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// Honors and Betrayals 
// Story: Turning Back the Winter 
// by Dinkledash 
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Press Force bowed to Princess Platinum.  "Your highness."  He backed away from the smiling princess and Star Gazer approached the throne.

"Your highness."  Platinum nodded as she curtsied.  They were well acquainted, but this was after all, a formal occasion.  She reached behind and guided Luna forward.

Luna looked up at Princess Platinum with wide eyes.  "Your highness."

Princess Platinum smiled down at her cheerfully from her throne.  "What a charming child, and so tall!  Goodness, I've never seen a blue coat so dark and fine.  Come here child, let me touch your mane."  Luna took two steps closer to the throne and Platinum reached down to stroke her head.  "Your hair is most fine as well.  I am certain that in a few years, you will have stallions lined up court you."

"I hope so, your highness.  That would mean you will have fixed the sun."

The Princess did not lose her smile.  "Of course we shall, young one.  Have no doubt.  You will be fending off swains for years to come."

Luna smiled for the first time since she heard the news of the sun.  "Thank you, your highness.  Why do we call you 'your highness' anyway?  Is it because your chair is so high up?"

The room was silent until Platinum started to laugh, then the rest of the crowd joined in, Luna's parents doing so with great relief.  "That is precisely the reason, Luna."

Sandalwood stuck her head into the throne room and whispered to a page.  The page trotted over to the throne and nodded as the princess looked towards him.  She cleared her throat.  "Now, if everypony will please get to their places, it appears our guest of honor is recovered from her ordeal.  Major, please come stand beside the throne."  Thunderhooves trotted over and took up his position while Celestia's family lined up to the right.  A cordon of guardsponies lined the approach to the throne on both sides.  Dozens of other unicorns from notable families filled the room.

Sandalwood ducked out of the throneroom and then opened the door fully.  The page cleared his throat.  "Announcing the Ladies Sandalwood and Lavender, and Celestia, Hero of Riverside!"  He slammed a staff against the ground and the two ladies-in-waiting entered, followed by Celestia.  Her mother gasped when she saw her and  there was a general muttering in the room.  Even Princess Platinum was taken aback.

Where before ponies had seen an overly tall, pretty and somewhat geeky teenager, this creature who strode into the throneroom was regal, imposing, relaxed and quite frankly, stunning.  Celestia had never worn makeup before, and now with her painted lashes emphasizing already large and beautiful eyes, a hint of rouge bringing out her fine bone structure, her mane expertly coiffed and woven with rosebuds, her coat curried to a creamy consistency and her tail brushed until it shone, walking with her head high and proud as Sandalwood and Lavender had instructed her, she seemed an entirely different pony.  Far more mature and possessed of a beauty which seemed not of this world.

The effect on the guardponies, who already deeply respected her and were grateful to her for their lives, was electric.  "HAIL CELESTIA!" cried one of the sergeants, his eyes glistening with tears, his heart and soul at that instant lost entirely to devotion to this singular unicorn.  His mates picked up the cry.  "HAIL CELESTIA!  CELESTIA IMPERATRIX!"  

The gathered nobility applauded politely, hoove clopping together.  Some of them applauded more than was strictly necessary, with cries of "HUZZAH!" "BRAVO!" " WELL DONE!" and one very heartfelt "YOU SHOWED 'EM!" which boomed from the throat of old Baron Silverlocks, a retired Colonel of Hussars who once ranged with his regiment against dragon incursions.  Most of the nobility, however, did what was required for politeness sake and no more, for one out of concern that they would be making too much of a previously unknown commoner, but also because they were adding Celestia to their political calculus and it was difficult to scheme and make a ruckus at the same time.

Platinum could not help but wonder if this really was such a good idea.  A hero to rally the ponies was certainly a very important political asset, but when she saw how the guards were looking at Celestia, the worship in their eyes, she felt a stab of alarm.  No, that's just jealousy and beneath me.  This child has no ambitions of her own and has as good a heart as has ever beaten, from all reports.  But somepony else, perhaps the Iron Barrels or the Goldleafs, will certainly try to use her, to turn her.  Just look at her.  She looks like a goddess, mind like a steel trap and she certainly inspires loyalty.  But she is still a naïf, a child in the political woods; she doesn't know the depths of treachery that the nobles are capable of.  I must yoke her to me, for the good of Unicornia.  This is no time for factionalism.  And I must know who the traitors are...she will help me there if she's as quick witted as I think.  I have to make sure the guards and I see eye to eye on all this.  Right now, she has the momentum even if she doesn't know it.  

Princess Platinum rose from her throne and applauded as well.  "Celestia Imperatrix!"  The noise from the nobles swelled as the calculations changed.  Major Thunderhooves allowed himself a small smile; the princess didn't stay on top by being a dummy.  "Celestia, we give thee leave to approach the royal throne."  The formal mode of address, and the minimal imperative to still assert her authority.  Smart.  Let's see what else she has planned.

Celestia approached the throne at a stately pace, her head held high, almost eye level with Platinum from where she sat three steps up, and when she was at the bottom step, stopped, placed her left foot forward, and bowed her neck so that her muzzle nearly touched the carpet.  She stayed there for a full three seconds, until Princess Platinum spoke.  "You may rise."  She did so, relieved that the ladies-in-waiting had spent a half hour rehearsing the proper forms with her.

"We are deeply grateful to thee, Celestia, for thy bravery and brilliance at the battle of Riverside.  Thou hast saved the lives of our guardsponies, for which we cannot thank thee enough.  These bold stallions mean more to us than the royal jewels.  In token of the esteem in which we hold thee, we present thee with this small token of thanks."  A page approached, his magic supporting a black velvet pillow upon which a thick band of gold, inset with a massive sapphire, rested.  "This torc comes down to our treasury from ancient times, and is purported to have belonged to Ponyeidus of legend, the first unicorn able to speak with the pegasi, who ended the Peloponnysian War peacefully, and was given this by the grateful ponies of Marethens.  Come closer, so that we may adorn thee."

Celestia walked up two steps and then assumed a seated posture so that the princess could reach her neck.  Ah.  Forced into a very subordinate position indeed!  She doesn't even know this is deliberate.  Thunderhooves looked around at the room and saw nobles whispering to one another.  Gallop Goldleaf isn't talking to anypony; his plans are already set.  But Dressage Ironbarrel is chatting up a storm.  That strongly suggests that the families haven't already decided together how to deal with Celestia.  Good.  She's safest if they think her wholly loyal to the princess.  

Princess Platinum used her magic to levitate the four pounds of gold but reached around Celestia's neck to attach the chain with her hooves.  On most ponies, it would have been nearly a breastplate; perhaps the ancient heroes were larger than life after all, for it seemed to fit Celestia like it was made for her.  There was even a leather lining thoughtfully riveted to the back of it to keep it from rubbing the coat of the breast.  

The princess kissed Celestia gently on each cheek and looked into her eyes.  "Thank you for saving us all," the princess whispered quietly.  "We will talk later in private, but for now the show must go on, my dear."  Celestia nodded silently.  Platinum backed up to sit on the throne and then it was time for Celestia to speak.  "I thank you, your highness.  I did only what was my duty."  

"We are gladdened that thou doest thy duties so capably.  In further recognition of thy fealty, loyalty and capability, we grant thee Green Bend manor and the village of Ryeville from our demesne in fee simple."  Celestia's eyes widened at that and her mother gasped.  Even Major Thunderhooves was taken aback.  A hubub of whispered conversation swept the room; fee simple meant that the property belonged to Celestia outright and there was no tax or rent due to the crown.  Only the most trusted and loyal ponies would be granted such independence and in practice only the most ancient families held property in fee simple.  "Arise, Equesse Celestia.  We give our assembled gentry and peers leave to welcome thee to their society."

Ryeville... who does she border?  Thunderhooves thought furiously and looked around the room as the audience applauded, many of them dumbfounded, but none moreso than the honoree.  He bespied a pretty white unicorn, petite and delicate with green eyes and a golden mane who was blushing furiously and applauding without much enthusiasm.  Glitterhooves!  An old family, once with a large estate but which had been forced to sell off much of its land to the crown after a series of poor investments several generations back.  A fee simple on her border means that, unless Celestia is uncommonly greedy, rents will be much cheaper on farms in Ryeville and she may lose a fair number of earth pony farmers willing to leave their traditional haunts for lower taxes.  So, a rival, but a weak one and from all accounts too proud to be an effective schemer.  This grant also means that the acclamation of Imperatrix has been formally accepted.  She will have only one duty to the crown; to provide and lead troops in battle.

"We are done with the formalities now, my friends.  However, we do have one small task for the newest member of our court before the festivities may commence."  She clopped her hooves together.  That's my cue, thought Thunderhooves.  He levitated a bag of coins taken from what was left of the bandit command post in front of the princess.  "This gold was taken from the treasury of our late enemy.  Equesse Celestia, you are a sorceress of considerable talent.  We ask that you take it and hold it, and do what you can to scry the source for this blood money.  We know it will probably take you several days to determine the origin of the coin, to sort out the chain of ownership.  Once you have an answer, you will let us know.  We do this publicly to give the traitor or traitors one chance to save their lands from escheatment.  Their heads are, of course forfeit for the lives they have cost us, but this would spare their family from impoverishment."

The room was utterly still, the nobles looking at each other in shock.  "Oh, did you not realize we knew of the treachery?  That one or more of you conspired to buy the throne from blood-soaked mercenary hooves?"  The princess rose and glared around the room, silently.  "There were survivors who talked, at least until the major here hung them."  Thunderhooves glowered at the assembly.  "But ponies in pain are apt to say things that may not be true to spare themselves further suffering.  Therefore we will ask that the one pony we know for certain is innocent and loyal determine the truth of this matter for us."  She smiled at Celestia.   "Won't you, my dear?"

"As my princess commands."  Celestia bowed her head, shaken and uncertain exactly what the princess meant.  Gold was not like something created by or worn by somepony; it did not retain much of an impression from previous owners.  But the nobles probably don't know that.  Somepony may either confess or attempt to steal it.  Or give themselves away in other ways, their hoof being forced.  Perhaps...  Her horn glowed and the muttering increased as she quietly cast a location spell upon the gold and the bag.  She would know exactly where it was over the course of the next week until the spell wore off.  "There, the glamour is set.  As you say, your highness, it will take time for the overlaid impressions to be sorted, but that will start the process.  I will start work in earnest tomorrow, by your leave."  There was a convenient pocket sewn into the leather lining of the torc; she stuck the purse into that.

"You have our leave and our thanks, most loyal friend.  Now, everypony else, enjoy yourselves.  I even call upon the guilty parties to do so; everypony has a right to a hearty last meal, don't you think?"  She clopped her hooves and ushers came out with tables and chairs, setting up a buffet.  The assembled peers spoke quietly, much more subdued now than they were at the beginning of the evening as they considered the treachery, the battle and the hero who now was covered with honor and was so obviously the princess' favorite.