The light slowly dissipates into darkness, but I hear familiar voices. They are the voices of my friends, and of Tavi. I groan as my eyes open. For a moment everything is fuzzy, but as my mind clears a few things become apparent. I am home, and I am staring at the bedroom ceiling. Tavi is by my side, along with Luna. I hear her crying out my name before I blink and bring myself fully into reality. Tavi looks at me, tears staining her eyes and cheeks, her face glowing with happiness. After a moment I try to get up, only to be pushed back down by both Tavi and Luna.

"What happened here?" I ask. For a moment they look at me, confused. Then, when understanding showed, I knew what happened to me, but not what happened to them. Tavi decides to tell her part of the story first.

"Well, it all started just before six in the afternoon. You had just finished talking about us as a family when suddenly your eyes changed, they seemed to grow distant. I became worried and tried to ask what was wrong, but your eyes rolled back into your head and you passed out. It was weird, and then when I pulled your eye open to see if you were okay there was nothing there, they were just...black. I knew you needed help so I started to run out towards the street to get some. As I reached the stairs Princess Luna teleported inside the house a few feet from me. She demanded to see you as she sensed a powerful nightmare within you, trying to consume you."

"She went into the bedroom to check on you, to see if she could do anything. Not much longer afterwards, some of her guards arrived and were dispatched to find Vinyl and Neon to let them know about this. After they left Luna told me your nightmare was attempting to consume you, it was however of natural origin. She could do nothing about it. She said the only recourse though, was to send me into your dream to try and save you; to help you fight that thing that was trying to consume you. When I got in there I saw you, your eyes beginning to glaze over as you leaned forward into a kiss. I got so upset that I ran forward and punched that bitch in the face."

"After that I tried to get you to come with me, but I couldn't move you very easily. She got back up and demanded I stop, but I didn't want to: I love you and she wasn't going to stop me. Then she used those perverted things." She shivers at the memory. "I felt horrible, it was painful, but it wasn't my pain that I felt: it was yours. I felt everything that was inside of you, I was unable to fight her anymore. Then it disappeared. I looked up to see you removing the tentacles from me, tossing them away as that bitch looked at you. I could see her anger, then you told her to shut up. My clothes returned to me, and you grabbed my hand as you walked up to her. Fear overtook her as you yelled your heart out. You even called me your mare." A smile graces her lips as she says those words. I can hear Luna doing a quiet 'aw' in the background, but Tavi starts again.

"After that she was consumed by the darkness that originally surrounded us. Then, as she was swallowed up completely, you proposed to me. I couldn't believe it for a moment, then I just felt the need to kiss you; and after that an explosion of light forced me back out here." She smiles brightly, the memories at the end giving her a blush. "What was that light anyhow?"

"The light of my heart, the one who gave me strength when I needed it, the one who refused to let me sink into darkness. The light was Mariana being replaced, by you Tavi." She looks back up at me, her eyes wide in understanding. She was forever a part of my life, nothing could change that. "This also means I won't be having that particular nightmare again, it is gone. Because of you and Luna, it is finally gone." It was at this point that Luna decided to speak up.

"Well then, my friends. It seems that my presence is no longer necessary here. I will be off, but even if you don't need the therapy anymore, don't be a stranger." She said this as she was encompassed by a strong light. In an instant she disappeared, having teleported away, leaving Tavi and me alone in our little home. It was then I decided to ask the question again.

"Hey Tavi?"

"Mmmm?"

"I have an important question I want to ask you."

"If you are about to propose to me you might as well stop. If you honestly believe there is any way I would say no to you, I wouldn't still be here."

"Well, there is one big difference between there and here."

"And what might that be?"

"I have a ring here." She snaps up immediately, her eyes meet mine, wide with anticipation. I get off the bed, doing my best to walk to the dresser. I open the highest drawer of the row and pull out a little box.

"This was given to me by my mother as part of her will, it is a ring given from mother to son for generations. This is the only thing I have left that is hers, and I want you to have it on one condition." I kneel in front of Tavi, lifting the little box and showing the ring within. "Do me the honor of standing at my side as my wife."

There was no worded response, she merely grabs me by the collar and proved to me how strong she was as she lifted me into a powerful kiss. It was all I could do to return her kiss at half the ferocity. After a moment she allows the kiss to break. "One more thing." I add.

"Yes?" She was absolutely giddy with happiness, it reminds me of that Pinkie Pie when she gets really happy, it almost seems out of character for Tavi.

"That was a little hard to be able to understand, mind repeating your answer please?" She stares at me a moment before she smirks. This wasn't the kind of smirk a man walks away from.

"How about I give you a better answer?" She then tosses me onto the bed, and soon after she's lying on top of me. "Good thing we have some time to spare before the guards track down-"

"IS SAM OKAY?!" A loud voice echoes through the house as the door slams against a nearby wall.

"Vinyl." Tavi and I say in unison.

Soon enough Vinyl climbs up the stairs to come bursting into the room. Thankfully Tavi is able to remove herself into a sitting position on the side of the bed while I'm still lying in the middle. She quickly looks to me and sighs with relief. "Dude, I heard you were in trouble so I ran all the way here. I think I lost Neon a while back, but what happened?"

"Vinyl, I had another nightmare; and if it weren't for Tavi here I would not be here. I don't know for sure what would have happened, all I know is that was the last one." Vinyl looks to Tavi smiling heartily.

"Oh thank the goddess, I was afraid-" Her eyes finally catch a glint coming off of one of Tavi's fingers. "Is that a wedding ring?" I look to see that, indeed, Tavi has put on the ring. Apparently she thought it was an engagement ring. She held it up on her finger to look at it. It was a silver ring fitted with a single large sapphire surrounded by several small rubies. Each were placed around it in a circle, with various designs on the outside to accentuate them. It was a lovely ring, meant to symbolize the fires of passion heating up even the oceans themselves.

"It's a wedding ring?" Tavi asked, clearly perplexed.

"I couldn't find a decent ring to give to Tavi for an engagement ring, so I gave her the family wedding ring I got from my mother after she passed away." I sit up, taking Tavi in my arms as I do. "There is nothing I want more than to have Tavi at my side." I hear a little sniffle coming from Tavi as she turns around, ensnaring me in another kiss.

"Well, if you are fine now I better head home. It is late after all, I am surprised Tavi is so active at two in the morning." Tavi and I turn to her, our surprise evident in our shocked expressions.

"How long did the guard take to find you?" I asked, I was out by six, so it has been about eight hours since my nightmare consumed me.

"Well, they sort of had trouble finding me, nopony knew where I was apparently, and Neon was with me so they couldn't simply ask him. In the end they found us preparing to board a train to Ponyville, I have a place picked out down there but wanted to check it out. Originally the plan was to spend the night at a friend's place until the payment was taken care of, but that was all pushed aside when the guard told us what happened. We will catch a train in the morning so no big deal there. I am just glad that you are o-"

"Vinyl, is he okay?!" Came a shout from downstairs, signalling that Neon had finally arrived. He quickly rushes up the stairs and finds us. After taking the time to catch him up we offer them the guest bed; I was certainly not going to be moving from Tavi's side tonight, and it was way too late for them to catch a train now, not to mention all the troubles that such a late arrival would bring anyway. We all settle down for the night in our beds, each of us with someone we love. Everything is perfect. Then I sit up remembering a very important fact.

"Oh shit." Tavi sits up, startled that something might be happening again. "Tavi, I just realized there are four days till Vinyl's birthday." At first she sighs in relief, before worry once again takes her features.

"... Oh buck."

"... We have to get a gift, set up a party.... Let's write this down and go to sleep. Thinking about it as tired as we are is going to accomplish less than nothing." Tavi sighs before replying. She then grabs a piece of paper from the nearby nightstand and quickly jots down everything we need to remember for the morning.

"Indeed, let's just be thankful you are fine now. Good night, honey." She snuggles up into me, feeling her tuck into me as best she could. I throw my arm around her, feeling her warmth, and soon we both drift on to sleep. My dream, this time, is as serene as possible: I dream of holding Tavi and one of our foals. It is blissful.

'I wonder where the other foal was?'

As I wake up, I find myself surprisingly warm. A moment later, a strange feeling overtakes me; something wet and warm is on my morning wood. Suddenly it hits me: Tavi is blowing me under the covers. As this information reaches my mind, I feel myself hit the edge and release into the awaiting mouth. When my motor functions catch up to me I rip off the sheets and expose Tavi, with her mouth over my dong, sucking me dry.

"Tavi, I won't lie, that is an amazing way to wake up." She looks up, and on her face is a sly smile. As she swallows one last time she removes me from her mouth before replying.

"Well, glad you enjoyed it. I'll admit, I wouldn't mind waking up like that sometime either; too bad I am carrying our foals." she smirks playfully. There is only one proper response.

"Well, I don't see the harm in some fun while you are at this stage. Even less if I am careful." We close the distance between us slightly, then I realize something. I feel...lighter, like I can walk on air. Noticing this I decide to take the initiative. I close the gap, ensnaring Tavi in a deep kiss. I can taste myself, but that doesn't matter, I am enjoying myself too much. As we separate she tries to close the gap, but I am slightly too fast for her as I get out of bed, standing easily with no support. She merely stares: I could finally stand and move about like before. Yes, I had been walking with help before; but now, I am able to stand without any help at all.

"Guess it is even easier to walk without baggage huh? Also, we can't fool around just yet. We owe Vinyl a birthday party she will never forget." I smirk with confidence as Tavi pouts. It is absolutely adorable, but it isn't time to give in. Especially since Vinyl's birthday is the 19th, and it is currently the 15th. So we have four days to prepare; this will not be easy.

"So, any idea where to start?"

"Not really. I plan to buy her something for the baby, but that wouldn't be something to give as a birthday gift."

"Starting with the gift then, well I will get her what I got her last year, a record of some fine music."

"Tavi, that seems a bit redundant to keep giving her music. How about we take her out to a nice, not too fancy dinner, then take her here to have a small party." Tavi looks behind me as if a ghost has appeared. "Is it Vinyl or Pinkie Pie?"

"Pinkie." I turn around slowly and indeed, Pinkie is standing behind me, looking as giddy as a kid in a candy store. Actually no, she looks even giddier. "If I let you plan this party, do you promise to invite only a grand total of fifteen other ponies?" She slowly nods her head up and down, her grin getting impossibly big. "You can plan the party then." She jumps up as if shouting 'yay', but no sound comes from her mouth. I almost question it, but then again, this is Pinkie Pie. You don't question Pinkie Pie.

She soon enough bounces away; and if my return home is any indication, there is no way that this will turn out well. Then again it's Pinkie Pie. Also of interest was the fact that Vinyl wasn't up yet. Yes she's eight months pregnant, but she is almost always up at this hour; it's noon after all. Tavi and I then exit our room and notice Neon coming out of the guest room.

"Hey Neon, Vinyl doing alright?" I ask. Neon looks in our direction before answering.

"She is doing fine, she is just tired since she has trouble getting sleep, our foal likes to kick a lot when Vinyl wants to sleep." I file this away for the future, I have a sneaking suspicion that this will become pertinent with my life. "Anyway, want to make breakfast? I am certain that will wake up Vinyl." He seems a little too cheery...

"So, what are your plans for Vinyl's birthday?" He stand still and turns around. Once again, I see absolute horror in the face of a pony.

"Oh buck, I forgot to plan for her birthday." He says, barely above a whisper.

"Well good news is, we can throw a small party here after a decent meal at some restaur-"

"Actually, it might just be better to make something here. Her being pregnant sort of makes it hard to get around you know? Also, I was hoping you could help us get to the station in a bit; seems Vinyl really exerted herself getting over here. Obviously we are heading into Ponyville today to check on the house and-"

"Why is it so fucking horrible to carry a foal into this world! Neon! Get over here and help me into the kitchen! Please." Tavi and I stare at Neon for a moment before Tavi breaks the silence.

"How did you get Vinyl to use the word 'please'?" Tavi asks, clearly as confused as I am.

"Simple, she wants something like sex or a certain treat. I made her say please. Conditioned her pretty easily." As Neon says this he starts to walk away.

"Just like Pavlov." I say aloud.

"Who is Pavlov?"

"Was, he was a scientist that trained a dog to salivate whenever a bell was rung. He did this to prove that you can link a reaction to a stimulus. In this case, saying please triggers a reward for Vinyl." Tavi takes this thought into consideration for a moment.

"So, I could theoretically make it so that you would do something to me with the proper stimulus?" The seductive look is just the clue I need to piece together some very provocative thoughts on what she meant. She never has time to go into further details as, shortly afterwords, Vinyl came stumbling in with the help of Neon. In the light, it is easy to see how big the foal has become in her womb, and I can only imagine how big Tavi will become with two of them. She is wearing her trademark pants, but instead of her usual shirt she is wearing a light blue pregnancy shirt instead.

"So what are you guys doing?" Vinyl asks simply enough.

"Probably the opposite of what you think we are doing." Tavi responded.

"So, you guys are still planning for my party huh?"

"We got most of the details worked out. We are going to have a nice, home cooked meal by me." Vinyl's grin brightens a small amount as she hears that. "Followed by a small party hosted by Pinkie Pie." Her grin increases even more at that note. "And then, well, we haven't planned that far yet." Her smile doesn't waver as she continues to grin.

"Well, seems like you guys are off to an awesome start. We will be coming back into town on my birthday bright and early on the first train. You got 'till then to rectify the problem I know you still have. Don't play innocent, I know the two of you forgot." Tavi and I grimace as she saw through us so easily. "It isn't too hard, Tavi's heat was a month ago, and you have been rather busy with your therapy. Not to mention Tavi is pregnant now, add to that what happened last night and I am surprised you remember it at all. Not to mention you got Pinkie Pie-" She stops when she sees our expressions.

"Pinkie is right behind me isn't she?"

"Pinkie is Pinkie after all." I say with my expression stuck on 'not amused'. Vinyl turns around and comes face first with the bubbling ball of pink energy called Pinkie Pie.

"So Scratchy," Vinyl groans at the nickname Pinkie gave her, "I wanted to know what color you wanted for the decorations, what color bib you have, and what gender your baby is so that I can plan accordingly!"

"Well Pinkie," Neon interrupts, "maybe we should continue this conversation on the way to Ponyville, Vinyl and I need to go check on the house."

"Okie Dokie Lokie." Pinkie said while literally hopping out of the house. I am almost surprised that she didn't simply levitate out.

"Well guys, it has been fun catching up, but I think you need to get ready for your pregnancy Octy. Things may seem easy enough now, but trust me, they won't remain that way." Vinyl says with a wave as she heads for the door. Neon realizes she's trying to walk out of the house without help, so he quickly gets up to follow Vinyl, yelling his goodbye as he reaches the door. With the distractions now gone, Tavi and I had a bigger problem: we need to get a gift for Vinyl. She's a DJ who made a killing on her performances, she could have just about everything she wanted, and what she couldn't get it would take far too much for Tavi and I to get.

"So Tavi, any ideas for Vinyl's birthday gift?"

"Not at the moment. She would probably want some records, but unless you want to go recording her an album we won't know that she doesn't already have it. Last time I asked she had a good 4,000 records."

'Damn it Vinyl, why do you have to be so hard to get a gift for.' The previous year I had given her a new sub woofer straight from the human world. She had a few of them, but one was damaged by the delivery company. They refunded her all the money she spent on the speaker and what she paid for delivery, but she was unable to use the others until she got a replacement.

"Why don't we get her a baby carriage?" Tavi suggests.

"Maybe a little more then that, we would have to coordinate with those that are also giving her stuff."

"Well, we will get her a baby carriage, then each of us will get her one other gift. That sounds fair to me." I was going to object, but it's fair and reasonable, just what I have come to expect from Tavi in times like these. I simply nod and the matter is settled. We will each get a gift for Vinyl along with a baby carriage. As we knew the baby was a colt, we decide on a definitively un-coltish color: pink. It's partially meant as a joke since we have a set of blue sheets to give her instead, but we want to give her a somewhat goofy gift as revenge for Tavi's last birthday. I had cooked all her meals, but Vinyl got her a gift of a little red button. When Tavi pressed it she was shocked to discover that Vinyl had put a vibrator in her bra. It was admittedly hilarious, but it was also cruel.

As for a personal gift I'm stuck thinking about all the things I could get Vinyl. Suddenly, it clicks: I know what to give her. With a forceful speed I head out to go shopping for the gift. I only hope it's not too late to get it made.

Author's Notes:

... I wonder if Sam will ever forgive me... maybe a nice spa trip is in order soon...
Thanks again to Deadpony for editing this, I should really get more chapters written, haven't written up anything in almost a month now...