The entire herd and its extended members were in shock after seeing the morning paper. A stunned silence had fallen over the table, not much was being eaten and nothing was being said. Sentinel sat at the end of the table wondering if perhaps he had done something wrong. Berry Punch was quietly staring at her buttered toast. Thistle was hunched over her poached fish. Bon Bon gently stroked Lyra and Lyra held Harper. Loch Skimmer ate, but did so in silence. Sparkler was carefully spooning hot mush into Peekaboo. Rising Star was scratching his chin. Ripple was slowly eating her bowl of granola and milk, her muzzle dipped into the bowl. Lugus was sitting with his crest perked straight up, and Yew was beside him staring at the newspaper even though she couldn’t read it. Dinky and Piña kept exchanging glances with one another then looking at Sentinel. Derpy smacked her lips a few times and rapped her hoof against the table. Bucky was propped up in a high backed chair at the other end of the table, staring at the fruit bowl rather vacantly.

“Did I do something wrong?” Sentinel inquired in a faint squeaky voice, breaking the silence after it had endured for a small eternity.

“No,” Derpy said right away, looking a little startled.

“It is very quiet and it feels like I am the cause,” Sentinel said.

“You did a good thing,” Bon Bon said in a strained voice. “But you did reveal a lot of our more private moments when you sent in copies of your journal entries… things that could make us look very good or very bad.”

“I wanted ponies… to see father’s vision… and to see us for what we are… ponies,” Sentinel explained in a halting voice.

“We understand that,” Lyra said.

“I wanted ponies to know about things that happened on the isles. Good and bad. They had to see us at our worst and at our best. Including some of the awkward things that makes us ponies,” Sentinel said, trying to make his family understand why he had done what he did.

“Sentinel, there is no need to defend what you have done,” Bucky said.

“He talked about the teat feeding,” Berry Punch said to Bucky in a somewhat stunned voice.

“I wanted them to know the crushing weight he carried and the things that comforted him,” Sentinel said, his voice now hitching. “He came to his vision after he drank of your milk…”

There was a clunk as Derpy dropped her spoon. Her ears drooped, falling down to the sides of her face. She sighed, looked at Sentinel, and then looked at Bucky. “He included a journal entry about how other ponies treat me and how much it hurts me… that was private.”

“There were a lot of ponies who didn’t actually know I was gay,” Bon Bon said as she slumped down into her chair. “I kept things like that to myself so it wouldn’t hurt my business.”

“He exposed our weirdness. So what,” Ripple said as milk dribbled from her muzzle. “You’re gay. I’m gay. Some of us are bi-sexual. Berry Punch has a fetish about being milked by her husband and will forever be known as Bucky’s Milkmare, not to mention the completely non sexual aspects of trying to comfort her husband as his body approached death from his continued efforts. Even the doctors said that Berry’s teat milk is probably the reason why father is alive. Sentinel talked about my sister’s growth and change from a repressed frightened filly to the glorious pervert she is now. SO WHAT?” Ripple snorted, spraying a fine mist of milk from her nostrils, and then jammed her muzzle back into her bowl.

“Th-th-thank you sister,” Sentinel stammered, slumping down even further into his chair.

Ripple did not reply, but kept her muzzle snoot deep in milk and granola.

“Rising Star’s uncontrollable boners,” Loch Skimmer said, now smiling slightly. “I’m proud to be a pervert. Shagging feels good. It isn’t anything to be ashamed of. It isn’t dirty or wrong. And if we stopped doing it, there wouldn’t be any more little ponies.”

“Sentinel looks really miserable,” Piña said, now also looking quite miserable.

“He didn’t write anything embarrassing about you or Dinky,” Sparkler said.

“He didn’t? Well what about kicking us out of his bed because he’s suddenly springing boners himself?” Dinky retorted. “Sure, that’s embarrassing for him, but what about Piña and I you big doofus!”

“Hey! No name calling!” Derpy scolded.

“But Sparkler is a big doofus!” Dinky argued. “She’s a tail fluffing fart sniffer!”

“ENOUGH!” Bucky shouted, his voice causing the silverware to rattle. He wasn’t using the Voice, but it was loud enough to command attention.

The table fell silent again and every head looked at Bucky. Even Harper and Peekaboo stopped what they were doing to turn and look at the unicorn who struggled to sit up straight in his chair. Peekaboo covered up her face with her wings and hid behind them.

“I’m proud of Sentinel and what he did. He painted an honest picture of us with words. Warts and all. And as a family, we have warts. So what! Now not one more word!” Bucky commanded.

“What Sentinel did took courage,” Lugus said.

“The sordid details about our lives are going to come out now anyway. We’re royals. The press is going to dig out every nugget of dirt they can find and print it. At least this information came from somepony we love and it wasn’t some heartless cruel exposition piece taken out of context meant to do us harm,” Bucky explained.

“Senty,” Harper announced.

“Yes, Senty,” Bucky said. “The honour pony.”

“Thank you father,” Sentinel said.

“Why can’t you call me daddy or dad or something not quite so stick up the plot formal?” Bucky said, falling over in his chair and slumping down.

“I… I… er… well…” Sentinel stammered.

“Oh bugger it,” Bucky grumbled.

“Mama,” Harper quipped.

“Heck, you could even call me mama if you wanted to Sentinel,” Bucky said, lifting his good right hoof and gesturing at Harper.

“Can we call you princess?” Ripple asked as she lifted her head from her bowl. She felt every eye now turned upon her. “Well, he might need a little cleaning up… one of you could maybe braid his mane and put a few ribbons in it…”

Bucky roared with laughter which quickly turned into a wheeze. He started to pitch forward in his chair and Derpy had to catch him. She gently pushed him back into the chair and held him in place as he hacked, horked, and recovered.

“Why am I the only one laughing?” Bucky wheezed.

“Well, currently everypony is giving me the stinkeye,” Ripple stated. “And Sentinel is still too worried about what the family thinks of him. Don’t worry Little Brother, Big Sister has your back.”

Sentinel took a deep shuddering breath and let it out slowly.

“The Gleesome Threesome has come together upon this issue and we stand in defense of our brother,” Piña said as Dinky nodded in agreement. The two foals began the process of staring down the adults and glared fiercely at any would would meet their gaze.

“What Sentinel did must have took some serious guts. I’m not sure I have that kind of bravery,” Rising Star muttered.

“Now quit moping. There is a lot to do today. Thistle, you have an ultrasound and I am coming with you,” Bucky said as he slowly looked around the table.

Slumped in his wheelchair, Bucky tried to find some way to pass the time while they waited. Thistle was sitting on the table and rubbing her belly as she waited. Derpy was sitting in a nearby chair and occasionally stroking Thistle’s side.

“From this angle of view, I have a fantastic eyeful of Thistle’s teats,” Bucky announced.

Blushing, Thistle shifted slightly.

“Well hello there,” Bucky said in a low breathy voice. He lifted his stump from the armrest and flexed his joint, grimacing as he did so.

“Thistle, close your legs,” Derpy said in a hushed whisper.

Tittering, Thistle closed her legs and behaved herself. “I’ll let you sniff all of my blossoms later,” Thistle promised.

“Hey, I wanna sniff your blossoms,” Derpy announced.

“You can sniff my blossoms any time, but I want Bucky better so he can sniff my blossoms,” Thistle stated. “And maybe I could squeeze him between my thighs again. I want to feel him tease my... Why are you staring at me like that Derpy? You are staring at me aren’t you? Hard to tell sometimes...”

“Doctor,” Bucky greeted.

“Oh noes,” Thistle gasped. She covered her mouth with her hooves.

“Ready for your ultrasound?” the doctor inquired, blushing furiously as she stood in the door. Her white pelt was beet red all around her face and neck.

“How long has the doctor been there?” Thistle asked.

“Blossoms,” The doctor said in a strained voice.

“Oh dear,” Thistle groaned.

“Her blossoms really do smell amazing,” Bucky said to the doctor.

“My name is Doctor Whippoorwill… and I am going to attempt to remain professional and do my job,” the pegasus doctor announced.

“And what pony doesn’t enjoy eating a nice tender blossom…” Bucky said as he looked at some poster on the wall announcing the dangers of feather flu.

“Bucky!” Derpy scolded.

The pegasus’s wings fluttered as she stood in the doorway. “Can we please restore some decorum?” Whippoorwill begged.

“Sorry, my husband hasn’t been looked after in a while if you know what I mean,” Derpy said. “I think it causes him brain damage. Severe brain damage.”

The doctor nodded and moved forward slowly. She approached Thistle, reared up on her hind legs, and leaned on the examination table. She poked and prodded with her hoof, and then rolled Thistle over onto her back, gently letting her down. She continued to poke and prod, pressing all over. “Wow, upon first glance, I’d say you were ready to give birth in just a few days.”

Thistle blushed and then looked over at Derpy.

“She’s gained a lot of size suddenly. Over the last month, it was like she doubled in size,” Derpy said to the doctor.

“Really?” the doctor asked.

Thistle nodded and the doctor did more prodding.

“Experiencing any pain?” Whippoorwill asked.

“I have a lot of back pain,” Thistle admitted. “I keep telling the doctors this. Doesn’t anypony write this down?”

“I’ve read your file. I like to hear for myself directly. I’ve been told to look for a tail today,” Whippoorwill responded. “This might hurt a little bit,” she warned as she pressed down.

Thistle let out a cry and Bucky’s horn spouted black flames.

Derpy tensed and watched Bucky. She saw him take a deep breath and the magic went away. She took her own deep breath and eyed the doctor, who looked terrified. “He doesn’t mean anything by it,” Derpy said apologetically. “And he would never hurt another pony. He can’t help it after what he’s endured.”

“I’ve read your husband’s file… I’m sorry… it is very unnerving,” the doctor said as she looked at Thistle.

Bucky sat in sullen silence, saying nothing and trying to calm his frazzled nerves.

“Bucky is a good pony,” Thistle said. “He just gets a little jumpy when ponies cry out or sound like they might be in pain. He would never hurt you… he’s just a little over prepared for threats, that’s all.”

The doctor stepped away from the table, grabbed a machine, and rolled it over. She tapped a switch and there was a hum from the machine. With her wing, she grabbed a tube of lubricant from a heated vat of water, shaking away the excess liquid.

“This is going to leave you feeling slick and goopy. I recommend a bubble bath,” the doctor suggested. “Are you ready?”

“This won’t hurt?” Thistle asked.

“There might be some moments of discomfort, but it won’t hurt, I promise,” Whippoorwill replied in a reassuring voice. She reared up onto her hind legs again, took the tube in hoof, and the squeezed out a dollop of lubricant onto Thistle’s belly.

“That’s warm,” Thistle said as the doctor began to rub her stomach with an applicator. Thistle understood the importance of the object. A lubed hoof would lead to slips and falls.

“Only a cruel doctor would squirt cold lube onto a pregnant mare’s belly,” the doctor said.

“Hmm, I bet Thistle would be a lot of fun while she’s slick like that,” Bucky said as he watched with peaked interest.

“You know, it is very difficult for me to do my job when you're behaving this way… doubly so when I have to think of a stallion your age being married to a female that is still legally a filly and the harm you must be doing to her,” the doctor said in clipped tones.

Derpy bristled. “Now look here!” she snarled. “You can’t talk to him like that!”

“I am obligated to treat my patient. I am under no obligation to like statutory rape,” the doctor snapped. “Just like a noble. Special exceptions for sexual perversions.”

Derpy was out of her chair in an blink, moving like a grey blur, standing at the tableside in an instant, suddenly reared up and snoot to snoot with the doctor, her wings spread out and her nostrils flaring. “Say one more thing about my family and I put you through the wall.”

Whippoorwill said nothing. She dropped the applicator on the table, dropped down on all fours, and walked out of the room, leaving behind three very angry ponies.

Author's Notes:

Poor Sentinel...

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