"Good morning," Twilight said from the kitchen.

"Good morning," her father, Night Light replied, coming down the stairs. "Making breakfast?"

"Yup," she answered. "I had to go to the market to get most of the ingredients though. You didn't have much in the fridge aside from frozen dinners and cider."

"Well, your mother always took better care of me than I ever did for myself," he said, leaning over her at the stove, giving her a few kisses on the back of her neck. He worked his way up to her ear, giving her a little nibble.

"Hehe! That tickles!" she tried to shoo him away. He reared up behind her. She felt his weight on her and felt him prodding at her under he tail. "Daddy! I'm trying to cook!" She pushed him off of her, turning to see his stiff erection bobbing under him. "What's with you?"

"Sorry sweetie, it's morning wood. I can't do anything about it," he grinned.

"Even after all those times last night?" she said, still feeling a bit sore.

"Hmm, just thinking about it..."

"Gosh, you really were pent up." She rolled her eyes. "After breakfast!"

"Yes dear," he replied like the obedient husband he was. Twilight set the stove to simmer and trotted into the living room.

"Be right back," she said.

"Where are you-" Before he could finish Twilight vanished in a flash of light. A few moments later, she reappeared with a few sheets of paper and her reading glasses. "Where did you go?" he asked.

"My lab."

"Where?"

"In my castle Ponyville. I just wanted to check on some results from my tests."

"What kind of test?" he asked. She froze mid-step. She hadn't even entertained the possibility of discussing her findings with him. She wavered a bit, trying to decide whether or not to lie to him.

"Um, it's a..." she trailed off, regretting ever telling about it. "Well, don't take it the wrong way. But after what you told me yesterday, it's actually a... um, a paternity test," she said. He just sat at the kitchen table in silence for a moment.

"For who?" he asked finally.

"For... me."

"Oh." He responded with the sort of calm indifference that he might've had if he were told that it was going to be cloudy tomorrow. "And?"

"And..." she chewed her lip. "And they don't make sense."

"How so?"

"Well, I ran a blood sample from myself against the...sample I got from you, and from Mom. And I-"

"How did you get a sample from your mom?" he asked.

"What? Oh, um, remember when Mom got that short bob-cut for her tail, and we tried to make a wig out of it? I used some of that."

"Oh. Okay. So what doesn't make sense?"

"Well, the test would show whether you two are my parents. But the quantities are off." She showed him her papers. "You see? I detected both yours and Mom's genes matching mine."

"Well that makes sense. You're our daughter," he said.

"Yes, but... it should be a 50/50 split. I should have half yours, and half hers. But instead, I have 75% of Mom's genes, and 25% of yours," she said. Night Light had a decent grasp of genetics.

"How is that even possible?" he asked.

"I don't know. That's why I re-ran the test three times, but the results are always exactly the same." She scratched her head. "You get 25% from each grandparent. But how do you get 75% from somepony?" she asked rhetorically. Night Light rubbed his chin.

"Well, I wouldn't worry about it too much," he said. "If there's something wrong with your lab equipment, I'm sure you'll figure it out. You're the smartest pony I know."

"Aw. Thanks, Dad," she said, leaning over to kiss him. He wrapped his hooves around her and pulled her onto his lap.

"You're also the sexiest," he whispered coarsely into her ear as he pulled her closer. His erection was pinned between their bellies as she straddled him on the chair. She wiggled a little against it, feeling it grind against the front of her marehood.

"What about Mom?" she asked in a teasing, playful tone.

"Well aside from your hair color, you do look just like your mother," he said as his eyes ran over her body. "But a younger version of her," he continued. "Of course, she doesn't have these," he said, using his hooves to extend her wings. Before he met Velvet, he had dated a pegasus mare. He knew all about the erogenous zones of a wing as he nibbled on her wings' pinions.

"Dad-" she gasped. He worked his way along her wing, giving each of her primaries a gentle tug, as though he was preening her. Each nibble caused her to shudder. He could feel her hot excitement wetting his lap.

"And since you haven't had a couple of foals," he said between nibbles, "your pussy is still really tight." She blushed.

"Daaad!" she whined.

"What? It's true!" he said, freeing her wing. He ran his hooves over her slender body, picking her up by her waist. Twilight steadied herself on his chair with a hoof and lifted herself up. She grasped his cock with her free hoof and angled it under her, aligning it with her very-wet vagina. She rubbed the tip along her slit enough to get it thoroughly lubricated. She eased her weight down onto him and gasped as she felt the tip of his rigid dick pop inside of her.

"Mmm," she hummed, content to just continue sitting, impaled on him as he resumed kissing and nibbling on her wings, working his way up to her shoulders. Each contact of his warm lips on her neck made her quiver. Her pussy rippling around his member inside her, massaging it.

"Baby, if you keep that up, you're gonna make me go off again!" he said.

"But Daddy, I want one too!" she cooed, with her best pouty face. Night Light pulled her sad-face down to him, meeting her lips with his own. She was nothing if not a fast learner. He parted his mouth and her tongue met his with just as much passion. He wrapped his hooves around her midsection and with a mighty heave, stood up. He lifted her along with him, his penis still inside her. He turned and set her butt on the edge of the heavy wooden table. He let her lay back on the bare surface between the place settings and he gave her a couple more idle humps.

He pulled away, slipping out of her tight confines. Before she could even complain, he dropped to his knees between her legs. Twilight felt the air rush from her lungs as he pressed his face into her loins. He wasted no time in plunging his tongue deep into her opening. He used his hooves to spread her, giving him a better access as he ran his wide tongue up along her slit, flicking it against her sensitive nub. The rational part of her mind would have surmised that he'd made up for his physical shortcomings with her mother by mastering his oral sex technique. But she was hardly in the proper state of mind to voice the articulate complement.

"F-fuck!" she hissed through her teeth. His mouth popped off its wet kiss.

"Language, Missy!" he scolded.

"Sorry," she apologized.

"It's okay." He lowered his face back down to her splendid pussy and resumed licking her. She reached down with her hoof, grabbing her father's horn, holding him in place against her. She was careful not to be too rough. She knew how sensitive a horn was as she gently ran her hoof up and down along its spiraled ridges. Below the table, his cock bobbed in time with each stroke of his horn, teetering on the brink of climax. He redoubled his efforts, determined to give her an orgasm before he selfishly had another without her. He licked faster and gave her winking clit little kisses and a light suck. He felt her thighs squeezing his head hard enough to give him tunnel-vision.

"Daddy- I- I'm close! I- I'm gonna- ah!" she moaned. He wrenched himself free of her legs' grip and stood up in a flash, bringing his dick to her pussy once again. She hadn't the time to even react as he lunged forward, filling her with his entire length in one swift motion. His pelvis met hers in a rapid series of wet slaps. "Daddyyyyy!" she cried out. Her legs went rigid at either side of him and twitched wildly. Her pussy soaked his belly's fur with her marecum and spasmed around his thrusting cock, sending him over the edge as well. His balls tightened and she felt him flare inside her, stretching her even further.

Her wings flung open from under her back, scattering the dinnerware. The glass cups ceramic plates shattered on the tile floor as she felt the first bout of his hot cum splashing against her insides. She wrapped her legs around his back, holding him close as she felt him continue to throb and pulse, flooding her pussy with his copious load. He leaned down wrapped his hooves around her, aggressively kissing her between his desperate breaths for oxygen.

...

"DAD!? What the fuck!"

Night Light's head shot up and he turned to look behind him.

Shining Armor, his son, was standing behind him in the entryway to the kitchen. Night Light's eyes were as big as the dinner plates they'd just smashed.

Shining couldn't believe his own eyes. Here he had come to his foalhood home to visit his dad for Father's Day. And here he finds his father fucking some mare that was definitely not his mother. From where he stood, all he could see was his Father's back, and the splayed wings of the whorse pegasus on the table under him.

"Shining! What are you doing here!?" Night Light asked in reflexive defense. His flared cock was still firmly wedged inside his daughter.

"I should ask you the same thing!" Shining yelled, visibly furious. "I was here to visit you for Father's Day. But right before I was going to knock, I heard glass breaking. So I came inside." Night Light pulled away from her just enough to slip out of her with a wet 'plop'. His cum spilled out of her in a white torrent. "I see I'm not the only one, either! So who are you fucking behind Mom's back!?"

Night Light stepped aside as Twilight sat up on the table's edge, causing more of her father's semen to spill out of her pussy, still on full display.

"Hey B.B.B.F.F." she said with a weak little wave of her hoof.

"No..." Shining breathed, barely an audible whisper. Twilight watched as his face went through the entire spectrum of emotions. His initial anger had been so easy to justify, catching his father in the act of cheating, balls deep in some other mare. But of all the ponies, she was the last he would have ever expected it to be. Princess Celestia herself on that table would have been less surprising. Shining's anger vanished, replaced with disbelief. His face was one of shock before melting into a sad disappointment. It twisted into a repulsive sneer of disgusted horror. All in less than a few seconds. At last it returned back to rage as he looked back and forth at each of them.

Night Light stared at the floor in shame, unable to bear meeting his son's glare. He never even saw it coming.

In an instant, Shining took a large step toward him and reared up, bringing his clenched hoof back. Twilight couldn't react fast enough to stop him. Shining socked his father in the jaw, sending him reeling across the kitchen, breaking the wooden chairs as the blue stallion careened through them. Shining closed the distance quickly, ready to resume stomping him on the floor. Twilight shielded her father with her magic.

"You son of a BITCH!" Shining yelled, kicking the purple aura protecting Night Light. Iridescent sparks showered off with each strike.

"Shining! STOP!" Twilight cried. "Don't hurt him!"

"How could you do this!?" he yelled at him before turning to Twilight. "Both of you!"

"Shining! You don't understand the situation!" she said.

"Oh, I understand it just fine! He's been fucking you behind Mom's back!"

"No, it's not like that!" she said.

"I think I remember what I saw!" he yelled. "Fuck it! I don't even need my memory! I can see with my eyes right now!" he yelled pointing at her freshly-fucked pussy, still dripping her father's cum.

"Twilight, it's okay," Night Light muttered from the floor, sitting himself up. "I was wrong. I shouldn't have let any of this happen." Night dispelled her protective ward and looked up at his irate son, towering over him. "Let him do what he wants. I'm a bad pony." Shining was ready to oblige. Twilight jumped off the table and moved between them, her horn glowing, ready for anything.

"Dad, no!" she cried "Stop lying! This isn't your fault." She put her hoof to Shining's chest, pushing him away. "Don't hurt him!" she begged. Shining gave her the same furious glare. Twilight resigned to her own guilt. "Or are you going to beat us both?" she asked, letting the light of her horn fade away, leaving her defenseless. Shining set his hoof back down on the floor and relaxed his clenched jaw. He took a slow step back, deescalating the situation.

"Mom will decide your fate when she gets back," he said sternly.

"No! You can't tell her about this!" Night Light begged. "It would devastate her!"

"The hell I'm not!" he spat. "She deserves to know!"

"Please don't tell her about Twilight, at least! You can tell Velvet you caught me cheating, but leave your sister out of this! Please!" Night pleaded.

Shining took a deep breath, turned and paced a few steps, rubbing his forehead. He reached into his bag and pulled out a small stack of envelopes. He had grabbed the mail from the mailbox on his way in before he heard the commotion.

"Your mail," he said throwing them at Night's hooves. Shining's card was among them. "Happy Father's Day." There was also a letter from Velvet. Night Light opened it quickly. Twilight knelt beside him on the floor.

"She's going to be home this evening!" Night said, with a mix of excitement and dread.

"Shining, please! Don't tell her anything!" Twilight said. "You don't know how bad it's been for him. For both of them. Please!?" Shining sneered at his dad.

"I'm taking you out to 'celebrate Father's Day'," he said. "We're going to a bar and you are going to come home stumbling drunk. You're going to show Mom what a disappointment you actually are. And then you're sleeping on the couch. You don't deserve to sleep in the same bed as her after this!"

"Shining," Twilight tried to object.

"Or else I'm telling Mom that you cheated on her. But I'll leave Twilight out of it," he pointed at them "but this ends NOW. Or else I'm telling Mom everything."

"You're going to blackmail him!?" she said.

"Okay," Night Light resigned. He accepted his fate of hardly ever having sex with his wife, and never having amazing sex with his daughter ever again. He would do as he was told, over losing everything and ruining Twilight in her mother's eyes.

Night Light showered upstairs while Twilight cleaned up in the kitchen under her brother's disapproving glare.

"You're being a bastard," she said as she swept up the broken glass.

"Twilie, so help me if you try to claim the moral high ground-"

"I'm not saying I'm not wrong for this!" she said "Or that you wouldn't be right in telling her, but- dammit! You could be handling this a lot better!" He snorted.

"How, exactly?" he asked, taking a seat. "How exactly should I handle walking in on my dad fucking my sister?"

"I don't know! But not like this! You're going to ruin his life!" she said.

"He has done that himself! He did that when he used you!" he said. She turned and shoved him backward out of his chair, sending him spilling onto the floor.

"No! I USED HIM!" she yelled. "I seduced him. I made him feel happy. Appreciated. Mom doesn't appreciate him! She cheated on Dad first!" Shining balked, still sprawled on the floor.

"N-no! How would you know?" he asked.

"Dad told me! He found her pregnancy test in the trash last year. He's had a vasectomy since I was born. There's no reason she would need that unless she was cheating on him with some other stallion!"

"Bullshit! He must have been lying to you to justify having sex with you," he said.

"He told me before I seduced him! It's part of the reason why I did it," she said. Shining got back to his hooves, contemplating the new information.

"This changes nothing," he said. "It doesn't make what you two did right."

"Bastard."

"Shining," Night Light said from the stairs. Shining checked the clock. It was just after noon.

"Perfect. Let's go," Shining said, ushering him out the door.

~~~~~

Shining sat at the bar beside his father. The barkeep lined up two shots of liquor in front of each of them.

"Happy Father's Day," Shining said, pushing his two shots to join the others in front of Night Light. "Now drink up, Fucko!"

Twilight sat at the the kitchen table. She had taken the time that afternoon to clean the house. She returned all the empties from Night Light's sabbatical as a 'single pony' again. She didn't need her mother to think any further less of him than she was about to. She frowned as she sat there, trying to think of a way to fix all of this.

"Stupid!" she scolded herself. She had been so sure of herself the previous day. She had been so certain that her mother was the unappreciative villain, and her father was the victim of her neglect and infidelity. And she was so certain that her brother was being an asshole, bent on ruining her father's life. But in the end, she had to admit, even to herself, that there was no excusing their actions. She hadn't a leg to stand on in this argument. She had done more to destroy her father's life in a single moment of blind passion than all the alcohol in Canterlot.

She heard the door's lock jingle with a set of keys. Twilight was elated that Shining had taken mercy to bring their dad home early. She ran to the door.

"Twilight!?" her mother, Velvet, greeted. "What are you doing here?"

"Mom!?" she faltered. "Mom! You're home!" she hugged her and took her bags.

"Yes, finally. Where's your father?" she asked.

"Dad? Oh, uh, Shining took him out for Father's Day. That's why I'm here. Visiting. For Father's Day."

"Oh. He must not have gotten the letter I sent, letting him know I would be home tonight."

"Oh no!" Twilight feigned. "I hope they don't over-do it. Shining seemed pretty intent on getting him... drunk."

"That's hardly the way I want to first see him after all this time. I was hoping we could have a romantic evening." She looked at the calendar. "I guess I forgot that it was Father's Day, too."

"Well I wouldn't be too hard on him," Twilight said trying to prepare her for the worst, "He misses you. And he loves you."

"I know, Sweetie," Velvet said. "I'm sure it will be fine."

"Barkeep! Another round!" Shining called out. The bartender trotted over, eyeing up Night Light. The blue stallion's half-lidded eyes wandered as he swayed and wavered, barely able to stay in his seat.

"I think he's had enough," he said.

"Come on, it's Father's Day!" Shining said. "And I've got the... best dad in the world," he forced the words out as though they left a foul taste in his mouth. "I'll make sure he gets home safe."

"I don't think so, bud." he said, motioning to the door before he walked away. Shining got down from his bar stool and slung his father over his shoulder. Stepping outside into the fresh air, Night Light's eyes crossed, looking down his snout at his son. He gained, for a brief moment, a small bit of clarity, remembering why they were there. His eyes turned and focused on him.

"I hate you."

"No no... you hate yourself."

"Ugh, I do," he groaned.

Velvet and her daughter waited nervously on the couch. It was dark out hours ago and the guys hadn't come home yet.

"I'm getting worried," Velvet said. "Your father never goes out this late."

"Don't worry," Twilight said, "Shining promised to bring him home." Unfortunately.

They both turned to look at the sound of the door being unlocked. Shining Armor, stone sober, unlocked the door and opened it.

"Here we are, home sweet home," he announced, holding the door open for Night Light. His father didn't so much step inside, as fall inside, flopping onto the carpet. "Oh, you." Shining said, looking into the home. Velvet looked at them from the couch. Twilight glared at him from behind her, staring daggers into him. "Oh. Mom! You're back from your trip!" he feigned. He stepped over his father to go give her a hug. Velvet shoved him aside.

"Night Light!? Nightie!?" she said as she and Twilight tried to help him up. "What happened?"

"Oh, this animal!" Shining said with a chuckle. "He was just out of control tonight! I was like, 'hey Dad, maybe you should slow down', but he was all like 'fuggoff'," Shining imitated in a gruff voice. "Isn't that right, Daaad?"

"Erry wurd" Night slurred into the rug.

"Night Light!?" Velvet scoffed.

"Sarry hun, ah gus um juss a oudda cundrol annamill!" he slurred.

"Here, let's get him on the couch," Shining said in a far-too-cheery tone, levitating the poor stallion onto the sofa. He turned to Velvet. "I'm sorry you have to see Dad like this." Night Light felt his world spinning as Shining levitated him. He turned and retched onto the rug. "Oh, geez Dad! Another one of your messes for me to clean. I hope you don't pee yourself."

"That's enough!" Twilight barked. "Dad, are you okay?" Velvet ran to the kitchen to fetch some paper towels, and knelt beside the couch to clean up the floor while Twilight helped to steady her father.

"It's okay Night, you just over-did it a little. But at least you're both home safe," Velvet said. Shining looked back and forth at the two mares doting on the drunk stallion. Twilight would occasionally give Shining a sharp glare as she worked. Twilight went and got a bucket to put beside the couch for him. Shining stood there, waiting for them to get mad at Night for getting so intoxicated, but it never came. He looked at his father on the couch. He looked like he had a terrible illness. Shining hadn't drank at all that night, but he suddenly felt sick to his stomach.

This was the pony that raised him. Played catch with him in the back yard. Taught him how to be a good stallion. Even as his wife was cheating on him with Shining. His plan had served to get Night Light on the couch. But maybe he had gone too far tonight.

Velvet finished cleaning. "I am exhausted from my trip and I would like to get some sleep. We'll start over tomorrow."

"Of course, Mom," Shining said.

"Good night," Twilight said. Velvet went to their bedroom. Twilight and Shining each went to their old foalhood bedrooms for the night.

~~~~~

Twilight couldn't sleep. It had easily been the worst day of her life. She couldn't even imagine how awkward breakfast was going to be. Especially if Night Light was so hungover. She looked at the clock on her nightstand. It was now so late that it was early. Twilight poked her head out of her door. She needed to help her dad somehow. She silently crept downstairs to the first floor bathroom. For as often as he must have been drunk, he was sure to have some-

"Ah ha." Twilight grabbed the hangover treatment potion and brought it out to her dad on the couch. "Dad?" she whispered, trying to shake him awake. "Dad, wake up."

"Hnng? Twi?"

"Dad, drink this."

"No more drinks," he groaned.

"It's medicine. Here, sit up." She rolled him off of his belly and onto his back. His morning wood swung out and stood erect as he sat upright. In that moment, she wanted nothing more than to sit on his lap and make him feel better as she gave him the potion. Make him happy again. But they were in enough trouble from that as it was. "Drink," she said, helping him hold the bottle. He took a few slow sips until it was all gone. His eyes brightened up a little. He swayed a little. She caught him with her hooves. His cock brushed against her. They both looked down at it, between them. Twilight reached down and held it with her hoof, giving it slow strokes. Night Light put his hoof on hers and pushed it away.

"No. We can't," he sighed, gaining more of his sobriety. "Just... let me rest. I still hurt."

"Okay, Daddy." Twilight forced back her tears. "I love you,"

"I love you too, sweetie. We'll get through this." He laid down and rolled over. He was asleep in moments.

Twilight tip-toed back upstairs. She heard the creaking of wood. She froze, stalk-still on the stairs, fearing that she would wake her brother with the noise. He would assume the worst of her going downstairs to their dad. She heard the creaking again. It wasn't her. She feared that her brother was awake and getting out of bed. She didn't dare move. Her ears strained at the noise. She could hear it more now, just barely at the edge of her range of hearing.

She moved upstairs, agonizingly slow, focusing on the noise. She reached the upstairs hallway. She moved toward her bedroom. Her head whipped around looking toward the sound from the other end of the hall, expecting to see him behind her.

Nothing. She feared that Shining had gotten up to use the upstairs bathroom. But the bathroom's door was wide open and was no movement inside. She went past her bedroom getting closer to the noise. Her mother's door was closed. Mostly. It was open just a bare crack. The creaking noise was definitely coming from inside. She peeked through the opening, expecting to find her mother tossing and turning, perhaps talking to herself in her restless sleep.

Silhouetted against the window's moonlight, Twilight could see everything. Her brother, Shining Armor, balls-deep in their mother, Twilight Velvet.

"Oh Mom, I'm gonna cum-"

"Shining, not inside! You're going to get me pregnant again!"

"You!
FFFF-FUCKING!
HYPOCRITE!!!" Twilight roared, kicking the door in.

For a brief instant, in the blinding magenta light of her horn's spell, Twilight could see on their faces the twin looks of abject terror. The kinetic strike of her spell slammed into her brother with the force of a train. He was ejected from between Velvet's legs and slammed into the far wall, knocking picture frames to the floor.

"YOU! MOTHER! FUCKER!" she yelled, not even acknowledging the appropriateness of the curse.

"UNG!" Shining yelped, both in pain from the attack and in climax as his cock helplessly spurted involuntarily into the cold air. The combination, along with her element of surprise had him keenly vulnerable. He tried to scurry away from her into the corner, making himself as small as possible. Twilight gripped him in her magic, pressing him up against the wall, up off of the floor. She squeezed him against the wall in her magic, crushing the air out of him. The plaster of the wall began to crumble under the force. Shining's cock continued to dribble as he finished ejaculating.

"I should cut it off!

"Twilight! STOP!" Velvet cried. "Don't hurt him!"

Twilight's own words from defending her father earlier, echoed in her mother's voice now.

Twilight released him, letting him fall to the floor in a heap, gasping for air.

"You fucking hypocrite." Twilight spat on Shining's cheek. Velvet scurried from the bed over to help Shining. "You've been cheating on Cadance! You were the one Mom was cheating with this whole time! You were even reckless enough to get her preg-"

Twilight froze. Her mouth ajar in revelation.

"No-"

"...it should be a 50/50 split. I should have half yours, and half hers. But instead, I have 75% of Mom's genes, and 25% of yours."
"You get 25% from each grandparent. But how do you get 75% from somepony?"

"Shining's my...?"

The look on Velvet's face was all the confirmation she needed. Shining had half of Velvet's genes, and half of Night Light's. The answer was so obvious now.

"Shining's my- f-f-father!?" Twilight gasped.

"Yes," Velvet cried into her hooves.

"WHAT!?" Shining scoffed.

"It's true," Velvet told him.

"That's how long this has been going on!?" Twilight did the math with her own age. "He was just a colt!"

"I know!" Velvet sobbed. "I'm a terrible mother!"

Shining was still in shock.

"You can not tell Night Light! Not about any of this!" Velvet said between sobs "And especially not about Shining being your father!"

Twilight didn't even flinch.

"DAD!"

Night Light, feeling much better, stumbled as fast as he could fall up the stairs. His nausea and headache were gone. But only time could rid his body of the intoxicating effects of alcohol.

"Twi!?" he called into her bedroom.

"In here," Twilight said. He tripped and stumbled down the hall to his bedroom. He could see the carnage of the spells. Broken picture frames and cracked walls.

"The fuc- what the hell happened in here!?" he asked, still half asleep. "Am I still drunk?"

"Night, I-" Velvet was cut off.

"Shining was fucking Mom," Twilight blatantly reported.

"What!?" Night asked in disbelief. But his nose told him all he needed to know. The room reeked of sex. Fresh cum stained the carpet. The bed was a disheveled mess.

Twilight was awaiting a justified, angry outburst.

Shining braced himself for a second beating. None came.

Nopony but Velvet knew what would happen next.

Too tired, drunk or saddened, Night Light collapsed. His legs gave out and he fell to the floor. The news literally broke him. It was the final straw on an already strained pony. Tears ran down his cheeks and his mouth gaped in a silent wail. He hadn't even the strength to cry out. The pain was too great. His entire family bore witness to the exact moment his heart ripped in half. Velvet rushed over to him, cradling his head in her hooves.

"Night, I'm so sorry!" she said, holding him. She looked down at him. He looked up at her. At last he drew a breath. Velvet, knowing what was coming next, held him tight to her chest as he cried out, bawling into her fur. She glanced over at Shining, still recovering in the corner, both physically and emotionally. Velvet looked up at Twilight. There was no anger in her eyes, as she looked at her daughter. Only calm concern that she'd have to see him like this.

I've destroyed this family, Velvet thought to herself as she held her broken husband.

For several minutes, nopony dared move. Nopony spoke. As though whatever tenuous fiber was left holding things together might break for good.

"I think he's asleep," Velvet whispered at last, feeling her husband's steady breathing against her chest. Velvet lifted him gently in her magic, setting him in his bed, where he belonged, and she tucked him in. "Shining, go to your room." He didn't object. He did as he was told like an obedient colt without a word. "Twilight, come downstairs with me. We have a lot to talk about."