//------------------------------// // Conventus // Story: Libero // by Discombobulated Soul //------------------------------// In a mostly peaceful principality, within a fairly eventful town, inside an extravagant, opulent eyesore of a castle, in a semi-private bedchamber, a middle-aged unicorn mare began her morning routine. She woke from her peaceful slumber with a content yawn, lying there in her wonderfully plush bed for but a few lazy minutes. All things came to an end, though, and she accordingly rose before gracefully hopping to the floor with ease. Having risen earlier than the sun, the mare found it necessary to flick on the lights before she headed into the attached bathroom. After sleepily brushing her tangled mane from her face, Starlight splashed it with cold, clean water from the needlessly-fancy faucet. Shortly after this, she set to work straightening the hairs with her favored brush, still drowsily staring herself in the mirror yet nevertheless mostly awake and aware by this point. Once the unicorn's mane had regained its signature curls, she swapped tools to start working on her teeth, still unused to the violently-sweet flavor of the borrowed toothpaste. Starlight considered taking another shower, but one look at the hopelessly-complicated knobs and heads inside hers made her decide to postpone that particular venture just a bit longer. Last night's struggle was enough for me, to be honest. Seriously, it's like some kind of carriage wash in there! The lilac mare let out a good-natured chuckle at her plight before turning to regard herself in the full-length mirror off to the side. Only upon seeing nothing wrong with her appearance and feeling especially fresh from her exploits did she step out of the bathroom with a content sigh. A cheery series of notes emitting from a pair of saddlebags on the far wall made her jump in surprise and let out a nervous giggle. Oh, right! The call's today! A sidelong glance at the calendar confirmed that statement, but it also gave the mare a furrowed brow and pursed lips. So is the meeting, then. I'll deal with that later. Starlight lit her horn, simultaneously levitating the spherical potion bottle from the bag and stashed cauldron from the corner to the middle of the room. After a brief check to ensure the various liquids were in their proper ratios, she poured the potion into the cauldron, silencing the music in the process. A blast of blue-tinged fog erupted from the cauldron, spreading directly upwards only to abruptly stagnate, forming a shape vaguely resembling that of a mirror. The mare patiently sat before it as the fog gradually became opaque and the figure of a stallion she was all too familiar with projected onto its surface. "Hello, dearest! And how are you this fine morning?" Starlight beamed up at the adorably scraggly face of her husband, which blinked groggily before giving a genuine, if tired, smile. Sunburst had clearly seen better days, and indeed seemed for all the world like a hillbilly hobo on his last legs of life. Does he never trim that beard unless I'm around? That was all surface level, though, and Starlight had no issues reading deeper into her lover's visage. The orange unicorn was tired, yes, but he was also quite plainly filled with a feeling of fulfillment and joy, to a degree that served to widen the already-large smile on the mare's face. He loved helping out however he could in the Empire, and considering his wide range of skills, that was quite a lot. Starlight had confidently left the place in her husband's capable hooves and, while the strain of such a course of action was evident, both of them knew he was up to the task. "Drained, exhausted, prostrated, the like. Little Topaz kept me up most of the night asking all about the Arcane Sigils." The lilac mare tittered softly at this, to which Sunburst's tired smile shifted to a wry grin. She leveled a chiding hoof in his direction, squinting at him in faked admonishment as she made her reply. "Now, now, Sunny, you can't go and blame it all on the filly, can you? Somehow, I get the feeling you had just as much fun explaining the Sigils to her as she did listening to you, hmm? Am I right or am I right?" The stallion let out a defeated chuckle, halfheartedly lifting a fetlock to his forehead as he groaned in mock horror. "Oh, caught in the act! Whatever shall I do now?" The couple shared a few moments of laughter before, as one, they quieted and suddenly grew more serious. "So, how are things? Are you still holding down the fort?" Sunburst let out a pleased hum as he bobbed his head, tiredly swiping the overgrown mane out of his face after the fact. "Yes, yes, everything's fine now. I'm thinking it won't be long until I've finished up here and I can come join you in Ponyville." Starlight gaped at this, one of her eyebrows rising in undeniable skepticism as she processed the words. Almost done? But what about-- "I know what you're thinking, and yes. Shining Facet is pretty much entirely recovered by this point. We even took a walk by the drawbridge and she didn't react to the chains' clinking. She and Tourmaline are ready to move on with their lives." Sunburst let out a satisfied--if weary and slightly stressed--sigh, mildly distorted by the spell yet just as readable all the same. "Really, the only thing left is to find Topaz a home, and there are plenty of willing candidates for adoption, as you know. She and I are going to head out tomorrow and 'shop around', as it were." The information brought Starlight great surprise, but what shock she felt was almost immediately replaced with a sense of elation and pride for her husband's accomplishments. Facet was a rough case! It's amazing how much progress they must have made! The stallion's following question, though, wiped the pleased grin right off her muzzle. "And how's the situation with Darkest Knight?" The mare's head dropped and she eyed the floor, absently scuffing her hoof against it as she thought deeply. "I'm not...entirely sure. Bon Bon has been sending me daily updates and from what she says, he seems to be right on track to recovery. I don't think I need to tell you how unreliable and inaccurate adoptive parents' reports can be, though." Sunburst nodded sagely and canted his head to the side before he responded. "So...do you think Bon Bon might be lying somehow?" To which the lilac unicorn viciously shook her head, refusing to so much as consider the possibility as she ran through the mare in question's mental file. Definitely not malicious in any way, and her updates have had plenty of details thus far that I'm sure she'd have preferred not to share. "No," Starlight stated strongly, "I don't believe for a second that she'd do something like that. Still, her reports have the potential to be inaccurate or misleading, despite her intentions. I guess..." The mare trailed off, blinking unsurely as she attempted to gather her thoughts. "I guess it's just really hard to be so distant. I'm essentially forced to trust them to do the right thing. I maintain my decision, mind you, but it's hard nonetheless." Her husband nodded once more at this and looked about to respond, but instead perked up attentively when she continued. "That's going to change today, though. My first scheduled meeting with the family is in a few hours and Bon Bon even said Knight was ready for it, too. Well, as ready as can be expected of him." The couple sat in thoughtful silence for a few minutes, both mulling over the situation before coming to the exact same conclusion. "Well, good luck, honey. You know what you're doing. I'll finish up here and come over soon, probably sometime next week. Sound good?" Starlight agreed and, after a few last parting goodbyes, the call was over. The therapist donned her saddlebags and determinedly stepped outside, glad for the encouragement and support--however distant--from her lover. Faust knows I need it; today's gonna be rough. "Can I go with you?" Starlight cocked an eyebrow, slowly lowering the fork back to her plate as she contemplated the baby dragon before her. Spike, to his credit, managed to maintain some dignity while making his request, but the therapist could still easily see the desperate need to contribute something he felt. Just like the rest of Ponyville, then. Eager to help like they had been doing a mere week or so ago, yet utterly ignorant of how terrible the situation is. "I'm sorry, Spike." Stated Starlight, meaning every word, "if there was something you could do to help, I'd ask in a heartbeat." The mare stared directly at the drake sitting across from her at the breakfast table, ensuring she was understood and that her genuineness shone through. "But the truth is that, aside from Lyra and Bon Bon, any creature interacting with Knight right now is only going to make things worse." Spike slumped in his seat and twiddled his thumbs in a gesture of unease and discontent, but soon popped up as something occurred to him: "What about you? You're going over to see him today, aren't you? So, why can't I come with?" The unicorn's lips formed a sad smile upon seeing the dragon's hopeful expression. "I'll be your assistant for the meeting! I'll take notes and everything!" The scaly biped drooped once more after seeing Starlight's gentle headshake of refusal, which served only to make her more remorseful about the situation. "I'm only going over to assess their progress and check on how well Knight is adjusting. In all likelihood, my presence won't exactly be taken very well, and in fact will be quite disruptive." Starlight saw the question form in Spike's head the moment it did so and decided to answer it preemptively: "Yes, I still need to go through with this meeting. There's no other reliable way for me to assess the present situation and decide what to do next. Ultimately, what bad may arise from this event will be overshadowed by the progress it will cause." She'd learned that Spike didn't appreciate her talking in tones and word choices that were simpler and easier to understand like she would for other creatures his age. Spike, much like Darkest, preferred to be treated like a mature adult, at least in that respect. Thus, the mare accordingly adjusted her speech to be that much more complex, and the effects of that course of action were immediate: The young drake sat up, nodded in understanding, and returned to his meal. He seemed to be doing his best to suppress the utter disappointment and dejection her words brought him, which Starlight appreciated quite a lot. Breakfast continued in silence until both castle residents were finished. Starlight stood, levitated the dishes, syrup, and whipped cream to their respective destinations, thanked Spike for the meal, and promptly proceeded with her plan for the day. All with a determined squint adorning her features. "Twilight?" The princess squeaked and jumped in abject surprise before abashedly turning to face her, shuffling her hooves in a display of anxiety and perhaps some amount of shame. "...What are you doing in my room?" Starlight stood just outside her newly-opened door, regarding the guilty alicorn with no small degree of confusion. Her brow continued to rise as the other mare chuckled nervously and shifted in place, almost as if she was trying to conceal something from view. "Hey, Starlight! I was just checking out that alchemical residue in your cauldron!" Twilight leaned over and peered into said object, likely in a none-too-convincing effort to strengthen her claim. "I don't recognize the formula from any of my studies. Is it perhaps a new discovery, or are you simply experimenting?" The therapist recognized the deflection from several miles away, but decided to humor the princess' curiosity, if only for a moment. "It's actually something I learned from my time in the Regency Of Storms. They are, as I imagine you already know, one of the leading nations in alchemy." Starlight took a few steps into the bedchamber, resisting the urge to roll her eyes as the princess tried but failed to discreetly shuffle in place in efforts to counter her new viewing angle. "Well, they devised a way to communicate with someone else face-to-face from long distances. I used it to check in with my husband an hour ago, if you were wondering." Having strode fully into the room, the unicorn had a front-row seat to Twilight's obvious antics, not least among which being her purple eyes darting around in search of inspiration for her next deflection. "Oh, that's fascinating! Did you know that the Regency might actually become a kingdom again? There's rumors that the Storm King has returned and he might even--" But Starlight interrupted her with naught but a raised eyebrow and a pointed glance to whatever she was concealing so badly. "Enough with the distractions, Twilight. What are you doing in here?" The purple mare deflated, instantly defeated, and stepped off to the side. Starlight's eyes widened when they took in a collection of papers she recognized as Bon Bon's reports lying on the floor. This, combined with the princess' shameful rubbing of her foreleg as she looked away, told the therapist all she needed to know. "I'm sorry..." Twilight seemed about to say more, but apparently decided to leave it at that and simply trailed off. Starlight took in the sight for a few seconds more before sighing heavily and levitating the reports back to their file cabinet. "What do you think I'm going to do? Ground you?" The alicorn paused and slowly glanced up at her wry smirk, seeming immensely surprised by the question. "Seriously, Twilight. You're a princess, I have no right or authority to forbid you from doing anything, let alone punish you." The therapist could see the cogs turning in Twilight's head as she processed the information, sighing heavily once more as a result. "Still, I would have preferred if you'd let them stay confidential, if only because--" "So can I go too?" Twilight interrupted, staring up at her with shining eyes, a hopeful smile, and spread wings. The princess must have been working on her begging face, because what sat before the lilac unicorn currently was the perfect picture of pitiful pleading. "No," Starlight refuted easily enough, thinking through the many disastrous outcomes of her tagging along. "And that just proves my point." The alicorn seemed confused by her statement, so the therapist patiently clarified. "I'd have preferred if you didn't read the reports, because you might start getting ideas about trying to help more than you already have." The unicorn gave a wry smirk as Twilight's mouth formed an 'O'. "It would appear that such concerns on my part have been validated." The purple mare slumped again, absently drawing a circle with her hoof as she sighed heavily, nodding her understanding. "Yeah, okay. I get it. I guess I shouldn't go sticking my muzzle where it isn't wanted, huh?" Starlight frowned at this and took a few steps closer to rest a comforting hoof on her drooping shoulder. "Don't be so hard on yourself, princess. You've helped him much more than a lot of ponies. He'd still be in the hospital right now if it wasn't for you." Twilight nodded once more and heaved out yet another sigh, sounding like she was fighting back tears. Both mares' gazes grew distant as glimpses of chaotic mayhem flashed before their eyes. Ponyville General as a whole had gone into an utter frenzy the second the comatose colt had been shown through its doors, with nurses and doctors alike becoming ill in the face and many requiring their own beds after seeing the state of him. Starlight supposed she couldn't blame them; Knight's condition had easily been among the worst she'd ever seen and, as a traveling professional therapist that'd gone personally to some of the worst places Equus had to offer, that was nothing to scoff at. Still, he was better now--doing incredibly well, if Bon Bon was to be believed--and much of that was thanks to the unbelievably-advanced spells of the distressed alicorn sitting right before her. Sniffling softly, Twilight lifted her head to gaze into the unicorn's eyes, both of which were creased in sympathy and understanding. "I just..." The princess bit her lower lip as it wobbled dangerously. "He's my cousin, for Faust's sake. Would it really hurt for me to be more involved?" She knew the answer to that question and both mares were aware of that. Wordlessly, Starlight pulled the hurting alicorn into a gentle hug, tightening her grip as Twilight tried and failed to compose herself. Looks like love for physical affection runs in the family. The friends sat there for an indeterminate amount of time, one very much in the process of breaking down and the other rubbing her back with a caring hoof. It would likely be a mere minute or so before the princess collected herself and the extended moment was over, but until then they would simply sit and revel in it. I'm sure it doesn't help that I asked for the organization to be disbanded, but it had to be done; in the end, it was doing more harm than good and giving false notions to the community as a whole. I just hope I'll be ready for the meeting. Knight's easily the most damaged case I've ever had. A sliver of uncertainty swept through the unicorn, but she speedily brushed it aside by way of reassuring and confident thoughts. I'll be ready. I can do this. Her determined squint made a return as she imperceptibly tightened her hold around Twilight's shaking shoulders. I won't let him down. Ponyville was a bustling city filled with life, vigor, and the rustic flair that Starlight had found was characteristic of small towns. One could easily be caught up in the joyful activity, joining in with naught but a smile and happy dance. Starlight didn't smile; she picked up on the other emotion which underscored the levity, providing a sense of sorrow and frustration that prevailed throughout the town as a whole. While the therapist had done her best to be discreet about matters concerning her patient, word had nonetheless spread as it was wont to do. The unicorn's trained senses detected all too easily the hasty glances conducted by the civilians and aimed solely at her destination. Everypony wants to help out, moreso than they've been able to. Starlight shook her head softly, a frown forming on her face as she continued to observe the residents. That's heartening, to be sure, but it's not wise or needed right now. The faint ghost of a sardonic chuckle emanated from the mare as she sped up her pace. I never thought I'd need to ask civilians not to help out with a case, but here we are. "Mrs. Glimmer!" The unicorn was abruptly startled out of her thoughts by a greenish pegasus stallion who swooped in to land directly in front of her and immediately formed a crisp salute. "We're still in pursuit of the runaway couple, ma'am. We did find a few leads, though, so if you'll come this way I can show yo--" But the guardstalllion was interrupted by a mere raised hoof, one that went swiftly to massage the bridge of Starlight's nose. "Private Javelin, I've told you time and again that you don't report to me. Just because I took over one foal's case and got royal sanction to do so does not mean I'm suddenly your commanding officer." Starlight sighed explosively as the guard slouched and shamefully began rubbing his foreleg. "I'm just a social worker, for Faust's sake." The private nodded and made to take off once more, but paused suddenly and twisted his neck around to offer one last parting bit. "You may be interested to know, though, that a certain Derpy Hooves has been caught repeatedly breaking the 'no entry' rule for the sweet shoppe to deliver mail." That got the therapist's attention and interest, which the soldier immediately noticed and grinned at. She waved an impatient hoof in a sign to continue, which he happily did. "She stopped a while ago, though, and said that it wouldn't be a problem anymore. Apparently there aren't any more letters, and she seemed remorseful enough." The mare gazed at the cobblestoned ground for a few moments in thought before lifting her head and responding with a clear tone of authority in her voice. "Let her off with a strong warning and watch her for any further instances of disobedience. Derpy doesn't lie lightly and I doubt she's up to something nefarious, but one can never be too cautious." It was at that moment that Starlight realized she'd just contradicted her previous statement with near exactness and the private's somewhat-smug nod didn't exactly make things any better. Drat it all. I better not let this go to my head. The last thing I need is the responsibility of running a town. I doubt I could do that without becoming some sort of equality tyrant. Chuckling softly at the mental images those words brought, Starlight resumed her previous trot towards her destination, sighing but making no comment when Javelin fell in beside her. There was relative silence for a few minutes as the two traveled, quietly pondering the paradoxically bustling-yet-subdued town around them. The reticence ended when the private spoke with a noticeable waver, twisting his neck to gaze at the mare with a look of utter uncertainty. "So, are things doing to turn out alright? The town's getting antsy, if you hadn't noticed. Are you sure a candymaker and a musician are the right ponies for the job?" Starlight resisted the urge to sigh again, instead performing an elegant facehoof when she saw the small crowd his words had gathered. "Yes, I'm reasonably sure, but that's what I'm about to check. And, no, there's nothing more you can be doing right now to help. That goes for all of you!" Disappointed mutters and grumbling met her words as the crowd disbanded, with the private sighing and flapping away now that his question had been answered. Finally, Starlight Glimmer came to a halt just outside the her destination's closed door, taking but a moment to steel herself before determinedly striding forward... As Sunburst always likes to say: Nothing for it but to do it. ...and gracing the the wood with a single sharp knock. "Well, that could have gone better." Starlight, currently seated on a vaguely familiar well-worn sofa, sighed despondently as panicked wails continued to echo throughout the building. Bon Bon seemed to be making a conscious effort to restrain herself to the opposite couch, likely wanting to offer assistance if her body language and recent statement were anything to go by. Starlight found herself conducting a brief visual inspection of the building from her spot on the couch as she formulated her response. She nodded with satisfaction upon noticing the many well-hidden runic inscriptions and other such defenses. One can never be too cautious with this sort of thing, especially after what happened. I'm just glad they deactivated them before I arrived. Those turrets look scary. A stack of newly-washed dishes on the kitchen counter also caught her attention, if only because she remembered Bon Bon telling her about the antiques she'd been collecting for years as part of the charm of her shop. "Actually, I don't believe it could. This is pretty much the reaction I was expecting." The earth pony seemed moderately surprised by the therapist's reply, but soon adopted a look of understanding instead. A somewhat-strained silence followed the exchange, with the mares wincing in tandem as the unmistakable thud of a foal's body hitting the floor carried down to their twitching ears. Bon Bon twisted her neck and regarded the stairway with a longing expression, her forehooves starting to absently tap together while they continued to wait. Having had enough of the anxious scene before her, Starlight cleared her throat and made her offer, watching the other mare's reaction with rapt intensity. "You can go up and help, you know. I'm planning to just wait here until he's calm enough to come sit." The earth pony didn't immediately jump up and rush over like she'd been expecting, instead returning her cerulean gaze to the unicorn. "No, Lyly can handle it and I trust her to do so. Adding another pony to the mix might do more harm than good, anyway." Starlight raised an eyebrow at this and hastily scribbled a few notes onto the pad she was levitating behind her. Now that's interesting and a good sign, to be sure. These mares show an amount of trust in each other that continues to surprise me. The fact that she apparently knows Knight well enough by now that she can judge by herself when it's best to help is equally impressive. Bon Bon coughed awkwardly but was otherwise still as she made her inquiry, having stopped her hooves' fiddling. "So, how exactly is this going to look? What can we expect?" Starlight brightened at this and leaned forward to better engage with the candymaker, speaking in precise tones and words that left no room for interpretation. "Essentially, I'm going to conduct an interview to both gauge how well you, Lyra and Knight are adjusting and determine if it's a good idea to let you keep doing so. I hope you've realized by now that I've taken quite a few risks with you two." Starlight noted with gratitude that the mare opposite her merely nodded her affirmation instead of snorting in surprise. "I'm going to do my best to act the opposite of what he expects a 'therapist' to do." The air quotes with which that word was laden were heavy and quite present, displaying Starlight's attached frustration and disdain despite her attempts to keep it under wraps. After taking in Bon Bon's understanding and sympathetic nod, the unicorn gestured to her right, where the pen and notepad she was levitating had been brought to bear. "As part of that, I'll have the notes I'm taking be concealed from view. They probably won't be as legible by nature of me writing blind, but I'll manage." She then lowered herself against the couch, draping her body along it in a brief demonstration of her next point. "I'll also present myself as casually as possible and try to act as if this is a meeting between old friends. Or something to that effect." Starlight was moderately surprised to find herself thoroughly uncomfortable with adopting such posture while speaking to somepony. I suppose I'm just used to being more...professional. Which is exactly what Knight would be looking for. Looks like I'll need some practice, then. In light of these thoughts, the therapist opted to remain in the relaxed and prone position, rather than returning to the more comfortable pose of attentively sitting up like she'd been planning. The timely, echoing clip-clop of hoofbeats on wooden stairs followed the conclusion of the lilac unicorn's explanation, with both seated mares falling silent and turning to regard the new arrivals. Ah, there they are. And indeed, they were. Starlight's eyes immediately locked onto the shivering ball of white cowering against Lyra's back, noting how he tensed his muscles progressively tighter the further she carried him into the room. Starlight studied closely the way Knight dismissed Bon Bon entirely as a threat and instead locked terrified eyes with the only unknown in the house. Starlight examined with great intensity how Lyra brought him to the couches in a curved, indirect path to give him time to process everything, rather than take him straight to his supposed doom. Perhaps that course of action wasn't enough. Perhaps Starlight had been conducting her analysis a bit too intensely. Perhaps she had, in her eagerness to reconnect with the troubled foal whom she'd grown more attached to than she cared to admit, forgotten to stamp down her ingrained counselor instincts which ironically enough were already planning out how best to put him at ease. Whatever it was, it was too much for Knight. The colt let out a tortured screech as Starlight clenched her eyes shut, seconds too late. Colorful curses the likes of which the sheltered ponies of Equestria had never heard filled her mind, but she could at very least keep those from spilling out. Quick, panicked hoofsteps revealed to her his desperate scramble away from what he thought was a therapist, consequently ending up in the kitchen. Starlight's eyes snapped open and her ears flicked wildly upon hearing the clatter of dishes shattering against the floor. Somehow, Knight had either bumped into the counter hard enough to knock them off or else telekinetically shoved them as some kind of distraction. Whichever it was, he regretted doing so the second it happened, if his abrupt dead stop and sudden utter lack of breath was anything to go by. All mares in the room came to a halt in turn, none of the three wanting to do anything that might worsen the situation. Lyra moved first: A simple, unassuming step forward was her chosen action, likely intended to test the waters and judge his response. Knight's reaction was immediate: A powerful jolt backwards that nearly sent him into the air, but did result in his rump connecting with the cabinet behind him. The colt's breath resumed with ragged, uneven reluctance and he curled into himself, his gaze switching frantically between the frozen mares and the porcelain remains. Lyra, to Starlight's immediate surprise, took another step. Again, Knight reacted with downright inequine speed: "NO! Pl-please, NO! I'm sorry! I'm sorry..." He trailed off as, sniffling miserably, his eyes finally landed on the shattered dishes and his expression became a sad, guilty, expectant grimace. Lyra didn't take another step. She practically galloped straight for him. Starlight's eyes bulged with surprise and moderate alarm and she shot to her hooves, her horn lighting in a blaze of cyan as hundreds of defensive spells were reflexively brought to her awareness. The unicorn held back, though, and hoped with desperate vigor that she was correct in doing so and not wrong about there being some kind of misunderstanding. A sidelong glance at Bon Bon's shocked, concerned face did not exactly help that, but she hoped nonetheless. The counselor was immediately glad she did so; the scene that next graced her vision was as precious as it was indescribably heartening. Knight whimpered and flinched away, yes, but the mint-colored hoof that reached out merely grabbed his foreleg, to his intense surprise and Starlight's immense relief. Lyra's other leg began making reassuring strokes through the colt's mane as the other held his up for inspection. It was then that the therapist's gaze landed on--of all things--a minor cut on his limb, just above the fetlock, likely made by some shard of shattered plate as it flew by. Wait, what? Was the counselor's initial thought as she watched the other unicorn mare carelessly levitate the various dishes' remains into the garbage bin. All that for a scratch? However, upon further pondering on the situation, study of Lyra's worried expression, and notice of Bon Bon's continued alarm, Starlight finally made the necessary connections. Bon Bon said they were really old plates! Depending on the age, they could have some seriously harmful substances in there that could do some damage... The therapist's ears twitched when they detected the graceful, delicate sound of plucked strings and her attention was drawn to the source. Lyra's lyre was currently floating over to the pair of unicorns from somewhere Starlight didn't really care to think about, emitting soothing melodies the whole while. Knight's reaction to this was, again, immediate. The colt relaxed and melted into Lyra's waiting forelegs, ceasing his fearful watch and seeming to trust her entirely from what little Starlight could see. The minty mare's eyes screwed shut and her brows furrowed as her horn's light blazed with higher intensity. The floating lyre's sudden soft glow was the only sign she was casting a spell, or rather, several. Purging his body of any and all potential toxins, I'd guess. I would offer to do it instead, but so long as she can do it there's no reason not to let her. A soft grunt of exertion and several beads of sweat appearing on Lyra's forehead made Starlight begin doubting that. But when the magic faded away gradually instead of sputtering out and the other unicorn let out a sigh of relief, she knew it had been done successfully. Having finished ridding Knight of any serious danger, Lyra shifted him in her grip and wrapped the small colt in a comforting hug that he instantly returned. Starlight had to strain to hear it from her spot on the couch, but she could just make out a mumbled apology from him before he buried his face in her impressive chest fur. "It's okay, Sugar. I'm not worried about some fancy old plates. You're far more precious to me." The therapist would have quirked her eyebrow at the nickname were she not utterly engrossed in restraining herself from fawning at the scene. What didn't help that reaction was Lyra's look of complete devotion as she stared warmly down at the top of her child's head, gazing at him as if he was the only thing that mattered in the whole world. As if he had utterly become the world and thus meant it to her. Hyperfixation, was Starlight's belated realization, she's hyperfixating. That would normally be a bad thing, but...Knight may actually need it. The lilac unicorn hastily averted her gaze before it could cause more trouble, turning to observe the tan earth pony sitting across from her. Bon Bon was twisting her neck to gaze contentedly at the pair in the kitchen, simply smiling serenely at the scene before she in turn turned to the therapist with a noticeable glint in her eye. "See? Lyly's got this." Starlight found herself nodding dumbly, still processing the ease with which the minty unicorn had deescalated the situation. It almost seems like they got the trust charm back up, but what's even better is that this happened purely from their work with him. Incredible. "Hey, I think we should go to the bathroom and dress that cut. What do you say?" The therapist barely caught Lyra's murmured proposal and was just able to turn her head again in time to witness Knight's energetic nod. Probably eager to get out of my vicinity. It...really sucks to know I can distress my patient just by being seen, but that should stop happening after enough visits. What's more impressive is Lyra asking for permission and his opinions on things, which tells him that his desires matter. Good things all around, but I still need more information. Lyra made a passing glance back at the seated mares just before she and her son left, to which the lilac unicorn did her best to give a firm-yet-apologetic smile. The minty mare scanned her face for a few seconds--during which Starlight felt herself under quite possibly the most intense scrutiny she'd ever experienced--before nodding her understanding and leading Knight to the nearby bathroom. "I imagine we're still going through with the meeting?" Starlight startled at the candymaker's statement, unable to shake the feeling that her deepest secrets and innermost thoughts had been casually poked at. The unicorn breathed deeply and composed herself, callously brushing aside the unsettling sensation as she refocused on the matter at hoof. No time for that. "Yes. While what just happened may have answered a good portion of my questions, there are still other things that must be checked off." Bon Bon, to the therapist's eternal gratitude, did not contest the point nor demand examples or anything else that would cause a migraine, instead simply nodding resolutely and dismounting the couch. "Well, we're meant to treat this like a casual friendly get-together, right?" At Starlight's nod, the earth pony set off toward the kitchen. "Alright, so can I get you something? Tea, maybe? D'you have a preferred blend?" The unicorn nodded gratefully, smiling to herself as a faint memory swam to the forefront of her mind. Tea is just what I need right now. "Chamomile," gazing wistfully northward, she added, "it's Sunburst's favorite." Bon Bon chuckled at this, opening up a few cabinets and beginning to set out various supplies. "It's everypony's favorite." Despite this, the candymaker continued without further comment or complaint, letting Starlight gaze out the window in deep pondering. If she squinted, she thought she could just barely make out a faint spire of crystal on the horizon, but it was probably just her imagination. I hope he comes when he said he can. I need all the help I can get. I think we all do, but we'll make due with what we've got. We're gonna be okay.