//------------------------------//
// Taking the Plunge. 
// Story: Helios 
// by Mandroid 
//------------------------------//

	The halls of the Canterlot royal palace echoed as you walked down them. It seemed that they adjusted your boots for your first real day back on the job, they fit snuggly on your feet.
You stopped outside Celestia's door.
"Hey Brawny, Diamond. She in?"
Both of your fellow guards eyebrows arch. "Anonymous, why do you ask questions you already know the answer to?"
They had you there, Celestia rarely left her room without you.
You stepped into the room cautiously, wanting to maintain appearance. 
"Princess?"
"In here!" came a voice from the powder room.
You shut the door behind you and waited by the beauty desk. Celestia came walking into the bedroom applying a towel to her head, steam billowing out from the room behind her.
She wordlessly walks up to you and puts a tender pair of lips against your own.
"Good morning Anon." she says.
"Good morning Tia."
The two of you stand there for a time, foreheads pressed together and taking in the simple joy of being able to do this.
"Quite different from the normal start of the day, wouldn't you say?" Celestia asks.
"This past week has been a strange one, yes."
Celestia levitates her crown and raiment onto herself. "But enjoyable all the same, no?"
You chuckle. "More than a bit, yes."
Celestia leads a brush through her hair. "Is everything ready?"
"We just have to be there at sundown."
Celestia wordlessly smiles back to you. The warm kind of smile that makes her eyes glisten.
She quickly recomposes herself. "Well, we must first make it through the day. Shall we?"
"Lead the way Celestia."

-Music-
You and Celestia were finally able to get back to your old routine.
The city rounds.
Neither of you had partaken in the simple joy of seeing the city in the week you had been back. Most of your time had been put to fixing the mess you made when you walked out. As well as certain...other matters. Matters far more enjoyable.
This was also the first time you walked next to Celestia as opposed to behind her, making conversation much easier.
"The city looks well for what happened last time I was here..." you say.
"Yes. We were lucky that what transpired with my nephew was contained to his estate."
"How's he doing?"
Celestia sighs. "As well as can be hoped with what happened. He has his good days and his bad."
"...Maybe I should stop by and see him."
Celestia lowers her head. "Perhaps in time...But enough of depressing things, Tell me about how much different life is in the Mild West."
Heh.
"Well. Guarding an entire town is fairly easy when I can shout from one end to the other, and crime is less of an issue when everypony knows each other."
"Ah...that small town feeling."
"Certainly a positive aspect of my sabbatical." you say.
"How did you take care of your responsibilities there after you left?"
"I mailed all my things back along with a letter explaining the situation. Braeburn is the sheriff now." 
Celestia glanced down at you. "Do you trust him to do well?"
"Implicitly."

Later in the day you and Celestia were sitting eating lunch. It seemed that Celestia was feeling nostalgic, she took you to the same fountain where you kissed her cheek. The water gently babbled down from a relief of what seemed to be Starswirl the Bearded and lapped gently against the edge next to you.
Celestia stared ahead as you bit into your food. "Have you thought about it?"
You swallow your food and join her in her far off stare.
"...A bit."
"Everything changes after this..."
"Yeah..."
The full weight of your discussion was dawning on you for the millionth time.
"I'm...a bit worried." you say.
Celestia's head turned to you so fast you hear the sonic boom.
Her eyes were wide. "If you want to stop or slow dow-"
You shake your head. "No...No I want this."
You felt Celestia calm down immediately through the link.
"I want this more than anything right now..."
The momentary biting fear from Celestia's side of the link was replaced with the warm feeling of anticipation that spread throughout your entire body. You finish your meal as the sun inches its way across the sky.
Rising to your feet, you turn to Celestia. "We should get going, we probably have some things to do beforehand."
Celestia smiled and rose to her feet as well, eager to get things taken care of.

You are Sunshine Smiles, only constant guard to Her Majesty Princess Luna. You currently stood watch over the Royal Dining Hall as Her Majesty eats on the opposite side of the table from you.
Your eyes shifted to the windows near the ceiling as you watched for any possible threats.
Hmm...nothing. No silhouettes or mysterious shadows. 
One could never be too careful with a pony who was the night incarnate. Princess Luna had awoken early for today. Your duty was to follow her as she saw to some errands in various locals. It was not your place to ask what they were, but they seemed important. Princess Luna had always been opposed to the idea of personal guards, it was only through some miracle that you were allowed this station.
You accomplished this through the Shadow Stalking technique used by the Ibex empire. She seemed to find it less objectionable when she couldn't see you.
The Princess stopped eating and looks around the room. "Guard. Where is my sister?" she asked.
"I cannot say Your Majesty."
She grunted. "Celestia is always present at the evening meal...The only explanation is that Anonymous stole her away again."
"Who knows Your Majesty?
"I had thought we were rid of him...evidently not." She said as she rose from her seat.
Princess Luna exited the dining hall and you melted into the shadows.
She was right though, what in the world could they be doing?

-Music-
The two of you were both in the catacombs below the city. You were both facing each other in front of the crystal cage that held Grogar.
The Ram sat inside as motionless as ever, a wide grin on his face however. "I am truly honored to be performing this ritual. And it is with great humility that I do so." Grogar said.
Grogar wasn't your first choice so much as your only choice, the two of you needed to keep this a secret.
The week between your return and now had been one of emotional talks and planning. You both agreed: You loved one another.  The weeks you were gone had made you acutely away of how much you missed just seeing Celestia's happy face in the morning. You never wanted what happened before you left to happen again.
And so here you stood.
Grogar cleared his dead throat. "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today..."
Yes, this was sudden and possibly reckless. But it was also something the two of you had wanted since you returned to Canterlot. Just the time you had spent together, amplified by the link had felt like a lifetime together. You knew Celestia's hopes and desires, her fears and dreams and her most personal feelings. She in turn knew everything you worried over and wanted out of life, as well all of your memories of your life before you came here. Your first kiss, your first great success, everything that followed.
You were as much a part of her as she was you. And this was the most official definition the two of you could come up with. 
Grogar clears his throat beneath you and brings you out of the space your head was in.
"Huh?"
"I said. "You may kiss the bride." Grogar said with a shit eating grin.
You pull Celestia close and lock your lips, sealing the marital pact and embracing the wave of emotion that the link is sending between the two of you. You don't care what the civilians think, Celestia was as much a person as any of them and had a right to be happy. Celestia was the most important person in the world to you right now.
And you were going to be as close to her as fate would allow.