Derpy watched her foals carefully, looking for some sign of something wrong. Sparkler and Rising Star seemed okay. They had recovered quickly and seemed perfectly normal on the walk back to the castle. Rising Star had even hoisted Loch Skimmer onto his back and carried her, saving her from stumbling around on three legs.

Lyra was especially animated on the way back, far more than her usual self. She practically bounced and not her usual mostly calm self. The unicorn surprised Bon Bon with a very affectionate kiss that had actually taken the usually sturdy earth pony right down to the ground where Lyra continued to have her way with Bon Bon.

The good mood was infectious.

Derpy could feel it as well. She had been feeling it for several days. And now, her good mood manifested as a hot itch in her backside just below her dock that would not go away. Walking certainly did not help, all that did was make things rub together back there.

“Berry,” Derpy said in a frantic whisper to the mare beside her.

“Hmm?” Berry replied, turning her head to look at Derpy as they walked.

“We need to capture Bucky and find a place to have our way with him,” Derpy said in a very low whisper.

Berry nodded as she turned to look ahead.

“No rough stuff though. He still winces when he is touched sometimes,” Derpy whispered cautiously. “And his legs worry me.”

“I worry about how he plans to run around in a suit of armor with his legs being the way they are,” Berry said in a normal voice. “I trust in his plan, I am sure that he has given thought to the issue.”

“I need to know that you will be gentle,” Derpy said in a voice full of worry.

Berry stopped and turned to look at the grey mare. “I love him too. I would never want to hurt him. There is a time to be rough and a time to be tender and I know full well that he is not capable of the rough stuff,” said Berry. After she finished speaking, she leaned over and kissed the pegasus on the lips gently. “I can be just as gentle as you are with foals,” she stated.

“I’m sorry… I just worry,” Derpy admitted, her ears folding back against her head.

“I know,” Berry said. “I myself have been Berry Berry worried,” she said with a half smile.

Derpy took a deep shuddering breath and leaned on Berry as they walked. “Have I told you that you are my best friend lately?” she said.

“Not in words, no,” Berry said. “But I already knew. We got married. We share a husband. We share our foals.”

“Are you okay with sharing all of that with Thistle?” asked Derpy, slipping a wing over Berry Punch as she spoke.

Berry did not answer right away. The two mares walked together, so in tune with one another that their hooves moved in sync. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I have grown very attached to Thistle,” Berry admitted. “I do have some moments where I wonder how I will feel about her being in our inner circle. So far, I’ve enjoyed seeing her with Bucky. I do have my moments though where I wonder and I worry if I might suddenly feel jealous or upset. I haven’t yet, but I worry that I will. I am very, very possessive as I am sure you know, being my best friend and all.”

“Do you feel possessive of Thistle?” Derpy asked.

“Yes,” Berry said right away. “Strongly.”

The grey mare did not reply but walked in silence with the plum coloured mare. Derpy could see that Berry was mentally chewing on the issue and trying to sort out her thoughts. She stroked Berry’s crest and withers with her wing as they walked.

“Now that I think about it, I don’t think it will be a problem. I can’t feel possessive of Bucky and Thistle and keep them apart from one another. I would want them both to be happy. I am reminded of what happened at the train station when I told Bucky to stay with you,” Berry said in a strained voice.

Derpy pressed her face against Berry’s muscular neck and nuzzled behind the mare’s ear. “And I was willing to do the same for you,” she whispered.

“Thistle will be the good that we take home from this place. We have a husband that has been disfigured and crippled. We’ve lived in terror of the night and for our husband’s life. We are all going to go home scarred from this. But we get to keep Thistle,” Berry mused.

Derpy nodded.

“Thistle, who is always trying to make others happy. Always so eager to please. Thistle, who has a talent of a sexual nature,” Berry said thoughtfully.

“I have grown to love her,” Derpy said. “I want to see her happy.”

“All four of us need to sit down and have a long talk,” Berry stated. “Revising the rules of engagement. When she finally marries in, what are we going to do about what comes after?”

“I’ve already thought about that,” Derpy replied.

“Your agreement with Thistle,” Berry quipped.

“Yes,” Derpy answered. “And you are right. All four of us need to talk. We can’t have Bucky boning the poor girl. He’s…”

“Hung like a barrel,” Berry interrupted as Derpy paused.

“Yes. And we don’t want Thistle hurt. To consummate the marriage, I plan to give Thistle a good case of the shudders and make her feel loved,” Derpy explained. “But I need to figure out how to break it to Bucky that she is off limits for a while.”

“Just be blunt and tell him. He would never want to hurt her,” Berry said. “Are you actually worried about how he will react to being told “no” about this?”

“A little,” Derpy admitted.

“Why?” Berry inquired.

“I don’t know, I just am, I guess it is silly,” Derpy responded in a huff.

“Just let him know that he can do anything he wants with her except that one single act and we can be there to provide for that. Let them both have fun. Let Bucky make her feel good,” Berry suggested.

“That’s the thing, I worry about drawing the line. She’s young. It makes me nervous. I am still young really, and I know how worked up I can get when I want something. Anything. It isn’t fair to leave her flustered,” Derpy whispered in a low voice, looking around her at the other ponies walking with them.

“So then we allow them to have a bit of fun together and when they get really worked up and get to that point of need, we pull them apart. One of us will work over Thistle and scratch her itch and the other will relieve Bucky of his frustrations and we all get to be happy,” Berry replied.

Derpy groaned and her brows furrowed in worry.

“What has you so worked up?” Berry inquired.

“I don’t want Thistle hating me or feeling unhappy… I don’t want her feeling that I am controlling her unfairly. It worries me Berry… I worry about it a lot. I know I need to do what is right for her, but if I say this the wrong way or do this the wrong way, I am going to sound more like her mother than her fellow-wife and she is going to hate me,” Derpy blurted out in unhappy voice.

“Look here Bubblebutt, there are times you act like you are my mother. It is what you do. Thistle needs to grow up and understand that things are the way they are sometimes. As they say in the local parlance, you are the matriarch of our little herd. The alpha. I accepted that as the price of admission. And she is going to have to do that as well. If she doesn’t like it she can lump it. You can’t help yourself. You mother everything you come into contact with. Look what you did to Sentinel not long after meeting him. You nearly suffocated the poor colt. There are plenty of times that you mother Bucky… and by damn, there are times that he needs it. I’ve even seen you mother Lyra. The only mare in our group you don’t do that to is Bonnie, and that is because Bonnie is a lot like you. You two are the herd mothers. The big mares. If something was to ever happen to you, Bon Bon would step into your place and keep us all in line,” Berry explained in a long winded fashion.

“Somepony needs to keep you in line,” Derpy said good naturedly in reply.

“So I will help you out. I’ll be the one to tell Thistle and Bucky how it is going to be. And then we’ll shag the little minx until she can’t see or walk straight. If we keep that itch well scratched, she won’t feel such a pressing need to turn to Bucky,” Berry stated.

Derpy nodded in agreement and began to feel a little better.

“I couldn’t help but overhear everything both of you have been saying.”

Derpy’s eyes flew open wide and Berry Punch cringed. Her ears drooped down to the sides of her face and she inhaled sharply. Both of their faces distorted in panic as they realised that Ripple was just behind them and listening.

“It is good that both of you want Thistle to be happy and that you want to keep her safe,” Ripple said as she drew up alongside Derpy. She touched the grey mare with her wing and fell in step with the two adults. “Thistle doesn’t deserve to be hurt again,” Ripple continued, her face now creased with worry. “Thistle and I talked about what it is like. Rutting. Having a stallion mount you. You know, filly talk… even though we’re both considered adult enough by most other ponies around us,” she finished.

Derpy extended her other wing and placed it over Ripple, drawing the pegasus filly close to her.

“Both of you are actually worried about Thistle and that makes me feel happy and safe. I have seen the opposite, where mares give no thought at all to what a stallion might do to a female of smaller stature,” Ripple said. “I’ve watched it happen,” she said in a pained voice. “Seen the blood,” she whispered. She shook her head forcefully, causing her mane to whip about.

Berry looked over at the pegasus filly and felt deep concern. Ripple showed signs of being more than a little troubled sometimes. She felt a pang in her heart.

“I remember when I met my new mother, the last mare my father married. My other mothers pinned her down and twisted her wings to make her submissive so my father could force his way into her as she screamed,” Ripple said as her teeth clenched together. “She and Loch Skimmer were about the same age. Loch and I watched. There wasn’t much we could do. Moon Mirror was her name. Before she was married, she liked to fly at night. After she was married, she bled for days. She got infected. She got a fever. She never flew again. Because she died,” Ripple said in a heartbroken voice. “I am telling you this because I want you to know that I am sincere about what I said. It is better that you do what is right for Thistle and maybe have her a bit angry with you than allow her to get hurt.” Ripple fell silent and said nothing else. She leaned on the larger grey pegasus and pressed her face against Derpy’s neck.

The three of them walked together in silence. Derpy and Berry recoiled from the new perspective they now had. Ripple felt better, some of the pain she carried with her now lessened, knowing that there were ponies who truly cared. Derpy held the filly close, her wing wrapped tightly around her, not knowing any other way to comfort her other than the way that pegasi had always comforted one another.

“And there he is,” Derpy said, her wings fluttering. “Come on Berry. While there is still some sunlight left, we’re going to snatch him away and spend time telling him how grateful we are for him.”

“And talk about Thistle I guess,” Berry said in reply.

“That too,” Derpy said. “Bon Bon and Lyra are going to stay awake and watch over the foals and Sparkler and Rising Star. I talked to them. I feel selfish but I need some time with Bucky. We both do.”

Berry nodded, looking unusually subdued. “We really lucked out,” Berry said in an emotional whisper. “I really lucked out. What if I had been raised here?”

Derpy kissed her mate softly and then reached up to stroke Berry’s ears. “Thistle was born and raised here. And she lucked out too,” the pegasus said comfortingly.

Her words had a profound effect on Berry, who gasped and then trembled. “We need to give her a good life,” Berry said. “Ripple and Loch too,” she added. “Any one of them could have been me.”

“I know how to make you feel better,” Derpy said with gentle seductiveness. “Let’s go get Bucky.”

Author's Notes:

Chapter 99 will be a lost chapter.

Let me know if there are any typos.