Feeling better, but still feeling out of sorts, Bucky took a deep breath and opened the door, ready to return to the dining hall and face other ponies. He stepped through the door and almost bumped into a unicorn. She was a pale white colour and had a straw coloured mane.

“I beg yer pardon, milord.” The unicorn peered at Bucky and then took a step back. “Oh, I am sorry yer Majesty… I had me head off in the clouds I did.”

“Look… please, there is no need to call me that,” Bucky said, using a soft and gracious voice. “Just call me Bucky.”

“Eh what? Ye can’t just go around callin’ yer proper king ‘Bucky.’ Not proper, that.”

“You can if your king tells you do it.” Bucky raised his eyebrow and studied the middle aged looking unicorn.

“Aye, see, here we go. Ye just acknowledged yerself as king, which is means it is proper for me to address ye as such, if ye don’t mind me cheek yer Royal Highness.”

“You’re from the Shire Isles, aren’t you?” Bucky asked. He leaned forward and looked at a scar upon the unicorn mare’s head, just to the left of her horn. There was a round circle, the wound looked like it had healed in the worst way and left a terrible scar.

“Aye, I am.” The mare peered back at Bucky. “Ye see me scar and I’ll bet yer feeling curious, eh?”

“What happened?” Bucky took a step back and gave the mare some space.

“When I was made submissive, they cut into me brain. Made it difficult to use magic. If I use me magic for too long, I get awful headaches. It was so I wouldn’t rebel against the masters, ye understand.”

The first flames of anger ignited in Bucky and he forgot all of his own personal problems. A dark cloud passed over his face and his nostrils flared as his breathing increased. He felt the muscles in his hind legs convulsing as his adrenaline began to course through him.

Calm. Bucky took a deep breath and remembered that he could be frightening when he was angry. He took a deep breath. “And they have you working as a servant here? Are you happy? Are you treated well?”

The mare threw back her head and laughed. Unable to stop laughing, she stumbled backwards and then sat down upon the stone floor, where she kept laughing until tears began to fall.

Bucky had no idea what was so funny.

Wiping her eyes, the mare pulled herself together. “Am I treated well… heh, yer a funny one. I scrub the floors, make beds, clean, and keep everything tidy just as I have always done, because it is all I know. But these ponies here… they adore me. If I start to stumble even just a little bit because of my dizzy spells, or if my head starts to hurt and my eyes start to twitch, some nice pony will pull me to a comfortable spot to lie down. Somepony fetches me a nice drink. I’m treated like bleedin’ royalty. Keg Smasher made a decree that all of the unicorns with scars just like mine are to be treated in the same way that ponies treat him.”

Heaving a huge sigh of relief, Bucky sat down upon the stone floor himself.

“Yer the first pony I’ve ever called king of me own free will without the pain of torture.”

Nodding, Bucky looked the mare in the eye. “I never did get your name.”

“Me name is Broom. I was named for my purpose,” the mare replied. She smiled, a smile that was missing several teeth, and looked Bucky over. “I have me a brother named Door. Can you guess what he was responsible for?”

“I’m so sorry—”

“Not yer fault, why are ye apologising? I see that brand on yer side… yer a slave, just like me. Ye’ve done good for yerself, ye have.”

Bucky shook his head. “No, you don’t understand… I was born a noble… I was part of the problem… I was part of the system that made the whole world worse. I was a member of the house that was the worst of them all.”

“And so ye’ve seen both sides. Now look at ye. Ye done have yerself a brand. Yer off freein’ slaves and making the world a little nicer. Ye took time to talk to little old me, to comfort me, to see if I was okay and if I was treated well. Ye looked right murderous there for a moment, and you felt that way for me. I’m flattered.”

“I don’t know what to say,” Bucky said.

“Ye don’t need to say anything. Just keep doin’ what yer doing. Help an old mare to her hooves? My legs done fell asleep as I was sitting on them.”

“I have a better idea… let’s get you to a comfortable spot…”

As Bucky eased Broom down into a cushioned chair, he felt somepony brush up against his side, and knew from the touch that it had to be Berry. Ignoring her for the moment, he looked Broom over.

“Are you well?” he asked.

“Well enough… yer very kind,” Broom replied. “You have a pretty mare trying to get yer attention. She looks like trouble though.”

“Oh, I know,” Bucky said, offering Broom a smile.

“You made a friend,” Berry said, bowing her head to Broom. “Sorry, but I must steal my husband away… there is music… dance with me Bucky!”

“I can’t dance… I dance worse than Twilight Sparkle!”

Berry gestured at the dancing ponies. “Who cares? It is all about standing there together, trusting one another, holding each other up as you stand up on your hind hooves.”

“My hind legs—”

“Right… and you probably don’t want to augment yourself. Only one thing to do I suppose…” Berry looked around, disappointment visible upon her face.

“Berry, I—”

“You’re gonna dance with me!” Berry cried as she snatched up Bucky in her front legs and went bouncing around the room on her hind legs. She whirled Bucky around, squeezing him close, hoisting him though the air, squealing with abandon.

“Berry, the twins… this can’t be good for you,” Bucky said.

“The twins are fine… you gave me a good and proper shagging and the twins survived that too,” Berry replied as she swung Bucky around.

“You sent Celestia after—”

“Yeah I did and I was right for doing it… she keeps making moony eyes at you… if you ever cheat on me Bucky, I’ll snatch you up just like I have you right now and I’ll snap your spine!”

Bucky wrapped his forelegs around Berry’s neck and held on for dear life as she began to spin around with reckless glee. Much to his own surprise, he began to laugh, realising this was good fun. Lost in the moment, he was alone in the crowd with Berry, and he looked down into her eyes. She was beautiful. She was sweating a bit and her mane clung to face. Her eyes were bright and full of mischief. Her nostrils flared as she breathed.

“You looked into my eyes and you just knew,” Bucky said.

Berry laughed. “You remembered.”

“How could I forget?”

“Here lad, drink this,” Keg Smasher slid a mug that was so large that it was almost comical over towards Bucky. “I had me a good long look at wee Bell Heather… Thistle said that I’m a grandaddy… so drink up ye wee scrawny thing!”

Not even bothering to see what was in his mug, Bucky tilted it back and began chugging, lost in the moment and overcome by his good mood. His throat blazed with fire. The mug was not full of beer, or mead, or a beverage one might find in mugs, but instead it was filled with single malt whiskey. Bucky downed half of the mug in one go, belched, and slumped down in his chair, feeling much better.

“Aye, that’s the unicorn I remember… nothing wrong with ye a few quarts of whiskey can’t fix,” Keg Smasher said as he slapped Bucky on the withers and almost knocked Bucky from his chair.

There was music playing, something rowdy and loud. Bucky could hear it, he could it feel it being drug through his ears as though it was a thick section of rope being tugged through. “...she guzzles whiskey, beer, and gin… she knows all my favourite sins… she’s my dirty mare with the winkin’ brown eye...”

Staring over the top of his mug, he looked at Berry Punch, who was dancing with Thistle.

“...the brown eyed mare knows what I like... she’ll spend hours polishing up my pike… she’s my dirty mare with the winkin’ brown eye...”

From where Bucky was sitting, he could see that Berry Punch was groping Thistle, and Thistle was having the time of her life, laughing and carrying on as she danced. It was impossible not to have fun around Berry.

“As soon as Thistle heals up, I’m gonna shag her till she can’t walk,” Bucky said, still staring over the edge of his mug, watching with rapt attention as two mares he loved continued to dance.

“You dirty sot, ye dinnae sit next to a filly’s father and tell him that yer gonna work over her backside, ye daft headed numpty! What’s wrong with ye?” Keg Smasher hoisted up his own mug, scowled, and poured it over Bucky’s head.

Sitting there, drenched, Bucky licked the booze from his muzzle. “You were drinking beer. You gave me whiskey… that was thoughtful.”

“I still love her so much…”

“I know Keg, I know,” Bucky said as he brought his mug to his lips. He took a long swallow when he was done speaking.

“She’s my little kelpie… and now she has a little kelpie of her own. Is she happy?”

Bucky nodded. “She’s happy. Happier now than she was, she was miserable for the last half of her pregnancy.”

“You treat her nice Bucky, or I’ll have yer head mounted on a pike… and you shag her gentle!” Keg Smasher bellowed as he wiped at his eyes with his wings. “I mean it Bucky, a feckin’ pike! I’ll do it! Just ask the bloody zebras!”

The big pegasus, overcome with emotion, made a hasty retreat out the room, covering his face with his wings. Several ponies watched him go but none made a move to stop him as he departed.

The fire in the grate crackled. Berry Punch, almost drowsing, realised that it was getting late. She gave Thistle a squeeze as she licked her muzzle, still able to taste Thistle on her lips. The bed had a strange emptiness that Berry Punch didn’t like. Belisama was sleeping in the crib with the foals. There was no Bucky in her bed.

She smacked her lips, still tasting Thistle. Thistle, still healing from birth, couldn’t do anything with Bucky, but a little gentle licking never hurt nopony. Thistle snorted in her sleep as Berry pulled one leg free from beneath the kelpie.

Berry sat up. She had brought Thistle here to their room to have a good time in private. Looking around, she saw that it was dark outside. The room was chilly, even with the fire, and Berry Punch could feel the cold stone against her frogs as she dropped to the floor.

She trotted to the door, opened it, stepped out into the hall, and closed the door behind her. She heard music. The party was still going. Yawning, feeling sleepy, but also feeling curious, Berry Punch had to go and investigate. She heard raucous laughter echoing through the halls.

Opening the dining room door, Berry Punch peeked inside and listened.

Berry Punch’s jaw dropped open in shock as she peered into the room. Celestia was sitting in between Bucky and Keg Smasher, leading the whole room in song. It was evident that the alicorn was soused and had made no attempt to sober herself up with magic.

Even more surprising was the fact that Bucky was singing. He had a good voice.

As she stood there watching, Lugus poured an entire two quart mug down his beak.

“Berry Punch! My bride! My beaufy-beaufy… wait… my boofooful bride… come here and let me rub my face on your belly!” Bucky said, seeing Berry Punch in the doorway. “She’s a preffy earf pony…”

Celestia stood up, wobbling on her legs. “I must go! I must go! I must leave you all and go on an adventure. I must find a little fillies room and brave what is sure to be a very dirty toilet!”

The large white alicorn went staggering off, heading for the other doors on the other side of the room. There was a cheer from the ponies and the griffons in the room when Celestia paused at the doors and let out a thunderous belch.

Knowing better, but not caring, Berry Punch flung herself into the room, off to give her husband a kiss and maybe lure him into the bed.

Author's Notes:

One for the Navy guys who might be reading this!

Thankfully, typos don't rule the Navy.