Celine gently ushered both of her stallions into Silver's room. With a soft nudge with her magic, the door was closed and she looked back and forth between the two. Tumble looked... lost. He wandered the room slowly, looking at everything there. "I've never seen your room before... You both live here?"

Silver nodded at Tumble, "Me and Celine, yeah. It was just me at first."

Tumble nodded stiffly, "Thanks, I mean... for taking me to those doctors." He sat down in front of Silver and smiled, "So, when do I go home?"

Silver blinked at the question and his head tilted, "I thought we made it all official?"

Celine shook her head, "Actually, none of us are adults. Last time there were two princesses there. I don't count. The words we said are important, good enough to take authority in a medical emergency, but his parents could claim we're too immature to take him away."

Tumble shrank a bit, "They'll come for me. They always find me. One time I tried hiding over at Meadow's place and they found me there too." He shuddered softly, "I don't want to go back there. They say the only thing I'm good for is pulling things, but I want to pull things in my truck, not on my shoulders." His face fell, "Oh Celestia, that was your truck! You're pr--"

"Enough," said Silver, holding up a hoof, "Tumble, seriously. We're not angry at you. You didn't wreck the truck. You didn't punch yourself. You did punch me though." He raised a brow, "Why did you do that? I thought we were friends."

Silver was attacked, sort of. Tumble picked him up and hugged him to his chest. It was warm, soft, but stifling, "A few ponies had asked about them before, but nothing good ever happened. One time somepony came around the house and talked with Mom and Dad and they got so mad..."

Silver wriggled in his prison until he could get a gulp of fresh air, dangling from Tumble's desperate grip, "That's not how we solve our problems." He kicked his legs weakly, hanging in the air, "If you're going to be part of this herd, we don't hurt ponies, any ponies."

Celine nodded softly, "Even when they deserve it. That is our stallion's way, so it is our way."

"Our way," echoed Tumble, setting Silver down gently, "So, you really mean it? Like, really really? I'm a stallion of a herd?" He raised a brow, "Didn't figure it would work that way. I always thought I'd find some other stallion and, you know, one-to-one?"

Celine raised a hoof, "Technically, you are his mare. There can only be one stallion in a herd. Do you question Silver's right to be stallion?"

Tumble looked confused at this, "But... I mean, I'm a stallion."

Celine shrugged, "Not in this herd." She pointed at an equally confused Silver, "That is your stallion." With a flash of magic, a pointing neon arrow appeared over Silver's head with the letters 'S-T-A-L-L-I-O-N' in bright colors.

Silver coughed a little, amused, and a little intimidated, by Celine's strong display. "Does that bother you?"

Tumble shook his head a little, then smiled, "It's like destiny... When you hit me with that magic and made me your mare before. I was still a stallion then, right? But I was your mare." He lowered himself and rolled over onto his back, hooves in the air, "Will you be good to me?"

The tone he used echoed through Silver. There was a desperation there, but also a fierce hope, but most importantly, Silver could hear trust being extended. He approached Tumble and nuzzled his cheek, "I will try to never do wrong by yo--" his words were cut off as Tumble took the opportunity for a kiss. No quick stolen kiss. There was tongue, and passion. Silver was unprepared for this, but tried to just... bear through it. By the time Tumble let him draw back, Silver was a deep maroon and flopped back onto his haunches.

"You broke him," said Celine in a joking fashion. "Bad mare." She moved up to Tumble and nuzzled his other cheek, "We are sisters now, herd-sisters. I am first wife, you are second."

Tumble rolled up onto his belly, bobbing his head. His eyes were bright with life and newfound hope, and his tail wagged eagerly behind him.

"I'm going to teach you a few things, for his benefit." She looked at Silver, "Mare conversation, shoo."

"But..." Silver found himself hovered through the suddenly opened door, and it shut behind him. He got no vote in this. He shook his head a little, why couldn't their second wife be a nice soft mare, with a sunny smile and a good past. He trotted towards the kitchen to get a snack as he thought this through. It wasn't like Tumble was a bad pony, but he was pretty clearly damaged goods. He would need support and caring, no matter how it was sliced.

Silver gnawed on a radish, pausing in his thoughts to wonder how a raw radish could be as tasty as a raw apple or orange. He moved to his computer chair. He didn't turn on any games, just sat in the chair, musing. Maybe Tumble was one of those people born as one that identified as the other. Did ponies have those? Maybe the fact that they didn't is what was breaking him up so badly. Maybe he really did want to be Silver's mare, but pony magic was pretty bad at making that a reality, not that human technology was much better. How would he even ask this question of Tumble without sounding insulting?

The radish was gone, devoured stem and all. The door to his bedroom opened and Celine poked her head out, waving him back in. This promised to be an awkward transition at best. He was just getting used to Celine's constant, but desired, proximity. He paused on his way to the bedroom, thoughts whirling. Was this not the definition of humanity in some ways? Changing things to suit yourself instead of yourself to suit the environment? He snorted softly and joined his mares, even if one of them did have an extra bit dangling off. He was soon pressed between the two. Thankfully neither of them tried to initiate anything, since he was not at all sure he would react well.

Silver galloped freely through unending fields of grass on all ends. He could see faint numbers and letters dangling to the blades as he ran faster and faster. Even the sky had tags, with each cloud having its own identifier. As his breath turned into an internal roar, he could see puffs of letters spilling from his mouth, and he could feel his body was a complex mesh of connections and numbers. Everything was working together in some insanely complicated system, and for just that moment, he felt like he understood it all.

Suddenly Luna. Silver skidded to a halt before the moon princess, blinking up at her, "I thought I was done seeing you in my dreams?"

Luna ruffled her wings lightly, "Do you not wish us?"

Silver shook his head, "Nah, it's OK... but I felt like I was on to something there." He flopped onto his belly, looking up at Luna.

Luna nodded as she settled down, sitting across from him, "Celine showed me what's going on. Celestia has forbade that I interfere any further in your life until you are a formal squire."

Silver tilted his head then, "But you're here?"

Luna smiled gently, "I am. I don't want Trixie and Rough to wage this battle. Tumble's parents are... I've seen their dreams."

Silver flipped his ears back, "Are they that bad?"

Luna nodded softly, "Now that I have looked at them directly, I am entirely confident, but their position in relation to yours restrains our actions, so now is your first action, as a squire. You must arrest them."

Silver gave a slow blink, "What? What am I going to do? They're earth ponies, like Rough Tumble right? Just... bigger, and stronger?"

Luna nodded slowly.

"And you think I can restrain them?" asked Silver in a worried panic.

Luna conjured an image of Silver laying between Celine and Tumble, "You have allies, one of which will suffer terribly if you fail."

Silver snorted, "Why not send the guard after them? Half-a-dozen night or day guards would do the job, right?"

Luna shook her head, "The only evidence I have is what I have seen in their slumber, which Sister insists is not enough. When they attack you, which I feel certain they will, that will be crime enough."

"Well, alright, so," said Silver as he gestured impotently with hooves, "Give us a few guards to watch from a distance and come help? Only one of us knows magic worth a damn, and she's a little copy of you. She's perfect, by the way."

Luna smiled warmly, "I am pleased to hear you appreciate me. I will send a trusted member of the night guard. She will keep an eye on things and move as needed."

Silver let out a breath. Did he have breath in a dream? Luna faded, and the dream resumed as if she were never there.

The three of them trotted to school, side-by-side. When they arrived at the school, the kids were staring at them a little oddly. Silver went to approach Lily and Meadow, waving.

Lily smiled warmly, but Meadow looked a little unsure. "Uh, I thought this was a game, you know. Something Celine put together. Why are you all still together? It was cute and all, but don't you think it went on long enough?"

Silver tilted his head, "What?"

Lily punched Meadow lightly in the shoulder, "Can't you see they're totally in love? It's like a romance book. Two stallions, one mare." She looked at Celine directly, "Lucky."

Meadow shook his head, "I'm not the expert when it comes to this, but even I know it's one stallion and some mares. You have more stallions than mares, how's that even work?" He reined himself in, "I mean, whatever. It's your herd, not mine." He leaned in close to Silver, "But, c'mon, Tumble, really? You can do better."

Silver went red, and Tumble proved to have good hearing when best suited for drama. "What did you say?" he demanded, looking furious.

Silver held up a hoof, "Let it go."

"No!" said Tumble, frowning. "Are you saying I'm ugly?"

Meadow took a step back slowly, "Well..."

Tumble advanced with Meadow, "Don't see why anypony would pick Tumble, huh?"

"I..." Meadow glanced around, but like Tumble's other fights, no other pony was eager to get in the way. Except one.

Silver moved between Meadow and Tumble, facing Tumble, "Relax."

Tumble snorted loudly, "He's calling me ugly and stupid."

"Nopony said you were stupid," said Silver. It was true, as far as he could remember.

Tumble shoved Silver out of the way. Why did unicorns have to be so light compared to earth ponies? He rolled through the dirt before coming to a stop and Tumble advanced on Meadow. Celine moved to Silver's side, helping him up with her magic. Silver was no longer watching the conflict. His breathing was harsh and labored, and he stormed off. Celine glanced back at Tumble shouting at Meadow before she moved to follow Silver quickly.

She caught up to him around the school where he had sat himself. He looked at her, "I can't do it."

"Can't do what?" asked Celine.

He waved a hoof, "This. I'm broken enough on my own. I can't deal with his malfunctions. He deserves to be loved, fine, but I can't do it. I can't live with someone that can not only overpower me at any moment, but doesn't hesitate to do so the moment things get tense."

Celine smiled gently, "I'm more powerful than you."

Silver gently smiled back, "And yet I would trust you. I would roll over and let you have your way because I know you won't do anything, even if you could. I don't... even totally understand how I know that, but I do, and you haven't proven it wrong so far." He approached her and rubbed his tear-stained cheek to her dark-furred face, "I can't do it. I said one, just one. If you're that insistent I need a stallion, get a small one, or even better, don't get any. I just need you."

A loud shout brought their attention back to the front of the school. Peeking around the corner, they saw two large earth ponies shoving Tumble.

"Already making trouble!" shouted the male. "We let you out of our sights for a moment and here you are, picking on the other ponies. What's the matter, you can only win fights with smaller ponies?"

The female grabbed his ear in her teeth, tugging him away from Meadow Leaper, "When we get home, you are on punishment for a month."

Tumble shrieked in terror as he was being hauled away. Silver frowned, "There's one thing we still have to do."

Celine followed Silver across the yard as they moved to intercept Tumble and his parents. Silver brushed his heart crystal, for good luck, then cleared his throat as he plopped down in front of the angry parents, "Sir, ma'am? I need to talk to you."

The stallion peered down at Silver and past him to Celine before snorting, "You're those kids that was filling our boy with lies! He ain't gonna be nopony's mare." He drew his belt off suddenly, holding it in his teeth and slapping the leather on the ground. "Your parents didn't teach you good enough, we'll just do the job for them."

The mother stayed where she was, holding Tumble firmly in place.

Silver went taut, then let his magic flow. He grabbed the belt quickly in his hand and yanked it away, but the stallion's grip was sure. For one delerious moment it was like playing tug-o-war with his dog back home until the earth pony wrenched the belt free of the magic. The belt came flying with its liberated momentum and slapped Silver across the shoulder. Without the proper crack, it only stung a little, but it was enough to make his hand vanish as he hopped away from the earth pony.

Celine's horn glowed with a sudden spell as the pony was encased in a translucent blue bubble. This enraged the mother, who cuffed Tumble, ordered him to stay put, and then she entered the battlefield. With a lash of her hind legs, she shattered the bubble and freed her husband. "Wicked little unicorns, think you're better than us earth ponies, just like all the snobs here in Canterlot." She wheeled around to lash at Celine with a powerful buck. Silver saw the blow hit a wall of energy, but it was too much and Celine was sent sliding back.

Silver summoned his hands back, then grabbed the husband before he fully recovered, pinching his snout shut with two firm hands. The stallion began to kick and thrash, but there was no obvious sign of what was wrong with him. He couldn't tell which unicorn was behind it, but he chose Silver at random to charge towards with a muffled cry. Silver turned tail and fled, but kept his focus. He led the angry stallion around, letting his breath run out all-the-faster with his air cut off.

Celine kept trying to deflect the incoming blows, but the mare had the strength to break through them. Each shattered shield backlashed on Celine, giving her an increasing headache. She fell before the mare, wheezing for breath. "Not so tough now are you?" asked the large mare as she stomped up to Celine. She raised a hoof high, ready for a telling blow when a new figure suddenly dropped on her face. She screamed in surprise and pain as whatever it was bit into her with needle-sharp teeth.

Silver couldn't hear the sound of his pursuer and looked over his shoulder. The stallion was taking slow, staggering, steps. His chest heaved, trying to force air through, but Silver's hands still held, even if his horn was beginning to ache. Tumble's father fell forward, pawing at the ground weakly before he went still. Silver was wracked with indecision. He didn't want to kill a pony, but what if the stallion recovered? The idea of personally killing something was too repugnant, and he let the hands go. The stallion took a harsh breath, but remained unconscious.

Celine wobbled back to her feet, watching as a young thestral (bat pony) fiercely did battle with the mother. The matron finally got a hoof between herself and the bat-winged pony and knocked them to the dirt with a savage shove. Her face marred with scratches and punctures, she roared in fury and charged the downed thestral, looking ready to stomp her into the dust. Celine grabbed her in her magic and directed her towards the ground. The mother tripped in her charge, going full speed into the soil with a grunt of pain.

The thestral was quickly on its feet and into the air on leathery wings. "You're under arrest," she said in a young female voice. "Attacking a night guard and assault on two minors. Come peacefully and Celestia may have mercy on you."

The earth pony looked enraged, but her eyes peered around, spotting her unconscious husband, her sobbing child, and the three enemies that seemed ready to fight. She hung her head slightly, and the battle was over.

Author's Notes:

Action! Excitement! And I know at least one reader will be extremely sad. I'm sorry!

I was so busy handling all of that drama that I didn't have much time for error checking.