Only As Old As You Feel

by Jade Ring

First published

Night Light is wasting his life away. Maybe his daughter-in-law can help him out...

Since suffering a terrible loss, Night Light has isolated himself and resigned himself to a life of loneliness.

Perhaps a night with his daughter-in-law can change all that.

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My entry into the princess of infidelity Contest.

Contains May-December relations and reckless over-use of the word "Daddy."

Cover art borrowed from iloota.

Only As Old As You Feel

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"Can't sleep either?"

Night Light looked up from his book and smiled at his daughter-in-law as she entered the room. "Never could sleep the day before a big presentation."

It was a hot summer night in the city outside, but the air conditioning made it nice and cool here in the house. Shining Armor and Cadance had come over for dinner with Night Light, and the young officer had lost track of how many drinks he'd imbibed after getting a little too into telling the story of a recent drug bust. Now dinner had become an impromptu overnight stay, and the eldest child of Twilight Velvet was now snoring his way towards one hell of a hangover.

Cadance, clad in the guest bathrobe, made her way into the living room and took a seat on the couch beside Night Light's recliner, sipping from a glass of water. "Nervous?"

"Nervous isn't the right word." The older man said, closing his book and removing his reading glasses. He examined them idly in the light of the lamp beside him. "That's the way it used to be, of course. Public speaking comes with the job, but I've never really been a fan. But no, that's not so much the issue these days. These days it's the realization that each presentation is just one more on the countdown to the Big Letter R."

"Is retirement such a bad thing?" Cadance put her glass down on the coffee table and offered a caring look. "You've been in academia for thirty years, Night. Won't it be nice to have some time to yourself for once?"

"You've been married to Shining Armor for four years now, Cadance. Call me Dad. I've reminded you enough times." He snorted irritably.

"Sorry, Ni... I mean, Dad." Cadance offered apologetically.

"And time for myself? To do what, I ask you? Sit in this empty house, counting down to visits from my kids every once in a blue moon, trying my hands at hobbies of all sorts until I eventually die?" He put his glasses down on the table and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "This isn't how this was supposed to be, you know? I was looking forward to retirement. Until..." Her name caught in his throat, and he reined himself in before he started crying in front of the young woman beside him.

Cadance understood, and she reached out to put a hand on his leg. "It's okay. We all miss her."

Had it really been eight years since Twilight Velvet had been taken from them? Eight years since all of Night Light's plans and dreams of finally having the time to travel and see the world with his wife beside him had been destroyed by that rogue semi-truck? Eight years since...?

Night Light reached down and covered Cadance's hand with his own. He squeezed it gently and smiled at her. "I know."

"There's never been a right time to ask, but..." Cadance looked away. "As far as you sitting in an empty house, well... It has been almost a decade, Dad." She looked back at him, a small hopeful smile on her face. "Have you considered getting back out there? Maybe meeting someone new?"

Night Light shook his head. "Velvet was my soul mate, Cadance."

"I know. But do you really think she'd want you wallowing in misery for the rest of your life?"

"What 'rest of my life?' I'm an old man, Cadance."

Cadance raised an eyebrow. "You're barely fifty, Dad."

"It's... Look, Cadance, I appreciate the thought, but what would Twilight and Shining Armor say?"

"They'd be happy for you." Cadance squeezed his thigh. "They want you to be happy."

Night Light stared at the coffee table, unwilling to look his daughter-in-law in the face. "I don't know, Cadance. I just don't think I have anything to offer."

"You'd be surprised." Cadance murmured. She looked to the clock. "Well, if you won't take advice from the woman her classmates used to call the Princess of Love, then let me ask you this; is there anything I can do to help you? Relax, I mean? You need a good night's rest." She smirked. "I can't have you falling asleep in front of my students, can I?"

"They are coming to see the show tomorrow, aren't they? Those poor children. They have no idea what their dean is planning to make them endure." Night Light chuckled and shook his head. "No, nothing you can do, I'm afraid. I'll just have to sit here and read until I pass out."

"Is that what you did when Velvet was here?"

Night Light flushed as he recalled his wife's usual way of relaxing him the night before a lecture. "I'm afraid that you couldn't help me the way she could."

"And why not?"

Night Light looked sharply at his daughter-in-law, expecting to see her holding in laughter, to be comically waggling her eyebrows, or something silly like that. Instead, she was staring at him intently, leaning forward just enough that robe's top opened to expose the slimmest shadow of cleavage. "Uh... Cadance..."

"How long have we known each other... Dad?" She punctuated the last word with another squeeze on Night's pajamaed thigh.

The older man swallowed. "Over a decade. Since you started baby-sitting Twilight." He reached for her water, his throat suddenly parched. "You've become a fine young woman, Cadance."

"Thank you. And you've always been a great man. A loving husband, a doting father... Shining Armor thinks the world of you." She squeezed again. "And so do I. Which is why I want to help you."

"Cadance, I told you; I really don't think..."

"Can I tell you a secret, Dad?" Her hand slid away from his and snatched the water glass before he could take it.

He cleared his throat, picking up his glasses as though they had always been his goal. "Of course, Cadance. You can tell me anything. You know that."

She took a delicate sip and stared into her watery reflection. "When I first started coming over here, before Shining Armor and I started dating... I had the biggest crush on you."

Night Light smiled uneasily as he returned his glasses to his face. "So, you had poor taste in men even then?"

Cadance laughed lightly, but didn't look away from the water. "It was so silly. All of my friends were crushing on sports stars, or singers, or models. But me? I had the hots for the university's head of astronomy." She ran one thin finger around the glass' rim. "I'll never forget that day that you and Velvet hired me. The way you looked at me, then took off your glasses, and polished them on your shirt?" She shivered. "I think that might have been my sexual awakening."

Night Light blinked slowly behind said glasses and cleared his throat. He slowly crossed his legs in a way that he hoped looked nonchalant. "Is that so?"

Cadance nodded. "Of course, the more I was around and saw how much of a family man you were, I knew that my childish fantasies of stealing you away were just that; fantasies. Unrealistic. Luckily for me you had a son who had quite the crush on me. So, when you think about it, a major reason that Shining Armor and I are together is because you turned me on so much. Isn't that funny?"

Night Light swallowed harder as he watched Cadance take another sip. Watched the way her lips puckered as she drank. "Yes." He whispered. "Very funny."

"What about you?"

He started. "What about me?"

She finally looked at him, her gaze heavy, her eyebrow raised. "Did you ever get turned on by the babysitter?"

He could've lied. Could've ended the conversation right there. But something in the air and the look in her eyes made that impossible. "...I'm not proud of it. What man wouldn't? You were... you are... a beautiful young woman."

Cadance smiled. "Thank you." She leaned forward again. "Did you ever...?"

He caught the implication, and took a deep breath before answering her question with one of his own. "...Did you?"

"Oh, loads of times." Cadance said without hesitation. "In fact, I think you're tied with Shining Armor in most appearances in my fantasies. There was one night that you and Velvet went out and Shining Armor was out of town for a convention. I went into your bedroom, took one of your shirts from the hamper, and got so horny smelling it that I had to take care of myself right there on your bed. I'm shocked Twilight didn't wake up with how loud I got. Or that you and Velvet never said anything about the comforter." She smirked. "I leaked a little..."

"Jesus, Cadance." Night Light gripped the armrests of his recliner. "What is all this?"

"I'm just trying to prove to you that I can help you relax the same way Velvet did." Cadance put the glass down and traced a finger along her robe bound chest, tracing the swell of her bust. "It's been a long time since you were with a woman."

Night Light took the glass and sipped, noticing the imprint of her lips when he finished. "Is that wrong of me? I could never love another like her."

"And that's very sweet. But you're also a man. And men have needs."

"It's as I said; I'm an old man."

Cadance laughed aloud, tossing her hair as she did so. "Stop that. You're not that old, Dad. And, if you'll let me, I can show you how I know."

Night Light drained the glass and placed it back on the table. "What about Shining Armor? What would he say?"

"He's passed out on the other side of the house. He doesn't really factor into this." Cadance's fingers reached the robe's hem, tugging up and revealing more of her thigh. "I'm not trying to have an affair with you, Dad. Just... trying to help you relax. Just being a good daughter-in-law." She mock-pouted. "Is that wrong of me?"

Night Light chewed the inside of his cheek. Deep in his soul, the older and wiser part of him was telling him off for even considering such a thing. The untamed youth of his past, however, was screaming at him that he couldn't throw this opportunity away. It had been such a long time since he'd felt a woman's touch. Would one little transgression really be the worst thing in the world? "You won't tell Shining Armor?"

"Why?" She cocked her head. "Will you?"

He shook his head. "Never."

"Then there's nothing to worry about, is there?" Her quick hands undid the robe's belt, and she shrugged it away. Since she and Shining Armor hadn't been planning to stay the night, improvised sleeping attire was called for. In Cadance's case, it was a plain white tank top, a black pair of panties, and her work leggings. She smiled playfully at the way Night Light's eyes got just a little wider at the sight of her. "Just tell me what I can do for you... Daddy."

Night Light's teeth chattered slightly as a rush of adrenaline went through him. The way she called him that... After years of almost no arousal, it seemed like his body was making up for lost time. Slowly, he uncrossed and slightly spread his legs. "Uh... Velvet... she would help me relax by... by... uh..." He choked up, unable to say what it was that he wanted out loud.

Luckily, Cadance picked up on it immediately. "Would she suck you off?" She purred.

Night Light could only nod.

Slowly, with cat-like grace, Cadance sunk to the floor and settled on her knees before her father-in-law. Her hands touched his ankles and slowly slid up his legs to his thighs. She could see his hardness now, a tent in the pajama's cloth, and one of her hands slid over to grasp it. His moan was music to her ears, and she gave it a few slow pumps to try and properly measure it. "I always wondered how big it was." She whispered, leaning in closer. "What it looked like." She rubbed her cheek along his length, loving the heat of it. "What it tasted like." She kissed the cloth, then ran her tongue up the full length of the shaft. Without taking her eyes off of her prize, she reached up, grabbed the waistband of his pajamas, and slowly drew them down. His erection popped free, dark blue and throbbing. Without preamble, she put her tongue at the base and drew it up all the way to the tip.

Night Light moaned aloud as his daughter-in-law took his cockhead into her mouth, running her tongue in a long, languid circle around the mushroom tip. The moan became a hiss as she leaned in, taking more of his length into the warm wetness of her mouth. He'd forgotten just how good it felt to have someone else touching his manhood, let alone sucking on it. And on top of that? Cadance was an absolute pro. Her pace was relaxed, her head bobbing at a smooth and steady pace. Her tongue alternated between circling his head's rim and sliding over the top, teasing his slit. One of her hands rubbed his thigh, while the other found its way to his penis' base and encircled it. Night Light actually threw his head back and gave a little cry when Cadance seamlessly began stroking whatever cockflesh wasn't in her mouth.

Cadance moaned as she pleasured her father-in-law. His cock was everything she'd ever dreamed it would be. And, though it was probably her own arousal talking, he was also just a bit bigger than his son. Bonus. She gave him one good hard suck before letting his cock pop out of her mouth. She smirked as she continued to pump him, making sure to mix her saliva with the precum that was now freely flowing. "Is that good, Daddy? Are you starting to feel relaxed?"

Night Light looked down at her and nodded, watching intently as she stroked his now slickened member.

"You know, you never answered my question." Her free hand left Night Light's thigh and found its way to his balls, cupping and testing their weight.

"What question?" Night managed to choke out. He was desperately holding on, trying not to cum, trying to keep this moment going for as long as possible.

"Did you ever touch yourself to the thought of me?"

Night Light tensed. "Um..."

"It's okay. You can tell me." She leaned down and gave his scrotum a quick lick, loving the little jump that came from the older man. "I won't be mad."

"Once." He muttered. "Just once."

"When?" She asked, then took his length back into her mouth as she listened.

Night Light moaned and laid a hand on top of Cadance's head. She hummed happily at the touch, and he smiled. "It was... homecoming during Shining Armor's senior year. You were cheerleading. You... God, keep doing that... seeing you bounce around in that outfit... it was the first time I'd ever thought of you as more than a babysitter or Shining Armor's girlfriend. And then...ah! And then you did this one trick where your skirt went up a little and..." She had to clench his abs to keep from cumming when Cadance took him deep, her nose briefly dipping into his pubic hair. "And it looked like you didn't have any panties on."

Cadance came off his cock with a small gasp and licked her lips. "You liked the outfit, huh? So, when did you do it? Later that night?"

"No." Night Light was already flushed, but he grew darker. "I ran to the restroom and did it right there."

Cadance gaped at him, her ministrations freezing. "You mean you jacked off to me right there in the stadium? That's how hot I made you?" When Night Light nodded, Cadance grinned. "Don't. Move."

"Wait. What?" But she was already gone, running down the dark hallway towards the room she was sharing with Shining Armor. Night Light sat there in genuine disbelief. She'd said she was doing this to help him relax, but he was now the complete opposite of relaxed. He kicked himself for biting back that last attempt at climax. Now he was just sitting here with his pants around his ankles with a hard-on pointed at the ceiling. It was like the worst nights of college were back with a vengeance. Why had she left him in this state? Had she been teasing him? Testing him? Was she even now shaking Shining Armor awake to tell him what his father had almost done to his wife? No, of course not. She wouldn't do that. But then why...?

He groaned with irritation. He couldn't think like this. If she wasn't going to finish the job, then he would just have to do it himself. They'd just have to talk about this whole stupid little scene later. He reached for his cock, ready to finish himself off quickly...

"Ah, ah, ah." A voice that just oozed sex came from the dark hallway that Cadance had run down. "I'm not finished with that."

Night Light watched in stunned silence as his daughter-in-law returned. The improvised pajamas were gone. In their place was the purple, yellow, and silver accents of a Crystal Prep Academy cheerleader's uniform, still in perfect condition. Cadance had obviously grown since the last time she'd worn it, and her bust pushing out gave the top an accidental midriff, but otherwise? It was still quite the nice fit. She'd even tied her hair up in a classic ponytail, the way she'd worn it all through high school. "How...?" He stared at her and sputtered. "Where...?"

"Shining Armor let me store some old things in his room when we got our new place." The Dean of Crystal Prep did a little spin, slightly flaring the knee length skirt. "He's still asleep, by the way. No need to worry about that."

Night Light watched as she began to dance, the grandfather clock's metronome helping to keep her on beat. She rolled her hips and threw her body around in a rough approximation of one of her old dance routines. His cock throbbed at the sight of his daughter-in-law dancing for him, her image a perfect blend of the girl she'd been and the woman she'd become. As she danced, she drew closer, her eyes hooded and locked on his. She twirled again and stopped so that she was facing away from him. Her fingers reached down to her skirt and pulled it taut, showing off the shape of her ass she danced. Without missing a beat, she slowly lowered herself back until she was sitting on her father-in-law's lap. She leaned back and writhed against him, her hands sliding off of her body and finding his.

Night Light swallowed hard as the young woman gave him his first lap dance in decades. He let her lift his hands and place them on the swell of her breasts. He squeezed on instinct, and her pleased gasp sent another shock of arousal through his body. He buried his face in her neck, kissing and licking her pink skin. She tasted like strawberries and lotion. He could smell her shampoo; lilac and coconut. He wanted to drown in it. He wanted nothing more than to bite her, to mark her, to feel that tender flesh between his teeth and hear the sounds of pleasure he somehow knew she would make. He wantonly groped her breasts, felt her nipples harden through the shirt's material, and knew that she wasn't wearing a bra. His cock pulsed, spreading precum on the pajama shirt and uniform skirt between which it was sandwiched.

Cadance panted slightly, both from arousal and exertion. She hadn't danced like this in ages. Her hips felt like they were on fire. She slowed, her dance becoming more of a general grind. She could feel Night's hardness, separated from her by only the uniform. Reluctantly, she pulled one of his hands from her breast and guided it lower down. It came willingly as she passed it over her exposed tummy, down her skirt-clad legs, and then up under said skirt to where she needed to feel it most.

They both moaned at the moment when his fingers met her bare pussy.

"Cadance..." Night Light groaned.

"I'll tell you a little secret, Daddy." Cadance used Night's fingers to trace her lower lips, showing him just how wet she was. "I wasn't wearing panties that night either."

Night Light could take no more. Cadance was right. He was still a man. And every man has a breaking point.

Cadance yelped as Night Light stood suddenly. She toppled forward onto the couch and looked back over her shoulder just in time to see her father-in-law pulling his pajama shirt over his head. She moaned at the sight of his exposed chest. Night Light would never win any body-building competitions, but she could still see where her husband got his natural build from. And she approved. Boy, did she ever. She eagerly hiked up her skirt as he kicked his pants all the way off.

Night Light took in the sight of his son's wife bent over in front of him, her plump pink ass in the air, her soaked cunt exposed for all to see. He went to remove his glasses...

"Don't!" Cadance cried.

Night Light froze, looking at her questioningly.

"Leave them on?" Cadance looked away, her blush evident.

Night Light remembered her confession, and very nearly growled as he climbed onto the couch behind her, taking his cock in his hand and positioning it where he knew she wanted it.

Where they both needed it.

"Fuck!" Night Light moaned as he sank into her. She was molten on the inside it seemed. Hot and wet and tight. His hands found her hips as he pushed deeper inside. He relished each moment, each inch.

And Cadance? As she felt her pussy filled by her very first crush, she very nearly came. She grabbed pillow and buried her face in it to stifle her cry. She couldn't risk Shining Armor waking up and ruining this. There was no guilt, no regret. She hadn't meant for it to go this far, but now that it had? She wasn't complaining. Not in the least. He kept pushing into her, filling her to the brim, and when she felt the heavy weight of his balls touch her, she did cum. Just a little.

Night Light moaned when she tensed around him, squeezing her hips as he pulled himself back until only his tip remained inside. His second plunge was just as satisfying as the first. As was the third. And the fourth. He set a slow, exploratory pace as he fucked his daughter-in-law. He couldn't believe that he'd denied himself this since Velvet died. How could he have forgotten the snug pocket of hot flesh that even now pulsed and milked him. His hands migrated to Cadance's ass, molding it and admiring it, feeling its heft. Even her tight little pucker looked absolutely delicious. "You feel so fucking good, Cadance."

"Not as good as you, Daddy." Cadance moaned, rocking herself in time with Night Light's thrusts in a vain attempt to take him deeper. "Do you know how many times I dreamed of you railing me on this couch?"

He smirked. "Is it... is it everything you hoped it would be?"

"Oh, fuck yes."

Night Light laughed through a moan. The wet schlick and plop of sex filled the room, joining the pair's small moans and cries each time Night's thrust hit a particularly sensitive spot in Cadance's depths. He grit his teeth as he held back another attempted orgasm. He wanted nothing more to cum, but at his age he didn't want to risk ending this too quickly without being able to go again in a timely manner.

Wait.

Was he really thinking of fucking his son's wife again after this?

Cadance looked back at her father-in-law, her eyes hooded, her mouth hanging slightly open. She smiled, then bit her lip.

Of fucking course he was thinking it. Who wouldn't?

"Can you fuck me harder, Daddy?" Cadance whined. "I really think it'll help you relax if you fuck me harder."

Far be it from Night Light to deny such knowledge from... what had she said her friends called her? Oh right. The Princess of Love. His next thrust had a bit more oomph, and Cadance's higher pitched cry let him know that was exactly what she was after. "What do you know? That is relaxing." He muttered. "Any other ideas that might help me..." Thrust. Cry. "Relax?"

"You... oh fuck! You could pull my hair a little."

Ever the gentleman, Night Light followed through. He put one hand on the exposed skin at the small of Cadance's back, and with the other got a good grip on her ponytail. On his next thrust, he gave her a good yank... and very nearly came when he felt Cadance cum around him again. "Holy shit, Cadance. Do you have a hair trigger?"

"Dad jokes? Now?" She giggle-moaned.

"I'm still me. And I asked you a question, young lady." He punctuated the point with a hearty smack on her ass.

"Ah! I-I'm sorry, Daddy." Cadance managed to choke out as another tremor of pleasure went through her. The sensations of a good hard fucking, her hair being pulled, and the spank all at the same time were threatening to overwhelm her. This was beyond any sex she'd ever had except with her husband. Maybe even beyond that, as shameful a thought that might be. This was dreams made reality. "Y-you're just f-fucking me too good."

Night Light increased his pace, memorizing the sounds his daughter-in-law made as she was properly plowed. "I... I'm afraid I'm going to cum soon." He hated it. He didn't want this to end. The woman wrapped around his cock deserved better. Deserved longer.

"Don't apologize! Do it!" Cadance begged. "But let me see! I need to see you cum, Daddy!"

"Turn over." He ordered as he pulled out after one last thrust. As Cadance dutifully obeyed, rolling and splaying herself on the couch, Night grasped himself and pumped his length rapidly past the point of no return. "Cadance..."

Like she had read his mind, the younger woman reached down and pulled the uniform top over her head, exposing her bare chest to him for the first time. She groped herself with one hand, tweaked one dark pink nipple, and furiously flicked her clit with the other. "Cum for me!"

Night Light choked as he did just that, his muscles locking as spurt after spurt of jizz flew from his cock and spattered all over his daughter-in-law's breasts and stomach. He saw Cadance reach her own orgasm, arching her back against the couch, and he loosed another volley. White streaks coated Cadance's body as she fell back against the cushions. With one final weak pulse, Night's body unlocked and he sagged back against the armrest, panting heavily. He hadn't had a work out like that in years. They'd barely fucked for five minutes, and yet he felt like he'd just run a mile.

Cadance traced a finger along her chest as she caught her breath. Her eyes didn't leave Night's as she ran it through a streak of his cum and brought it to her mouth, moaning around the digit. "Do you feel better now? Because I certainly do."

Night Light laughed weakly. "Sorry. It's... it's been a while."

"You've got nothing to be sorry about." Cadance propped herself up on her elbows. "You were everything I always hoped you would be."

"But... but I didn't last... Couldn't..."

She shook her head. "It's okay, Dad. This wasn't supposed to be some marathon sex session. This was just a quick favor. Besides, I still came. Three times." She cocked her head. "Do you feel more relaxed now?"

"Honestly? I could fall asleep right here. Thank you."

"You're welcome." She stood and grabbed the uniform top from where she'd flung it. "But I don't recommend passing out just yet. I don't think your son would appreciate walking in on you naked in the morning."

"You're probably right." Night Light chuckled. For an instant, the mention of Shining Armor brought the reality of the situation back. "Cadance, we..." He trailed off as he watched Cadance pull her skirt down and off, revealing her full naked form to him.

She saw him staring and giggled. "Like I said; I won't tell if you won't. This was our fun little secret, right?"

Night Light swallowed as she bent over to pick up the skirt, waving that perfect ass in his direction. "Yes. Very fun."

"I love your son, Dad." Cadance assured him as she stood and faced him again. "And I love Twilight. And I love you. I would do anything for any of you." She bent down and kissed his cheek. "And if that means helping you relax from time to time?" She leaned in to his ear. "All you have to do is ask." She whispered, her tongue darting out to lick his earlobe.

Night Light shivered. He could still smell her arousal, her sweat.

Cadance pulled back, pulling the tie in her hair free and letting the multicolored waterfall down. "I'm off to the shower." She blew a little kiss and turned to leave. "I'm a little sticky."

"You, could, uh... use mine. My shower, I mean. It's bigger."

Cadance looked back to find her father-in-law standing... and his cock once again hard and throbbing. She gaped at him. "But I thought...?"

"What can I say? I guess you just do something to me." He shrugged. "I'm not interested in having an affair with my son's wife, Cadance. But I could use a little more help relaxing tonight." He gestured down at himself. "As you can see."

Cadance grinned, and she crossed the room to him. She traced a finger down his pecs, across his stomach, before finally wrapping her digits around his cock. "Whatever Daddy needs."

Night Light took her in; her flushed skin, her tousled hair, her toned body... the drying streaks of his cum all over her.

He took her in his arms and kissed her. It was the first time he'd kissed another woman since his wedding day, and he poured every ounce of himself into it. His tongue wrestled with hers, their exhales mingled with one another. It was a kiss of passion, need, and wanting. He broke it, then smiled sadly. "That's the only one."

"Right." Cadance was still catching her breath from the kiss. "It's for the best."

"For the best." He nodded. "Now get that pretty little ass up those stairs." He punctuated this order with a smack and a squeeze to said posterior.

Cadance giggled, then bit her bottom lip. "Yes, Daddy."

They went together, and Night Light switched off the lamp as they left.

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True to their word, it never happened again. Make no mistake, it happened a few more times that night, but after that? Never again.

A few weeks later, Cadance announced she was pregnant. There was never any worry on Night Light's part as to who might be the father of said little miracle. Both he and Cadance knew that as many places his cum had ended up that night, inside her wasn't one of them.

Well, not inside her there, anyway.

Not long after that, Night Light broke to his children (and Cadance) at dinner that he'd asked out the new librarian, a thirty-something divorcee who'd just arrived in town. Twilight and Shining Armor were thrilled, but it was the little nod from Cadance that meant the most to him. Later, while saying their good-byes, Cadance had hugged him tightly and lingered just a moment. She'd leaned in and whispered one little sentence. One little line. A little secret gift, from her to him. "Life's a gift, Dad. Don't waste it."

Night Light knew what she meant. He'd spent far too long in solitary mourning. He wasn't an old man whose life was over. He knew that now. He knew that you were only as old as you felt. And after that one night with his amazing daughter-in-law?

Why, he felt like he was just entering his prime.