The train ride was mostly silent. It was a well appointed car, not a common commuter car. There were berths for sleeping in, large comfortable seats, a bathroom, and a small kitchenette area well stocked with snacks and food.

The atmosphere was quiet and subdued. Dinky and Piña were both quietly reading to themselves, piled against one another on a small sofa, Derpy and Berry sat piled on one another on another sofa, sometimes talking quietly and still apologising to one another for the heated moment back at the train station. Bucky sat reading a thick tome about the lost history of herd marriage and common practices of various members within a herd, trying to understand where he fit into all of this.

Sparkler and Rising Star sat at a chessboard, the game had started, but no pieces had been moved in a while. They were silent, and mostly looked at one another, realising that something profound had changed between them. This wasn’t playful courting, or some secondary school crush… something more committed and mature had taken hold and both of them struggled to understand the change that had taken place.

Moments gave way to minutes, minutes gave way to hours, and the hours gave way to an entire day, the sun eventually setting. Most of the trip had been spent in silence, each pony reflecting on everything that had happened, what was happening now, and what might come. And after the sun had gone down, sleepy little foals had been tucked into a berth and kissed goodnight by all those that loved them, while the older members of the family remained awake for a while longer. There would be a layover to take on water and coal around midnight, and they would arrive in Manehatten around dawn if all went well.

Eventually, Sparkler crawled into a berth and Rising Star crawled into the one beneath her, Sparkler looking down from her berth at the colt below her and smiling at him one last time.

Derpy was not pleased with the berth situation. They were really only large enough for one pony each, unless you were a foal. And she didn’t want to sleep alone. She glared grumpily at the berths and remained on her couch, her forelegs crossed over her barrel.

After the train had taken on fresh water and coal, three ponies settled onto one couch in what appeared to be a stacked pile that could not possibly be comfortable for any pony involved. Love made all things bearable, even odd sleeping conditions, and the trio slept, pressed against one another, seeking love and warmth.

The dawn was grey and chilly. They were farther north now, and they sky was overcast, full of fog and threatening rain as a storm blew in from the ocean.

It seemed as though all of Manehatten had turned out to greet them at the train station. It was a city whose population was a majority of earth ponies, all of whom seemed to see what Berry Punch had done as some heroic act. A band played music. Confetti filled the air. The guard were nervous and agitated. Ponyville was a city of thousands. Manehatten was a city of hundreds of thousands.

There were banners hung from the lamp posts along the route taking them to the harbour. Dinky and Piña huddled close to Derpy, the roar of the crowd frightening them both quite badly. The guard formed a protective phalanx around the family, keeping them securely in the middle.

“This is insane,” Bucky whispered, his words lost to the loud cheers of the sea of ponies all around him. He moved forward slowly, his horn ignited out of a near state of panic, unsure what to make of the pandemonium all around him.

Flashbulbs kept going off, too many flashes to count, each flash almost causing Bucky to release some spell, increasing his panic. The flashes panicked the guard too. It would be nearly impossible to tell if there was incoming hostile spells under these conditions. Bucky levitated both Piña and Dinky onto Derpy’s back, knowing she would understand the meaning. If something happened, Derpy had wings and the foals would be safe once she flew away.

Berry Punch didn’t seem the least bit afraid. She was enjoying every moment of this, reveling in her moment of fame and glory, lifting her head high and smiling for the cameras. She had become a champion of earth pony justice, sticking up for earth ponies everywhere, and become something of a national symbol for earth pony equality.

The full madness of the situation began to sink into Bucky’s mind.

This was the worst sort of crazy because it made so much sense.

The walk to the harbour was the most difficult walk of Bucky’s life. Several times he had nearly succumbed to the panic rising up within him. The sound, the sights, the smell of thousands and thousands of ponies all around him. The whole situation had become overly political. Some of the crowd carried signs promoting earth pony equality while others held signs proclaiming rights for herd marriage. It was almost impossible to think.

The sound was deafening.

The grey pegasus mare was a nervous wreck, her wings twitching, her steps jerky and halting as she continued forward. Sparkler stood beside her, pressing her body against her mother’s side, trying to soothe her and comfort her. Derpy kept pushing her away so she could keep her wings ready for sudden take off.

There was a collective sigh of relief from everypony in the phalanx as the harbour came into view and the family finally traversed the gangplank. The crowd behind them cheered, shouting and yelling “goodbye” and cameras still flashed.

Berry Punch turned around and waved a final goodbye, blowing kisses at the crowd and smiling broadly at them. Her final wave incited the crowd into a frenzy, and the roar became painful as the crowd cheered their own final goodbye.

Bucky and his family were quickly escorted to their quarters.

“I am glad that is over,” Derpy said, the pegasus still looking quite frantic. She paced about their stateroom. There were two rooms. One for Bucky, Derpy, and Berry, and then one for the foals, with Sparkler and Rising Star sharing the foal’s room.

“That was wonderful,” Berry said, bouncing in place with excitement.

“I feel sick,” Bucky muttered. “Not seasickness. I thought I was going to have a panic attack during that long walk.”

Quite without warning, Berry Punch pounced upon the pacing pegasus, planting a pair of puckered lips upon the pegasus’ lips. She bore Derpy to the floor, working out Derpy’s frustration the only way she knew how. Derpy resisted only for a moment before giving in and kissing back.

Bucky watched the mares wrestling on the floor with growing interest, distracted from his own problems. Berry was doing quite a number on the grey mare pinned beneath her, and Derpy struggled to re-assert her dominance.

This was a wonderful distraction.

Finally, Berry pulled away, breathing hard. She wiped her mouth with one foreleg and rolled away from Derpy. She lay on her back, her barrel heaving, staring up at the ceiling. Derpy also lay on her back, her wings fluttering faintly.

“It was just getting interesting,” Bucky lamented.

“I feel better,” Derpy admitted.

“I figured you would,” Berry said smugly. “All a pegasus needs to set them straight is a good snuggle.”

“Think the foals are alright?” Bucky asked nervously.

“They have Sparkler and Rising Star, I am sure they are fine. In a little while, I am going to go out and look at the ocean,” Derpy said. “I’ll take the foals with me.”

“It isn’t even mid-morning and I already feel exhausted,” Bucky admitted.

“And here I was hoping for a chance to wear you out,” Berry simpered suggestively. “Big crowds always leave me feeling empowered. Strong.”

“I hate crowds,” Derpy muttered, her muzzle scrunching from dislike.

“Not fond of them either,” Bucky confessed.

“I can’t believe we have this ship to ourselves,” Berry said. “No lines in the cafeteria.”

“Food sounds good,” Bucky said. “I wonder if there is anything to eat.”

“There is a mini-fridge in the corner,” Berry said.

“Oh!” Bucky exclaimed, rising from his chair and checking out the mini-fridge. He pulled the door open, peered around, and then pulled out an entire pecan pie. He grabbed a small plastic spoon from a container above the fridge and retired back to his chair, digging into the pie with abandon.

“You going to eat all of that?” Derpy asked.

“Hyeash,” Bucky replied, his mouth full.

“But I like pecan pie,” the pegasus pouted.

“Ifsh yoush shqueesh insho frish shair wifsh me, I’llsh share shome wifsh yoush,” Bucky invited.

Derpy did not need a second invitation. She piled into the chair and straddled Bucky, licking a bit of pie from his nose.

“You two are adorable. I wonder what else is in the fridge? You two just hang out and make one another feel better,” Berry said, getting up from the floor to check out the fridge. She rummaged around inside of there, moving things around, making Berry happy grunts as she plundered.

After a moment, she pulled out a bottle of pomegranate soda held in her teeth and placed it upon a small table near the fridge, and then returned to grab a container of eclairs. “Wonderful,” she said, drooling. “I bet the foals are plundering their fridge as well.” She then grabbed a tub of baked beans in molasses and returned to the table with her prize. She cursed, realising she had no spoon, and returned to the fridge to collect one. She then returned to the table and began to tuck in, tearing into the beans hungrily.

Bucky, using his magic, fed Derpy and himself bites of pecan pie, alternating bites between one another. He was all too aware of various parts of Derpy brushing up against him as she straddled him, and he could feel the pegasus’ excited response to being close to him and receiving affection. She licked off every crumb that fell and made happy pegasus noises as she began to settle into her element.

Berry watched them both, taking comfort in knowing that they were feeling comforted by one another. She would join them soon enough, but the pair of introverts needed some down time. She took a bite of beans and chewed, enjoying the cold sweet baked beans thoroughly. There were little bits of pineapple and dried apple bits that were no longer dried, but had soaked up the sweet sauce and rehydrated a bit. She noshed into an eclair and watched her mates continue with their pie sharing. Derpy wanting to send Bucky with her made Berry Punch feel a swelling surge of love for the pegasus.

Dinky and Piña Colada ravenously stuffed cookies into their mouths, gobbling enthusiastically, and occasionally guzzled some milk from little paper cartons. They had already eaten a small carrot cake between the two of them, and their faces were still splotched with sour cream frosting.

Sparkler had a tub of macaroni salad that she was devouring, washing it down with a bottle of cherry-lime soda. There was also a sweet potato pie on the table she intended to devour with Rising Star, who was eating a tub of baked beans in molasses with little bits of pineapple and apple.

Sparkler, full of macaroni salad and most of a bottle of cherry-lime soda, belched horrifically and blew Rising Star’s mane out of his eyes, nearly making Piña choke as she began to giggle.

“How soon do you think I am going to have little sisters and brothers?” Dinky asked, her question happening out of the blue. She spoke with a mouthful of cookie and crumbs flew everywhere.

Rising Star paused his eating and set his spoon down in the tub of beans.

“Dinky, I am sure you will have some little siblings soon enough,” Sparkler said with a smile. “They were just married.”

“Think Bucky makes mommy moan like she did that day on the couch? She sounded really happy… I want her to be happy,” Dinky said, looking very thoughtful. “And Berry too, even though I am not quite sure how that works between mommy and Berry just yet,” the little unicorn added.

“Oh, uh, well… Dinky I had no idea,” Rising Star stammered.

“I’m not stupid,” Dinky said. “I know how little foals get made. Sort of. I snuck off and looked through a few books in the library when Miss Cheerilee took the class there one day.”

“Never once thought you were stupid Dinky,” Rising Star said, now blushing.

“And I don’t want Bucky sticking himself inside mommy’s backside just for foal making… I want her to feel good and be happy,” Dinky said, and then crammed a whole cookie into her mouth. “Sex needs to be for more than foal making.”

“GROSS!” Piña protested. “I’m eating here!”

“He’s sticking himself into your sister’s backside too,” Dinky retorted around a mouthful of cookie.

Sparkler sat, silent and in shock.

“I know that,” Piña squeaked. “I mean, sorta, I don’t know as much as you I don’t think,” the pink earth pony foal confessed.

“Look Dinky, I am sure they are all very happy trying to make foals… and trust me, I know that mom feels pretty good about it,” Sparkler said with shudder as she recalled several memories. “Berry too,” Sparkler added, speaking to Piña.

“I had no idea,” Rising Star said.

“Dinky’s smart,” Sparkler said. “And magically gifted as well.”

“Are you two going to have sex?” Dinky said bluntly to her big sister.

“Dinky!” Sparkler protested.

Rising Star wisely remained silent, knowing there was nowhere to run on a boat and Sparkler would catch him eventually.

“Well?” Dinky asked. “You love one another, right? Just like in a story book, he is leaving home to be with you.”

“Yes Dinky, we love one another,” Sparkler admitted to her younger sister, making Rising Star smile and blush. “But for right now, we are not adult enough to do what our mothers and father are doing,” she explained delicately.

“Oh. So it is like waiting for Hearth’s Warming Eve,” Dinky said thoughtfully.

“Yes Dinky, just like that,” Rising Star agreed, earning him a look of approval from Sparkler, which made him feel good all over.

“I want to be a big sister, just like you Sparkler,” Dinky admitted.

“Aw, Dinky…” Sparkler gasped, her eyes beginning to tear over. “I love you, you little prankster you.”

Author's Notes:

When you get a chance, check out the personality profiles. Link can be found in description. It will give you some insight into the characters.

This is a transitional chapter, so it covers a lot of subject matter.

Let me know if I missed any mistakes, and leave comments below if you feel like it.

Thanks for reading. Another chapter or two of life at sea incoming.