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[Sponsored] The Empress from the East (Palace Gardens)


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If she said so.

 

As close as he was to the group, Inkbrand was still too far removed to make out any distinct sounds from ponies below that didn't all mesh together as an indoor murmur, so he had to take the Aerion's word on it. Then again, didn't Aerion have super hearing or some rot? Because they were, like. Bats? At least that was the immediate picture that sprang to the grey stallion's mind whenever he saw one of the strange-winged ponies wandering about. 

 

Read 'em: Twice. 

 

Either way, Inkbrand wasn't so concerned with hearing exactly what was being said - he'd only wanted an eyeful after all, and boy was he getting it. He couldn't seem to get past the scaling. Dragons were scaled over their entire bodies, and usually the scaling they had underneath was softer. But as far as he could tell, these Qun-Lins had soft hair like ponies over most their bodies, with the scaled portions looking more defensible. How exactly did the hard scales meld with soft flesh and fur? Like...the way a porcupines body moved from pudgy flesh to sharpened quills? 

 

The image of a Qun-lin sporting a mane of prickly quills was enough to prompt a brief chuckle to leave his lips, but before Inkbrand could share the amusing image with Noctis, he realized she was no longer paying attention to the group down below, causing the grey Earth Pony to raise one eyebrow. "What's up?" he questioned languidly, shifting back into the cradle of his perch slightly -

 

- and nearly leaping a foot into the air at the sound that hissed very close by him.

 

"Son of a - " Inkbrand burst out, clutching the trunk behind him in an attempt to save himself from a very ungraceful tumble from the tree, head swinging wildly to the guard that had undoubtedly found their hiding spot - no wait, it was a cat -

 

- a bucking giant as all rot cat.

 

Noctis didn't seem nearly as phased as Inkbrand had been - then again, she hadn't seemed nearly as intent on the Qun-Lins as he had been. Either way, it wasn't a guard coming to scope out the two ponies lurking in the treetops, and Inkbrand felt the tension slowly leak out of his body as he joined the Aerion in glaring at the cat. Bucking buck, it was huge. Looked like one of those strange cats with a little knob for a tail, except it was way bigger. And it wasn't, moving, it was just...sitting there, staring at them. Silently judging them.

 

Which was a completely nonsensical thought that nevertheless had Inkbrand suddenly sitting upright on his perch, bright golden eyes narrowing in on the feline. It looked...not familiar, but more like...

 

...Hmm.

 

Well, more like creepy, that was for bucking sure, as it tilt its head at such an extreme angle Inkbrand was fairly impressed it didn't manage to snap its neck in two. Seriously, felines were flexible, but that was a bucking perfect right angle tilt right there. It also seemed content to continue sitting there to stare at them, even as Noctis made an overture to...chase it off, maybe? Or ask it questions, like she expected it to answer. 

 

"A couple of royal garden mice, probably," Inkbrand drawled, because that cat seriously looked like it belonged in a wide open desert rather than the cramped and winding streets of Canterlot. Seemed almost a crime to keep it cooped up in pampered gardens and puffed up apartments. Still, it looked healthy and well kept, its coat at a beautiful shine, and so it was probably happy in Princess Celestia's menagerie of wild animals she kept locked away in the gardens. 

 

Probably.

 

"You gunna sit there all night or what?" the tattoo-clad stallion jeered, but nonetheless held out one foreleg for the cat to smell and jump onto, if it so chose to join them in their tree cradle. Big as it was, it was still capable of being held comfortably, Inkbrand was sure. He'd bring it to his lap and play with its ears a bit, if it did, but if it wanted to bugger off to who knew where - and take its creepy rotating head with it - then, well.

 

That'd be a-okay by him.

 

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At last, Halvard had an answer to his question!.... But not, unfortunately, a particularly positive one.  Serendipity seemed skeptical not only of the idea of theming in general, but the overall welcoming nature of his own culture.  Which did, in some strange way, sting a but.  "I see..."  He mused in a somber tone, eyebrows converging.  "That is unfortunate, as our hospitality, while certainly more boisterous than the present surroundings," The bull waved a hoof to indicate the rather staid trappings of the gala, "Is never stingy, as certain ponies here can attest!  Isn't that right, Presteza?"

 

He looked again to the painter mare, noticing the stallion with her for the first time.  What luck!  Another familiar face, and therefore a witness in his favor.  "You too, Java!  I know I have seen you in the hall of Jarl Sigrun.  You have, I think, seen us at our worst and at our best.  But if your own comportment while we entertained you to our feasts was any indication, there is surely a market among ponykind for the hospitality of Whitescar!"  So he could hope, at any rate.  Halvard wasn't quite ready to let go of his idea.  He could be a bit stubborn, this bull.  After all, one of his clan mottos was, 'Take nothing you are not prepared to defend until Ragnarok.'  And he had taken an idea into his head...

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A proper empress should never let anything faze her, or appear to be fazed, when in the public spotlight. That being said, a rush of blood flushed Yuè's cheeks in response to the scandalous words of Serendipity. A careful eye might also spot a hint of a gasp from the Qilin, despite the mare's best efforts to remain stoic. The pegasus was truly bold to use flattery with such cavalierness, although to the pony's credit, it was seemingly employed without intent to receive the Empress’s boons.

 

Yuè found her voice (and sly smirk) again after a moment; "...The Abode of the Ancients where Longri-La resides is home of many long-lost secrets..... perhaps great fortune may find you once more in the mountains." With a name like Serendipity, that wouldn't be much of a stretch to imagine.

 

---

 

There wasn't anything more to do other that look wistfully towards Fluttershy after she called Philomena her friend. Whereas before the Empress envied Celestia for being worthy of a legendary pet, it was replaced by a longing for the pure happiness shared by the pegasus and the phoenix. Since becoming the empress, moments where Yuè could earn unconditional affection from anyone, or anything, were few and far between. Sure, she always had her brother Lián to count on... but was it too much to ask for to have another that she could relate her woes to at the end of each day?

 

---

 

After a fond meeting with Master Jijing from the homeland, the Empress was not so surprised that there was a Neighponese pony in their midst. Obstinately, Yuè had no idea who this green unicorn was, being just another of the numerous attendees of the Grand Galloping Gala. And yet... the Qilin felt as if she should have known this mare before from somewhere, like a splinter in the mind. Yuè couldn’t explain why.

 

“Konbanwa,” the Empress spoke in Neighponese as well (another language she studied), performing another bow of the head. Yuè let the pony’s etiquette slip-up slide; heika being the more appropriate Neighponese term for addressing a sovereign ruler. “O-genki desu ka?” she continued the pleasantries, asking in a formal manner how the Neighponese unicorn was doing.

 

---

 

Windwright was the next to make Yuè’s acquaintance, and the cyan pegasus with dyed markings instantly launched into a sales pitch for her chemical products. The Empress was not sure what Windwright hoped to accomplish; the average Gala guest in any country wouldn't be receptive to being asked to buy goods while trying to enjoy an evening of social delight. But perhaps it was due to this basic lack of social awareness that led Yuè to accept the chemist as a honest mare; somepony striving hard for success. That sort of earnest dedication couldn't be faulted.

 

"Knowledge has no borders," the Empress cordially replied; "Much of what I know of being a just ruler, I learned by studying the example of Princess Celestia." With a reign lasting more than a thousand years, there was much that could be studied about how Celestia resolved disputes peacefully. And Yuè was taught all of those examples by the Fenghuang Monks.

 

Taking one of the vials, the Empress took off its top and gave the perfume a whiff. It smelled of honeysuckle mixed with mist, reminding the Qilin of one special loved one. The smirking royal turned towards her twin brother (who looked completely ridiculous serving as a perch for Presteza’s fruit bat), pointing at the perfume in her hoof and switching to her mother tongue; [Smells just like you, heh heh heh!]

 

She swiftly turned back to Windwright with a more mature demeanor; “We will not forget your generous spirit, Windwright.”

 

---

 

"FU FENG ARRIVES AT THE PALACE GARDENS! MAKE WAY!"

 

The loud unmistakable voice from Yuè's chamberlain signaled the arrival of the fenghuang, and thus the second part of this informal ceremony. Everypony dropped whatever conversations they were engaged in to clear a path for the chamberlain, who had come from a side garden path instead of the crowded entryway from the Ballroom. A short distance behind the well-garbed servant walked a winged Longma, wearing robes so plain that they looked like a beggar to the outside world. That was a foolish assumption to make, for the stallion was one of the respected Fenghuang Monks, and it was he who carried the perch upon which stood Fu Feng..... the honored fenghuang of the evening.

 

Beings always found great difficulty in describing the beauty of a fenghuang. A head-crowning crest like a pheasant, tail feathers resembling a peacock's, the size of a bird of prey, and rainbow plumage covering the entire body; that brief description is nowhere near enough to do a fenghuang, sometimes called by ponies a "rainbow phoenix", any sort of justice. The lore of the Long Sun always celebrated the bright, magnificent luster of these legendary avians.

 

Taking her place next to Fluttershy, the Empress was by now used to the sight of Fu Feng. He was a delightful creature full of grace... as long as he wasn't in the mood to act as if he was the true emperor of Long Guo. But Fu Feng had been well taken care of by the monk during the voyage to Canterlot, and well-fed before tonight's festivities, so there was no reason the colorful bird would be anything less than a crowd pleaser tonight.


It would take a moment or two for the perch-bearer to reach his place in front of Fluttershy and the Empress, giving the onlookers plenty of opportunity to marvel at the fabled fenghuang of Long Guo.....

 

REFERENCE PIC OF FENGHUANG:

Spoiler

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OOC NOTICE: For this particular segment of the thread, initiating new conversations is highly discouraged, but not entirely forbidden. At this time however, I won't have the Empress respond if she's greeted by a new character she hasn't met yet; she's kinda too busy for that right now. Thank you for understanding. ^_^ 

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Liviel had arrived to this party much later than she had expected, it would seem. No matter, at least she had arrived in time to see the fenghuang arrive as well. The dog smiled from where she found herself in the crowd, wearing a simple cheongsam that she brought with her on her travels for situations just like this one. It was a long dress, the same blue as her eyes, and it ended just above her paws, the sleeves covering most of her arms. She didn't have much to her name, the spot of most expensive debatable between her current outfit and her nagitana. Speaking of, she had stored her precious weapon with the rest of her meager possessions in a safe location.

 

The white dog had heard from some residents of Ponyville, the town she had found herself in just before coming here, that the Empress of Long Guo was coming to the gala. That was an opportunity that she could not pass up, a chance to see her friend for the first time since they had left the monastery.

 

In any case, her focus was entirely on the bird as he was carried into the gardens. Liviel had come to greet her old friend from the monastery, who also happened to be the most important individual in the gardens, but she could see that she would have to wait until this had concluded. She did not even wish to speak to the others around her, simply allowing them to take in the sight of the majestic bird.

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The painter chuckled deviously at the look on Java's face. As usual it was like his brain froze up the moment something the tiniest bit flirtatious or playful escaped her lips. With a roll of her eyes and nuzzle into his side, Pressy smiled at the easily flustered stallion (Well, more easily flustered than herself).  "Managed to find myself a stallion who may be a bti too honest." she smirked at the coffee scented inventor and looked back to Serendipity as she spoke up. 

 

"No need ta worry about this one breakin'... I've seen 'im take beatings that you'd think he was made of rubber with how much 'e bounces back; I doubt seein' a pair o' mares kissin' will make 'is mind short out." The painter gave seren a sly wink.

 

Halvard's conversation with Serendipity was apparently not going how he'd wished: In the end though mare freckled mare hadn't really been paying much attention. From what Presteza knew he was a friend of the Jarl from her travels and what he was saying was very true. Her time in the hold was actually very pleasant, apparently a few of the rumors she'd heard about the Caribou were true: While many made a living out of raids, there were just as many if not more who were likely to treat you as a friend in some places. While that city built into the volcano tended to have some unpleasantly aggressive types and the arena just wasn't her style, The caribou primarily had been pretty kind and decent to visitors... if anything the land was more likely to wind up taking the life of some unprepared traveler who strayed from the roads rather than a random bandit or sudden raid.

 

"Definitely, Mister 'alvard... The hospitality your clan showed when I 'ad to to enter the country was probably one of the nicest stays I 'ad over ther--- aahhh.... oohoooooooooooooooooo." The mare's jaw practically hit the floor while her eyes grew big as saucers... was almost like they were inflating! EVentually her hoof hiked her jaw up from the floor and she stepped forward. All those colors... That magnificent plumage, the crest, the tail, so impossibly beautiful. There was a multitude of sparkles in the mare's eyes as she beheld this, this personification of color and beauty. "Too... incredible..." She muttered out, a big grin on her face and a tear streaming down her cheek, " My goodness... I don't think there's enough pigments in the world to do this one justice. Should have... sent for a *sniff* poet." The mare wiped away her tears of wonder and smirked almost challengingly at the bird. "Well... if there's one thing I'm gonna do while I'm visiting with Long guo... I'm gonna find a way to perfectly capture all yer colors! Ya hear that Mister Feng?" 

 

Having managed to calm that roaring fire of inspiration within her she looked to Yu, a look on her face that said "How could you not have mentioned -him- to me?" or something to that degree before the mare took another sip of tea. "So he'll be stayin' in Equestria, roight? I can probably use what I learn in long guo to capture his majesty when I come back home if that's the case." Said the mare, eventually just beginning to think to herself as she thought of ways she might be able to replicate his colors...

 

The painter's flying companion was still resting on the prince's head for the time being but it seemed that he was getting a little peckish. The little creature shuffled about on the prince's face and smiled at him before giving a series of little squeaks. With a few flaps of his leathery wings he was out of the prince's mane and flew quickly past Fulttershy and the empress, right between the two phoenix and made his way to a nearby fruit bearing tree. The little bat wrapped himself around a right looking apple in the branches of a tree, bared his fangs and dug in eagerly to enjoy the snack to it's fullest.

 

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Spoiler

This post would come before Fu Feng entered.

 

Twilight smiled at the Empress. It seemed she had no shortage of activity going on around her. Multiple ponies, caribou, and the like had made their welcome to her. The Princess of Friendship felt a surge of pride within her. This was exactly what she had hoped would happen for the empress' visit. Of course some of those in the gathering were rough around the edges, all had made their friendly welcomes to the leader of the East. During all the commotion Twilight hadn't moved from her position near the Empress.

 

She took a moment and cleared her throat quietly. There wasn't meant to be a great deal of fanfare over the gift she would be giving. It was really just a symbol of the friendship she hoped to enjoy between the lands of the east and Equestria.

 

"Empress," She smiled up at the regal and graceful Qilin. "I'm so very glad you could come to the Gala. I'm very excited to become friends with you. Speaking of which..." The Princess' horn began to glow softly. She had to concentrate for just a moment and then... ZAP! A wondrous leg band levitated right above her horn, rotating slowly. She moved the band in front of the empress. 

 

"This is to symbolize our growing bond, both as empires...and as friends." 

 

The golden metal that made up the band was emblazoned with the word "friendship" in Equestrain and then in the language of Long Guo. It was enchanted so that the words glowed softly. Along with the words were lotus blossoms, befitting the wear of royalty. 

 

"It honors me to give you this gift!"

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Going to break she says!? Of course Voronoi would break if he saw his marefriend kiss another mare! What stallion could possibly resist entertaining such a thought! Though… maybe they’d handle it more gracefully than he… but still! Voronoi was just about to say something… till Pressy stepped in.

 

The stallion’s ears dropped and his expression took on a nervous tinge with his teeth clenching. Yep… it definitely seemed that the mare was not going to let this drop so easily. And in the process… a LOOOOOT of implications were to be had with that sentence. Both unseemly, and perfectly appropriate. However… Voronoi, who was now wandering what his luck had cursed him with, was definitely going to refrain from commenting on the matter.

Instead, he turned his attention to another. He took a moment to try and recollect who this Caribou was, before it finally clicked on him with a bit of help.

“Ah! Sorry Halvard! I was a bit distracted!” The stallion chuckled as he moved a hoof to scratch the back of his mane.

“Though in formal events I prefer to go by my real name, Voronoi Fractal.” The stallion hummed. His name being pronounced with a stalliongrad accent on the first part. That is to say that it’s phonics sounded like very quick utterances of “Vah-rah-noi”

“And while I remember the worst of your times… like the time one your diseased kin had completely bit through my front leg with those large fangs. Or the horrors of that tower. The best of times easily dwarfed it all. And I certainly won’t forget the Jorvasker!” The stallion nickered.

But he then sat lowered his hunches to the grass as he looked the large buck in the eyes. “Though… if you’re talking business… I’ll have to stop you there. I’m not much of a business pony. I’m a stallion of engineering.”

The pony then clapped his hooves together, “BUT! I do have good news for you my friend! Our loving Prince Blueblood actually does have your homeland in the deepest part of his heart! He made a request to me to see to providing Askar with some airships to help stimulate trade! At the moment… our airships are incapable of prolonged flight in your climate. But we’re doing research to alleviate this, and made some outstanding progress! Once we’re done, we’ll donate five windlasses and two freighters along with the research.”

“Now… I should probably explain what the two classes are. The windlasses are like sloops. Or bigger streamlined versions of your long boats. They’re designed to be able to haul cargo across distances very quickly while being easy to maintain and control. But they’re significantly smaller than a Freighter. So while they provide better throughput, The bandwidth to cost is much worse of that then a freighter. This ship is usually better for rushing things that have a terrible shelf life. Or to move creatures across the waters.

The freighter has a much larger capacity, is more cost effective, but significantly slower. So… items with no rush.”

-

 

What a peculiar creature this pony was. Unlike the one of night, whom was quite rude. This one was… respectful. If respectful could happen to be barely along the margin of a dismal host. Still… it was something, which is always better than nothing.

And the graceful feline did humor this clumsy creature’s gesture by leaning in closer to give the stallion’s hoof a few quick sniffs. Her nose bent immediately as she picked up a few trace… but still too potent odors. Her head recoiled with her eyes watering as the scent practically assaulted her senses.

The first smell she identified was that of pigmented ink. The smell of burnt sugars, earthy metals, and dull oils were all there. Perhaps from the paint that her companion’s lover uses? Or possibly ink? Either or, the feline was only sure that this would mean the creature before her was an artist.

And she could recall the evidence of such when the pony outstretched the hoof. Fluid and loose, but very precise.

 

She also picked up that acrid stench of filthy asphalt. A City pony, but she doesn’t know where.

The feline shivered a bit with her paw running over her nose to help clear it out. But eventually… she managed to calm down. Her gaze then settled on the pony’s eyes. Her yellowish green eyes flickered a bit as she studied the depth of visible emotions.

She didn’t see any signs of a visible liar. Nor any signs of hostility. Perhaps these two weren’t interlopers… but just felt like being rogues? Still… she should probably keep her eyes on them. And in the mean time… she could always spare a second to enjoy some attention.

And with that… the serval hopped the gap from the wall to the tree, and fell into the stallion’s lap.

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So far so good. Medo didn't think that she had messed anything up, although realized after she spoke that she had used the wrong phrase in order to address the Empress. The phrase was a good phrase for the pony princess, but the Empress was the High Ruler of their land. Thankfully, the Empress responded to her in kind, letting the slight slip up in her etiquette slid. This was Medo's first High-Society event after all so she was still learning the nuances of this new system. She smiled and stood back up when the Empress had as well, and replied to her when she inquired how she was in her mother tongue. In return, Medo gave her reply in the same.

 

"Watashi wa hijō ni yoku yatte iru, o toiawase itadaki arigatōgozaimasu. Watashi wa mada kō shakai no seikatsu ni narete orimasuga, watakushiha ya jōkyō ni tekisetsude wanai kamo shirenai nanika o iunaraba watashi wa jizen ni owabi mōshiagemasu. Koreha... Actuually watashi no saisho no seishikina ibentodesu..." she said smiling a bit hoping the Empress would understand. She meant no direspect at all and just wanted to apologize in advance if she accidentally did something wrong without knowing it.

 

Of course though Medo was stopped dead in her tracks when she heard the Empresses Chamberlain bellow out That Fu Feng had arrived at the palace gardens and that ponies were to make way. She stopped dead in her statements and awed to see the majestic phoenix of her homeland. It wasn't just an average phoenix. It was the phoenix of her homeland. One of the legendary fenghuang. She was unsure why the majestic creature of the air was here, but she was in no position to complain. Most ponies go their entire lives without even getting a glimpse of the real thing, often having to resort to crude drawings of legends. And now, here she is, with one of the legendary beings right in front of her. She was so mesmorized that she had completely forgotten whom she was in the presence of. Although that mattered very little at the moment, as all speech she had was lost in her tongue. 

 

 

( Translation for Dialogue below)

Spoiler

"I am doing quite well, thank you for asking. Although I am still getting used to the life of High-society so I appologize in advance if I do or say something that may not be appropriate for the circumstances. This... is actuually my first formal event..."

 

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Well, okay, there was that.

 

A quiet "Oof!" escaped the grey stallion as, after what appeared to be a careful moment of consideration, the large cat bypassed his outstretched hoof to leap directly into his lap. Inkbrand grumbled a bit under his breath, but his hooves were already idly rubbing down the animal's soft and silken ears, his memory painting over the spotted coat with pristine white fur. Chime loved having her ears rubbed, for whatever reason - though, foxes and cats weren't exactly kindred spirits. Foxes were more closely related to wolves, weren't they?

 

His pet fox's strange yowls and barks seemed to indicate such.

 

Still, the movements came almost instinctively to the tattoo-clad stallion as he settled back down into his perch, back pressed low against the trunk as if he were resting in a hammock rather than a tree, and his golden eyes returned back to the group milling around below him. There was some hullabaloo going on about some Qun-Lin named Fuufeng entering the gardens - except it wasn't a Qilin, Inkbrand was quick to notice. It was, in fact, a brightly colored bird that was being paraded into the area, prompting a hush to fall onto what had been a steady murmur of low conversation. 

 

Why though...he had no bucking clue.

 

"Huh. Wonder what's so special 'bout that bird," Inkbrand muttered, half to Noctis, but mostly to himself due to certain visually impaired ponies. Because oh, sure, it looked pretty enough - kind of like a phoenix, except with a myriad of different colors and a much longer and impressive looking tail. But a bird nonetheless.

 

Maybe an exotic and endangered avian that the Qun-Lin nobles were going to give to Princess Celestia as an offering of peace and friendship? Another animal to stuff into her menagerie of exotic pets roaming around the garden, like the large cat resting in his lap at the moment. Tch, that'd be a shame. Still, animals were intelligent - if any of the wild animals in Canterlot truly felt disquieted and morose at living inside the palace, they'd probably be over a wall and heading into the thickening mist with hardly a look back. Unless the royals did something drastic like clipping its wings, the vivid bird would probably just fly off as soon as it got bored.

 

...Speaking of.

 

He'd just about had his fill of the Qun-Lin - visually speaking, of course. Getting up close and personal with one of them was an entirely different matter, but for now, his curiosity had been satiated. Scales, fur, and a combination of both in some areas. If the Long Guo presence in Canterlot and beyond suddenly started rising in the coming months, he'd probably need to start investing in a few varied tools. Maybe a couple more sumi-e brushes, to match the one he'd gotten for Hearth's Warming.

 

Thing worked wonders on rough surfaces.

 

"Whelp," the tattoo-clad stallion drawled, forelegs stretching upwards as he glanced back towards Noctis, "I've had my fill here. Think I'll hit the food bar, get a taste of something...refreshing." The quick wink that followed was wasted on the blind Aerion, but Inkbrand didn't let it bother him as he shifted upwards, picking up the large cat to deposit it on a nearby branch, before carefully balancing his way across an opposing branch that extended further away from the large group. "See 'ya," Inkbrand called out without turning around, throwing up one hoof in a vague farewell, before he dropped down from his perch to land on the cool grass below.

 

Fixated on the shimmering peacock-phoenix thing as they were, no one seemed to pay much mind as Inkbrand slinked out from the garden wall to meander into the garden proper, as if he'd been walking around the shaded areas of the garden the entire time. Blasé as he was about the grand introduction however, the tattoo-clad stallion couldn't help but stop at the back of the large group and peer upwards as high as he could, getting a better look at the creature that everyone else was making such a huge fuss about.

 

...Nope, still just a bird.

 

Ah well. Curiosity fully satiated now, the grey Earth Pony broke away wiith a light snort and flick of his tail, getting his bearings for a moment before decisively heading towards the garden entranceway. Food would probably be in the largest area, if he were to guess - and failing that, he could always just wander back to the lounge, to berate a certain Changeling.

 

Naj hadn't made an appearance, after all, he would've seen a Changeling wander in - which meant no gratuitous notes of flanks and cutie marks to compare. 

 

And that was just...just, plain awful.

 

[[ Exit ]]

 

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Windwright sketched a low bow, extending her bicoloured wings out wide. "Thank you both." She said as she did. When she came up from the bow, though, she did it in such a way that she ended up facing Princess Twilight and out of Yue and Liam's way.

 

She pulled out a small garland of pale thaumoreactive flowers, and offered it to the Princess. She was about to explain the gift, presumably, when the fenghuang's entrance was announced. Windwright had seen woodcarvings of the creatures, but that hadn't prepared her for the sheer majesty of the bird. Every bit as regal as the phoenix, she noticed even as the alchemist wondered what wonders those feathers could unlock.

 

Princess Twilight had moved on, and Windy shook her head, recognizing the lost opportunity. She could approach Princess Twilight some other time about her research. Other matters were far more important than her scholarly pursuits. Such as the fact that she could feel the hiccups that preceded her potion wearing off. She probably had another few minutes as a mare, and started wandering off to look for a quiet place.

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Serendipity was surprised. She had thrown in a flirty comment in her words to the empress because she really couldn't help herself, but if she had thought about it a bit more, she might have held back in this case. Sure, she hadn't hesitated at all in her ignored comments to the princess, but Equestria had like five or six princesses so it wasn't as big a deal. As far as she knew, Long Guo only had the one empress, and she was like totally dignified. 

 

To have her careless comments then actually elicit a cute blush... it was totally unexpected. And kinda nice. Serendipity didn't like her chances, and part of her wondered if she wouldn't be accosted by some beefy bodyguards if she went too far, but for the moment she was kind of encouraged.

 

First though, she continued to talk with Presteza, her stallion and the caribou. She admired the confidence the painter mare had in her stallion. Looking at his face, she wondered if it was somewhat misplaced, but it was kind of cute. As tempted as she was by Presteza's insistence, there was a greater part of her that would feel bad for taking advantage of the moment. Instead, she decided to tease. "I see, I see," she giggled. "What about Pressy?" she said while looking at the mare. She then turned toward Java with a grin. "How would she react to my stealing a kiss with her strapping stallion?"

 

She moved toward him, for a time giving the impression she was going to do it, but then backed off and laughed.

 

Not missing a beat, she then looked back to Halvard. "Well, that's just the opinions of this one mare. Truth is, whatever I might think of them, the theme joints are succesful. If you do have the capital and want to get something started, I could introduce you to the right people. Isn't anyone important in Las Pegasus I don't know," she said with pride. "That said... you really sure it's the right time? I mean, I believe you that you guys are more chill than we'd think, but with stuff like what happened in the Crystal Empire a while back in ponies' memories..." She shrugged. "Then again, perhaps that's exactly why it'd be worth doing..."

 

It was just then that something rather remarkable occurred. A bird unlike any Serendipity had ever dreamed of entered the room. It looked much like the phoenix Fluttershy had brought, but with far more colors and regality. It was stunning. Seren had to remove her shades and just stare at it for a long while, mouth agape.

 

When it had settled, she stepped toward it and the Empress. "It's incredible..." she mouthed. A smile then crept onto her face. "Then again, if present company is a fair indicator, your homeland must be just full of exceptionally beautiful things." She winked at the empress before putting her shades back on.

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As hoped for, calling Presteza and Java as witnesses brought forward the desired favroable testimonials, as well as a bit of relationship comedy.  Halvard watched the interactions with an amused smile, chuckling as the stallion corrected his formal term of address.  "No offense taken, Voronoi.  I can imagine that the proposed display would have taken up most of your attention.  And as my own mate is rather flirtatious herself, in her own way, I can understand your position.  If I may offer a word of advice?  If you are frozen because you cannot think of what to do, there is a simple rule of hoof you can follow: if the affections are wanted, contrive some means of joining in.  If they are not, send the interloper packing with a memorable injury."  Of course, if Jarl Sigrun were to receive any unwanted affection, she would hardly need him to send the undesired caribou away.  But it was the willingness to do the right thing that was important.

 

The Earth pony had more to say as well, in terms of business.  Halvard nodded at the name of Prince Blueblood; that unicorn royal had begun to make himself conspicuous in the Whitescar court by his two visits, and offers of investment.  Very generous offers, too, though as the Vakstyra understood them, they were very much motivated politically.  But, given that the political motivations in question lined up nicely with the designs of Clan Breen.  "Indeed, I had a chance to talk with him before the Gala.  Only, for some reason, he is a Princess Bluebelle now.  And ponies here looked at me funny when I asked about that, so I must think that this change was well-known before.  I can't say that I've ever heard of such a thing in my own country, but you southerners are very different, as I have been told..."

 

He shook his head.  Back to business.  "I see.  The Vakstyra, at present, have little in the way of ships.  Having them would enable us to more easily establish posts on other coasts, in order to better escort and protect merchant traffic to and from our ports.   I can see us having use for both of those classes, though at present much of the cargo space would have to be dedicated to munitions."  Havlard sighed.  War was hell, especially for commerce.

 

Still, Equestria being a peaceful land, there were possibilities here.  Yes, distinct possibilities; even this Serendipity mare was beginning to realize them.  "I shall definitely take you up on that offer, as his... her.... their Royal Highness has been generous with their bits.  One of the reasons I am here with my mate is to act as a cultural ambassador, in order to show a... different side to our culture than the one you were recently introduced to.  The more ways we have to promote the cause of peace, the better."  His saturnine visage then broke into a grin.  "And if we can make a fortune in the process, we certainly won't turn down the opportunity!"  He laughed and winked at the Las Pegasus mare.

 

"Speaking of Sigrun, though, I should probably get back to her.  Last I saw, she was headed to the hall- or, I guess you call it the lounge?  Where you serve drinks.  I feel like taking down a few myself.  But it was a great pleasure to meet you all."  And with a bow, he turned to take his leave, paying little heed to the commotion surrounding the arrival of the Eastern Pheonix.  Birds were not in Halvard's line, after all, especially when they proposed to delay a caribou from his ale.  

 

(Exit Halvard)

~~~

 

Birds were rather more in the line of the next arrival out in the gardens.  In fact, he was preceded by two of them, crows to be exact.  "Croa-ak, Caw-ca-caw!"  In their own way, the pair of them were just as exotic as Philomena and Fu Feng, having come all the way from Whitescar.  Not that they looked nearly so impressive, of course, though both looked considerably better than usual.  Normally ruffled and ragged feathers had been preened and gently shampooed to a sleek, sable shine.  Their attitude, sadly, had undergone no corresponding cleansing.  Thus, their entrance was loud and raucous, like a pair of drunk party-goers, until they both caught a glimpse of the two Pheonixes on display.

"Caw Caw- croak?  CAW!"  Both flapped and flopped in mid-air, as if they had both struck a glass door, lying dazed on the ground as they looked up rapturously.  "Cawww..."  They both croaked in unison, obviously, hopelessly love-struck.

 

"Nyahahaahah!  You won't get anywhere with them by just lying around, you know!"  The voice rang out from the doorway, followed closely by it's owner.  Like his avian friends, Chipper Demise had cleaned himself up for what he understood to be a formal occasion.  No ratty cloaks with huge holes in it for him!  Nope, he was only bringing out the finest of his robes, that were washed with actual soap!  The Blue colorations and silver filagree were just what was needed to set off his dark purple coat and white hair perfectly, too!  It was just a pity that the design itself heavily featured skulls.  Never an especially friendly symbol, you're average skull, though Chipper could not for the life of him understand why.  They were always smiling so cheerfully!

 

The young unicorn himself was smiling too, with a grin that would have put any skull to shame.  His eyes seemed half-shut, but they were able to scan the crowd in the Gardens easily enough.  He stood on the lawn until his gaze lit upon Empress Yue, at which point he made a beeline towards her, skidding to a stop in a cloud of grassblades.  "Hiya!"  He waved enthusiastically at her, grin never faltering.  "I'm Chipper Demise, but you can call me Chip!  I'm actually looking for a friend of mine; from what he told me, I could find him near the prettiest mare with two horns on her head and tufts on her hooves.  But..."  He looked around.  "Huh.  He doesn't seem to be here.  I guess one of us must be mistaken."  It had to be said, that while his words were flirtatious, his tone was less so.  It was more as if the stallion had been raised by wolves (which he actually had been to a certain extent), and thus was blind to the normal social clues and limitations.  If he thought a mare was pretty, he'd say so as a conversational fact.

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Having seen Fu Feng before, the glamour didn't strike Lián as much as it would others, the majestic bird was still a beautiful sight to behold. His sister had chosen a perfect gift, he hoped that the symbolism of this gesture would foster and strengthen the friendship between Long Guo and Equestria.


Speaking of fostering friendships, there were things that the Prince had to see to and standing around with his sister wasn't accomplishing anything. "As much as I would love to stay and continue aiding with the ceremony, there are things I need to attend to." Lián said, bowing to the visitors as a whole with another polite dip of the head to Fluttershy and one to Twilight. "If I'm not able to get your gifts to the two of you tonight, please do expect a visit from me tomorrow!"


With one of the handmaidens following not far behind him, pulling a small cart with gifts in it, Lián once more bid farewell to the group just as a...strangely clad unicorn and pair of crows passed by him. His curiosity was nagging at him, but that was for another time! There were gifts to give and ponies to meet!

{Exit Lián! Sorry for the short post!}

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Fluttershy was glad to take a step back as Twilight took on more of the diplomacy of the meeting.  Now that she was not the focus of the group, she noticed all of the ponies and other creatures that were venturing out into the garden and drifting away.  Some ponies just seemed to watch from the edges, others went right up to the Empress.  A pegasus chemist had done just that, trying to peddle her wares to the Quilin royals.

 

Despite the Empress' adept handling of the crowd, Fluttershy still felt like this was not how this evening was supposed to be going.  She was beginning to realize that the books that she and Twilight had read about Long Guo were out-of-date at the very least, but they had stressed that formality and ceremony were very important.  This ceremony had been anything but formal, and... wait... was Serendipity flirting with the Empress??  That was just not appropriate! ...  But the Empress seemed to take it in stride.  

 

Thankfully, Twilight's presentation of her gift seemed to be the trigger to start the next part of the ceremony.  A loud voice boomed out, the source a Quilin stallion in formal dress.  Behind him, however, was a plainly-dressed Longma carrying a perch.  It was the creature on the perch that really caught Fluttershy's attention.  The fenghuang was magnificent sight, his feathers were all the colors of a rainbow, and the bird held himself as if he were royalty.  Fluttershy couldn't help but let out a little squeal of excitement.  Forgetting all about the ceremony herself, she rushed over to perched bird.  "Oh my goodness!  I've never seen a bird like this before!  Oh, the pictures in the book just don't compare!"  Fluttershy took to the air to meet the eyes of the fenghuang.  "Hello, Fu Feng!  I'm Fluttershy, and I want to welcome you to Equestria!"  

 

Meanwhile, Philomena gave the fenghuang an appraising look, cocking her head to one side.  Hmm...  nice plumage and all, but... something just seemed... off.  She couldn't put a talon on it, but there was something about this bird she just didn't like...  She was then distracted, however, by two crows that suddenly flapped into the crowd.  One of them was staring up at her.  Where had these two come from??  ...But the two interlopers gave her an idea.  She looked up again at the approaching fenghuang, a mischievous smirk growing on her beak...

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"Probably." Yiska responded, sighing to herself as she figured it was a cat between the noises it made and what Inkbrand said. Her ears twitched as the cat jumped into the tree, apparently onto the stallion. Whatever, she didn't care. Her attention turned back to what was happening below as she settled back into her perch. 

 

The yell that went up about something arriving made her grimace in pain for a moment before her hearing went back to normal. 

 

"See ya." She responded, much too tired to care about most things at the moment. She should probably just leave entirely, but she could sleep here too. Nothing too exciting was happening, so the mare yawned quietly, getting comfortable and trying to get some sleep. 

 

--------

 

Liviel smiled as she watched Fu Feng be carried in, her gaze moving between him and the pheonix to compare them until she noticed the black birds arrive followed by some stallion that rushed up to the Empress in the middle of the ceremony. Giving a sigh, the dog moved forward as well, tapping the unicorn to get his attention before speaking. 

 

"If you do not mind, sir, you should wait until after the ceremony is done to converse with her." Liviel said, noticing a pegasus beginning to wander off somewhere. Well, they probably wanted some privacy, and this was more important anyways. 

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Friend. That word; it carried a lot of meaning for Yù Yuè. The empress voice inside of her warned that Princess Twilight was premature in declaring their friendship, when they've barely gotten a chance to know each other yet. All the same... it was comforting to know someone considered the Qilin worthy of being friends, and not just in the "potential future allies" sense either. Yuè knew enough about Twilight to understand that like herself, Twilight had been suddenly thrust into the role of a royal (and quite recently at that) with little to no time to prepare for new responsibilities. If there was one being on this Earth who'd personally understand whatever difficulties the Empress was expected to face over the coming years, it would be the lavender alicorn.

 

The Empress was almost afraid to touch the glistening metal band, forged so exquisitely. With the greatest of care, Yuè took the object in her hoof. "...I will wear this gift with the uttermost pride," she carefully slid the band onto a foreleg, before looking back up at Twilight; "Although the vast oceans may separate our lands, may our friendship blossom heedless of ant distance."

 

While she spoke, the Empress gestured for a hoofmaiden, who brought her a small strip of ornamental-looking paper and a calligraphy brush dipped in ink (the Imperial retinue had an uncanny knack for immediately delivering needed items to the Empress). Writing the words "Twilight Sparkle" on the paper strip, Yuè looked at Twilight, closed her eyes, gently inhaled... and then blew out a light burst of magical aqua flames. Said flames dissolved the piece of paper on the Qilin's hoof as it headed onward towards the alicorn, eventually absorbing itself into Twilight's horn as if powered by a will of its own.

 

"I have established a magical bond between us," Yuè explained with a fond smile as her servant showed Twilight the brush and another paper strip; "If you write my name down on that paper, you can then use an equivalent unicorn spell to complete the link. This will allow you and I to personally send letters to one another; no matter where we are....."

 

---

 

Many of the ponies had conversation they were engaged in to gaze up upon the colorful Fu Feng. Presteza had been quite dazzled by the exotic creature, prompting a satisfied smirk from Yuè. One of the sneaky benefits of keeping surprises. There was no time to address the painter's questions however, because Serendipity recovered from her spellbound state to chime in with more of her flirtations. The Qilin kept her composure better this time, although she still couldn't stop her cheeks from blushing.

 

If Yuè's brother hadn't already left to pass out gifts... he would likely hit it off very well with the casino mare.

 

Coming next out of left field was... an especially strange stallion. Yuè's first instinct would have been to label this inappropriately dressed pony as a practitioner of dark magical arts, if the memento mori motif of his garments were any indication. And yet analyzing the way Chipper Demise spoke... no hint of malice could be found. Rather, Chipper possessed all the mannerisms of a young colt; from the naive way in which he barged onto the scene for the sake of finding his friend, to the matter-of-fact way in which he complimented the Qilin's looks... the Empress guessed that was supposed to be the case?

 

Either way, the royal mare was at a loss for words... and wouldn't get a chance to respond anytime soon, as a diamond dog pulled Chipper back. Wait... that wasn't Liviel from Fenghuang Monastery, was it? Yuè shook her head; now wasn't the time to get distracted. The ceremony needed to continue uninterrupted; an empress can't let herself be easily sidetracked!

 

Meanwhile, Fu Feng basked in the admiration of all the ponies around him. Even the local crows of Canterlot knew majesty when they saw it! Apparently not the local bats though; too busy carrying their fruit around. The fenghuang was tempted to steal that tasty snack however, but then his eyes caught notice of the phoenix. Like the other bird, Fu Feng cocked his head as he pondered what this attention-grabbing phoenix was. It sure had rather fiery-

 

A sudden flying pony appeared! Fu Feng squawked in confusion; she was blocking his view of the phoenix! So the fenghuang did the easiest thing it could do to regain vision; by making a wing-assisted leap onto the top of the yellow pony's head, thus allowing observation of the phoenix again. Ah, much better!


The Empress took this unscripted moment in stride; it wasn't as if she could hope to discipline an immortal bird. Instead, she raised her voice for the first time that evening so that all the crowd could hear. "This fenghuang of Long Guo is the gift... I give to all of Equestria!" she outstretched a foreleg towards Fu Feng; "Now, let us properly introduce the noble birds of our two nations to one another! Fluttershy, if you please..." Like it or not, Fluttershy served as the fenghuang perch for the moment, until Fu Feng decided otherwise.

 

Spoiler

@RainbowFoxxy I'm assuming that although Twilight would have likely figured out the spell to magically send letters herself, it's Spike and Princess Celestia with the magical connection required to let Twi mail all those letters to her mentor. 

 

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Twilight watched as the magic went to her horn. For some reason she found she could trust the Qilin without a hitch. Possibly it was her demeanor, her obvious grace, her aura of kindness? It was probably all of these factors combined. Those plus what she had heard about the Empress. Normally she would be wary of letting another's magic enter her horn in such a manner, but this different! 

 

The Princess of Friendship was more than honored that the Empress would accept her gift in such a willing and gracious manner, and then to return the gift with a gift of her own? What a wonderful day for friendship!

 

Twilight took the quill and inscribed the name Yu Yue onto the parchment. After a moment it turned into vapors as the one with her name had. The mist traveled towards the empress and as it drew near Yu opened her mouth and allowed the magic to enter. 

 

"May the bond between us flourish Empress!" Twilight glanced at all the others around them. "It seems this is certainly a grand day for friendship to blossom!"

 

She bowed her head respectfully once more to the Empress first and then to the others of royal party. 

 

"Please enjoy the rest of your stay in Canterlot. I am sure will we cross paths again tonight. I need to go make sure things are running smoothly elsewhere, but I'll meet up with you later Empress!"

 

Spoiler

actions of the empress used with permission.

 

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Chipper Demise's manner of constantly grinning and guffawing could leave the onlooker with serious doubts about his sanity, that much was true.  On the other hoof, the notion that the guy who decided to show up in public with skull patterns on his clothing would stand on ceremony was genuinely funny.  "Nyahahaha!"  The stallion literally laughed in the face of Liviel.  "Tell it to the birds!  You can stand on ceremony all you like, but that won't stand in the way of true, passionate love!"  And with the biggest grin that you could fit on his face, he swept his cloak like a conjurer, pointing all the attention he could arrest at his crows.  "Observe!"

 

Indeed, those two incorrigible corvies didn't give a pinfeather for pony pomp and circumstance.  "Croak-cawcaw! Caw Caw Cawcaw!"  Philomena, it had to be said, only encouraged them.  Crows were smart birds, and the male one could tell perfectly well that the fiery beauty in front of him was less than enamored with 'Pretty Bird' over there.  Thus, knowing that he was never going to get such an opportunity again in his lifetime, he hopped out into the circle set aside from the ceremony and, in front of the Empress, Fluttershy, and everypony, began to do his mating dance in front of the Princess' Pheonix!

 

The female crow, not to be outdone by her nestmate, followed suit in front of Fu Feng.  And, to say this for the blackbirds, nowhere in the history of avian courtship did you ever see a performance engaged in with such sincerity and, yes, passion!  

 

Chipper, meanwhile, was struck with another convulsion of laughter at the sight.  He might have not had a fig to spare for dignity and ceremony, but he understood them enough to know how incongruous this whole scene was!

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Liviel sighed at the stallion's response, sparing the birds' dancing a momentary glance before looking back to him. She stared at him for another moment or so, keeping herself calm as he laughed.

 

"I do not pretend to be able to control your birds or yourself, sir, but interrupting an exchange of gifts such as this one would not be taken in any good way." The dog said calmly, watching him still."[No reason for this at all.]" She added to herself in her native tongue, shaking her head slightly.

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Gy9Z4Bbl.jpg

 

 

Well -that- was a bold question, "Hmm... well that's a curious question, Never really got inta the specifics 'r whatnot buuuuut..." She trailed off as she looked between the two, "I'd say go fer it but I want one too, love!" She said with a cheeky grin on her face before she went back to doing some more of the sketching, her eyes darting back up to get a look at Seren making nice with the empress.

 

In the meantime, Fresco had apparently had his fill of the fruit of the trees and began to scan the garden. His previous resting spot had decided to take his leave for the time being so it was time to find a better one. Seeing as he'd been so content to rest on the noggins and horns of royalty, The nibble little bat smiled mischievously as he flew down from his tree and flew on down. He circled once around the empress and then settle on one of those, what do you call them on this hat? outcroppings? branches? whatever they were to the hat, to fresco they were a convenient perch; so perch he did. 

The grape fruitbat happily hung on the side of the crown, he didn't weigh enough to make it topple but his presence did make the accessory slide a bit off to the side while he made a soft cooing sound in the vein of a snore while he got comfy.

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"Oh, is that what's going on here?"  Chipper turned wide, almost foalish eyes up to Liviel.  "Nyaha!  Giving away living, intelligent, and beautiful creatures as if they were objects?  What fun!  Great way of getting to know one another."  The unicorn's voice was just as cheerful as ever; if he was being sarcastic, he was doing a very good job of hiding it.  What he wasn't doing a good job of was keeping his voice low; pretty much everypony in the garden would be able to hear him at this point, at least when the dancing crows weren't caw-ing up a storm.

 

"You know..."  The necromancer tilted his head, looking at the Empress and Fluttershy.  "Can't really blame 'em.  Honestly, if it were me, I wouldn't mind being given away to either myself.  They both look really nice and kind."

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Fluttershy wasn't sure what to expect, meeting a fenghuang for the first time, but she didn't expect the grand bird to climb on top of her head!  Well, at least he hadn't been frightened of her, like what had happened at her first Gala.  So, she decided to take it in stride.  She alit gently on the ground, then slowly turned about to face Philomena again, feeling the fenghuang's talons in her mane as he too turned, keeping his eyes on the phoenix. She looked upward at the rainbow bird, her eyes crossing a little.   At the Empress' urging, she addressed him.  "Fu Feng, this is Philomena, Phoenix, and companion of Princess Celestia."  Then looking to the phoenix, she said, "Philomena, this is Fu Feng, a fenghuang from Long Guo.  I hope you two will be the best of friends!"

 

Only then did Fluttershy notice the 2 crows on the ground.  The corvids seemed to be stunned at the sight of the two magical birds.  Fluttershy was more surprised at the boisterous pony that accompanied the crows.  He had rather loudly inserted himself into the ceremony, and was speaking to the Empress as if she were no pony of importance.  And...  were those s-s-skulls on his cloak??  Who wore skulls on their clothes except on Nightmare night?? 

 

The pegasus was then distracted by the display the two crows began.  Fluttershy knew very well what the 'dance' the two were performing meant.  Covering her giggling with a hoof, she told the two larger birds, "It seems you two have fans!

 

Philomena, meanwhile, was not impressed.  Not by the crows, and not by the rainbow peacock.  Had he seriously just ignored Fluttershy?  One of the kindest ponies she'd ever met?  And that smug look on his beak...  Oh, he needed to be taken down a peg or two!

 

For the second time tonight, Philomena called on her inner fire.  She opened her beak and let out a stream of flame ... toward the displaying crows.  The fire drew an arc in front of the male, trying to send him into flight.  A flight that, not coincidentally, should send him on a collision course with the fenghuang...

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"Well, I can certainly attest to the Empress' kindness, she was a wonderful friend while we grew up." Liviel said, smiling as memories of their time together surfaced. She was pulled from her thoughts though as the pheonix, Philomena if she heard right, breathed fire near the crows to presumably scare them off. The dog blinked a bit at that, but she saw no reason to intervene yet. 

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The garden had seemed the obvious choice, most assuredly, but now Mei was beginning to doubt herself.

 

As if she didn't have enough to doubt this evening, already!

 

From a ballroom filled with ponies, her hooves had carried seemingly on her own all the way out to the gardens, where her break-necked paced had gradually slowed into the semblance of a fast shuffle. With tears still dribbling down her cheeks and head bent low to avoid drawing attention to her now reddened eyes, however, Mei hadn't realized exactly how crowded the gardens were. Nearly as many, if not more, than the ponies crowding the ballroom! The sight had almost been enough to spark a fresh wave of tears from the Qilin, misery quickly being overtaken by frustration at the denial of a simplistic solution she had so desperately been seeking.

 

If the gardens were this crowded...where in the world could she go to bawl her eyes out? Everywhere that wasn't off limits was already full of ponies, and Mei had the distinct urge to simply stop moving and stamp her hooves on the ground for a while.

 

It just, wasn't, fair!

 

None of it was. Not the overcrowded gardens that promised no seclusion, not her noble, princely Reindeer that had proved nothing more than an illusion - not even this Grand Galloping Gala! This was suppose to have been her night, to wine and dine with the most influential ponies in this land of Equestria, to bask in the splendor of the pony Imperial Palace - to meet and dance with a mysterious stranger who'd sweep her off her hooves, perhaps fall endearingly in love with her and compose sonnets to her loveliness. 

 

To reunite with a gentle soul, and tell him how eagerly she awaited his next poem.

 

...But it was all ruined. He'd ruined everything. Why did he have...have to be...one of them?...

 

The sound of a shuffling body abruptly caused Mei's head to snap upwards, belatedly realizing that she had stopped dead in the middle of the pathway and was causing ponies to shuffle around her. The Qilin quickly wiped at her eyes, trying to be as unobtrusive as possible - an effort that apparently didn't work so well, as she caught sight of an elderly couple gazing at her with some concern. Mortified, Mei hastily stepped off the path to head deeper into the garden, intent on finding at least one dark and shaded corner she could compose herself in.

 

One. Just one. She deserved at least that much, this night.

 

Her ancestors were not so sympathetic, and Mei only barely bit back a cry of frustration as she discovered another crowd of ponies further in the gardens. She almost turned tail to wander back into the palace proper, and curse all the off limit signs, she'd find an empty room to just sit in for a while - but something caught her eyes. Misty and blurred as it was, her vision was still caught.

 

Not by the myriad of ponies milling around, a number of which were Qilin. Not by the stream of fire that looked like it might have been breathed by one of her kind, perhaps as a simple parlor trick to impress Equestrian ponies. Not even by the magnificently colored bird that brought back visions of carvings and tapestries and paintings native to her home land. 

 

No. For whatever reason, Mei felt her eyes drawn towards the center of the mass of ponies, towards a robe that shimmered like starlight itself with every move the mare made.

 

And then onto the mare herself.

 

"...Yuè!

 

 

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At a time when maintaining focus was of uttermost importance, Yuè grew distracted by a fuzzy sensation sending goosebumps down her neck. No... more than a fuzzy sensation; she picked up the sound of an animal nestling right behind her very ear. The Empress also felt her crown feeling slightly more heavier towards that side of her head. Coupled with the fact that Yuè witnessed Presteza's fruit bat buzzing her her just seconds ago, it didn't take a wise sage to surmise what was happening.

 

Proper sovereigns of Long Guo must not only maintain constant laser-like concentration, but also appear perfectly immaculate at all times. Nobody would take an empress seriously if a fruit bat was causing her crown to appear uneven! On the flip side, it was just as equally disgraceful for an empress to shoo off an animal herself without using a servant. How courtly etiquette could put royals in a bind!

 

"Presteza," a hint of uneasiness could be detected in Yuè's whisper; "Perhaps now isn't the best time for your fruit bat to-"

 

*SIZZLE!*

 

Not the best time, indeed. Without provocation, Philomena shot fire at the crows; in the process of dodging the blast, the male crow rammed into Fu Feng, knocking the fenghuang off Fluttershy's head. Recovering from the impact, Fu Feng flapped his wings to hover upwards, glaring down the fire phoenix. How dare that bird think it could bully around others with impunity... and wound his pride. Whoever this Philomena was, she needed to be taught respect!

 

Drawing on the magic inside him, Fu Feng called out towards Philomena with a deafening screech, drowning out all other noises in the vicinity. This wasn't any normal bird call however; when defending itself or asserting dominance, a screeching fenghuang is able to summon a small shockwave of prismatic light from its beak almost akin to a sonic rainboom. Anything, or anyone, not secure on a firm surface would be sent flying by the rainbow shockwave... like the female crow, who was destined for a collision course with Philomena!


Yuè closed her eyes as she was forced to cover her ears from the fenghuang's battle cry. Fu Feng wasn't a tame creature, so there was no telling how he'd respond to further escalation on Philomena's part.....

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