Honour Bound

---

It was nice to finally have a break.

No more helping the Royal Engineer colthandle large pieces of machinery around.

Or having a tiller at her hooves and a speeding dogcart underneath her plot.

Or clambering all over the same dogcart, inspecting it for cracked fittings, loose screws, sheared nails, and other mechanical faults. Anonymous, Corporal Honour Bound’s Very Important Pony, who isn't actually a pony, had certainly put her to work today.

Which is not to say that the work wasn't enjoyable or interesting -- it was! Not the usual VIP bodyguard duties, to be sure, but she didn't mind. Even if Anonymous had roped her in more because she’d just happened to be there than anything else, who cared? What else was she going to do, just stand there not helping?

Still, it was a relief when Sergeant Ebonshield tagged her out sharply at four in the afternoon.

Honour had gone straight upstairs, pulled off her armor, took a shower, and then, noticing that her quaternion's two specialists still seemed to be out enjoying their day on the town, headed off to dinner by herself. So, there she was in the subdued Sunday evening barracks chow hall, quietly having dinner for one with a side order of that week's new issue of 'The New Equestrian.'

And who else was on the cover but her favorite pegasus: Glamerspear's ex-coltfriend, Lieutenant Valiant Kilfeather. Caricatured sitting on top of a high brick wall blocking a river bridge, he'd been drawn with a smug and confident grin. Strewn in front of his wall were half-a-dozen toppled over carriages with their noblepony occupants scattered to and fro, looking incredulous with their bushy mustaches and cracked monocles.

'NOBLES RUN HEADLONG INTO KILFEATHER'S BARRICADE,' read the caption.

With her own personal insights into Kilfeather's motivations, Honour decided to skip the lead story for now.

After flipping past some other political topics, including one on the accusations against Galloway Bitsmount, she found yet another reference to her current assignment. Buried in the reviews section at the back, somepony at the magazine had written a few paragraphs about her VIP's book, 'Science & Industry, Part 1.’ And it appeared that they liked it, though the reviewer admitted to not quite understanding everything inside.

Honour could sympathize with that.

Still, they praised his endeavour as being 'a most valuable use of Their Royal Majesties’ treasury,’ and said that 'we look forward to seeing more wondrous works from our alien Royal Engineer.’ It was good to know that it wasn't just her, nor even just the Princesses, who thought that Anonymous was doing good work. The press was picking up on it, too.

As Honour took another bite of her dinner, she wondered if he was going to get any interview requests soon. He certainly should once word got around of his 'automobile.’

She flipped the magazine over and started into The New Equestrian's review of a new musical which opened last week at the West Side Theatre, called 'The Spectre of the Show Hall.' Before she could get into it, she heard someone calling her name.

"Bound? Is that you?"

The corporal looked up, and walking towards her table wearing a friendly smile on his face was a dark grey earth pony colt with a liberty-blue mane, dressed in a Royal Guard olive drab jacket.

"Thought I might run into you here. Long time no see."

Alex Castlerook. A friend and neighbour of hers from Fillydelphia, he enlisted at the same time as Honour Bound, went into the infantry just like her, and served alongside her in the same regiment. She hadn’t seen him since she’d left for the VIP service, and that was almost a year ago. The nametag on his breast identified him as a sergeant now, too.

"Likewise, Castlerook. What are you doing here in Canterlot? You didn't transfer out of the 186th, did you?"

She nodded at the seat opposite hers, and Castlerook took his time sitting down, groaning a bit, clearly thankful for the rest. "Nah, I'm still watching the bay at Fort Mifflin most days. But we've been temporarily reassigned here to Canterlot to provide extra security for the Gala. Just marched in this afternoon."

"Ah."

That wasn't unusual. Every year, divisional and regimental commanders vied and haggled over which one would get the Gala 'extra-help' assignment. It involved a lot of work, but guarding the walls during The Grand Galloping Gala was still a feather in every officer's cap. And since the winning regiment's soldiers usually wound up working directly under the command of the normally under-strength Palace Guard battalion, some of the regimental officers could usually get into the Gala itself.

Castlerook readjusted himself in his seat, looking her over. "So, how's the VIP service been treating you, Bound?"

"It's been okay."

If Honour had met him two weeks ago, she would’ve been saying that sarcastically, secretly begging to get out of there. But being the Royal Engineer's bodyguard had changed things, and she not only said it honestly, but proceeded to elaborate on it.

"My current assignment is pretty good, actually."

Castlerook nodded. "Good to hear."

That was all either of them could think to say for the moment, and there was an awkward silence where they were just looking each other over. He'd finally lost his new-recruit body shape, slimming down a bit. And he'd let his mane and tail grow in a bit from the buzzcut he used to wear.

It was a good look.

Honour glanced at the rank insignia on his shoulder. "They made you a sergeant, huh?"

He looked down for a moment, almost embarrassed, then shrugged his eyebrows. "Yeah, well, somepony's got to keep the 'shoes in line; I guess I looked like the colt for the job."

Licking his lips, he tilted his head sideways. "You still have your access pass into the Underground, I see."

It was well known that nopony in the Royal Guard, and maybe not even all of Equestria, could stop the insatiable rumor mill known as The Corporals' Underground. Bottom-rung non-commissioned officers like herself, straddling the line between the enlisted soldiers and the more senior staff, were almost expected to somehow know everything that was going on -- and they often did. Honour wasn’t big into rumors, but even she couldn't avoid the Underground. And now that he was a sergeant, Castlerook was out of the loop.

Honour shrugged. "Yeah, though there's always so many rumors going around the Palace, the Underground's like a tiny creek next to a raging river."

The colt across from her laughed, and it was a laugh tempered by experience, tinged with the world-weariness that came from it. A laugh not unlike her own.

"I hear that."

His ears twitched and he glanced around, looking over at a rowdy table full of young guardsponies like he just got a telepathic signal from them.

"Well, I'd better see to my flock before one of 'em manages to start a fire before the big day."

Castlerook nodded at Honour, smiling. “It was nice to run into you and catch up a bit. We should do it again, when I'm not harnessed to a wagonful of recruits fresh out of 'shoe camp."

His smile was infectious, and she nodded. "Yeah, we should."

He rolled his tongue around in his mouth, and then she saw him swallow. "Maybe we could catch up over some drinks later tonight, at the canteen? If your coltfriend doesn't mind, I mean."

Honour had to laugh at that last one. He knew what’d happened to her back in 'Filly. He knew the colt, too.

And he knew just how cautious and withdrawn she’d become since then.

"What coltfriend?" Honour shook her head. “I'll see you there -- if your wife doesn't mind."

"Wife? You mean Their Majesties' Royal Guard?"

Yeah, she’d always pegged Castlerook for being married to the job. He never admitted it back when they were in the 186th together, first as privates, then privates first class, and then corporals -- always maintaining that he'd get out as soon as he reached the end of his term of active service. But he didn't seem sincere about it, somehow. Maybe it was just because he didn't get emotional about the Royal Guard's nonsense. He had a tolerance for it that made him the perfect colt for the job.

Seems like getting promoted to Sergeant made him face the truth: he was in the Guard for life.

Castlerook nodded, the short shock of blue mane sticking out above his forehead bobbing slightly as he did. “She knows I'm faithful, so I don't think she'll mind me going out. Especially not if it's with another one of her finest."

Honour sucked on her lips. "Making a lot of assumptions there, Castlerook."

He lifted an eyebrow. "Am I? Good, then..." Still smiling that warm, congenial smile of his, he got up from the chair. “...I've given you something to talk to me about over drinks tonight."

Castlerook knew how tight-lipped she could be, too. As he gave her a friendly nod and stepped off, she watched him saunter over to his table and sit down with his current squad of Fillydelphia goons.

The corporal sighed.

‘This isn’t going to be just drinks tonight, is it.’

It sounded like he really wanted to dish the dirt, and Honour wasn’t sure she was in the mood for that.

Maybe she ought to reconsider and blow him off.

Well, what the Tartarus! It's been a good day so far, what with her feeling properly tired, yet still looking forward to the next shift; might as well catch up with an old friend and comrade.

Alex was somepony she could relate to, and who often thought the way she did, too.

A better-looking one than she remembered, at that.

And it sounded like he was single.

Aw, buck, she could just hear her mother's voice admonishing her to go after that colt.

'Youze bettah dress up nice fah him if youze wanna see him egain, young mayah!'

Nothing ever happened between the two of them two back in Filly' because Honour was already attached, and when that fell apart, she’d high-tailed it to Canterlot. Had he been the 'other colt' all this time?

She took a drink from her cup.

Nah, Castlerook never saw her like that. Yeah, he never shunned her for the boring brown mare she was, but that was probably just because he had more than the half-ration of brains that every other Royal Guardspony seemed to come with. And he was a nice colt and a good friend, too.

He listened to her hash out her problems.

Offered to help her out when she had her crisis.

Even broke ties with her ex when he found out what they'd done to her.

Honour stared, intently, at Castlerook's green-jacketed back. He was keeping a watchful, knowing gaze on the twelve greenhorns at the table. There was something inviting about his keen green eyes and the stern but friendly look on his face.

Buck, why the Tartarus did Glamerspear have to pick that morning to give her the bucking 'talk'? That, plus the exciting and exhausting 'driving test' had her imagining all sorts of stupid crap.

Well, either way...

Maybe she ought to dress up a little bit tonight.

Put on her best face for an old friend, at least?

Yeah.

---

Lily Glamerspear

---

If Lily sat in the pool any longer, she was probably going to turn into a pickle. But her comrade hadn’t shown the slightest hint of wanting to leave, and it wasn’t that late -- yet.

With her forelegs splayed out behind her on the tile edge, Lily grabbed her drink -- just flavored water; it was a spa, after all -- in her telekinetic field and took a sip. In front of her, a few hooves away, Sparkshower was still just floating on her back, eyes closed, forelegs tucked in, and wings outstretched.

Had she even folded them up since their tandem massage?

Lily recalled her stepping sideways through a lot of doorways to get to the baths, and that was after they’d both managed a solid 90-minute, post-rubdown nap.

And after lengthy showers to wash out the massage oils.

Not to mention a visit to the sauna to open up their pores, of course.

Then another shower to rinse out the sweat.

So they’d been there in the baths, enjoying the warm water for... what, an hour and a half, maybe?

Sparkshower had said barely two words since they got there. She sure seemed to be silently enjoying herself, though. As Lily’s pegasus combat-chum floated aimlessly by, she spoke up, almost whispering in the quiet, echoing hall.

"Glamerspear."

"Yeah?"

"I don't think I ever want to leave this place."

Lily chuckled, and took another sip from her glass. ‘Mmmm, blueberry pomegranate.’ Yeah, it was expensive at five bits a bottle, but the bottles were big, and besides -- it's spa day today.

Spa day, where the schedule's made up and the bits don't matter.

Sparkshower turned her head over towards Lily, craning her neck back as she floated slowly away. "I'm serious. This is the most amazing day of my life."

Lily snorted. "Feel free to come back anytime you want, Sparks. It's a public spa."

"Oh, I will! Do you think they sell memberships?"

Nodding, Lily put the drink down. "Sure. Access to the baths, showers, sauna. It's worth it if you come more than twice a month. And you get a discount on services like the massages."

Abandoning her 'dead-pony's float' pose, Artemis flipped over onto her belly. Lily watched her doggy-paddle towards her, wings still loose in the water.

"Really? Let's do it! I want to come here every week! Will you come with me?"

‘This mare serious?’

Well, Lily could afford it, barely, and it would be nice to come and relax once a week…

And it's always nicer to come with friends. Mailedhoof would probably prefer if she made spa day more of a weekday morning or afternoon thing, but Lily could sort that out later. Grinning, the unicorn nodded at her potential new spa-buddy.

"You really had that good of a time, huh?"

Sparks nodded excitedly, splashing water everywhere as her chin bobbed up and down.

Lily shrugged. "Alright, let's do it."

There were more splashes as Artemis clapped her forehooves together, exclaiming quietly so as not to disturb the tranquil hall.

"Yaaay!"

Luckily, there was almost nobody else in the baths for her to have disturbed. But, recalling the situation of their employment, Lily tilted her head sideways.

"Provided we get authorization for that much libo, I mean. I don't think we're really supposed to get any vacation time at all in the VIP service, right? We're basically either on-duty or on-call. That's why the assignments are only for three months at a time, ya know."

Those big blue eyes of hers instantly went all pouty. "Aww! But if we just come for a couple of hours? I'm sure we could get away for just that!"

Lily shrugged again. "Sure, probably. But, I mean, the Royal Engineer's a busy colt. If he needs us, we've got to be there for him, right?"

Having paddled her way over to Glamerspear, Sparkshower flipped over onto her back and floated aimlessly nearby. "Of course! Oooh, or maybe we could bring him with us! He's a hard worker, he could use a massage, couldn't he?"

Lily glanced around the place.

‘Bring Anonymous here?’

Sure, it was nice for a public bath-house.

Clean.

Pleasant decorations and furniture.

Good, competent staff, too.

But, well, she’d been in a couple of Canterlot's members-only spas, and ‘Dalecarlia’ didn’t hold a candle to them.

"I dunno, Sparks... I mean, sure, it's a good place and I think he'd like it, but why come here to a public spot when he could easily join one of the private clubs? Alien hairless monkey-creature or no, any of them would be glad to have someone from the Blue Chamber join their exclusive ranks."

Flipping back forwards and briefly ducking her head under the water to wet her hair, Sparkshower resumed treading water. "Private spas? What are those like?"

Lily telekinetically floated over her drink and took another sip. "I've only been to one: the 'Crimson Ellipse', in the Temple district." She glanced around at the neat mix of creamy-white and beige tiles covering the walls, floors, and ceilings. "It's basically this, but turned up a big notch. Take the pools, for example: there's attendants serving drinks, a harp player in the corner, circulating fans in the ceiling, the tiles are arranged in mosaics of Equestrian pastorals..."

Sparkshower looked up and around, and the unicorn could swear the pegasus could see what she was talking about.

Lily shrugged again. “That sort of thing. It's still a spa, and I don't have any complaints about this one, but the elegance, opulence, and service is just on another level, ya know?"

"Wow. Did you have a massage there?"

She sure did.

"I did -- a couples' massage." She leaned in conspiratorially, lowering her voice.

"... You each get two masseuses."

Sparkshower's eyes went wide, and her jaw dropped open. It just hung there, silently, as her brain computed how that would feel.

"Two masseuses... Gosh..."

Lily smiled. "Heh, you seemed to really enjoy your one masseuse, earlier."

She closed her eyes and sucked in her lips, clearly reminiscing. "Yeah..."

‘Oh, this could be fun.’

"I mean, I needed that massage, and a good horn-job always sends me on the express train to pleasureville, especially when they get in there deep, but you sounded like you were really feeling yours."

With her eyes still closed and her legs paddling in place, she licked her lips.

"Mm-hmmmm..."

Lily noticed Sparks’ wings start to lift up out of the water too, no longer quite so limp.

‘Heh.’

"That griffon was really working you over. Way heavier than anything I've ever seen. Almost looked like she was going to crush you flat or rip you apart."

Sparkshower bit her lip.

"MMMmMmfff, yeahhh..."

‘So she likes it rough, huh?’

‘OK, time for the punchline.’

"Last time I felt like how you looked during that massage... Well, you have been rutted before, haven't you, Sparkshower?"

Lily made sure to have her glass in her mouth just as Artemis’ eyes shot open and her cheeks turned a rosy red. Without saying a word, she curled up her legs and sucked in her mouth, then, slowly, lowered her stiff wings, and started to beat them to stay afloat. In the span of half a minute, her expression went from shocked, to embarrassed, to frustrated, to scowling, and then finally to a sort of resolute confidence.

It was hilariously adorable.

Realizing the teasing predicament Lily had placed her in, Artemis licked her lips and opened her mouth. But Lily cut her off, waving a dismissive hoof, having gotten her giggles out of her pegasus buddy already.

"I'm teasing, Sparks. You don't have to tell me anything."

Now her face of frustration was back in full force. "I know, but I'm... I'm not some... maiden filly, okay?"

‘Oooh, so maybe she's still feeling talkative today?’

After that depressing bit about her coltfriend this morning, Lily was worried she was going to clam up. This was her chance to get her to spill some of the juicy bits.

Nodding, Lily swirled her drink around. She just had to have a little tact.

"Sure, Sparks, I believe you. You don't have to tell me anything about how your Huckleberry bucked you behind the Shortcakes' strawberry silo, or whatever you call the building they're stored in."

On the other hoof, buck tact.

As her eyes opened even wider, Sparkshower's creamy cheeks turned a brighter shade of red, and she gulped.

“But anyways, I didn't ask if you'd ever been bucked before, I asked if you've been rutted before."

Lily let that statement hang in the air.

The pegasus' brow furrowed slightly. "Wha... What's the difference?"

"Oh, so you haven't been rutted before, then?"

The grin was back on Glamerspear’s face, and the wide-eyed look was back in Sparkshower’s.

‘Time to spill the beans.’

Lily finished her drink and set the glass down. “Bucking's what you do on a nice clean bed, or in a quiet barn with fresh hay. It's a good time, but it's quick, and even though you're having fun, your mind can still wander -- what's for dinner, the book you're reading, the movie you just saw, the next boffyball tournament, that sort of thing, ya know?"

A hint of confusion crept back into those baby blues. "Uh-huh?"

The unicorn took a deep breath, then looked Artemis straight in the eyes.

"But rutting..." Lifting an eyebrow, she leaned forward.

"... Rutting is feral. It's bestial. It's savage. It's when your colt is a monster between the sheets."

Lily shook her head, holding her gaze. “You're being bucked so hard and so good, you wouldn't care if you're in a filthy mud-hole or if it was pouring rain. You can't think about anything else -- you can't think about anything at all, almost, for all the fireworks going off in your head."

Licking her lips, she reclined back against the wall. “When you've had a good rutting, you won't whinny or moan, you'll growl like a beast. You'll bite him because he's going so hard it almost hurts, but you'll bite him even harder if he lets up for even a moment. And you just want more, and more, and more, until those fireworks hit the big bang at the end, and as everything goes dark, you fall asleep to the echoes."

Lily closed her eyes, tilted her head up, and nodded. "...That's what a rutting is."

Sparkshower was breathing heavily, and as Lily could see after she opened her eyes, half-covering her mouth with her forehooves, and with her wings flapping fast enough in the water that she was propelled halfway out of the pool with each stroke.

Lily lifted an eyebrow. "... So... Have you been rutted?"

Still in the throes of imaginary ecstasy, Sparkshower shook her head.

"No..."

She swallowed.

"... But I want to be."

‘Oh, now this could be delicious!’

"Yeah? Got it all figured out in your head already?"

The pegasus nodded, and water-flapped her way over to the edge of the pool, finally hooking her forehooves onto the deck as she pressed her belly up against the wall. It took her a second -- and a sniffle or two -- to pull herself together.

She was still breathing heavily, and there was a glossy look in her eyes as she spoke.

"Whenever Pud'... Whenever Huckleberry and I, you know... Whenever we're together, I'm always the one who, um... gets things started."

‘Your fillyfriend's colt doesn't take the initiative?’

‘With a good-looking young country mare like her?’

‘That's tragic!’

Lily put on a sympathetic face, and turned around so that they were both dangling off the edge, facing one of the bath-house room's walls.

After letting that last statement sink in for a moment -- or maybe she was just taking a breather because she'd never revealed this to anypony else -- Sparkshower swallowed and continued on, a little less hesitant.

“And, I mean... It's, uh... It's good, you know? And once we get started, I don't... I don't have to do all the, um... the work."

Well that was good to hear, at least.

Lily nodded, wearing a genuine frown of concern.

"Sometimes, I, um... I tell him... I tell him maybe we could try this, or that, or something... You know, to see if we feel better about it?"

‘Somepony's probably been reading Cosmoponitan.’

Sparkshower really wasn’t as virginal as she looked, was she? She was just less open, and more embarrassed about it.

And she'd probably just had her one coltfriend, too.

"And, um, sometimes he's okay with it, and we do try it, but sometimes he doesn't want to, so we don't."

‘Hmmm…’

"...Sometimes he says he's afraid of hurting me, because he's such a big colt, much bigger than me, and... and I always have to tell him that he won't, that he shouldn't be afraid. But he says he always worries about it while we're, um, making love."

Lily’s spilling-her-heart-out fillyfriend paused, staring aimlessly at the boring white tiles on the far wall. After a minute, Lily pressed her to continue.

"What do you wish would happen?"

Artemis licked her lips again, still staring forwards.

"I wish... I wish..."

Biting her lower lip, she took a deep breath, then shook her head.

"... I wish that when I'd go and visit him at the farm in Berry, he'd escort me to the barn, shut the door, and then roughly throw me backwards onto the hay with... with a savage grunt..."

Her breathing started to get faster, her stare intensifying.

"Then I want him to climb on top of me, so I can feel his big, strong, chest pressing against mine..."

‘Unf.’

“And I want him to hold my hooves down with his, and I'll wrap my feathers around his back, and I don't even want him to say anything, I just want him to treat me like I'm not some fragile little doll, treat me like I'm a mare, a big strong mare who can take whatever he has, and just... and just..."

She had to close her eyes for a moment, and Lily saw her body sway against the pool wall.

"... Give it to me, rough, hard, heavy, and all day long until... until I can't even remember my name."

‘Wow.’

Sparkshower took a moment to wind herself down from that before she glanced up at Lily.

"... Is that too much to ask?"

‘Buck. This is a tough spot she's in.’

Chewing over her words, Lily sighed. "I dunno, Sparkshower... A colt who's having trouble with his daily life... His job, his home, his ambitions, his dreams..." Arching her eyebrows up, she sighed again. “They can have trouble performing in the hay, ya know? The troubles weigh down on their minds. Makes it tough to focus. Hurts their confidence. It can happen to us mares, too."

Sparkshower nodded.

"Yeah, I know... I know..."

Lily shook her head at the tiled wall. "I don't think you can just 'love' your way out of it, Artemis. Maybe you can't even help him solve these things; maybe he's got to fix them on his own, or else he still won't think much of himself."

Artemis sighed again.

"I know... I know..."

‘Damn, this is kinda depressing.’

Lily didn’t want to end this great day on a low note.

Suddenly getting an idea, she reached over and patted Sparkshower on her shoulder, trying to put a smile on her face. "Come on. Let's go rinse off and head to the front desk. You get a discount on your membership if you buy it after a regular-priced visit."

Artemis' face lit up, and she grinned. "Yeah!"

As the pegasus simply pop-flapped her way onto dry land and Lily slowly clambered out, she took a moment to reflect.

Sparkshower's coltfriend was the one who really had problems, not her.

It sucks for her to have to deal with them by association, but you know what? Sometimes the only thing you can do with other ponies and their problems is just leave them alone and wait for them to figure stuff out by themselves.

And there's no place better for that than a nice spa.

Next Chapter: Chapter 61 Estimated time remaining: 25 Hours, 59 Minutes