of her terrified friend with a raised fist, her other arm jutted out in front of her. Brightling took a swing, slamming his fist into the shield, making a large crack appear. Rarity stepped forward, pushing back and repairing her shield. Brightling grunted, punching the shield again. With the second impact, it shattered, prompting Rarity to bring her other hand forward. She added another five shields to the defense, layered in front of each other. He glowered at the defense, continuing his assault. With every swing of Brightling’s fist, a shield shattered, only to be replaced by another with a smirk from their conjurer. He grimaced, pulling his arm back as far as it would go with another large surge of electricity. He lunged forward, pounding the shield in front of him with all of his might. Rarity clenched her fists and her teeth, increasing her focus to the utmost as the shields formed one solid diamond. With one final, screaming push, the diamond shattered, sending Rarity reeling. She fell to her knees next to Fluttershy, who caught her friend and looked up at the figure looking over her. He held out his hand, creating a discharge that wrapped itself around the two of them that forced them to fall prone.

“You won’t get between me and my brother, you hear me?” he growled. From behind him, there was a small explosion. He turned around to see Pinkie Pie with a large tub of what appeared to be sprinkles held under her arm. She reached her hand back in, grabbing a sizable handful of the topping.

“Come on, Brightling, ya ain’t thinkin’ straight!” a drawl called from behind him. He started to turn his head to look at the source, only to fall victim to an explosion of pink in front of him. He stomped towards the poofy pink party planner, letting his fist loose a bit of lightning, only to find a pair of arms wrapping around his shoulders in a full nelson. “Ya need ta calm down! Take off that darn necklace!” Brightling let out a thunderous scream, squirming in his attempts to break free. Her hold was tighter than he could have expected, and she held him firmly in place, sneaking a glance at her friend. “Now, Pinkie! Get it off ‘im!”

“Okey dokey!” Pinkie affirmed, tossing the entire contents of the tub at his face. The sprinkles began to violently glow, sparking all over until they exploded in a flash of pink. She bounded up to Brightling, who had closed and averted his eyes. She reached for the pendant that hung from his neck, coming ever closer until…

Brightling gave off another shout, bending over to lift Applejack off of the ground. As tightly as she could hold him, the difference in size allowed him to pull her up with ease. He shook his upper body repeatedly, twisting around until she could no longer keep her grip and was sent flying into Pinkie Pie with another electric restraint surrounding them. He panted numerous times, seething with rage as he turned to face Twilight and Sunset. The former of the two rose into the air, raising her hands and wrapping her neutralized friends in her magic. As the magenta aura surrounded them, the lightning that held them lashed out, striking her to break her concentration. She made a landing next to her fiery friend, looking up as their attacker made a slow approach.

“Come on, Brightling, you’re better than this!” Sunset pleaded, standing between him and Twilight. “I know that you feel responsible for what happened to your brother! I know the guilt that comes with doing something horrible that you can't take back! But you can’t hide from the truth! And you can’t just replace him and forget it happened!”

“You don’t know anything!” he countered, swinging a lightning-filled arm in front of him. He stopped his march, standing less than a foot on front of her. He forcefully grabbed her by the front of her dress, lifting her into the air. “But you will…”

Spike looked at the scene ahead of him in horror, his mouth hanging open. He gave a thought to biting the armored person in the ankles, but cast the idea aside based on what he had just done to his friends. He turned around, hopping on Boltsinger’s chest. “Come on, Bolt, wake up! Wake up! Your friends are in trouble! They need you!”

The canine’s words echoed in his mind, triggering something with in. The pendant beneath Spike began to shine a bright blue, sending a pulse out into the streets as he opened his eyes. “They need me…” he repeated.

In the statue base at Canterlot High’s entry plaza, the lightning continued to crackle. After a moment, a pulse of blue light ran through, wrapping the base in its radiance. The lightning surged around the statue base, shooting up into the air and rocketing towards its host, where it struck home in an instant.

“They need me!” He said again, the impact from the lightning sending him to his feet. He landed with a clap of thunder, eyes closed and fists clenched as Brightling turned to face him. “And do you know what happens when someone needs me?”

Brightling let go if Sunset, facing his brother properly. “No. What does happen when someone needs you?”

Boltsinger opened his eyes, a spark of blue lightning coming out of each of them. “I…” His ears vanished as his hair returned to its standard, nearly electrified mess, pony ears sprouting from within. “... get…” His hair glowed, a lightning bolt-shaped clip appearing in it as the mess grew to three times its original length from beyond that point, looking like a pony’s tail. “Serious!” Out of his back came a large pair of Pegasus wings, roughly twice the size of normal ones that gave a constant discharge of blue lightning. He gave a strong flap, rocketing forward with a trail of electricity following him as he rammed into the armored boy in front of him.

Brightling planted his feet, digging into the pavement below him. “You’ve never been able to overpower me before, Bolt! What makes this any different?!”

“What’s different?” he asked, flashing a smirk. “The other Bolt never had wings!” He jumped with a flap of his wings, looping around and scooping Brightling up by the shoulders. He leaned his head in close as he ascended again, rising high above the trees.

Brightling looked at the ground below, a feeling of vertigo overwhelming him. “Wait… What are you doing?!”

“You know, you’re a lot like my brother back in the place I come from. Little too rigid in your thinking, but flexible enough to come up with some bright ideas.” he started, laughing in his ear. “I mean, who else would think to bring the other Bolt back from the dead? Wow! I mean, it’s crazy, but… It’s an idea, right?” He rose up higher. “Took him a while to appreciate my friends, though. You seem to be having that problem right now. And you know what else he was known for?” He made one more hard flap, rising another twenty feet. “He’s afraid of heights!” He stopped flapping for a moment, sending them falling a few feet with a shrill shriek from Brightling. “Looks like you have the same problem…” He rose back up, looking over at the purple-haired girl that worked her magic, giving her a smile. “Twilight, everyone ready to go?”

Twilight spread her arms wide, nearly as high up as Boltsinger was. Her friends, freed from their electric shackles, floated into the sky beside her, all looking fiercely at Brightling. “We’re ready!”

“Do it!” he ordered.

“What’s going on…?! What are you doing?!” Brightling asked, his eyes darting nervously between them, a state of panic setting in from the altitude as the rainbow light made its return. It spread out from Twilight into Rainbow Dash and Applejack, moving to Fluttershy and Rarity, then Pinkie Pie and Sunset to create a white light in the circle they had formed. The girl at the center opened her eyes, which glowed in the same light.

Boltsinger closed his eyes, leaning in one more time. “Helping you, big brother. They’re helping you.” His arms fell limp, releasing Brightling from his grasp as the white light shot forward, the rainbow swirling around it and flying into the transformed boy. He began to writhe, quickly entrapped in the harmonious magic that swarmed him and slowly descended to the ground in front of the grave he had come to see. The bolts of lightning that he once shot like mad threw themselves out, finding themselves caught in the rainbow, slowly fading in color and fizzling out.

“They’re not helping… My brother is still gone…” he called, the rainbow leaving him as he knelt over the headstone, his transformation undone, and the crackle of the pendant having ceased. He put his hands on the dirt beneath him, clenching his fists with a small puddle forming between them. “My brother is gone and it’s my fault!”

“It’s not your fault, Brightling.” Boltsinger argued, landing behind him, his wings vanishing as his ears and hair returned to normal.

Brightling lowered his head further, looking at his dirt-covered hands. “You don’t mean that…”

“I do mean it.” he assured, dropping to a knee beside him and putting his hand on his shoulder. “I mean, my parents back home… They’re gone… and it’s all because some lightning came out of me and hit them when I was a co--... A little kid.” He slowly rubbed his back, leaning against the larger boy. “But, as Granny Smith says, magic is as magic does. And both of us had some… run-ins… with magic lightning. That doesn’t make us responsible for what happened. So I’ll say it again. It’s not your fault, Brightling.”

The brunette looked sorrowfully at the bluenette, shaking his head vehemently. “No…”

“It’s not your fault, Brightling.” he repeated, his voice firm, yet compassionate.

Brightling sniffed up an encroaching sob, pushing himself away from the familiar face. “No!” He stood to his full height.

Boltsinger followed suit, stepping forward as his friends came to a landing that encircled them, returning to normal. “It’s not your fault, Brightling!”

Brightling let out another furious scream, throwing his fist at Boltsinger. “NO!!!”

Boltsinger tilted his head to the side, the fist passing harmlessly by as he lunged forward, catching the faltering fighter in a firm hug. “It’s not your fault…”

“But… I threw him out there… in a fit of rage… And then…”

“It’s not your fault.”

Brightling’s arms fell to his sides, and Boltsinger felt a mass of wetness on his shoulder as the sobs began. The two of them fell to their knees, Brightling slowly bringing his arms up to join in the hug. One by one, the girls gathered round came forward, joining in the hug as the mourner let out his pent up emotions.

Sunset sat in the plaza outside Canterlot High after a long day of school, the journal she used to communicate with her otherworldly friend sitting, open, on her lap. She held a pen in her hand, quickly putting it to the page.

“Dear Princess Twilight,

I know things have been busy for you, what with the school opening and everything, but I think you’ll want to read this when you can. Boltsinger has been busy these last three days. He’s been learning what he can about this world at school, but I think he’s been more engaged in his visits with his doppelganger’s family. He told them everything. Who he is, what he is, and all about his life with you and everyone else back in Equestria. Gusty was enamored with it all, but Brightling… Well… Brightling has been getting help from a lot of places. He was signed up for grief counseling, which, I think, is going to really help him out. Sparks has been a source of constant support, too, driving him around and keeping at least a little bit of a smile on his face. Friends and family have been with him every step of the way, but he’s still got a ways to go before he can really move on.

Boltsinger has really been getting into the swing of things here, but I can see his homesickness coming back. He’s said his farewell to Gusty and Brightling, and we’re all going to meet him here for one last send-off. You should see him by tonight.

Sincerely,
Sunset Shimmer”

“So, her situation improve at all?” Boltsinger wondered, his head right next to Sunset’s ear.

A hint of surprise crossed her face for an instant, quickly replaced with a smirk as she looked in his direction. “You’ll have to ask her when you get back.” She lightly elbowed him in the gut, closing her book and standing up. “So, am I gonna hear from you after you go?”

Boltsinger rose to his full height, rubbing the area of impact. “Of course. I’ve got plenty of reason to visit.” He moved over to the statue base, reaching out and tapping it. A ripple flowed out across the surface, offering no resistance. “But I really need to get back.”

“You’re not leavin’ without sayin’ goodbye, are ya?” Applejack inquired, pulling his attention back. His friends had gathered behind Sunset, boring into him with their eyes.

Boltsinger met their glare with a grin, putting his hands on his hips. “Nnope! I was waiting for you!”

Pinkie’s attempt at a stern face quickly deflated with a massive sigh. “Oh, good! I was afraid you were gonna just leave and never say hi or come back and forget about us like none of this ever happened!”

“I don’t think I’ll ever forget any of this.” he assured her, approaching the gathering. He brought his hands up, twinkling his fingers. “I mean, I have hands here!” He placed said hands on the closest shoulders to him, smiling wide. “And friends.”

“Good. ‘Cause you’ve still got a lot to learn!” Rainbow stated, punching her palm.

“And you still haven’t visited the animal shelter.” Fluttershy added. “I bet the critters would just love to have you!”

Rarity gave Fluttershy a knowing look, nudging her in the side. “I’m sure the animals aren’t the only ones who would ‘love’ to have you around…”

“Well, before I go, there’s a few things I need to address.” Boltsinger started, pulling at the sleeves of his jacket. “First of all, Rarity, I need to speak with you.”

Rarity curiously stepped forward. “Me? What do you need to talk with me about?”

“I can’t tell you enough how awesome this coat is." he told her, sliding out of the garment. “Easily the most comfortable thing I’ve worn in a long time “

“Why, thank you, dear. It was my pleasure to create it for you!” she affirmed, striking a confident pose. As she saw the article in question get folded up by its owner, she took an uncertain look at him. “But… why are you taking it off?”

“‘Cause I’m not sure it’ll fit so well back home.” he answered, holding it in front of him. “So, would you be willing to hold onto it for when I come back?”

Rarity almost literally lit up, taking the coat in her hands and spinning in place. “Of course I would! Why, I can already see how I can make it even better! Maybe create an entire ensemble to go with it!” She looked at him over the coat, stars in her eyes from the anticipation. “I promise, you’re going to love it!”

Boltsinger smiled back, chuckling fondly. “I look forward to it.” He walked back over to the statue base, reaching up to the top only to pull something down behind his back. He took an extra deep breath, approaching his friends once more. “Now… Twilight, I have something for you, too.”

Twilight pointed to herself, stepping forward. “Me? Okay… What is it?”

Another, mildly nervous, deep breath came out of him, gaining a determined face. “So, since this world is lacking its it's own Boltsinger now… It’s pretty clear that it’s… well…” He averted his eyes, breathing a sigh. “It’s not possible for this world to have someone like Nova… He just won’t have anything in this world to represent him.” He brought the bundle behind him forward, holding the small pony plush from the amusement park at arm’s length to Twilight. “Except for this. And… I can’t think of anyone more deserving of it than you.”

Twilight’s eyes grew as wide as possible, making a tentative approach as she reached for the plush. “Are you sure you want me to have this? I didn’t even win it for you!”

“Yeah, but it just makes sense for Twilight Sparkle to have a little pony named Nova.” he argued, walking closer and placing the plush in her hands. “You take good care of him, okay? Don’t let Spike tear it up.”

Twilight smiled down at it, making to tickle its nose. “I promise you, this little pony is in good hands!”

“Oh, I’m certain about that.” he stated, turning back to the statue. He stepped over to the stone surface, which still rippled from his earlier touch. He brought his hands up, slapping his face as hard as he could as he faced the group one more time. “You know, when I came to this place, I was confused beyond reason. I’m just glad I found some familiar faces…” He scratched the back of his head, laughing to himself. “The friends I love back home are well-represented here, and just as amazing in their own right!” He sent them all a wide grin, “I wish I could stay a bit longer, but I’ve got a family that needs me.” He started to turn back to the portal, then paused for a moment, taking a final look back at them, giving a solid point of his finger. “I will be seeing all of you again, though. You can be sure of that!” He faced the portal, taking one final slap to the face.

Sunset ran forward, tapping him on the shoulder and leaning in close. “Hey… Be careful of those first steps when you get back… I have yet to go back to Equestria without losing my balance.”

“Gotcha. I think I can handle it.” he replied. “Keep me informed on what goes on here, okay?”

“Of course!” she affirmed, slapping him on the back. The force of the impact sent Boltsinger reeling forward, falling unceremoniously into the portal before him. She backed off, letting out an embarrassed laugh while she put one hand in the other arm. “Oops… Sorry!”

Author's Note

That fight got a lot more elaborate than I thought it would. Felt kinda super hero-ish. But man, was it fun to write!
So that you know, this was the last major chapter, but I do have one more thing to do with this story before season 3 begins. I hope you look forward to both this story's epilogue and the season 3 premiere!

Epilogue: Home Again

First came the falling, then came the rolling, and finally, the crash. Boltsinger hit the table in the center of the castle library, his rump situated firmly above him with his tail dangling over his face. He blew the mass of mess away from his eyes, only for it to fall back in front of him. “Stupid tail getting in the way and tickling my… wait a minute… My tail?” His pupils shrank as he brought his forelegs forward, looking closely at what lay on the ends. “Hooves! I have hooves again!” His wings spread wide, flapping on sheer instinct to send him into the air. “YES!!! I’m finally--" He brought his hooves to his muzzle, quickly covering his mouth. Right… Don't want to upset the baby…

He lowered himself to the floor, quietly walking to the door. The floor beneath him seemed to light up with his every step, as if to welcome him home. His pace moved from a gentle walk to a giddy trot, smiling and humming to himself as he soaked in the familiarity and security that was home. Finally, he let out an excited laugh as he reared up, taking off at full gallop into the castle depths. He weaved through the halls like a practiced professional, paying his surroundings no mind until…

“Ouch!” came the all too familiar voice of a very much missed mare. Boltsinger and the object of the impact fell simultaneously to the floor, landing with a thud. “What’s going on--" Twilight started as she rubbed a sore spot. She stopped short, her eyes falling on a face she longed to see. “Bolt?”

Boltsinger sat up, smiling weakly and extending a wing. “Hi, honey… I have returned!”

Twilight’s smile was instantaneous, growing more and more as she dove into him. “You’re back! Oh, welcome home, honey! You missed a lot, and we missed you!”

The stallion brought both of his forelegs and wings forward, holding her as tight as he could. “You have no idea how much I missed you… How much I missed everybody!”

Twilight pulled back, giving him an amused smile. “Every’body’? You’ve certainly gotten a feel for that world, haven’t you?”

“Maybe. At least I didn’t try to gallop when I first got there, though!” he retorted.

Twilight giggled, getting off of him. “Touche.” She started back down the hall, looking back at him. “I was just about to get back to Nova in the nursery. You wanna--" Where Boltsinger had fallen, there was now a faint charge of electricity fizzling out on the floor, the turbulence of his acceleration blowing back her mane. “... join… me…?”

The door to the nursery slowly opened, a baby’s babbling coming from the inside. Boltsinger gently stepped inside, one hoof at a time. Sitting in the middle of the room was an all-too-familiar Alicorn colt, lighting his horn with an electric blue aura to move a number of blocks into place, only to bring his wings forward and blow them down, laughing. He quietly moved against the wall behind him, softly placing his rump on the floor and staring at the foal.

“Oh, Nova…” Twilight began, poking her head into the room. “There’s somepony here that wants to see you!” Nova’s ears turned to hear his mother's call. Once her words were understood, he turned his head, his violet eyes falling upon a big pony he hadn’t seen in what felt like forever. A big smile crossed his little muzzle as he flapped his wings. His forelegs spread wide, letting out a gleeful laugh at the sight of his daddy.

The smile was instantly reciprocated, liquid joy threatening to burst forth from his eyes as he sprang forward. “Nova!” he cried, catching the laughing colt in a loving embrace. He landed on his back, the little pony hugging him back while sitting on his barrel. The joy flowed down his face as he kissed his son gingerly on the forehead. “Do you know how much daddy missed his little Prince?” Nova raised his head, shaking it slightly. “I missed you bigger than all of Equestria!” he finished, giving him a light squeeze. “But you know what? Your daddy had a big adventure in a strange other place with new friends! I got so many new stories to tell you!”

Twilight laid down beside her husband and son, smiling at each of them. “I like new stories! Can you tell us?” Nova nodded at his mother’s words, working himself to a sitting position on the orange fur beneath him and leaning in eagerly.

“I thought you’d never ask!” he told her, propping his head against the wall. “Well… it all started while your mommy and all of our best friends were getting ready for the school opening…”

Author's Note

I know it's a short epilogue, but I just can't pad it out any longer. It also served as a little practice, getting used to writing for ponies again.
Because as soon as possible, I'm going to be starting season 3!

Prologue: Into The Mirror

Inside the Castle of Friendship, a bright orange Pegasus stallion trotted through the halls. He had a long, windblown blue mane and tail with electric blue streaks erratically placed all about. The Cutie Mark that popped off of his flank showed a black microphone, where what should have been a cord was instead a streak of lightning that coiled around the device. He wore a white, topaz-encrested pendant in the shape of a lightning bolt that spread out with the jewel. He cradled an Alicorn colt of a darker orange in his wings, who had a straight yet wild purple mane with a jagged cyan stripe running through it. He looked up at his father with violet eyes, who brought his purple ones down to look back. All around him, his friends scrambled to prepare for the coming events. The time was finally approaching for the School of Friendship to open, and there was an air of excitement all around.

“Do we have the cupcakes? I can’t teach my first lesson without cupcakes!” a pink Earth Pony mare called. She had a poofy mane and tail of a darker pink, blue eyes, and a Cutie Mark of three balloons.

“They’re in the oven, Pinkie Pie!” another mare replied, running past. She was a lilac-coated Alicorn with purple eyes. Her straight, uniform mane and tail were a deep purple that featured a stripe of dark purple running next to a pink one that popped out in comparison. Her Cutie Mark was a six-pointed magenta star that ran perpendicular to a white one, surrounded by five smaller, sparkling stars. On her neck hung a pendant in the same design as the central star of her Cutie mark with a hair clip on the back. She looked around the hall, catching the only pony in the castle that wasn’t in a rush in her gaze. “Ah! Boltsinger!” She trotted up to the orange stallion, giving him a ginger kiss on the cheek, then repeated the gesture with the foal. “How has Nova been?”

“He’s been missing his mommy.” Boltsinger answered, holding the foal up to his mother. Nova reached eagerly for the mare with a giddy laugh. “Does head-mare Twilight Sparkle have the time for her wittle boy?”

“Aww…” Twilight leaned in, blowing raspberries on the baby’s belly, sending him into fits of laughter. “I wish I could do more, but I need to go over all of the EEA guidelines and make sure the school is totally up to code! Plus there’s the curriculum, getting the students here…”

“I get it, you’ve got a lot to do.” he affirmed. He pulled the foal close again, giving her a quick kiss. “You’d best get back to it, then! I’ll go make sure the other staff members are good to go, ‘kay?”

“Thanks.” the Alicorn said, starting into a canter past him.

Boltsinger propped his son up on his back, looking around, then up at the colt. “You wanna see what Aunty Rarity is up to?” Nova nodded, putting his forelegs around his father’s neck as Boltsinger spread his wings, taking off at a moderate speed down the hall.

After a while of searching, the stallion heard the sounds of stewing, skidding to a halt in front of one of the castle’s many rooms. “Let’s see… Twilight says these lessons have to be up to a certain ‘code’, but that doesn’t mean I can’t make my room gorgeous, yes?” Boltsinger opened the door, where a white Unicorn mare stood over a drawing. Her expertly coiffed purple mane and tail ended in the fanciest ringlets Boltsinger could think of, with a Cutie Mark of three brilliant diamonds. Her horn was lit up in a blue glow, floating a large number of decorative items around the room. She peeked over her shoulder, looking at the entrance through half-lidded, cyan-shadowed cerulean eyes. “Ah! Boltsinger! What are you up to?”

“Hey, Rarity. The little Prince and I are helping Twilight make sure everypony is ready.” he informed her, bucking the baby up into the air. Nova giggled, spreading his wings and gliding towards the fashionable mare.

She caught the colt with her forelegs, nuzzling him and holding him up. She squished the colt’s cheek with her magic. “Are you making sure your daddy does his job right?” she cooed, planting a kiss on his forehead and looking at the foal’s father. “Well, everything is going well. Fluttershy, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash are having a little trouble getting used to the kind of teaching they’ll have to do, but Starlight is giving them a lesson on lessons.” She floated Nova back over to the Pegasus, turning back to her work. “They should be in the library.”

Boltsinger waved his hoof, settling his son on his back and heading out the door. “Thanks. I’ll go check in with them.”

One of the largest rooms in the castle, lined from top to bottom with books. The library was a place the castle residents spent most of their time in. At the moment, it held four ponies. One was a bright pink Unicorn with purple eyes and a darker purple mane and tail, a cyan stripe running down the middle with the hair coming to a flip at the end. Her Cutie Mark was a magenta four-pointed star overlayed with a white one, with two blue streaks of glimmering light trailing off of it. In front of her sat three more mares. One was an orange-coated Earth Pony with green eyes and white freckles. She had a blonde mane and tail that was tied at the ends with a red hair tie, a brown stetson hat resting on top of her head and a trio of bright red apples making themselves known on her flank. Another was a yellow Pegasus, her soft blue eyes showing more of a droop than those of the other ponies, with a bright pink mane and tail that was kept so long that the hair had begun curling up at the ends. Her Cutie Mark showed three pink butterflies flying happily. The last of the seated mares was a cyan-coated Pegasus, whose medium-length mane and tail featured a veritable rainbow of color. She rolled her hot pink eyes, scratching her Cutie Mark, a tri-colored lightning bolt coming out of a cloud, with her wing.

“Okay, Starlight, I get it! We’re supposed to sit at the front of the room, read from some book on the subject, and ask the students a bunch of questions involving what’s in the books!” The rainbow-maned pony stated, her tone giving off an air of frustration.

“Yes, Rainbow, but you need to have a good grasp of the material.” the pink mare replied. “And your material is…?”

Rainbow Dash groaned. “Loyalty.”

The orange mare raised her hoof. “I’m teachin’ honesty, right? Ain’t we teachin’ the students about our elements?”

Starlight nodded. “Yeah, Applejack, that’s pretty much the case. But Twilight is insisting that we follow these rules.” She pointed to a book that lay on the floor in front of the three. With that, the yellow mare raised her hoof. “What’s up, Fluttershy?”

The pink-maned mare retreated her hoof, looking at the floor. “Um… I was just wondering… Do I have to teach like this? The way it tells the teachers to address the class feels kind of… well… mean.”

“Honestly, I agree with you.” Starlight assured, floating the book over and skimming through it. “But, Twilight insists that we follow the guidelines to a ‘T’. Apparently the school can’t be accredited unless we do.”

“Sounds pretty strict if you ask me.” a baritone called from the entrance. Boltsinger approached the group, taking a seat next to Fluttershy. “How are things going here?”

“About as well as can be expected.” Starlight answered, putting the book aside. “We were just about to take a break if you’d like to join us.”

Boltsinger chuckled, extending a wing as his foal walked out onto it. “No such thing as a ‘break’ anymore. Unless… you ladies want to look after him for a while?” Nova looked out at the mares with pleading eyes, fluffing his wings adorably.

Fluttershy perked up instantly, fluffing her wings and reaching out to take hold of the colt. “Oh I would love to take care of your little one!” She gave the baby a soft hug. “Do you want to spend some time with Aunt Fluttershy, Nova?” The little Prince laughed out loud, pulling Fluttershy’s mane close and nuzzling it. She smiled at the stallion, settling Nova in her wing. “I think we have things handled.” she told him.

Applejack stepped up next to her kind companion, leaning in close to Nova and taking a whiff. “Hoo, boy! You got some good timin’, Fluttershy!”

“What do you mean?” she wondered, bringing the baby’s bottom close to her muzzle. She took a sniff, recoiling from the odor. “Oh… I see… Well, I guess I’ll go take care of that…”

Boltsinger reached his hoof out. “I can do it if you don’t wan--"

Fluttershy put her wing up “No, no, I can do this! I volunteered to watch him for a while.” she insisted, heading out the door with the colt held at wing’s reach with Applejack in tow.

“Yeah! Break time!” Rainbow cheered, racing to the shelves and grabbing a book, landing in a nearby chair. “I’ve been wanting to dig into some Daring Do all day!”

Boltsinger looked at the shelves, hungrily eyeing the spines of the books. “A good book does sound good…” He flew around the room, finding several familiar titles. “Let’s see… Something I’ve not read before…” Every genre, he found nothing new, driving home the fact that he spent a lot of his time reading. He landed with a sigh, walking to another corner of the room. “Okay, then… no new…” A strange noise met with his ears, sending his eyes towards the source. “What was that?”

Rainbow Dash looked up from her book. “What was what?”

His ears twitched as the sound came again. “Sounds like… vibrating…” He looked around some more, noting a light coming from a book on a far table. “How many of the books in here do that?”

Rainbow looked to the light, marking her book and putting it aside. “Oh, that. Don’t worry about it. I’ll go get Twilight, she’ll know what’s up.” She jumped out of her chair, flapping her wings and flying out of the room with a streak of rainbow light following behind her.

Boltsinger cocked his eyebrow, turning back to the glowing book. “Okay, but… I’m still gonna worry about it.” He galloped over to it, using a wing to move the cover. “Dear… Princess Twilight?” he read aloud. “Is this some kind of letter?” He kept reading, seeing a number of exchanges between Twilight and this ‘Sunset Shimmer’ in the book. The name rang a bell, but he couldn’t quite place it. Finally, he came to a blank page. “Dear Princess Twilight… I need your help… I know it’s weird for you to come to this world now that… other Twilight? How can there be another Twilight? Where was I…? Need you to come here and help us get a grasp on the Equestrian magic that’s taking hold in… Where is this all taking place?!” His wings shot up with a tingling sensation, letting out sparks of blue lightning that hit the floor beneath him. He looked back at the extended appendages, his eyes going wide as they began to flap. His body rose into the air, turning towards an odd-looking mirror with strange devices surrounding it. Before he had time to think, his wings flapped again, rocketing him into the glass.

No crash.

Not something Boltsinger expected upon flying into a mirror at full speed. He opened his eyes, seeing a large building towering over him. All around walked a number of strange bipedal creatures. Like Absynnians, they had arms and opposable digits, but he wouldn’t call them paws. He positioned his foreleg to push himself up, but quickly retreated it. Something had felt off. It was as if his hoof had gone soft. He used his elbow to bring himself to his knees, then took a look at his…

“What the…?” he began, staring at the… things he held up. They were just like the digits on the ends of the other creatures’ arms. Stranger still was the fact that his own… arms… were covered by sleeves. He looked down, seeing a black jacket with electric blue stripes down the sides of the sleeves. Under the jacket was a white shirt that his pendant rested upon, and on his legs was a pair of blue denim pants, black shoes covering the things at the ends of his legs. On the back of his head, he felt a tightness in his mane that felt like having a hair tie pulling it back. He brought his… digits… closer to his nose, finding an emptiness where it normally was, then found one of them on a nubby thing in the middle of his face. Out of all the questions he had since he opened his eyes, there was one thing he was certain of as his eyes grew wide.

Whatever these creatures were… He was one of them.

Author's Note

It's between seasons, so you know what that means! EqG story! This one should be shorter than my previous seasons, and, like always, I'm playing it by ear. But it should be a fun romp! I hope you enjoy it!

Shades Of Home

“Bolt!” the yellow-skinned boy exclaimed, pulling Boltsinger into the tightest hug he had felt since arriving in this world. “I can’t believe it! You’re really here!”

“... Can’t… breathe!” Boltsinger wheezed out, struggling to raise his arms. “Could… you… let me go, please?”

“Oh! Yeah! Sorry…” He loosened his grip, putting his hands on Boltsinger’s face. “Is it really you? Are you really Bolt?”

Boltsinger felt the steam of his thoughts begin to billow from his ears. This was his brother he was dealing with, but at the same time, a complete stranger. He didn’t want to lie, but he didn’t want to lead him on, either. “I’m… well… Yes?” he shrugged, raising his hands questioningly. “Brightling… I don’t understand. Why are you so surprised to see me?”

Brightling pulled his ‘brother’ in again for a softer hug than before. “None of that matters anymore! You’re with us again, and that’s what counts!”

Boltsinger pushed Brightling away, giving him some space and a confused look. “Wait a second… I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“I’m just happy to see you, little brother.” he replied, smiling warmly with tears welling up in his eyes. “I… just… excuse me…” He turned away, heading off into an offshoot hallway, Sparks following him with her hand on his shoulder.

“He looks a… little freaked out.” Sunset noted. “What do you think?”

“He could just be happy to see his younger brother again after a long time away.” Rarity suggested. “I know I’d be an emotional wreck if I had to go a long time without my Sweetie Belle!”

“Missing family, huh?” Boltsinger mused, staring at the ceiling. “I can understand that… Maybe I’ll go with him for a while… Give him some time with the brother he missed so much.”

Sunset thought for a moment, unable to keep her concern to herself. “Are you sure? What if you meet your counterpart?”

“Darling, with a reaction like the one we just saw, the chances of that are nigh impossible!” argued the couturier. “I’m sure he’ll be fine.”

“And why do we have to bring her along, anyway?” Sparks inquired, looking to the back seat of the vehicle Brightling drove. Boltsinger and Sunset sat in the back, the blue-haired boy looking out the window with a sense of wonder in his eyes.

“‘Cause she’s my friend and I want my friend to meet my family.” he retorted, looking from car to car as they passed.

Brightling chuckled, looking at Boltsinger in his mirror. “It’s no problem that you want to bring your girlfriend, Bolt.”

Sunset and Boltsinger immediately sat up straight, looking at each other, then at the driver. “Excuse me, but he is not my boyfriend!” Sunset declared, pointing at her new friend. “He may be staying at my place, but there is nothing like that going on between us!”

“Right!” he confirmed, crossing his arms. “Besides, I’m quite happily ma-- I-I-I mean spoken for! Sunset is just a friend!” He held his fist in her direction, giving her a confident grin. “Right?”

Sunset nodded back at him, bumping his fist with her own. “Right.”

“Sheesh! Okay! You don’t need to get so defensive, little brother.” Brightling exclaimed, throwing a hand up in defeat. “Either way, Mom is gonna be ecstatic when she sees you!”

“You think she’ll cry?” Sparks wondered.

Brightling nodded, coming to a stop at the light. “Definitely. After all that’s happened, she’s bound to get weepy-eyed.” He paused for a moment, eyeing Boltsinger more from the mirror’s view. “I kinda wonder if we should even tell Mom yet…”

Boltsinger relaxed, letting his eyes drift back to the window. “Yeah… Haven’t seen Mom in forever…”

Brightling laughed as they approached their destination. “What do you mean ‘forever’? You’ve only been gone for a month!”

“I see… Well I still look forward to it.” he concluded. The car came to a stop, Brightling, Sparks, and Sunset exited the vehicle, leaving Boltsinger to wonder just how he was supposed to follow suit. Sunset rolled her eyes, walking over to his door and pulling it open. As he stepped out of the car, he got a better look at his surroundings. They were in a residential district of Canterlot City, in front of a two-story green house with a brown roof. There were several other houses all around, forming a cozy neighborhood.

“Well, Bolt, welcome home!” Brightling greeted, opening the front door. “Your room is exactly how you left it. I made sure nobody touched anything!”

Boltsinger entered the abode, looking carefully at the decor. Things were simple. The biggest theme that could be noticed was that they seemed to like clouds. On the hearth and walls were numerous pictures depicting Gusty, Brightling, a man with the same color hair as Boltsinger, and someone he could only assume was his own counterpart at various ages. They showed family photos, happy occasions, holidays, everything expected of a close family. The whole room reminded him of his favorite chandelier, giving him a strange nostalgia. Feels kind of weird, being in the house another me grew up in… Wait, he said something about ‘my room’. I wonder… He found his way to the stairs, entering a hallway lined with doors. Two of them had signs on them. One showed a pair of light bulbs with the name ‘Brightling’ nearly lit up between them, giving him the impression that this was where Brightling slept. At the end of the hall, the second signed door became clearer. It was awash with lightning bolts, with a large number of them spelling out his own name. He reached for the knob, feeling a mild shock as he touched it. Lingering for a moment, he slowly opened the door, taking in his surroundings. Headphones, music posters, and a device on a desk at the corner of the room with a device that he had seen in a few other places, with a TV-like apparatus next to a keyboard, then a microphone set up on a hinged stand, all connected to a large block-like device that sat next to the desk.

The sound of a finger on a music shelf ran through his ears. Boltsinger turned around, catching Sunset inspecting the dust. “You know, if I didn’t know you were from Equestria, I’d have guessed this was your room.” She smirked in his direction, flicking off what dust remained. “You strike me as a music fan.”

Boltsinger laughed, plopping down on the bed. “Like my horrible attempts at rocking out to Rainbooms didn’t give that away.”

Sunset paused, looking at him with a small hint of shock in her eyes, then let out a boisterous laugh of her own. “That was ‘rocking out’? I thought you were having a seizure!”

The boy’s brow furrowed as he raised his finger to make a point. “Hey, that…” Slowly, his arm fell, the point vanishing. “... actually makes sense…” He fell back onto the bed, staring at the ceiling. “Why am I here, again?”

Sunset sat next to him on the bed and pulled out a book with a combination of Twilight’s Cutie Mark and the sun symbol on her shirt, clicking a pen and writing in it. “To be there for your family.” Her writing stopped a moment, putting her pen to her lip. “Or… at least this world’s version of your family. Personally, I think you’re doing a good thing. Besides, it could help us on our magic hunt.”

Boltsinger sat up, scratching his head. “Eeeyeah… I guess so. It’s just… really weird being here.” He brought his hands together, taking in the sights again. “I think… I should probably go soon.” He stood up and walked to the door, looking out into the hall. As he approached the door to Brightling’s room, he heard sole some muffled whispers. His interest piqued, he put his ear to the door.

“Okay… He’s still a little unfamiliar with everything, but we can work with this!” Brightling started, the sound of a pencil on paper filling the background. “He just needs to readjust. That’s understandable when you think of where he’s been!”

“I don’t know, Brightling. Can you really be sure it’s even him?” Sparks reasoned. “I spent a little more time with him, and for a while he was acting like it was his first time being human!”

“If you’d been in the state he was in, you’d be off-kilter, too.” he retorted with the sound of a chair sliding back. “We’ll just give him some space and some time to figure things out.”

Boltsinger backed off as he heard the sound of footsteps coming closer. The door opened to reveal the brown-haired boy, a soft smile on his face. “Hey, Brightling. What’re you up to?”

“Just talking with my girlfriend.” he answered. He put his arm around his ‘brother’, beginning to walk down the hallway. “What are you up to?”

Boltsinger gave him a tentative glance, then took a deep breath. “I think I should probably get going. Don’t get me wrong, it’s great to be here. I just feel a little… out of place right now. Sunset has been getting me… um… re-acquainted with everything at a really nice pace. Plus… I have no idea how to get around.”

The happiness in Brightling’s face washed away. He stared blankly at Boltsinger, trying to come up with a reason to keep him there. “Yeah. Yeah, I understand. We can go whenever you’re ready.” He started down the hall, reaching into his pocket. “You will come back, right?”

This time it was Boltsinger’s turn to offer up a warm smile. He stepped forward, putting his hand on his shoulder. “Of course. I just have a lot to do, and where I’ve been staying has been a great little hub to get places from.”

Brightling nodded, the happiness making its return. “Okay, then. I’ll see you tomorrow, then?”

“Eeyup!” he confirmed, turning back to the bedroom. “I’ll let Sunset know we’re heading out.”

Brightling gave a thumbs-up, walking down the stairs. “Sounds good. I’ll give you a call tomorrow.”

Boltsinger tilted his head. “Yeah… a ‘call’... On a ‘phone’, right?” He was met with an enthusiastic nod. “Oooookay… I don’t have one of those.”

“So, let me get this straight…” Rainbow started, sitting with Boltsinger and all of her best friends by the sparking statue. “Gusty Gale, the weather lady, is your mom, but not your mom?”

“An’ you met yer big brother at the mall?” Applejack added. “But… He ain’t yer actual big brother?”

Pinkie raised her hand, keeping the rhythm going. “So you went to his house…” She pointed to her left with her right hand. “Or… your house?” She pointed to the right with her left hand. “Or… Not your house?” She twisted her wrists, her index fingers nearly touching one another.

“And… they actually thought that you were this world’s version of you?” Fluttershy concluded.

“Eeyup.” Boltsinger replied, looking around. “I’m gonna be seeing them again soon if anyone’s interested in joining us.”

“Joining ‘us’? Who is going with you?” Twilight wondered, adjusting her glasses.

Sunset raised her hand, leaning forward to look at her lilac friend. “That’d be me.” She held up the book with the combined marks on it, propping her head up on top of it. “Princess Twilight asked me to stick with him while he’s here. She’s pretty worried about him. Plus, I’m curious. I want to learn more about where Bolt’s counterpart went.”

“That does sound intriguing.” Twilight looked at her phone, swiping a few times with her finger. “I don’t have anything planned for today. I’d be happy to join you.”

“And if she’s going, I’m going!” a voice called from Twilight’s backpack. Boltsinger jumped, raising a defensive arm as the bespectacled girl unzipped her bag. From inside came a small purple and green dog, wagging its tail and jumping onto its owner's lap. “After all, Twilight’s a total wreck without me!”

Twilight giggled, hugging the dog tightly. “Sorry about the surprise. I really should have introduced you earlier. This is my dog. His name is--"

“Spike.” Boltsinger finished, reaching his hand over to the canine. Spike leaned in, sniffing his hand, then relaxed again.

“How did you know?” Twilight asked.

“Because you’re Twilight Sparkle.” he deadpanned, sitting back down and scratching behind Spike’s ear. “And wherever Twilight Sparkle goes, Spike is never far behind.”

“You got that right!” Spike declared, leaning into the scratches with a twitch of his hind leg. “No, seriously… You got that just right… Could you scratch a little harder?” Boltsinger grinned, doing as directed. “Oh yeah… That’s the good stuff…”

Boltsinger looked over to Sunset, eyeing the book she held. “So, that’s the book that--" he glanced at Twilight, then looked at the book again. “--that Princess Twilight communicates with you through?”

“Yep. When I filled the last one, she made me this, and we’ve kept writing to each other ever since.” she explained, holding up a pen. “You want to write to her?”

Boltsinger’s eyes widened at the prospect of talking with his wife, images of her flooding his mind. He reached for the book, pulling it over and opening it to the first blank page he could find. Sunset smirked and handed him the pen. He eagerly put it to the page, finally beginning to create a line. He worked on his writing with a fervor the girls had never seen out of him, going for several minutes to get as much as he could out. The closer his writing came to completion, the further his expression shifted from joy or excitement. A frown formed as he dropped the pen on the pavement, closing the book and bringing his head low. “Of course… Of course it has to be like this!” He pounded on his knees repeatedly, letting out an angry shout that shook the ground around him.

The girls were sent a short distance back from the scream. Rarity raised her hand to bring forth a gem-shaped force field while Applejack simply planted her feet. Fluttershy waited until the shaking died down, then knelt next to her friend. “Boltsinger, are you okay?” He shook his head, refusing to open his eyes or look up. “What’s wrong? You know you can tell us.”

“Oh, it’s nothing…” he fibbed, a stagger making itself known from the depths of his voice. “Just that I only have one way to communicate with Twilight and Nova, and I can’t even do it…!”

Fluttershy put her hand on Boltsinger’s back, slowly rubbing back and forth. “What do you mean?”

Sunset picked up the book, opening it to the page Boltsinger had used. “He… can’t write.” she told them, holding it out for the others to see. On the most recent page was a frantic scribble, a few attempts at words barely legible. On the next page, golden writing began to form, fading to black and writing in concise calligraphy that reminded Twilight of her own handwriting. Sunset pulled the book back, looking at the new entry and retrieving her pen. “She’s asking what that just was. Should I tell her what happened?”

Boltsinger stood up in a huff, putting his hands in his pockets. “Tell her whatever you want… Everything, for that matter… I’m gonna go… I dunno… I guess I’ll go to the library… Maybe there I’ll find some books that I can make use of…”

Sunset let out a sad sigh, remembering her own struggle to scribe as she wrote her response. Twilight guided Spike back into her bag, then slowly stood up to follow him. “I think I’m gonna go talk to him. He might get lost without our help, anyway.”

Twilight entered the school library, taking in the smell of the books upon her arrival. She looked around the room, trying to find some hint of Boltsinger. He clearly wouldn’t be at the computers, as he had displayed a complete lack of understanding of all things technology. After a few minutes of searching, she wandered into the fiction section, where she heard a stack of books falling on the other side of a shelf.

“Stupid not having wings making me use the stupid ladder…” the baritone that was Twilight’s target grumbled. She rounded the corner to find Boltsinger lying under a pile of books, slowly sitting up and looking through them. “Now where is that Daring Do I saw?”

“You’re a Daring Do fan?” Twilight asked, squatting down next to him. “I love Daring Do!”

Boltsinger sifted through more of the books, looking at their covers. “Yeah, any world worth its salt lick has Daring Do. Only the best adventure books ever!”

“Would you like some help finding it?” she offered, putting her hand to her necklace. In a magenta flash, her hand lit up along with the book pile. She gestured up, floating the books and placing them back on their shelves, sorted to perfection. “I know this library like the back of my hand!”

Boltsinger stood up with a chortle at her display. “I swear I will never get tired of seeing that.”

“What, you mean my magic?” she wondered, looking at her still-glowing hand. “This is the first time you’ve seen it, isn’t it?”

Boltsinger nodded in her direction as he continued his book search. “Technically, yes. But that particular feat is something I always love to see.”

Twilight smiled, sifting through the tomes as well. “So, the ‘other me’ can do that, too?” Boltsinger gave a small confirming grunt. “I see… What other kinds of magic can she do?”

“Any kind you can think of. She’s got it pretty much mastered for the most part.” he explained, drawing ever closer to the book he sought. “Although she has to practice with new spells a lot more than Starlight. That’s someone who can fashion a big spell in an instant.”

“But… you can’t do magic like that?”

“Nnope. No horn. I can do neat stuff with the weather.”

Twilight’s curiosity had begun to bubble up. She pulled another book down, adjusting her glasses. “Weather? What do you mean?”

Boltsinger looked back at her and smirked, finding the idea of teaching Twilight Sparkle anything more than a little amusing. “It’s a little complicated. If you have the time, later, I’ll teach you everything I can.”

“That would be great!” She pulled out her phone and checked her schedule. “I think I can squeeze you in tonight after meeting your ‘family’ and some homework. How about the bakery tonight?”

“I think I can work with that.” he affirmed, reaching for the shelf and pulling out one more book. “Ah! Here it is!” He opened it up, his face alight at the words he saw. “Now here’s a book that’ll agree with me!”

Twilight smiled, quickly catching up to him and plucking the book from his hands. “Here, let’s get these checked out and go back to the others.”

No sooner had Twilight and Boltsinger returned to their friends did Brightling’s car pull up on the street beyond. He emerged from the vehicle, running up to the one he longed to see and catching him in a hug that lifted him off of the ground. “Hey, little brother! How’re you doing?”

Boltsinger strained to move, awkwardly smiling down at him. “Doing… okay… Could do without the asphyxiation, though…”

Brightling quickly dropped his ‘brother’, backing off and scratching his head. “Right… sorry!” He looked around at the gathering before him. “Are these your friends?”

“Eeyup.” Boltsinger confirmed. “You’ve met Sunset and Rarity, of course.” the aforementioned girls each waved. “And then we have Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Twilight Sparkle!” He gestured to each of them in sequence, prompting a greeting from each. A bark cane from Twilight’s bag, Spike poking his head out over her shoulder. “Ah, yes, and Spike.” He scratched the dog behind his ear. “Can’t possibly forget about him.”

“Well, it's nice to meet you all.” he told them. “It’s wonderful that my baby brother finally has some friends.” He pulled Boltsinger aside, draping his arm over his shoulder. “Seriously? All of them are girls? All of them!”

“Yeah. Why does that matter?” he wondered.

“Have you looked at them?” the elder brother stressed, sneaking a look at the girls.

“Of course I have. They’re my friends.” Boltsinger deadpanned. “What are you getting at?”

Brightling smiled, leaning next to Boltsinger’s ear. “Which one do you fancy?”

Boltsinger recoiled, turning slightly to see the friends he had made. “Well… I mean…” His gaze shifted between each of them, finally falling upon Twilight with a mild blush lining his cheeks. “Not… really. My wi-- Um… my girlfriend is… well… elsewhere. These ladies are just good friends.”

Brightling gave him a hard pat on the back, sending him staggering forward a few steps. “Whatever you say, little brother. Honestly, I’m surprised you have friends at all.”

“Wait, what?” Boltsinger turned to face his ‘brother’, utterly befuddled. “Why is it so surprising that I have friends?”

“Don’t you remember? You’ve always been a loner. Yesterday was actually the first time you’ve ever brought a friend home!” Brightling walked over to Boltsinger. “Speaking of home, Mom has today off, and… I haven’t told her you’re back. Not sure how she’ll take it right now. Would you be okay with postponing your next visit home a little longer?”

“Mom…” he started, looking at the car parked nearby. “Yeah… Yeah, I can wait. Wait a second… Why did you come all the way here if you were gonna just tell me all that? You could have just given Sunset a call.”

Brightling rolled his eyes, shrugging his shoulders as he made for his vehicle. “Honestly, I just wanted to see you. Lets me know yesterday wasn’t just a dream.” He waved farewell, getting in and driving off.

Evening had come, and Boltsinger entered the bakery. He sat at the table by the window, retrieving his Daring Do book from his jacket and starting to read as he waited. The sounds around him brought feelings of familiarity. The Cakes giving customers their orders, happy conversations all around. For a brief, fleeting moment, he felt like he was home again. All he needed was someone to join him.

His desire was answered before too long as Twilight made her entrance. She sat on the table across from him, pulling out a number of notes. “Okay, so I’ve learned a lot about how magic works in Equestria from Sunset already, but she’s only really given me a Unicorn’s perspective. You say that you don’t have a horn, but you can do stuff with the weather. Does that mean that you have wings instead?”

Straight to the questions as always huh? Boltsinger thought to himself as he marked his book. “Good to see you, too, Twilight.” He settled into a more comfortable position from which he could explain things. “Yes. When I’m my usual self, I’ve got wings like Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy have.” He went on to explain the nuances he had come to understand as a Pegasus, giving her the full rundown of what they’re capable of and what their role in the world typically was. As she had during their last magic discussion, Twilight took furious notes on the differences between Earth Ponies, Unicorns, Pegasi, and Alicorns, with all other things in the world suddenly not mattering in the face of the sheer learning. She even seemed to order their food on auto-pilot. All the while, Boltsinger observed her hands. The rapid movements of her pencil, the way her fingers moved to let the letters and other symbols come out onto the page with such ease. It certainly seemed more efficient than the kind of writing he was used to, but he couldn’t be entirely sure, due to not having the capacity to do either in his current body.

Boltsinger finally came to the end of his long and involved lesson on his understanding of magic, taking one final sip of his milkshake and letting out a sigh. “Thanks for this.”

Twilight looked up from her notes. “What? The milkshake? It’s no big deal. I get them all the time!”

Boltsinger shook his head, patting his book lightly. “Not just that… Everything. Letting me talk about magic, finding me in the library, and… well… Just being you. It’s a breath of fresh air. Especially… considering…” He brought the palms of his hands up, staring hopelessly at them.

“You know, if you’re having trouble writing, we can always help you out.” she informed him, taking a look at his fidgety hands.

“I know… It’s just that I wanted to be able to tell everyone back home…” He let his head sink onto the table. “... just how much I miss them. Poor Nova must be having fits without me…”

Twilight gave him a rather uncomfortable smile, returning her attention to her notebook. “So, this… Nova… is important to you?”

“More than you’ll ever know…” he confirmed.

“Well, I hope you get to see her again, soon.” she stated, tentatively placing her hand on his shoulder.

Boltsinger looked at her with tired eyes. “Him.” he corrected.

“Yeah… Him.” she affirmed, closing her notebook and getting up. “I’m gonna… get going. Gotta go over these notes!” She waved awkwardly at him, making for the exit. “I’ll… see you tomorrow!”

Boltsinger waved as he watched her leave, his mood on full display with a defeated sigh. “Yeah… Later...”

Author's Note

This chapter was... interesting. I sort of kept writing and going back and rewriting stuff and editing and all that jazz until it looked like something I was satisfied with. Even the events that transpired, after a while, just sorta flowed out of me until what you see as the end here. I admit it's a little drawn-out, but I feel like it had at least a little cohesion to it. He's both in his counterpart's home, while later on is reminded of his own home in excess.
I'll be starting up the next chapter soon, but I'll admit now that I've got a case of "what comes next" as I type this out. I can definitely say that it's coming soon, though.
As always, I hope you enjoy what's to come!