Apples and Cherry Blossoms

by Archangel2401

Interlude: Whispers and Shadows

It had been a fairly slow evening for the Princess of the Night. She had performed several passes in and around Canterlot, as well as Ponyville and the surrounding areas. Yet things were quiet and there were no ponies that presently needed her guidance within their dreams. Normally such lack of stimuli would be quite depressing, but Luna felt this was the perfect opportunity to confer with her dear sister. It was fortunate that upon returning so early, well before the sun was to rise, she found her sister awake in her private study with a fire crackling gently in the hearth. The Princess of the Sun was pacing back and forth to which Luna silently marveled at how her sister had avoided pacing grooves all the way through to the floor.

A tray bearing a pair of cups, a pot of tea, and a few crackers. Judging by the crumbs that littered the tray and the dregs left in one cup Celestia had gone through most, if not all of her tea. When Luna entered Celestia smiled at her younger sister and beckoned her over, her horn gleaming with magic as she poured tea into the untouched cup. Luna returned the smile and sat herself by the edge of the table, sipping tea.

"All quiet on the home front, I take it?" asked Celestia.

"Indeed. One of the most tranquil nights we've had for quite some time." replied Luna.

"I expect you returned early in order to discuss our dinner engagement?" Celestia snickered quietly, shooting Luna a knowing look.

"I have." Luna chuckled, sipping at her tea again. "I never expected I would meet a pony from beyond those mists. If this so-called 'veil' is falling or allowing passage then this is an opportunity to extend a hoof of friendship that we cannot allow to pass us by." said Luna.

"I agree. Though if what we know about Neippon is true then some of these 'samurai' may perceive our peaceful ways as a sign of weakness... Warrior cultures can be tricky to negotiate with as they generally consider themselves superior. It's likely they will forsake the offer of friendship if they believe they will be able to take what they want from us through use of force." said Celestia.

"We've already established friendly relations with others lands. Saddle Arabia, Maretonia, Yakyakistan. Even the griffons are slowly coming around. Shouldn't we at least give it a chance?" replied Luna, quirking an eyebrow.

"Of course we'll give it a chance. We simply must tread carefully is all. You saw for yourself how badly things could go. Twilight and her friends have done well making this Hiroki feel welcome, but look at the way he and Captain Gladius addressed one another. The good Captain was not wrong to be wary of the threat Hiroki's sword poses, though he dealt with the situation rather poorly... Twilight did mention it, I should have seen that coming." Celestia smiled, but let out an exasperated sigh as she stared into the dancing flames of her fireplace.

"Not to mention the way Sir Hiroki reacted. The challenge was second nature to him, as if such threats to his life were commonplace." said Luna, frowning. "He moved so quickly, like a sudden burst of wind... Captain Gladius would have been defeated had Sir Hiroki not stopped short. What if all samurai possess such skill? Such a thought is most worrisome if they prove to be unfriendly..."

"There is definitely something special about Hiroki, not to mention the cherry tree he brought with him. However it would be unwise to underestimate the nature of any of his fellow samurai we may encounter. I believe our best course of action is to move slowly and allow the seeds of Friendship to blossom. Hiroki may even be able to act as a bridge between Neippon and Equestria. We'll have to invite him here to Canterlot as soon as possible. We don't want to press him too hard, but we need as much information as we can get."

"Is that the only reason you wish to invite him here, or do you just secretly wish to sample his cooking again?" Luna peered over at Celestia and did her best to fight back a smirk, but it showed at the corners of her mouth.

The elder sister gave an obviously false smile of innocence and shrugged, yet she did not refute the accusation. "That may be an ulterior motive."

The two royal sisters shared in a hearty laugh and would continue to chat for some time, occasionally deviating from discussing matters of state by discussing the meal they had shared with their friends in Ponyville. Alas there was much that would have to be done. Twilight and Cadence would also need to be brought into the loop on any diplomatic actions taken. There was never a shortage of things to do and it always felt as though there was never enough time to do any of it.

---

Hiroki paused in his cleanup long enough to place a hoof atop the faithful Isamaru's head, giving the wolf-dog a few affectionate pets. Isamaru wagged his sesame tail as his head tilted up lazily at his master's touch. The events of the day seemed like a distant memory now that it was over. All the preparations, the struggles, the stress. It was all quite laughable. To think he'd been worried about shaming his ancestors...

The samurai gave a sudden sneeze. He looked up with raised eyebrows and peered around slowly. Was someone talking about him? Certainly not. That was a foolish superstition anyway...

He had all of his plates and cups put away neatly. The tables were pushed back into the restaurant, albeit up against the walls. There was still sweeping to be done, not to mention picking up all the fallen decorations and the suit of red armor. A heavy sigh escaped the samurai when he let his gaze fall over the grill. There was a fleeting moment of regret that he did not ask anypony to stay and help him. He'd simply have to make do with pushing it up against the side of the building. Probably for the best that he not open the restaurant tomorrow since everything had to be put right before he could serve ponies properly again. Much as he'd enjoy a day off, he'd have to spend it making repairs.

Laying on his futon mattress with the blanket pulled up to his neck, he found himself staring up at the ceiling when he sneezed again, twice in rapid succession. Despite having been exhausted he had suddenly become aware of a very strange, very ominous feeling. Again he had to remind himself not to believe in foolish superstition. Those vibrant viridian green eyes glanced at the katana in the corner, propped up against the wall. The faithful sesame dog lay curled up in his own little bed, his hind leg kicking idly while he dreamed. Likely Isamaru was dreaming of chasing a certain trouble making white rabbit after being dishonored in such a spectacular manner. Isamaru may be a dog, but he was still a warrior. Hiroki smiled faintly at his canine companion before he rolled onto his side and forced himself to shut his eyes. Surely this feeling wasn't anything to be worried about, he simply needed to rest...

---

Thousands of miles away past the borders of Equestria, across oceans and through a shroud of mist, another conversation regarding the very same samurai was about to be held. Hoofsteps echoed throughout a long, dark corridor that descended into the bowels of a hidden cavern. Braziers that lit the pathway were few and far between, but occasionally illuminated the form of a pale, almost sickly green unicorn clad in a simple black kimono and hakama. At the end of the corridor was a large shoji door. It slid open to reveal a darkened chamber, to which he unicorn stepped in and slid the door shut behind him before turning and kowtowing to the dark, seemingly empty room.

"M-my lord..." said the quivering unicorn.

"You dare disturb me?" came the reply of a cold, dark, unnatural drawl. "You have two minutes to explain this interruption before I take your head..."

"F-forgive me, my lord! It's just that... w-we have some news from... beyond the mists." The first voice shook, his form trembling at the thought of anything beyond the world he knew. Or maybe he was trembling at the prospect of facing his own demise simply for performing his job.

"Speak." came the reply from the darkness.

"The... the spies you've sent out to monitor foreign lands, one of them has traveled to a land known as Equestria. This land is said to be ruled over by two Princesses. S-sisters, my lord. One of Day, one of Night."

"...the Bearded's whelps..." There was a derisive snort full of rising anger that made the cold, dank air surge with heat. "To think those meddlesome mares brought down Discord... shameful."

"A-as you say, my lord...?" said the messenger, swallowing hard as his master seemed to be growing more irritated. "It appears that... th-that the ronin has appeared... and he has been tracked through Equestria, now residing in a village called 'Ponyville'."

"The ronin... the son of Taisho Ikusabeki..." The memory of this newly spoken samurai produced a hiss that seethed with contempt. "The ronin was not to survive passage through the mist. It seems the Jushi have lied to me..."

"Y-yes my lord! I r-read the report... I-I.. I have no excuse..." The shaking messenger bowed so deeply his horn touched the ground, clearly expecting his head to soon roll from his shoulders.

"I can smell your fear... but you are not responsible for this failure. However such mistakes will not go unpunished. Hmph. Still... so long as he remains abroad, the ronin has no power to interfere. In exile he is not a threat."

"B-but my lord... th-the report indicates he has made contact with the newest Equestrian Princess, and through this 'Twilight Sparkle' has also established contact with the Princesses of Day and Night-"

"WHAT?!" Rage erupted from the darkness, causing the chamber to shake violently and the messenger to further cower as he kowtowed. "The ronin must be dealt with."

"My lord...? But you just said, how can he cause disruption from around the world?"

"Fool. If he shares too much these Princesses and their champions will certainly attempt coming here. They will brave the veil. If the mists let them pass..." The dark voice sounded worried, trailing off in the midst of scheming. "-If- they pass... they will try to reach the Empress, which I will not allow... but if they should pass, corrupting them would ensure control and grant us a foothold into the world beyond."

"M-my lord...?" repeated the trembling messenger.

"Precautions will be taken. Inform my retainers to ready their samurai and begin to conscript ashigaru. I care not if they volunteer or are forced into service, strengthen my forces." said the dark voice. It paused for a moment, the distinct impression of a predatory grin was further embellished as this voice positively dripped with venom. "As for the ronin... the Princesses deserve to know how dangerous and untrustworthy he is. Celestia and Luna will still wish to make contact, but there must be fear and doubt. Now... get out of my sight."

"R-right away my lord!"

The cavern shook with tempered rage and the messenger bowed deeply before excusing himself with great haste, making his escape before his master would reverse the decision not to punish him. The shoji door opened and slid shut quickly, hoofsteps again echoing throughout the corridor as the unicorn departed. There was a fleeting thought of regret that he became chief minister to such a dangerous and unpleasant master, wishing instead that he had just remained a simple bandit.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Author's Note:

Trying to get back to writing at least one chapter a week, apologies for the delay. I do hope you've enjoyed the introductory arc of Apples and Cherry Blossoms. Stay tuned for more!

Notes:
Originally this was SUPPOSED to be a oneshot fic, as it was inspired by the SNL skit 'Samurai Delicatessen'. As you can see it's evolved beyond that rather spectacularly.
Taisho - General
Also, just in case anyone was left unaware (since I can't recall ever saying so beforehand) 'Neippon' is a play on the word 'Nippon' which is a reading of kanji 日本 that refers to Japan.

Comments

[Seether00]

Dun dun dun. This could become Rurouni Kenshin

[StarzGecko]

The villian sounds like a Dragon

Let me guess, What is going on is the Empress doesn't know what's happening and is blinded by the General like in the Avatar series?

[StarzGecko]

I love to see more Samurai lore, and the Neghpon culture

[Archangel2401]

7035869
As it so happens, I did just recently re-watch most of Rurouni Kenshin!

7035968
Never have I seen a single episode of Avatar: The Last Airbender. It's on my to-do list.

7036052
More lore and culture will certainly be embellished upon! Neighpon may be visited at a later point, but for now our story is set almost entirely in Ponyville.

[StarzGecko]

7036109 You would really love it! I think it's still on Netflix? But you should really watch it sometime

in the second season, the General was making sure the Emperor doesn't know what's going on outside & inside of the Earth Kingdom. Lying to him and making sure he thinks the world is at peace, and not even let him leave the castle. Your chapter for sounded like what happen in the Earth Kingdom.

[Lord_01010000]

7035968
I agree. When I started reading the villain's dialog, I instantly thought he was a dragon. I also imagined his voice sounding like Orm Embar's from the live action Earthsea movie.

[Noctus Umbra]

Ah. That explains why he left Neighpon: he's a Ronin. So, will our hero regain his honor and pledge his sword in service of the Diarchy?

[Ziper Ace]

Yikes!
No wonder why he doesn’t live in his own home country anymore