The talk with Tavi's parents is going about as you expected it: Tavi is smothered with affection, her parents asking us many times if we're okay, and they offer to put us up until we could get a new home. Then we tell them that the two of us are moving to Ponyville. They don't take the news well.

"What do you mean you are moving to Ponyville?! What of your careers as musicians?" Pitch says, clearly distraught about our decision.

"Well Mrs. Pitch, we already quit the orchestra to make the move." I say. The look of horror on Pitch's face fades away as she faints. I move to catch her, but Chord intercepts her first. He turns to face me, a look of disbelief on his face.

"You two QUIT the orchestra?!" Chord yells, clearly not happy about this. "It has been Octavia's dream to play with them since she got her cutie mark! Why would the two of you ever quit?"

"I'll explain. First, we have had so many bad experiences here. I have gotten shot, stabbed, and thrown into horrible situations just because of the fact that I love Octavia; so I would rather be around friends who understand, than around idiots who don't want to. We also don't want to live in a place where we would have to rely on you or the princesses for constant protection. Finally, we want a better environment for foals." Pitch suddenly jerks herself up into a sitting position, having apparently recovered from her predicament as the words resonate within her mind.

"Y-you mean...?" asks Chord clearly shocked by the implications. Tavi blushes as her hand reaches up to her belly.

Yes Mr. Chord, Tavi is pregnant, with twins." I want to say more, but Pitch decides to show what she thinks of the development by rushing forward and giving me in a big hug. Normally this would be just fine, but Tavi's mother is an Earth Pony and they, unlike pegasi and unicorns, have an insane amount of physical strength, endurance and stamina. If she had put any more force into the hug, I might have broken a few ribs. She continues to hug me as she voices her joy.

"I can't believe it, I am going to be a grandmother! Oh I am so excited, and this explains why you are so ready to move. Canterlot can be a little difficult with all that has happened, so I am sure that the foals will be happy in such a nice little town. And twins! I am just so excited I can-" Before she can finish the thought Chord manages to finally pull her off of me so that I can continue to breathe. For a brief moment Pitch looks upset at Chord before she lets herself once again get distracted by the future. "Grandfoals..." I chuckle a little happily as I pull Tavi in close to me. Then Chord asks the question I have been dreading.

"Wait, how can a human impregnate a mare?" The question brings me to attention, having recently heard a theory on the matter.

"Apparently it has to do with the different dimensions. According to research, Ponies and Humans are the same creature in different dimensions. This means that we are almost the same genetically. The specific species of the baby is determined by the species of the mother. Although with the sub-species of ponies it is unknown if there is any pattern. Current theory states that this is because of the magic of the world interacting with the magic within ponies; but all of this is conjecture, no individual knows the truth for certain, though it is somewhat supported by the only successes being from Equestria, and not Earth. Beyond any of this, it is all fair game."

"Well, regardless of the circumstances, this makes me very happy. I can't wait for the sound of little hooves on the floor and being called grandma!" Pitch added in. "We should get in...never mind, I forgot for a moment about your parents and sister. Whatever happened to them by the way?"

"Oh, them. Well, my father ended up with fifteen years of jail time. My step-mother is apparently wanted for several drug charges as well as skipping on bail, evading arrest and breaking her probation: she got sixty years, though it is doubtful she will live long enough to serve the sentence. My sister was charged as an adult for drug use, selling drugs, assisting a criminal, assisting in the breaking of the Geneva convention, as well as falsifying records and breaking several more laws, she received eighty years in prison, no parole.

"And that ex of yours?" Chord asked to the shock of Tavi and Pitch. "Sorry, I shouldn't have asked."

"It's fine, she received multiple warrants resulting in more then enough for several life sentences though she was obviously restrained to just one. I wasn't the only one she toyed around with, I am just the only one to survive long enough to be rescued." The look of shock on everypony's faces was not unexpected.

"Sh-she killed others?" asks Tavi with wide eyes. Seems today is a very unbelievable day, not that I blame anypony for that.

"Not directly. She would gain so much control over them they wouldn't eat, sleep, or drink without her command. She never really took drugs herself though, she valued herself quite a bit more than that. She always experimented with most of the others, but she wanted to destroy me for her best customer, friend, and to some extent lover, Claudette. They became friends before drugs, and when mom died she got us hooked. I don't know if it was either her wanting money, or if she genuinely cared for Claudette, but thanks to her drugs got in. You know the story from there." At this Tavi simply hugs me, then Pitched joined in the hug. Finally, Chord crushes the three of us in a massive bear hug, because of which I end up blacking out. I wonder if there is something that will allow me to withstand their hugs without lacking oxygen.

I wake up a few hours later in Tavi's lap. We had moved into another section of the castle, specifically the lounge normally reserved for those waiting to speak with the princesses. There is, as is prevalent throughout the castle, great architecture for the ceiling. Each room had been designed to either represent day or night, and most rooms have magic that allows them to change which one it looks like every twelve hours. Truly an amazing feat. Looking up, Tavi notices I am awake and immediately breaks off her conversation to address me.

"Welcome back to the world of the waking, Sam."

"Well Tavi I would like to say, remember the last time I woke up in your lap? I sort of fell out last time." I say with a little smile.

"Oh, I remember it. I decided to try and catch your eye, maybe entangle you in a little kiss when you tried to get up." She grins at the memory of what happened next.

"And I, in my infinite wisdom, decided to evade the awkward situation by doing something stupid and rolled off onto the floor." I smirk as well until the sound of somepony trying to clear their throat reminds us that we're not alone. Looking to my right, I see that Tavi's parents are still here, apparently enjoying the conversation while waiting for me to get up.

"After you blacked out from my dear husband's hug we met Second Lieutenant Chaotic Note, who told us to tell you that the deal was brokered, and that all you need to do is refund the royal treasury the owed funds of 152,300 bits, after which you will be ready to go. Tavi says it was for your new home in Ponyville; though I must admit, I won't like being so far from my pregnant daughter, not to mention the eventual wedding."

"Don't worry, when the time comes we will make certain you will be nearby so that you can be there to see the foals Mrs. Pitch. And as for the wedding, it will be after Tavi gives birth. We don't want Tavi going through a wedding while pregnant." I say, with a light smile on my face.

"Really, still calling me Mrs. Pitch? Please, just call me and my husband 'mom and dad'. I am pretty certain we are family enough for that by now." After a moment of befuddlement, I give her a big smile.

"Okay...mom." Pitch walks back towards me and once again gives me a hug, this one thankfully at a more reasonable strengh for my body. I feel like I have a full family again. I feel content, for a few seconds, until a chill suddenly runs down my spine. Having felt my shiver, Pitch releases me.

"Are you okay dear?" She looks at me with concern as fear overtakes my features. After a moment I regain control of myself, though I still feel the chill.

"Sorry, I don't know what came over me. Something feels...wrong, almost like those nightmares I've had. I don't know why I felt it, and to make sure there isn't any misunderstanding it has nothing to do with you... mom." I try and give her a comforting smile, but something just feels horribly wrong.

"Well if you are sure, why don't we go for a walk. That might calm you down a bit!" Pitch says with a smile.

"Yes, that sounds good. Let's go for a walk." We get up, with Tavi and Chord supporting me, walk out to the castle gate and start heading out. A few moments later I catch sight of Shining Armor, who is escorting someone in cuffs. The person lifts their head up and the world just stops. Ice flows through my body as the face registers in every part of my head: the person in front of me is not someone I ever wanted to see again. Noticing my sudden change, Tavi and Pitch immediately ask me what is wrong. "I know that person." I finally get that out as Shining Armor comes within ear shot.

"Well then, maybe you can tell me. She refuses to say anything she doesn't need to, apart from something about being someone important from Earth. So who is she?" Shaking wildly I respond as best as I can.

"Her... n-name is..." Taking a deep breath I try again. "Her name is Mariana Telepia. She is my ex." The air seems to become heavy with tension, Shining Armor seemingly dumbfounded, not expecting those words to be coming out of my mouth. Tavi's expression goes from shock to boiling rage in a matter of seconds. Shining Armor, taking his duty as a guard quite seriously, immediately moves between Tavi and Mariana as Pitch attempts to keep Tavi from doing something that we would regret. It is then that Mariana speaks.

"Oh look who else is here, it's my pet. Be a good pet and come release your master." Her words are as cold as I remember, her stare leaving the words as a command, not a request. Every fiber of her being is hell bent on ordering me around, and it frightens me.

"You will not make him do anything you manipulative bitch!" Tavi yells, now being held back from beating in Mariana's face. Pitch is completely distraught, Chord seems to be watching out for what might happen, and Shining tries to figure out how to safely diffuse the situation. Mariana takes all of three seconds to decide her best course of action.

"So my pet found a new master? I bet you are a wonderful whore." She smiles, knowing that technically she can't be hurt right now. She is going to play this situation to her advantage as much as she can.

"One more word and I will-" Shining tries to say before Mariana cuts him off.

"Look buddy, it really doesn't matter: you aren't going to hurt me, you can't threaten me, and you can't let them hurt me. So why don't we just get on with this, I have a schedule to keep." Shining is clearly starting to lose his patience with Mariana, not that I can blame him. I only just begin to get myself back under control when Mariana speaks again.

"Please hurry up, I want to get away from these ponies and that piece of shit." Before Mariana can finish her sentence, Chord rushes up to her and punches her square in the jaw. The rest of us stare on in shock as this gentlecolt just punched a woman in my defense.

"I will not sit by as some gussied up whore insults my son-in-law. Captain Armor, I humbly request that this despicable miscreant be locked away for the rest of her life!" Chord says, anger radiating through his words. He looks back at us and sees our shocked faces, then composes himself and speaks calmly. "Now then, shall we go for that walk?" He says with a smile. He has no idea how much I want to hug him right now. It is then that Mariana regains her senses and starts to speak again.

"Alright then, Captain Armor, would you be so kind as to arrest this ruffian for assault on a suspect?" Shining's eyes widen when he realizes that, in fact, Mariana is technically right. Luckily for everyone, there is one more individual watching over us, literally.

"And who would believe someone who escaped from her transport to prison, created fake passports, illegally crossed into our country, then attempted to move illegal drugs and contraband, assisted in the attempted murder of two upstanding citizens of the country and verbally assaulted one of the victims?" The voice is Twilight's but why is it coming from above? Looking up I got a view I certainly wasn't expecting: Twilight with wings. Last time I checked she was a unicorn. She slowly glides down, with her dress being a simple gown which appears to have been in mid alteration. I thought of why she would be here when Shining Armor decides to interject.

"Twilight, what are you doing out here? Your coronation isn't for another few hours, go ahead back up to the castle. I will be just a moment longer as I take care of business." Shining said, clearly upset that his sister had to be involved.

"Look Shining, I could hear what was going on from way up in my room where I was getting the final alterations done for this royal garb: I know what is going on and I know of what she was doing, I was the one who reported her after all. And as for you." Twilight says, as her expression goes from stern but loving, to angry and cold. "You have done enough damage. You are not a citizen of Equestria, and you would be lucky to have any rights when you get back in prison. I will say this: if we ever catch a hint of you doing anything involving Equestria or Sam again, I will turn you into a hag fish!"

She then turns to her brother, smiling once more. "Shining, please take her to the dungeons until Earth's authorities arrive to take her away, I would rather have this day be remembered for positive things rather than negative ones." Shining nods and leaves with a completely shocked Mariana in tow. Then Twilight turns to us.

"I am sorry about that, we found Mariana in Manehatten taking advantage of the Orange Family while giving them false information about herself. If it wasn't for the fact that we caught her with contraband from Earth I doubt we would have realized that she was lying. Once again, I apologize that you had to see that, especially you Sam." Twilight then bows her head in an apologetic fashion. It is then that I regain enough of my senses to start using words.

"Twilight, all can be forgiven, but you do know that she won't live for much longer right?" Twilight seems confused at first, so I go into details. "After everything she has done, it didn't take a lot of thinking to get them to give her a life sentence to suffer for her crimes. She was in a maximum security prison yet she still managed to escape. To prevent her from causing anymore harm, they are going to give her the death penalty." Everypony stares at me in shock, because Equestria never used the death penalty. Certainly there were some harsh punishments, but there hasn't been any execution in Equestria in over 800 years. Twilight looks at the ground and seems to start thinking.

"It's too bad, I would be on the side of adding more life sentences, but she has already gotten away once, they won't give her another chance. Better to nip a problem in the bud than to let it flower." After a moment of letting the words sink in I decided to ask the obvious question.

"Wait, you're a princess now Twilight?" She looks up, broken out of her thoughts by my question.

"Well, yes and no. I still need to go through the coronation, but I am an alicorn now. If you want we can walk and talk together." The smile on her face seems genuine as she desperately wants others to talk to. I assume that her friends are here, but another opinion is greatly valued to Twilight.

"Then I guess we will leave the three of you for now." says Pitch. I turn around to see the trail end of a wink to Octavia. "We really wanted to make sure the two of you are okay, and knowing your plans and that you are more than okay makes us very happy. Go spend time with friends, maybe that will get you back on your feet." Her smile is just as genuine as Twilight's, but something seems odd. Certainly they're all being friendly, but there's still something that seems off. I decide to ask Tavi about it later, but for now I plan to try and make up for the lovely moment I just had with my past. As 'mom' and 'dad' leave, I turn around to face Twilight once again.

"Lead the way then Twilight." At this Twilight nods and walks back into the castle with Tavi and I right behind her. As we walk to the room where Twilight was having her dress made, she told us the very interesting story about how she earned the right to be a princess.

"It is a heavy responsibility, but it is my destiny to own it." She wears a bleak smile as she finishes this. I think for a moment and realize that right now, Twilight doesn't need to hear that she is doing the right thing: she needs the truth.

"Twilight, do you really want to be a princess?" Twilight stops dead in her tracks before looking at me.

"I don't have a choice."

"That doesn't answer my question, do you want to be a princess? Do you want to have the responsibility? Can you honestly look at me and say that you want to be put into a position where you won't be able to see your friends everyday, to have a normal relationship, to one day have a family?" I look her dead in her eyes. She had been backing up as I put up each point. She then takes a deep breath and replies while looking at the floor.

"No, I don't want to be a princess, but I don't have a choice. Equestria needs me." She almost sounds resigned to her fate.

"Twilight, I didn't have a choice when I was with Mariana. I experienced three years of my life without the ability to make a choice. This isn't that you don't have a choice, you just think you don't. You don't have a choice that your body is now changed into that of an alicorn. Certainly the others who share that gift are indeed princesses. However, you need not also be a princess in reality. I may not know you very well, but from the little I have seen of you, it is clear that you don't want to lead the country. You may have the qualities of leadership, but if you lack the will to do it, it will kill you. If being an alicorn means you won't die physically, you'll die a little inside. If you don't want to do it, and the lives of others are not at risk, don't do it, because the pain will not be worth it."

"That is indeed a very correct statement my little human." Turning around I am greeted with the presence of Princess Celestia herself. Tavi attempts to curtsey and I am partway through my bow when she brings a hand up to stop us. "Please, there is no need for formalities, especially since you are teaching my most faithful student a very valuable lesson." Twilight looks up to her mentor, waiting to hear what exactly I had been right about.

"You should never accept any responsibility you do not feel able to fulfill when you do not need to. That is why, although you will have the title of 'Princess', you will not gain any new responsibilities and will continue to live in Ponyville. Only when it is necessary to do so, will you be called upon to help protect Equestria. You still have many things to learn in life Twilight, and neither Luna nor myself want you to go into a duty you are neither ready, nor willing to partake in. After all, Luna and I love running the country, so you will have plenty of time to live your life." If there is a smile that is the definition of motherly love, it is currently being directed at Twilight.

"But, Princess, what is there left to study?" says Twilight, confused about the current state of affairs.

"There is plenty to study." Celestia says as she approaches Twilight. "There is still more to learn about friendship, magic, and of course, love. All of these things you will learn a little at a time, slowly moving forward from today to tomorrow and beyond. Eventually you will be ready and willing to lead Equestria with us, but for now, it is time to live your life the way you want to, and nopony can ask for more than that." Twilight looks at her in awe, finally realizing what I have been trying to tell her. Twilight then smiles lightly before Celestia speaks again. "Now then, perhaps you should hurry back to finish having your dress made. For at least this formal event, it might be best to look the part you will hopefully never need to play." Twilight nods and then hurries off to do just that. As Twilight slips out of sight, Princess Celestia turned her attention to me. "Now then, Sam, I have heard you will soon be moving to Ponyville."

"Yes Princess, Tavi and I will be moving to Ponyville in a few days to live the family life we have started." I smile as I place a hand on Tavi's stomach, enjoying the knowledge that below my hand lie our two foals, growing stronger day by day.

"I see. I am glad to know Twilight will be able to know the joy of having even more friends around her." Once again, a motherly smile graces her lips. It is times like this that I want to hug the Princess, close my eyes, and remember my own mother.

"You know Princess, if I didn't know any better, I would say you are Twilight's mother." Celestia smiles again and replies with her usual calm and grace.

All of Equestria are my children, both pony and human. Twilight is just closer to a true daughter than most. I have spent a lot of time with her, watching her grow from a little filly into a beautiful young mare, and now she is beginning to take her first steps into the world she was destined to be a part of. It makes me feel so proud to know that I had a hand in raising such a fine mare." Her smile never ceases as she bows and speaks again.

"Now then, it is brought to my attention that an escapee from an Earth prison was recently brought to the dungeon to await return to Earth's authorities. I must ask of her how she got here and see what I can do to keep others from coming the same way. So if you will please excuse me, I must be off." Celestia bows as do Tavi and myself, but as she nears a corner I decide to speak up.

"One thing about the subject your highness." Celestia turned around, clearly curious as to what I have to say. "She is not exactly one to treat others with respect or care beyond what is necessary for her own goals, she has used drugs and psychological warfare to break down her victims and get her way. I thought I would inform you so that you have everything I can provide." Celestia smiles again, but something feels off about this one: it's not emotionless or motherly, but something more frightening.

"I thank you for the warning, but I do know what this...Mariana, is capable of. Do not fret, I will get any information I want from her. After all, I have had centuries of practice." The look in her smiling eyes is something I will never forget. It makes me glad I have done nothing to earn her wrath. I almost felt sorry for Mariana. Almost.

Author's Notes:

As a note, a Hagfish is a type of fish that produces a chemical that turns water into slime allowing it to escape predators.

As for the Twilight scene, I made a blog post asking for opinions on herding for a reason, will it be Twilight, or will it be some other mare? I haven't yet fully made up my mind about it. No matter what herding will be in this universe, but only as outlined in the blog.

As for the Mariana scene, it is, as of right now, the second most controversial scene. I thought about not adding it, but eventually I decided to have it happen. For those of you curious, she could not have crossed into Equestria legally, so as you can tell, things are starting to heat up, and soon, we will understand just how much contact with the human world has stirred things up in Equestria, but not for a little while! Expect a teaser chapter as well for the Vinyl X Sam arc as well, I plan t write out the first chapter of it soon. I have NOT finished Sam X Tavi, but I feel like my patient audience should get a sneak peek!

Also, I am buying a house for $107,000, I have a lot of stuff to do before I can move in (carpet is in horrible shape, appliances barely work, and I need to paint), but when I do this will slow down again. Once again, a big thank you to Deadpony for editing!