Jump to content

[Long Guo]A Debt Repaid (attn Bellosh){private}


IceStorm

Recommended Posts

a6YIyFf.png

 

 

 

 

It had been a few months since the ambassador for the Empress of Long Guo had met with Medo in an apparent financial audit trying to make connections between allocated funds that had no documentation on what they were for. Everything went well from what she had gathered, and business went on as usual afterwards. She was proud of herself for being able to take advantage of the offers provided to her with an impeccable gpa. She was no valedictorian by any means, as she never really did much other than study while she was here on somepony else's bits, but she did still register a near maximum grade average for her tenure.

 

As it was now, Medo found herself in the Long Guo palace. She was responding to a summons that she got by the Empress as soon as she had graduated. Of course, the trip from Equestria to Long Guo is not a short one by any stretch of the imagination, and especially not from Canterlot. Three days from the coast and then another seven to get across the ocean. Still, respond swiftly she did. 

 

An imperial servant was whom met her at port and had now brought her into the palace. Medo made sure that she was dressed for the occasion best she could. She wore a flowery shimmersilk dress and her mane was done up in a traditional Neighponese bun. The only thing a bit out of place was a saddle strap that heels a black portfolio briefcase containing her transcripts. 

 

The inside of the palace was everything that you would expect it to be. It was immaculate, and very eloquent. At the same point everything had a cozy feel to it as well. Medo was more happy with the upkeep. As clean as it was it meant diseases and sicknesses were much more unlikely to appear.

 

The clicking on their hooves could be heard as she was lead through the halls to what she presumed to be a private study of sorts. The doors leading in were quite grandiose and opulent as one would expect for the palace that holds the Empress of Long Guo, but they didn't seem the style of doors that she would have pictures opening up to the throne room. She waited patiently as the servant knocked on the door of the study.

 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

FutyNZo.jpg?1

 

A regal voice commanded from the opposite side of the door; “Please enter.” The attendant opened the door into Empress Yuè’s private study, gesturing for Medo to come inside. As the Neighponese unicorn walked in, she would see the Empress calmly putting the finishing calligraphic touches on a document.


“Have a seat.” Once Medo obeyed the command, the attendant closed the door, leaving the two mares alone. With the way the guest stools were crafted, Medo would feel as if the royal qilin she faced towered over her. By now, the Empress had finished writing and was now reaching for the Imperial Seal, the jade-carved heirloom used to signify an edict’s official endorsement.


It was never easy to admit what she was about to say, but Yuè knew she needed to promptly get it over with. As she applied the seal, the qilin remarked without looking up; “...You were there at the Grand Galloping Gala, Medo.” A long pause followed. “.....I have brought dishonor upon myself for failing to recognize you for the pony you are..."

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

~~~Medo Asai~~~

 

 

 

 

Medo entered the study when she was instructed to do so by the Empress. The study on the inside was every bit as grand and verbose as you would expect a room inside the palace would be, but it was also very cozy and eloquent. At the desk in the study, Medo could see the Empress working on some documents that if they were sitting in front of the Empress, meant they were important in their own right.

 

When she was instructed to have a seat, Medo did so. She moved up to the desk and she sat in one of the guest stools. When she sat down, she suddenly felt like the Empress was about three times larger than what she actually was. She could see her reaching for a seal and she put it on the document that she was working with. Medo presumed this was some sort of endorsement or could also be a stamp of rejections. She knew that in Equestria they used things like that in the college that she went to. Thankfully she had never been on the receiving end of one of those stamps. she only had the highest honors available. A notion she could easily prove with the transcripts that she had brought back for the meeting with the Empress if she wanted to verify herself that the funds spent on her education were not wasted funds.

When she started speaking again, what she said... was quick shocking to Medo and wasn't what she was expecting at all. The Empress Dishonored? Hardly.
"You Highness, I do not believe that to be true at all. I was indeed at that Gala, but one cannot expect you to remember everything about your past. You are a pony of great importance. I was the daughter of a farmer that happened to be in the right place at the right time," Medo responded hoping that it was okay for her to respond with the pause.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

FutyNZo.jpg?1

 

Although Empress Yuè’s royal etiquette tutors from her childhood and her monastic mentors from her adolescence were in many respect worlds apart, there were two fundamental concepts they each stressed to the young girl. The first was refraining from acting with the intent to inflict humiliation or embarrassment upon somebody else. The other was that nobody likes a braggart; a qilin who possessed the Heart of the Dragon never takes credit for anything that can’t be dismissed out-of-hoof, or attributed to a group’s collective effort or mentor’s superior wisdom.


Even though this meeting between the Empress and Medo could potentially be described as their first true face-to-face encounter, Yuè’s initial read of the mare in front of her was that... she had precisely the right sort of temperament to thrive in the Imperial Palace. Not everybody could get away with making splashes like Yuè’s brother, her personal attendant/bodyguard, or the Serpent King. As long as Medo’s competence remained top-notch, she had a long future waiting for her in the Household.


.....It also went without saying that Empress Yuè felt relieved that her incomplete memory wasn't viewed as a slight upon Medo.


“That’s not how my Father saw things,” Empress Yuè remarked after using a sagely pause to subtly shake her head; “Very few ponies in your situation would have had knowledge of the herbs needed to save my life that fateful day.....”

Link to comment
Share on other sites

~~~Medo Asai~~~

 

 

 

Medo nodded when she heard the Empress say that her father had not seen things the same way, and added that very few in her situation would have had the knowledge of herbs needed to save her on that day. "I can see that, and honestly it wasn't until you sent your financial advisor to speak with me in Canterlot that I ever pieced everything together. I just remembered receiving the scholarship in the mail anonymously and I didn't want to waste the chance to learn and become a great healer for my village," she started. "As for my knowledge of herbs then, I attribute that to the elders of the village, not to long before that they had spoke of the herb and some of the properties that it had. I wasn't expecting to have to put it to practical use when I did, but I'm glad that everything worked out the way it did," she smiled.

 

Truth be told she was still trying to downplay most of what had happened because in all honesty, she would have done that for anypony. It didn't matter if she was the princess at the time or not. If there was a pony that needed help, she was going to do her best to help them. Still, it brought her great pride in knowing that the filly that she had saved that day had gone on to become the most powerful mare in Long Guo. "Of course, if you would like to see documentation on how I performed in my studies, I brought my transcripts as well to prove that I did not waste the opportunity that your father had provided for me," she finished with a smile setting the briefcase down in front of her.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

FutyNZo.jpg?1

 

Indeed, Empress Yuè was most glad that everything about Medo learned of those herbs worked out the way it did. Although the act of looking through the unicorn’s transcripts would be nothing but a formality, the Empress didn’t see the need to make the unicorn look foolish by overpreparing for this interview. So with a nod of encouragement, the royal qilin prompted Medo to open up her briefcase and hoof over the academic transcripts.


As she looked over Medo’s academic documentation, Empress Yuè mused; “.....It is not every day that a Canterlot University graduate seeks employment on the opposite end of the world. I am told that advanced scholarly training is conducted much differently across the sea than here... or even in your very own home country.” Reforms notwithstanding, Long Guo’s post-secondary institutions were still very much geared towards pumping out civil servants to fill the ranks of the wide-ranging Imperial Bureaucracy, while Neighpon was famously known for its multitude of elite specialist academies.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

~~~Medo Asai~~~

 

 

 

 

 

Medo watched on as the empress looked through her transcripts wondering what might be going through the Qirin's mind. At the very least she appeared to be quite content with what she was looking at. She went on to comment about how a graduate of why a graduate of Canterlot University would seek employment on the opposite side of the world. That the advanced training there was much different than it was here or even in her own home country. She nodded in response. 

 

"What you have been told would be correct, at least according to the teachings that I received in Canterlot. I myself am uncertain why my scholarship sent me across the seas to study when there were advanced universities in my field of specially in Neighpon. It would have served the same purpose and would have been far less of a financial hit. I will say though that studying abroad did give me some insight into some of the different cultures and I think ultimately better prepared me for any occupation both within Neighpon, Long Guo, or anywhere else in Equiss. The ability to adapt to the cultures and the surroundings in the field of medicine is paramount, and I think my studies and location there of helped with that," Medo smiled.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

FutyNZo.jpg?1

 

...It wasn’t quite the answer that Empress Yuè expected, but nonetheless, it was insightful. Medo carried herself as the sort of pony who was dedicated to mastering her trade, regardless of hurdles such as cultural barriers. As for the documentation, while everything looked more than satisfactory as far as grades were concerned, there was some information excluded from the transcripts. The royal qilin looked up from the papers; “Please excuse my curiosity... but while attending Canterlot University, I imagine you would have been significantly incentivised to engage in activities outside of your herbology studies.....” The Empress left that sentence hanging for Medo to respond...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

~~~Medo Asai~~~

 

 

 

Medo shifted a bit as she heard the Empress all about being incentivised to engage in other activities other than her studies. Medo let or a small sigh. "I was yes, and I tried a bit of that early on. I went to a few galas and house parties, but felt very out of place there. It didn't help there that I was completely ignored aside from a few shrieking ponies and a fight between celestial birds didn't help matters," she started.

 

"But in all honesty the biggest contributing factor as to not engaging in any extra activities is that I would be away from my family for longer, and is they ran too long, I'd end up going multiple years without seeing my family. I can't do that. My sister was heartbroken when I left and it pained me, so whenever I had the opportunity to go home, I took it, especially since the journey home was a week or travel by itself it didn't leave much time for anything else," she finished

Link to comment
Share on other sites

FutyNZo.jpg?1

 

Aiya... Empress Yuè grimaced at the memory of those fighting celestial birds. One of them, a rainbow phoenix, had been a gift from Long Guo to Equestria. At the time, the Empress regarded the incident as a black mark on her ability to be taken seriously by others. Time had faded most of the humiliation the botched Gala caused... but mostly, it was the news of how horribly conducted Princess Twilight’s ascension ceremony went that finally allowed the Heavenly Daughter of Dragons to get over her minor shame.


The Empress nodded contemplatively for a brief moment before speaking up again; “Yes... there is no duty in life which is greater than that to one’s family. Rest assured, all who serve the Imperial Household are granted sufficient time off throughout the year to attend to their filial responsibilities... or otherwise spend time with loved ones. Additional time is granted based on how far a journey it will be to reach your family, of course.” When you had a Dragon Kingdom as vast and rugged as Long Guo, the journey between the Imperial Capital and a far-away village could sometimes take as much as a week to undertake.....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

~~~Medo Asai~~~

 

 

 

The Empress seemed to be satisfied with the answer that Medo gave her. It was the honest truth. Sure she probably could have done a few of the sports that the college offered and it would have helped her in the friends making aspect, but it would have meant more time spent away from her family. It seemed more often than not most of her adventurous outings came while she was on her way home and something detoured her route. Like the time she had to spend the Cherry Blossom Festival in the capital rather at home because am earthquake damaged the ports in Ryushima.

 

Of course, much to hey delight she heard The Empress talk about the values of family and how familial duties take precedent above all. That was a common trait that Neighpon valued highly as well. "That is comforting to know, and considering Ryushima is just across the bay, travel time would be miniscule compared to what it takes to get here from Equestria. It also means in the event of an emergency, I can be back here in probably less than a days time should I be on leave when such event would happen to occur. That said, I do have some questions about the state of herbal medicines here in Long Guo that the financial advisor you sent couldn't answer... Which... I'll admit I did find a bit odd, considering that's the kind of thing you'd think would go through him..." Medo starting, kind of thinking out loud on the last bit.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

FutyNZo.jpg?1

 

Ignoring the comment about the quote-on-quote “financial advisor”, the Empress addressed Medo; “All inquiries on regional herbalist practices can be addressed to the Imperial Wood Synergist. Nobody in this palace knows more about the healing arts of Long Guo than she. My chamberlain meanwhile will provide you with additional details pertaining to your responsibilities while in the Imperial Household’s employ, and as a member of the Household Staff, you will be reporting to him on day-to-day matters.”


After a brief lull, the royal qilin asked; “Do you have any additional questions, Medo?”

Link to comment
Share on other sites

~~~Medo Asai~~~

 

 

 

 

Medo nodded and briefly took a note of the name that the Empress had given her. If she was the head of the medical staff here then she was precisely the pony that she needed to talk to. She also took note of the Chamberlain that the Empress pointed out as well. If he was going to be the day-to-day orchestrator them it would be wise to make herself familiar with him. When the Empress asked if she had any additional questions, Medo thought for a moment before shaking her head. "No your highness, from here the majority of my remaining questions would be directed towards The Imperial Wood Synergist, as the would directly related to the medical profession in of itself," she said with a smile. "Oh, I suppose I will need the Chamberlain's name and where I can find him. I would much rather try to get things started off on the right hoof."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

FutyNZo.jpg?1

 

“My attendant will show you to the Respected Sir’s chambers once our meeting is concluded,” the Empress informed Medo. Just as there was an official taboo against referring to the Imperial Sovereign by her name, it was tradition to always address the Chamberlain by his title or appropriate honorifics... and the current Chamberlain was a huge stickler for the Old, Venerable ways.


With nothing else important that needed to be addressed, Empress Yuè sat up from her luxurious chair and gracefully walked over to Medo, stopping mere inches away from the unicorn. “...My meager expression of gratitude today cannot fully repay the debt I owe you,” the qilin mare placed a hoof over her heart as she stared deep into Medo’s green eyes; “If you have any request to make of me, then as long as I have the power to grant it, it shall be yours.....”

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

~~~Medo Asai~~~

 

 

 

Medo nodded respectfully to the Empress when she said that her attended would show her to the Respected Sir's chambers once their meeting had been concluded. It was at that moment that the Empress sat up from her chair, that she could now see was quite luxurious and probably very comfortable, and made her way over to her. What she told her next was... not completely expected. The weight that was behind what was said though, was unexpected, and the last phrase that the Empress used caught her a bit more off guard, especially with the way that she held her hoof over her heart. Even after everything she said, there was only two things that she could think of that she could request from the Empress, and only one made sense for the moment and could easily, or at least more easily be granted than the other.

 

"I... I do have but one request, your highness. During my studies abroad and my brief stints back at home, I've had little time to make any lasting friendships. Be it the cultural differences or the brevity of time, it is something that has often alluded me. So if it would be possible... I... I request a friend," Medo said with a hopeful smile.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

FutyNZo.jpg?1

 

Empress Yuè took only a couple moments to process Medo’s request. While her words may have sounded awkwardly vague and stilted on a surface level, the unicorn’s unspoken, taboo desire was unmistakable. But given the circumstances, who was the Empress to refuse? And besides; Yuè was loath to admit it, but with the sibling duo Presteza and Silverheart having both returned to their Equestrian homeland, her private dinner table felt rather lonesome as of late. At the very least, Medo deserved the chance to get to be known better.


A smile crept its way onto Empress Yuè’s muzzle after a few seconds; “.....Then a friend you shall receive. My servant will show you to our Peony Garden after you acquaint yourself with the Chamberlain and your new quarters. My royal duties for the day will be concluded then... and we’ll have a moment to ourselves, so that we may have an opportunity to get to know one another better over tea. I hope that arrangement will be to your liking....?”

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

~~~Medo Asai~~~

 

 

 

Medo watched and only had to wait a few moments before she saw a smile creep onto the Empress's face and give her response. She told her that a friend, she would then receive. She told Medo that her servant would show Medo to their Peony Garden after she had acquainted herself with the Chamberlain and then her Quarters. By then her royal duties should be concluded and they would have a moment for themselves so that they could get to know each other better over tea. When she asked if that arrangement would be to her liking Medo smiled and nodded. "Those arrangements will be perfect your highness." At this point she could only hope that the meeting with the Chamberlain went this well. If he was a stickler for customs, then it might prove difficult for her to get along with him at first. Especially if he tries to use customs and traditions as excuses to avoid modern and advanced herbal treatments.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

FutyNZo.jpg?1

 

Pleased with how much the meeting went swimmingly, Empress Yuè felt that everything that needed to be covered — both officially and unofficially — had been addressed. There was no need to hold up Medo with idle chit-chat when there were things yet for the two mares to do before the setting of the sun. “...I wish you well in your meeting with the esteemed chamberlain,” Yuè said; “He has already been briefed on your qualifications and everything else of note, so mainly you will be given orientation on palace etiquette and protocol.”


“I myself still have work that needs to be done Medo... so I have no choice at this juncture but to offer you a fond farewell.....”

Link to comment
Share on other sites

~~~Medo Asai~~~

 

 

 

Medo nodded when the Empress wished her well with the meeting with the Chamberlain. With the was she said it, it made her think that there was already going to be a sort of problem with him, but she couldn't judge him before she ever met him. he at least had the right to make the first impression himself. The fact that he had already been briefed of her qualifications and everything else of note, so she would mainly be given an orientation on palace etiquette and protocol. She gave her a nod once more.

 

When the Empress then said that she herself still had matters that needed attended to, she nodded before she stood and bowed respectfully. "A fond fairwell to you as well your highness," she smiled before excusing herself from the office. She presumed that from here she was supposed to meet the Chamberlain. She wondered if somepony would show her the way there, or if he somehow expected her to know where his quarters were without ever having stepped foot in the palace. It's not like the palace blueprints were public record. That would be silly, and highly unsecured. She looked left and then looked right before letting out a sigh. She had no idea where she was supposed to go from here.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

FutyNZo.jpg?1

 

Fortunately for Medo, it didn’t take long for the attendant who had shown her to Empress Yuè’s chambers to come her way again and lead her to the Chamberlain’s chambers. As for the Empress herself... she had a good feeling about her new hire. Yuè was quite certain that Medo would fit into palace culture swimmingly. And if the fates willed it, perhaps a beautiful friendship could also blossom between the two mares.....

 

*THE END*

Link to comment
Share on other sites

×
×
  • Create New...