• Published 16th Sep 2022
  • 4,493 Views, 188 Comments

Libero - Discombobulated Soul



Darkest Knight is an eccentric young colt with a curious aversion to others. Behind the closed doors of reality and psyche, what could be plaguing him? And, more importantly, are the citizens of Ponyville at all prepared to deal with the revelation?

  • ...
13
 188
 4,493

Fractus

"Right, then! First thing's first: I'm going to summarize what's happened recently and what we know, so everypony's on the same page. Sound good?"

Special Agent Sweetie Drops nodded firmly at the counselor, and a sidelong glance at her wife, Lyra Heartstrings, revealed her doing the same. The trio was gathered on a pair of sofas inside the living room of the couple's house, with Starlight Glimmer seated facing them. Sweetie noticed Lyra twiddling with her hooves in display of her nervousness, and accordingly bumped shoulders with her in a comforting gesture.

The agent was feeling equally anxious, but, thankfully, she hid it far better.

Starlight, meanwhile, was a mask of calm as always: Sweetie could scarcely detect any emotions behind the serene facade, but she could guess that the therapist wasn't doing too hot, either. We're all pretty shaken, but there's no time to dwell on that, now. The pink unicorn was beginning her debrief, and the agent leaned forward with attentive ears.

"Well, Knight was foalnapped by a Saddle Arabian mare named Colza, who proceeded to do...things that aren't exactly clear at this moment. It is, however, highly likely that some manner of sexual assault was conducted, as well as Arabian sorcery." Starlight paused for a moment, likely to take in the twin grimace that the couple formed in response. Sweetie managed to control hers fairly well, but she had to admit that hearing the information said so blatantly when only allusions to it had existed previously was not something she'd prepared for.

The agent curbed her rising anger, shaking her head nigh-imperceptibly as she returned her attention to the therapist, who nodded in satisfaction, likely from noticing her self-control. "From what I've been told, as well as from my observations of him, Knight seems to have a condition heavily resembling that of Dissociative Identity Disorder."

The pink mare gazed at them expectantly, but blank looks were all she got in return. Starlight sighed lightly and absently tapped at her muzzle, raising an inquisitive eyebrow as she continued to speak. "You may have heard it called: 'Multiple Personality Disorder'?" Still, the couple shook their heads in near unison, not a speck of recognition in either mare's eye. Several awkward seconds passed before Starlight pursed her lips in mild exasperation.

"Oh, I suppose it doesn't really matter at the moment. Knight doesn't even have the same thing, because Colza was able to magically alter aspects of his brain at a young age. Well, that's the running theory, at least." The unicorn sighed once more, but her eyes remained locked in a constant, methodical switch between the couple's respective gazes. "Knight has been recovered and his foalnappers have been apprehended. They are currently awaiting trial from their cozy cells in Tartarus."

The subtle hints of a satisfied smirk appeared on the therapist's muzzle while stating this information, but the expression soon dropped away. "He's stable, and the doctors at Ponyville General were able to bring him out of the enforced coma he was in. Physically, Knight is in near-prime condition, which we can thank Princess Twilight for. Without her, his broken bones and mana burnout would have taken weeks to heal, and that's time we do not have at the moment."

Starlight Glimmer's face grew grim, taking on a dour quality as her eyes squinted slightly.

"Mentally, though? We won't know for sure until he's awake, which should happen any minute now. That's where you two come in." Sweetie Drops and Lyra shot upright, sitting at attention the best they could as the pink unicorn continued to lean towards them. She faced the agent, first, staring dead into her eyes as she spoke with the utmost gravity.

"Bon Bon, you've proven yourself to be a capable and dedicated mare, with a level of self-mastery that I can't help but admire. These traits and more make you the ideal caretaker in my eyes, though I do have one thing to ask..." Sweetie Drops stamped down the urge to swallow nervously, keeping her gaze locked onto that of the therapist's. "You don't have any...prior engagements that would interfere with this, do you?"

Vehemently, the agent shook her head, resolve practically dripping from her measured response.

"No, ma'am. Nothing like that at all. This is of the utmost priority." Starlight nodded, not breaking eye contact for a second as she stared deep into the agent's soul.

"I'm going to trust your word, because I know that you only have Knight's best interests in mind. Am I correct?" A solid nod was her answer, and the counselor shifted her attention to the other mare in the room, who couldn't stop an anxious gulp of her own.

"And Lyra, in my interview with you I determined that you are also the perfect candidate. I am correct in saying you suffer from some mental challenges of your own?" Lyra grinned shakily, her golden eyes darting about the room before they settled on Starlight's.

"Y-yes'm. The, ah, occasional hyperfixation and such, but I pretty much recovered from that months ago. I have meds and everything, and Bonnie's support has always been appreciated." Starlight grinned, shifting back in her seat so that she was once more sitting upright. Lyra practically gasped for breath, and Sweetie shot her a reassuring grin that she gratefully returned.

"Yes, you're quite the dream team, you two." The therapist coughed into her hoof, giving the mares a reserved smile. "You'll have to forgive my intensity, but I need to ensure that my patient is placed in the best possible home. Sometimes, the best way to do that is through some good old fashioned intimidation." Seconds passed in silence as the three collectively collected themselves and the tension which had been present in the room faded away.

"I believe that together, you two are the key to healing Darkest Knight, even despite your youth. You said you were, what, thirty-seven or so?" Sweetie Drops pursed her lips.

"Thirty-five. Both of us." Starlight returned the expression, but it quickly devolved into a charming grin.

"Well, the good news is that you're old enough for legal adoption, if only just. Normally, I'd have second thoughts about letting such a young couple take care of somepony so troubled, but I'm not concerned with that. I believe there's no pair of ponies better suited for guardianship." The counselor leaned in once more, her intense gaze making a solid return as her voice regained its previous gravity.

"Now then, here's what you're going to need to do, at least for now..."


The first day went about as well as could be expected.

Sweetie and Lyra's shared home had three distinct sections to it: The front shop area, where the agent sold her sweets as part of her guise, was named 'Bon Bon's Bon Bons'. It was a miniature cafe area which took up the front half of the building, quite a bit like Sugarcube Corner in design and function.

The store had been closed, and would likely remain thus for the foreseeable future. There would be no ponies inside the building save Lyra, Sweetie, and Knight until the latter was deemed mentally stable enough. Despite this lack of business, however, neither mare held any financial concerns, safe in the knowledge that a combination of donations from the community and funding from the crown would sustain them.

The rest of the building was divided into a classic home, with the downstairs holding the kitchen, living room, and storage area while the upstairs held the bedrooms, bathrooms, and other miscellaneous supplies one would find in a house. Not counting the secret passageway into a closet where all of Sweetie's agent-related possessions were kept, the structure was fairly vanilla in design.

"You ready for this, Lyly?" The love of the agent's life stared boldly into her eyes, giving a firm nod as she responded in her soft, beautiful voice.

"Absolutely, Sweets." Sweetie Drops' muzzle formed a sardonic smile at the nickname and she took a few seconds to reminisce. I just couldn't hide my Agent status from her for long, with how much time we spent together. I'm glad she took it so well. That night had been a wild ride of confessions, but the couple had emerged from it with a strengthened bond and abounding relief from the end of secrecy. To this day, Lyra was the only non-work-related pony to know of Sweetie's secret identity, and both of them planned to keep it that way.

The house was quiet for several minutes as the pair waited in moderate tension from their spot downstairs. Their charge had been placed in his new room upstairs, and the hope was that he'd soon acclimate to that area after awakening. If Knight had a small enough space to become used to at first, he would eventually grow comfortable enough to branch out more. He would, however, always feel secure in returning to his room, which the mares would be forbidden to enter.

At least, that was the__rather optimistic__plan. The hardest thing about this was that Knight's charm had been utterly done away with, something that several previously conducted magical scans had confirmed. Sweetie still felt a pang of sadness every time she thought about how the colt might look at her now; not with the trust they had both become so accustomed to, but the kind of fear reserved for enemies and proven abusers.

The sound of loud thumps and gasps for breath, mixed in with the occasional whimper or cry of alarm, was all the two needed to hear to know that their charge had awakened. Both mares instinctively tensed up before beginning a quiet, meaningless faux conversation from their spot at the bottom of the staircase.

Starlight Glimmer had stated with great confidence that it didn't matter what words they said or what gibberish they actually spoke: What mattered was that Knight could see both that he wasn't alone in the building and that nopony else aside from them was present. The therapist had continued to say that the colt probably wouldn't even be able to register their words in the first place, due to whatever mental commotion was doubtlessly taking place in his head. Knight would, however, detect their tones and body language, which they worked diligently to keep as calm and nonthreatening as physically possible.

Sweetie had to admit that it felt exquisitely strange to yammer nonsense at her wife in comforting tones, but if Starlight, the professional, experienced therapist said it would help, then she was willing to do just about anything.

About a minute after the noises from upstairs quieted, the earth pony felt it: A burning, unblinking stare aimed at the side of her head and coming from the top of the stairs. The hairs on the back of her neck rose from detecting the unsettling gaze, but she ensured that that was her only reaction. Lyra's miniscule facial twitching revealed her also noticing the intense scrutiny, but she also managed to control herself very well.

Sweetie Drops managed to pull it off so discreetly that she was all but certain it went unnoticed by both unicorns: A quick glance directed up at the top of the stairwell and the white colt who inhabited it. She was careful, mindful of the instruction to not interact with Knight until he did so with her.

The image of what she saw remained at the forefront of her mind: A small, trembling foal with wide scared eyes, looking ready to burst into tears at the drop of a hat. Every last cell in Sweetie's body wanted to go rushing up the stairs to wrap him in a comforting hug, but she thankfully had more discipline than that.

Eventually, the scrutiny dropped away as Knight plodded off, and neither mare could stop herself from letting out a sigh of relief.

"Alright, we'll stay down here for the rest of today and let him get used to the upstairs before we head up after dinner." Sweetie Drops received an affirmative nod from her lover before they both turned to their business.

We've got a long road ahead of us.


Later that day, dinner was set up on one of the larger dining tables as directed.

Nopony expected Knight to join them or even come downstairs at all, but it was important to set up a routine. Every evening, they would set precisely three plates, leaving one at the far end of the table. The hope was that the colt would soon feel confident__and hungry__enough to join them.

"So, what happened to the airship?" Sweetie Drops jolted slightly in her seat, unprepared for the sudden question when only dead silence had dominated previously. Lyra was looking quite earnest and, knowing her, simply wanted to make some form of conversation. Knight was still upstairs, likely curled into a ball or searching for nonexistent threats and thus out of earshot.

"I managed to land the thing in Saddle Arabia, but I called an Equestrian outpost to signal for help. The outposts there are meant to be top secret, so they were pretty surprised I knew what frequency to use. Thankfully, though, they recognized my voice and were soon over to assist." The earth pony sighed heavily, absently pushing the food on her plate around, unable to bring herself to partake of it. "They requisitioned the Invincible Wraith, of course. Last I heard, they were going to send it off to Equestria to get a new paint job. They were also preparing some...choice words for the Union's leadership." The agent shrugged nonchalantly, gesturing vaguely with the fork she held expertly in her foreleg. "It's out of our hooves, now." Lyra gave an affirmative nod, finishing her mouthful of food before responding.

"Right. What matters is what we do now."


The couple headed upstairs as planned after their mildly-depressing dinner had been finalized. Sweetie Drops made sure to accentuate her steps, letting Knight know they were on their way up. She didn't stomp, per se, but still was purposefully loud enough to not incidentally sneak up on her charge. The very last thing anypony needed was for him to freak out any more than he was, and startling him with a sudden appearance was a pretty good way to do that.

The couple exchanged a meaningful glance before splitting up, with Lyra going to prepare the bedroom and Sweetie heading to the bathroom. They had ensured the routine was one that checked all the necessary boxes, while still being predictable and obvious enough that Knight could catch on reasonably quick.

They were prepared to complete the same actions day after day, not changing in the slightest until the moment their charge decided to interact with them.


The first day went about as well as could be expected, and the second followed a similar__if not exact__pattern. This was the same for the third and fourth day, but on the fifth, something unexpected occurred.

Special Agent Sweetie Drops stared at the sealed envelope balanced on her hoof, barely registering Ponyville's mailmare, Derpy Hooves, flying unsteadily away. The letter was clearly addressed to her residence, and had the name of its place of origin firmly stamped on the front in bold letters:

S.M.I.L.E. Headquarters, Canterlot, 357 Buckingham Str.

Shakily, Sweetie closed the front door and made her way to the living room couch, collapsing on it as her mind frantically processed the information.

Ponyville had been given ample warning not to disturb this building unless it was a severe emergency. Having somepony over, even if they didn't do anything of note, was a drastic change in the careful status quo the couple had set up. They were hoping that Knight could learn to trust the repetition of their daily routine if nothing else, and any surprise visits of any kind could potentially ruin that.

Derpy had been insistent, though, and stated that her orders came straight from the top. Sweetie knew the mare to be sincere and honest at even the worst of times, so she'd hesitantly opened the door after ensuring nopony else was nearby. Best she could tell, Knight was still upstairs and Lyra was finishing up her time in the shower, which was why she had bothered to try answering the door at all.

Filled with more trepidation than she could ever remember having, Sweetie Drops opened the letter addressed to her from her workplace.

Special Agent Sweetie Drops,

You know me, agent. I'm not one to dawdle with meaningless pleasantries like the rest of Canterlot's nobility. As such, I shall head straight to the point.

It has come to my attention that a certain foal has been placed in the care of your and your wife. You have my congratulations, for I know that you'll be the absolute best guardian you can possibly be. I know you could only ever want what's best for your new child, and so I have a proposition to make.

Darkest Knight is sixteen years old, if I am not mistaken. You'll recall, I believe, that the minimum age for enrollment in our program is that very same number. We do so love to start our members' training young, just as they begin to grow into their mana. You yourself began your training at fourteen, so you'll know what I'm speaking of.

S.M.I.L.E. has great interest in Darkest; his incredible powers could be used for the good of ponykind as a whole. Your child could be a hero to us all, able to take care of practically every threat with but a sweep of his horn.

So, here is my request: Enroll Darkest Knight in our program, so we can begin his proper training. I would ask that you sincerely think it over, but I have immense confidence that you will do that anyway.

The sooner he's enrolled, the sooner we can ensure our great nation's security.

Yours, S.N.

Shock was what dominated the agent at first, as she sat there on the couch rereading the letter once, twice, and a third time. To even so much as hear of S.M.I.L.E.'s illustrious enrollment program was rare enough, but to have an invitation? From the organization's evasive noble head investor? This letter came straight from the very top, from somepony Sweetie had only heard tall tales about!

Shock dominated her at first, yes, and for understandable reasons.

Quickly, though, that shock gave way to something else entirely:

Pure, raw, overwhelming anger.

WHO DOES SHE THINK SHE IS?!

To treat her friend__nay, her child__as some sort of object, some weapon to use for somepony else's designs? To her knowledge, that was exactly how he'd been raised, and all his life had amounted to thus far.

Bon Bon was determined to change that.

The mare saw red, seething on the couch as she viciously tore the letter to shreds with reckless abandon. So great was her rage that she didn't even notice her wife rushing over to her, but she still jolted when Lyra laid a worried hoof on her shoulder.

"Sweetie Drops, what's wrong? Why're you so mad?" The earth pony clenched her eyes shut, taking deep, calming breaths and feeling thankful that she hadn't let out any hateful screams or other such loud noises. Having successfully tempered her temper, Bon Bon opened her eyes to take in her extremely-concerned wife.

"Please...don't call me that." Lyra blinked once, nodded her head, and shuffled over to sit by the cream-coated mare, who suddenly found herself immensely grateful for her wife's incredible patience. Lyra wrapped Bon Bon in a tight hug, rubbing at her shoulders with soothing motions, serving to further still her raging thoughts.

"Okay, Bon Bon. Can you tell me what's going on?" The earth pony formed a wry grin at the treatment, unable to shake the feeling that her wife was somehow using her as practice for any hugging that might happen later down the line. Not that she needs practice. This is great!

"S.M.I.L.E. is interested in Darkest. Very interested. They want to know if they can have him." Lyra snorted at this, staring her wife dead in the eyes as she retorted with no small amount of indignance.

"Well, they're not getting their grubby hooves on him anytime soon. Right?" Bon Bon nodded once, her features carved in stone as she returned the intense gaze.

"Tartarus, no. Not while we're around." The earth pony pursed her lips, the fire in her eyes gaining a contemplative property. She abruptly broke the embrace to stand up, turning to her wife with a determined squint adorning her face. "Do you know where I can find a paper and pen? I have a response to write."


It had been one week since they began their care of him when Knight finally ventured downstairs.

Luckily, the way one of their ovens was situated let Bon Bon watch him through its window's reflection while she 'did the dishes'. Really, most of the labor was constituted of rewashing already-clean items, but the chore was still a vital part of their routine regardless.

The earth pony couldn't hear much over the sound of the running sink, but her ears still twitched after detecting the slightest creak from behind. Ensuring she refrained from any other physical reactions, she took a steady glance at the oven's window.

There he was, shyly gazing about the area with wide white eyes. The staircase was viewed at an angle so she could only see the end of it, rendering her unable to get a read on any of his body language. Knight had poked his head out, leaving the rest of him still on the stairs as he observed the immediate vicinity.

His stare landed on her back and stayed there, unmoving, doubtlessly trying to judge her intentions. He himself looked intensely cautious and vaguely terrified, but that fear was not growing at the moment, which was definitely a good sign.

After about a minute or two, Knight slunk out of view, though from what she had seen he was creeping low to the ground in attempts to make as little noise as possible. Presumably, he was headed off to explore the downstairs, which the mare had to admit gave her no small amount of excitement.

Minutes later, the scheduled time for doing dishes was over, so Bon Bon accordingly turned off the sink and left the kitchen. She stopped abruptly, though, upon witnessing the scene taking place in the living room.

Lyra was practicing her lyre, as planned, with her eyes screwed shut and her forehead crinkled in moderate concentration. The gorgeous melodies that she evoked with her instrument were enchanting as always, and in more ways than one, considering the magic which swirled about it.

Music and magic were inherently linked, with the lyre being the ultimate expression of both. Its unique shape and size allowed for enhanced spellcasting when used as a focus, and of course the songs it could produce were simply wonderful. With a lyre as her cutie mark, Lyra Heartstrings had found her special talent in thaumusology, the study of magic's link to music.

All of this information and more flew through Bon Bon's head as she watched__with no small amount of alarm__Knight sway to the melody her wife played, the smallest hint of an upturn to his lips. She's not casting anything on him, is she?! That could be horrifically bad!

Further observation and thought, though, made her relax as understanding reached her mind, and she mentally berated herself for ever thinking her sweet wife would do such a thing. It's not like she could anyway. That Arabian creep's sorcery made Knight's mind completely immune to any more magical manipulation. No, Lyra's music was just that powerful on its own, and Bon Bon wondered why on Equus she hadn't considered using it to a fuller extent earlier.

The ponies found serenity in listening to the quiet cadence, all but losing track of time as they were swept away by the calming chords and silvery strings. Knight didn't react when Bon Bon sat by him, a mere three feet of space separating the two while across from them was Lyra, with her eyes still clenched tightly shut. Weird, she doesn't usually need to concentrate that hard to play... But a sidelong glance at her white charge was enough to answer that question. Of course. She's doing it for his benefit, making him believe he can sneak in here and escape detection.

Not that this would have mattered at that point, though; Knight's gaze was locked solidly on the floating lyre, and it seemed that all of his attention was as well.

Abruptly and unwelcomely, the tranquility was broken by a soft knock on the door.

Bon Bon's imperceptible facial twitching was all that became of the grimace she wanted to make as the trance the family had been in was shattered. Knight skittered away from the mares, suddenly panting and short of breath as he backed up into the far wall, while Lyra's practicing came to a screeching halt and her eyes snapped open.

Bon Bon made careful eye contact with Lyra, who nodded slightly to show she'd received the unspoken message before standing and slowly walking to the kitchen area. The earth pony made her way to the front entrance, forcing herself not to acknowledge in any way the trembling, gasping foal in the corner of her living room.

The cream-coated mare opened the door in time to interrupt Derpy Hooves mid-knock, staring at the mailmare with a none-too-pleased expression. Derpy, for her part, looked fairly regretful and embarrassed, but that just showed she knew exactly what she was doing by coming here.

"Erm, Bon Bon, there's...another letter for you." The earth pony's glare intensified as she eyed the sealed envelope the pegasus held in her mouth, speaking around it with practiced ease.

"From S.M.I.L.E." The statement was not a question and Derpy flinched accordingly, only able to remorsefully nod her head in response. Bon Bon sighed angrily and held out a hoof, which the mailmare gratefully placed the paper on before speedily taking off.

The remaining mare closed the door with careful slowness, resisting the urge to slam it in frustration and extremely conscious of Knight still watching her from the corner. She made her way back to the couches, making absolute certain that she did not physically acknowledge his presence whatsoever. Adopting a relaxed posture in vain efforts to show him nothing was amiss, Bon Bon cracked open the letter and read with large amounts of internal frustration.

Special Agent Sweetie Drops,

How could I possibly accept a resignation from such a loyal, efficient, incredible agent?

How can you possibly turn your back on the organization you have so faithfully served for so long?

How could I have offended you so much that you adopted your fake name, renouncing your given one in the process?

Immediately upon receiving your reply, I thought to myself: "Stormy, you've got to rethink this. Clearly you've gone too far!"

Sweetie Drops, the fact is that S.M.I.L.E. simply cannot stand to lose you! You're far too important to us! I understand if I was a bit too forward in my initial address, but surely such an offense is not worth this reaction?

I make this request not as an employer, but as a friend: Please reconsider. Do not cut all ties with an essential part of your life just because you were offended by one measly letter.

Ask yourself this: Who is it, truly, that needs you more? The entirety of Equestria as a whole, or one small foal?

--S.N.

Bon Bon let out a mildly-despondent sigh, studying the ceiling of her home in deep thought. She's right, I can't just resign like this. That's the kind of decision that needs to be deeply thought about, not made while feeling extreme emotion. Reluctantly, the mare gathered paper and a pen, immediately writing her response:

S.N.,

I have never so much as seen you in person, so to call us 'friends' is rather far-fetched. Still, you are correct in saying that it's a bit hasty to resign now. I’ll back down on that front, because I’m not one to make reckless decisions.

Don't think that the option is out of consideration, however.

If you test my patience any further, I will not hesitate to cut all ties with S.M.I.L.E. You do not control my life, and my choices are my own to make. As for my son? Whatever plans you have for him, you can forget them, because I say this with absolute certainty:

He needs me more than Equestria does.

With all due respect, ma'am, I'd advise you to stay out of this. Don't forget that Darkest Knight is royalty, and the Crown holds great interest in his progress. I'm not sure, but I'd bet he even outranks yourself, so remember your place.

--sincerely, Bon Bon Heartstrings.

The earth pony had to admit: The letter she'd written had quite a bit more fire than she'd intended, but she found she liked the result. There wasn't much the mysterious 'S.N.' could do to her, anyway, and she was still feeling quite indignant from the blatant interest of the last message. If she thinks she can use her position above me in the corporate ladder as leverage, she's got another thing coming.

Bon Bon didn't feel too attached to S.M.I.L.E. anymore, for she had found a better use of her life and special talent. One hyper-discreet glance at the still-shaking foal in the corner was all it took to solidify that statement. I told Starlight that my job wouldn't be an issue. That has not and will never change. This comes first.

And if I have to burn a few bridges, then so be it.


Three days after Bon Bon sent her reply in the mail, something downright miraculous happened.

Knight had gradually grown more comfortable in roaming the downstairs, and the whole building in general. He moved with confidence and had started depending on the routine the mares had set up. On one instance in particular, he had traced Bon Bon's path through the house with pinpoint accuracy, trailing behind her for three consecutive hours in attempts to see what she was up to. When Knight pushed past his fear and trauma, he displayed a level of curiosity that neither mare could help but find utterly endearing.

Over the last three days, they had seen progressively more of him and his antics as he got more and more confident in the repetition of their actions. He had almost entirely stopped expecting them to attack, trusting that they could continue the same routine like clockwork.

When Lyra exited the kitchen at the exact time that Knight entered it and began investigating their new autonomous mixer, batting its attached whisk in circles, it showed that he'd memorized their routine to the same extent that they had.

Finally, though, he stood in the middle of the kitchen, watching them set up dinner in the dining room once more.

Bon Bon felt alive with anticipation, actively forcing herself to stop sending so many glances his way as she set the plates after Lyra finished placing the tablecloth. Her wife clearly felt the same, shooting her excited looks while a giant grin began to creep up her muzzle. Bon Bon made steady eye contact, ensuring her caution was communicated. "We can't get our hopes up," she said, silently. "He might just watch from afar. We have no reason to expect him to join in." Lyra nodded, her ecstasy tempered as both mares' neutral expressions returned and they finished the setup.

It wasn't as though Knight had gone without food, after all; an enormous part of their planned routine was 'accidentally' leaving out prepared snacks and enticing meals. Several of these went missing daily, even more recently, and they knew from remnants found on his face and body that their charge was eating them. It was practically impossible not to notice when color appeared on his pristine white coat, especially when that color matched the meal they'd prepared.

This logic went out the window when Knight stepped into the dining area, the couple barely able to avoid watching in shock as he took his seat at the opposite end of the table. Hastily, the mares dug into the lasagna, rushing to act as if they hadn't noticed anything. The colt eyed them for several uncomfortable minutes, but finally he lit his horn, lifted his fork...

...and took a bite.

Bon Bon blinked furiously, finding her vision suddenly impaired by some substance__tears, she realized, those were tears filling her eyes.

The earth pony was crying, because what she had done had worked. All the efforts of her and her wife had worked.

Their adopted son was sitting at the same table, enjoying__for with the zeal he suddenly expressed in digging into the food, he couldn't possibly be feeling any other way about it__the same meal that they were.

Bon Bon stared up into Lyra's golden eyes, only to realize that she was crying, too. They smiled at each other with beaming grins, their ears twitching as they barely registered the sounds of near-silent eating.

"Progress!!" Screamed Lyra through her expression, and Bon Bon couldn't help but nod in reply.

There was still a long way to go, but that distance didn't seem nearly so far, now. The Knight of over a week ago would never have considered being in the same room as them, let alone taking his eyes off them for so much as a second.

The couple couldn't stop themselves from watching as, for the first time in far too long, Darkest Knight smiled.