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A Promise of Cherry Blossoms (Open to Neighpon OCs: All Others PM for Invite)


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MANDATORY READING BEFORE POSTING IN THREAD: Neighpon and Kyoma lore articles.

 

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"Welcome to Neighpon! May you all enjoy our Sakura Spring Festival!"

 

.....How did it come to this? What madness drove Lími to make a journey to a realm where the marauding Viking Caribou have been actively despised for a millennium? Simple answer really: Lián Mei, the apple of Lími's eye. A beautiful qilin mare from Long Guo with no real deep connections to Neighpon. So what business did a qilin and a caribou have in the Neighponese capital of Kyoma?

 

In truth, it was Lími who (once again) brought misfortune upon himself. Our story began late last year after Mei and Lími's disastrous Nightmare Night outing in Ponyville, a horrifying ordeal ending in the qilin mare almost losing her mind. Blaming himself for his dear friend's ruined night, Lími thought long and hard about how to make up for it. After days of deliberation, one thing did come to mind. Back when he first visited Garden Gait, when the lad had not been officially recognized to have proven himself to be of age, Lími was told by Mei of her fond desires to see the springtime blooms of the cherry blossom tree. Now assuming that finding such trees close to Garden Gait would be a trivial matter, and having brainstormed nothing else, the caribou bull lifted the spirits of his treasured friend with the vow to witness the blooms together.

 

Little did Lími realize that Lián Mei had vastly more on her mind than simply finding appropriate trees. As the qilin reckoned, it wasn't enough to simply find any cherry tree. No; celebrating the Sakura Spring Festival properly meant a pilgrimage to the Empire of the Eastern Seas; to the Shogun's very capital, where traditionally built wards were surrounded by parks of ornamental cherry trees. It was said that during the Sakura Spring Festival, these encircling parks engulfed the entire city in petals of pink. Little was said about Sakura Spring in the lore of the Viking Caribou, but apparently many others outside of Whitescar regarded the weeks-long celebration as one of the world's great cultural traditions.

 

When Lími realized exactly what Mei believed she was promised, the anxiety-filled bull tried everything in his power to convince his confidante of the folly of visiting Neighpon; a place where Lími believed his kind would never be welcomed. Not after all the wars between the Neighponese ponies and the Viking Caribou. But the will of an obstinate dragon mare is not something able to be overcome by enthralled bulls; even if it were possible, Lími eventually understood he would then face the reality of dashing his darling Mei's hopes and dreams... an act of such atrocity he'd never have the heart to carry it out.

 

And so here we are in the present day, already more than a week into the Sakura Spring Festival. By now, the ponies of Kyoma had already finished preparations for the cherry tree blooming. All Lími and Mei had to do now was find an unoccupied tree to give the companions a spot for flower viewing celebrations. That would prove difficult though between all the capital's residents, Neighponese pouring in from every corner of the Neighponese Home Islands, and even other tourists from all around the globe.

 

In particular, Lími felt he'd need to display extra caution as one of the dreadful caribou of Whitescar. All he had going for him was his air of peace-loving nobility and the dazzling qilin beauty by his side, who proved prone in the past to latching onto his foreleg or otherwise brushing against his fluffy figure. As long as Lími continued passing for a reindeer or some other sort who — at a surface-level glance — appeared worthy of a lady's affections, there was always hope that he'd yet leave Neighpon without getting chased out by its inhabitants. So he imagined, anyway.

 

First though... the caribou and the qilin needed to figure out where to go. The two of them stood outside the entrance of the port entrance, analyzing a map of Kyoma held in Lími's hooves. As expected of an indecisive bull, Lími knew not where to trot to first. Mulling in apprehension, he couldn't help but let loose his trademark sigh of "Odýrr.....

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First the Grand Galloping Gala, and now the Sakura Spring Festival.

 

Not nearly as high profile as the former, to be sure...but oh, the implications of it all...

 

Even as a foal, Mei had heard of the fabled Sakura Spring Festival, advertised and amped up by their neighboring country and given a certain status in the eyes of both natives and foreigners. Even Equestrian ponies had sighed over the festival, when she had gabbed on about how she would be attending this year (which had been almost every waking moment, really), and there was little wonder at the why.

 

The Sakura Spring Festival, renowned for the beautiful cherry blossom trees Neighpon was positively infamous for, had become a symbol of romance and blooming love to cultures around the entire world, and it wasn't too difficult to see why. Mei had no idea when it had begun or how the sakura petals had reached such a mythical level of romantic importance, but they had, her foalhood days spent running beneath maple leaves and pretending she was dancing in a shower of pink petals were all in the past, as the imaginations of a foal couldn't even begin to compare to the majesty now in front of her awe-struck eyes. 

 

For even without the trees being in full bloom, some early ones were beginning to scatter petals, a few splashes of pink standing startlingly visible against the rustic port of Kyoma. The Palace Castle was easily visible from their location, rising up over the city like a massive protector, and Mei briefly wondered if tourist might be allowed to view at least part of the magnificent pagodas. With herself and Lími arriving a week into the celebrations, it was unsurprising to see stalls and vendors set up all along the roads, undoubtedly willing to sell some food or souvenirs to passing tourists before they closed up shop for the viewing. 

 

Speaking of which -

 

"Oh, isn't Kyoma beautifulLÍmi?the bright blue Qilin breathed, oblivious to her companion's conundrum as she took in the view with a gleeful gaze. "Not as impressive as Huangjing, of course," Mei added blithely, waving a dismissive hoof through the air, "but still, beautiful." The Qilin cast her gaze left and right, already too eager to take everything in, and barely containing the excitement she was feeling. She was home - not really, but much closer than she had been in years, and she couldn't wait when they stopped off in Long Guo for her to spend some time with her parents and friends - and the sights and sounds and smells were so much more familiar to her than the sometimes confusing bustling of Equestria and Canterlot, and she was getting to see a sight she had wished to see since she was a mere foal, and it just all felt so good

 

And it was all thanks to Lími, too, who had made a promise and kept to his word. 

 

...She should have brought her copy of her poem, to share with her friends. Drat. She only had the first twenty or so verses memorized by heart. 

 

"We simply must find a good viewing spot, LÍmi," Mei cautioned, and grabbed one of the Caribou's forelegs in a hoof as she began tugging him into the port proper, heedless of the way it made his map flop uselessly in the wind. "Up on a hill somewhere, or down a lane. Oh! Do you suppose we might meet the Shogun?" the Qilin gasped, already imagining a dashing, samurai-inspired warrior sitting regally upon his throne as she eagerly charged through the streets. "Do you think he might let us view the petals from the Palace Castle? Do you think we might get to tour the Palace Castle?" 

 

 

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Lian Mei was not the only one from Long Guo attending this festival. No, Liviel had also decided to attend, and the dog was thouroughly enjoying herself so far. She always loved nature, though that may be due to the monastery she grew up in being surrounded by nature itself. 

 

In any case, the dog was seated underneath a tree with her eyes closed and a smile on her face. She was simply enjoying the moment, though the moment quickly passed as she heard a voice speak. Of course, the voice wasn't speaking to her, but it still caught her attention. Partly because of the fact it was speaking Equestrian. 

 

Opening her eyes, she smiled as she saw a qilin approaching with a caribou in tow. It was nice to see two individuals in love like that, it made her happy to see them happy. 

 

"Greetings, you two. My name is Liviel Mizu, it is a pleasure to meet you. May I have your names?" She called to them, standing and approaching the couple. She was wearing her typical gi and pants combo, though they were freshly washed. She did not have her weapon with her though, having stored it and her bag back where she was staying for the festival.

 

"I hope I am not intruding, I would not want to get in between you two. It is a wonderful day outside however, and I find these days to be more enjoyable with company." Liviel said, giving an apologetic bow to punctuate the first sentence. 

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For most in Kyoma, this Sakura Spring Festival was one of several that they had attended in their lives, and would attend later in their lives.  A tradition, binding the nation together.  For the young and for the visiting, this one was their first.  A happy memory made, an ambition fulfilled, or a tradition started.  But for some, this would be their last.  It would seem a bitter taste to mix with so sweet a day, but is not the fruit of a cherry tree both sweet and tart?

 

For all that, though, Akairo Hoshi stuck out in the Festival crowd like the one sour cherry in a bowl of sweet, ripe ones.  While a great majority of the crowd had come out in the traditional kimono, the kirin was not only in modern dress, but aggressively modern dress.  All in black, cut in the style of a delinquent's uniform with a matching brimmed cap, she completed the yanki look with a baseball bat slung across her back and a dour, defiant look on her face.  A more perceptive observer, however, might notice that she was holding back her tears.  For, no matter how much of a dyed-in-the-wool rebel you were, the love of one's homeland dies last, and today Akairo was saying goodbye to Ryushima, perhaps for good.

 

*Look at them, enjoying the gardens amidst the riches of our island.  Do they know who ultimately paid for them?  Do they care?*  Probably not.  Most of her fellow Ryushimans were complacent to be cogs in the Empire, and foreigners... well, one had to expect a certain level of ignorance from them.  And on any other day, in any other place, Akairo would have been happy to give a rant or do a little rabble-rousing against the system... but not today.  Not here.  For all the opulence that now surrounded them, the cherry trees were of this island, stolen from no other.  They were home, untainted by ambition, planted by her ancestors to make beauty and sustenance for themselves, by their own hooves.  Akairo would honor them one last time.

 

These solemn reflections were suddenly intruded upon by a pair of tourists.  Tourists speaking equestrian, though oddly neither seemed to be native of that great country.  

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"We simply must find a good viewing spot, LÍmi, up on a hill somewhere, or down a lane. Oh! Do you suppose we might meet the Shogun?  Do you think he might let us view the petals from the Palace Castle? Do you think we might get to tour the Palace Castle?"  

 

Overhearing the foreign Qilin's chattering was almost enough to provoke Akairo into dishonoring those aforementioned ancestors with a tirade against the Shogunate, but she restrained herself, merely stepping into view with only the air, and not the sound, of trouble ahoof.  She did stop short upon seeing Mei's companion, though.  A caribou?  Here?  As a tourist?

 

"Ejanika, eijanaika, who is to say in these times what is and is not to be done?"  The dark green Kirin parked herself right in front of the couple, sizing them up.  "This is the first time you are here, I take it."  She said the words in a tone which implied that she would hardly be broken up if it were their last as well.

 

There was with them another, a diamond dog, who oddly enough got a more sympathetic greeting from the dark green kirin.  "I am glad, at least, that you are here to see the best side of us."  She said, bowing respectfully for the first time.  She had seen what work the Diamond Dogs were put to in the 'protectorates' in Polyneighsia.

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Lími would have given anything to forget all about his anxieties and take in the sights, sounds, and smells of Kyoma. Not even swapping his usual garments for a plain, dark green kimono (at Mei's insistence of course) did the trick. As a certified traveler through numerous strange locales beyond his homeland, the caribou bull knew deeply the benefits of seeing the rest of the world first-hoof. He had Sigrun to thank for that. Of course, the rest of the world also didn't treat the Viking Caribou as a sworn enemy (despite having every reason to, frankly) like all the Neighponese shoguns have done.

 

Which was why Lími was sweating up a typhoon when Mei's daydreams saw the both of them guests at the Palace Castle, which loomed in all its foreboding glory over the rest of the capital. The young bull believed he wouldn't find any faster way to earn a banishment than intruding upon the Shogun's residence. "Mei," Lími meekly protested the dragon mare tugging him along; "We are but humble travelers in a foreign land; two visitors among many. What could convince the Shogun to open his doors for the likes of us?" Lími might have served an ambassadorial function back in Equestria, a caribou who placed his faith in gentle words instead of a sharpened sword... but would the kind-hearted Son of Jarl Sigrun be granted a chance to show his quality in the Shogun's halls?

 

Not too long afterward, a diamond dog approached the couple. Introvert that he was, Lími turned his eye contact subtly towards the ground, trying to figure out why Liviel saw fit to seek the specific company of a caribou and his qilin partner, when hundreds of other ponies could have offered companionship. Lími found no fault with the diamond dog of course; he just wasn't comfortable at all in the presence of individuals he didn't know well.

 

No wonder then why all of Lími's closest companions inevitably share a willingness to breach his personal boundaries at will.

 

"I'm errr... I am afraid we ummmmm..... have important matters to attend to." One would think Lími would have learned his lesson about lying to get out of uncomfortable situations by now. "See, we....." Drat, no excuse was coming to mind! The caribou was going to have to weave a yarn with the uttermost of speed... as in NOW! Thus, what a nerve-wracked Lími came up with revolved around the last subject he discussed.

 

"I am Ambassador Lími of the Northern Realms, and I've come with errrr....... my lady, to well, treat with the Shogun." The jittery spreader of falsehood scratched the back of his neck, smiling nervously while reflexively pulling Mei close with the hoof already joined with the qilin mare's foreleg. "We have been delayed in arrival, and so we must make great haste to avoid bringing further insult upon our host."

 

Well... that was that, then. In attempting to politely waive off an interloper, Lími purchased for himself an one-way ticket to a likely international incident. Oh dear, Odýrr...

 

Curses; now they'd gotten the attention of one of the local kirin, and this one didn't sound as pleasant as Liviel. "Yes, and I'm afraid we're late for our audience with the Shogun." Lími wanted nothing more at present than make a mad dash with Mei, before more unwanted attention came their way.....

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~~~Medo~~~

 

 

Ahh, the capital city of Kyoma. This was the first time that Medo had actually ever been able to come to the capital city. Her and her family had never really been off of the island of Ryushima, and never really had a reason to go to the other cities at all. IF anypony ever needed something from their village, they came there. Of course, in all reality, she wouldn't have been planning on coming to Kyoma now as it was, but the main port on Ryushima was undergoing some repairs after an earthquake had struck, so all large vessels had been detoured to the capital city where a ferry could be taken to the island, at least, that was the thought. When she got to the City of Kyoma, all of the ferries were shut down for the Sakura Spring Festival. So she was going to be here for at least the rest of the day before she could make the four hour journey home tomorrow. Of course, they held the celebration in Jikan, but because the village itself wasn't very large, they never made anything extravagant for it. After all, they only had one cherry tree in Jikan so they couldn't really do too much.

 

To see the way that they had everything set up for the celebration here in the city though was awe inspiring. There were so many parks of trees and she could just imagine how the blooms would look as the sprung open. It seemed that there were many ponies, qilin, and longma that were working on preparing everything for the bloom, and from what she heard on the voyage over here from Equestria, there was the possibility of meeting the shogun during the festival in Kyoma. She ultimately wasn't sure how she would react if she met the shogun. Part of her would be nervous, but at the same time a part of her has already been in close company with the Empress of Long Guo. She already had some experience in being around very important figures. However, she understood that no two were alike. Just because the Empress was laid back and open does not mean that a shogun would be the same.

 

These thoughts traveled from her mind though as she continued to move her way through the port and she spotted an interesting sight to say the least. She spotted a qilin that she recognized from somewhere, but she couldn't really remember from where, but even more surprising, she saw a caribou. She wasn't a pony to judge them, at least not anymore after ponysally speaking with a caribou jarl at the Grand Galloping Gala in Canterlot. It seemed that they were every bit as capable as being peaceful and friendly as anypony else, so the actions of Caribou past should not dictate the relations to caribou now. That though, was ultimately not really her place to judge, but for her own sake anyway.

 

Also standing next to the two of them appeared to be some sort of canine. It was different from most dogs that she had seen, and it was sentient. It seemed to be in conversation with the caribou and the qilin just before a second qilin that was... very uniquely dressed joined the conversation, and asking something about if this was the first time that they had been here before hearing the bou say something about being late for a meeting with the shogun. "Oh! you were invited by the Shogun!? you must hurry then! Being late to a meeting of that magnitude will bring great dishonor to your whole family!" Medo said to them before looking to the others that were there. She was still unsure of the other Qilin, It was the bat that left her at unease, and she was instantly suspicious of why somepony would need one of those at an event like this. However, she knew well enough to voice her concerns or she be the recipient of said bat.

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Well, that was an easy question, now wasn't it?

 

"I'm sure the Shogun is a prince among Qilins who would so nobly offer up the Palace to us," Mei chided her companion as she continued her tugging, head whipping back and forth as she attempted to take in every single sight all at once. "Perhaps if we so asked." Never mind how the Imperial Palace was so closely guarded that ponies couldn't even get within sight of it without special invitation...at least here she could see the thing, which meant the Shogun might allow some visitors inside, right? 

 

...Right.

 

Though her assurances on their welcome into the Palace Castle were cut short, as a Diamond Dog suddenly approached them, halting Mei's charge through the streets of Kyoma. The sight was strange enough on its own - Diamond Dogs were native to Equestria after all, and on the whole, seemed rare than ponykind - but Mei liked to believe she didn't start gaping like a fish at the clearly pronounced and elegant words the Diamond Dog began speaking.

 

She had thought all Diamond Dogs were - well, dull, to put it gently. Prone to speaking in broken sentences and with garbled words. But this Liviel was well-mannered, demure, and dressed in an outfit that reminded Mei of monks and temples, or of spiritual masters of the Path. The juxtaposition of mannered clothing and hulking Diamond Dog was, all-around, a surprise she had not been prepared for, when she had arrived in Kyoma. 

 

Which wasn't to say it was a bad surprise, no, not at all.

 

"Well met," Mei demurred, utterly charmed at the strange combination of Dog and gentleness, and dipped her head a bit in greeting, "I am Lián Mei." Lími took his turn for an introduction as well, and the blue Qilin nodded her head along at his words, eyes straying towards the massive pagoda complex that Lími needed to enter in order to treat with the Shogun and -

 

...wait, what?

 

Mei hardly registered her body being pulled closer to the Caribou as her eyebrows shot towards the sky, eyes staring at her companion as he glanced nervously her way and - ah. Ah. Oh, poor lamb, her gentle Caribou who often deigned to seek out unknown company. Probably vestiges of the horrid place he had grown up in with danger looming in the eyes of every - aiya, but no more of that again. Whatever the reason, Mei had grown to recognize Lími's aversion to strangers...and the addition of a very strangely dressed Qilin was undoubtedly not helping. The blue mare felt a frown cross her face as the dark green Qilin placed herself squarely in their path, her voice kind towards the Diamond Dog but rougher towards herself and LímiWhat was her problem?

 

Really, now. That jacket and that cap - they stuck out like fetid eyesores! Did she not have any kimonos where she was from?!

 

Before Mei could open her (still frowning) mouth, however, another passer-by suddenly intervened - and one that looked vaguely familiar in a way that had the Qilin making a comical double take at the mare. She wasn't given much time to contemplate the familiarity however, as the mare was quick to push them on their way to meet with the Shogun and -

 

...wait, what?

 

OH, right, again with the - Mei shook her head roughly, the confusion from so many new faces and greetings having completely made her forget the...the very important meeting the two of them had to attend to. "Yes," the blue Qilin said faintly, her free hoof running over her mane to absently check for loose strands as she began to resume her tugging, attempting to ease past the loose circle of ponies and Qilins and Dogs that had formed. "Yes, we must...away, to the Palace?" What should have been a definitive statement came out more like a question as Mei side-eyed Lími's expression...and become more resolute, a firm nod of her head serving as a farewell to all and large. "To the meeting. Come now, LÍmi, it wouldn't do to be late!" 

 

 

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"Very well. It was a pleasure meeting both of you." Liviel said, giving a bow to the couple again and letting them go on their way. She wasn't sure she believed their story, but Lími was obviously uncomfortable, so she felt no need to keep him there. Besides, there were two new arrivals to speak to. First, she turned towards the kirin with the bat, giving a bow of greeting. 

 

"Thank you, I am glad to be here as well. Nature is a beautiful thing." She said, smiling as she directed her next words to both of them. "My name is Liviel Mizu, I am an Annointed Follower of the Harmonious Path. It is a pleasure to meet both of you."

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Akairo's attention was, for now, the primary possession of the diamond dog, as the other visitors seemed to be in conversation with another, more traditionally-minded native.  The Kirin was aware of the Harmonious Path, not exactly a follower, but she had a respect for those who were.  Well, some of them; her sympathies were decidedly on the anti-establishment side, so she thought most highly of the Path of the Gallant.  "I see.  And of what Path are you?  I had not the discipline or inclination to leave my homeland for that kind of training, but now... ah, well, it's probably too late for me anyway.  And the discipline part hasn't changed much."

 

Just then, however, her ears caught the caribou calling himself 'Ambassador Limi,' and Akairo's attention suddenly swerved.  As any revolutionary knows, foreign support is crucial to a movement, and here was, apparently, a foreign official!  With a plus one of another polity, at that.  Clearly, no common tourist, and thus not an opportunity to be missed. Silently, she cursed herself for being so abrupt with the pair at first; letting her own emotional turmoil get the best of her, amateur, clumsy.  But how to remedy that?  How to impress upon the pair the importance of radical change in the way Neighpon handled it's Empire?

 

A hard question, but fortunately for the Cause, it seemed that Limi and Mei were actually going to try to meet the Shogun.  Picturing the likely results of a caribou attempting to get himself into the presence of the Neighponese head of state... it was enough to bring a smile to her face, and a much friendlier disposition towards the pair.  "Ah, so that is what you are about?  Well, good luck!  I daresay it would do the old boy some good to have you drop by today.  That is, if he knows what's good for him, which I will admit to sometimes doubting.  You know the way, of course?"  If not, the baseball-bat toting mare would have been more than happy to guide them.  After all, she wouldn't want to miss the show, risk of arrest by the palace guards notwithstanding.

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Nobody seemed to question Lími's story; not even Lián Mei as she played along by urging the "ambassador" along. For all the fretting going on in his mind at the moment, the caribou bull's heart opened itself to a fuzzy feeling, content that his qilin understood his thoughts and motives down to a T. Little things like there were the reason Lími still contemplated opening himself fully to Mei this long after their first meeting; meal-ruining hot sauces, Gala heartbreaks, and faint spell-inducing Horror Houses be damned.

 

In fact, the one thing keeping Lími from being consumed by nightmares over this infernal voyage to Neighpon was the potential to finally show Mei his complete feelings; to express his utmost appreciation for all the ways the charming qilin of Garden Gait had affected him since entering his life. Also, to gauge the dragon mare's true sentiments as well. In a way, that challenge brought its own set of nerve-wracking fears... but it wasn't like Lími died the last time a worst-case scenario came to pass. The young bull's fortunes rose again after the Ballroom Incident, and they would again even his feelings aren't reciprocated by Mei in any way.

 

Besides, knowing Mei herself as well as he did, Lími believed he had a pretty decent shot at wooing the dragon mare if he played his cards right. Mei was a true believer in all that "sakura = romance" stuff, even if the caribou's own readings on cherry blossom meanings led him to completely different conclusions (the one-sided nature of Viking lore can be thanked for that). Of course, it couldn't be overstated that Mei not only eagerly accepted Lími's offer to taking her to see the cherry blooms, but she went above and beyond by turning a modest trip to the nearest cherry trees into a full-blown odyssey through the great realms of the East. Truly that in of itself was a good sign?

 

Then again, all of this would come to nothing if Lími wasn't able to find a suitable place to view the blooms from. Competition was fierce for the best spots, and Mei deserved nothing less but the best. If Lími failed here and now, he may never get another shot at winning over the object of his affections.

 

Just maybe though... as Mei mentioned a minute ago, perhaps Lími's best hopes lie now in actually penetrating the lion's den: to gain access to the formidable Tower of Kyoma that had for so long symbolized the young bull's deepest misgivings.

 

"How can I not?" Lími gazed upon the Palace Castle as he stood in place and answered the casually dressed kirin, who had dropped her initial defensive attitude. However, something the mare said made the fluffy bull ponder. "Say ummm... what do you know of this land's Shogun?" Lími needed to know if whatever cultivated doubt in the kirin would negatively impact Lími's chances of finding the perfect viewing place for his Mei. The faster, the better; it wouldn't do for a proper "ambassador" to bring dishonor on his entire family because of tardiness.....

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Neighpon a truly impressive empire, an exotic land of potential mystery with giant golems, ninjas, samurai and all other matter of strangeness that boggled the mind of the visitor who attempted to take it all into account. One such visitor to the land of the rising sun was only interested in the golem portion of this land's culture. Golemancy was one of those schools of magic this mare had studied and Neighpon was one of the leading magical powers in the world with it's development... her new idea for an invention would need her to brush up on the technique's of this land. Thankfully in her previous abroad studies she came here and worked to learn, read and speak Neighponese so learning the techniques from readily available books would not be hard... but really that wasn't why she was here, here: The cherry blossom festival.

 

Seeing as her assistant couldn't be here she had to resort to writing him. In some of the letters sent he'd said that she really needed to stop working and actually take the time to enjoy the sights in this new land. She had to admit he had a point: All she'd done was work here. She was a workaholic of a unicorn after all... even when in the festival she couldn't bring herself to resist the call of new data.

 

Bevel appried for a permit before-hoof to bring what little equipment she did bring. A small magical battery laid by the blanket she had set up on the green grass, the cord of it leading to a large metallic box with an antennae sticking out. It was covered in various dials and knobs and had several gauges across the console, along with buttons to press as well. Against the side of the metal rectangle on wheels was a simple looking briefcase, left open and with several tools filling it. The aetheric manifold distributor was all set,  the PK units properly calibrated. In a few minutes she'd get an ambient reading of the aether levels in the vicinity and if they were at all different from the usual... so long as the machine went undisturbed of course.

 

"Let's see..." Bevel took the case by the side of the console and began to root through it... not noticing the tilt of the hill making her machine on wheels slide downward towards the an unsuspecting kirin in all black attire. Bevel reached out to see feel around for the panel she needed to unscrew and detach for one adjustment and arched a brow when she felt nothing at her side, and her face go pale as she saw the cable attached to her console now barreling down the hill! Just before it managed to Run into Aikuro, the unicorn scrambled to her hoovesand grabbed a hold of the cable with her teeth! The console came to an immediate stop right before the group of other ungulates, the mocha colored unicorn at the higher end of the hill clenching tight with her teeth on the cable. A muffled, inquisitive tone would be heard as she tried in vain to speak through the wire.

"Mnnifan! DAfobuseksa..." Bevel froze in place and furrowed her brow, looking up to her horn it lit up and began to reel  the console back up the hill. With her mouth free and her jaw aching she spoke up again, In nieghponese. "(Is everyone okay?)" She picked up a large stone and propped it against the console, hitting a few buttons it started to whir and buzz faintly before its owner descended down the hill to the group and offered a bow. 

 

The mare had piercing yellow eyes and an a coat and mane that bore colors like milk and dark chocolate respectively. Her mane was pulled back in a ponytail that resulted in a flowing bundle of curls that perfectly matched her -actual- tail behind her. She wore a simple looking jacket with four large pockets that jangled slightly with metallic sounds coming from each step she took. "(I'm Bevel Gear, I apologize for losing control of my console, It didn't hit anyone before I caught it did it?)"

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((OOC: I requested to join I do hope I am not intruding and this isn't troublesome for anypony, just let me know))
 

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There was never any telling where the spirit of chaos may end up next. His whims were wild, waning and, overall, unpredictable. In a way one could compare the mismatched monster to a storm cloud. Wind and rain were to be expected, but oft times the cloud in question passed without incident or merely rumbled a clap of lightning, or two, before easing on by. All he needed to do was cause trouble! His role as a chaos God was not as simple as mortals perceived it though. The complicated nuances that both dictated and detracted him to and from destructive behavior was a thin line determined by his mood.

 

With him came change. The mundane activities that pushed a pony in to a repetitive cycle of good versus evil, or participating in a culture 
that was a well oiled machine of prosperity and tradition were tiresome -- he was most inclined to be rid of such harrowing systems that disrupted the natural creativity of a pony. But was this not the everyday of the Neighponese state? Rampant Kaiju, earthquakes, and, what many consider a blessing, constant work on the perfection of the arts.

A place like Kyoma didn't need his influence.

 

But a place like Kyoma was often victim to his meddling, whether it was known or not. One would need to observe the question: what is chaos, to truly understand the necessary evil that the princesses felt could be used for good. Inherently lazy, and convincingly insane, Discord could play many roles without giving away his true intent. It was an intelligence that far surpassed the average pony. But it was also a sanity that rang deep into madness. One didn't live to be his age without losing a few marbles.

 

Hoooonk

 

The call of the barge's horn bellowed as it came into port. Cargo of fruit was loaded on this ship, but this time around they had a most unexpected visitor amongst the selection of foreign treats. In the depths of the ship's belly, boxes, crates and barrels were stacked up and tied down in place with twined netting. In a corner a few barrels lay scattered, loose from their bindings. They would roll back and forth as the ship swayed on the sea. One crate sat, sans a top, with numerous rodents nibbling away at the scattered produce. Laid in the box, like a qilin lounging in a hot spring, was the noodly prince of chaos.

 

His legs were kicked up, red tail spooled down to the ground, as he enjoyed a banana. On his head sat a raccoon who joined him on the journey, a friend made in Fillydelphia, had agreed on accompanying him on his venture. Truth be told twas the raccoon that told him if the event! A party he wasn't invited to? Well it was about time he come by and by and see how the kingdom was doing. His absence surely made an imbalance when it came to chaos and harmony. 

 

Another long blow of the horn and Discord's wars pricked up. It seems they were finally docking. The rodents sniffed the air and scurried off in haste. The spirit glanced over hearing hoofbeats and the skittering claws of a cat hunting for wayward rodents that may have snuck into the cargo load. The chaotic chimera tossed the banana peel behind him and chuckled. The raccoon glanced back. The hoofsteps grew closet. The masked procyon tugged at Discord's cheek fur in panic. They would be caught! 

A clattering thump indicated the seapone in question met with quite the slip up. The sailor, robed in the uniform of ferrypones, had slipped on the peel and tumbled into a wall. Vanishing, the coon fell into the banana crate, which was half consumed by him, the rats, and Discord.  The troubled procyon peeked his head out of the crate, pulling a peel, which had nested on his head, off. Squinted the masked robber of fruit watched the writhing shadows. A pop of magic and Dis-- Dark Strife, stepped forward in the uniform.

 

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"Shall we join the party?" The old, grey pony chuckled.

 

The raccoon chittered and jumped from the crate, scurrying toward the familiar stallion. The critter would stop and turn around to wave farewell to the rats, wishing them luck in their new home. The chaotic spirit, now disguised as an ordinary, grey unicorn, turned to leave the ship. The grey and black coon hurried after him, leaping up to land on his shoulder. 

 

Some moments later the two stepped out into the open air after quite a lengthy trip from his original port. What he had done there was the nagging question, but that was a story for another time. With the outfit, stripped from the unconscious sailor, Dis-- Dark Strife was easily overlooked. The white shirt and blue necktie was quite fitting for the old stallion.

 

While the raccoon was given questionable glances, but it was otherwise ignored. Sailors sometimes had odd companion animals. "My this is quite a capital." The raccoon sat perched on his shoulder, peeling yet another banana as it chittered. "Quite, I must admit I am almost remiss to give it my own touch of flavor." But it was much too late. 

As he pranced across the port fished sea life would come back to life and squirt ponies with water, and nets would tangle up sailors and dockhooves. It was nice causing a little mayhem after such a long, dreary trip. The raccoon dutifully consumed the banana and looked to the spirit in disguise, chittering. As they passed a stack of crates, the spirit disrobed and trotted towards where the main venue was being held. His ears pinned back as he chuckled cool.

 

"Oh, you worry far too much!" He declared.

 

It would be fun! Well not in the menacing sort of way. Kyoma seemed to do just fine on its own in that regard. he had his reasons for coming, but sometimes the idea of a spirit of chaos enjoying a sakura festival was -- absurd, though it seemed no more absurd than a Diamond Dog wearing pants! The grey pony trotted along, his black hooves scraping by as he had companion on shoulder. 

 

"My, I feel rather underdressed for the event." Looking around -- couples walking, tourists wearing loud, gaudy outfits with cameras flashing about, Dark Strife went for a happy medium.

 

His blue horn lit up with his uniquely white, magical aura. A flash and around his torso was a grey and brown yukata with patterns of mountains and sky, crushed between a sea of stars. Perfectly meshed to his personality of utter chaos. Even the raccoon was given a little yukata, blue with shapes of fishes all along the waist. He did love fish! The raccoon blinked and patted his body, rather approving of the new threads. Something was missing though....

 

"Wait a moment, let me take a selfie." He jumped back towards one of the blossoming trees , a camera appearing suddenly and POP -- FLASH! The poor raccoon found himself temporarily blinded. "OOoh, brilliant." The unicorn jeered as he pulled the photograph form the device and shook the polaroid a few times before the picture developed.

Dark Strife had a goofy grin and the raccoon a look of twisted confusion. "The camera adds twenty pounds, or it could be all those bananas we ate...." He shrugged, camera and photograph vanishing for the time being.

 

His ears pricked up -- Shogun -- the word tickled his chaotic fancy. The raccoon chittered, warningly. But was he to take whatever advice the masked bandit could give? Of course not! He moved to strut toward what appeared to be a grouping of -- well many things. Most of which were certainly not ponies. Quite fantastic. The array of chaos he could swell from these creatures. He shook his hind leg and moved to hobble towards them. Though it needn't be mentioned all the times over, the spirit--- unicorn male did have a limp. From war, from age? Well no -- it was due to his hoof being longer than his back talon, making for a most hawkward pacing that was glaringly obvious in any form he took. The monotone shade made his origins a bit less obvious, but the as it were there was something odd about the old pone... aside the fact he had a raccoon on his shoulder, in a yukata.

 

Though it seems anywhere he was -- chaos was bout to occur. One of the residents lost control of those fancy machines he had heard about. While he has seen more impressive suits of armor on space marines, this had to be a clsoe second. He didn't even need to be a direct force behind it. It made his chimeric heart flutter!

 

"Konni-hao." Way to offend everypony at once Disco-- Strife. "Is this here part of the tour? Machine juggling they called it?" He seemed a senile old man, foreigner if ever the obviousness of one. "Heard these little tree watcher events are a blast to partake in, but I never thought we'd be line dancing with the machines." Definitely senile, but harmless looking!

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~~~Medo~~~

 

As much as Medo would have liked to have caught up with the qilin that she had run into from the Gala, a meeting with the shogun was far more important that trying to catch up with somepony that by all technicality, had only barely met. In fact, she couldn't even really consider that a meeting considering that they only saw each other for a few seconds, much like in the current situation here and now. At the most this would probably be the most of whatever meeting that they were going to have before the Qilin took off with the Caribou. She did wonder about the Caribou being invited, but perhaps it was a sign of trust between the Shogun and the Caribou clans. Perhaps it was to set up some sort of peace arrangement, or an alliance of sort against the Caribou that had plagued Neighpon for so long.

 

The mare with the bat though remained unsettling as she spoke. The way she spoke about paths and how she was essentially too lazy to follow them, and how she spoke about the shogun himself made her shudder internally. Did this mare have that little respect for authority? Honestly, that wasn't really her place to judge, but she knew one thing was for certain. She definitely wasn't a mare that she was wanting to be around for any length of time. The more that they were close together, the more that Medo would be tempted to make a scene, and considering that mare had a bat, and all she had was her magic, that likely wouldn't end well for her. Wanting to at least pay her respects to the diamond dog though, she turned her head and bowed in respect to her before responding. "I am Medo Asai from Jikan on the Island of Ryushima. I was actually on my way back home for the festival so I could spend it with my family, but an earthquake damaged the main port, so our ship was diverted here," she responded politely just before she noticed something hurdling towards them from up the hill.

 

Thankfully the mare that seemed to be in charge of the object that was coming towards them managed to stop it just before it hit the mare with the bat, and then spoke in Neighponese, asking if everypony okay, introducing herself as Bevel Gear and was asking her her console had hit anypony before she caught it. Medo shook her head before responding also in neighponese. "Īe, soreha wata****achi ni atatte orazu, itsumo no koto wa daijōbudesu, Everypony is fine," she answered. Perhaps this mare will actually believe her when she said nopony was hurt at an event that she was at. Unlike the one unicorn from the Gala that insisted on telling everypony that the phoenixes had hurt ponies in their showing when no pony had been hurt at all. But that wasn't of her concern anymore. At least not as long as he wasn't spreading false claims about the Empress in the process. Of course, she couldn't help but notice another pony acting a bit odd behind them but it was likely a tourist here for the festival, judging by how they were taking pictures.
 

Spoiler


(OOC: "No, your console didn't hit us, and everypony is fine" is what the dialogue says)

 

 

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Well now, how odd. She'd been certain LIMI had wished to excuse himself from present company, but now here he was chatting them up. Though, seeing how the topic of conversation was the Shogun of Neighpon, Mei supposed it was only natural tourists such as themselves might show some interest. 

 

Even if they were suppose to be picking out the best cherry blossom watching spot, right now. Or something. Humph. 

 

The vivid blue Qilin waited without complaint, however - and rather patiently, in her own humble opinion - as the three of them conversed, leaving Mei's attention to wander a bit onto the stunning buildings all around. The architecture of Kyoma reminder her of home in so many ways...not so much in style, of course, but in intent. She had gotten rather used to Garden Gait's humble dwellings and Canterlot's spiraling towers, but eastern influence was scarce in pony land, and often overlooked in favor of those blockish castles ponies seemed to prefer. 

 

...To be fair, she had thoroughly enjoyed her time in those blockish castles, but still

 

Before Mei could contemplate on uninspired design choices any further, though, a funny sound had Mei's attending shifting upwards - and subsequently transferring all energy into a startled exclamation at the large apparatus rolling its way directly towards them. Luckily, before she could do anything more than start and perform a funny, three-hooved dance out of the machine's trajectory, it stopped all on its own...or rather, its owner stopped it, allowing Mei to let out a breath she hadn't even realized she'd been holding. "Really, now," the blue mare huffed, smoothing back her hair as she glared at the offender and her...whatever that machine was. 

 

That was all she could really say on that, too, as the brown Unicorn began to utter what was presumably some sort of apology. Given that it was in Neighponese however, Mei could do nothing more than huff again, as Neighponese washed over her from left and right. That, too, didn't last very long, as a very strange, elder Unicorn - with a blue horn sprouting out from his grey coat, quite strange - sauntered straight up to them, talking about this and that. 

 

And also there was a raccoon. In a yukata. A very stylish looking yukata, at that. 

 

"Oh, no," Mei said, head tilting slightly at she took in the elder Unicorn, "there is no - ah, juggling tour group. Just ponies losing control of their contraptions," she explained, with another disapproving frown at the brown Unicorn. All in all though, a minor inconvenience...given that the alternative had been a crash course on, well. Crashing"Are you in Kyomo for the Sakura Spring Festival as well?" Seemed obvious, with the raccoon, but small talk was usually obvious to begin with, now wasn't it? Oh, You've arrived just in time, I should think - unless all the best spots have already been claimed." 

 

 

 

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The life of a revolutionary was one full of hardship and complication.  Akairo had accepted that in theory, though in practice she had as of yet an incomplete picture of what that would entail.  Today, she would begin to remedy this gap in her education.

 

Her intentions had begun simply; merely wishing to make a scene.  Now, the scene was being made for her.  Barely had she a chance to offer her guidance to Limi, when all of a sudden a cart bearing machinery began careening down the hill towards her!  The noise was at her back, so she wasn’t able to quite see what was coming up behind her, but it resembled sounds of hostile pursuit, triggering an instinctive reaction within the kirin.  Before she or anyone else could even think twice, she reacted.  With a smooth, nearly-instant movement, she took the bat on her back into her hoof, turning around with a mighty swing!

*SMASH*-*tinkle*

 

The scene was frozen, Akairo’s bat halted mid-way through the follow-through, pieces of delicate equipment strewn amongst the cherry blossoms.  Her face was impassive as she stared at her handiwork, more out of shock than anything else.  She could hear the muffled inquiries of the poor researcher whose work she had undoubtedly just ruined.  “E-to… hai.  Sumimasen.”  The bat-wielder answered in Neighponese, apologizing as a blush of shame began to creep up her neck and onto her face.  “(It, ah, was startling.  I hope you will agree to overlook the property damage, as I currently do not possess the means to recompense.)

 

While outside she was calm, internally she was screaming.  What damage had been done to her cause?  Foreign eyes were on her, as representative of the cause of liberation from the Neighponese Empire!  And she’d just made herself look like a hot-blooded fool!

 

Speaking of foreign eyes, another pair were approaching from the docks.  An older pony it looked like, Equestrian.  Akairo knew nothing of the legends of Discord, of course.  A few were taught in school, but only in specialized classes, of which she took none. Not that she would have been likely to learn much there anyway; anti-authoritarianism does not make for a particularly successful academic career.  She could only judge of what she saw… which reminded her strangely of one jungle guerilla she had encountered as a foal.  Sabotage expert, loved watching big things fall to small explosions.  Could it be the same?  He was old enough… maybe too old, it was hard to say.  They both followed the same light, if she was any judge, though.

 

Konichiwa.  I… don’t really know what to say here.  This isn’t normal.  Nothing is for me anymore.”  Stress was extracting more candor than she expected from her, even as she extracted her bat from the mess of machinery.  “Akairo Hoshi.”  She bowed, hoping to serve to everyone that same introduction.

 

OK, deep breath.  Obviously, her offer to guide the pair of foreigners to the Shogun would be less attractive now.  “Perhaps, ah… oh, crud, I was really hoping to make my last days in these islands better than this.

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"I follow the Path of the Lotus." Liviel replied, giving the mare a warm smile before her attention seemed to turn towards Limi and Mei. Just as well, there were others to speak to. Medo seemed somewhat familiar for some reason. Perhaps she had seen the mare somewhere before. 

 

She didn't have long to contemplate that however, as a machine came hurtling down a hill towards the group. Liviel acted without thinking, moving to block the machine and stretching out a paw to stop the incoming attack from the bat-wielding mare. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion, the cart approaching, her paw reaching the bat, and then the crunch of the machinery as it was partially smashed. She had helped stop the bat's momentum, so things could have been much worse, but they could have also been better. 

 

"<I would be happy to take her debt upon myself, but it would have to be paid in labor as I do not have the money either.>" Liviel offered, leaving Medo's words as enough to say nobody was hurt. The dog gave an apologetic look to Bevel, sorry she couldn't stop things before the damage was done. 

 

There was also the matter of the unicorn stallion that had just arrived, but this situation with the machine was more pressing. Besides, he was already engaging with the others, so she could speak to him later. Liviel smiled slightly as Akairo finally introduced herself, though the smile quickly faded as she watched the damaged part of the machine. 

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Lími's question came to nothing; first, he found himself staring in apprehension at a runaway contraption. To his credit, the young bull remembered to extend a shielding foreleg in front of Mei to gently push her away from the potential path of harm. Thankfully, no tragedy occurred thanks to the superior skill of the unicorn in the driver's seat.

 

Moments later, a conversation between Mei and an elderly, feeble-minded tourist from abroad reminded Lími of his all-important prime directive! "Mei," the caribou urgently whispered into the qilin's ear, his nervousness palpable; "We have to go NOW, or else we'll be too late..... or get run down by some other mechanical devilry."

 

Too bad that bat-wielding kirin was preoccupied though, for now she was unavailable to provide the Son of Sigrun with her insights on the Shogun. Perhaps Lími could be more persistent with acquiring the information, or be more appreciative of the opportunity to commune with random strangers. Honestly though, the near-miss experience with that piece of strange machinery had left Lími pretty rattled. Now more than ever, the risk-averse caribou believed it imperative to get him and his lady Mei off these dangerous streets as soon as possible!

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That smashing noise Hadn't been promising up the hill... and the results of it were already enough to make her jaw drop. Her eyes traveled over the intact end of the console, the lights dimmed and gauges dropped to zero. Broken bulbs, bent screws, coils, cogs and even her own namesake were now scattered across the immediate area. Her remnants of her device now sticking out on the fresh green grass as it hunks of ore had just popped up moments ago. The researcher placed a hoof on the device and took a deep breath as if trying to steady herself. The glare she got from the Kirin/qilin and her scruffy looking coltfriend were not helping.

 

She looked to the older, senile sounding stallion who posed his incredibly ridiculous question, "If anyone so much as touches this device again I'll make sure they won't be able to juggle anything... So I guess the short answer to that would be 'No'."

 

Still looking over the damages to her 'contraption', Bevel took a momentary glance at the mare who was frown and criticizing her. Her colt's addition of the term Devilry  managed to make her eye twitch before she spoke up. "I had the situation under control. It's a shame this thing didn't move slightly to the left." She looked to Mei and Limi in their seats, "That way nothing of value would have been lost. Just a savage from the lands of snow and mare whose moronic enough to try wearing an outfit that looks like it was 'made' by a dragon on topaz centered diet with irritable bowel syndrome. that -is- a very daring fashion statement though." This time she spoke in normal equestrian, hoping that both members of the couple -or at least Mei- understood her. 

 

Bevel pulled her head from her broken console. IN her right hoof was an orb with a metal ring around it, it's side was smashed in by the bat's impact most likely. Inside were some small coils with minute runes. Aikuro's question about whether the researcher was willing to overlook the damage got her answer, "No." The unicorn set the component down beside her, "The device at my side is a trans aetheric sensor... one that I built myself with materials that altogether costed five thousand bits to buy, and spent further in order to put it together. This is only -one- item that your actions have broken. I don't think I need to point out the other pieces on the floor do I? if you don't have means to recompense now then you will need to pay in some way. Just from a quick look I'll have to estimate that the total of the device's damage will cost... about twenty thousand bits."

 

Felt her nose twitch at the close proximity to the diamond dog, a slight smile appearing on her muzzle despite it. She swore one day that canines would be the death of her."As much as I'd love your presence... I can't calculate at what point you'd have to start working... and do you have any experience with handling Magitech equipment?" 

 

 

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Dark Strife looked over to the mare that addressed him. He wasn't here just for the festival. He had other matters at hoof to attend to. It had, decidedly, been an interesting stop on the way of things to do, and goodness was he right! A tumble of excitement and while he would have like to take credit for it, sometimes ponies were simply more chaotic than they wished to believe they were. They had always a habit of blaming him for events that they could not control, but it was the fault of being mortal. He certainly could control all outcomes and change them at a whim. If he wanted he could have easily overcome the princess' little magic hurrah, had he not been lost in the midst of his whims of fancy! Who'd of thought that other countries had big old parties and festivals for no reason what-so-ever?! He was more interested in a whole new country building up on the foundations of ruin and strife he was once cause of!

 

He grinned at the mare who paid him heed. "Twas not all, but taking a break once in a while over work is far more pleasing." He grinned, lips pulling back over that snaggletooth of his.

 

The spiri-- old pony watched as they all talked, rather spooked by the machine's social faux pas. Some had mentioned a shogun and by interpreting the varied reactions they seemed a pony of political importance. Definitely not his mainstay. It also seemed a number of them did not speak Equestrian, which was wholly odd. Peculiar enough was this speech, the pony hardly seemed any sorts he could play with. He did not fail to notice how often he had to force himself to remain in this form as of late. None outside Ponyville were willing to accept him for what he's become and how he's changed. It also brought to question just how much they trusted their princesses if, in Equestria, they failed to trust her judgement. If ponies over there were so stubborn and unbending, perhaps they were here all the same.

 

Societies always did enjoy claiming themselves progressive, but he would see the same mistakes cast over and over. "Quite an unforgiving take." He noted aloud by the mechanist who seemed rather harsh on the other.

 

He did take note it reminded him how much forgiveness and patience was required for him. He snorted and looked to the mare. She was getting bent all out of shape over a machine, which was quite funny collapsing. Had she been more keen on using it for fun rather than the humdrum excuse she presented for its existence -- a trans aethric sensor, whatchamawhsoeit. Did she say it essentially sees magic beyond here and there? If he could roll the eyes to the back of his head -- Well, he could, but it wasn't polite to do such things in public. Spooks foals you know. He felt himself glower. These ponies were no fun.

 

His friends were all busy.

 

And he was bored.

 

Lonely.

 

The only reason he had come out this far was to meet others and play. The male would lower his head a bit, letting his horn take a white light. Were the machine not proof to his magic the spirit would reverse that which had caused it damage. Perhaps the mare could learn to show a bit more leniency for the mortal condition. A clumsy pony didn't necessarily mean they were evil or needed to be treated as such.  Wether or not it worked or not the spirit quickly shed his outer shell. Smoke and fume expelled from him like a haunted manor looking to grasp your attention. And how could it not when a tiny, grey, boring old pony transformed into chaos itself? His paw was held off to the side, arched up while his claw pressed into his feathered chest. 

 

"If you ask me, such a pitiable view on your fellow does show me these distance regions have quite a long way to go before they reach a certain standard." Were he in a place like this he was sure he'd not been properly reformed or learned anything about friendship. "As friendly as pickled opossum, I would say. Brining juice does tend to leave one a bit, salty!" He manifested a barrel of pickling brine right above their heads.

 

He contemplated it and was quite tempted. But these ponies were no friends of his. He let the barrel drop, instead of his first  impulse to spill it over Bevel. Inside the barrel were very sour pickles! The chaos beast's red tail was curled beneath him, the raccoon perched in it, still in his yukata. It shook its head, tsking at the ill mannered behavior toward a comrade, or heckers, a visitor! He wasn't sure if the fellow she was shouting at was either. His face seemed annoyed, though it was more rightly filled with a measure of shame. Rolling his eyes he shifted his weight, floating off toward one of the sakura, the closest of the cherry blossoms he could find. Reaching up a paw he rest it delicately on one of the branches before vanishing. He reappeared, curled up in the canopy, rest on the branch in question with his hoof dangling and the reptilian limb clutched to the side of it. His forearms were crossed over his chest, tail held out beneath him, letting the little bandit waddle towards the extending floraforms. 

 

It was a shame he couldn't bring his friends, but they were all busy. While he hated having to learn to be considerate to their needs, it was also troublesome learning to not get his way. He preferred Ponyville. They accepted him. It was not Canterlot, or Fillydelphia where he was seen as a boogeypony from under the bed. He's met the boogeypony! Fellow was quite crabby! He was just going to take a nap for a bit, calm his growing temper. He huffed and closed his eyes, pinning his ears back. Would have been nicer had he come with a friend. Below his tail rocked back and forth, the furry little bandits settled down on his back too, holding a bud in his paws, quite happy to have one!

 

 

 

 

 

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~~~Medo~~~

 

To say that Medo didn't see the reaction of the mare coming would have been like saying that she wouldn't have expected to find water at an ocean. It was just the course of nature. Medo was surprised though when the mare with the bat stood in front of them and swung at the console and smahed a good bit of it in. She really couldn't fault the mare for yelling at her, but she had no idea what the Caribou and the Qilin had done to earn her ire. They were just bystanders and had a natural reaction that anypony would have had if something that could have killed them just came barreling towards them with no warning at all. The ease of which the mare spoke the words aloud was cause for concern for Medo. For one, she wasn't willing to over look the damages, which she honestly didn't blame her, but she shouldn't have had such an expensive device here on such an important Neighpon Festival to begin with. That was asking for something like this to happen.

 

What was more unsettling was the fact that this mare had been very disrespectful to an ambassador. That alone could spell trouble for Neighpon if the Caribou had been insulted on his way here to meet the shogun. With diplomatic issues on the line, Medo wasn't really sure on how she should handle the situation. She was a medical pony and an herbalist, not a diplomat. She didn't really have the first clue of how to handle the situation at hoof. One thing she did know though, the amount of estimated property damage was easily on a criminal level, if those figures were in fact true. That would been though that this mare would have to stay in Neighpon through the trial if she were turn them into the shogun, if the shogun even wanted to help her after disrespecting an ambassador as she did.

 

Just as she was about to speak up to what was going on though, a puff of magic and some.... wierd creature that she hadn't ever seen before had shown himself talking about brining and leaving things salty before making a barrel appear out of nowhere and fall in front of them... That.... apparently just really happened. A part of everything that was happening right now made Medo wonder if any of this was actually happening or if she had just hit the Saki to hard while she was on the ship back over here and if she was currently passed out in her cabin awaiting morning. She looked over to the creature that was now in one of the trees and then looked back to the barrel, and then looked to everypony else. She shrugged her shoulders and then took the barrel of brine over to her. If anything else, the brine of pickles held a numbing quality that she could mix into a pain salve. No since in letting it go to waste, although she doubted that she could use it all before it went bad.


She then turned back to the other mare, the one that spoke asking if everypony was initially alright. "There are many things wrong with what I see here today, none of which should be transpiring on a day so sacred to Neighpon Soil. Those Native to Neighpon should be ashamed of themselves for bringing dishonor not only to themselves, but Neighpon in general," Medo said giving a very stern look to Akairo. "Not only do you move in and cause damage to something that possessed no inherent danger, and had been under control, but you then expect said damage to be overlooked. This is not now Neighpon treats those from outside of our Islands. Although judging from your attire, it is safe to say that you care little about Neighpon Traditions," she finished with the mare before turning to the mare with the wagon.

 

"As for you. I don't particularly like how you addressed one of the foreign ambassadors that had been summoned by the Shogun himself for the event. I personally will not bring the events up to the shogun, or any of the city guard if they haven't already noticed the disturbance, but I will not stop the ambassador from making a comment either. I do apologize for the damage to your console, but taking your aggression out on those that are not responsible for the damage is unprofessional and uncouth. Being a mare of a scientific field myself, I know what it's like to have something destroyed and to start from scratch again. My old master once told me to expect the unexpected, and channel that aggression and irritation into determination for the next project. Everything happens for a reason, and taking aggression out on others solved nothing but turmoil all around. So I will ask you to channel your aggression in wards and to please watch your tongue within the presence of the ambassador," Medo finished to the mare with the cart. "That being said.... Does anypony have a use for a third of a keg of pickle brine? I'll only be able to use a third of this before it goes bad..."

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Whu, who, it...

 

Why, she had never!

 

Mei was vaguely aware of the sound that escaped her mouth, a sort of high pitched squeak of indignation, but she was much too occupied with the utter barbarity of the brown Unicorn who - if Medo's initial response was to be understood - had gone from caring about their well-being to insulting them all in the same breath. As if they shouldn't be upset that she had lost control of her machinery and nearly killed them all! And she, Mei, hadn't even said anything to the irresponsible mare, but still found herself on the receiving end of an acerbic retort that was, simply, not true

 

"Well I - that - how utterly uncouth," the vivid blue Qilin spat, glare now back in full force as she smoothed out her kimono, and never mind that she was taking another look at the pattern she had carefully and agonizingly picked out. Why the brown Unicorn had felt the need to insult her when she hadn't even said anything to her - and after her machine had nearly killed them, at that! - was beyond the Qilin. Mei could only assume that the Unicorn was the sort who lashed out at all those around her when upset, and she might have had more sympathy for the mare's obvious hard work being so utterly destroyed...

 

Except again. Irresponsible. Runaway machine. Rude.

 

Though before Mei could fully gather her thoughts together to give the mare a good tongue lashing, a puff of smoke greeted her inhaling lungs, causing the Qilin to break into a coughing fit...one that quickly transformed into a gasp of surprise at the figure that emerged from inside the cloud. He looked like nothing she had ever seen before...mostly because he seemed to be...made up of different parts, as if some demented foal had done up their puzzle with pieces that didn't quite fit right. Aside from that, a conjured barrel filled with pickles suddenly appeared floating above the brown Unicorn's head - though, it was quickly set down as the serpentine figure seemed just as annoyed at the mare. He eventually wandered off however, leaving the rest of them gaping in his wake.

 

Oh wait, was that just her? Mayhaps that was just her.

 

"Was...was that a dragon?" Mei questioned nobody, because though his body had seemed vaguely serpentine akin to the Serpent Dragons, that had been the extent of that similarity. And no dragon she knew snapped its claws to do magic - magic came from the breath after all, and that, appearing out of thing air stuff had been more in line with Unicorn magic. 

 

How utterly curious...

 

The dragon mare didn't have much time to contemplate the strange creature, though, as Lími's suddenly urgent voice snapped her out of her thoughts...and reminded her of her own urgency. Which was the same as Lími's urgency, but still. "Yes, yes, we must be moving on," Mei acquiesced - though, not without one last glare to the rude mare. "Perhaps we shall find some more...friendly, company." The vivid blue mare was quick to turn a softer gaze onto Liviel and Medo and...well, Akairo, but mostly because she was standing in that direction as well. And also to assure them that her comment was not directed at them"Farewell, perhaps we shall meet again during the festival!" 

 

And thus it was time to move on. Mei didn't think too much as she grabbed onto Lími's hoof and pulled him away from the crowd, automatically heading in the direction of the nearest cherry blossom tree...the same one the strange creature had, incidentally headed for as well, though all Mei could see of him was his strange tail dangling from the branches. The Qilin hesitated, but she had mainly wanted to be away from the brown Unicorn, and thus, didn't think too deeply as she paused in her tugging underneath the tree, eventually releasing her hold on the Caribou.

 

"What a terrible start to this day," the blue Qilin moaned, flopping unceremoniously down into the grass underneath the sakura tree, and instinctively spreading out her kimono to remove the wrinkles that naturally bunched up in the fabric. "How deplorable! This kimono is made from the finest silk in Neighpon, and most certainly does not look like it came out of the back end of a dragon!" Mei spoke with conviction, a vicious nod seemingly settling any and all imagined neigh sayers...even as her head suddenly whipped around towards her companion. "Right, Lími?"

 

 

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OK, so... in fairness, saltiness on the part of the mare whose very expensive machine Akairo had just smashed was logical enough.  Magnanimity would have been more noble, but extraction of reparations was by no means unfair.  It was a little harsh for Bevel to not take into account the possibility that her own negligence was partially to blame, and might have caused serious injury, but it was quite clear that under normal circumstances, she had rights to demand, and there was little Akairo could do to appeal to bystanders.  

 

Unless, of course, the other mare went completely out of her way to alienate all observers.  Insulting an ambassador and the fashion sense of his plus one?  Elementary mistake.  The fact that she insulted them before even addressing her boosted Akairo's confidence in her own diplomatic position.  Perhaps she could make this a victory for the revolution after all.  A denouncement of the oppression of personal property, perhaps?  Might be going too far.

 

It was Meido that gave the revolutionary her opening.  Had the unicorn only appealed to her personal honor, Akairo would have perhaps been shamed and subdued.  Had Meido appealed to the Revolutionary cause, and how her actions reflected on it, Akairo would have done everything in her power to make repayment.  But no, she appealed to 'Nieghponese tradition.'  A thing which the Kirin mare had conflicted and controversial views about at best.  And now was hardly the best time.

 

"Oh?"  She slowly turned her head to face her fellow Neighpon, eye twitching with triggered memories.  A faraway island, ragged ponies and deer, facing death for a dream, against the ambitions and habits of Empire.  "Tradition, you say?  It is out tradition that I am to become a foreigner's personal slave because of a reaction of self-defense against her own carelessness?  Pah, you're right enough.  I learned that in the colonies."  Her tone was unapologetically bitter, infused with the candor of the soon-to-be exile.  What did she have to lose, anyway?  In three days, she would be leaving her homeland, perhaps forever.  If worst came to worst, she could just go to where Neighpon had no extradition treaty.  One way to avoid paying debts.

 

It was a little unfair to Liviel to drag her into this discussion, and to make political at that, but in the end, it was hard for Akairo to really care about that any more.  The last straw had fallen, so to speak.  "Don't bother with her; if she hasn't the social sense to be basically polite to bystanders, than I can't imagine her work would be used to any real benefit to anypony besides herself."  A bit of desensitivity to irony there, but whatever.  "This random technocratic nonsense is the death of societies infected by it.  If I had a free hoof, these scattered pieces-!"

 

She was cut off in mid tirade by an older, more traditional sort of random nonsense.  The machine, which she knew that she had smashed decisively, was standing there perfectly intact.  No big dent, no scattered parts.  Oh, and there was a big vat of pickles there, for some reason.  She'd made the mistake of ignoring the old pony, and now was paying the consequence by looking an utter fool as she gaped, open mouthed, as Limi and Mei went elsewhere.

 

Akairo couldn't blame them.  She wanted to be somewhere else too; only she had to first figure out where she was.  She wasn't certain anymore.

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"Miss Bevel, please calm down. The offer of reparations has been made, there is no reason to insult anyone." Liviel said, trying to defuse the situation before it went any further. Thankfully, it also seemed Medo was working to that end. It was always nice to have help in these matters. 

 

"As for my experience, I have not done that before. Outside of what is available to the public that is. I would be willing to start at any time however, I do not currently have any pressing engagements." She added in response to Bevel's question to her. And then Akairo spoke up again, making the dog frown and sigh slightly. 

 

"I am sure miss Bevel is working towards something important, and her anger is completely justifiable, if misplaced. I..." Liviel said, being cut off by the unicorn male that turned out to not be a unicorn at all fixing the machine and summoning a barrel of pickles in between his words. 

 

"I thank you sir, for fixing the machine and the pickles." Liviel said, giving the male a bow as he floated over to one of the trees. Limi and Mei soon left as well, bringing the group down to four. 

 

"Well, if this situation is resolved, would any of you care to keep me company during this festival? I find these things to sometimes be more enjoyable when you have someone to share the moment with." Liviel said, giving a small smile. "And I am sorry, Medo, but I do not believe I could help you use up the barrel."

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A... SAVAGE? And and... did that unicorn just call Lími's beautiful lotus flower a moron with poor taste in clothes?

 

How..... HOW DARE SHE!!!!!

 

It was only an immediate intervention from one of the local bystanders that kept the fuming caribou from launching a vigorous verbal defense of his own. Although extremely slow to anger, there were three things somebody could do to rile Lími up: insult his mother, insult his people, and insult Mei. And the pony had committed two of those offenses.

 

Lími couldn't stick around to see what transpired at the scene afterward, because Mei dragged her partner away towards a park; one of the numerous tree-filled parks encircling the wards of Kyoma. Keeping his focus on the commotion behind him however, the young bull didn't pay much attention to where Mei was heading until she reached the nearest sakura, whereupon she released her grip on the other's hoof.

 

Even as she ungracefully sat down on the ground, the dragon mare's fury lingered. All too soon, Lími felt daggers from Mei's eyes stabbing him as the qilin expressed her immediate need for validation. Although the captivated caribou was the sort of bull who'd find any dress beautiful if Mei wore it, the pressure of the current moment got to him. "Oh ah, ah- of course!" Lími stammered in a nervous voice that could honestly be mistaken for insincerity; "I umm, have never seen a more exquisite kimono than yours, he heh!"

 

Knowing that Mei would never be satisfied with that poor excuse of an answer, Lími sighed before he sat down next to the qilin. The son of Sigrun hearkened back to more blissful occasions; to all those times when Mei contented herself to brush against her companion's fluffy form. Thinking that something like that would quench the raging fires inside his dragon mare, Lími scooched closer until their sides touched one another. Then the caribou wrapped a foreleg around Mei's shoulder, gently nudging the qilin's head so that her cheek brushed against the caribou's exposed fur.

 

Ironically enough, physically comforting Mei made Lími's own lingering annoyance and misc. anxieties die down. And the caribou was able to provide a more coherent and confident assurance to his cherished mare. "You should not pay the tinkerer much mind, Mei. She has a mind of metal... and wheels. Such creatures know nothing of what beauty is," Lími glanced mindlessly in front of him, mumbling in afterthought; ".....unlike me." Subconsciously, the young bull's cloven hoof brushed his lovely companion's mane.

 

In this moment of togetherness in solitude, Lími took stock of their current location. Right in front of them, never-ending streams of ponies walked up and down the bustling avenue leading towards the Palace Castle. With all the noise, this spot was completely unsuitable for the caribou's plans of poetic wooing. Plus, Lími found it unsettling how many of the Neighponese passing them by were gawking at the branches above he and Mei.


To Lími, it was as if the locals saw that some sort of hideous chimera was lounging at the very top of the tree. Which of course was a ridiculous idea; the caribou would obviously know if he was sitting under a monstrous-looking creature. Thus thought the bull sitting mere inches from a draconequus tail drooping behind his head.....

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Looking to the rest of the group and away from the machine, Bevel spoke up in response to the doddering old pony's statement. "'Fellows'?" she asked incredulously, "I don't have any need or desire for 'fellows', stranger... I had my fill of such nonsense long ago. The only things I need are associates and beings who aren't so quick to smaaaaa...." her voice trailed off as she looked to a very strange sight. A serpentine... ish chimaera standing in place of the old pony: Fascinating. Hold on a second. Goat's head, hind leg of a lion and also a lizard... this being fit the description of that creature 'discord she'd learned about a long time ago in equestria. Spirit of chaos and disharmony apparently reformed from the efforts of the new princess and her companions. 

 

To say this was an unusual occurence would be an understatement. Her machine was fixed... or it appeared to be. She'd need to take a look at it later in case it had any booby traps or what have you installed in it by a powerful spirit. She didn't waste time starting the inspection, her horn lighting up and an aura encompassing the device while she spoke to the unicorn who was taking the time to lecture her and the carriage driver who smashed her machine previously.

 

"At this rate I'll never run out of irritation or aggression..." She mumbled under her breath as the scan was finished... seemed to be free of any entropic spell residue, "I'm so glad others can find such solace in the idea of 'everything happening for a reason' There's plenty of events in my life I'd love to learn the reasons for and seeing how well they improved me as a creature." She said flatly, thinking back to the very event that brought her to live in Aquellia. "While I'd love to spend more time time and effort dwelling on the philosophical ramifications of the ideas of fate destiny or empty platitudes depending on one's point of view I'll be taking this back to my spot soon... probably further away. "

 

Once the two 'ambassadors' were off, Bevel noticed that one last glare from the gawdy mare at the side of the caribou. In response she put on the most fake smile she could and waved them off, "Have a great Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!" She said in a completely fake sounding tone of enthusiasm before her face returned to it's natural grump state. Good riddance to bad rubbish. Her eyes went back to Aikuro...

 

"Since my console has been repaired, there is no reason for you to worry about damages. I'll be fine parting on these terms so long as you are. Judging from the look on your face I'd assume you're fine with just ceasing this chatter."

 

 

 

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