A large lake spanned across from a grassy park, crystal clear water slightly churned by the mild wind flowing from the nearby sea right off the coast. The sandy gravel shore being lapped by the water appeared to be as flat as glass, giving the feel of thousands of fingertips upon the foot or hooves. Surprisingly the temperature of the lake was a nice seventy degrees, even under a sunny sky with no sign of clouds to cast shadows. Large ancient trees hung their expansive canopies to offer shade to the passerbyer, and the season permitted flowers to bloom. Butterflies and bees drifted to each cluster of soft pink petals, gathering nectar and pollen for food.
Off in the distance, a long iron bridge stood above the water to connect to the other side, giving way to trains and cart passage. Grey metal beams gave the skeleton support on top of red brick foundations anchored into the lake bed. A large and very long freight train steamed on slowly, churning smoke up into the sky as it chugged along with goods in the many cars attached. The glorious industrial revolution Neighpon had undergone had given rise to such inventive ways to advance their infrastructure and to feed the ravenous industry that bloomed. Though noisy as they passed, each citizen knew they allowed their way of life to continue improving, leaving no one in need of affordable goods and materials. Life in the Empire was a good one for those born into it during the Restoration era, the Emperor made sure of it.
The sound of young ones playing and laughing nearby added to the sounds of nature in the serene scenic rest area. Splashing in the lake or enacting their role models from the Empire's most glorified soldiers, it drew the attention of the ki resting against a cherry tree with a book in one claw while a quill worked in another. The male Kirin had been going over the latest letters from the Equestrian royalty that said it would send few delegates to see to an end to the war being fought for the last two years. He was a dracony of high blood, a son to a cabinet member of the Privy Council that lead the war effort and the propaganda. Serving as his father's advisor, he had been given the mail and told to determine how to go about the incoming Equestrians. On one hand the government desired a one sided trade deal which had been in effect for years, benefiting the country more than those who received their exports. The other had been to give access to his country only to the crown of the land of ponies and who few they deemed necessary to accompany. Beyond that, they had no obligation to let an Equestrian onto their shores, they knew nothing of their people and the council wanted it that way.
He himself, Broken Yumi, had been the secret few that knew isolationism only dwarfed a country from evolving into something greater. A memory during his travels with his family to other places, other island nations and they were often lacking in many things. The Way spoke to him, and unlike the majority who interpreted the writings of long dead author, what Neighpon was steering into was its own apocalypse. Perhaps that was why for the last decade, the Emperor decreed the most intelligent students would venture out and bring back the modern world to their homeland. It would explain why the trade deal allowed visitors if only they held the ultimate rank, so they could comment on the Empire's great accomplishments?
"A young alicorn and her dragon assistant... a magistrate for some odd reason, several royal advisors, and... a few Night Guards as security?" the ki spoke to himself quietly after he turned his attentions back to the paper scroll.
Ever since their ambassador gave word of the war going on, merely out of respect it seemed the ponies felt it necessary to butt into their affairs. The act was just to ensure they wouldn't get involved, it was a fight between their two countries and certainly none of their business. Though he supposed their reliance on their harmony meant it gave them the self entitled job of Peace Keeping, a rather boisterous move on their part. One he hoped this new young alicorn would only make one attempt at brokering a ceasefire before taking their leave back home. The council did not take usurpers lightly, but they would be frustrated to do nothing to stop her but act as the unmoving rock in the river. Broken knew they were no fools like the princess was, jailing her or silencing even would call upon the wrath of the one who supposed raised the sun and her newly returned sister that handled the moon. A war of two fronts would tax the country beyond its limits, and they were just now getting their newest battleships out of the harbors of allies. They might even have to wake Shinryū, but that was a terrible gambit to ask their god for help. If they did, they could not ask of the spirit dragon again until another thousand years, a trump card only to be used when all else failed and the Empire was on its death kneel.
"How very unfortunate, they misunderstood our message. We were not asking for help you poor things, nor did we need a group of bundlers to stick their noses into our business. I can see why father gave me this task now, an alicorn here and now at the worst possible time?" he exhaled through his nostrils and set the letter down beside himself.
His draconic jade eyes looked about as a way to distract himself for the moment, to get away from the preposterous move their neighbors had done. Had they no semblance of life and politics? Did they even know how the world worked beyond their walls and guards? Surely the famed Nightmare Moon, The Great Hunger of Tirek, the Lord of Chaos, and other threats that assailed them should have moved their thinking more like the Emperor's? They had to feed the many clans that were expanding exponentially, and Coria had begun to demand even higher prices for their agricultural goods. Business deals crumbled from their stubbornness even with the increase in buyers that should have been enticing to them, but the greedy Kouls and Water Deers washed away peaceful negotiations.
Since they were the closest bread basket country to the Empire, it was decided that an invasion would be needed to lock down a reliable food source. The peaceful nation had little chance to stand up when it all started, and thankfully it took only a riot to spark the war. Yumi remembered the day it occurred, farmers were distraught at the sudden withdrawal of Neighpon traders and few who they could fall back on. The embassy had become a scene of protests, calls for trade again after the guilds ruined what kept the farmers alive and paid. Somedeer started the riot after chucking a firework through a window and after that, it became a deadly altercation between the few guards who fought valiantly and the mobs that stampeded into the building. They spilt first blood with the death of the Red Warriors, chasing after the evacuating ambassador and the staff with the last two remaining guards keeping the fury away.
His father hated that it came down to this, but the Emperor had become furious with the attack and demanded compensation. That was what allowed the occupation and it was justly called for or so many thought so. The criminals were dealt within reason, as dead farmers yielded no produce, and instead of money trade was renewed under Neighpon's judgement and prices. To the Privy Council, the deals that were struck were enough to give the country enough to live and grow, but others saw a role reversal in price gouging. Cinia moved a year later to the pleas of Coria, and thus started the war that now raged. In all honest, Broken knew the Equestrian crown would side with them, they were the ones who lost lives at the start and perhaps he could convince the new princess of this.
A small red ball bounced towards him from a wayward toss, caught by his long scaly tail in mid air as it wrapped around it. The reflex honed by training at the family dojo since he was a hatchling raised on education and experience once he was old enough. He never stopped going to the training sessions, and it showed now through his effortless reflex at the incoming object. The young kirin and ponies who ran up to him stopped a few feet away seeing their ball at his mercy. Watching as his gaze never left his work even as he spoke to them.
"You should be wary of where your tools goes little ones, you might stir the giant hornets nest with your carelessness. Now wouldn't that be a sad end to such youthful lives?" he said to them though most wouldn't comprehend what he meant by the life lesson.
"Can we have it back? Please?"
"Ya we won't throw it your way ever again, Hamada can't throw to save his life!"
"What?!! But Copper was the one who ran at me!"
He could see the mothers nearby on the benches, they were worried their young had offended a government official and seemed ready to intervene on their behalf. The way they fidgeted in place, staring at him as if shame were hovering over their family's heads. He couldn't fault their offspring though, they were just younglings with narry a mind of their surroundings. Their beautiful mothers added to the greatness of the Empire with more citizens, who was he to slap them with a citation?
By now the dracony could see who the foals and youngsters look like as they stood their ground a few feet from him. Five hatchling kirins ranging in many colors and patterns stood at attention and awaited the release of their toy. Most had their horns growing out and likely practicing magic, the scales on their nasal bridge like polished lacquered wood meant they were barely close to young adulthood. The pastel colored keratin plates of their bodies had yet to mature enough that those armored pieces would be hard enough to endure battle much less training in the arts. Hair among his kind had always predominately been black or dark brown, the few sacred white haired ones usually were taken to temples and treated as representatives sent from their gods. The sharp inquisitive eyes doing their best to study him and the situation that held their fun hostage. Unlike them, the pony foals were behind their taller counterparts looking rather skittish of the older bigger kirin their friends were talking to.
Three ponies were among them, two of blue hues and one creamy orange. They possessed marks on their rumps to signify something of their culture and designation of their talents. Odd little creatures that were brought over from Coria whose families sought better economic opportunities. One lone griffin stood with the group, avian chimeras with great skills as fishermen and often made the bulk of Neighpon's fishing fleets. The rag tag group were living the Way, enjoying youth and malleable bodies to the peak of their performance as they should. Too young were they to be thrust into the life of a contributing member of the Empire, they were unripe as it was often said.
He looked to them, with his dark blue scales glinting in the sun light reflecting off the surface of the lake. His obsidian hair tied into a bun and held in place with instruments, as his status demanded of his appearance to be so regal. Violet eyes looked over the swarm before him as his fangs showed to the smile he gave them, while tossing the rubber ball over their heads.
"Be careful and be safe." he told them as they bounded for their source of joy again and forgetting his very existence as younglings did.
He lifted a forelimb claw to run across the facial scales of his, a little fly tingled as it landed on him. The robes he wore slid down to the crevice of the other side to the elbow, their traditional long clothing clean and scuff free even though he spent most of the day at the body of water. Though he figured by the end of the day they would be stained with sweat and stress. Somehow he would need to plan out the new arrivals routes around the country to satisfy their blatant regards to the countries ambitions. Before going back to his labors, he gazed back at the anxious mothers who looked to breath a sigh of relief. With a friendly wave to them as the sign that no shame was brought upon their families.
Using the horns on his head, he summoned illustrations of the visitors heading their way, "With the Vespids plaguing the country side, and now Cinia opposing our need for more raw resources, this is nothing short of baby sitting another country's ambassadors. How troublesome..." he gazed at the picture of the alicorn and her entourage.
Tomorrow they'd host the Equestrians, where they had to display their ability to be independent of the so called sun goddess and to win the war with their neighbor with as little bloodshed as possible. The holy might of the Empire could not be stopped, not even the Cinians nor their northern neighbors will be able to cease the tide of the Emperors loyal servants. Their Ryu would protect them as they sought fresh feeding grounds, and empower the troops as they dealt with resistance. Coria was all but theirs if Cinia had not sent another several thousand troops after the riot.
"Guess I'll be the one stuck to this Twilight Sparkle during their stay, at least the mare has a dragon with her even if he's still a hatchling. Luck is on our side with his arrival there be no doubt about it." the dracony smiled as he looked to the sky through the dense leaves.
"Just as the earth does nothing but exist, so does the universe continue one without acting on the fleas upon the planets that orbit every star that give life to it. Inaction is peace, and thus is my station to tend to the Equestrians and present them the Way or else we will find another enemy and a new front to shoulder. They must know inaction in this conflict is in their best interest." he sighed as he let himself nap against the hard bark behind him feeling exhausted from the workout earlier in the morning.