Luna watched the knife as it carefully hung in front of her face. It was held aloft in a glow of yellow magic. It would be trivial to grab it from its holder or to even simply bat it away. But she couldn’t do that. If she did she would face the wrath of the four other glowing horns that surrounded her.
A glance to her right and her eyes met her sister’s. They held an emotion she hoped she’d never see again. Disappointment. Disappointment laced with anger. Explain yourself, they demanded, but she had no answer. She’d have to know what she did wrong to have one.
*********
Celestia sat in her chambers with her sister by her side. It had become a ritual between them since Luna’s return to discuss their days as they transitioned between the day and night. And it was no different today as the two found themselves discussing all manner of trivial things.
“And then I said, ‘You’d best show yourself out’,” Luna finished her latest tale with uproarious laughter. “At least I had a good view as he stormed away.”
The older sister chuckled. “It seems the time has come yet again,” she softly said.
“What time?” Luna cocked her head to the side.
“The heat,” Celestia simply replied.
Luna laughed again. “Oh, that.”
Silence fell over the two until Celestia awkwardly felt the need to break it. “So,” she said carefully. “Do you have a plan this year? I don’t believe you have a partner.”
Luna waved her hoof. “Oh please, sister. I don’t need a plan. I simply won’t partake this year.”
Celestia raised an eyebrow. “That is a dangerous thing you are proposing. The heat is a very powerful drive. Not many have the strength to resist it.”
“I know what I am doing,” Luna reassured. “I was on the moon for a thousand years alone, remember. I think I can handle a few months.”
*********
Luna stumbled into Celestia’s chambers again a few nights later. The older sister was not surprised to see her. She chuckled and asked, “I see you had some fun tonight.”
“Indeed,” Luna cheerfully replied. “It was a most amazing rendezvous. Why did I ever believe I could go without it?”
The two sisters shared a laugh together. “So,” Celestia said after a moment. “Who was the lucky stallion?”
Luna shrugged. “I do not know. But I do know he has a most wonderful flank.”
Celestia shook her head and smiled. She really should have expected that.
*********
Tearing her gaze away from her sister, Luna took in the rest of the room. Across from her sat the Sparkle family, the two Twilights in front. Velvet was closer, wearing an almost murderous glare, magic flaring as much as it could. Luna was confident she could disarm her, even if she would take a few hits in the process.
“I’m sure you’d like an explanation,” Luna spoke slowly. She has to choose her words carefully, lest she upset the delicate balance hanging all around her.
The knife twisted in the air.
“That would be nice, yes,” Velvet responded coldly, still staring Luna down. Something about that look in her eye made Luna feel cold to her core.
*********
Velvet was starting to panic. He’s never been this late coming home from a meeting before. Sure, sometimes they ran over the limit, the head of the astronomy society was such a blabbermouth, but never this much. She glanced at the clock again. 12:30. Half past midnight. Canterlot may be the capital of Equestria, but it was still dangerous at this time of night.
She was about to storm down to the castle herself when the door shot open. “Oh, Night, you're finally home. I was starting to worry, you know.”
Her smile fell when she took him in. His face was so empty as he started down at the floor. He shook as he walked and his ears were clamped against his head. He didn’t even respond to her.
“Dear, are you alright?” she asked, reaching out a hoof to try and comfort him. She flinched backwards as he smacked it away.
“I’m fine,” he said, his voice lacking emotion. He walked past her without ever looking up. “I need to take a shower.”
That was all he said before she heard the bathroom door slam shut. Folding her ears against her head, she quietly returned to their bedroom to wait for him.
He slept in the guest bedroom that night.
*********
Velvet grew used to this new routine she’d been forced into since that night. Her husband didn’t look at her most of the time. He never let her close, always flashing his horn as bright as he could if she tried.
Every few hours, he’d return to that bathroom to shower. Every time he did she’d quietly wait on the couch to see if he’d talk to her this time. He never did.
He ate his meals alone. He slept in that guest bedroom. He never smiled. He never even looked through that telescope he loved so much. Even just the sight of it seemed to make him sick.
It broke Velvet to see him this way. And it hurt even more to not know how to help. How could she, if she didn’t even know what happened that night?
*********
“I did not know that he was your husband,” Luna said, gauging Velvet’s reaction with each word. The other mare’s scowl only deepened.
The glow around the knife wavered for a moment.
“And that makes it better?” Velvet coolly spat. She took a step forward but was stopped by her daughter.
Twilight Sparkle shook her head. “Let me handle this,” she quietly said to Velvet. She cleared her throat and stood up tall, looking like a proper alicorn. “What exactly did you do?” she demanded neutrally but with all the force of a booming shout.
Luna faltered imperceptibly. She had to tread even more lightly now. Velvet she could handle, for even though she was a competent spellcaster, she was still just a unicorn. Twilight, though, had power to rival even Celestia. And her charged horn was aimed right at her.
*********
Twilight ran to open the door when she heard the knocking. It had been so long since the whole family had been together. And with Princess Luna’s important announcement she intended to make, what a wonderful opportunity to invite everypony.
“Welcome,” she said as she drew her mother into a hug. “I’m so glad you guys could make it.”
“Well, we needed an excuse to get out of that stuffy house anyway,” her mother replied.
Twilight stepped back to embrace her father but stopped when she saw him. He looked so tired and lifeless. Nothing like the stallion that had raised her all those years. “Everything okay, Dad?” she asked.
“I’m fine,” was all he said as he moved past her further into the castle.
Twilight faced her mother again. “Is he alright?”
Velvet shook her head. “He’s been like this the past few weeks,” she sighed, stepping inside and quietly following after him. “I just don’t know what to do. He won’t talk to me.”
“Maybe I can try,” Twilight suggested.
“Please do,” her mother said. “I can’t stand to see him this way.”
Twilight gave her mother another quick hug before trotting to catch up with her father. When she found him he was in the kitchen, absentmindedly observing one of her glasses.
She took a few deep breaths before saying, “Hey,” he didn't turn around. Just continued to twirl that glass through the air. He wasn’t even really looking at it. “So,” she started again. “How was your trip?”
“Fine,” he said. She waited for him to say more but he never did.
She laughed nervously. “That’s good. You, uh, see any good stars recently.”
He flinched and the cup wavered. “No,” he said.
“Oh,” Twilight replied. “Well that’s too bad, huh?”
The clock on the wall clicked away as neither of them spoke. Clearly small talk was getting them nowhere. Time to just cut to the chase. “Are you sure you’re fine?” she asked, stepping just a bit closer to him.
“Yes,” he said as he scooted closer to the counter.
Twilight sighed. “I know that’s not true,” she said. “You won’t even look at me.” She took another step towards him.
“I’m fine,” he repeated forcefully, lighting his horn brightly.
A quiet tension settled around the two as neither one wanted to speak or even move. Twilight wanted so desperately to reach out, but how could she when he refused to speak to her.
The tension was broken when Velvet walked into the kitchen. “How’s it going,” she whispered.
“Not well,” Twilight replied.
“I see,” Velvet said. “That’s to be expected, I suppose.” She cleared her throat. “That’s not what I came here for, though.”
Twilight tilted her head curiously. “Then what?”
Velvet smiled. “You never said what you invited us for, you know. Come on. Spill. What’s the big surprise?”
“Well,” Twilight began. “If you really want to know.” She paused for just a moment, to build suspense. “Princess Luna has a big announcement to make! She’s coming over tonight!”
The sound of glass shattering filled the room. Twilight whipped her around to see her dad frozen, surrounded by a pile of broken glass. His eyes were wild and his breathing was rapid. As he fell to the floor, Twilight knew what was happening.
He was having a panic attack.
Acting quickly, she did the only thing she could think to do. Carefully avoiding the glass, she sat next to her father and wrapped one of her wings around him, bringing him in close. He didn’t fight. He just shut his eyes and buried his face into her coat.
Twilight used her free hoof to stroke his head, quietly whispering assurances to him, just as he had done for her when she was young. She silently watched as Velvet settled in on his other side.
That sat there for a long time as the panic slowly faded away. And all the while Twilight swore to herself that she would find out who broke him. They were not getting away with this, no matter who they were.
*********
“We met at a meeting of the royal astronomers,” Luna said. “We had a private moment.”
The knife edged closer to her face.
“Is that all?” Twilight demanded again, even more coldly this time. Luna could feel the pressure in the room increasing.
“I have said all that happened. We only met for that one night,” Luna watched as Twilight’s magic flared. She prepared to cast a shield but the light quickly dimmed.
“I don’t think you're telling the truth. At least not the whole truth,” Twilight continued to interrogate her.
A whimper caught Luna’s ear. She flicked her eyes away from Twilight to see little Flurry Heart hiding behind her mother’s leg. Though her body looked afraid, her eyes held a fire of anger within them.
Young alicorn’s magic is unpredictable. It would be best to placate this child now, before she blew up.
*********
Grandpa didn’t smile when he saw her. That was the first thing Flurry noticed when she arrived at Auntie Twilight’s castle. He always greeted her with a smile. And a hug. And maybe a kiss on the head too.
But now he just lay on the couch, looking all tuckered out and sleepy. Even Grandma wasn’t making him happy. Well she’d just have to fix that.
“Hi Grandpa!” she cheerfully shouted.
He didn’t respond.
She went up closer and shook him softly. “I said ‘Hi Grandpa’”
He finally looked up and the smile fell off Flurry’s face. He looked like he got all the color sucked out of him. “Oh, hello Flurry,” he said, carefully reaching up a hoof to pat her on the head.
“Why do you look so sad?” she asked.
“It's nothing,” he said as he shook his head. “I’m fine.”
She wanted to ask more questions but Grandma quietly motioned for her to stop. She huffed but held her tongue. It wasn’t fair.
So she sat on the floor coloring pictures for Grandpa to try and make him smile instead. Nothing worked. He complimented them, sure, but never said more than a few words. At least the atmosphere was pleasant.
That all changed, however, when Great Aunties Celestia and Luna arrived. Suddenly Grandpa got all stiff and the air got all thick. She watched the adults exchange pleasantries, but everything seemed too wooden to her. Like she was watching a play or something.
Things didn't get any better when they all sat down for dinner. In fact it may have gotten worse. Everypony ate in silence. It made her scared to lift her fork, lest she get everypony’s attention.
Eventually Auntie Twilight put her fork down and said with an awkward smile, “So,” she began, with everypony else looking up at her. “We all know why we’re here, right? For Luna’s big announcement.” Everypony nodded and mumbled in mild curiosity. “Well, Luna, why don’t you share?”
The pressure was intense as Great Auntie Luna slowly put her fork down and sat up from her seat. She took a cursory look around, took a few sips of water, and spoke, “I do indeed have an announcement to make. And it is truly wonderful,” she paused to glean everypony’s reactions before finally saying, “I am pregnant.”
It all happened so quickly. Grandpa shot up from the table, knocking over his chair in the process. Flurry ran behind her mother when she saw the knife he was wielding. Grandma and Auntie Twilight moved next, standing protectively in front of Grandpa. Great Auntie Celestia just lit her horn and waited for any kind of movement.
Flurry didn’t know what to do. All she knew is that everypony was mad at Great Auntie Luna and Grandpa was upset. And nopony was allowed to make Grandpa upset.
*********
“I tell you the truth, Twilight,” Luna said. “We had a wonderful time.”
The knife wavered again.
“Then why is he so upset?” Twilight spoke slowly, punctuating each word.
“I know not,” she replied. “Perhaps because he was not sure at first. But he overcame that. All stallions do eventually.”
A growl forced Luna to finally look at the holder of the knife. Night Light stared at her with wild eyes. So hurt and angry yet also so very afraid. “Is that,” he said. “Is that seriously how you’re going to justify rape?”
A choked sob and the knife fell to the table. Movement from across the table. A blast rang out, lighting up the room. Silence fell as the dust settled. And Luna hit the floor.
