Honour Bound

---

It had been an awkward walk for Corporal Bound. Anonymous, walking in step beside her, hadn't breathed a word since they’d left the Grand Reception Hall, where Celestia held morning court. And yet, there was something important to talk about. Still, she followed her VIP's lead and refrained from initiating any conversation herself; maybe he had a reason to keep his thoughts to himself right now.

The Royal Engineer's chamber doors were straight ahead, and Honour scurried in front of him to open the doors, saluting as he walked past her. As he hung up his jacket, she pushed the doors shut behind him.

The moment the latches clicked together, she heard his voice behind her. "Well, Corporal, what do you make of all that?"

So, he was just waiting for privacy?

More than reasonable, given the circumstances.

Collecting herself, Honour turned around. Anonymous was standing with one hand in front of his mouth, and the other holding his elbow.

The corporal shook her head. "I don't know, sir. It didn't feel right."

He nodded. "Yes, I was certain that it must have been Bitsmount who was responsible for the poor state of safety at the mine, not his teamster Songwell. And their story was certainly dramatic, almost theatrical."

Frowning at the floor, he lowered his hands. "But I suppose stories sometimes are, here in Equestria. And the Princesses believed it, even after going away to consult in private."

The frown turned from concern into confusion, and he looked up at Honour. "Nobody would lie to the Princesses, would they? From what I've seen, Equestrian ponies almost worship the very ground that the Royal sisters walk on."

Before she could answer him, he lifted his eyebrows and carried on. "And even if someone would lie to the Princesses, could they possibly get away with it? I've only known Their Majesties for a short time, but I can't imagine that sorcerers who've lived for over a thousand years are easy to fool, unless the liar is exceptionally talented. And surely the Princesses must be able to use their magic to suss out truths."

That brought up an important question she’d been meaning to ask, actually.

But first, she should answer Anonymous' questions. "Bitsmount sure looked guilty when you served him with the warrant last week, sir."

Anonymous' expression softened. "Gauging someone's reaction is a black art, Corporal, especially in intimidating circumstances. We had him surrounded by three armed ponies; a tall alien, too. Even an innocent pony might have felt guilty in that scenario."

"If he wasn't guilty, then why did he send J.P. Mustang to try to talk you out of the prosecution?"

The Royal Engineer shrugged. "Because he knows J.P., and because J.P. knows me? It wasn't a very ethical act, but he was entitled to make use of the resources at his disposal."

"Well, what about the delay? You served him with papers on Saturday, and we know he arrived in Canterlot on Sunday. Why wait five days to present himself at court?"

Turning around, he waved dismissively and went to put on his work-apron. "The writ gave him two weeks to sort out his affairs and show up, and he only took one. I'm sorry, Corporal, but while these actions of his certainly are suspicious, they don't prove that he was the mastermind behind the unsafe working conditions. Ponies at the mine did admit to us that orders for the wider timber spacing had come down 'from above,' but the story that Bitsmount was simply a hard master who wasn't paying attention to details, while Songwell was the one who made the actual decision, does fit the facts at our disposal."

As he tied the apron behind him, he faced Honour, looking a little disappointed. "At least we brought the violations to light. Nobody ever actually got hurt, so I wasn't expecting a harsh sentence even if he had admitted to it. I was only interested in making sure this didn't happen again."

She nodded. "I'm sure it'll make the national papers tomorrow, sir. By next week, half the ponies in Equestria will consider themselves experts on mine support placement."

That got a laugh out of her VIP. "Yes, it does always seem to go that way, doesn't it?"

Shrugging, he sat back down on his stool. “I suppose I'll have to push for the creation of appropriate ministries to establish and enforce safety standards sooner rather than later, but this scandal should induce business owners like Bitsmount to keep things on the level for now."

Turning away from the corporal, he gathered up some of the bits and pieces on his workbench and started to tinker with them.

Honour realized she’d better ask her question now, before he got too deep into it.

She cleared her throat. "Sir, if you have another moment, I had a question about Princess Luna."

He didn’t look up from the table.

"Go ahead, Corporal. I'm listening."

This was a sensitive topic, and she was a bit hesitant to proceed.

She licked her lips.

"I was wondering -- on Wednesday, when Her Majesty came to visit, did you..."

Before she could find the right word to use, there was a knock at the door behind her. Anonymous looked over his shoulder, with one eyebrow cocked, to check if it was Honour who had banged on the door to make a point. Seeing that she hadn't, he lowered his hands and waited.

Somewhat surprised by the interruption, a frowning Honour pulled open one of the doors a few inches. There was a Royal Guardspony, a young pegasus colt in a private's uniform, standing just on the other side, standing at attention, and holding out a calling card.

"I'm to wait for a reply, Corporal."

Taking the card, and eyeing the colt warily, she nodded and shut the door again. After stepping into the room, Honour glanced down at the paper. The upper-right and bottom-left corners bore simple geometric designs, but when she read the text that they framed, she couldn’t resist blurting out loud.

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me."

Anonymous turned fully around in his chair. "What is it, Corporal?"

She could barely hold back a disgusted sneer. "Sir, Lieutenant Kilfeather is requesting 'the privilege of an audience.'"

The Royal Engineer lifted his eyebrows as far up as they could go, and his mouth sagged open. "You're joking."

Stepping forward, she gave him the card. "I wish I was."

Her VIP quickly read the text on the card, flipping it over to check the back as well.

Then he looked up at her, waving the card beside his head. "Corporal, is there anything in the Equestrian social rules about 'follow-up' visits after a 'Pas de Sabots'?"

She shook her head. "No, sir. I've no explanation for this."

The Royal Engineer licked his lips and looked the card over again. "Who delivered this? One of the palace messengers?"

"No, sir. It's a Royal Guardspony, a private. He might even be one of Kilfeather's, though I don't recognize him from the battle. Perhaps he's borrowed from another platoon."

Anonymous narrowed his eyes. "Get him in here, I want to speak to him -- that's allowed, right?"

Honour was a little bit taken aback. The Royal Engineer wanted to interrogate this messenger?

"It's a little unusual, sir, but I don't think it's forbidden."

"Good. Let's talk to him."

Standing where she was, she frowned at him, a bit confused. "Sir, just so you know -- in Equestria, we don't shoot the messenger."

Her VIP nodded and got to his feet. "I know, Corporal. Don't worry, I'm not about to."

"Alright, sir."

The Royal Engineer pulled off his apron and walked over to grab his coat from the rack as Honour made her way back to the door. Once he was properly dressed again, he gave her a nod, still holding the card.

Honour pulled open the door and waved a hoof at the surprised soldier standing outside. "Come in, Private."

If he didn't know the situation between Kilfeather and Anonymous, the soldier did at least seem to recognize the unusual nature of her request.

"Uhm, Corporal, I'm just supposed to take a reply, I don't-"

She was not in the mood for this nonsense, and she doubted the Royal Engineer was, either, so she jerked her free forehoof behind her.

"Get in here, Private. That's an order."

With a gulp, he stepped forward, and she almost had to herd the colt into the room just so she could close the door behind him. The Royal Engineer stood just in front of the sitting-room area, a stern expression on his face, gently waving the calling card up in the air.

"What's the meaning of this, Private?"

"Uh, sir, it's a calling card from Lieuten--"

Anonymous cut him off. "I know it's a calling card from Lieutenant Kilfeather, Private. I want to know why the lieutenant wishes to meet with me."

The Private glanced in Honour’s direction as if hoping she would help, but all she gave him was a cold scowl. Maybe he didn’t deserve being put on the spot like this, but a little grilling wouldn’t kill him.

The juvenile colt swallowed again.

"Sir, I wasn't told any details of that nature. I'm just here to deliver the card and re--"

Once again, the Royal Engineer walked right over his explanations.

"Private, are you aware of where I last met with Lieutenant Kilfeather?"

"Y-yes, sir. At Newstirrup Bridge."

Aha -- so he did know a few things. Anonymous seized on that fact as well.

"And do you know what happened at Newstirrup Bridge, Private?"

Like an animal that knew it had been caught, the young guardscolt started to give in, his shoulders drooping. "Yes, sir. Lieutenant Kilfeather challenged you to a 'Pas de Sabots.'"

"Yes, he did, Private. He challenged me, seeming to know exactly who I was and the arcane rules about why I was compelled to fight, and he demanded an outrageous coward's price if I refused."

The Royal Engineer stepped forward until he was looming rather menacingly over the young pegasus.

"... And do you know what happened after that, Private?"

"Ah... Y-Your bodyguards won the challenge, sir."

"Indeed, Private. And a condition of that victory was that Lieutenant Kilfeather would pack up and go home. But he didn't go home, did he, Private?"

"N-No, sir, he didn't."

Anonymous bent over forwards, his hands on his hips.

"But he's packed up and home now, is he?"

"Yes, sir."

The Royal Engineer turned around and stepped back over to the sitting-room area.

His expression softened a little, and he looked down at the card. "Private, why should I wish to meet with Lieutenant Kilfeather?"

"I don't know, sir."

Instantly, the commanding voice was back. "That's unacceptable, Private. I want an answer."

With a bit of breathing room around him, the guardspony cast his eyes about, looking for something -- anything -- that could get him out of this pressure chamber.

"He, uh... He said it had to do with the 'Pas de Sabots.' I think he mentioned 'misappropriation'?"

That was a pretty key word. Could Kilfeather want to negotiate with Anonymous, to ensure that charges weren't pressed? Honour would probably say 'no' to that, but the Royal Engineer had greater concerns. He received J.P. Mustang, even though he turned him down. As much as it would disgust her to have to do it, it wouldn't be out of character for Anonymous to hear Kilfeather out before making up his mind.

The Royal Engineer stared at the pegasus Private for a few moments, taking his time to think things over.

"Tell him I will see him, but he must come alone, Private."

"Yes, sir." Immensely relieved to have an answer, the Private took a hesitant step backwards.

But Anonymous strode forward and quickly bent over to get right up in his muzzle.

"I don't care if he needs three nurses to push him in a gurney after what happened to him. You tell the Lieutenant, Private, that if he doesn't come alone, I'm going to have him arrested."

"Yes, sir."

After reflexively snapping his response, the junior soldier once again tried to get away, only to find Anonymous continuing to talk.

"... then, I'll have him shot..."

"Yes, sir."

That was a bit severe, but considering Kilfeather's crimes...

"... out of a cannon..."

"Yes, sir."

‘Wait, what?’

"... into the sun."

"Yes, sir."

‘Okay, he's just messing with the Private at this point.’

The Royal Engineer stood straight up again, and the Private took that as his cue to give a salute, his forehoof trembling, before he scrambled for the door.

Honour didn’t open it for him, and in his haste to leave, he pulled it shut so hard that the door bounced back off its latch. With a scowl, Honour walked over and pushed it shut again.

Anonymous was adjusting his shirt-cuffs. "You'd better go get Specialist Glamerspear, Corporal."

"She's still wearing the cone, sir. I don't think she'll be able to do much if Kilfeather does try to cause trouble."

The corner of Anonymous' lip turned up into a smirk. "She can still wear sabots and kick, can't she?"

‘True.’

She nodded her head, and he sighed. "And anyways, she knows him better than anyone else, so we might as well have her here."

That was reasonable.

"Yes, sir."

Giving her VIP a salute, Honour opened the door and headed upstairs. Well, when she showed up in Anonymous' chambers, she’d wanted to put yesterday behind her and focus on work.

Fate was certainly delivering on that request.

---

Artemis Sparkshower

---

‘Hey, what the heck!’

Outside of the Lieutenant-Colonel's office and around the corner from that ornery older Griffon Sergeant with the fancy armor, Artemis Sparkshower’s new escort had leaped away from her, bounding down to the mid-floor landing in a single jump.

Before she could even take to the air herself, the hen turned around and launched herself down the rest of the stairs to the front hall.

That's not fair-weather! Some ponies in this fireteam are in heavy armor and need a little more time to hustle!

Or at least some advance notice!

Despite her internal complaints, Artemis followed her lead and took to the air as well, floating downstairs as gracefully as she could manage in the cramped indoor environment.

Was she offended by her attempt to speak Griffonese?

Was this a prank to put her in her place?

She was just trying to be polite!

Well, that and maybe show off a bit, sure. Since she’d shown off once already, maybe Featherhooves was teasing her into showing off some more? Trying to see how nimble the pegasus really was under all that bronze?

As Artemis came down towards the staircase-landing, she noticed that the wall was clear, and made of bare, unfaced brick. That meant nopony would notice a few hoof-prints on the side...

Summoning up all the maneuverability she had, Artemis banked over and kicked out at the wall, using it to do a 180-degree wingover without even touching the ground.

Yeah! She’d show that griffon that Armored Division pegasi still knew how to fly!

At the bottom of the stairs, just outside the building, Private First Class Featherhooves was waiting for her, holding the door open. With a smirk, she let go and trotted off.

The door started to slowly close before her, and it wasn't that wide of a doorway to begin with.

‘Hurricanes!’

Artemis pumped her wings and prepared to bank again.

"Gangway!"

The badly-lubricated hinges of the reinforced wooden door into Building C creaked and groaned as it slowly fell shut. Instantly recalculating her route, she yawed right and rolled over left to approach from the hinge side to slip diagonally through the biggest gap.

She ducked her head in and collapsed her wings.

In a split second, Artemis was through the door, and she pumped her primaries back open again, inches away from crashing to the ground.

"Hooah!"

Gosh, she hadn’t done anything that kinetic since the Changeling Invasion -- or maybe 'shoe camp! Her exhilaration was cut short when she realized that what looked like two full companies were at parade rest in the quad just in front of building C.

Three hundred Diamond Dogs, Dragons, Griffons, Minotaurs, and more all found themselves looking up at a heavily-armored Pegasus who’d just enthusiastically shot out of their Officers' Barracks with a war-cheer. Some of them were even laughing and pointing back at the door.

As Artemis flew across the field, she turned her head around, and her shortcut exhilaration suddenly turned into an uncomfortable lump in her throat. The officer in charge of the whole formation, a teal Earth Pony major, was standing beside the doors she just blew through, with his mane a blustery mess, and his feathered beret now lying before him in the mud!

‘Oh, thundershowers!!’

"Davay, olovyanny soldat!" Hovering far above the field, Artemis saw Private First Class Featherhooves wave as she called out to the pegasus. It was clear she knew what she was doing.

And now the major was pointing in her direction, shouting something about 'wanting plots' to his staff sergeant.

Artemis was reluctant to link up with somepony who'd just played a prank on her, but anything was better than staying down low and in range of a senior pony officer upset with having his muster disturbed. She frantically pumped her wings to get as high up as possible.

... Wait, did she just call her a 'tin soldier'?

As Artemis linked up with her escort high above Fort Newcastle-Upon-Mare, Private First Class Featherhooves was grinning at her. "Nice job, Specialist! When First Sergeant Gercog pulled me out of the formation down there, I bet my platoon twenty bits that I could get our visiting Valkyrie to screw with Major Bloodnok before the exercise."

Now that she was up in the sky, Artemis got the full measure of her prankster Griffon escort.

Private First Class Featherhooves, still laughing at the cleverness of her own gag, was a young Griffon hen with a creamy white breast and head, accented with two large bands of black eyeshadow-feathers that formed a face mask that wrapped all the way around behind her head into a narrow band at the back of her neck. Her beak was black with a bit of yellow at the base, while her torso and the coverts of her wings were Rufous-brown.

Her primary feathers, however, were white-and-black in bars perpendicular to the shafts. And she was wearing a version of the standard Royal Guard armor, modified to fit her shape, with the helmet detached from the main torso armor so as to allow her to turn her head all the way around, as only Griffons could.

Alright, now that Artemis had a good picture of her, the question was: how to reintroduce herself? At first she thought she’d have to apologize for speaking Griffonese, but it seemed like that was out of the equation. And the Lieutenant-Colonel was right -- they did mistake her for a Valkyrie!

Down below, the major was still gesturing angrily up at the two of them, shouting about plots, and the staff sergeant looked like he was trying to muster up some of the flyers.

"Uh, actually, Private Featherhooves, I'm not a Valkyrie... So maybe we'd better move it."

The Griffon's eyes went enormously wide, her irises shrinking to little more than tiny dots. It was a little unsettling how Griffon eyes could do that. A second later, they popped back to regular size.

"Cyka blyat! Come on, let's get out of here!"

She turned in the air, heading towards the village, and Artemis followed right along, flying echelon right.

Huh. She spoke Equestrian perfectly, but still mixed in Griffonese swear words. Maybe it was from being around so many other Griffons in the Princess-Cadenza's Regiment, some of whom prefered their native tongue?

Once they were out of sight of the fort, both of them turned and looked back.

No pursuers.

‘Whew.’

Featherhooves turned to Artemis. "Sorry about that, Specialist. I thought being a Valkyrie would make you immune to any kind of petty 'Ninja-Punch' that the major could dole out.

She smirked as she used the slang term for a non-judicial punishment. "Hopefully the lieutenant-colonel shuts him down if he tries to find out who you were. You saw how she dug in her hooves as soon as you showed you could speak a little Griffonese? Percheron will have your back, all right."

Artemis shook her head. "You mean that strange offer? I don't understand; what did she mean?"

The Griffon looked surprised. "Oh, you don't know? I thought everypony knew about the situation in the Princess-Cadenza's."

Featherhooves jerked her head back towards the fort. "We're short on officers. Percheron doesn't have enough majors for all the captains she's got, and she doesn't have enough captains for all the lieutenants, and she doesn't have enough lieutenants for the lieutenants junior grade, and she doesn't have enough of those for all the troops under her command."

The pegasus frowned. "Why? What's wrong with the Princess Mi Amore Cadenza's Regiment of Auxiliaries? Things looked alright to me..."

Rolling her head a bit, she remembered her experience at the gate. "...Although the guards at the front door might have been a few horseshoes short of a full set."

Featherhooves chuckled. "Yeah, it's always fun times when the 'dogs are out of the pound. But as for the regiment..."

She shrugged, a wistful look on her face.

"It's not a fashionable place to serve. We're a bunch of non-ponies in a podunk village just a little too far from Canterlot, or anywhere else, to be important or stylish. The Royal Guard has a shortage of qualified officers across the board from what I've heard, and no noblepony wants to commission into something like the Princess-Cadenza's. Even ponies graduating from the academy put as us their last choice."

She clacked her beak noisily. "And since non-ponies can't be commissioned as officers, well, we mostly get the Royal Guard's dregs. Like Lieutenant Woodhouse, who I hear only saved himself from being cashiered out by agreeing to be transferred here, or that incontinent blowhard Major Bloodnok."

Licking her beak-lips, she nodded her head apologetically. "Sorry. I don't mean to vent at you, Valkyrie or not. But Colonel Percheron is a good commander, and even though she's got to take care of the officers she's got, she's always trying to find ways to sweeten the deal for new prospects. Like you, for example."

Artemis perked her ears up and frowned. "But I'm not an officer!"

Featherhooves laughed. "She'll make you one! You must have impressed her beyond just being able to speak Griffonese; I guess I wasn't there for that. If you come back and tell her you're bored with your current posting, whatever it is, then she'll pull strings to make you a mustang officer under her command as fast as she can. Heck, if your record is good enough, she might even be able get you in as something more than a butter-bar lieutenant junior grade."

‘A field promotion to officer?!’

Artemis had earned an early promotion to Specialist, sure, but actually being a leader of ponies? Well, of Griffons, Diamond Dogs, Dragons, Minotaurs, and more, in this case...

The Lieutenant-Colonel's offer had felt strange enough when she’d made it, but now it was downright stunning. Artemis was having a good time in the VIP service, but it was definitely something to keep in mind. Or at least, in her saddlebags.

"Wow..." She trailed off, unable to find any other words to describe the situation.

Featherhooves seemed to have run out of things to say, too.

As they passed over Newcastle-Upon-Mare, Artemis remembered the question she’d wanted to ask when the colonel dismissed her.

"By the way, Private, I was wondering about your--"

She cut the pegasus off with a smirk on her face. "About my last name, right? I figured; it's not exactly a typical Griffon name, right?"

Artemis nodded, and she continued. "My grandparents came to Equestria to serve as auxiliaries in the Royal Guard. There were a lot of troubles in Griffonstone back then, so there was a lot of emigration, but signing up to fight for ponies was a step further than just leaving, and earned them a pretty black mark back home. Other Griffons would call them 'Feather-hooves' as an insult, as if to declare they were no longer recognized as Griffons, but Pegasi."

She grinned. "Well, my 'dedushka' took it in stride and, since they didn't have a last name -- they weren't common among Griffons back then, you were just 'Greta the Goldsmith from Grozny', or whatever -- he decided to make it the family name."

Private Featherhooves puffed out her creamy-white chest. "I'm the third generation Featherhoof to serve in the Royal Guard, and I'm proud of it."

Artemis smiled. "So your grandpa turned an insult into a badge of honour? Talk about a thermal updraft, wow!"

"Yeah... So, where'd you learn to speak Griffonese, then? You sure talk Equestrian like every AWACS Pegasus I've ever met."

Well, of course she did! It was every Pegasus' duty to serve in the Airborne Weather And Climate Service. To say nothing of the Royal Guard!

Anyways, back to the matter at hoof.

"Oh, my parents were good friends with a Griffon trading family that visited Berry -- my hometown -- during the warm months, caravaning the crops to markets and ports in the fall, and bringing in shipments from the port of Fillydelphia in the spring. In the winter, they migrated south, but they would stay in town for most of the summer, doing smaller deliveries until harvest-time."

Artemis shrugged. "Our house was next to the village inn, so as a filly, with my parents up working the weather, I played with their chicks and learned the language from 'babushka.'"

Featherhooves smiled. "Nice. Reminds me a little bit of a Griffonese folk song about a travelling peddler, you know the one - 'dun dun-dun-dun dun-dun-dun dun-dun-dun dun-dun-dunnnn, dun-dun-dun dun.dun.dun'?"

She hummed the first distinctive bar, and Artemis nodded her head and hummed along with her. "Oh yeah, babushka Tetranov used to sing that one all the time! For some reason I always think about these toy blocks that have the Griffonese alphabet on the side when I hear it."

Featherhooves looked pleased. "If you swing by the 'Peregrines' enlisted mess on any evening where we aren't preparing for a field op, the old-timers will get a real kick out of hearing a Pegasus sing Griffon folk songs -- and a few of them will probably beg Percheron to find some way to persuade you to get commissioned."

Featherhooves threw her head back and laughed. "I bet even grumpy old First Sergeant Gercog would actually crack a smile on that beak of his if you show up and prove to be a competent officer!"

She wiggled her eyebrows at the specialist. "He'd know if you were; he used to be a full Colonel -- a Polkovnik -- before being forced into exile during one of the king's purges."

The mention of exile seemed to dampen her spirits.

"...But that's a story for another time. And anyways, we're here."

Artemis was so unconsciously maintaining formation with Featherhooves as the flight leader that she barely noticed the drop in airspeed and altitude, but they were coming in to land on a road just outside of the village.

In front of the pegasus stood a large stone building, with smoke pouring from several chimneys at the top, and the sound of pounding metal from within. It looked like it was only one storey tall, but that one storey was almost tall enough to fit a second one in there. A large, painted wooden sign hanging from the entrance read:

'BRONZEHORN ARMS AND ARMOUR'

And the sign itself had... bronze horns?

---

Suggested interlude music: Red Army Choir - 'Korobeiniki'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krJR0b1Wgrg

Next Chapter: Chapter 49 Estimated time remaining: 28 Hours, 30 Minutes