It has been three days since my meeting with Mariana. It was a rather harrowing experience, but I had Tavi and Twilight to help me get over it. She was transported back to Earth yesterday, and she is going to receive the death penalty. These are her final days. When I saw her again she looked terrible. She was well taken care of physically, but her hair was an absolute mess, her walk was and forced, and her stature, once proud, now showed a broken woman. As she left, Celestia informed me that the insurance money had finally been cleared and was put into a joint account for Tavi and I, minus our house expense.

All of that leads to today, the day Tavi and I finally move to our new home in Ponyville. Twilight said she would pass on a message to Rarity that we would need some things made, so that would be waiting for us there. Tavi and I have also purchased a few essentials and had them scheduled to be delivered yesterday. We were just finishing going through the things that survived the fire and, thankfully, my gift to Vinyl was only partially destroyed. It was a necklace with an inscription on it. It read 'to my best friend, Vinyl.' I owe her at least this much. It'll take a little reforging to fix the necklace, but that can be done anywhere. Sadly, the ring I got Tavi was destroyed. It may have been Vinyl's birthday, but I still wanted to get Tavi a gift. I just hope I can remember the phrase: 'To my dearest Tavi, the light of my life.'

When we finish making sure we had everything accounted for so that we can head on down to the train station, Princess Luna drops by to give us our farewell. Celestia is busy preparing strike forces to take down the rogue portal sites she found out about from Mariana, and Luna is tied to the castle to deal with the implications of what these portals mean, and their consequences. Apparently there is going to be some heated tension in the near future as the people of Earth are beginning to complain about how unfair and absurd it is for governments to control these portals so strictly, and that they should just deregulate them all. If things continue like this, we may end up with portals being completely unused, or worse, completely unregulated. The only thing she can do is ensure our safe departure, and give us a nice farewell.

Chaotic Note also joins us, of course. He's more ragged than usual, and there was certainly no gaming going on last night. He had to deal with a lot of the paper work, and neither he, nor Luna, had the time to sit around and play video games as they were too busy to do anything of the sort. I believe that soon Luna and Note will be having 'stress management' sessions soon, so at least I can give him that.

The only thing left to do now is get to the train station. Easier said than done since news reporters from both Earth and Equestria have heard about recent events and want the scoop on 'The Star Crossed Lovers'. They each want the 'scope' of how we overcame opposition to fall in love. When Tavi and I reach the doors to leave the castle, we get our first true glimpse at what we need to wade through. It's truly a strange sight to behold, as an ocean of people and ponies would be an understatement. If it weren't for the guards holding back the crowd, I am certain we would have been swamped. If I have to hazard a guess, there are more news reporters than citizens in Canterlot that day.

It's a long journey, but eventually we make it to the platform. We had left a little early, and had barely got there on time, but we get on our train. We have a private coach to ride in courtesy of Celestia, but if not for the guard we would have had to fight to keep it that way. The reporters don't want to let the scoop of the century escape them so easily. Luckily, unicorn guards made it easy. After a few moments the call is made for the train to head out, and we're on our way to our new home. As we clear the station, I breath a sigh of relief: a new start stands before us, and I couldn't be happier. Looking at Tavi, she seems to have also relaxed. We will soon be among more friends, and in a safer town, so our foals will be happy there. For a time everything seems to go just fine, and then Tavi brings up a topic I'm less than ready to talk about.

"So, I assume you don't know about herding?"

"Herding?"

"Yes, I know you have seen how there are quite a few more mares in Equestria than stallions during your stay, am I correct?" I nod in agreement as I try and put together the implications. "Well, the general idea is that, in the past, a stallion would take around two or three mares and create a herd. From this herd many foals could be born quite easily. In Canterlot this is not all that common, most stallion taking to one mare and no others. It is not, however, unheard of."

"Okay, you lost me. If this is a thing why didn't Vinyl just ask us to make a herd? I don't know what my answer would have been, but I do know she was into me."

"Well we are, and were, good friends; and before you arrived we once had a thing, but that never really got past a 'friends with benefits' kind of relationship. We decided back then that, unless we really like the same stallion enough to overcome it, we would not enter a herd together. When we ended up together, she originally wanted to pursue it, but then she decided to give Neon a chance first. She still wasn't entirely comfortable with the idea of being in a relationship like that again with me and she wanted to be sure. I think we both know what happened after that."

"Well then that leaves me with two questions. First, if I had ended up with Vinyl..." Tavi doesn't even let me finish the question before answering.

"Yes, I would have tried to get Vinyl into a herd. I knew you were the one and I would not have let you go easily." The thought warms my heart, but I must ask my other question, or it will bug me for too long.

"My next question is, why tell me now?" Tavi takes a deep breath before answering.

"Remember the incident with Twilight before her coronation at the castle?" I nod to this and Tavi continues. "Well, I think she may be falling for you and may ask to make a herd with us." Static fills my mind as the thought strikes me. Not one, but two mares in my life? I know I was just asking about Vinyl, but this just seems so...different. I have known Twilight for a while thanks to Luna, but to actually go on a date with her, and Tavi? This almost seems too complicated to really go through right now, but it is not exactly something that can be put off.

"Well, that adds some new questions. First, exactly how common are these 'herds' nowadays?"

"Nowadays they are not all that common, most of the mares unable to find a stallion are just fine with another mare. These are certainly not unheard of, but it is not surprising that you do not know too much about them. Twilight will probably end up trying to court you the old fashioned way by going to me first, but you need to figure out if you are comfortable with her and me. Before you ask though, I am perfectly fine with it if you are." Tavi gives a reassuring smile as she finishes, and I let my thoughts run wild for a time.

"Alright then, next question. How would that really work? I know I was entertaining the idea of us and Vinyl, but truth be told, I am unsure about this. Humans are mainly monogamous, and those that go into polygamy or polyandry are seen as immoral. I can accept that it is a thing here, and I am not against trying if this is something you want, but how would it even work?" Tavi takes a breath before answering.

"To be honest, I don't know. Twilight is an amazing mare, one who I would love to be in a relationship with, but in the end if you aren't happy with it, it can be stopped at any time until we officially make ourselves a herd, then it becomes volatile. At that point if we are uncertain about anything, the relationship could fall apart, but I believe that this is something I would like to try. I know my parents tried with a few mares, but never found a good match. I guess I really just want to try it, to try and find even more happiness for us." I take a deep breath, and begin to think of what would be the best for us.

The next hour is without many words, but I come to a temporary conclusion. "I guess for now, if Twilight asks to join, we give it a try. I honestly don't know if I can handle it, but it seems to me that you really want to give this a try, so I'll make an effort for us." She then cuddles with me, hugging me, until she speaks again.

"Thank you for understanding Sam, and don't worry, I believe that what we have will only grow in the end. For now though, let's enjoy the ride to town, we should be about halfway there so catch a nap if you want to." I nod, but sleep is rather far from my mind. For the remainder of the journey we travel in silence. After another hour and a half of travel, the town of Ponyville comes into sight.

Thankfully Ponyville is a small enough town that what we get are five reporters and a colt from a school newspaper. They end up being respectful and only try for a while before agreeing to back off for a time. It may have had to do with a few friends that we may have mentioned, but maybe these ponies are different. A few moments later, and Tavi and I approach our new home.

The house is simple in appearance, two stories tall with a straw style roof. It has three bedrooms and two bathrooms, a large separate kitchen and dining room. A large spacious living room, and in the back, a small pool. It was the most oddly colored house: bright blue at the bottom, mixing with a really odd green at the top. Obviously, we'll have to repaint the house, but I'll have plenty of time for that until I find a job.

As we finish the tour of our house, we hear a sound that will be all too familiar: the sound of a baby crying from next door. The house looks similar to our own, but the color is far better: a light blue, almost white in nature. If memory serves, it is the same color as Vinyl's magic. I can hear the baby slowly quiet down, hopefully the enchantments on the bedrooms to make them sound resistant to extremely loud noises will alleviate the worst of it. Too bad I have to pay extra for it, but I think it will pay for itself in time.

Finally, Tavi and I decide to pay our neighbors a friendly visit, starting with the one we know for sure. Heading out the front door and to the right, we quickly realize that Vinyl is slowly going insane as the crying that had started earlier seems to grow even louder. As we get to the door and knock, I believe I can almost feel Vinyl's frustration. It is then that Neon opens the door and greets us.

"Hey guys, sorry about the crying, seems we just can't get the little guy to calm down and it is starting to wear on Vinyl. I would invite you in, but at this time, that may not be for the best." It is then that Vinyl adds in her two cents.

"Neon, please get up here and help!" Neon sighs as he knows his brief respite from child care is almost over. As he turns to leave, Tavi speaks up.

"Try jingling some keys to calm him down, just a thought though." Neon gives a quick nod as he closes the door to once again help with the baby. As Tavi and I head to see our other neighbor, the cries slow and stop, replaced by the giggles of a baby. I stare at Tavi for a moment before she answers.

"I did pay attention when our neighbors were giving us foal caring tips." She smiles a bit before I jump in with my own words.

"Tavi, you are going to be the greatest wife and mother ever." She laughs demurely before replying.

"And you are just the lucky man that stole my heart." We chuckle a little and before long, we arrive at our other neighbor's house. It is a smaller house, still two stories, but the front has been renovated as a shop. It is then that we know why Vinyl wanted these house. It is a little candy store, owned by a couple that Tavi and I are more than familiar with.

As it's a store on the first floor entering is easy, though the store is very empty at first glance. There are no customers to speak of, and the scent of candy isn't what I was expecting since I had heard Bonbon made her sweets in-store. If the smell alone is enough to go by, no new sweets have been made in the last few hours. The store itself seems quite large, several walls must have been removed to make such a large open area, filled with shelves of candy. Near the perimeter are counters of wood that also display candy, though the tops of them are covered in glass so that the wooden part is facing the wall and the glass is facing the center of the room. As our curiosity peaks, we decide to call aloud.

Before I can say something, I hear sounds that make our neighbor-visiting spree is going to once again be cut short. Creaking wooden boards, soft panting, and the very familiar sound of quiet moans reach us, and just as Tavi and I share a glance something green practically flies over a nearby counter and is quickly joined by a creamy-white blur. A moment later, and the two colors became identifiable as two mares. In their session, Bonbon and Lyra are now actively going at it on one of the counters. I wish I could say that I am modest, but when two very nice looking mares are going at it without anything holding them back, a male's eyes will be glued to the scene whether he will pay for it or not.

Tavi, to my thankful relief, also becomes entranced by the sight before her, so much so that for a few moments, all we do is stare in disbelief at the nearby sight. After a moment Lyra's head tilts to the side and sees us, it takes a moment before she realizes she is having sex with her lover in front of us. Before she can give her concern voice her eyes glaze over as her body begins a spasm, accompanied by a loud moan from Bonbon. It takes a few moments for the two to recover, and as Bonbon prepares to speak, Lyra says a few choice words.

"Hello Sam, Tavi. Did I leave the door unlocked with the sign turned to open again?" At this Bonbon whips her head to look at us. Seeing us standing there unable to facilitate a response, Bonbon does what any rational mare caught in a post-orgasm state with her marefriend naked in the middle of her shop would do: she faints. I finally regain my composure enough to turn around, though my ability to use words is completely gone. It was then that Tavi recovers enough to speak.

"We...um...we will. Oh dear. We will come by some other time then. I'll make sure to turn that nasty sign around for the time being, so we will just be on our way." At this Tavi grabs me by the arm as she ushers us through the door, stopping only to turn the sign around, and heading straight to our house to recover from the sight. If my first impressions are of any value, Ponyville is going to be an interesting place to live.

Author's Notes:

Google Translate for the win!
Also, songs, they will be coming back eventually, just hasn't been any place to put them in.
Finally, I know I have been saying that this chapter would come out with a teaser for the Vinyl arc, but apparently my internet doesn't want my editor to get the damn chapter, so that will come out when it comes out. I apologize for the delay this has caused.