Pretzelparty

The "dog" Heaved a small sigh as the Jarl so casually announced his true nature. How very rude and blunt... It was good that such bluntness was a thing this dog admired about the caribou's culture. Still, it was a tad dissapointing. "Well this is a bit of a dissapointment." sparks started to jump and crackle across his fur as the wooden sword he'd been holding in his hand began to float, "I'd been hoping to have this revealed in the arena when I found a good opponent who wouldn't back down." In a quick flash the diamond dog that had been in Hogo-sha's seat shifted back into a decidedly less bipedal shape. The ethereal lupine's coat still clung to back, and now the sword he'd brought with him simply floated to rest comfortably at his side. While Silent Lightning went over to the pool of barely dried blood, Hogo-sha was rolling his neck to get any kinks out and then dipped his head to the Jarl in respect. That smile didn't leave his muzzle, "I'd been hoping to meet you someday... Granted this is much sooner than I'd hoped." Hogo-sha had heard stories of the Red Jarl... and if he'd done his homework right, than this caribou's ancestor was one of his father's opponent's that managed to scar him. It would be such a great addition to this Okami's legend if he could manage to defeat this bull in combat someday. Hogo-sha was no fool though, he heard of the Red Jarl's incredible prowess. Skilled as this wolf was he was still too young to be able to defeat such a foe.... yet. "I hope this revelation doesn't need to leave this room. If some caribou end up coming for my fur while I leave the stadium I'd hate to leave too big a mess to be cleaned up." Sometimes a bit of posturing was too much to pass up. Looking over to Silent lightning he smiled seeing the name she'd written down, "Ah... The last of the Irondrakes? How very interesting... they were a fierce clan from what stories I'd heard. No wonder you made such a remarkable opponent." Hogo-sha didn't know why this curious combatant went with this background. He could tell she was no caribou... why hide so deeply into this cover when there were so many different species to come to this arena.

"You're very welcome, Anu-san." Said the dog as he bowed his head back, "I do hope you've looked into any nonviolent solutions though. To know when to and not to use the power one has acquired is one the most important traits of a good ruler, is it not?" Hogo-sha listened carefully to the Prince's assessment. While he tried to carry himself like nobility, he wasn't in any sense that ponies might be impressed by. Hearing what the actual upper crust of equine society (and now canine society) would hopefully prove to be an educating experience. Still, he hoped that things could remain cordial for the time being. Stories he'd read as a pup often made out royalty to be the tiniest bit... touchy. Soon though, the dog's attention was snatched up by the tantalizing scent of fish. That was his absolute favorite dish, he hoped they had salmon. Oh wait, there was definitely some salmon here. "Excuse me a moment, friends." The nimble dog made his way towards the source of that delectable scent. It seemed to be coming from one of the stalls at the far end of the market. "Your Highness, If your feline friend hasn't tried Salmon... perhaps I could make a reccomendation?"

Even Hogo-sha had to cringe at that stereotypical parody of a language these frauds were trying to pass off as legitimate. He came to these jungles in the hopes of some true adventures... if these ponies wanted to play pretend then this 'dog' would. Unfortunately for these fellows, Hogo-sha could play very rough! Hogo's sword was in actuality, not a metal blade. It was a just an enchanted wooden sword made by a friend of his family. Through magic, he could transmute it into something similar but didn't normally like to. in this case he had to agree with the sentiment that these ponies weren't worth using any metal on. Not wanting to spill any blood but also wanting to put some fear in these tasteless ponies, he decided maybe some intimidation might be in order. Normally, Hogo-sha didn't enjoy using illusions. He prefered just using his physical strength and he lightning spells. Though against a crowd, perhaps some auditory illusion could be beneficial. As the 'tribe' came within both earshot and visual range, Hogo-sha took in a deep breath while electricity crackled and jumped across his coat. He let out a furious sounding howl that seemed to echo through the forest ... at least to the oncoming ponies. The wolf stared straight ahead, focusing his illusory works on the crowd before him and sparing both Pocket and Wind Whistle. If pocket took a moment to analyze he'd see it was some spell that seemed to cause Hogo-sha to appear larger to the crowd, like he was a wolf the size of three carriages! The wolf approached slowly, speaking in a calm... but serious sounding voice. "You... Have Forgotten your tributes, Tribesponies... I am an Envoy of the God of the storms. I am here to collect and reek great vengeance for this grave mistake. Prepare to be JUDGED!" He hoped that they might fall for this ploy, not that he was too worried if they saw through it.

"I know right?" Said the unicorn as she looked around the aforementioned 'shindig', "I've been in Long Guo so long I was worried I'd forgotten when big expensive Equestrian parties can really look like." Indeed it had been such a long while since, Presteza had attended any sort of ball like this. She'd received letters about the latest from family and friends, but now that she was back in Equestria she could experience them all over again! It would take some time to truly get back into these things... When she was a filly she never cared for the pomp and circumstance of nobility and their fancy parties, but with all the changed Equestria had gone through perhaps things had changed. ... Not enough that she didn't have to bring out her old ball-gown. It had been so long she'd worn it. A quick trip to a certain tailor helped take it out a little for all the growing she'd done while out of town. "I'm glad I was able to dig this out of my cabinet's back home." She said with a small smile before looking over flash as they walked over to the table with him, "... You said that tuxedo was new? You pull it off really well!" He really did. She hadn't thought too deeply on it, but she had to admit that Flash did look rather charming in his regalia. Appreciating it for long wasn't really an option as a certain red pegasus not far off caught her attention, along with a certain emerald maned stallion. "Oh-Oh!" She waved her hoove excitedly in the other couple's direction, "Fire! Fire! Over--- uh." She blinked as she realized just how badly that could have been misunderstood by the rest of the attendees. She cleared her throat and called out in a more relaxed tone, "Fire Walker! Squall! Over here!"

The Door to the throne room soon stirred and out poked the head of a what seemed to be a well put together Diamond Dog. He walked slowly up to the table with the artifact, eyes widening at the sight of the relic. Not wanting to breach any etiquette, Hogo-sha bowed deeply to the princess. "Good Afternoon, Princess Twilight. My name is Hogo-sha and I came from the mountains of Neighpon." after straightening himself back out he continued on, "I am a traveler with no recognition from academic institutions... but I have educated myself on many myths and stories from my homeland and beyond it in the east. I believe. At the very heart of my being, that this is the Chintamaney stone." He gave a moment to let the name sink in before speaking up once again, "... The short answer to what you wish to know, is that is a stone that can grant wishes to any who holds it. It was originally a combined effort by an ancient sect of monks of the harmonious path, formed from both Neighpon and Long Guo to create a faster method to attain harmony. Some texts speak of wishing to gain a kirin or longma form of ascension in the way of..." He gestures towards her wings. "I have nothing but speculation to back this up... but I think that the reason you are having such difficulty activating it may be because you have already gotten so close to achieving perfect harmony or at least are quickly on the way to it. If I may approach it?" The 'dog' took a step closer and sniffed a few times at the air. Hm... it was strange. This item's magical scent was both present and absent, "Hmm... curious. I'd heard stories that they may have used the blessings of ancient yokai, hoping that our mythic connection to the one you call Discord would be able to grant them a way to give the jewel a link to a realm beyond to fuel its potent magic." Hogo-sha's knowledge came from a bevy of tomes and parchments he'd read. He'd snuck into many places of learning before to try and get a look at leads on artifacts before. He also had the advantage of being raised by one of the oldest yokai in Neighpon who had many stories he loved to share, for better or worse.

This fox was... unsure what to make of this. On some level, This unicorn was right about her. She didn't know what Tempest had gone through and the only thing that she could say for sure gave them common ground was having lost the ability to perform magic for a time. Being a yokai, she was never terribly interested in the bits. In fact, if she found herself ever needing to leave the palace she could leave her restaurant in capital in the hands of whatever next up and coming chef was around and go back to her old ways of wandering about and doing whatever she pleased. She did know a thing or two about being vulnerable. The magical power she had wasn't without it's conditions, a clever enough pony could take the focus of it at any time. She'd never quite understood this 'friendship magic' that Equestrians spoke of: as far as she could tell it wasn't very different from the Harmonious path of Long Guo. Even in all her time in that country she never quite cared for the monks. The only follower of the path she recalled fully liking was Prince Hei lian. If anything this told her... how truly different she was from these three. From Feng, himself. Suddenly, she felt worried. Hearing Feng voice that possibility brought up something in her. As Tempest and Sunset walked off, the sullen fox put a paw on Feng's shoulder, "I promised you. That I'd help and cheer you on in every dream you have... I will not let you end up like that, Feng."

Hogo-sha wrinkled his nose at all the scent of blood. He was a skilled and practiced combatant, but not a son of warfare. He prefered the intimacy of duels and the like to settle matters and certain disagreements. Whitescar's constant conflicts seemed to produce a great deal of formidable fighters, which was why Hogo-sha came here so very often. Practice. He had visited this arena many times in the hopes of honing his skills to the point of perfection. Yet, none lately seemed to be terribly thrilling as of late. In fact, the only recent opponent he'd liked since he met that stallion from equestria some time ago was... Lightning. He'd heard a lot of this Red Jarl... many of the things he'd done didn't sit right with him. He seemed a bit too zealous and coming from this dog that was saying something. Still, he couldn't deny the bull's charisma and unmistakable skill. Just from His Posture, Hogo-sha could tell while sitting, the Jarl was always prepared: Ready to strike or counter if need be. Not wanting to be rude, Hogo-sha took a seat. The readings from the rods immediately went into the high range. This Foreign mutt was was undoubtedly foreign, maybe not a mutt, but there was much more about him than it seemed. Reading were positively through the roof! At the Red Jarl's acknowledgement, Hogo-sha gave only a simple nod of his head. Unsure if he should speak just yet. The Caribou's attention for the time being seemed very focused on the silent cow across from him. Trying to remain cool, Hogosha glanced at the paper she slid forward. He was curious just how much of this story was true. He could tell something was very off about this cow from the start. Not in the way she fought, but that odd, layered magical aura she carried around on her. All creatures had some form of magic, but caribou rarely had anything as thick as hers...

The palace in ponyville was truly a marvel to behold. He'd seen pictures of it in Newspaper's in Canterlot, but being so close and in person now lended a certain presence to the structure that couldn't be replicated in an image. Before him were the mysterious crystalline arches and a soothing faint hum in the air. To his senses he could also smell the comforting scent of the force that so deeply filled this place. It was a scent that brought up a feeling of contentment and safety. Probably something like scented candles were supposed to. It was still hard to believe he'd been able to get in here legitimately. He had been passing by the Canterlot Magic School and heard some announcer telling a large group of students and faculty about Princess Twilight's difficulty in analyzing some mysterious relic. Hogo-sha had been curious about ancient relics for a very long time. Most of the ones he were familiar with were more, eastern in nature than many of the ones in Equestria, but the announcer's description of the object made his ears perk: A glowing green Ovoid jewel, perfectly smooth and prone to giving soothing whispers to the one who held it. He'd heard of such an object before! The Chintamaney stone. With some help a letter of his managed to reach the princess. So here he was. In the castle of a newly established princess in a foreign land, head full of knowledge he was happy to share. If he could add this to his memoirs one day it will surely make his legend all the sweeter! He knew he would have to be on his best behavior. So once he arrived at a large door in the castle he spoke kindly to the guard. "Excuse me, Sir. I am Hogo-sha and I believe I have been scheduled to meet with Princess Twilight about a peculiar relic in her care."

Toboe was only able to get a single word before the ship split in half with a gut churning crack. That word was, "What?" said in a worried, but simultaneously exasperated tone. She'd been hoping to get the crystal empire for so long. When she heard about that train losing a car on the way to the empire she thought she and Nensho had dodged a bullet. Seems fate had other plans for these two visitors... to be involved in a different crash! When She and Nensho fell from the plane, all she could see was a blur of colors as they plummeted through the air. Before the thin air of this high altitude stole away her waking mind, she could only see a nearly endless expanse of white. Then darkness. ... Then there was a chill in the air. Wherever Toboe landed it was certainly cold. For the moment she didn't quite have the strength to open her eyes. It wouldn't be long until she did but right now she was still trying to get feeling back in her legs to stand back up. She sniffed quickly at the air and recoiled as the biting cold felt as if it was freezing the inside of her nostrils. Bringing up a paw to shield her muzzle she flinched, realizing it was a paw she'd brought up! The impact of stress of the fall and shock of the landing must have knocked her out of her kirin disguise. Trying to get back in her previous shape would be difficult. Getting it just right required her to be able to see how she looked, at least for such a new shape as "Tokkuri". Trying to go back to her usual look would bring up a couple questions later if she ran into anyone. She couldn't hear any movements nearby so maybe someone might not catch her this exposed. She couldn't quite tell if anything or anypony was nearby. For now her sight was just a mess of colors, slowly assembling into a fuzzy image of her surrounding. Turning away from the cold wind she sniffed at the ground, trying to get a sense if Nensho or any other passengers were near. This cold air making it harder to catch a singular scent...

Hanabi stepped out from the corner and carefully approached the group. Their own tales of powerlessness resonated with the anxious fox... It hadn't been that long ago she'd felt completely powerless. "... I made a selfish mistake a long time ago. As a punishment for my actions I was stripped of my own magic and left alone in a forest for almost a hundred years alone until..." She glanced over to feng, "...Until someone started visiting towards the end of my punishment. Before he came along I was alone for all that time... noone to talk to except random wild animals that couldn't speak. Sometimes the rain was heavy and the thunder got so loud when storms rolled through. I couldn't even go see my family for help." The Fox bowed her head to the group and to Tempest, "... Thank you for Chasing me."

That small nod earned Silent lightning a wag of this dog's tail along with a dignified nod of his own. While this 'cow' was clearly the strong and silent type, she was clearly a might combatant and someone who he could likely learn a couple tricks from! Before Hogo-sha could leave he had to retrieve something important. At a brisk pace, He walked over to the other side of the arena wall where he'd thrown his sword earlier. The weapon was still lodged in the stone wall. He calmly and smoothly withdrew the unscuffed tool and got to calmly walking with it in paw, rejoining Silent Lightning by the Ring Manager. His knowledge of the Caribou language was lacking as he was only able to make out "Go", "Preparation Hall", and "Both wanted". It was more than enough to piece together the request and with his new companion already walking he didn't have to guess where to follow.

This had gotten very heated... the adrenaline pumping in the dog's vein's driving him on to keep going. Yet, somehow this felt very off. Maybe it was because the both of them were hiding something. For Hogo-sha he knew what it was he was hiding. It was his nature as a yokai! What did this creature have to hide behind the visage of a caribou? It was something that would eat at him all year if he couldn't get to the bottom of it. When the caribou charged on ahead with her horns lowered, Hogo-sha steeled his resolve and stood his ground. Just when pulled her head to the side he jumped up and back away from that sweeping kick as it came out. Her hooves just barely grazing his coat as they swung in an arc. It was an attack that left her quite open from the side... so once the dog landed he threw a quick jab to the caribou's side. Once it landed however it was clear to the one on the receiving end it was merely a firm push rather than an adrenaline fueled punch. It did have enough strength to send her skidding backwards, though. With a pleased smile the Dog called out, "Silent Lightning was it?" He was sure this cow wouldn't give him any verbal response so he continued, "This has been one of the most fun bouts I've had in years! Would it be alright if we called it a tie and we made this a... repeat occurence?"

This had been the best vacation that Toboe had been on in... ever. In all her time working in Polohama she'd never taken time off. Seeing as her time in her position was reaching its end phase she might actually be able to focus on her other interests. Being a part of that whole Iron Pony even had shown her just how out of shape she'd left herself. Toboe was still stronger than an ox, but her stamina and reflexes were starting to dull. If there was one thing she'd learned: It was she needed to get back into shape. Though, perhaps there was one more thing. From that incident at the wall climbing event, Toboe concluded she had to start learning more about herself. If a fox could disguise herself so well and produce such incredible displays such as the fire tornado at the cupcake contest... Just what could an okami do with training? Nensho was already all kinds of impressive with what he could do physically alone and speaking of Nensho. "Thanks again for talking me into going for this, Nensho-san." Said the kirin as she relaxed in her passenger seat, "If you hadn't dragged me from my desk I'd have probably fused to it." While the Airship's announcement played, Toboe let out a little sigh. Oh well, they had all the time in the world to relax in first class. Maybe even enjoy the cute talk from that couple two rows ahead of them in the seats.

At this point, Hanabi was in no shape to try and help out a traumatized tempest. There might be some spells she could use to help with the situation, but it could just as likely make things incalculably worse. Trying to physically aid Feng was certainly doomed to fail: She may have beaten the rock climb but she was no athlete. Between the long run and harsh climb today, there was no chance she could stop Tempest with raw strength. Instead, she stepped back warily, watching how this played out to see if she would have to act at all.

Hogo-sha's ears perked as the shouts and drums started closing in. A small smile came to his muzzle as her heard them growing closer, the wolf's tail eagerly wagging about at the oncoming ruckus. "Hmmm..." The wolf turned himself towards the noise's direction, "I might be able to spook them enough to retreat.... if that fails I think the odds are in our favor if a fight breaks out!" The wolf's fur seemed to bristle and spark as she arched his back and lowered his head. These were the moments in his travels he loved: Thrilling ones. Buckling of swashes and fun baner were just so much fun! A tribal pony's language probably didn't really lend much to any back and forth, though. "If you both hide in the bushes that are left you could get the drop on them while I draw their attention." Shouting was drawing closer now, "What say you, Friends?"

Seeing this dramatic scene play out before her, Yanhua couldn't help but feel ... very conflicted. That flickering feeling that Yu herself had felt moments earlier seemed to flare to life inside of the royal chef. Thankfully, for this cook it only manifested as a furrow of the brow and not a twitch of the eye. Feng had succeeded in not one, but two goals since the fox had known her: He'd become a member of the watch and now he was one step closer to the heart of the empress. And yet... Yanhua felt like she'd somehow lost ground in this ceremony. As if something important was slowly slipping out of her grasp. Still, she couldn't bring herself to try and take it back. She'd promised she'd cheer Feng on in his endeavors when he was small and in her family a promise wasn't something to be broken lightly. Breaking one's word came with consequences. The imperial chef took in a breath through her nose and dipped her head to the pair, "Congratulations, Feng ...and you as well, Empress." Her voice was just barely steady, the mare trying to keep her feelings subdued. Another short breath later and she brought her head back up to offer a convincing, if superficial smile to the pair. "If this is all I am needed for. Would you like me to return to the kitchen?" RIght now she felt as if she could kill to get somewhere familiar: To feel in control of her situation again.

Sunset's words struck a cord inside Hanabi. Memories of her time in the forest, her magic excised from her by the monks. Alone and vulnerable to the elements and bigger things for so many years. Cold nights and long days with noone to talk to for so, so long. She had to fight back a sniffle as she grew misty eyed. The fox stepped forward behind Sunset, "... Um... I know you were chasing me earlier. I can smell it... you already have your magic back... in fact it was never gone. Just slowed to stopping and going again." When Feng took a moment to introduce her to the rest of the group, the talking fox dipped her head in greeting reflexively. "It is a very long story, yes." She looked to Sunset a moment, seeming very curious of her. Both her and Tempest were unusual specimens of their kind... and this land was all kinds of odd already. Sunset had a very unusual magical scent. An unquestionably strong smell that Hanabi could see was the mark of a master spellcaster... but why would someone so skilled in the arcane arts trouble herself with something so strange as chasing a fox? Granted, this was no ordinary fox, but weren't wise mages supposed to be held up in towers creating spells? Or maybe that was what they did in the distant past. Her uncle told her stories of unicorn mages in the ancient past. From those stories she thought they'd all have beards. Sunset's lack of one proved especially interesting. "Is... um Tempest okay?"

Anu's story was interesting... Hogo-sha, despite having his regular disguise be that of a diamond dog: Wasn't familiar with the various ways their packs organized themselves. Back on the mountain, packs were more simple from what his father told him. Okami would go out, start families with a mother and father as the alphas and when the mother or father passed on territories were freed for the pups to split if they so desired when they had families of their own if they chose. ... or perhaps that was just how his father's pack used to do it. The way Anu's pack operated sounded much more... turbulent, but if this dog was owed his leadership in the clan, Hogo-sha wasn't about the pass up a needy prince! "Well, Mr Anu. I'm happy to assist in any way I'm able. I have few resources, but I can offer what strength and skill I do have! I only ask you lead your pack to prosperity upon your return once your betrayers make amends with you." Hogo-sha took a moment to hold his kerchief to his nose again. After nilaavin had gotten up the wind had shifted to send any loose fur from the feline his way again. The dog tried to think of something to distract his mind with, but soon Blueblood gave him just the thing: Food! The idea of fish in particular. "No need to apologih.. Apologize for that! I'm sure most of this company would love such a trip!" Omnivores will be omnivores after all, "Could you lead the way, Your Highness?"

"I... Wasn't able to leave the forest, Feng. When you left that long ago... I was stuck there. Until the seal expired." She drew closer until she was now right in front of Feng, "I ... was always Yanhua. Before that I was Hanabi-no-mikoto." moved with surprising speed to hug the sturdy stallion. She felt as if some weight had finally come of her chest: a weight that had sat there for years. Soon that hug Feng found himself in was enhanced by eight fluffy appendages enshrouding them and making things oddly warm and cozy. The Fox let out a dreamy sigh, "I haven't felt so relieved since I escaped the control of that mad wizard." She soon stepped back slowly, all the tails wagging slowly and almost fanning the air behind her. Soon, they stopped. She looked up to the roof noticing that the unicorn who had been son adamant on keeping this chase going was gone. Her sharp ears caught the sound of the other Unicorn's voice. Had she gotten hurt after she fell from the roof? As much as Hanabi disliked her conduct earlier... she knew how vulnerable one could feel when separated from their magic. This whole chase had started because Hanabi had failed to keep control of her emotions and struggled on that blasted rock wall. The Fox let out a soft sigh and looked to Feng. "We should check on your... Friend. I think you and The orange one may have questions I'll answer." She moved with an almost fluid grace as she came to the corner where Sunset had found Tempest, "She seems... very scared." Hanabi hadn't yet gone around the corner, for now she merely peaked. Her concern was genuine, but so was her wariness regarding this mare.

At first , Hanabi was incredibly flattered by this gift. This feather was so beautiful. It bore all the colors of the rainbow and merely looking at it seemed to grant her a small burst of vitality as the Empress had said. Between admiring the feather's features and the Empress' kind look of approval, Hanabi felt stuck in place. LIke this fabulous gift was weighing her in place as arrows pierced her side. She felt like each of the Empress' words was like another one loosed from some finely crafted warbow. Guilty feelings started to bubble up. Yanhua had to take a quiet breath to steady herself. Just when she thought she might be able to say something, Feng came to the rescue before she might say anything incriminating in the heat of the moment. Her friend's display warmed her heart so much. The qilin with the perpetually closed eyes let out a wistful sigh. Some motes of green flames escaped her muzzle and soon drifted up behind her. The smokey magic forming up in the shape of a heart. Before Feng looked back to her She had already fanned away the emotional slip up of a spell with her tail. She gave a respectful bow to the stallion, "I thank you for your testimony, Feng. Unofficial or Otherwise." Still feeling the eyes of the court and Empress upon her, it was getting overwhelming for this chef. Even she had that lovely arrangement in the past with those early qilin to protect their rice fields, she wasn't terribly fond of having many eyes upon her. If someqilin wanted some request fulfilled they'd just leave it at the shrine. Perhaps it would be best to bring Feng's triumph back to the spotlight. She'd already gained Yu's approval to meet later and discuss things... "My empress, Will Feng be receiving one of these Feathers as well?"

Well, Hayseeds. This isn't working half as well as she'd hoped. The purpose of this kind of grand illusion was to ward off chaser's who meant you harm. Thank goodness she'd only targeted these three. Trying to make everyone in town see this image would probably draw even more unwanted attention. To any who hadn't been chaser her it just looked like Tempest was showing of a massive display of... whatever kind of magic that was, Sunset staring down Yanhua from several yards away. Tempest not backing down was the worst of it. Yanhua had never seen magic quite like what she was channeling over her body from her horn. It seemed like just raw magic potential, just aetherial powers unfiltered through the arrays and matrices of the arcane arts. Thankfully she knew how to take care of overly powerful magic users... it's a shame her foxfire had fizzled for the day. With only the option of trying to force the mare to back down, she steered the illusion bare its fangs at her. The giant fox's maw spilling over with great, green flames. She'd hoped to give a show that would make her back down... But thanks to a certain unicorn she didn't have to. Even the illusions visage had changed to surprise when She saw that spell engulf Tempest shadow. She could smell the magic sizzling away around the broken horned pony's horn. The beast turned it's gaze down upon Sunset. The giant fox beast stared own the mare, the air hanging heavy around them untils he spoke up. "I ... You barely even know what I am... Why are you so worried about me-" Attention was diverted. Feng had took flight and flown up to the beasts muzzle. Placing a hoof right on the giant fox's septum. With that poke to her nose, the skies all cleared up, and the giant fox's body seemed to scatter like dust in the wind in tiny green motes of flame. It was a shock to her system. The feeling of years and years of repressed emotions all bubbling up to the surface. The fox stared dumbfounded at Feng and company.... and stepped towards them. "... You... Remember?" She asked as she carefully made her way towards the stallion and Sunset, "H-how much?" Her voice was quavering, eyes already thoroughly misty from this emotional turbulence.

As requested, Yanhua came forward to be acknowledged. Anxiety spiked as she worried why she had been called forward when Feng's successes surely overshadowed her own. The empress' response to her question soon seemed to put her at ease. Thanks goodness Yue came to a more mundane explanation then "the cook can smell new arrivals". Arranging shipments to the palace? Seemed like a simple enough job to take up. Yanhua had taken on such duties in the past when she ran her restaurant in the capital. Acquiring ingredients from sources was definitely something that couldn't go wrong in any sort of way whatsoever. After clearing her throat, Yanhua bowed her head in the affirmative. "It will be done, Empress... But... May I ask a chance to speak to you before the beginning of the banquet?" She glanced back to Feng behind her and then back to her empress, "Nothing serious, simply questions about this delegation for the meal preparation. Questions that I wish not to bore the court with." Yanhua had been thinking about this for a while now. If she announced her true nature in front of the court it would cause no end of trouble for Feng, Yue, and herself... but if she could admit this quietly to the empress then there was a chance that she could keep her position and possibly reach some sort of understanding as to her intention.

Tagging along just behind Feng was a rather nervous looking Yanhua. She didn't come back declared the Iron Pony, but she did come with at least two medals on her neck: One for cupcake eating and another for rock climbing. Most impressively, they were golden too. Seems that the representatives on Long Guo had definitely left their mark on the Equestrian event... though Yanhua was not looking forward to hearing any rumors that might come about in the future. For now, she was (mostly) content to stay close to Feng now that she was back in the palace. Once Feng finished his proud declaration, the chef popped out from behind him and held out her two medals. "Feng Did the bulk of the work on our mission, but I came back with some medals as well." Once she spoke up she seemed content to just slink back behind her friend, seemingly trying to keep her eyes off the empress... and not be frustrated by that look Feng always got when he came back with good news for her. The Chef took a deep breath through her nose to center herself before she noticed something odd in the air. She sniffed again and thought to herself. Where did she recognize this scent from? Scouring her memories she recalled this smell was that of the Velvet Strand. Traveling through the Equestrian Heartland, Yanhua had caught a whiff of that place's scent on the wind. It made the carriage rides throughout the country with Feng all the more pleasant. "Your Highness, Are we hosting someone from Equestria today?"

Yanhua was astonished at this sudden good fortune. The nimble fox dashing past Sunset and speeding down the alley. It wasn't until Tempest called her out from the rooftops, the pony keeping pace with ease. This wasn't going to get her anywhere. With how exhausted and sore, Yanhua felt she knew running wasn't an option much longer... and with Tempest above her there was no chance she'd be able to outrun them -and- not be spotted again. ... and those taunting words. Something about this pony really was irking her. If Yanhua couldn't run, She'd have to try and deter her pursuers. She was using magic before most of these ponies were even thoughts of their parents. Most of her flames may have been used up, but before the day's end she'd have them back to their full strength. For now.. There was always illusions and the more vanilla skillset. Already her muscles were burning. There would be no more running. Instead, She spun around in a smooth movement to face her pursuers. Her eyes seemed to be glowing the same color as the flame that clung to her tails. Those eyes met with all three. First Sunset, Then Feng, and finally Tempest on the Rooftops. "If she wants to see what I can do, I'll show her and all of you! ... And if you want to help. No more CHASING!" Her voice sounded shaky, like she was trying to sound more confident than she was. The Fox took a deep breath and let out a rather hoarse sounding scream-like howl. For the trio it sounded much louder than it actually was... enough to make them wince. But when they opened their eyes things were... VERY different. Suddenly this quarry seemed... bigger. Much Bigger... Big enough that she was towering over the various cottages. The sound of a howling wind met all of their ears. A now gigantic fox stood in the clearing between mostly vacant houses. Tails seemed to wave and thrash about like whips across the horizon. The green flames dancing off her fur and pelt as this monster of a yokai bore it's teeth at her hunters. She did not move from her spot and instead looked down at the three, "You... Wish to Help?" As she spoke, the trio could see wisps and motes of flame escaping her maw...