Libero

by Discombobulated Soul

Breaking Barriers

She should be here already.

The sun was directly overhead in the sky on that beautiful Wednesday noon, and it perfectly illuminated a pacing white unicorn colt with bandages on his hind legs as his anxiety gradually increased.

Something must've happened to her.

Darkest sat on the ground just outside his house's front door, conscious thoughts silent as his mind swam in rising dread. He fearfully watched the sky, mouth trembling as he scanned it for signs of a butter yellow pegasus.

She's gone. She's not coming. She's not here.

The unicorn whimpered miserably, stamping at the ground softly in his distress. His gaze was locked on the sky, for he no longer found it necessary to study his surroundings for assailants so often. He knew that he likely wouldn't find any ponies, let alone angry ones.

Rarity.

Darkest bit back a sob upon remembering that exception, his light shivering evolving into heavy shuddering from the memories of her enraged visage.

You deserved it.

Knight was right, for once. The ruined cloth was something he and only he was responsible for, as Rarity's employee. Guilt and regret were prominent emotions running through the colt, though fear and dread still remained foremost within. Darkest laid down on the cobblestoned path, curling up and hugging his brushed tail, still watching the sky as he cried softly.

"Hey, buddy. You doing okay?" Darkest hastily shot to his hooves, hind legs twinging under the bandages in a reminder that they were still healing.

Pain. Beware.

Darkest shuffled backwards and away from the mare who spoke, recognizing her from a brief introduction some days ago. That is Cheerilee, the teacher.

She makes ponies learn.

I must indeed be exceedingly wary of her, as I wish not to be taught this day. Darkest agreed, continuing to step slowly backward to the entrance of his house as he locked his wide and wary gaze on hers. The colt blinked first, realizing she was likely awaiting a response.

"Er, simply superlative, teacher! I do not require any further learning at the moment!" He laughed nervously in hopes of strengthening his statement, speedily wiping the tear tracks from his face. The second she reveals a learning instrument, I shall have to run for it.

Get in the house.

That is an excellent suggestion and one that I shall likely pay heed to. Darkest tensed, coiling like a spring and ready to launch himself at the slightest provocation. Cheerilee seemed to notice this, her countenance taking on a nonplussed appearance as she took a faltering step backward.

"O-okay, then. I guess it's not really my place to help out, huh?" The earth pony looked downcast at this, her ears drooping as her face fell and tail lowered. Darkest's own ears flicked in unease, but he stayed precisely where he was, still as a stone and still on a hair trigger. Sadness is not an ideal emotion, but at least she is not angry.

The sound of flapping wings drew the colt's attention back to the sky and he breathed out with relief upon seeing Fluttershy descend to the ground. There has now occurred a change of plans! Darkest took off across the cobblestone and toward the safe shelter, cannoning into her barrel after failing to slow down sufficiently. Luckily, the pegasus seemed prepared for just that outcome, seeing as she had gone through this many times before. She braced for the impact, effectively catching him and leaving neither of them sprawled on the floor.

"Hello, Darkest. I'm sorry for being late. Angel just wouldn't let me go until I made a salad for him." Her gorgeous, unsurprised, gentle voice brought great joy upon the colt, and he grinned with relief as he nuzzled her chest. Darkest sighed heavily into it as all tension left his body and the fresh smell of nature graced his muzzle. "Thank you, Cheerilee, but I think it's time to leave now." The unicorn relaxed further as he heard the retreating sound of hoofsteps, and he clambered on up to Fluttershy's back once he was sure the earth pony had left. Said mare twisted her slender neck to gaze at him with her teal orbs in an unreadable manner. "So, um, are you ready to leave now, Darkest?"

The foal in question merely nodded before burying his face in the mare's neck, nuzzling it as his body completely loosened all rigidity. He felt the usual surge of pure joy upon lifting into the air, but that emotion was vastly overshadowed by his complete relief upon the pegasus' arrival. All is well now that Fluttershy is here. I wonder if I could persuade her to allow me another sleepover at her cottage. Knight is usually entirely silent during those.

The two traveled in silence for most of the journey, both deep in thought as they left the skies above Ponyville and headed out to the grassy hill where their newest princess was awaiting them. This reticence lasted until Fluttershy broke it, leaning her head to the side so as to indicate her addressing him while still focusing on flying.

"So, um, is there any chance you'd like to tell me what happened with Rarity two days ago now? She still hasn't said anything yet, and the whole town is getting really concerned." Darkest froze in alarm at the name and nervously glanced to either side. He attempted to answer, but found that his panic sealed off any opportunity for vocalizations, and so merely shook his chin against her back. From the way the mare's ears twitched, he guessed she was about to pry further, but luckily it was at that moment that they reached their destination, and Fluttershy was forced to land.

"Hey, Fluttershy! Hello, Darkest! Are you guys ready to start?" The colt leapt off the mare's back and managed to stay a few steps away from her, studying his immediate surroundings and tentatively smiling when he realized it was just the three of them. After an asking glance at his yellow safety--who merely nodded before she sat down and began attentively watching the proceedings--Darkest responded to the purple alicorn, eyebrow raised in inquiry.

"Quite indeed, princess, but if I may ask just one thing?" At her nod and light smile, he hesitantly continued. "What exactly is it that we are here to do? I was not informed of much regarding that matter."

Princess Twilight Sparkle of Ponyville fluttered her newly gained wings and glanced at the clipboard she was currently levitating, pursing her lips before she answered.

"Well, Darkest, we're here because I would like to have more information about your magical abilities." Her noble speech still made the colt cringe inside, but her newfound alicorn status put a large damper on his suspicions of her occupation. Really, could a princess be working for HIM? and Bon Bon did say that HE was in prison now, though what good that does is dubious at best. "Why don't you start by explaining how your barriers work? We know next to nothing about them, and would love to be enlightened." Darkest inhaled deeply and straightened his posture, beginning to demonstrate as he spoke.

"Mine barriers consist of the very base layer of reality. When I mentally reach through and connect with it-" But the princess interrupted, eyes ashine with the fire of curiosity.

"Wait, wait, what do you mean, 'base layer'? You mean you can actually feel a layer of the world that's under the others? How do you do it? How long have you been able to do it? Can you teach me? Can you teach anypony? What exactly does this layer feel like? Is it rubbery, or rough, or maybe really smooth??" The alicorn seemed to come out of her inquisitive fit upon seeing Darkest back away, doing so herself and raising a hoof in apology. "Oh, Darkest, I'm sorry about that. I'll just save all my questions for later. Would you please continue?"

The unicorn in question breathed deeply as Bon Bon had instructed, attempting to calm himself as much as possible before responding. He glanced to his right and at Fluttershy--whom was squinting at the princess with her lips pursed--before acquiescing to the alicorn's request.

"Er, yes, indeed, princess." He scuffed his hoof against the grass, already uncomfortable with the situation, though the yellow pegasus currently sitting just a few feet away did much to remedy that feeling. If the noble attempts anything, it will take me a mere two seconds or so to get to safety. Darkest blinked rapidly and shook his head lightly, causing his ears to smack the back of it. No, that is foolish. Come now, I cannot be thinking so irrationally at this time, for there lies no need to. I shall simply do as the princess wishes, and everything will be fine.

She's a noble. She's from Canterlot. She wants to take you back. To HIM.

Now is very much indeed not the time, Knight. Would you be so kind as to shut up? The colt noticed Twilight's expectant gaze beginning to transform into a befuddled one, and so hurriedly resumed his explanation.

"First, I mentally trace magic through reality's many layers. It takes much concentration and practice, but by now it is indeed rather trivial to do so. Then, once mentally connected, I send mine mana through my well-established ley patterns and into the arcane matrix located in my horn. The arcane spell matrix sends the mana through the very same path that I initially used to make the connection, and is used to make the base layer follow it into reality proper. At which point I am able to..."

Darkest's voice faded away as he gazed at the utterly puzzled face of his newest princess. Her purple eyes were squinted so far as to be closed, and her eyebrow had peaked as far as it could up her forehead, perfectly framing her pursed lips and wrinkled snout. The colt might have laughed at how comical the sight was, so long as he was entirely insane and inane, as well as not vastly confused in his own right. I distinctly recall Rainbow Dash telling me that her special talent is magic. Does she not understand mine phraseology?

It's not right.

Darkest blinked. In all actuality, that is indeed a possibility. There lies no guarantee that Broken taught me the actual names for things. It is surprising to actually receive a genuinely valuable suggestion from you, Knight.

She's mad at you. She's going to attack.

Darkest sighed heavily and would have rolled his eyes if they were not trained exactly on the contemplating princess before him. Ah, yes, there it is. Far be it from me to expect something useful from you, Knight. The purple noble shook her head rapidly and took a few steps forward before remembering herself, electing to simply raise a hoof instead.

"Er, Darkest, you seem to be using some outdated ideas, is all. You see, new discoveries in the field of magic have rendered concepts like 'ley patterns' and 'arcane matrixes' completely obsolete." She glanced aside and at Fluttershy, awkwardly itching at her foreleg with a hoof. "So, er, maybe a magic lesson is in order? I think I'd help you a lot to learn the modern magic theory, instead of the outdated ideas you're using. Heck, I only knew what you were talking about because I read so often." The alicorn locked gazes with Darkest once more, giving a hopeful smile as she tilted her head slightly. "So, what do you say?"

The colt in question laid down and made himself as comfortable as he could be, present circumstances notwithstanding. It would seem that Knight's hypothesis has been proven correct and I was not taught the proper magical terms. Strange as it is, but I am eager to hear how things actually are! He nodded in answer, and the princess sat down, lighting her horn as she began her lesson.

"Well, to start off with, the scientific name for the study of 'magic' is actually thaumaturgy. We made that distinction a while ago so as to prevent confusion between the study of magic and actual magic. So, 'thaumaturgy' is the umbrella term for all things 'magical' in nature, which is how I will refer to it henceforth. Good so far?" Darkest nodded, smiling hesitantly, and the alicorn seemed pleased by her two extremely attentive audience members.

"Okay, great. So, then, actual magic is the name for the ambient energy that floods every crevice of the world. It's always been there--so long as we can tell, at least--and all creatures can feel it to some degree. Sapient creatures, such as deer, griffons, minotaurs, or kirin, have learned how to use magic, and each have their own special way to do so." Twilight breathed deeply before casting a spell that formed a few illusions to illustrate her points. Darkest paid them no mind, giving attention to nothing save the words coming from the alicorn's lips and the exact location of his safe shelter. She's still merely two seconds away, and most offensive spells take at least three seconds to cast, of that I am certain.

"Us ponies, however, have evolved to use magic to a higher degree. We have 'pools' of sorts within us, made up of highly concentrated and specialized mana that we can use to accomplish our tribes' magic. Unicorns, pegasi, and earth ponies each have different varieties of mana, and thus they react to actual magic differently, which is why the three tribes' magic is so different." The alicorn scratched at the top of her head, mussing her mane slightly as she went on. "Ideas like an 'arcane spell matrix' and 'established ley patterns' for unicorns were largely excuses to explain why unicorn magic was 'so much better' than the others. They would pridefully go on about how their magic was so complicated and hard to master, while earth pony and pegasus magic was 'simple' and 'weak.'

"Really, the three tribes average out to be entirely equal to one another, and no one tribe is better than the others. But I digress, that's a topic for another day." The princess cleared her throat and took a drink from a conjured cup of water before going on, nodding in pleasure upon witnessing her still-enraptured audience.

"The next step up from mana is raw arcane energy, which is what magic comes from. Thaumaturgists have been able to track the ambient magic to its source, and found a 'layer' of reality that's 'under' the one we exist in." Darkest nodded at this. his smile growing. Yes, that does sound familiar. Fluttershy was significantly less comprehending, however, and the alicorn could only offer her an apologetic smile.

"Sorry, 'shy, that's really the best way to explain it. In any case, arcane energy comes from what the experts have decided to call the ley layer. Energy from the layer accretes together to form pools of raw arcane energy, which, over time, sort of 'leaks' into our layer of the universe, becoming magic in the process. The scientific community has found all kinds of microlayers between us and the ley layer, all of which act as filters for this transition."

"Old alicorns like Celestia and Luna have 'mana' pools that actually are made up of this arcane energy, which is what allows them to move the celestial bodies. Cadence and I, however, are younger, and only have reeeally large mana pools that will gradually develop into arcane energy as years pass." The princess seemed to grow energetic then, and began bouncing in her place as her voice picked up in intensity.

"I've conducted some experiments on the Elements of Harmony, and figured out that they actually draw power from the ley layer itself! I don't know how, but it's really exciting to see the theories being proven! The fact that the Elements' power is one 'tier' above arcane energy is why we were able to defeat Nightmare Moon and Discord with just one beam." Twilight pursed her lips, pausing as she contemplated something.

"Actually, Celestia told me when I ascended that, as an alicorn, I would gain a connection to my Aspect. Now, I'm not sure yet, but I think that since my special talent is magic, I'm actually going to develop a connection to the ley layer! Just think of how much information I'll be able to contribute to the scientific community!" The alicorn hopped in a circle for but a few seconds before seeming to catch herself once more and subsequently calming down, awkwardly clearing her throat and continuing with the lecture.

"Anyway, past the ley layer, there are only vague hypotheses as to where the power comes from, and little to no way to test them. Pretty much everypony just accepts the idea that magic originates in the ley layer, and only the brightest minds in the thaumaturgic community bother to theorize about further layers. Reality as we understand it just feels so incomplete, as though we're missing something big. But our technology and spellwork just simply doesn't have the capacity to follow magic further." The princess crept closer to Darkest as her voice lowered, causing him to preemptively flinch and rise before stepping backwards.

"Darkest, you need to explain something to me. I once read a recent article from one of the greatest thaumaturgists to ever live: Eldritch Blast. He said that there was a layer below all the others, and he called it 'Thaunon', the mother of all magic. Tell me, is that what you connect to?" Darkest began to hyperventilate, nervously glancing to either side in unease of the mare's proximity. I know not! What is it that she desires?! What is the correct thing to say?

Make her happy. Or else.

Okay, okay! I shall do so! The unicorn swallowed with anxiety, eyeing the purple hooves not a foot away from him as he tentatively responded.

"Y-yes! Yes, madame, that is indeed precisely what I connect to! P-Please d-don't-" Darkest coughed forcefully, denying Knight the chance to slip through and cause mayhem like he always did. Now is indeed not the time.

Fortunately, the purple alicorn seemed greatly pleased by this, and began excitedly hopping in circles, yipping with joy as her new wings flapped ineffectively. She stepped on the clipboard she had dropped sometime earlier, but did not seem to take notice. The colt edged backwards and away from the display, but stopped in his tracks when he felt the familiar comforting sensation of a butter yellow wing on his withers.

He glanced up at Fluttershy gratefully, and smiled back upon noticing her demure grin. The two sat in the grass atop the hill and simply watched as Princess Twilight Sparkle of Ponyville gradually came down from her ecstatic high, sheepishly rubbing at her neck when she finally did so.

"Oh! Uh, sorry about that, you guys. I really ought to conduct myself with more poise than that, huh?" She grinned back at their synchronized nods before placing her hoof back to the earth. "Anyway, with that out of the way, Darkest, would you like to explain how you use your shields now?" The pristinely white colt pressed nervously into Fluttershy's side, seeking reassurance that was swiftly given before he took a deep, controlled breath and responded.

"Well, princess, there lies not much more to be explained. I use my connection to this 'Thaunon', as Eldritch so meaningfully designates it." The word somehow felt right, and Darkest found he liked using it, planning to do so more often in the future. "In order to trace magic through the various layers and to the Thaunon one. Then, using careful precision and application of much practice, I guide the Thaunon back into reality proper by making it follow mine mana. Along the way, it is molded by the contours of said mana, so that when it does appear, it is in the desired shape and location." Darkest decided to demonstrate, and did so to the attention of a rapt audience. Even Fluttershy was engaged, despite having seen this before.

"I can move the barrier around reality by way of further manipulation to the mana trail. Doing so takes conscious effort, but just letting it exist there does not, and it can do so as long as I am not unconscious. The second I fall asleep, however," Darkest cut off the mana trail from his inner pool, consequentially feeling the Thaunon snap back to its place and seeing the summoned barrier swiftly fade away. "The mana trail is disconnected and the Thaunon is sent back to where it belongs, unable to remain unless the trail does so as well." The alicorn whistled at this, gazing at the colt with what he thought was--impossibly--an impressed expression.

"Wow, Darkest! That sounds like it takes a lot of concentration! You must practice a lot to be able to do all that! Why, I don't think even I'd be able to-" She cut herself off, blinking slowly as she worked her silent jaw before regaining the capacity for speech. "You have had a lot of practice, huh? Darkest, can you tell me how Broken Barrier is able to shatter your shields? Even the Elements of Harmony couldn't do that." Darkest reflexively pressed hard against Fluttershy's barrel at the question, and the pegasus seemed about to interject, but luckily he remembered himself, stepping away from her to heed the order. I cannot refuse the commands of anypony, much less so a princess.

"HE was never able to shatter the barriers. Doing so is entirely impossible; they are unbreakable. There is not a single force in reality that can surpass the might of Thaunon, for it is the very base layer and most powerful." The colt breathed heavily as memories surfaced in his mind, ignoring Fluttershy's concerned look in favor of keeping his attention on the princess before him. Has she gotten taller? "Nay, Broken instead targeted my inner mental space, and was able to attack it directly by tracing my spent mana all the way through its path."

Darkest's voice wavered as his lip trembled, and he had to still his quaking legs from buckling under him from the force of the remembered agony. The alicorn failed entirely to notice this, however, and instead grew excited once more, smiling widely as her eyes shone.

"That doesn't sound too hard! Just a little tracer spell, and mana is so distinct and easy to target! I bet I could do that, especially with my bigger mana pool! Do you think you could teach me?" Another command from the princess, equally undeniable as the others in both legitimacy and potential responses. The unicorn's only available option was to heed her order, never minding his own unimportant desires.

That did not make the present situation any more acceptable.

Darkest was sweating heavily at the moment, white eyes darting across his field of vision as their pupils shrunk and he began hyperventilating once more. What course of action should I take? Denying her request is nonnegotiably negligible as an option. I simply am not worthy to have the right to so much as consider something like that!

She wants to break your barriers.

I know that! Can you not cease stating the obvious?! Darkest locked gazes with the eager princess, his own plainly terrified white eyes reflected in her excited purple ones.

"Y-yes, madame."

Agony.

The unicorn summoned forth a simple light grey orb, constructed of Thaunon. He gestured to it vaguely, betraying his inner desires according to both meanings of the word with every movement made.

"First, r-reach out with your magical senses. You should be able to feel the sphere as though a solid surface in existence." The alicorn lit her horn and closed her eyes, both ponies pretending not to notice the warning glare directed at the purple mare's head and originating from the butter yellow pegasus standing a few feet away.

Darkest attempted desperately to control at least his voice, ignoring the screaming from within his mental space. "Though it may feel solid and smooth, there are in actuality exceedingly tiny im-imperfections throughout. If you focus on those, you shall notice that you are able to extend past them to begin tracing my mana through reality."

From the corner of his vision, Darkest was able to observe Fluttershy as she took several steps toward the alicorn, beginning to protest.

"Twilight-"

But she was cut off by an excited gasp from the mare, who began bouncing in her place as her face lit up in joy.

"Holy Celestia, I feel them! I couldn't do this before, but there's all sorts of blemishes throughout the surface! Oh, and I can feel them going deeper!" Darkest could, too. He could feel her magic going deeper, blazing with a burning light as it approached his mind.

Agony!

It was always agonizing to have his mental faculties invaded in such a way, and Darkest's anxiety grew exponentially as he felt the alicorn's mana find his own and begin tracing it.

"Twilight-"

But the pegasus was once more cut off, this time by a squeal of glee as the princess began hopping into the air, her eyes still shut tight in concentration.

"Oh, I can feel your mana! I'm following it now, and it just keeps going deeper into this hole...thingy!" Darkest let out a miniscule, pained gasp upon feeling her mana reach his mental space, crashing against the inner 'wall' of sorts that was within.

Stop! AGONY!

"N-n-now it is a contest o-of sorts. Y-you need to use your mana to h-h-ha-hammer away at the wall. Once you have breached through, M-my-mine barrier will b-break-" Darkest cringed away as a butter yellow hoof firmly tapped the purple alicorn's horn, causing her to yelp and fall to the grassy ground, clutching at it with both hooves. He was rendered unable to observe the purple mare further on account of being swept up in a pair of comforting forelegs. The colt instinctively buried his face in them, whimpering softly as he was taken several feet into the air.

The pair of ponies flew off. Darkest paid no mind to the sound of rushing wind against his flattened ears, preferring instead to focus on the delightful sensation of being held. The pegasus' grip was so gentle, her wing flaps deliberate, her body giving off a pleasant warmth.

Warm?

Darkest sighed heavily into the yellow coat as all previous tension left his body and the pair landed atop another grassy hill, some distance away. Fluttershy murmured some consoling words, but he paid them no mind, simply delighting in her distinct scent and lovely body heat.

Sheets. Take. Blankets. Take. WARM?

Darkest felt warm everywhere, smiling softly as he was caringly placed against the laying mare's side and stroked with her fluffy wing. That smile soon faded away completely, swept off by confusion and then great fear as he was compressed by the wing.

Held down, flattened, pinned by the feathery prison.

BIG PONY!

Knight let out a shrill shriek, scrambling madly out of the prison as it was lifted by accident. Knight tripped over his own hooves in his haste and went tumbling down the small hill, landing mostly unharmed at its base.

Pain!

Knight had landed roughly on his still-healing hind legs, which gave a great throb due to the pressure. Knight paid the pain no mind. It was unimportant. It wasn't caused by an assailant. Knight kept his wide eyes trained on the warm pegasus above who was plotting how best to pin him down. Knight's tail tucked firmly between his wounded hind legs, his ears pressed against his skull, and his breathing dramatically increased in desperation as he slowly edged back and away from-

Fluttershy.

Fluttershy was safe. She wasn't dangerous. She was just sitting there, stop the hill, watching him worriedly but not making any other movements.

She wouldn't. She's Fluttershy.

Knight's smile returned and he attempted to gallop back up the hill, slowing dramatically at the harsh reprimand from his injured hind legs.

"Darkest? Um, are you okay?" Fluttershy asked hesitantly as he crested the hill and sat by her side. A breeze picked up just then, blowing the ponies' fur about and wiping away the horrific warmth.

Good. Not warm.

Knight determinedly shuffled closer to the yellow mare beside him, his smile returning in full force as he felt no trace of the previous heat upon contact with her body. The pegasus was stiff as a board and her face was set in utter bewilderment, but Knight didn't care about that anymore. He merely enjoyed the pleasant scent of nature and peacefully gazed out at the distant town of Ponyville, content to sit and do so for the rest of that day.

---

"What do you mean, 'he got scared of me?!' Did the charm stop working!?"

Princess Twilight Sparkle of Ponyville, Element of Magic and Head of the Liberate Darkest Knight Organization, was freaking out.

"N-no? At least, I don't think so? He came back up and started cuddling right after! I just didn't know what to think! I still don't know what to think!"

Fluttershy, Element of Kindness and Darkest Knight's first Friend, was not doing much better.

There the two were, in the section of Twilight's new castle that was dedicated for L.D.K.O. business. It had been a day since Darkest's magic lesson, and Twilight had been signing several forms and documents sent to her from the mayor while wallowing in shame and guilt when Fluttershy came in, greatly flustered and seeking advice.

The alicorn buried her face in her hooves, thoughts heading every which way and generally in utter disarray. Does he have two thought processes or something? Other information seems to support that. But why would he run from Fluttershy, only to immediately come back? We still don't know what happened with Rarity, other than her saying it was an accident. Maybe Sweetie Belle was involved somehow? Flitter did say that she saw her enter and leave the Boutique with a bunch of fabric. Wait...where is he now?

"Fluttershy? Do you know where Darkest is at the moment?" The pegasus ceased her uneasy flapping long enough to look at Twilight and give a response.

"Rainbow Dash took him off my hooves while I came to see you. I think she said that they were going to go flying. He always enjoys that." Twilight nodded at this before returning her face to her hooves, deep in thought. I never should've gotten so excited. I stepped way out of line. Ask him to teach you the main method of abuse he received? Great idea there, Twilight. I don't know what's more worrying: The fact that I got so swept up in my excitement, or the fact that Darkest was actually ready to teach me.

The princess' mistake wrought much shame upon her conscience, but it also made her realize one crucial fact. An idea was introduced to her mind, highlighting a critical mistake that she'd made in the past.

"Fluttershy, I've come to a conclusion about the next step we should take!" The yellow pegasus perked up, fully attentive just as she had been yesterday. "We need help. We're ill-equipped as is to do something like this, and my psychology books just don't give enough instruction." Fluttershy nodded and smiled demurely at this, neither of them noticing the room growing dark around them. "Luckily, I think I know just the pony to reach out to." Twilight lit her horn, bringing forth a recent newspaper copy with her lavender magic. She proudly showed it to her friend, pointing to one article in particular that stood out from the rest.

"Unicorn couple comforts traumatized ponies in the Crystal Empire." Fluttershy read, her face lighting up in realization and joy as she nodded vigorously. Twilight brought the page back under her own scrutiny, observing the bottom where contact information was displayed for those who needed it.

"Sunburst and Starlight, last names are Glimmer. Let's hope they respond."

Comments

[Cold Philosophy]

Now that's a twist I didn't see coming. Can't wait for the next chapter! Keep it up!

[Anotherrandom]

The plot thickens.

Also, good explanation how was anybody able to break an unbreakable barrier, I was wondering how did Broken managed that.

[ramdom_player201]

It seems somewhat like Darkness and Knight are separate personalities (or thought processes as suggested in this chapter). The story occasionally refers to them as individual entities, but I cannot say that I can tell them apart as of yet.

[Real Solaris]

"Sunburst and Starlight, last names are Glimmer. Let's hope they respond."

YEEEEEEEAAAAAAAHHHHH

THEY GOT MARRIED LETS BUCKING GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

[Aiwhisper]

There the two were, in the section of Twilight's new castle

What the hey is going on with this timeline? First it’s the GGG then discord shows up and now she is an alicorn and gains her castle all of which takes at least a year but then they act like he has only lived in town for a few weeks… super weird. Not to mention where was he during all these events if not freaking out or worried about getting his magic drained? Terik would have definitely gone after a magical source that large.

[Discombobulated Soul]

11696100
...all of which was addressed last chapter? Did you somehow skip over the part where Darkest reflected on Tirek's rampage and how his magic was stolen? When Bon Bon came and found him, helping him through the ordeal?

You'll have to help me out here; I'm lost as to how you missed it.

And of course, please keep in mind that this is an alternate universe not constrained to canon events, as demonstrated by Starlight being a therapist. Things happen much more closely and faster here. Where we currently are as of this update (the new birthday chapter) it has been only a year since Darkest escaped the first time, and that's tens of thousands of words past this chapter, soo...

[Munro]

twilight is an idiot as soon it komes to SCIENCE and EXPERIMENTS

ha kultist glimmer never happend in this universe huh

[parlaptie]

Damn, Twilight gets carried away easily. Also, I guess this is the first time we really get into alternate universe territory, with Starlight and Sunburst being married.

"Nay, Broken instead targeted my inner mental space, [...]

The frequent incorrect usage of the adjective "mine" in this story has been kind of a major annoyance for me, and now this instance is doubly infuriating because you had the perfect opportunity to say "mine" correctly and you passed on it.

Please don't take my criticisms the wrong way, I still really like this story, I just wish you'd read up a bit on Early Modern English before writing a story where the protagonist speaking it is a major aspect of his characterization.