Rally Flag hummed to himself as he made his way through the castle gardens, the pegasus admiring the rose covered arches as he passed through them on his way to a nice empty section of grass. He had the day off from his guard duties, having donned more casual attire with a white collared polo shirt that had the symbol of the Two Sisters on the pocket and jeans with white sneakers. Under his arm he carried a folded throw blanket, holding a picnic basket in his other hand he'd prepared for his special lunch with Celestia. He'd asked the royal kitchen for special, yet traditional picnic fare and had been supplied with a half dozen rose petal sandwiches and a bottle of non-alcoholic fruity wine since the princess of the sun would be heading back to work after their lunch. A cake had also been packed, berry and vanilla layered with fresh strawberries on top that he knew she would love.
Reaching the spot he had singled out as perfect Rally set the picnic basket down and unfurled the blanket, spreading it out as far as it could to cover a sizable section of grass. Celestia couldn't afford grass stains on her pristine white dress since she had visiting delegates to meet with after their lunch, so he smoothed it out as much as he could. Once he was satisfied he set up the plates and glasses that were packed in with the food, leaving the dessert spoons in the basket for later. The sun was almost at its highest point, Celestia would be wrapping up the last of the court business and making her way to the garden shortly.
Patting his pocket, Rally smiled to himself. It had been a little over two years since he had faced off against Emperor Cloudstrike, the once ruler of the Wending nation who had attempted to force Celestia into a marriage by planting sleeper agents through Equestrian society who would murder hundreds if she didn't agree. When the emperor's son Silent Hoof had told Rally about the plan he had to strip Equestria of all its wealth and how he could challenge Cloudstrike's claim, the green pegasus had been all too willing to do so. One ritual duel later had seen Rally victorious and his opponent dead, the emperor's son withdrawing all their people and promising true diplomatic talks in the future.
He hadn't got out of the duel unscathed though, needing to be patched up in the infirmary. Celestia had come to visit him, wanting to know how he had found out about the plan and why he had risked his life to stop it. He had known she wouldn't buy that it was purely him doing his duty as a member of the royal guard, and had decided to come clean that he was fond of her himself. She had decided to give him a chance, and he had never been happier.
Their first date had been painfully awkward, though Celestia had been willing to give it one more try and the second had been much better. From there they had found the time to get to know each other properly, making an effort to schedule a date night once a week which had worked out very well. It wasn't until close to a year into their relationship that Celestia had invited him to join her in her bed chambers, the couple sharing the single most amazing night either had had in quite some time.
It took just a few weeks before she asked him to join her in there on a permanent basis, less about sex and more to strengthen their relationship. Their routine had intertwined well, Rally being given more morning shifts so that his day started when she raised the sun and ended a few hours before hers to allow him some time to do things he wanted to do. Now, as he waited for Celestia to arrive he knew only one thing could make him happier.
"Rally!" He looked up from the picnic basket to see Celestia approaching from the castle walkway, as radiant as her sun in the sky above Equestria. Her crown and necklace glinted in the light, strapless white dress clinging modestly around her bust and hips which showed off her curves tastefully while remaining regal and poised. Her purple eyes regarded him warmly, seeing him likely a highlight to her day of talks with the representatives of other races. The pegasus got to his hooves, walking over to rest his hands on her waist and draw her into a welcoming kiss. Her lips tasted sweet as usual, her arms coming up to rest around his broad shoulders as she returned the kiss. "My apologies for being late." She said once they broke apart.
"Hardly." Rally grinned, having expected the meeting to hold her up even longer. Extending his hand to her, the blue maned pegasus helped the princess lower herself down to sit sideways on the blanket. Getting onto his knees hinself, Rally opened the picnic basket to show off its contents, pulling the bottle of wine out and pouring both of them a glass. Celestia took a sip, smacking her lips appreciatively as he placed a sandwich on her plate. "Figured you'd be held up talking about whatever it is you all talk about." He continued, getting his own sandwich out and taking a bite. Fancy things like rose petals were something he had only started eating when dating Celestia, and while he still wasn't overly interested in fancy things that didn't mean he didn't enjoy them.
"Ember and Thorax wanted the opportunity to catch up." Celestia started, taking a short moment to enjoy a bite of her own sandwich. "Rutherford and Grandpa Gruff seem to enjoy complaining about everything to each other, and Novo was quite keen to visit the day spa with Luna." She added, a satisfied smile crossing her face. "I suspect we will have a little more than the alloted hour for our time together." Rally grinned again, leaning over to give her a quick kiss on the cheek. She closed her eyes at the touch of his lips, smiling happily. A faint breeze stirring in her mane, a nice sandwich and tasty drink in hand and a stallion she cared deeply for to share it all with... Celestia was happier than she had been for most of her tenure as ruler of Equestria. Part of her wondered if she may have been happier doing this through the years rather than denying herself out of fear of the inevitable loss, but would she have been just as happy with stallions or mares who weren't Rally?
Celestia watched him take another bite of his sandwich, his blue eyes scanning the garden out of habit. Her eyes examined him, moving from his messy blue mane to the scar that ran across the top of his muzzle. Further down she knew about the one that also ran across his chest, both the result of his defending her and Luna from a manticore attack en route to Canterlot from the Crystal Empire. He had been fully prepared to give his life so that the rest of the escort could get the princesses to safety, something he had said was just part of the job when he had recovered enough in the infirmary. She had taken him at his word that day, having no reason to not do so. He claimed that he had simply managed to trick it into flying into the side of the ravine and then incapacitated it with a blow to the head from his hammer, though she couldn't help but imagine him defeating the beast in combat.
"Something on your mind?" Celestia snapped out of her thoughts at her coltfriend's voice. Rally was looking back at her, one hand popping the last of his sandwich into his mouth as he smiled at her.
"Oh, just reminiscing." She said, flashing him a happy smile. "In particular how often you seem to end up in the infirmary." He couldn't help but grin at the jab, her own smile having taken on a mischievous quality.
"Better me than you." He retorted playfully, though her smile turned a little sad at his words.
"I do hope you don't truly think your life is worth less than mine, Rally." She said, reaching out to stroke his cheek. "I may be the ruler of Equestria, but no one life is worth more than another." He smiled back, knowing that while she'd never change his mind on that it wasn't something to argue about either. "The kitchen staff have outdone themselves with this picnic." She said, wanting to steer the conversation back to a more positive place. He nodded in agreement, taking a bite of a fresh sandwich. They fell silent again for a minute as they enjoyed the food and drink, Rally's eyes flicking to her every so often. Finally, he took a deep breath once they finished the main course in order to try and keep his heart from hammering as the moment he had planned drew close.
"Just before we get to the cake..." he started, Celestia blinking at the seemingly nervous note that had crept into his voice. The princess turned to him, watching as he seemed to grab something from his pocket that she couldn't see in his now closed fist. "There's something I want to ask you."
"Of course." Celestia replied patiently.
"We've been together for a bit over two years now." He began, giving her a warm smile. She nodded gracefully, taking another sip of her drink. "Honestly, they've been the best two years of my life. I can't imagine not being with you any more, because I love you with all my heart." Her eyes started to widen as she watched the pegasus get onto one knee, revealing to her the box he was holding. Seated in the palm of his now outstretched hand was an open ring box, a shining diamond ring perched proudly in the centre. "Princess Celestia, will you marry me?"
Celestia could barely move, her purple eyes wide and fixed on the ring. Her mouth had formed a perfect circle, her heart bouncing around wildly in her chest at a question she had never thought she would hear in her life. Ever since she was young she had avoided such relationships, happy enough to make friends but unwilling to let ponies closer than arms length. Luna was the exception, having believed her sister would be by her side through history. Losing Luna had hurt beyond words, and getting her back had been a happiness she had believed unrivalled...
"Yes." The word slipped out of her mouth unconsciously, feeling the same jubilation that she had once she had laid her eyes on Luna after her return. Celestia's mouth became a wide grin, matched only by his own at her acceptance. "Yes Rally, I will!" Unable to stop himself, he crawled closer to draw the princess into a loving and passionate kiss. She kissed him back, her arms winding around his neck to hold him close as they expressed their love. It was only their need to breathe that broke them apart, the now engaged couple panting as they grinned happily at one another. Slowly, Celestia reached out with her left hand, Rally taking it in his own. His other hand freed the ring from its box, bringing it up to place it on her finger. It fit on her perfectly, almost as though it were a sign that they were meant for each other.
"I love you, Celestia." Rally said, scarcely able to believe that he could be as happy as he was in that moment. She beamed back, moving over to snuggle into his embrace.
"I love you too, Rally Flag." She murmured back, sharing one more kiss.
