Honour Bound

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For a last-minute, late-morning meeting in the Royal Engineer's chambers, this was going to be quite the event. Sitting beside Corporal Bound was a stone-faced Royal Guard of the Household Division, in his gleaming armor and bearing a short, gilt bronze spear.

His identical twin, at least by the look of him, sat beside Specialist Sparkshower, on the other side of Anonymous' double doors, striking an equally imposing figure. Despite his size, Sparkshower managed to look even larger and more impressive in her heavy armor and freshly-cleaned blue caparison -- and her longspear was easily twice the size of his shorter weapon.

On the other side of the sitting area, Specialist Glamerspear and Sergeant First Class Ebonshield sat at attention, guarding the blind-corner gap in the panel partition wall that led to the Royal Engineer's sleeping and dressing area. Their counterparts from the Household Division stood not directly beside them, but further down the walls, as if marking out the corners of the living area.

Two more of their kin, unaccompanied, were posted at the glass entrance to the patio. There were yet another two at the opposite wall, behind the dining table. Not to mention the other four guards just behind the corporal, on the other side of the double doors.

Ten guards in total, and the Princess wasn't even there yet!

And Honour was certainly looking forward to Her Majesty's arrival. She’d met her before, of course; every pony that passed through horseshoe camp in the Royal Guard got to shake hooves with both of Equestria's monarchs on graduation day. And she had escorted VIPs to both day and night court before, too. But from what she’d heard, meeting Princess Luna in private was a different thing altogether. Because the Princesses -- both of them -- had a presence.

It was hard to describe; everypony who experienced it spoke of it differently, be it in letters, books, songs, or poems, going back centuries. Some said that it was as if all the colors of the world somehow became brighter and more brilliant while in the company of one of the Princesses. Others, that sounds became rich and crisp, accompanied by a deep echo that seemed to rise from the very earth. A few said that ordinary smells were made strange and intense, with a hint of incense and perfume that was impossible to place, let alone reproduce. Still others argued that it was not so much a thing seen, heard, or smelled, but rather tasted -- like a refreshing nectar, soothing and sweet to drink.

Whatever the way, all agreed that it could be both entrancing and terrifying at the same time.

Was it all just their imagination? A product of their own excitement at being in an intimate setting with one of the immortal rulers of Equestria? Or was it perhaps a second-order effect of the Princess' supreme sorcerous abilities, little more than the background radiation of magical energies by beings powerful enough to move the very heavens?

Whatever it was, all agreed that the Majesty of the two Princesses went beyond a mere style of address; it was a part of them, like something in their blood. And Princess Celestia, after a thousand years of caring for her little ponies, knew how to disarm visitors by turning hers off.

Princess Luna, it was said, did not.

She rarely saw visitors alone, and the power was known to be lessened in larger gatherings; it was only when in private company did the fantastic effects become manifest.

Anonymous, the Royal Engineer of Equestria, stood in the middle of his living-room, dressed in his morning coat, his hands folded behind his back.

Did he know what he was going to face? Should Honour, as the leader of his VIP guard detachment, have told him?

She hadn't thought of it until then, and anyways he'd been in the presence of the Royal Sisters before -- in restricted company, too, in the Blue Chamber of the Privy Council. But was that enough to trigger the effect? The Privy Council members certainly never spoke of feeling anything strange, but they were sworn to secrecy. Had he ever had to face one of the Princesses by himself? And if so, had he experienced the awe and entrancement that other ponies did?

Had he ever misstepped and upset one of them, and felt the faintest pinch of what only the most wretched ponies, few as they were, had described as the dread gaze of disapproval? Did he feel the pull one was said to experience upon receiving a Royal Summons? Would Luna's delicate floral-print calling card even count as such?

In truth, did their powers even affect him at all?

A non-pony?

An alien not of this world?

When he slept, could Luna step into his dreams as effortlessly as she did any other's?

Questions raced through Honour’s mind even as the Royal Engineer's lighthouse clock ticked away the seconds. Glancing around the room at her comrades and Her Majesty's escorts, she inhaled deeply, straightening her neck as she heard hoofsteps behind her.

This might just be the most exciting thing she’d ever experienced.

Maybe even that she would ever experience.

One of the great mysteries of the world; one of the great magics of a magical land. It's not an accomplishment, really, but it is an honor, and a privilege. The Corporal normally didn’t get this worked up about matters like this. But the opportunity to serve Equestria's immortal rulers, the closest equivalents to living gods...

Well, it may seem a bit like silly spirituality to some, but it was one of the things that drew Honour into service in the Royal Guard in the first place.

There was a clicking noise behind her, and the door-handles flapped down, worked from the outside. A moment later, both double doors gracefully swung open.

Honour snapped to a hoof-over-heart salute, as did her Household analogs in their gilded armor. All she could see beside her was the solid slab of white-painted oak, divided by raised moldings into six rectangular panels. To her front, Honour saw the Royal Engineer drop his hands to his sides to bow, and three of the four guards along the back wall -- Glamerspear and the two Household Division sentries -- all gave a firm hoof-over-heart salute, while Ebonshield bowed her head completely to the floor. Honour suspected that this meeting had something to do with Ebonshield, and so far she was proving her right. Everypony knew, regardless of 'Don't Ask Don't Tell,' that batponies and the Princess of the Moon were linked, somehow.

Beside her, the hoofsteps stopped, just outside of her sight, their owner still obscured behind the large door.

Honour didn’t feel anything yet.

"Announcing Her Majesty, Princess Luna of Equestria."

Apparently, that was just her herald, who stepped into the room and off to one side after making her announcement. Wearing no armor, she instead had a caparison of deep blue, embroidered on both sides with a large white, upturned, half-moon crescent -- Luna's cutie mark.

There was another set of hoofsteps. Slower, and more deliberate; made by somepony with longer legs.

On the floor beneath the Corporal, her eyes caught a faint whisper of light peeking between the bottom of the door and the rug beneath. It flickered and danced subtly, tinted with blue.

The hoofsteps stopped, although the light-play continued; now the room seemed even quieter than it was before. Beyond the coffee table, the sofas, the easy chairs, and the lighthouse clock, which all seemed a little bit further away than they had been moments ago, Honour looked for a reaction in Glamerspear's face.

She was still saluting, eyes level, face impassive. To conceal her spellbinders, she'd wrapped her horn in a silky white ribbon, with a bow at the base for good measure. It was still pretty obvious that there was something going on, but at least it stopped the chains jangling whenever she moved her head. And was that the Silver Ram around her neck, on its white-and-blue ribbon? Honour hadn't noticed that she'd put on her ceremonial medal, earlier. This was certainly as good a time as any for her to display that. Had she met the Princesses in private upon joining the Order of the Ram? Perhaps this meeting would be nothing new to her.

"Your Majesty." Still bowed over, Anonymous welcomed her.

When her reply came, her voice was gentle and soft, a far cry from when she had first returned and spoken only in shouts. "We bid thee good morning, Anonymous, and beseech thee to stand."

The Royal Engineer rose up straight again, wearing a pleasant smile on his face. Gesturing at the sofas, he beckoned her in. "Thank you, Ma'am. May I invite Your Majesty to join me in the sitting room for coffee and biscuits?"

There was a lighthearted chuckle from behind the door, and the blue glow moved forward. "Hah! Thou art as well-mannered as our sister makes thee out to be, Anonymous. We shall join thee, indeed."

Honour saw Luna's herald salute as her sovereign stepped into the room, preceded by her flowing, rippling, blue mane.

It was a bright, sunny day outside, and the Royal Engineer's chambers were amply lit by the wall full of windows on one side, but somehow, in spite of its dark color, Princess Luna's mane appeared brighter still, glimmering in the light.

And then the Princess herself appeared from behind the open door, stepping forward with enthusiasm and a strange, unearthly grace. She was beautiful and entrancing, but Honour was still waiting for the other horseshoe to drop -- and for the magical presence to kick in.

As she made her way to one of the sofas, her herald bowed in greeting. That was the cue for Honour, the rest of her quaternion, and for the Household Division cavalry to all end their collective salute, and a slight clattering of arms and armor ensued just as the Princess took her seat.

With a nod from the sovereign, the herald backed away towards the doors, exiting the room.

The guardspony beside Honour clapped his hooves against the floor in place, strode forward, presumably encountered his opposite from the far side of the doors, before both of them backed out of the room as well, shutting the double doors behind them. Honour no longer had an obstructed view. Six Household guardsponies, plus her quaternion, remained as retainers in the large, two-story chamber.

As the Sovereign of the Night passed the coffee table, Honour got the measure of her. Anonymous stood a full head taller, but her mane and tail alone made her seem to impose upon more space than her alien VIP. There was a difference in their appearances, too. The Royal Engineer looked contained and controlled, his movements precise, like the clock at the rear of the sitting area; what little whimsy he allowed himself was constrained to his facial expressions. Her Majesty, on the other hand, seemed to flow like a river: graceful, but ever-shifting and ever-moving. Even though they both wore smiles that seemed genuine, there was an inherent tension of forms between them.

Princess Luna seated herself, lounging on one of the long sofas. Her mane and tail continued to float ethereally in the air around her, as if she was actually underwater.

Even though Her Majesty was certainly capable of doing it herself with telekinesis, Anonymous fastidiously busied himself with pouring her a cup of coffee, arranging a spoon, a pair of biscuits and two cubes of sugar around the edge of a saucer, then holding it in one hand as he picked up the creamer with the other. Stepping around the table, he bent over to present it to her, and she took it in her magical grasp, dispensing the cream, adding the sugar, and stirring to suit, before returning the creamer into his waiting hands, whereupon he returned it to the silver tray on the table. It was a kind of bizarre ballet, full of needless actions by Anonymous, as if he refused to allow the Princess to serve herself.

And strangely, considering her well-known fiercely independent streak, Luna seemed to allow it.

As the Royal Engineer served himself as well, Honour hazarded a glance around the room. All six of the Household Division guards were as still as statues, eyes staring straight forward and appearing to look at nothing, even though they probably saw everything. Nearby, Sparkshower was holding up well, a surprisingly grim and determined look on her face.

She was taking this seriously. That was good, because in spite of the elaborate coffee ceremony Honour had just witnessed, it was serious. The Princesses didn't call privately upon their councillors, even members of the Blue Chamber, unless there was something which required their personal attention. To do otherwise would be a waste of their extraordinarily valuable time.

Across the room, Glamerspear was doing her best to appear detached and a part of the scenery, but Honour knew she was watching everything carefully. And besides, nopony puts on a war medal in order to not be seen.

Honour’s recent-arrival sergeant seemed to be doing her level best to avoid looking at Luna, as if laying eyes upon the Princess was a cardinal sin. Given the rumors she'd heard about batponies and their relationship with Her Majesty, it might just be.

At last, the Royal Engineer took a seat, and, with a brief nod of acknowledgement between them, Honour’s VIP slurped coffee with one the most important and powerful ponies in the whole world.

After taking a sip, Luna lowered her cup back on the saucer, and then looked down at the coffee table -- almost like she was avoiding the Royal Engineer's gaze. But that would be ridiculous, wouldn't it?

Against the silence, Anonymous forced a smile and leaned forward slightly in his seat. "I hope the coffee is to Your Majesty's liking."

The Princess looked up at him to reply, but then almost immediately lowered her gaze once more.

"It is; very much so."

Unbelievable. Was it Honour's VIP who was intimidating one of the rulers of Equestria, and not the other way around? Where was her Majesty, her Royal Presence? If Honour didn’t feel anything, did Anonymous?

The Royal Engineer took another slurp of his coffee, betraying no emotions, nor any sense that Luna's behavior was unusual in any way. But then again, he'd met her far more times than she had. Maybe this was normal for her. Maybe she really could 'turn off' her magical aura.

A few more moments passed in silence, before he politely prompted her once again. "To what do I owe the pleasure of Your Majesty's visit?"

Her Majesty, Princess Luna of Equestria, swallowed, sighed, and put down her cup on the table before her. Raising her neck up, she at last looked the Royal Engineer in the eyes.

"Thou hast suffered an inconvenience and a discomfiture because of our actions. We have come this morning to apologize and to make amends."

Frowning, Honour blinked, disbelieving what she’d just heard.

‘What in Tartarus is this, now?’

Next Chapter: Chapter 36 Estimated time remaining: 31 Hours, 32 Minutes