//------------------------------// // A Safe Home, Loving Family, And Stable Life For Darkest Knight? // Story: Libero // by Discombobulated Soul //------------------------------// "Is that everypony?" Fluttershy discreetly gazed around at Twilight's question, internally checking off the list of attendees. There's our friends, Bon Bon, Mayor Mare, Nurse Redheart, and... That was all the ponies currently gathered in the meeting room of town hall. The mayor looked up from the clipboard held in her hooves and spoke next. "Well, those who directly said they'd come are here. We'd probably have a lot more ponies if it wasn't such short notice, and so soon after Discord." The earth pony's gaze flickered back down to the board and her lips pursed. "It would seem everypony's here except for the representative from Foal Protection Services." An inquisitive noise from Twilight drew Fluttershy's attention and she observed her friend quirk an eyebrow. "Foal Protective Services? Is that some sort of government agency that's supposed to help us with this sort of thing?" The unicorn squinted, seeming to wrack her immense stores of knowledge for information. "Why haven't I heard of them before?" The mayor sighed, placing her clipboard on the table they were gathered around to rub at her temple with a hoof. "I only know about them because I requested Canterlot for help with this case, and they said they'd send somepony from 'F.P.S.' I looked into it, and it seems that they're an agency that's undergone some serious shrinking over the last few centuries." The earth pony began fiddling with a contraption that Fluttershy recognized as a fidget toy for especially anxious ponies, seeing as the pegasus herself owned several. "They haven't had a case like this in so long that they've suffered some serious budget cuts. It seems Equestria's government is ill-equipped to handle something like this, so we're pretty much on our own." Bon Bon spoke up next, seeming irritated by this newfound information and sounding rather impatient. "Okay, great, can we move on with this now? We're here to discuss how to help Darkest, right? Can we move on to that?" Twilight jumped, looking chastised and ever-so-slightly ashamed that her scholarly curiosity had gotten in the way of the meeting. "Oh, yes, of course! Well, our first order of business is going over what we already know about Darkest Knight. I have some things written down, and I'd like to refresh everypony on all the facts." The purple unicorn glanced at all in attendance and nodded when she saw perked ears and attentive eyes focused on her. "Right. So, first thing is that he, um, that he..." She paused, blinking rapidly and working her jaw. "Well, the first thing is that, so far as we've seen, Darkest grew up in a home in Canterlot that-" Twilight choked abruptly, seeming surprised at her own unintentional interruption. She glanced up at the ceiling and cleared her throat several times. Fluttershy was mildly shocked to see the shimmering of unshed tears in her friend's eyes. I thought she'd be desensitized by now. "Sugarcube." Applejack stated, looking steadily at the purple mare. "We all know how bad this whole thing is, so y'all can just tell it to us straight, y'hear?" Twilight nodded, exhaling shakily and gripping her notepad in her hooves. "Okay, Applejack." The unicorn lightly coughed once more and returned her eyes to the paper she held in a stranglehold. "So, the first thing that we know is that Darkest was raised by one 'Broken Barrier'. Princess Celestia herself interviewed the pony, and relayed to me what useful information she was able to get." Twilight paused briefly and lit her horn to turn the page, clearing her throat once more before she continued. "Reportedly, Darkest was found by accident at two years old, and Broken proceeded to foalnap and 'train' him to summon neigh indestructible barriers. This 'training' involved using strategic traumatization and regular beatings to force Darkest to make shields." A small gasp emitted from Rarity's direction, but Fluttershy paid no attention to anything save the words coming from her scholarly friend's muzzle. I must learn all I can, so that I can help him better. "The investigation on Broken's manor also revealed scores of psychology-related books and studies, meaning that he was well-read on the subject and likely used the information to increase the effectiveness of his methods." Twilight rapidly shook her head and forced back her oncoming tears before turning another page and continuing. "As for Darkest, we know that he's afraid of all other ponies with the exception of Fluttershy and Bon Bon." Something seemed to occur to the unicorn just then and she glanced between those two ponies, raising an eyebrow. "I think we'd all like to hear more about that, actually. What was the process like? Is there any chance we can recreate it for more ponies?" Fluttershy blinked and nervously examined her hooves as everypony's eyes turned to her. "Um, well, really it was your spe- I mean, your charm that did most of the work, Twilight." The yellow pegasus meekly accepted the offered extra anxiety toy from Mayor Mare, beginning to fiddle with the finely sanded wooden buttons as she continued. "All I had to do was lay on the floor for a while, and he eventually came up and just cuddled with me." Fluttershy glanced around the table to see confused expressions and a rapidly scribbling Twilight with her eyes squinted in concentration. "My experience was similar," stated Bon Bon, lips pursed in thought. "It took a while, definitely more than half an hour I'd say, but he just called my name and cuddled up to my leg." The earth pony regarded Twilight with her face set in consternation before addressing her. "Whatever magic spell you used on that colt, it seems to work very well." The purple unicorn started to protest, likely regarding the manner of magic she'd used, but Bon Bon simply kept talking over her. "However, I don't think it'd be wise to try and recreate the situation to make him trust other ponies." When met with raised eyebrows and confused expressions, Bon Bon sighed heavily and elaborated. "We know so little about the process, and about Darkest in general. It's a tenuous situation as is, and I really don't think we should be messing around and doing random things based on what little information we have. You're a scientist, Twilight. Would you ever go experimenting haphazardly with some substance that you know next to nothing about?" Twilight shook her head at this before lowering it to look back at her notes and sighing defeatedly. "No, you're right, Bon Bon. I just thought that maybe, if we got more trusted ponies..." She sighed once more and flicked an ear in unease. "Anyway, let's continue. As for Darkest's current situation, we've learned that he's renting a house on Melody Street, which is in the northeast of town. He began working for Davenport not a day after he arrived, and regularly cleans Quills and Sofas to pay for things." Twilight then glanced over to her left, locking eyes with Nurse Redheart. "That's all I have for now. Would you go over his medical data now?" The white earth pony frowned and her ears fell as she regarded her own clipboard. "Well, yes, I suppose that is why I'm here." Her eyebrows knit together and she glanced about the room, lightly tapping at the paper with a hoof. "You should know that this type of information is usually reserved for doctors, patients, and only sometimes parents. We normally have a very strict doctor-patient confidentiality rule. I'm only here because this is a special case." The white mare observed the affirmative nods and brought her eyes down to the paper before pausing and lifting her gaze once more. "I feel I must warn you all, this is not for the faint of heart. If anypony feels like they cannot handle it," She squinted at Rarity, practically glaring at her for all the intensity in her expression, "you're free to leave temporarily and return later." Rarity gulped and nodded once, seeming to steel herself. Fluttershy spared a look at the other ponies sitting around the table while Redheart glanced back down at her notes. Rainbow Dash looks determined, that's a good sign. Pinkie Pie seems rather grim, but I think she's holding up okay. Applejack took off her hat, that means she's taking this seriously. Mayor Mare's back to fiddling with her anxiety toy, but it looks like she's still paying attention. Fluttershy nodded to herself and turned her full attention back to the resident nurse, just in time for her to start speaking. "Darkest Knight is covered in scar tissue and markings suggesting sharp blades, dull blades, stab wounds, blunt force trauma, magical attacks of varying intensity and variety, as well as damage from hooves. Magical scans revealed scores of healed bone fractures, concentrated mainly in his legs and ribcage. We counted one-hundred and thirty-seven total simple fractures, as well as three compound fractures, all on three different cannon bones respectively." Redheart shook her head and frowned in annoyance at another gasp from Rarity, but continued nonetheless. "The patient also showed signs of prolonged malnutrition, though thankfully not too severe. Blood tests showed a distinct lack of sugar and other such necessary nutrients in his system. It was concluded that his diet has consisted largely of vegetables and the odd fruit for at least the last month." The nurse breathed in deeply through her nose and flipped through a few pages with her hooves before continuing. "As for the magical side of things, we identified several concerning irregularities. Darkest's mana pool has been fine-tuned to an alarming degree, meaning that he will find it very hard to use any magic other than what it's been trained for, which is likely summoning barriers. It's also severely enlarged, filling nearly his whole body instead of the expected abdominal region standard for one of his age. This, combined with his underdeveloped physique, suggests unnaturally prolonged time spent in the magical development stage of his foalhood. Finally, the full-body physical revealed-" Redheart choked abruptly, interrupting herself much like Twilight had earlier. Fluttershy creased her brows in concern and faint dread as the earth pony rapidly blinked, dropping her clipboard to the ground to rub at her eyes. "T-the physical revealed that h-his-" Redheart choked once more and gasped for air, laying her head down on the table and covering the top of it with her wet hooves, matting down her pale pink hair. Fluttershy was mildly surprised to see tears falling from her eyes and a distraught expression adorning her face. She's usually such a professional pony. I've never seen her so emotional. Fluttershy abruptly stood and walked around that table to approach the distressed nurse, laying a comforting hoof on her lightly shaking shoulder. I have to know. Nothing good or even merely bad could cause this sort of reaction from her, but I must know, so I can help. The pegasus scooted closer to the lightly weeping pony, spreading a consoling wing to cover her shuddering back. Redheart nodded once in thanks and quickly composed herself, her professional, indifferent demeanor entirely gone. "It was horrible. And not in the way that the flower mares say it, either. I cou-" The nurse took a shuddering breath, observing the wide eyes and concerned frowns from around the table. Fluttershy could hear a faint creaking of wood as the mayor's fiddling increased in intensity. "I couldn't finish the examination, it was so bad. S-somepony h-had completely destro-" The white pony swallowed, closed her eyes and whimpering softly. "Mutilated him. His colt parts were completely unrecognizable. I c-can't be sure, but it looked like he's a g-g-gelding." A collective gasp of horror went about the room and Fluttershy nearly dropped to the floor in shock. A fainted Rarity did so immediately after as Redheart burst into uncontrollable bawling, turning to bury her face in Fluttershy's wing as she wept. Silence swept across the room and the only sounds were that of a dropped wooden toy's clattering and the nurse's sobbing. Even Fluttershy's mind was devoid of any noise whatsoever. The quiet reigned supreme across the space for quite some time, as nopony knew how to break it. Fluttershy herself was completely shell-shocked and barely able to regain the capacity for comprehensible thinking. A gelding? Was the only thought able to breach the numbness that the shock had wrought upon her. "Well?" The abrupt near-shout startled everypony out of their reticence, and they turned as one to face a glaring Rainbow Dash. Even Redheart ceased her crying and brought her swollen eyes to gaze at her. "Well, what are we gonna do then, huh?" Fluttershy was almost as surprised to see her long-time friend nearing tears as she was at the previous revelation. "T-that's why we're here! To help him!" The cyan pegasus slammed a hoof down onto the table, nearly splintering it and startling everypony else once more. "This kid has been through T-Tartarus and back! We're gonna help him!" Rainbow was near screaming for all the intensity of her statement, and she angrily wiped at her eyes as silence reigned once more. "Right!" Said Twilight finally, and everypony looked at her as she awkwardly attempted to further the meeting. "So, with that out of the way, let's move onto what we should do about the situation." Fluttershy wanted to protest, to argue that such a revelation should not simply be skimmed over. But she also didn't know how else to go about it, and figured that forcing everypony to continue to dwell on it would not do any good. "Our first order of business is deciding which home to put Darkest into. Who's going to essentially be his parents for the foreseeable future." Twilight glanced around the room, absently tapping at her muzzle with a hoof. "Everypony in Ponyville was a viable option, but that was assuming we were going to replicate the conditions for the charm to work and get him to trust his chosen guardians. Since we decided not to do that, our options are narrowed down to the ponies he already trusts." The mare glanced between Bon Bon and Fluttershy, pursing her lips in thought. "So, let's discuss who the best option is. This is a decision that we really can't afford to mess up, so we must be careful." Fluttershy and Bon Bon made eye contact and locked their gazes on each other, each mentally debating the logistics of the situation. It's a lot of responsibility, I know I'm up for it, but I don't know if anypony could go for so long without making a mistake. Something occurred to Fluttershy then, and she tilted her head, deep in thought as Redheart finally separated from her and resumed sitting properly. Is this a good idea? He's doing okay on his own, and he really didn't seem too thrilled by the idea of a parent when I asked him about it. That had been an interesting conversation, to be sure. "Fluttershy? What is the meaning of the word 'parent'?" The mare jumped slightly, mildly startled by the sudden question. She removed her gaze from the repairs going on in the distant town to bring it onto the pristine white colt currently laying against her side, using her wing as a blanket. It had been a day since Discord was defeated, and earlier that morning Fluttershy had been presented with a freshly cleaned and brushed Darkest Knight. I'm glad Bon Bon was able to get through to him, and even gladder that she took care of his personal hygiene. "Why do you ask?" Fluttershy inquired peaceably, content to just lay on the grassy hill and watch Ponyville from a few miles away after all the recent stress. Throughout the fight against Discord, Darkest had been foremost in her mind, and the pegasus' distress only grew when she was unable to see him for the rest of that day. She had been needed to help round up and comfort the traumatized animals. The assurances from Rainbow Dash had helped, but it wasn't until she'd witnessed the clean colt contently cuddling Bon Bon's neck that she'd believed he was okay. "Well, it is indeed a word I had never before heard until I arrived in Ponyville, and the ponies here utilize it so casually. Is it some manner of farmer-created acronym? Mayhap it stands for 'Put All Rest Eventually Never Tomorrow'? That most certainly is the type of nonsense that would greatly behoove this exceedingly strange town." Fluttershy giggled softly at his attempt at humor, and smiled back upon witnessing the impish grin adorning his muzzle, playfully booping his nose with a primary feather. Darkest scrunched his snout, crossing his eyes to study his nose before he sneezed lightly, causing Fluttershy to giggle once more before she responded. "Not quite, Darkest. A parent is an adult pony who takes care of their foals. They raise their children, and it is their responsibility to take care of them until they grow up." The white colt blinked hard and frowned lightly, locking eyes with her as a crease appeared in his eyebrows. "So, as clarification, a 'parent' is somepony forced to care for somepony else's needs? Have they no choice in the matter?" Fluttershy blinked owlishly at his reaction and gently rubbed his back with a wing in a comforting gesture before answering. "Actually, Darkest, the parents choose to have a child. They want to take care of one." The colt abruptly rose to his hooves at this, leaving her side to pace a circle around her with his head lowered in deep thought. Something occurred to the mare then, and she made another inquiry. "Darkest, how do you feel about having a parent? Somepony to take care of you, that you can come to with all your problems? Somepony you trust?" The white unicorn glanced up to make eye contact with her, and she observed with growing apprehension something gradually developing in those white orbs. Suddenly, Darkest skittered backward and away from her, shaking his head violently. "No! No, no!" Fluttershy rose to her hooves and watched as he tripped over his own hooves, tumbling a small distance down the soft grass, her face set in great concern. What's gotten into him? Was it something I said? What did I do? These and more panicked thoughts ran through her mind as she tentatively strode over to the rising colt. Said pony shook his head and gazed up at her, his ears flicking this way and that in what seemed to be great unease. "Ah, my apologies, Fluttershy, for you caught me quite off guard." He paused as the mare slowly sat down, still facing him, an unsure smile overcoming her features. It looks like whatever that was has passed. I was worried that Twilight's charm had worn off, but it looks like he's okay. "You must understand that the very idea of somepony forced to look after me-" He gagged, shaking his head at the pegasus' raised hoof. "I find it superlatively repulsive to an alarming degree. I realize and understand that it is indeed the norm for you ponies, but you're different." Darkest shook his head again, more vigorously this time, and took a step away from her. "I very simply could not possibly grow comfortable with such a notion. The very idea is utterly reprehensible to me!" Fluttershy recognized the classic body language of distress written all over his physique. "Okay, Darkest, I understand." She said slowly, gesturing invitingly back at the top of the grassy hill. "Would you like to come back up and relax some more? We don't even have to talk if you don't want to." The white colt breathed shakily through his nose a few times before finally nodding his head in affirmation, his body heavily relaxing as he trotted towards her. "Yes, I do believe I would indeed find that quite relishable." "I don't think that we should." Everypony stared at Fluttershy in shock, and she herself was almost surprised that she'd said anything, but the pegasus nevertheless continued. "Get him parents, I mean. I don't think it's a good idea." Observing owlish blinks and Twilight's hoof rolling in a 'go on' gesture, she elaborated. "It'd be a lot of pressure. His parents would have to never make any mistakes, ever, or else he'd just be afraid of them." Fluttershy returned to her original spot, gaining confidence in her proposition as she went on. "Also, a traditional parent is not strictly necessary. Darkest is capable of taking care of himself, far more than any other foal his age would normally be." Applejack interjected, raising an apprehensive eyebrow and pointing an accusatory hoof. "There's something y'all ain't telling us, sugarcube. Go on, out with it, we don't have all day!" Fluttershy sighed defeatedly, caught red-hooved. "Alright, A.J. I had a conversation with Darkest two days ago, about parents. He...wasn't exactly thrilled with the idea." Seeing the perked ears and attentive faces, the pegasus sighed once more, gazed at the ceiling, and continued. "He was really distressed, actually, and I think he almost had some sort of panic attack. If we're trying to make him comfortable, then I really don't think setting him up with parents is a good idea." Fluttershy lowered her eyes and stared back at the gazes directed at her, steadily maintaining eye contact. "Darkest has already been forced through so much else. Do you really think it's a good idea to force more things onto him, without his consent?" Twilight began tapping at her chin once more, and nodded her head in agreement. "You know, that's actually a good point, Fluttershy. I mean, let's consider how he'd feel if we did something he really didn't want." Shadows began to intensify throughout the room as clouds started to cover the sun. The space grew steadily darker as more and more ponies nodded their heads. "Wait, no, that's not what we should be doing!" The room lightened and the shadows faded at this rejection by Bon Bon, who stomped a hoof in impatience. "Darkest needs a safe place to come home to! He needs a loving family to support him in times of strife! He needs to not have to take care of himself anymore, to be able to relax because he's assured he'll be taken care of!" Rainbow huffed at that, angrily pointing a hoof at the cream-colored mare. "And who are you to decide what Darkest needs?! You just want to control his life, just like it always has been! Can't he choose for himself?" The meeting room darkened again as Twilight raised a hoof in support, adding her own two bits to the debate. "Besides, we can still have a safe haven for Darkest! We'll just make all of Ponyville comfortable for him, and the whole town can be his home!" Rainbow Dash nodded appreciatively at this, and the shadows intensified as Bon Bon's posture slumped and a small frown covered her muzzle. Mayor Mare spoke next, gesturing at Twilight with her anxiety toy as she addressed her. "So, what should we do to make that happen? I assume you have some plans, right?" The traces of light in the room faded further as the unicorn began writing in her notebook, though the changing luminosity levels remained below notice. "Right! So, first off, we need to send out a notice to all the townsponies. Everypony except for Fluttershy and Bon Bon should do their best to stay out of his way and not interact with him at all. We need him to be reasonably comfortable in Ponyville, and the best way to do that is to eliminate as much social interaction as possible, at least until he's at ease here." Glancing about and witnessing affirmative nods, Twilight continued, still scribbling in her notebook and still not noticing the gradual recession of light from the vicinity. "Flutters and Bon Bon should continue asking him questions and finding out all they can about his life. We need all the information we can get, and everything Darkest tells us is worth something, no matter how small. Finally, those two can begin formally introducing various townsponies to Darkest, so he becomes familiar with their names and other surface-level stuff. I think it will greatly help to reduce the fear of the unknown if he's able to label us with something other than 'stranger'." Everypony nodded in consent with these actions, and Twilight seemed greatly satisfied. "All of this is designed to make him feel comfortable in Ponyville. That's the first step, and what we should be focusing on right now." Bon Bon spoke next, and the shadows' depth climaxed as she reluctantly agreed with the verdict. "I'm worried about Davenport. We all know how grumpy he can get, and he's not exactly the most cooperative pony. I'm afraid that working at Quills and Sofas is going to add a lot of stress to Darkest's situation. We've seen how he reacts to anger." Fluttershy pursed her lips and picked up the anxiety toy from where she'd dropped it on the floor earlier, worriedly fiddling with the buttons. She's right, Davenport isn't exactly the friendliest pony. What if he yells at Darkest? That could be really bad, but how do we fix it? "Oh, well, I do believe I might be of some assistance in this case, darlings!" Fluttershy blinked rapidly, mildly surprised to see Rarity recovered and holding up a hoof in her usual dramatic fashion. When did she wake back up? "I'm sure I can find some work to be done around my boutique, and I would be all too happy to hire the poor dear for much more than he's being paid now!" Twilight beamed with joy at this, but Rainbow still had some concerns. "But, Rarity, are you sure you can afford to hire another employee? I thought you said earlier that business wa-" "Oh, pshaw! I'll figure something out. Who am I if not generous?" Rarity waved a hoof in dismissal before firmly stamping it on the ground. Well, that settles that issue. Thought Fluttershy, smiling lightly at her friend's offer. The dreary, grim, subdued aura that had enveloped the ponies since they gathered lifted as everypony beamed. They were happy to have come to agreements and assured in the knowledge that they were working to fix the situation. Fluttershy's grin grew as the room erupted with cheers and excited jabbering. Everypony looks so happy, and for good reason. We finally have a concrete plan to help Darkest! Every last pony in that room was blissfully unaware of the distinct heavy shadows that had nearly completely enveloped it, just as they didn't realize the horrifically incorrect decision they'd made.