Silver lurked by a window, looking out over the road that led up to the castle. She was gussied up, her resized dress draped over her body, mane and tail brushed out to a silvery blanket of soft curls. Her heart crystal shone softly from around her neck and she felt as ready as she would ever be to face what was coming. She took a soft breath and softly hummed to herself as she waited. A soft rumble made her eyes raise towards the town.
A moving van powered along the road, engine making quite the low thrumming as it drove up the hill and came to a smooth halt in front of the castle. Silver couldn't see through the windshield, and guessed the pony inside couldn't see her through the window. She hopped down from her stool and hurried to the front door.
A pony hopped down from the truck just as she emerged into the sun. They gazed at one another quietly a moment. They had both changed. The fitness that Silver had gently nudged Tumble so long ago, and his active life, had been good to him. He was more muscle and less pudgy fat. His dream had clearly been a reflection of his self-image, not the real thing. He was longer of leg and leaner of body. He was a fine stallion. He gazed at Silver with equal awe. The little runty brown unicorn was now a princess with nervously-fluttering wings. The sheen of her silver mane, the glow of her jewelry, even the dangerous glint of her fangs excited him.
"Tumble?"
"Silver?"
They approached one another and did a slow circling around as if chasing one another's tail a moment before Tumble plopped to the ground. "Well, here I am."
"There you are." Silver nodded, then smiled. "You look great! You still working out with Meadow Leaper?"
Tumble gestured vaguely towards Canterlot. "When I'm in town. I workout with myself most of the time... so... princess huh?"
Silver advanced and leaned in, pressing nose-to-nose gently. "Your princess for today."
Tumble went red swiftly. "What?"
Silver gestured towards town. "We're going on a date. We're going to talk about the past, and the present, and maybe the future? I want to hear where you've been, where you are, and where you want to go."
Tumble nodded hesitantly. "Oh, O-OK! Right this way, uh, your majesty?"
Silver waved a hoof. "Just Silver is fine. You knew me before I was even an adult, let alone royalty." She gestured at herself. "I think we've been through a lot. I want to hear all about it."
Tumble nodded more certainly. "Me too." He hopped up into the driver's seat and pushed open the passenger side door. "Come on in."
Silver circled around the truck and hopped aboard. The seats were more like cushioned stools than what she was used to seeing in a human vehicle. She pulled the door shut with magic and settled into place. "If you want to keep things informal, I know a good quiet place."
They were off, rolling along a little bumpily. Pony automobile technology was lagging behind human innovation, to say nothing of roads. The seat was soft at least, and bore them pleasantly enough to the side of a lake. Silver hopped free when it came to a stop and Tumble soon joined her. His eyes wandered over her. "So, how'd it happen?"
Silver gave the condensed version of her life, keeping Tumble's attention throughout easily as she wove tales of danger, magic, and romance. "And here I am, bonded to Night Watch, the lunar pony that helped us during that fight with your parents, Fast Change, and Twilight Sparkle."
Tumble whistled softly. "I can't say I've been as dramatic as all that. After you suggested the trucking business, Meadow Leaper and his friends helped raise the money and I got to work. It was a rough start, but I wouldn't give up. Besides, I'm Rough Tumble, what's a little rough patch, right?" He chuckled and she laughed with him briefly. "I've got about ten trucks now and as many drivers working for me, moving goods around Equestria. We can reach the towns that the rail doesn't go to, and bring heavy things while we're at it. We don't get ambushed by crazy monsters as often as other caravans, and we do it faster."
Silver nodded quickly. "That sounds fantastic! You really carved a niche for yourself, and that's something to be proud of." She rose a hoof and poked him in the chest. "Are you proud?"
Tumble looked suddenly guilty, eyes going downcast.
"Tumble..." Silver leaned in. "You've done very well for yourself. Let that gloom go. You are a great pony, who has done great things. I'll be proud of you for you if I have to be."
Tumble snorted and quirked a smile. "I don't think it works like that, but thanks. Uh... so... how much of that dream do you remember?"
Silver perked a tufted ear. "All of it. You woke up so fast it threw me out of it."
Tumble shrank a little. "Then... why are you here?"
Silver tilted her head to the side. "I'm not following?"
Tumble pointed at Silver. "I said I wanted you. You should be running for the hills, not sharing war stories."
Silver frowned a little. "That is for me to decide." She put a hoof on her chest, then pointed at Tumble. "As for you, we needed to meet, again, and see what is just fond memory and what endures and what changed. You are not the pudgy almost-stallion I remembered."
Tumble laughed softly. "You're not even a colt at all. You still... look young, kind of? It's hard to tell. Alicorns get bigger and longer."
Silver nodded. "Still young, a little older... I hope a little wiser." She waved a hoof. "I still don't have the unicorn alphabet memorized."
Tumble burst into less-forced laughter. "Oh wow, still struggling with that?"
Silver shook her head. "More like gave up and moved on to other things. So who are all these horrible ponies that are picking on you?"
Tumble squirmed uncomfortably. "Nopony important... I'm just not a good judge of a pony I guess."
Silver snorted softly. "That makes two of us, but I think part of the problem is you're undervaluing yourself." She rose up onto her hind legs, and an increasingly familiar magic flowed through her. She began to sing of Tumble's virtues and positive qualities, while Tumble sung morosely of his shortcomings. She was soon hoof-in-hoof with him, twirling in a slow dance as she sung encouragement. She let the song magic carry her along, seeing no reason to argue with a message she agreed with.
By the time the song ended, they were nose-to-nose, and it ended on a swell of music from nowhere, and Tumble kissed her. The song magic withdrew, leaving them pressed close and kissing gently. A bright flash caught their attention, both turning to see a newspony dashing off with her scoop.
Silver growled angrily and snatched up the reporter with her magic, pulling the squealing mare back over. "Different world, same problem. We're not your meal ticket."
The newspony flailed her hooves in the air. "No offense intended, uh, your majesty. The ponies deserve to know! You're cheating on your herd!"
Silver stomped a hoof on the ground. "It was their idea that I do this!"
Tumble shrank back. "I can go if i--"
"No!" She put the pony down but kept a hold on them. "Enough. I would never do anything to hurt my herd-mates. They are my everything, and they nudged me out here, because it was the right thing to do." She raised a hoof at the newspony. "If you want to report that I had a lovely time with a foalhood friend by the lake, with the blessing of my herd, go ahead. That's not exciting news."
The newsmare sagged a little. "Yes, your majesty..." The magic winked out as Silver let go, and soon the newspony dashed off.
Tumble chuckled softly. "You sure took charge of that."
Silver flushed gently. "Oh, I guess I did."
Tumble approached and nuzzled Silver's cheek gently. "You're kind of hot when you get angry."
Silver warmed all the more. "Stop that. You're exaggerating."
Tumble reached up and poked Silver's horn. "So you're a crazy-good wizard now, right?"
Silver smiled a little and pulled out her spell book, flipping through it. "So long as I have a spell written down. I've only memorized a few spells."
Tumble tilted his head. "Well, show me?" He pointed at Silver's wings. "You're a princess now, you should have all kinds of crazy magic. Hit me."
"Hit you?"
Tumble bobbed his head. "Go on."
Silver perked an ear. "Are... you hoping I'll do to you what Luna did to me?"
Tumble squirmed lightly. "Maybe?"
Silver leaned in closer, nuzzling gently into a cheek. "I don't even know what a lunar earth pony would be, but that's lunar pony. As in Luna. I don't... even know how to do that. You don't need to be a lunar pony to be important, you know."
Tumble pointed at Silver. "You are, and it worked for you. Night Watch is important, right?"
Silver shrugged. "Fast Change and Twilight Sparkle aren't. You just want to escape... you. And that's not something worth running away from. You're a good pony, you, right there, as you are."
Tumble sagged in place. "Sorry, I'm being a doofus... I mean... I'm enjoying this time, but you're going to go back to your amazing herd and I'll be alone again."
Silver tapped her chin thoughtfully. "I don't want to throw magic at you. It never really worked for me, but I was told to let you decide. I'm a princess, with a coronation around the corner. Princess Twilight Sparkle already has that crown. It's a big herd, with responsibilities. Is that something you really want to get into?"
Tumble smiled gently. "Does it put me next to you?"
Silver ruffled her wings lightly before she spread her wings. "Rough Tumble." Tumble jerked upright at the authoritative tone. "I conscript you as my first guard. Do you accept?"
Tumble blinked, then nodded slowly. "I... yes! Yes!" He leaped forward and they went down together in a tangle of limbs. "I will protect you, forever!" He was making her fur wet as he held her like she would fly away at any moment. She gently pulled him closer, murmuring softly into an ear as she considered the future. Perhaps things would grow from there more naturally.
"Now... I don't want you to abandon your business. It's a part of you. Keep those trucks moving. It's good for you, and Equestria." She gently extracted herself and sat up on her haunches. "Protecting me is no idle job. I've been the target of a foalnapping, twice. I've been targeted by evil shadows before. You will earn your keep."
Tumble bobbed his head. "I'll always be at your side."
Silver gently wrapped a leathery wing around Tumble. "And be kind to my herd-mates. Be kind, but be natural. If they do something that bothers you, you will not please me by keeping it bottled up. Even Princess Twilight. We do something that makes you uncomfortable, you say so. You are not our toy or our property. You are a wonderful pony, and deserve to be treated that way."
Tumble looked uncertain at that, which Silver expected. "I mean it. Don't let anypony walk over you. Besides, think of it this way. You're a royal guard. Royal guards cannot let ponies walk all over them. It looks bad, for you, and for me." She spread her wings wide. "You are now, officially, an important pony."
Tumble gave one more little nod, then fidgeted in place. "But... we'll be together? I mean... Will we get to..." He looked increasingly awkward.
Silver leaned in and silenced the stammering with a soft kiss on the lips, and they went quiet for a time before she drew away. "If you rise to your task, the others will not object to you. Be proud of what you have accomplished, and be a good pony."