Honour Bound

---

‘I can't believe I’m wearing this.’

Turning around, Corporal Honour Bound looked over her shoulder at her reflection in the bathroom mirror.

‘How did Glamerspear talk me into this dress?’

What little of the lacy red fabric there was scarcely reached the top of her hind legs. Squirming, she gave the bodice another tug down to try to make herself decent. It didn’t really work, and worse, pulling it down made her tuft sprout even further out.

‘Damn that unicorn!’

This tube-sock was a size too small, she was sure of it -- despite the fact that her barrel fit neatly inside. And it wasn’t like Honour ever donned 'long' or 'wide' sizes before. No, she was just an average earth pony, size 6. Same as it said on the label before she put the thing on.

At least Glamerspear's suggestion about the panties seemed to work. Beige didn't match her coat, but it perfectly blended in with the dress' translucent backing material, and with the red lace on top, the difference between the pantied and non-pantied parts of her body was imperceptible even in the bright bathroom lights. Nopony would be able to tell that she was wearing them to protect her modesty.

Unless she started dancing, she supposed.

‘Not likely.’

That thought lingered in Honour’s head a moment, and then on a whim, she shook her plot at the mirror. The loose pleats of sequined red lace bounced and flapped playfully, along with her braided brown tail.

She caught the barest glimpse of beige and paused to frown at her reflection.

‘Well…’

‘It is just underwear.’

She was wearing it under clothing, and it wouldn’t be out on display unless she really acted up. At the nightclubs on Tuesday with the Royal Engineer and the rest of the quaternion, plenty of the mares, and even a few of the colts, were wearing more scandalous outfits.

But this was the Grand Galloping Gala at Canterlot Palace, not Mares' Night in a smoky basement room! And Honour wasn’t a dance-hall whorse looking to grind up against colts for free drinks.

Out of frustration and indecision, she actually bent her knees and gave her rump a proper bump up in the air.

She saw nothing but panty.

That redoubled the corporal’s frown, but it was too late to back out now. Anyways, she wouldn't have anypony to dance with, so she wouldn’t be dancing, so she wouldn’t be bouncing, so nopony would see anything. That decided, she turned forwards again and reached over to the door-hook to grab the matching red shawl. It was trimmed with big, red fake fur that was so puffy it could be made of ostrich feathers, and when she slipped it on and wrapped it up properly to cover everything, she actually felt more ridiculous than she did before.

‘How'd I let Glamerspear talk me into this one as well?!’

‘The shawl was supposed to help me feel modest, not make me stand out even more!’

Honour almost preferred the dress leaving her with the plot-and-tuft-hanging-out than looking like she was completely naked under a slinky velvet wrap! That was worse than just showing up wearing nothing at all! The fault wasn't the fabric or the trim, really. It was just that the shawl was big enough and the dress small enough that one covered the other completely and utterly. She felt like she was supposed to be showing up at some colt's apartment door, only to strut in and pull the shawl off in a slinky display. Probably with a casual 'hey, big foal' and pointed glance at his package, followed by mounting a dance pole for a rousing show.

‘Okay, Honour, take it easy.’

‘Gala dresses are supposed to be a bit outrageous.’

Next to the batpony in her red scarf-shawl and tall black fez, Honour was sure she would just be a brown-and-red fuzzball. If she didn't feel like keeping the shawl on, she could check it at the door. Or she could take it to her dinner table and toss it over the back of her chair. She was just going to have to cope with feeling a bit silly walking around the Canterlot Palace hallways looking like a strippergram courier.

As long as she had at least one of the other guardsmares beside her, she felt she could bear it. Or the Royal Engineer, too -- provided he wasn't embarrassed to be seen alone with her. Well, his compliments contributed to Honour buying the dress, though she was certain Glamerspear coached him in what to say.

With a final look in the mirror to make sure her makeup was in order -- nothing fancy, just a little touching up around the eyes to match the glamor of the occasion -- she gave her dour reflection a final sigh.

‘Smile, Honour.’

Attending the Gala was a great privilege and it was supposed to be a great party. And she knew from having attended the sideshow previously that all the stops were being pulled out. In this ridiculous, scandalous, tantalizing dress, she could mope, disinterestedly sipping gin-and-tonics all she wanted, just like last year.

If that was all she wanted.

Castlerook would be on duty in the palace proper.

They didn’t need his unit down at the docks during the party itself, not when all those rowdy sailors from the lucky hundredth-anniversary-celebration merchant-marine ships were up at the Gala. His guardsponies would, instead be needed in the Palace to maintain order until the crowds started filtering out.

Maybe he could spare her a moment sometime during the evening...

Just then Honour remembered that one particular sailor from one particular ship would be in attendance, and a shiver ran down her spine.

Leeward.

She reminded herself that she had better get going so that the five of them could arrive and she could camouflage herself in a corner before he showed up.

Taking a deep breath, Honour pulled open the bathroom door and stepped out. Glamerspear was in the common room, double-checking her makeup in a small mirror hanging under the wall-clock. When she heard the corporal emerge, she turned around and, in an exaggerated motion, came to attention.

"At ease!"

‘Not this again.’

"Carry on."

As soon as she spoke the magic words, the unicorn broke out into a big grin. "Well, some corporal looks ready to bring all the colts to the yard! Come on, let's peek under the wrap!"

With a sigh and an irritated pout, Honour sat back and spread her forelegs to unfold the shawl.

"...Very nice. You're ready to click hooves on the dance floor all right!" Then Lily rolled her shoulders and quickly adjusted herself to be in just the right 'vogue' position. "And what do we think here, huh?"

Honour couldn't help but notice first and foremost that Glamerspear had selected a longer-cut dress than hers; while the earth pony’s scarcely covered her rear end, the unicorn’s reached down to just above her knees. And Honour already knew that Ebonshield and Sparkshower also had longer cuts, too.

‘Eb's getup may have been avant-garde, but how in Equestria did I wind up with the most risqué of all the fashion choices?’

Taking her mind off of her own outfit, Honour gave the expectant specialist a moment of scrutiny. There wasn't much she could really say: it was a high-priced Louis Valise dress, and it looked it. The pleated sheer fabric and black inner bodice were an elegant and provocative complement to her pink coat and teal-cyan mane, while the black-strapped 'gladiator' sandals with their shiny studs emphasized her legs. Honour honestly couldn't imagine a better look for her; not that she was any kind of fashion designer, but still -- it was true what Cosmoponitan asserted: the little black dress was still a mare's best friend. And somehow, Glamerspear’s Silver Ram -- which she'd mounted on a black ribbon, instead of the normal blue-and-white -- was the perfect accessory for it, too.

"I honestly can't think of how you could have done any better."

Lily scoffed amusedly. "I can, but you're right -- I'm as good as any colt's gonna get."

Lifting an eyebrow, she tilted her head and looked around the corporal to eye her tail. "So you decided to stick with the braids? I'm not complaining, but I was kinda looking forward to maybe a new 'do, ya know?"

Honour’s braids were her braids, and as close as all of them had become, she didn't feel the need to explain her mane and tail choices to the specialist.

Not right now, anyways.

"Just braids."

Glamerspear leaned back like she was worried she'd touched a nerve.

She hadn't, not really.

"Okay, sure. Ready to go downstairs?"

Honour wasn't.

"Yeah, let's go."

Lily’s horn lit up as she telekinetically opened the door, and both of them headed out into the hallway. Without a care to anypony who might see her, Honour walked to the staircase, down to the ground floor, and over to the large double doors to the Royal Engineer's room.

‘He'd better be ready.’

She didn’t want a repeat of Friday morning's foalish fiasco. Not bothering to knock, she turned the handle and pushed in. Ebonshield and Sparkshower were both sitting in the living-room area on the sofa, and across from them in the club chair was their Very Important Pony who was very much not a pony.

Everypony turned to look at Bound and Glamerspear, and one of them, at least, relished the attention.

"All right, fillies and foals! Are we ready to get this party started?"

The Royal Engineer got to his feet, while Sparkshower hopped off onto her hooves while Ebonshield slinked down on hers. The Royal Engineer’s suit looked every bit as good on him as it did when she saw his final fitting at Bridle Path Clothiers. But Honour did notice his stylish new boutonnière: a cluster of four carnations, pink, yellow, purple, and sepia, with their stems all bundled up with a coil of shiny copper wire.

‘Where'd he get that?’

It wasn't in Sparkshower's morning haul from the flower market in Tallyho square; not all wired up, anyways, though he did ask her to get one carnation blossom of each color available. Then the corporal remembered all the tooling and equipment on the tables surrounding his desk, just over on her left.

‘Of course, he must have made it himself.’

Sparkshower bubbled her way forward in her pink dress. "Wow, Lily, black really looks good on you! And Corporal -- I mean, Honour -- that's some wrap you've got on!"

‘Take the compliment, Honour.’

"Thanks, Artemis."

As the Royal Engineer stepped over, the earth pony nodded towards his lapel. "Very colorful, sir."

He smiled amiably, looking embarrassed. "I had some copper wiring at hand and, well, what can I say but that inspiration took me?"

She couldn't help but notice that the colors corresponded to the coat colors of his guards.

Sparkshower felt compelled to point out the obvious. "It's one color for each of us, isn't that nice?"

Honour nodded. "I noticed." That was a bit too sarcastic for the upbeat mood, though, so she followed up. "Very considerate of you, sir."

He chuckled. "Let's just say that as much as none of you are on duty guarding me, I am still rather hoping that I won't find myself completely abandoned in a sea of unfamiliar faces tonight."

Then he laughed, smiling. "But don't worry; if I do, I'll manage. It'd hardly be the first time."

She hadn't really thought about that. Not that she was planning on ditching her VIP, but the idea that, for him, the Gala would be a more alien experience than it would be for any of them was a novel one. So far, attending the Gala had mostly been all about her and the other guards.

Sparkshower and Glamerspear's fight over the ticket.

Ebonshield getting in on the action.

Shopping for dresses.

Yes, there was Anon's suit, but he'd basically taken care of it himself; Honour had just been along for the ride. Anyways, even if she’d felt like drowning her troubles, she didn't think she necessarily needed to ditch him. He had seen the corporal get pretty hammered already this week, and she’d seen him almost blackout drunk. There weren't really any secrets between them, party-wise.

"I'm sure you won't find yourself in that situation, sir."

The Royal Engineer held up a gloved hand. "It's kind of you to say so, but let me state for the record that I don't want any of you to ruin your nights for my sake. We see each other almost every day, so I'm sure you all are craving some liberty of association. Anyways, enough logistics talk -- logistics has the evening off, too. Shall we?"

"Yes, sir!"

"Yay!"

"Heck yeah!"

"¡Vámonos!"

---

Suggested background music: Mariss Jansons and the Vienna Philharmonic - 'Ballszene', by Joseph Hellmesberger
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Qgri3-nKVA

---

The five of them exited his room and arranged themselves in a line-abreast formation, with the Royal Engineer occupying the place of honor in the middle, Bound at his right, Ebonshield at his left, Glamerspear on the far right, and Sparkshower at the far left. It was not quite a march, but it was definitely a bold walk as they headed down the wide hallway of Canterlot Palace's West wing's South annex.

And despite her apprehensions, Honour felt -- well, she felt happy. Everypony was excited, everypony was in a good mood, and everypony had something to look forward to. For Sparkshower, Honour imagined it was her big group-performance Lipizzaner waltz with the Royal Engineer. It should be a fun display; the earth pony resolved to try to watch it. Glamerspear, Honour felt sure, was looking to show off her dress -- and maybe her medal, too, since she was wearing it. Doubtless she was looking for an upgrade from Captain Mailedhoof. That shouldn't be too hard to manage at the Gala.

Honour wasn’t quite certain what Ebonshield was after, considering she already had a young beau from the Schola under her wing. She was probably just looking forward to a great big party. And considering how the other batpony Stars treated her and the other members of her Temple, Honour thought she'd be happy to potentially be the center of attention, rather than being disdainfully ignored as the leader of a group of tolerated heretics with unsavory professions.

What about the Royal Engineer? Besides the dance with Sparkshower, he seemed content enough just to be invited. Well, Honour knew he could hold his drink, and he’d mentioned he wanted to dance, so hopefully he'd find somepony to partner up with. If he didn’t pair up before hitting the floor, then perhaps his moves could attract a companion. Honour didn't know if it would be as easy as Lieutenant Kilfeather suggested, and she doubted anypony really got anywhere past first or second 'base,' to use a sporting analogy, but still -- it was the Gala.

Equestria's big magical night.

As their troupe turned out of the annex and into the wing's main corridor, Honour started to see the palace become a little more alive and magical than it ordinarily was. Down the hall, she could see larger groups of ponies, while at their end of the corridor, every now and then, a palace servant went scurrying by, pausing only to give a polite bow or curtsy and looking pleased when the five of them stopped to politely give one in return.

After all, what was the rush? The Gala was the Gala, and it wasn’t going anywhere without them. Honour could leave her worries upstairs in her room. 'Nunc est bibendum, nunc pede libero pulsanda tellus', as the ancient unicorns said. She was onboard for the drinking part, but Honour still was not sold on dancing. Maybe if Castlerook asked her in a moment off...

Anyways, it didn’t matter. She’d have a good time either way.

Everypony would have a good time. That was the magic power of Canterlot, of the Palace, and of the Princesses -- provided one believed in them.

And at her core, Honour did.

She started to hear voices emanating from down the hall, and a minute later, their five-abreast slow charge was forced to relax to a more leisurely stroll as they hit traffic. They weren't at the main entrance quite yet, but Palace rooms in this wing were full of hundreds of visiting dignitaries and diplomats from across Equestria and beyond, and Honour’s group of five was neither so nimble nor so narrow that they could zig-zag around them.

As she’d said, though -- what was the rush? They should take the time to enjoy the palace, because for now at least, these hallways have been decked out with ribbons and flowers and banners. There was no question that the stage was set for a wonderful evening.

Eventually, the murmur of voices grew louder, mixing with the sound of a nearby string quartet, and they reached the end of the corridor. Here was the upper level of the short northern section of Canterlot Palace's main gallery, and their group joined a few dozen other ponies waiting in a loose line to be let in to the rotunda, where Princess Celestia and Princess Luna received guests, and the lower east, west, and north galleries and their adjoining salons hosted the Gala's indoor delights.

Anonymous reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper protecting a slim pack of unmistakable golden slips.

The Grand Galloping Gala's Golden Tickets.

"I suppose I ought to dole these out now?"

Probably, yet it didn’t seem right. Like he was cutting them all loose.

Honour shook her head. "Why don't you hoof them to the doorcolt all together? We're arriving together, we ought to be announced together."

Sparkshower peeked over, worried. "Uhm... We can keep them after that, though, right?"

Even a used golden ticket was quite the collectible.

Honour nodded. "Of course, Artemis."

‘I should remember to stick to first names; this is the Gala, not a barracks meeting.’

"Yay!" Then the pegasus furrowed her brow. "...Uh... Do you have something to carry yours in under that, Honour?"

She actually didn’t.

Anonymous smiled as he fanned out the tickets in anticipation of hoofing -- handing, rather -- them over. "There's plenty of room for them back in my pocket for the rest of the evening if that's a worry. I won't lose them, and they'll make lovely souvenirs for each of us."

The earth pony turned to him. "Thank you, sir. I think that'd be best."

First names were all well and good with her compatriots, but they didn't feel proper with the Royal Engineer. He was the Royal Engineer, the Very Important Pony, even though he wasn't actually a pony. And he may have made her feel Very Important as well through having secured her a ticket, but she was still just his guard.

The group collectively took another step forward, and they found themselves the next ones to be announced after a unicorn noblepony couple with what looked like their teenage foal. The mustachioed unicorn in a tailcoat cleared his throat, holding their three tickets up in his telekinesis.

"The Lord Charles Bourbon of Mills-upon-Allier! The Lady Mathilde Bourbon! The Master Robert Bourbon!"

It wasn’t exactly a shout, but he faced towards the busy rotunda and he certainly made himself loud enough to be heard. After a moment, the doorcolt floated the tickets back to the nobles, and they proceeded down the steps into the rotunda.

The five of them stepped up to be announced, and Anonymous handed over the tickets to the unicorn, who took a quick sip from a glass of water first. "By Appointment to their Majesties Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, Anonymous, the Royal Engineer of Equestria! Purity Ebonshield, Seventh of the Temple of the Shining Stellar Dance! Honour Bound of the Royal Guard, Order of the Silver Star! Lily Glamerspear of the Royal Guard, Centurion of the Order of the Ram! Artemis Sparkshower of the Royal Guard!"

It was quite a mouthful, even with pauses in between each pony.

"Their Majesties bid you welcome to the Grand Galloping Gala and invite you to receive their welcome in person, below."

The doorcolt elegantly waved them in and floated the tickets back to Anonymous, who replaced them in their wrappings and pocketed them.

Before them was the rotunda, filled with hundreds of ponies, many of whom were in a winding line to greet the two Princesses at the top of a set of stairs leading to the South Gallery's upper level. But to join them, first they had to get down into the rotunda.

Honour didn't think she’d realized just how big the staircase down was; there was room for the five of them, and at least another ten more. And the steps were almost awkwardly steep. Honour glanced over at Glamerspear and noted the tell-tale halo around her horn and hooves indicating that she was using the same grip-enhancing spell as she did in the Rookery's Cave of Pillars.

‘She still hasn't learned to share.’

Sparkshower and Ebonshield held their wings half-open to steady themselves, while Anonymous strode carefully down beside Honour, politely taking his time so as not to leave her behind. That was nice of him; the long, poofy shawl was a bit hard to manage.

‘Just take it one step at a time, Honour.’

As she reached a third of the way down, her ears picked out a loud cry from below and to the left.

"Make a hole! Make a hole, you landlubbers!"

‘Oh, no. No, no, no!’

Her eyes wide, she glanced left and right, trying to find a way out of her predicament. With another two-thirds of the staircase to go before the rotunda floor, though, there was no way she could disappear into the crowd in time.

‘Maybe Eb or Sparkshower could pick me up and just fly me out of here?’

"Lively now! Make a hole!"

Another swarthy voice Honour didn't recognize piped up in support. "Avast! Make way for the bos'n of the Tambermane!"

‘Of course he's got his crew with him.’

She could already hear the sturdy, tell-tale tap-tap-tap-tock of his steps, too. There was nothing for it but to just get to the bottom of the steps and let the chips fall where they may.

Just as Honour cleared the final perilous hurdle, there was a bit of jostling and the crowd of elegantly-dressed Gala party-goers was somewhat forcibly parted to admit three clean and proper, but somewhat less elegantly dressed sailors. And there he was, standing on his three good legs and one wooden hind-peg, flanked by a pair of young ponies who were undoubtedly his bosun's mate apprentices.

---

Recommended background music: Dropkick Murphys - "I'm Shipping Up to Boston"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-64CaD8GXw

---

Leeward looked exactly as she remembered him, with his shock of thick, black mane on a Windsor-tan coat, and the thin moustache and trimmed goatee which went along with it. He was wearing his formal uniform, a navy-blue double-breasted jacket with polished bronze buttons and a white vest underneath. A white cap with a navy brim, properly centred on his head, completed the ensemble.

And as soon as he saw her, he grinned widely, revealing the gold tooth that matched the pair of earrings he wore. "There she is! There she is! Ahh, a treasure as beautiful as the day I first set eyes upon her! Haha! What a delight it is to see her once again, lads!"

Still beaming with excitement, he looked her up and down, then turned to look at the Royal Engineer and the rest of the quaternion. "Well? Aren't you going to introduce me to your companions, Honoria?"

Glamerspear burst out in a snort. "Honoria??"

The earth pony took a deep breath and turned to the Royal Engineer, who looked puzzled. "Sir, may I introduce you to the boatswain of the Tambermane, Leeward Bound... my father."

Without waiting for anything more, Leeward immediately sauntered up towards the Royal Engineer and extended a forehoof. "A pleasure, sir! A pleasure! And you are?"

It took her VIP a second to react before he extended a gloved hand. "Er, I'm Anonymous, the Royal Engineer of Equestria. A pleasure to meet you as well."

Her VIP's title made Leeward do a double-take; clearly he’d only heard Honour’s name being announced, and not the whole group. "Why, Your Lordship, I beg your pardon! A great pleasure, Your Lordship! And may it please Your Lordship to learn that the Tambermane is the fastest Baltimare Clipper out of Fillydelphia! Across the Celestial Sea to the Griffish isles in twelve days!"

Honour continued the introductions. "This is Lily Glamerspear, a fellow soldier and a Centurion of the Ram."

Full of energy, Leeward scarcely waited for her to finish speaking before he advanced upon Glamerspear. "A Centurion! Goodness gracious, I should bow to you, madam!"

He did just that, theatrically removing his hat as he did so. Even his two mates, standing off to the side, doffed their own, mirroring his actions. "I pray you keep us safe from Changelings and Dragons and all other manner of beasts and scoundrels, brave Centurion!"

As Glamerspear tried to figure out just how to react, Honour indicated Sparkshower. "Artemis Sparkshower, another comrade-in-arms."

Leeward took her proffered forehoof in both of his own, shaking it eagerly. "Any friend of my sweet Honoria is a friend of mine! And may I be only the second pony tonight to welcome you aboard this fine Gala, miss Sparkshower!"

She seemed confusedly pleased by the encounter.

Finally, he stepped over to Ebonshield.

"And Purity Ebonshield, of the Night Guard." Honour held no hopes that that final appellation would quell his excitement, yet as Ebonshield haughtily held out a forehoof, she saw Leeward pause.

But it was only long enough for him to once again doff his cap, taking her hoof in his, and bending over theatrically to kiss it. "Madam, a creature of your elegant and stunning beauty would easily make a lesser colt forget the warm hearth and welcoming bed he has waiting for him such a long distance away."

That put a grin on the sergeant's face. Then he kissed her hoof again and withdrew, still bowing down -- not an easy feat for a peg-legged old sailor.

Finally, he sat down on his haunches and clapped his forehooves together, an enormous smile on his face. "Well! What a wondrous meeting! I tell you, lads..." Raising a forehoof, he addressed himself to his two younger crewmates. "...Find yourself a good wife and make yourself a child. The pleasure of seeing them again after a long journey is an immeasurable joy. Now, Mister Murphy!"

The one on his left stepped forward.

"Go and harpoon us one of those waiters what's ferrying glasses of champagne. And mind you he has enough stock for all of us! Lively now, for this is a reunion worthy of a good drink!"

With a quick nod, the sailor hustled off into the crowd.

"Mister Woody! I espied a few ponies with cameras about when we were higher up the rungs of the staircase! See that you haul one of them over here to take some pictures of a joyful old sailor with his beautiful daughter!"

But the second seacolt furrowed his brow in objection. "Beggin' your pardon, bos'n, but I believe they's workin' for the press, snappin' celebrities an' the like."

He must be a new one if he thought that her father could be dissuaded from anything once he'd made up his mind for it.

"So? They'll be laden with rolls of film for the evening and can surely spare us a few frames. And I'll pay good bits for a fine print. Step to it, Mister Woody!"

With a bob of his head, the second one headed off, and there was the briefest, longest, awkwardest moment where Leeward had run out of things to say, and everypony was just sort of awkwardly smiling at each other.

That's when things were mercifully interrupted by another new arrival.

"I say, Mister Bound, what's all the commotion here?"

In from the small clearing stepped no common sailor; by his pressed blue tailcoat and the gold-trimmed bicorne hat he was clearly one of the ship's officers.

‘Judging by his bushy grey beard and mustache, he must at least be the first mate.’

Honour’s father promptly stepped up. "Ah, Captain Barr! May I introduce you to my daughter, Honoria Bound. She's a decorated member of the Royal Guard, a devoted follower of the warrior's code, and a recipient of the Silver Star, sir."

The captain gave a polite nod in her direction.

She didn't think she could curtsy back with this big poofy shawl on, so she just nodded.

From the left, an earth pony waiter approached with a tray of champagne glasses on his back which he was barely managing to keep straight while being hustled by Murphy. "Drinks as ordered, bos'n!"

"Excellent, Mister Murphy! Captain, sir, will you toast the miracle of family and friendship with us?"

The captain nodded. "Certainly, Mister Bound."

Leeward immediately whirled around the waiter like a hurricane, dispersing the champagne flutes in a flurry of hoof-and-peg motions. In the blink of an eye, everypony found themselves with a drink, and her father instantly pivoted towards the distant Princesses at the top of the staircase and raised his glass.

"Ladies and gentlecolts, to Their Majesties Princess Luna and Princess Celestia! May their Grand Galloping Gala bring parents together with children, husbands together with wives, and true friends together with each other!"

In characteristic form, Leeward's bubbling, boisterous enthusiasm and good cheer drew several assorted ponies around them in, with raised glasses and replies of "Hear, hear," until there were almost two dozen drinking with them. And with his audience thus enlarged to what he considered a suitable number, after taking a sip of his own, he immediately launched into another speech.

"Twenty-four years ago, ladies and gentlecolts -- twenty-four years ago, I tell you that I became the most blessed colt in Equestria when my ship returned to port and I saw the precious cargo the stork had brought to Fillydelphia in my absence. For what father could ask for more than as sweet and beautiful a daughter as my Honoria?"

‘Oh, sweet Celestia, somepony put a stop to this now before it gets worse.’

"Though each voyage without her was a painful absence, each return to port brought the joy of seeing her again as if for the first time..."

‘Anypony, please -- anypony, interrupt him.’

Leeward lifted his jacket and displayed his wooden limb. "Not even the loss of my leg, ladies and gentlecolts, could dampen my spirits. I tell you now, it was the worst storm the Celestial Sea has ever seen, the night as black as pitch-smoke."

‘Tartarus, he's telling the story of his leg again.’

Honour would take anything -- fire, earthquake, tornado, changeling invasion, meteor.

"And there I was, the ablest seapony aboard. My place was high up at the upper topmast, a hundred hooves above the deck, and at the farthest out along the yard, adjacent the yardarm. The ship heaved and rolled every which way but straight, as we worked furiously to furl the sail, before the winds could snap the topmast straight off at the masthead."

He didn’t even pause when Woody returned with a smartly-dressed unicorn mare wielding a very expensive-looking camera, merely waving a forehoof and stepping over next to Honour for a quick photo.

The photographer was in and out in a flash, departing with a haughty scowl for the sailor who hauled her there.

"Even with the storm wailing in our ears, we could hear the cables groaning and the wood creaking. Just as we secured the sail, the ship crested a tremendous wave and plunged down into a trough so deep it must have been a maw of Cerberus itself -- and Tartarus' warden, ladies and gentlecolts, has sharp teeth and a mighty bite, for he snapped the yard in twain, sending me plummeting down into the sea, tangled up with the stays and the yard's hoofrope to be dragged behind the ship."

Her father theatrically got up on his hind leg and peg, holding up a forehoof. "I thought I must be doomed to the depths of Tartarus. Doomed to never see land and my sweet Honoria again. I struggled against the cords which bound me, swallowing gallons of briny water, never knowing which way was up, with only scant moments now and then to breathe and to cry out before I was plunged down once more."

He somberly shook his head. "When at last the crew was able to haul me out, by the hourglass I had thrashed in the sea for nearly an hour. Yes, ladies and gentlecolts, though the black doors of Tartarus stood open wide to receive me, I stubbornly refused to pass the threshold. Yet my defiance angered the dark spirits below, and they slammed the gates shut on my hind hoof, so entangled with cable and battered by the heavy tackle that it was ruined beyond recovery, and so the ship's surgeon told me that it would have to go."

Just as Leeward made a chopping motion with his free forehoof, another sailor burst through the crowd. "Captain Barr, sir! There's trouble in the North Gallery!"

That brought the story to a screeching halt, thank Celestia.

The Captain put his half-empty glass back down on the waiter-colt's tray. "Trouble, Mister Lynch?"

"Aye, sir! I think a fight's about to break out between some of ours and some from the Quincy, on account of some rotten things they've done said about the Tambermane and her crossing record! The guards have been summoned already, sir!"

"Intolerable! Mister Bound, pray come and help me sort out this mess."

‘Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you.’

‘Thank you, drunken, brawling, ill-tempered merchant sailors and your pointless arguments about which boat crossed the Celestial Sea two minutes faster than the other one.’

Deflated, Honour’s father put his champagne glass down beside the Captain's and gave a quick bow to the small crowd. "I beg your pardon, but this tale must await another telling."

Hustling after Captain Barr with a tap-tap-tap-tock, he shot her a smile over his shoulder. "Now, mind you're still here for me when I get back, Honoria! I want to hear all you've got to say about your last year!"

As soon as he was a few ponies deep in the crowd and out of earshot, she turned up to the Royal Engineer. "Sir, would you mind terribly if I skipped the Princesses' receiving line for now and went somewhere else?"

He looked down at her in shock, but after a moment, he started to nod. "If that's what you want, I'll join you."

Even though her tall VIP stood out like a tower in the crowd, it was still somehow a relief to know she wouldn't be fleeing alone.

"Thank you."

Glamerspear, her brow furrowed, stepped up. "Hey, I'm not splitting the party just yet. If you wanna head off, I'm coming with. You in, Artemis?"

The pegasus nodded. "Sure!"

Even Ebonshield stepped over. "And I will come also. May I suggest perhaps the garden?"

‘Anywhere that's not here sounds good to me.’

"Sure."

And off they all went.

Next Chapter: Chapter 135 Estimated time remaining: 4 Hours, 35 Minutes