Lilligold and Mizuko's Neighponese Tale

Chapters

First Contact
A Lily Out Of Soil
Familiarity
Fast Food And Learning
Meeting With An Ancient Deity
Trouble In A Small Package
Surprise Contact
Subterranean Discovery
Breaking Point
Subterranean Tour
Friendship In Full Bloom
Youthful Ignorance

First Contact

A simple motorboat was anchored off the port town of Gujo Hachimare. It stood unassuming in the calm, blue water, moved only by the occasional small wave that would gently rock it. At one point a ferry boat passed a fair distance by, the resulting waves making the boat rock a little harder. A number of ponies onboard stopped to stare at it, wondering what its owner was up to. Only after the ferry had passed did a cloud of bubbles begin rising beside the boat, followed soon after by a mare, who took a deep gasp for breath as she broke the surface.

Had it not been for her raven-black mane and tail, the mare’s ocean blue coat would’ve camouflaged her perfectly with the water. She wore no diving gear — save for a simple pair of goggles — as was tradition for Neighponese pearl divers. With a grunt, she hurled a brown bag into the boat and climbed aboard, revealing her cutie mark to be of a water droplet with a halo and angel wings.

The mare took a moment to catch her breath before taking the goggles off and retrieving her bag, placing both on the floor of the boat. She then started the motor, and off she was back into port, pulling into her dock space after just a few uneventful minutes of steering and aimlessly wandering her gaze.

The boat rocked a little as the mare stepped back to retrieve her pouch full of pearls. She picked it up off the floor and flung it up onto her back, the many soft clinks from within reminding her of how great a haul she’d brought in. Her employer was going to be very happy with this batch, what with all the multi-colored pearls she’d managed to find.

The boat rocked a little more as she stepped off and onto the dock, whereupon she breathed in the familiar scents of sea salt and fish that she knew and loved. Looking around, she could see the docks were a fair bit busier than they were that morning when she’d cast off. A little ways away past some buildings she could see a large ferry — used to transport ponies between there and the Equestria mainland — sitting in port, with a large horde of ponies emerging down the docks from that general direction.

Turning back to her boat, the mare retrieved the rope from the bow and brought it over to the designated post to secure it to the dock. While she tied the knots, she heard hoofsteps approaching from behind. Slowly and carefully, as if the pony in question was afraid to alert her to their presence, which she found curious, but didn’t let it bother her. The pony closed the distance between them as she finished with the knots. Satisfied that the boat was secure, she turned around to the pony behind her. She immediately recognized the unicorn mare staring back at her as a foreigner, as her pale blue eyes contrasted with the omnipresent brown, gray, and red possessed by native Neighponese ponies.

Seeing that it was a foreigner was a surprise to the mare. She had traveled the world a lot in her young life, accepting freelance diving jobs while taking in the local culture everywhere she visited. But despite having seen many different ponies and other creatures as a result, she’d grown so accustomed to seeing next to no foreigners in Neighpon whenever she returned home, much less have one approach her.

This foreigner certainly stood out against the drab browns and pale yellows of the surrounding marina. Pink coat. White hair. Her cutie mark was of a foreign flower species — that she couldn’t place the name of — surrounded by three white stars. A brown saddlebag was strapped against her side. Looking into her eyes, however, she could see the foreigner was quite nervous. Almost assuredly about approaching her, despite the fact that she was a fair bit taller than herself.

They stared into each other's eyes for a few seconds, drawing out an awkward silence as the mare waited for the foreigner to say something, while she just looked aside while sheepishly scuffing the ground.

Finally, the foreigner took a deep breath, held it for a few seconds, then released it. Her horn lit with magic as she undid the straps on her saddlebag, digging around inside for a moment before levitating out a green book with a white fox-shaped emblem against a rising red sun — which the mare recognized as Inari-sama’s insignia — on the front. Opening it, she flipped through the pages before settling on one and squinting her eyes to read the text.

”Hi... I am Lilligold... Help find cherry blossoms.”

“You don’t need to use a translation book,” the mare said, pushing the book down so they could regain eye contact. “I’m very fluent in Equish; I can understand you just fine.”

“Really? Oh, thank goodness,” the foreigner said, letting out a relieved sigh. She stuffed the book back into her saddlebag. “I was afraid I’d have to make myself look stupid while over here.”

The mare giggled internally at that statement. She knew Neighponese ponies didn’t expect foreigners to know their language, and most were perfectly willing to help any that needed directions. She admired this one’s willingness to try to assimilate in that regard, but all the same, she could easily tell that Lilligold wasn’t comfortable being here. In fact, it was almost definitely her first time visiting Neighpon. Without a guide, she’d be lost and confused and probably crying to herself in some back alley somewhere.

“So you want to see some cherry blossoms, Lilligold?” she asked.

“Kind of.” Lilligold sheepishly rubbed her head. “I was actually hoping to get some samples.”

That gave the mare pause. Samples? Was Lilligold some kind of scientist? She certainly didn’t look like one. The mare shrugged it off and smiled.

“I can take you to the biggest cherry blossom orchard, if you want.” She gestured to the bag of pearls on her back. “Once I’ve dropped these off, that is.”

Instantly, Lilligold’s entire demeanor brightened considerably. “Really? You’d do that?”

The mare nodded, and extended a hoof, as she knew was customary for mainland ponies. “My name is Mizuko.”

Lilligold accepted her hoof. “Nice to meet you, and thanks a ton.”

Mizuko turned toward the marina’s entrance, beyond which lay her hometown of Gujo Hachimare. “It won’t take too long for me to complete this errand, and the nearest cherry blossoms aren’t very far away from there.”

Lilligold nodded. “Okay. Lead the way, Mizuko.”

A Lily Out Of Soil

Back on the ferry, Lilligold had spent a good deal of time wondering what kind of sights awaited her in Neighpon. The marina had looked about as standard as she could imagine one being, and the same appeared to hold true for Gujo Hachimare itself. Elevated wooden buildings with thatched and tiled roofs lined the semi-busy streets, spaced very close next to each other. Their architecture was familiar to what she’d grown up with in Elmshire, but possessing that kind of Neighponese style which she recognized upon seeing, but couldn’t describe in adequate detail. Architecture wasn’t her special talent, after all.

One standout detail which caught her eye was that a large number of buildings had bamboo walls built into the side, but to what purpose was unknown. A number of red arches could be seen hanging overhead many different paths, and in the distance she could see a traditional Neighponese castle rising above the more modern, suburban houses.

But the bulk of her attention was not on the town and its foreign beauty, but instead, on how everypony traversing the streets kept throwing her sidelong glances upon noticing her presence. Brief as they were, anxiety nevertheless took root in her mind, and began growing.

What did they think of her? To see her following behind Mizuko was surely enough to clue them in on the fact that she was a fish out of water in this foreign land. Did they see her as weak and pathetic for needing such help? Was she upholding any stereotypes of foreigners they had? The questions rang through her mind over and over, to which the anguish began to show itself in her features with her trembling lips and shifty eyes.

She mustered the courage to tap Mizuko on the shoulder. Mizuko turned around, and her eyes widened a little upon seeing the anxiety clearly written across Lilligold’s face.

“Why are they looking at me?” Lilligold squeaked, shifting her eyes to the right.

Mizuko followed Lilligold’s gaze to see a young stallion across the street looking at them out of his eye’s corner, trying to be subtle, but Mizuko could still see it clearly. In her own eye’s corner, she noticed an older mare from up the street staring dead on in their direction.

Mizuko smiled and shook her head. “They’re just curious. Foreigners aren’t a common sight to them, after all.” She turned back to Lilligold with a wistful smile. “This is your first time visiting Neighpon, right?”

Lilligold sheepishly rubbed the back of her head. “I don’t travel a whole lot. The only reason I’m here is because my friend Audrey locked me out of my shop until I come back with some cherry blossoms.” She hung her head, exasperated. “According to her, I need to ‘buck up’ and see the world.”

Mizuko looked at the dejected mare in pity. The more she got to know her, the clearer it became to Mizuko that Lilligold was a shut-in type of mare, too afraid to step outside her comfort zone even to achieve her desires. Mizuko could only speculate as to why she was that way — perhaps she lived a sheltered life under overprotective parents — but if she had the capacity to help Lilligold ‘come out of her shell’, as mainlanders would say, then she’d be more than happy to do just that.

Mizuko smiled brightly. “Well, I hope–”

“Mizu-tan! Mizu-tan!”

The sudden voice gave Mizuko pause. It was immediately recognizable to her, and her smile instantly fell into a frown as the sound of scampering hooves came up from behind. In front of her, Lilligold looked over her shoulder at what Mizuko hoped wouldn’t become a negative stereotype in Lilligold’s eyes. Sighing, she rubbed the bridge of her muzzle before turning around.

The pair of gray eyes that stared back up at her were full of ignorance. The little green colt they belonged to grinned in that special way children do when they think they’re being clever, when in reality they know nothing.

Mizuko sighed again. ”What do you want?”

The colt gestured toward Lilligold, causing her to quirk an eyebrow. ”You got the foreigner from the sea!”

Mizuko shook her head. ”No, I did not.”

”Gaijin hunter! Gaijin hunter!” he chanted, before turning and running down a nearby alley.

“Um, Mizuko?” Lilligold asked, turning to her. “Who was that?”

Mizuko took a moment to rub the bridge of her muzzle before turning to face her. “His name is Yadame. He’s just a very rude and ignorant child, but it’s for that reason that I can’t fault him for the hurtful things he says.”

“Oh, well… what did he say just now?” Lilligold frowned. “Something about me?” she asked.

Mizuko shook her head. “No, it was about me.” She gestured behind her down the sidewalk. “Just a little farther is where I need to go. Come.”

“O-Okay.”

They resumed their walk down the sidewalk, Yadame’s echoing laughs eventually fading away. As they walked, Mizuko contemplated having a lengthy talk with the colt’s parents about his abysmal behavior. He’d been a constant nuisance to her for a couple of years, and her patience was rapidly nearing its breaking point. Why he’d seemingly singled her out for torment was still a mystery to her. Maybe because she had such a fascination with foreign cultures, he didn’t–

Splash

“Eep!”

Startled by Lilligold’s cry, Mizuko quickly spun around to see what had happened. Lilligold was shaking like a leaf, staring wide-eyed at a sewer grate right in front of her. The pavement around it was littered with wet spots, as was the underside of Lilligold’s barrel.

“M-M-Mizuko,” she stuttered, pointing at the grate. “Th-Th-There’s something in there.”

Mizuko trotted over to the grate and peered inside, already fairly sure about what she’d find. The orange and white shapes swimming inside confirmed her suspicion, and she placed a reassuring hoof on Lilligold’s withers. “I’m sure you don’t regularly see fish in sewers on the mainland, right?”

Lilligold managed to calm down enough to reply. “Not at all. The only creatures living in sewers back home are the ones told in urban legends.”

Hearing that reminded Mizuko of a story she’d heard during a visit to the mainland about a filly flushing her pet alligator down the toilet, whereupon it grew into a monstrous beast that devoured anything in its path. It reminded her of the story of the Underground City of Kappas living right underneath Gujo Hachimare, and just like that, she believed the monstrous sewer gator story only had a grain of truth to it, if that even. “Don’t worry, the coy fish that live in these sewers are harmless,” she replied. She then gestured a little ways down the street, toward Hoseki-san’s shop. “We’re almost there. Let’s go.”

Lilligold nodded, and they set off once more. At one point Mizuko glanced behind her to see Lilligold glancing warily at another sewer grate while carefully stepping around it. Mizuko could only imagine what turmoil Lilligold would’ve gone through without her guidance. Lucky for her she approached somepony very familiar with the differences between their two cultures.

Familiarity

The chime went off as Mizuko opened the door to Hoseki-san’s shop and the two mares stepped inside. To their right, Hoseki-san – a tall, dark green stallion whose cutie mark depicted a necklace of assorted gems – was polishing the front counter, but stopped immediately upon seeing the two mares, donning a huge smile and bowing in greeting.

”Mizuko! Glad to see you again!” He turned his gaze to Lilligold, doing a double take upon recognizing her foreigner status, but retained his smile and continued with, ”Who is she?”

Mizuko bowed in return. ”Her name is Lilligold. She’s here to see cherry blossoms.”

He gave her a knowing nod. ”She won’t be disappointed.” He then turned to Lilligold, making a sweeping gesture at his store. ”If you want to browse my store, feel free to do so.”

Lilligold only stared blankly.

“He’s saying you can look around,” Mizuko translated.

Lilligold made an ‘o’ with her mouth, and nodded. “Thank you,” she said with a smile, before turning down one of the aisles.

”What a lovely mare,” Hoseki-san noted, then turned back to Mizuko with a quirked brow. ”You didn’t pull her out of the sea?”

Such a joke would normally elicit an amused smile from Mizuko, but having just heard it from Yadame, she could only sigh while hoisting her bag of pearls onto the counter. ”Just pearls, as always. Good quality ones, too.”

”Excellent!” Hoseki-san opened her bag and dumped its glittery contents onto the counter. Pearls colored white and red and blue and black rolled onto the wooden surface like marbles. Hoseki-san’s eyes gained a glitter to match as he began sorting through them. ”Without you, my store would be doomed.”

Mizuko shrugged. ”Maybe.”

Hoseki-san looked up from his sorting with a frown. ”Are you okay?”

Mizuko sighed again. ”Sorry, Hoseki-san; I’ve recently been feeling depressed.”

He frowned. ”For what reason?”

”I should’ve said ‘bored’, actually.” She scuffed a hoof across the floor, noting that he hadn’t waxed it in a while. ”It’s been awhile since I’ve been contracted for work, and there’s never much to do here when I’m not pearl diving.”

Hoseki-san appeared to mull over her words for a few moments, only to be interrupted by a startled gasp from within the store. The two of them turned their heads to see Lilligold down one of the aisles, her mouth split in a nervous grin as she held a gem-encrusted brooch close to the ground. She placed it back onto the shelf and gave them a nervous wave before resuming her search of the store.

”Life is never boring with foreigners around,” Hoseki-san said, laughing a little. ”Maybe something will happen during her stay here and your spirit will be reinvigorated in turn.”

Mizuko shrugged again. ”Maybe.”

Hoseki-san finished sorting the pearls just as Lilligold returned to the counter. He opened the register and scooped out a giant hoofful of coins before depositing them into Mizuko’s bag. ”Here’s your earnings,” he said, passing the bag back to her. ”Spend them well.”

”Thanks. I will.” Mizuko turned to Lilligold. “Alright, I’m done here. Let’s go.”

“Okay,” Lilligold replied. Mizuko waved Hoseki-san goodbye as the two mares stepped outside. “So, which way now–”

Click

The two mares jumped a little at the sound. Looking to their left, they saw a couple of fillies staring back at them, large grins plastered across their muzzles. Seeing that one of them had a camera strapped around her neck, Mizuko could only sigh exasperatedly upon realizing what they were doing.

Lilligold, meanwhile, only stared in confusion as she watched the fillies run away while snickering under their breath.

“What just happened?” she asked, turning back to Mizuko.

Mizuko returned her gaze, sighing again. “Remember how I said foreigners aren’t a common sight around here?”

Lilligold nodded.

“I imagine those fillies plan to show off their picture of you to their friends.” Mizuko tapped her chin in thought. “I remember back in school some of my classmates would compete to see who could spot the most foreigners throughout the school year.” If there was ever a real gaijin hunter…

Pulling herself from her nostalgia, Mizuko noticed that Lilligold had seemed to shrink in on herself, her face becoming a mask of worry as she slumped over a little. It took a moment for Mizuko to realize what exactly Lilligold had on her mind, and when she did, she placed a comforting hoof on her withers, smiling gently.

“They’re just children. I can’t imagine they’ll use that picture for anything bad,” she said, to which Lilligold met her gaze. “If anything, you now have foreign celebrity status.”

Lilligold just snorted a laugh in response, smiling a little.

Mizuko gestured down the sidewalk. “The nearest cherry blossoms are in the center of town.”

Lilligold nodded. “Alright, let’s–” A sudden gurgling sound interrupted her. She stood stock still for a moment, before smiling sheepishly as her cheeks turned tomato-red.

“... Or we can have lunch first, if you want.” Mizuko held up her bag of coins. “I’ll pay for it.”

Lilligold nodded, her cheeks returning to their original color, though her expression remained sheepish. “That’d be great, thanks.”

With that settled, Mizuko began contemplating where to take them for lunch as she resumed leading Lilligold. She remembered that a few streets over there was a plaza that housed a few restaurants, but they all served Neighponese-specific dishes. For a first-time visitor to Neighpon, Lilligold might not’ve been particularly willing to try local dishes. Not that Mizuko believed her to be a dismissive sort of mare, but making her feel comfortable was her topmost priority.

After giving it some thought, Mizuko realized there was only one place to bring them for lunch. Taking a turn one street over from the plaza, she headed towards the only foreign-based restaurant to exist in Neighpon.

Meanwhile, Lilligold did her best to ignore all the stares she got from passersby. Knowing now that they were merely curious about her helped stave off some anxiety, but she still found it disconcerting to be looked at by so many strangers. That said, she now found herself returning their curiosity.

She’d once read up on how a number of ponies had split off from the three pony tribes just prior to Hearth’s Warming, heading west and eventually settling on an island chain in the South Luna Ocean that would eventually grow into the nation of Neighpon. Similar to the ponies of the Griffish Isles, she wondered what kind of perspective these foreign ponyfolk might have on mainland Equestria. It felt so odd to her; the ponies here were prone to treating her as an outsider, despite them having a common ancestor.

Lilligold was snapped from her thoughts when Mizuko stopped and turned around to her. “We’re here,” she said, gesturing to her left.

Lilligold looked over, and did a double take at what she saw. The building next to them had a sign up top with a sandwich and a soft drink icon against a yellow and red background, the sign itself lined with inactive lights.

“A Hayburgers?” Lilligold asked, turning back to Mizuko with a dumbfounded expression.

Mizuko nodded. “It’s been here for a little over a year, now.” She stepped up to the door and opened it for her.

Lilligold walked in, and once again found herself surprised enough to hang her jaw agape. Everything, from the walls to the registers to the booths in the back — all of it was exactly as she’d grown accustomed to seeing back home. The cashiers even had similarly-designed uniforms. She only regained her composure when Mizuko walked past her toward the closest register. Lilligold tried to keep her surprise in check as she followed right behind, lest she do or say something stupid in a public restaurant.

The cashier finished tending to another customer as the two mares approached. Seeing Mizuko, she gave a warm smile, only to look surprised upon noticing Lilligold right behind her. Lilligold flushed in response, but stopped when the cashier reigned in her surprise and re-adopted her smile.

”Irrashaimase!” she said. She looked at Mizuko, but shot Lilligold an occasional glance while she spoke. ”Anata wa nani o shitai?”

Mizuko turned back to Lilligold. “I’ll give both of our orders, if you want,” she said.

Lilligold shook her head. “That’s okay, I can tell what everything on the menu is,” she replied, smiling. “I shouldn’t have to rely on you for everything, after all.”

Mizuko nodded, and turned back to the cashier. ”Watashi wa bāgābaitsu o motsu koto ni narimasu, kudasai.”

The cashier rang up her order, then passed Mizuko an empty cup. Taking it, Mizuko fished out the appropriate change from her coin bag and passed it to the cashier.

Mizuko then fished out a little more money from her bag and offered it to Lilligold. “This should be enough for any one item on the menu,” she said, letting Lilligold take the coins in her telekinesis. “I’ll find us a table.” She tilted her head. “Are you sure you’ll be alright ordering by yourself?”

Lilligold nodded with a small smile. “Positive,” she replied.

Mizuko nodded herself, and headed off toward the drink fountain.

Lilligold stepped up to the register, whereupon the cashier repeated her greeting to her. Nodding, Lilligold began poring over the menu. Despite everything being written in Neighponese characters, the pictures were the same as the Hayburgers back home, so she knew exactly what everything was.

But there was something else she needed to clarify to the cashier. Fishing out her translation book, she flipped through until she found the words she needed, at which point she turned to the cashier with a smile.

”I would like a Combo Deluxe. No pickles.”

Instead of happily ringing her order as Lilligold expected, the cashier paused for a few moments. Lilligold frowned, unsure what to make of her silence. The thought that maybe she’d said something wrong began taking root in her mind, to which she nervously bit her lip.

Eventually, the cashier rang up her order. “Ē to, watashi ga tameshite mimasu,” she said, and passed Lilligold her empty cup.

Still a little weirded out by the cashier’s strange response to her order, Lilligold nevertheless accepted the cup with a smile. "Thank you," she said, and went to the drink fountain.

Author's Note

There's a few customs surrounding the Japanese language (polite speech, for example) that I'm purposely ignoring here, simply for the sake of making the fic itself read better.

As for the actual romaji, I did my best to make sure they're accurate, but feel free to call me out on my incompetence should you find them not to be.

Fast Food And Learning

While waiting for Lilligold to arrive with their food, Mizuko busied herself brainstorming ideas on what to do after she finished escorting Lilligold to the cherry blossom orchard. Rumors of the unexplored cave system at Ebishima housing multitudes of ebikakuteru sounded interesting. If nothing else, it’d be fresh ground for pearl diving.

While she brainstormed, Hoseki-san’s words kept replaying in her mind, about how life was never boring with foreigners around. Mizuko certainly didn’t disagree with that assessment. Seeing Lilligold be surprised that Neighpon did, in fact, have a Hayburgers did give her a small thrill. Calls for experienced divers weren’t all-too fleeting, however, so it was just a matter of time until she could experience the thrill of exploring new underwater terrain, or hauling up some long lost treasure from the depths, or refuting claims of conspiracy theorists that the Forgotten Underwater Kelpie City exists and is still waiting to be discovered.

Until then, for today at least, she could experience the thrill of educating an ignorant foreigner on Neighponese society and customs.

She continued brainstorming until Lilligold arrived with their food held in her telekinesis. She sat down across from Mizuko, setting her saddlebag next to her before placing their food on the table and passing Mizuko’s change to her. “See? I’m not totally helpless.”

Mizuko smiled, taking her change and placing the coins in her bag. “I suppose not,” she replied simply.

Lilligold took their respective orders out of the bag and passed Mizuko her Burger Bites. Mizuko took the basket in her hooves and licked her lips in savory anticipation. Burger Bites were second only to wasabi rice balls for her taste buds. She could never eat a whole burger, not like foreigners could with their seemingly bottomless stomachs, but the little bite-sized variant she could take in just fine.

Sticking her hoof on a toothpick, she brought the Bite up to her mouth and popped it in. She hummed with satisfaction as the delicious flavors settled in her mouth, before swallowing and taking a sip of her drink. She was about to reach for another Bite when she spotted Lilligold looking with a confused expression down at her Combo Deluxe.

Mizuko frowned. “Is something wrong, Lilligold?” she asked.

Lilligold looked up from her burger to Mizuko. “I asked the cashier not to put pickles on my burger.” She tilted the burger so Mizuko could see the pickle slices set upon the veggie patty. “I could’ve sworn my Neighponese was pretty clear.”

Mizuko’s eyes widened. “You asked her to change your order?”

Lilligold frowned. “Was I not supposed to?”

Mizuko sighed, placing her Bite down and tapping her chin in thought. She recalled that foreigners seemed to operate under a different mindset in regards to customer satisfaction. There was a saying for it, even.

“'The customer is always right’... Ponies on the mainland operate under that belief, correct?”

Lilligold nodded. “In general, yes.”

“Don’t expect to find a similar treatment here. Typically in Neighpon, you only get what’s on the menu, exactly how it’s advertised.” Only after she said that did Mizuko realize her words could easily be misconstrued. Looking at Lilligold’s downcast expression backed up her fear. “But it’s not because they don’t care about satisfying you. They aren’t used to pon–”

Click

The sudden noise gave both mares a start, Mizuko simply jumping a little while Lilligold practically buried herself in the seat’s backrest, shaking like a frozen leaf. They turned just in time to see a little colt and filly, the former having a camera around his neck, giggling at the two of them before running off down the aisle of booths.

Upon settling down, Mizuko just sighed and turned back to Lilligold. “As I was saying, they aren’t used to ponies asking them to change up orders. They’ve gotten so complacent with it that they can’t bring themselves to make a change when one is asked of them.” A corner of her mouth lifted, forming a nervous half smile. “I imagine the cashier was really stressed out by you asking for her to change your order.”

“Oh, well…” Lilligold trailed off, setting her burger on the table before casting her gaze downward.

“Listen, it’s okay.” Mizuko reached across the table and patted her withers, to which she glanced up. “Don’t worry about it. Really, it’s my fault for not remembering to warn you.”

“... Okay.” Lilligold sat up straight again. “You’re right. And I’ll listen to whatever you have to tell me from now on.”

Mizuko nodded. “Good to hear.” She picked up her Burger Bite. “Now let’s finish up here so you can see those cherry blossoms.”

Lilligold’s lips lifted into a small smile and she nodded. “Okay.” She then proceeded to take the pickles off of her burger with her telekinesis, letting them hover in the air above the table while she reached into the bag with her hooves. “Need a napkin– Wait, what the…?”

“Is something wrong?” Mizuko asked.

Lilligold gave Mizuko a curious stare as she pulled out, to the other mare’s surprise, another Burger Bites container. That threw Mizuko for a loop, as duplicate orders weren’t the type of mistake fast food restaurants made from her, admittedly limited, experience. All the same, she very clearly asked for a single Burger Bites, and there wasn’t anypony else in line that could’ve ordered another–

Her thoughts were interrupted when the container burst into a plume of white smoke, causing Lilligold to shriek and lose concentration on her telekinesis, making the pickles drop onto the table, while Mizuko’s heart skipped a few beats.

The smoke began to dissipate after a few seconds, to which a new figure took shape within. It was long, slender, and even through a face-obscuring curtain of smoke, managed to convey a strong sense of charisma just through its presence. Finally the smoke cleared, revealing the newcomer to the two mares as being a brown fox wearing a headband with ‘使者’ engraved in the center, and holding a wax-sealed scroll in its mouth.

While Lilligold could only stare at the fox in shocked confusion, Mizuko was awestruck by the sight of what she recognized to be one of Inari-sama’s kitsune servants. A messenger kitsune, as the kanji on its headband indicated it to be.

It dropped the scroll on the table before turning around and leaping over Mizuko’s head and the booth, to which the sounds of startled restaurant patrons were soon to follow.

Finding her voice again, Lilligold looked to Mizuko and asked, ““What was that?”

“That was one of Inari-sama’s kitsune servants.” Mizuko glanced to the scroll it left behind. The idea that Inari-sama had a message for them surprised her greatly, but whatever it was must’ve been very important to warrant sending out a messenger kitsune.

Lilligold cocked a brow. “Inari… sama?”

“The ruler of Neighpon,” Mizuko answered as she picked the scroll off the table and broke the wax seal.

Lilligold’s eyes widened briefly before her face became a mask of worry. “I didn’t do anything wrong, did I?” she asked.

Mizuko could only smile and shake her head as she opened the scroll and began reading its contents. The more she read, however, the more confused she became.

The letter stated that Inari wished to speak with Lilligold, and that he needed Mizuko to act as the translator. He didn’t give any reasoning why, only that he would be meeting with Lilligold one way or another, even going so far as to say he’ll appear in public to speak with her, something that Mizuko couldn’t recall happening in the last fifty or so years.

What could he possibly need with some random foreigner…?

“Um... Mizuko?” Lilligold said, anxiety creeping into her voice. “What does the letter say?”

“It says we’re to speak with Inari-sama at the earliest convenience.” She arched a brow while glancing up at her. “He says he wants to speak with you in person.”

Lilligold's eyes shrunk to pinpricks.

“Lilligold–?”

A hard thud accompanied Lilligold's head impacting the table.

“Lilligold!?” Mizuko reached over and nudged her a little, but got no response. She tried again, a little harder, eliciting a groan from the unicorn before she raised her head. Her eyes were glazed over, but Mizuko had a very strong feeling it wasn’t from exhaustion. But as surprising as being summoned by Inari-sama undoubtedly would be to anypony, outright fainting was a little much.

Lilligold needed her help now more than ever.

“Are you feeling okay?” Mizuko asked, frowning. “Do you need some medicine?”

“... What?” Lilligold placed a hoof against her head. “What just happened?”

“You fainted after I told you Inari-sama wishes to speak with you.”

Lilligold looked confused for a second, before remembrance seemed to kick in and her body wilted, her gaze becoming anxious and fear-stricken. “I’m not in trouble, am I?”

Mizuko shook her head. “You’ve been with me for your entire visit so far. Inari-sama isn’t prejudiced against foreigners, so whatever he wants with you must concern him and not you.” She picked up another Burger Bite. “But let’s wait until after we’ve finished before we go to see him. Okay?”

Lilligold seemed to perk up a little as she smiled and nodded. “Alright,” she said. Noticing the fallen pickles on the table, she reached back into the bag, fishing around a little before levitating out a napkin. “This napkin feels weird,” she said, then rubbed it against her lips before arching a brow. “Is it… made of wax?”

Mizuko giggled internally.

Meeting With An Ancient Deity

A red archway marked the entrance to the trail leading up Inari-sama’s mountain to his personal sanctuary. Similar archways could be seen along the trail through the foliage covering the mountain. On either side of the entrance was a stone kitsune statue, wearing traditional red yodarekake. Everything marking the entrance was incredibly well-maintained, showing almost no signs of wear and tear from centuries of age. Whatever maintenance servants Inari had must've been exceptional at their jobs.

“So, this is Inari’s mountain?” Lilligold asked, her expression grim as she tracked her eyes up the very winding, very steep mountain trail. “Are we going to have to walk all the way up?”

Mizuko simply nodded, and stepped onto the trail.

Lilligold sighed, and followed after her. “Of course we do.”

The path was as well-maintained as the entrance, as not a single tree root obstructed the pair of mares as they ascended the wooden steps leading up the mountain. Inari-sama’s servants really do good work with maintenance.

As they hiked, Mizuko’s mind was abuzz with speculation. What could Inari-sama really want with Lilligold? Nothing about her seemed especially remarkable. She appeared to be an average mainland Equestrian mare on all outward appearances. Travelling to a foreign land just for some flower petals was unusual, true, but nothing that could prompt Inari-sama to want to speak with her personally. The temptation to ask Lilligold what exactly she wanted cherry blossoms for grew stronger as the hike wore on, but she always resisted the urge to ask. It was none of her business to know, and Lilligold didn’t seem like the kind of mare who’d want to freely discuss personal matters. Once they reached the top she would get to learn what he wants with her anyway.

“Mizuko?”

Mizuko turned around to see a slightly red-in-the-face Lilligold sagging behind her, her legs looking about ready to buckle. “I take it you’re tired?” she asked.

Lilligold nodded. “Yeah, can we stop and rest for a bit?” she said with a tired smile. “I’m not really used to mountain hiking.”

“It’s okay, we can take a break over there.” Mizuko pointed to a rocky bench a short ways up the path.

“Thank you,” Lilligold said with a slight pant.

They headed over to the bench and sat down. Lilligold practically threw herself onto the bench, haphazardly splaying her legs out with a satisfied grunt.

“My legs have never felt this sore,” she said between deep, exhausted gasps.

“Can you handle another half mile?” Mizuko asked.

Lilligold groaned before replying. “Only after I’ve taken a good long rest.”

“Okay.”

Lilligold continued lying on the bench for a few moments, until she found the strength to hoist herself up to sit properly. While waiting for the aching in her bones to subside, she busied herself with checking out their surroundings. All the beautiful greenery of the mountain forest was enough to melt the stress in her body away and replace it with a great sense of calm. Being surrounded by so many trees wasn’t something she was used to back in Elmshire. Growing unique and numerous plants in a desert setting isn’t ideal, but she managed just fine with her shop. This was the first time in awhile that she got to truly experience the best of nature.

“It’s so beautiful out here,” she whispered. A sudden thought occurred to her, and she turned to Mizuko. “Can I ask you something?”

Mizuko returned her gaze. “What?”

“Have you ever seen any interesting underwater plants when diving?”

Mizuko cocked a brow. “What do you mean by ‘interesting’?”

Lilligold shrugged. “I don’t know, just something that’s out of the norm.”

“... You do realize that, since we’re from different parts of the world, we have different definitions of what’s ‘out of the norm’?”

Lilligold opened her mouth to respond, but stopped and thought for a moment before her cheeks turned a light red. “Oh, right.”

Mizuko smiled. “If you’re interested, you can charter my boat and I’ll take you out to see if there’s any underwater plants that catch your interest.”

Lilligold nodded. “I’ll think about it.”

Mizuko paused to consider something. Lilligold seemed to be feeling much better than she had before. She just demonstrated a willingness to talk about her apparent obsession with plants, even, so asking her what she wanted with cherry blossoms might not be so uncalled for after all.

“... Lilligold?”

“Yeah?”

Mizuko silently prayed she hadn’t misread Lilligold’s demeanor. “Why do you want cherry blossoms?”

Lilligold blinked. “I thought I told you I needed samples.”

“But what do you need samples for?”

“Oh, well, it’s for my special talent.” She gestured to her cutie mark. “I grow new breeds of magical plants.”

“So you’re a botanist?”

“Mhmm, I got my cutie mark when I used a water purification spell on a Tiger Lily, creating a lily made out of water which I call the Purewater Lily.” She chuckled. “Really useful for those without a lot of water to spare.”

Mizuko’s face morphed to one of surprise. “A plant that waters itself?”

Lilligold nodded.

“... Amazing.”

Lilligold smiled, before her face switched to a curious expression. “Can I ask you one more thing?”

"Sure."

Lilligold shot a brief glance up the mountain trail, biting her lip as worry etched itself across her muzzle. “What’s Inari like as a ruler?”

The question surprised Mizuko at first, but it quickly dawned on her that it only made sense for Lilligold to ask it. Of course she would want to know what Inari-sama was like so she would know how not to accidentally insult him. She took a moment to ponder over all of what she knew about her country’s ruler before replying.

“Inari-sama is more reclusive than Princess Celestia; it’s been awhile since he made any sort of public appearance. I’ve never seen him for myself, let alone spoken with him, but he does ask to speak with ponies personally from time to time.” Mizuko decided not to let Lilligold know that Inari-sama mostly summoned corrupt business owners to straighten them out. “If you’re worried about what he might have to say to you, I can promise you that he’s as fair and just as Princess Celestia. If he wasn’t, our ancestors wouldn’t have readily agreed to live under his rule after immigrating here from the mainland.”

Lilligold breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s good to hear. I haven’t met Princess Celestia, but I know I’d be a nervous wreck if I had to.” She turned to Mizuko with a hopeful expression. “You’ll help me not look stupid, right?”

Mizuko nodded. “He asked me to be the translator, so yes.”

Another sigh of relief. “Thank you so much.” She smiled sheepishly. “I don’t want a repeat of that blunder at Hayburgers.”

Mizuko smiled herself. “You can count on me.”

The two mares were quiet after that, just sitting and admiring the lush greenery of the forest around them. When they finally set off up the trail again, Lilligold found it less of a struggle to keep pace with Mizuko. Mizuko’s reassurance that Inari would treat her fairly was enough to overcome the spiritual half of her struggle up the mountain. The physical half was still a chore, but her newfound resolve helped her along in that regard. All the same, she decided she would hit the gym more often upon returning to Elmshire.

Eventually, the two stepped out of the thicket of trees, coming upon a short flight of stone steps with a line of kitsune statues on either side and more red arches overhead. As before, the stonework was extremely well-maintained, with not a single crack to be found anywhere along its patchwork. Up above, towering over them, was what Mizuko recognized to be a traditional Neighponese mokutō. The woodwork was as well-maintained as everything they’d previously seen, and the exterior was painted a red and green color scheme. It truly looked like the final hurdle to an encounter with a powerful deity.

As they ascended the stairs, it dawned on Mizuko that she had been granted a privilege that very few honest Neighponese citizens had the pleasure of experiencing. She was about to personally meet Inari-sama, the deity who everypony living in Neighpon owed their entire existence to. Even if his business lay with Lilligold, the honor was probably more hers than Lilligold’s.

Upon reaching the top step, the two mares saw a couple of kitsunes standing guard on either side of the front entrance, each one wearing a similar headband to the kitsune back at the Hayburgers, except with ‘衛兵’ emblazoned on it, indicating them to be, fittingly enough, guard kitsune.

The two guards said nothing as the mares approached. They simply reached over and pushed open the wooden double doors leading inside, bading the mares to enter, which they did.

The inside of the mokutō was as well-maintained as everything leading up to it. A large wooden pillar took up the center space, swaying slightly back and forth and making audible creaking noises, while a wooden staircase leading up to the next story took up the right side of the room. Beautiful tapestries hung from the green-painted walls, all of them depicting a large, white kitsune in various scenes of splendor and power, with the rising red sun being a prominent element in many of them.

As well, about a dozen or so regular kitsune littered the room, some chatting to themselves in a corner, others sleeping, while the majority were huddled around the central pillar, squinting their eyes up at it while pressing their paws against it. As they wore headbands with 大工 emblazoned on them, Mizuko figured they were inspecting the pillar for structural weakness.

Lilligold turned all around, taking in everything. “Wow.”

It was then that one of the carpenter kitsune inspecting the pillar noticed the two mares’ presence. Turning his head, he gestured to another kitsune that was resting against the staircase.

”They’re here, Taishimo,” it said.

The resting kitsune, Taishimo, opened its eyes and, after a brief stretch, made his way over to the two mares. The both of them regarded it with fascination and, in Lilligold’s case, a suppressed desire to scratch behind its ears. It wouldn’t do to treat an ancient deity’s loyal servant like a house cat, no matter how utterly adorable it was.

The kitsune gestured with its head to follow them, and began leading them toward the staircase. Mizuko and Lilligold followed behind, their attention lingering on all the kitsune littering the ground floor before they ascended to the second floor. Some more kitsune were scattered across the floor, sleeping and playing like their brethren below. One of them tracked Lilligold with its eyes as the group stalked across the floor, giving her a scrutinizing glare that made her uncomfortable, but she kept her cool all the same.

Finally, they reached the third floor. The sight that greeted them upon emerging from the staircase gave both mares momentary pause as their jaws hung slightly agape.

Sitting before them on an ornate bronze throne was a giant white kitsune, clearly the one depicted in all of the tapestries hanging around the room as well as the ones below. It sat tall and regal, its eyes fierce and stern, regarding the mares with a curious gaze akin to that of a general eyeing up new recruits.

Now that she had seen him in person for herself, Mizuko could say for sure that none of the tales surrounding Inari-sama did him justice. The creature before them carried itself with a hardened, yet graceful ferocity that could strike cowardice into even the most evil of creatures. The tales surrounding him had always described Inari-sama as a vengeful sort, someone who made it clear in no uncertain terms when somepony had acted out of line. Neither she nor Lilligold had done anything to incur his wrath, she knew, and yet, the knots forming in her stomach made it crystal clear that both she and Lilligold were at Inari-sama’s mercy.

Looking over, Mizuko saw that Lilligold was deathly pale while her legs were on the verge of buckling. Her eyes were like pinpricks, yet their gaze remained fixed on the deity before them, possibly out of a mixed sense of awe and terror.

”Greetings, Mizuko and Lilligold,” Inari-sama said suddenly, bowing deeply. His tone was calm, but every bit as hardened as his expression.

Mizuko wasted no time in returning the greeting, nearly striking her head against the floorboards. She prompted Lilligold to do the same, but only after she gently smacked Lilligold’s fetlock did the other mare follow suit.

”It is an honor to share your space, Inari-sama,” Mizuko said, keeping her tone as calm as she could.

”Please stand up.”

Mizuko stood up, and prompted Lilligold to follow suit again, which she did. Inari-sama then gestured for them to come closer, which they both did, albeit with slow, hesitant steps. A few times, Lilligold almost tripped over her own hooves with how shaky they were.

The fear coursing through her body was exponential. She assumed that having Mizuko by her side would dispel her trepidation of meeting with Inari. But no, she was shaking like a leaf instead. What did he want with her? What could he want with her? Why couldn’t she have just had a normal trip to Neighpon? All she wanted was to come here, grab some cherry blossoms, maybe enjoy the sights a little, and get back home! Why did fate like to pick on her!?

Inari made a motion of dipping his head while furrowing his gaze a little. “Jibun o ochitsuka, rirīgōrudo.”

Lilligold panicked even harder. What did he say? Was he displeased with her behavior? Did she violate some special ancient Neighponese custom? Who was calling her name!? Oh wait, it’s Mizuko.

“Y-Yes?” Lilligold stuttered, turning to face her.

“Inari-sama is telling you to calm down.”

Lilligold blinked. “... Really?”

Mizuko leaned over to whisper in her ear. “I know he’s intimidating, but there’s no reason to panic like you’re doing. Just stay relaxed and everything will be okay. Okay?”

Such a comforting presence was enough for Lilligold to snap out of her paranoia. She took in a deep, relaxing breath before exhaling slowly and flashing Mizuko a smile afterwards. “Thank you.”

Mizuko smiled herself and turned back to Inari. “Watashitachiha mimiwokatamukeru junbi ga dekite iru, Inari-sama.”

Inari turned to look at both of them, his gaze still managing to send shivers down their spines. “Watashi wa hijō ni jūyōna mondai de watashi o tasukeru tame ni koko ni anata o shōkan shite imasu.”

Lilligold leaned over to Mizuko. “What’s he saying now?” she asked.

“He’s saying he summoned us here because he needs our help with an important issue,” Mizuko replied.

Lilligold’s eyes widened and she turned back to Inari. An important issue? What kind of issue would he specifically need their help with? Some of Lilligold’s fear melted away and was replaced with curiosity.

Inari then dipped his head beside him, picking up a scroll that was tucked between his body and the throne. He then reared his head back a little and tossed it toward the mares with expert precision, landing it right at their hooves.

Mizuko bent over and nudged the scroll to unfurl it. There were no words, just Inari’s emblem in the top left corner.

The two mares shared a bewildered look, before glancing back up at Inari. His face now sported a deep crimson blush, yet his face remained as hard and stern as it did before.

“Watashi wa purinsesu seresutia o e no raburetā o kaite tasuke ga hitsuyō.”

Mizuko’s eyes instantly shot wide open. She did a double take on the empty scroll before staring incredulous at Inari, her jaw agape.

Lilligold blinked, surprised by her reaction. “Um, Mizuko?” She waved a hoof in front of her face, to which the other mare snapped from her trance with a shake of her head. “What did he say?”

Mizuko’s expression remained shocked as she turned to Lilligold. “He says he wants your help writing a love letter to Princess Celestia.”

Lilligold remained silent for several moments, processing Mizuko’s words in her head. Then her cheeks turned tomato red, and she proceeded to bury her face in her hooves and slump onto the ground.

Mizuko’s expression changed to one of concern. “Lilligold? What’s wrong?” she asked.

Lilligold didn’t answer right away, as her mind was abuzz with uncomfortable questions. Did Inari know about her secret obsession? If he did, how? Can he read into the farthest reaches of a pony’s mind, despite never having met them in person? The more she thought about it, the more obvious it became that, yes, Inari had to know about her secret hobby of writing romance stories. Why else would he single her out for help writing Princess Celestia a love letter?

Amidst her panicked thoughts, however, a realization struck. Inari wanted her help writing a love letter to Princess Celestia. Through her anxiety, a small part of Lilligold’s heart tingled with excitement. A romance between rulers, something straight out of a fantasy romance novel. She’d be lying to herself if she thought that wasn’t sweet.

She managed to regain enough of her composure to peek through her hooves up at Inari. His blush was still present, and through the set fierceness in his expression, Lilligold thought she saw a hint of concern. Whether that was concern for her well-being or that she might refuse to help, she couldn’t tell. But maybe she could help him and not die of embarrassment.

“Lilligold?” she heard Mizuko say. “Are you alright?”

“Y-Yeah,” she replied, and stood up, her sheepish smile still present. “Just a little shocked is all.”

Mizuko raised a curious brow. “Is something wrong?”

Normally Lilligold would’ve done her very damnedest to deny the existence of her secret hobby. But Mizuko didn’t come across as the kind of mare who’d exploit such information, so Lilligold decided it was worth trusting her.

“Could you ask him how he knows about my secret interest in romantic literature, please?” she asked, scuffing her hoof.

Mizuko appeared to look surprised for a moment, making Lilligold tense up, but merely nodded and turned to Inari. “Dono yō ni romansu no kanojo no kyōhaku kan'nen ni tsuite shitte imasu ka?”

Maybe it was Lilligold’s imagination, but Inari’s expression seemed to turn apologetic. “Watashi wa shazai suruga, soreha himitsudesu. Shikashi, anata no himitsu wa watashitoisshoni anzendesu.” He held a paw to his chest, right over his heart. “Yakusoku shimasu.”

“He says he’s sorry, but that it’s a secret,” Mizuko translated. “And that he promises your secret is safe with him.”

Lilligold’s lips formed a pout. Saying it was a secret was not a real answer, and it certainly did nothing to alleviate her fears that he could read her mind. But in the end, there wasn’t anything she could do except trust his word. If he was as just as Mizuko had described him, then she needn’t fear her secret getting out.

“Fair enough,” she replied simply.

“Anata wa watashi rirīgōrudo o tasukerudarou ka?”

“Inari-sama asks if you’ll help him, Lilligold,” Mizuko translated.

Lilligold breathed a deep, relaxing sigh and looked up at Inari with a reassuring smile. “I would be honored to help you.”

“Rirīgōrudo wa kanojo ga anata o tasukeru koto o kōei ni omotte iru to katarimasu.”

Inari-sama’s lips curled up into a half smile before he gave her a deep bow. “Kokorokara no kansha, rirīgōrudo.”

“He says he’s very thankful.”

“Sarani, koko ni anata no tasuke no tame no hōshū ga arimasu.”

Inari-sama straightened himself and reached behind the throne, pulling around a bonsai plant and setting it down in front of him for the two mares to see. The plant was a healthy shade of green, its branches expertly trimmed and nestled in a small, clay pot filled with rich soil.

Lilligold turned to Mizuko, curious.

Mizuko shrugged. “Apparently, that’s your reward for agreeing to help him.”

Lilligold turned back to the plant, intrigue clear in her features. “It is?” She went over and began inspecting it from every angle with a studious eye.

“Sono bonsai wa rikkushō kara sonzai shite imashita.”

Mizuko’s eyes went wide. “Rickshaw the Tiller?”

Inari-sama nodded. "Yes."

Mizuko glanced over to the bonsai plant, watching as Lilligold inspected it from every angle like an art consultant. Mizuko had read in school how Rickshaw the Tiller was essentially the king of agriculture among the first group of ponies who settled in Neighpon, and that he was a good friend of her own ancestor. That he had given Inari-sama a plant as a gift came as no surprise. Rather, it was surprising, and a little worrying, that Inari-sama would want to part with it.

That worry must’ve shown in her features, as Inari-sama spoke up again.

”It’s not the only bonsai he gave me.”

Then, to Mizuko’s surprise, he flipped over one of the throne’s armrests, revealing a metal panel with a row of colorful buttons. He pushed one, to which a click sounded, and a section of wall to her right slid open. Both she and Lilligold stared in awe at the sight it revealed: a couple dozen bonsai plants, each one exactly like the first, all neatly lined up.

”How are they still alive?” Mizuko asked, turning back to Inari-sama.

Inari-sama merely winked. ”It’s another secret.”

Mizuko felt herself very tempted to press further, but ultimately let it drop. If Inari-sama wanted it to be kept a secret, so be it. She turned back to Lilligold as the other mare finished up her inspection of her bonsai reward. “I guess we should get started helping then?” she asked.

Lilligold turned to her and nodded with a smile. “Sure, but…” She looked down at the scroll, frowning slightly. “We’re going to need something to write with.”

“Oh, right.” Mizuko turned back to Inari-sama. ”We need a writing instrument.”

Inari-sama’s cheeks once again turned a shade of red and he slapped a paw against his forehead. Pulling his paw away, he looked behind them to Taishimo. ”Please bring a quill and inkwell to us.”

The kitsune let out a huge yawn, before bowing and descending down the stairs.

Trouble In A Small Package

It was late afternoon by the time Mizuko and Lilligold finished helping Inari-sama write his love letter. Satisfied that the contents would woo Celestia, they said their farewells to Inari-sama and made the trek back down the mountain. The sun was nearing the horizon by the time they returned to town and resumed their journey to the nearest cherry blossom orchard.

“This bonsai plant is in amazing condition despite being two millennia old,” Lilligold said while lightly stroking the plant’s branches, relishing in their sturdiness. She set it upon her back and cut off her telekinesis, before turning back to Mizuko. “I’d love to know Inari’s secret for preserving it.”

Mizuko didn’t return her gaze, instead watching where they were going, but still she smiled. “I’m sure you can use your expertise to decipher the secret,” she replied.

Lilligold felt a little heat build in her cheeks. “You really think I can?”

This time, Mizuko spared Lilligold a friendly glance, letting the unicorn see her genuine smile. “If you set your heart to it, you can.”

“... You’re right.” Lilligold turned to face forward, her face now brimming with confidence. “And I will do it.”

At one point the two mares found themselves passing over a bridge that crossed a large river. Down below, the water flowed at a calm and relaxing pace, but steadily grew in intensity a little ways down as more rocks blocked the water, creating small rapids. A group of foals were gathered a little ways down, splashing and playing like foals were want to do.

Memories of her youth flitted through Mizuko’s thoughts while passing over the bridge. Her younger self loved to hop up onto the bridge’s railings and jump down into the water, always trying to dive hard enough to touch the bottom. Her eyes took on a faraway glint as she smiled in remembrance.

“Mizu-tan!”

Her smile went south.

The two mares stopped as a series of scurrying hoofsteps approached them from behind. Lilligold turned around first, followed by Mizuko after a second of hesitation. The smiling naive face of Yadame stared back up at them. His hooves were wet and matted, like he’d just been wading in the river.

He lifted a hoof and pointed it at Mizuko. ”Let’s have a race!”

Mizuko blinked. ”... What?”

Yadame hopped up onto the bridge’s railing, flashing her a cocky smile. ”Do you think you can beat me to those rocks?” He pointed to a cluster of rocks a little ways down the river. ”Or are you out of touch with your talent?”

Lilligold looked back and forth between them. “What’s happening, Mizuko?” she asked.

Mizuko sighed. “Nothing bad, don’t worry.” She fixed Yadame with a mixed expression of worry and stern forthrightness. ”I don’t have time to race now. Please get off the railing.”

Yadame’s grin widened. ”You’re afraid that I’ll win, then?”

”I’m afraid that you’ll get hurt.”

Yadame puffed his chest in a show of pride. ”I have a lot of practice. It’s okay–AH!”

A single haphazard step was all it took to send Yadame toppling over. His head banged against the wood with a hard thump before he fell over the side, to both Mizuko and Lilligold’s horror.

“Yadame!” Mizuko shouted as she climbed onto the railing. She peered over the edge just in time to see Yadame splash, quickly disappearing beneath the water’s surface. “I’m coming!” She took off her coin bag and set it on the bridge, before hopping up onto the railing.

“Wait, Mizuko!” Lilligold said.

But Mizuko ignored her cry. She leapt off the bridge, outstretching her fore legs and angling her body slightly forward as the river rushed to meet her. Her impact was graceful, and she shot below the surface in a flurry of bubbles, but wasted no time in propelling herself up toward the surface, breaking the water with a gasp.

Up above, she could faintly hear Lilligold shouting something to her over the sound of the churning rapids up ahead, but didn’t make an attempt to decipher her words. Up ahead, she saw a little speck of green amongst the rocks, gently floating down the river and over the rapids. She wasted no time in paddling as fast as her legs could propel her, calling upon all her years of swimming and all the strength she had accumulated in her legs from it to get to Yadame.

It wasn’t until she could finally fully make out Yadame’s floating body that Mizuko suddenly remembered a very important detail about the river. A detail that made itself more apparent by the sudden increase in the current’s speed, coupled with the distant sound of falling water. A knot formed in her stomach, and the adrenaline practically rang in her ears as Mizuko picked up her pace, summoning every last ounce of power she had in her legs.

By the time she finally reached Yadame’s body and hooked a fore leg over him, the entrance to the underground reservoir was in sight just up ahead. The sound of falling, churning water rang loud in her ears, and the knot in her stomach tightened with the realization that the current was too strong to swim against, made clearer as her adrenaline high settled down and her strength began fading.

“Mizuko! Mizuko!”

She turned her head, spying Lilligold running on the hill alongside the river, holding their stuff aloft in her magic.

Mizuko tried to open her mouth to tell Lilligold to go get help, but between her exhaustion and the roaring water steadily approaching, she couldn’t. Realizing she had no choice, Mizuko shifted Yadame’s body onto her back to keep him above water level.

Lilligold’s cries were eventually blocked out by the time Mizuko reached the edge of the waterfall. As she took in as big a lungful of air as she could, Mizuko silently prayed that Yadame would be alright.

She went over the edge.

Surprise Contact

Lilligold’s heart skipped a beat. The world went out of focus for a split second, just long enough for a low hanging tree branch to smack her in the face, sending her tumbling across the ground a short distance while losing her grip on the items in her telekinesis. She came to a stop at the foot of a tree, just next to an incline leading down to the river’s edge.

Pulling herself together, Lilligold rose to her hooves, but a single misplaced step sent her falling down the incline. This time she braced herself, coming to a controlled stop on her side on the sandy shore, before quickly getting up and shaking some sand off of her face. She quickly found both the bonsai plant and Mizuko’s coin bag, thankful that their contents managed not to spill very much. She took a moment to scoop up and replace the spilled soil and coins, before making a mad dash down alongside the river toward the waterfall with the items floating in her telekinesis.

The opening to the reservoir was about four pony lengths wide and two tall, constructed from concrete which must’ve been somewhat old if the spiderweb cracks running along its surface were any indication. The churning water pouring in roared, nullifying any attempt she could make to call out for Mizuko. The sunlight pouring through illuminated the inside of the reservoir enough for her to see the flowing water down below; the distance down seeming little more than ten pony lengths at a rough glance.

The thought of turning back and getting help crossed her mind, and indeed, Lilligold started to turn around, only for her attention to be drawn to something to her left. Set into the concrete was a ladder leading down into the reservoir. Parts of it were rusted and worn, but was in very good condition on the whole.

Lilligold nervously bit her lip, her mind abuzz in contemplation on what would be the best course of action. On the one hoof, she could go for help, but her lack of proficiency with Neighponese would make the task difficult if she couldn’t find somepony who spoke Equish. On the other hoof, Yadame, or even Mizuko herself, could be in desperate need of medical care, to which she’d only be wasting time by venturing down into the reservoir after them.

But before she could commit to a decision, her ears flicked in response to a very, very faint sound beyond the river’s flow. To her, it almost sounded like… Wait, that was a voice! She leaned forward and strained her ears the best she could against the roaring river.

”Dare ga soko ni arimasu? Dare ga soko ni arimasu!?”

The voice was unmistakably Mizuko’s. More still, she sounded frantic, like she was in trouble.

The choice was clear.

Taking a moment to steel her resolve, Lilligold stepped over to the ladder. Mindful of her hoof placement, she stepped on, getting a good grip with her fetlocks before descending into the darkness. Step by step she took, slowly and carefully, always mindful of the rusted bars whenever she gripped one, lest she accidentally break it off and fall to her death. Never once did she look down, always keeping her eyes focused on the concrete wall in front of her. When she finally felt solid ground underneath her hoof, she let out a relieved sigh and hopped off onto the concrete walkway.

Taking stock of her new surroundings, Lilligold noticed very quickly that the path ahead split up in two directions; the right leading over a small bridge to the other side of the waterway, while the left led around a corner. She followed along the waterway toward the intersection, sparing it a glance every few seconds, wondering what kind of creatures might be lying in wait for a chance to seize her.

The sounds of the waterfall behind her subsided as she approached the intersection. She looked both ways, but saw nothing except inky blackness.

“Mizuko! Can you hear me!?” she called, before straining her ears to listen.

”... Lilligold!? Is that you!?”

That came from the right. Lilligold crossed over the bridge and rushed down the following path, her hooves clacking wildly against the concrete in her haste. The path led down a little ways before turning another corner, whereupon she saw Mizuko, drenched from head to hoof, Yadame resting on her back.

“Mizuko!” She rushed up to the other mare, embracing her in a brief hug — which Mizuko didn’t return — before looking over her body. “Are you alright? Did you get hurt at all? What about Yadame?” She winced upon seeing the large lump on Yadame’s forehead from where he’d hit the bridge’s railing.

Mizuko didn’t answer right away. It was then that a closer look at her revealed to Lilligold that Mizuko seemed to be a little on edge. Her eyes darted about, looking all around them as if expecting something to leap out and attack. It was behavior that Lilligold hadn’t expected to see from the mare who’d just jumped off a bridge and fallen into a reservoir, all to save a colt who’d seemingly been giving her a hard time. To see a pony like that feeling fear was more than a little unsettling to Lilligold’s already vulnerable nerves.

Finally, Mizuko turned her attention to Lilligold, casting one final glance at the water before replying, “We’re both fine. Yadame’s still unconscious, but I think he’s going to be okay.” Her face paled a little. “There’s something down here, Lilligold.”

Lilligold’s eyes became pinpricks. “W-What do you m-mean?” she stuttered.

“I heard something make a splash over there.” She gestured further down the corridor. “Something big.” She turned back to Lilligold, only to recoil in surprise upon seeing the lack of color in the other mare’s face as she stared past her.

And then she heard it: a wet slap on the ground behind her. Every single muscle in Mizuko’s body tensed while a chill ran down her spine. Another slap, followed by light breathing. Mizuko mustered the willpower to turn her head around, only to blanch herself upon seeing the hideous creature half-submerged in the water, leaning over the concrete and staring right at them.

Through the fear clouding her mind, details about the creature managed to click. Scaly green skin, duck-like beak, matted dark hair, webbed hands and feet. She was staring eye-to-eye with a kappa, a creature she’d always believed to be superstition, yet here was one right in front of her.

What little amazement Mizuko started feeling was abruptly cut off when she suddenly remembered all the stories she’d heard about kappas, and all the terrible things they would do to their victims, drowning being among the least horrifying.

The kappa hoisted itself up onto the concrete, to which Mizuko instinctively leapt backwards and closer to Lilligold, who was on the verge of looking like a ghost.

“Wh-Wh-What do we d-d-d-do?” Lilligold stuttered.

Mizuko gulped. “On my count, we make a run for it,” she replied. “One…”

The kappa lifted its hands.

“Two…”

It cupped its hands around its mouth.

“Three!”

”Foreigner!”

The two mares bolted down the path at speeds to put a cheetah to shame. But their escape was halted when several more kappas emerged from the water, blocking their way. Before they could so much as scream, their collective vision was filled with blinding flashes, accompanied by a series of clicks and excited shouts. The visionary assault lasted for a few moments before Mizuko and Lilligold were able to recover and blink away the colorful spots from their eyes.

“Lilligold…” Mizuko held a hoof to her forehead, trying to ease a growing headache. She turned to see that the other mare was also a little disoriented.

Her attention returned to the group of kappas. They were all huddled together, holding photographs in their scaly hands and wearing cameras around their necks, which appeared to be encased in waterproof housings. They held the photographs out for each other, pointing and giggling at the contents like a group of excited school foals having just caught a peer in an embarrassing situation.

“Ugh, what just happened?” Lilligold droned.

“... More gaijin hunters,” Mizuko replied, her tone betraying how she felt more surprised than angry by this realization. Then her ears flicked in response to a sound from behind her. Turning, she saw the first kappa advancing towards them, but the way its arms were casually crossed behind its head failed to instill any fear into her.

”My apologies for scaring you;” it said, addressing Mizuko. ”I didn’t think anyone would react in such a way to seeing me.” It stopped in front of the two mares, taking a moment to glance between them each, as well as the still unconscious Yadame sitting on Mizuko’s back. ”... It appears there is much to this situation that I’m ignorant to.”

Lilligold took a hesitant, fearful step back. Mizuko finally shook herself free from the oddity of the current situation, and placed herself between the kappa and Lilligold, her face settling into a determined expression. ”Who are you?” she asked.

The kappa fell into a short bow. ”I am Gesuru.”

Mizuko raised her hoof, hesitating for a moment, before gesturing to herself. ”I am Mizuko.”

Gesuru turned to Lilligold. ”Who’s the lovely mare?” he asked, his lips lifting into a coy smile.

Mizuko furrowed her brows. ”I won’t tell you.”

Gesuru snorted. ”Very well.” He then knelt down so he was eye level with the two mares. ”So, what brings the two of you down here? It’s been a very long time since we’ve had visitors from the surface.” His gaze focused on Yadame, his smile falling as he noticed the bump on the colt’s head. ”Looks like he needs help.”

”He does,” Mizuko replied, and turned away from him. “Let’s go, Lilligold.”

Lilligold nodded shakily. “Y-Yes, sure,” she stuttered, sparing a nervous glance at Gerusu as she followed after her.

The two mares only took a few steps before Gesuru came around and blocked their path, causing them to instinctively step back, Mizuko furrowing her gaze a little harder.

”There’s an excellent doctor in town who’d happily treat your little friend if you stay for a while. It’s been a long time since we’ve had contact with ponies; everyone would be overjoyed to meet the both of you, especially her,” he pointed to Lilligold, who shrunk a little in response. Gesuru's eyes took on a hopeful glint as he clasped his hands together. ”What do you say?”

Mizuko found herself too exasperated at first to respond. Everything about the situation was too surreal for her. Kappas were just a myth, she’d been told. A race of dangerous creatures who were apathetic toward ponies’ lives and lived in and around water.

But looking into Gesuru’s eyes made her question that belief. She saw real concern in them, and a genuine desire to extend a helping hoof, or hand in this case. His somewhat laid back demeanor didn’t strike her as threatening, though he was hardly a paragon of benevolence. But nothing about him or his friends made them out to be monsters, in stark contrast to everything she’d heard about their kind.

Moreover, her curious side was telling her to accept Gesuru’s offer. He had indicated there really was an entire city of kappas living right under the Neighponese populace’s muzzles. It flew in the face of what she thought she knew about her home country. How many ponies knew about this already? How many could know? Surely the news would’ve spread like wildfire by now if anypony had known.

A poke to the withers snapped Mizuko back to reality. Looking up, she saw Gesuru looking down at her with an expression of mixed delight and confusion.

”Lost in thoughts?” he asked.

Mizuko sighed, furrowing her gaze again. ”We’ll go with you, but only on two conditions.”

Gesuru nodded. ”Very well.”

”We follow behind you and your friends...”

Gesuru nodded again.

”... and no more pictures.”

Another nod.

Mizuko sighed again, silently hoping everything would turn out alright. ”Let’s go then.”

Subterranean Discovery

The journey through the reservoir to the Underground City of Kappas, as Mizuko had called it, was the epitome of unsettling experiences for Lilligold. Journeying through a dark, damp reservoir, following behind a bunch of scary-looking bipedal turtle-frog hybrid… things. Kappas, right. She needed to start remembering these terms, lest she possibly spell trouble for herself.

Their journey took them further down the corridor where she’d found Mizuko, taking lefts and rights down stone-walled corridors which looked to be in excellent condition without a single speck of grime or mold anywhere along their surfaces. A series of lit torches adorned the walls after a small distance, when the sunlight filtering through the entrance had faded away. The entire atmosphere would’ve been very eerily serene, had it not been for Gesuru and his friends making a racket up front as they chatted amongst each other, occasionally playfully batting each other or slapping their backs like friends were want to do. Only this sense of camaraderie helped to calm Lilligold’s nerves, even if it was only between their guides.

Eventually, the sounds of distant activity echoing through the corridor reached her ears. A quick glance at Mizuko confirmed that she’d heard it too, and they shared a brief, curious glance. The group soon came upon an opening from which natural sunlight poured. Gesuru and his friends turned into the opening first, followed soon after by Mizuko and Lilligold, who both gaped at what they saw.

Before them was an enormous, natural cavern, sunlight pouring from an opening near the top, with a natural spring set into the center. Brick walkways criss-crossed the spring, along which sat a multitude of structures. Some were vaguely pony-esque in their design, having thatched roofs and driftwood walls, while others were more ornate, constructed out of bronze and sporting the kind of swirling patterns traditional to ancient Neighponese architecture. Signs hung over many of the smaller driftwood buildings, with symbols indicating various types of services and other commerce: a cup of noodles with chopsticks, an open book, etc. Kappas littered the crosswalks, some moving along, some seated and chatting, and others swimming in the giant spring.

Nothing about the city was especially awe-inspiring on the surface. Indeed, for being an underground city, not much about its actual layout and construction was particularly amazing. And yet, Mizuko found herself at a loss for words, though her mind was abuzz with questions, not the least of which being how such a place was still a secret to the populace of Neighpon. There was even an opening right up above where anyone could easily see the city! Why hadn’t the existence of the Underground City of Kappas ever been made public!?

An influx of possible answers for why it had never been discovered flew through Mizuko's conscience, most of which entailing kidnapping and murder. Suddenly, she was feeling a lot less comfortable being there, but before she could voice her concern to Lilligold, their attention was drawn to Gesuru’s friends storming down the stone staircase leading to the city, shouting excitedly and waving their photos above their heads.

”They’re eager to impress their girlfriends,” Gesuru said with a snort. He turned to the two mares as they returned his gaze. ”Shall we head down as well?”

Mizuko just stood still, not moving a muscle, the fear coursing through her rooting her to the spot. Lilligold was just left confused without context as to what Gesuru had said.

Gesuru raised an eyebrow. ”Is something the matter?” he asked.

Finally, Mizuko worked up the nerve to speak. ”How come no one has discovered this city?” she asked, doing her best to sound calm and collected, for Lilligold’s sake. ”The Underground City of Kappas is nothing more than a myth to the rest of Neighpon.”

Gesuru blinked. ”... It is?” Mizuko nodded, to which Gesuru placed his hands behind his head, casting his gaze upwards in thought. ”Actually, that makes perfect sense.”

”Why?”

Gesuru said nothing for a moment, keeping his gaze up, before eventually sighing and giving Mizuko a wistful smile. ”Let’s get going. Your little friend there needs help, after all.”

Mizuko blinked herself. ”... Of course.” She turned to Lilligold, seeing that the other mare was still taking in the sights down below. “Let’s go, Lilligold.”

Lilligold turned to her. “Oh, uh, right, of course."

The three followed after Gesuru’s friends down the staircase. Along the way, Mizuko warred with herself over prodding Gesuru for details on why the kappa race apparently decided to go into hiding. Nothing about his demeanor suggested his people actively wanted to keep their existence a secret, but it was quite clear looking at how much work went into building the city that they did actively seclude themselves from the rest of civilization.

It was then that all the stories she’d heard about kappas came to the forefront of her mind. The bipedal reptiles as told in the stories were a group of pranksters at best, and merciless killers at worst. Tales of them stealing, drowning unsuspecting ponies, and other heinous crimes were told to little fillies and colts who might wander too close to rivers unsupervised. Her own parents especially, seeing as how she loved swimming at every chance she could get. But as an adult she thought she understood that those tales were just that, cautionary tales meant to keep foals safe.

But now she knew that kappas were real, and were apparently not very keen on freely journeying to the surface world, at least not publicly. If something horrible happened that forced them to go into self-imposed exile, it would explain why all the stories about kappas were less-than-flattering. With that realization, Mizuko suddenly felt a strong surge of sympathy for the legendary aquatic race.

”Oh my gosh! Is that a foreigner!?”

Mizuko was snapped from her thoughts by the loud exclamation. Looking up, she noticed the three of them had made it to the city’s outer limits. A small group of kappas on the street in front of them were giving them starry-eyed looks, or, more specifically, Lilligold. Looking over, she saw that the pink mare had shrunk in on herself under their collective gaze.

Smiling, Mizuko reached over and gently patted Lilligold’s withers. “I’ll help you get through this, don’t worry,” she soothed.

She felt Lilligold’s body loosen up a little as she returned her gaze. “Thanks, Mizuko,” she replied, smiling. “I owe you big time after this is all over.”

“Showing me that ‘purewater lily’ will be enough.”

Lilligold giggled.

”What are you two chatting about?” Gesuru asked.

”It’s not important,” Mizuko replied, turning to him. ”Where’s the hospital at?”

”Follow me,” he replied, and began heading down the street, Mizuko and Lilligold following right behind again.

Breaking Point

Much like the earlier trek through Gujo Hachimare, all throughout their journey through the kappa city, Lilligold found herself shrinking under all the stares she was getting. Literally every single kappa out on the streets stole a glance at her as she passed, and even after passing she could feel their awed gazes boring into the back of her head. Some sidelong glances from a few curious ponies was one thing, but being treated like a hairless monkey was too much, made even worse by all the incessant photographs!

By the time they’d reached the hospital, Lilligold was too distraught to do anything more than curl up into a ball in front of the building and bury her face in her hooves. Mizuko must’ve realized she needed some time alone with her thoughts; a brief exchange with Gesuru in Neighponese, and Lilligold heard the front door to the hospital open and close, leaving her alone outside.

To think that, just a little under twelve hours ago, she had departed the Equestrian mainland, worrying over all the possible ways she might get lost and confused and end up crying in a back alley somewhere in her search for cherry blossoms. Meeting Mizuko was the best thing that could’ve happened to her in that regard, but Sweet Celestia! Did the universe decide today was ‘Pick on Lilligold’ day or something!?

All she wanted was a few cherry blossoms. That’s all. But apparently such a simple errand couldn’t be so simple. She could only blame herself for her upset stomach, of course, but why, oh why, did every possible inconvenience rear their heads and insert themselves into her quest? And the most outlandish ones to boot! A summon from an ancient fox deity. Discovering a forgotten civilization. Was there anything else this day could possibly throw at her? Anything at all!?

“Lilligold?”

She blinked. “... Mizuko?” She stood up and turned to see both Mizuko and Gesuru looking at her quizzically.

Mizuko tilted her head. “Is everything okay?” she asked.

“Yeah… I’m fine now.” Lilligold took a deep, relaxing breath before returning their stares with her own, sheepish one. “I guess… I kinda lost myself for a while there.”

Mizuko raised a curious brow, but didn’t prod any further. She turned around to face Gesuru and smiled, falling into a deep bow. “Tasuketekurete arigatō.”

Gesuru bowed himself. “Dōitashimashite.” He then turned and left down the street, disappearing from sight around a corner, leaving the two mares alone.

“How’s Yadame?” Lilligold asked.

“The doctor says he hasn’t suffered any serious trauma, and that she can patch him up very quickly.” She smiled. “How about we explore the city until then?”

Lilligold’s expression faltered. She sat down on her rump, and held a hoof to her forehead to ease an oncoming headache.

Mizuko frowned. “Something is wrong, isn’t it?”

No use trying to deny it, Lilligold decided. Mizuko was an understanding mare; she could tell her the truth without fear of backlash.

“I guess I’m just exhausted after everything that’s happened today,” she explained. “Honestly, I can’t take anymore. All I wanted was some cherry blossom samples. Nothing more. Nothing less.” She sighed, and cast her gaze downward. The stonework was impressive considering it was built atop a water spring, she had to admit. “I just want to go home…”

Following a brief silence between them, during which Lilligold fought the urge to curse Audrey for forcing her onto this expedition, Mizuko’s hoof entered her field of vision and lifted her chin up to meet the other mare’s soft, compassionate gaze.

“I understand today’s been hard for you,” she soothed. “But we’re not going anywhere until Yadame gets discharged, so we might as well make the most of this situation. Right?”

Lilligold sighed, hanging her head again. “I guess…”

“You should consider yourself lucky,” Mizuko continued. She took her hoof off of Lilligold’s chin to gesture at the cityscape around them. “We’re in a long lost city of creatures thought to be a myth, and before that we got to meet Inari-sama himself. Most ponies would never get to experience even one of those in one lifetime, let alone both in one day.”

Lilligold lifted her head up, meeting Mizuko’s gaze with a bemused expression. “Remember what you said earlier about us having different definitions of ‘unusual’?” she asked.

Mizuko blinked. “... I do.”

“I’m not familiar with all the customs and folktales of Neighpon, as you know. The fact that the Underground City of Kappas actually exists doesn’t mean anything to me because I haven’t been conditioned to believe it’s just a myth. The same applies to being summoned by Inari-sama.” She lifted her hoof up in a lecturous manner, closing her eyes. “If I was summoned by Princess Celestia, now then I’d feel honored,” she finished, candidly.

“... You’re right,” Mizuko replied. She rubbed the back of her head, while her cheeks turned a bright red. “I’m sorry for making the assumption.”

“It’s fine,” Lilligold replied, before her expression fell into a soft, wistful smile. “Thanks for helping me get through today, Mizuko.”

Mizuko smiled herself. "You're very welcome."

“I guess the least I can do in return is accompany you while you explore this city,” Lilligold continued. “You promise you’ll keep the onlookers at bay?”

“I promise,” Mizuko replied, before the two set off down the street.

Subterranean Tour

True to her word, Mizuko worked to keep curious onlookers from acting out of line as she and Lilligold explored the city. Now on their own, the two mares found themselves on the receiving end of a lot more attention which was too close for comfort.

The constant camera flashes were unavoidable, but Lilligold grew accustomed to the incessant photography after a few dozen pictures, enough that it eventually no longer bothered her. Still a nuisance, however, were the occasional attempts to pet her like a zoo animal. Every now and then a kappa — all of whom female, oddly enough — would come up from behind and begin petting Lilligold’s mane, causing her to cry out in surprise and for Mizuko to diffuse the situation before things escalated.

“All the stories I’ve heard don’t paint kappas in a very respectful light,” Mizuko explained upon being questioned by Lilligold as to why her mane seemed to attract so much attention. “As for why they’re attracted to your mane specifically?” She shrugged. “Maybe they think it’s really pretty?”

Lilligold replied with a nervous chuckle, and the two continued exploring the town.

At one point, they came across a couple of older-looking kappas with saxophones leaning against a building with their cases in front of them, open, while they alternated playing a slow jazz tune. As they passed, Mizuko reached into her bag and fished out four coins, before tossing two each into their cases. The kappas responded only with a small bow and a smile each before resuming play.

“I have a weakness for jazz,” Mizuko explained at Lilligold's questioning gaze.

The rest of their exploration of the city was fairly uneventful. Mostly, Mizuko and Lilligold busied themselves with checking out various open air stores and all the exotic — for both of them — items on display. All the various knick-knacks for sale were quite different from anything Mizuko had ever seen in Gujo Hachimare. Time in self-imposed exile had resulted in a lack of variety in kappa artistry, as most of the pots, necklaces, and other items exclusively depicted kappa characters, with only a scant few showing a pony, kitsune, or tanooki. Seeing all this made Mizuko sad again for the kappas, and she made a vow to help reintegrate kappas back into modern society.

It wasn’t until toward the end of their trip as they neared the hospital that the two mares’ attention was drawn to one store in particular. The overhanging sign depicted a traditional Neighponese kabuto, but the hats displayed on the closest rack were much more modern-looking in both design and the materials used.

Their attention was drawn to one row in particular. Hats of assorted colors lined the shelf, each with a white initial sewn onto the front. One hat was red with the letter ‘M’, while another was green with the letter ‘L’.

Mizuko lifted the red hat slightly off its stick, feeling the material on her hoof. It seemed to be well made, and red would make for a striking contrast against her blue coat, while the green one would be good against Lilligold’s pink coat.

The two mares shared a knowing look, before Mizuko took the hats off the rack and tossed the appropriate change to the shopkeeper, who took the coins and waved the mares off with a grateful smile.

“Now I have two souvenirs,” Lilligold said as she levitated the green hat on her head, momentarily setting her bonsai plant down on the walkway.

“I wonder what everypony will think about these hats?” Mizuko mused as she placed the red one on her own head, smoothing her mane a little so it could fit comfortably. “I’ll probably end up telling everyone about this city as a result.” She frowned. “They might not believe me, however.”

“Well, I’d be more than happy to vouch for you,” Lilligold said, smiling wide.

“Thank you,” Mizuko replied with her own smile.

Happy with their self-conducted tour of the kappa city, the two mares finished the trek back to the hospital. This time, Lilligold decided to follow Mizuko inside.

The inside was about as rudimentary as she expected, given the overall rustic design of the entire city. Set into the left wall was a shelf holding all sorts of medicine bottles and various standard medical devices like stethoscopes and syringes. Along the opposite wall was a series of olive green cots with simple white blankets and pillows; a still unconscious Yadame occupied the center-most cot. Immediately to the mares’ right was a small wooden desk, attended to by a kappa wearing a standard white doctor’s uniform and a mirror headband.

The kappa noticed them enter and stood up, giving a small bow in greeting. “Irasshaimase,” it said to them in a soft, feminine voice.

Mizuko gave no verbal response, instead returning the bow. Lilligold immediately followed suit, more determined now to come across as less of an ignorant foreigner.

The doctor kappa then led them to Yadame’s bedside. Lilligold couldn’t help but coo a little at the adorable sight of him laying down, the blanket rising and falling with his soft breathing, and it took all of her willpower to not chuckle at the snot bubble coming out of his left nostril.

“Kare wa, nin'i no naibu gaishō ya shukketsu o kabutte imasen,” the doctor spoke up, drawing her attention. “Wazuka sū kizu.”

Mizuko breathed a sigh of relief. “Sore wa yoi,” she said, and bowed again. “Tasuketekurete arigatō.”

“Dōitashimashite.” The doctor held out her webbed hand. “Sore wa, 10-mai no koin ni narudarou.”

Mizuko reached into her coin bag and fished out the appropriate change. She passed it to the doctor, who accepted it with a nod before returning to her work desk.

Mizuko grabbed Yadame by the nap of his neck and gently lifted the sleeping colt onto her back alongside her coin bag. “Hopefully he doesn’t wake up before we’re out of here. I can’t imagine how he’d react to seeing this city.”

Lilligold smiled at the sleeping colt. “He’d probably faint again at the sight of it.”

The two then exited the hospital and began making their way back toward the city’s entrance. As before, they couldn’t make it ten steps without one or more overzealous photographers snapping a picture in their direction. Unlike before, however, Lilligold found herself more at ease being the center of so much attention. Whether it was her simply having become desensitized, or her enthusiasm for finally being done with all the craziness of the day overtaking her anxiety, she didn’t know.

But as excited as she was to finally be on the verge of completing her mission, a small part of her conscience felt that, in all honesty, the day’s events had done an admirable job rejuvenating her spirit in a way that she hadn’t felt in such a long time. Enough that she was seriously starting to consider taking more vacations.

Friendship In Full Bloom

A great wind blew through the orchard, shaking loose a sea of petals which the current carried across in a pink flurry. Their movements erratic, they tumbled through the air, slaves to the wind’s direction, before finally coming to rest on the soft, green grass some distance away. There they lay, coating the ground in a blanket of pink, waiting for either another current to pick them up to parts unknown, or to eventually return to the soil. A few petals had the privilege of being wrapped in telekinesis and lifted up to meet the scrutinizing gaze of one plant-obsessed unicorn.

“Yes, these will do nicely,” Lilligold said with a simple, satisfied smile. She opened her saddlebag, levitating out a test tube topped with a cork. She popped off the cork, put the petals in the tube, and placed it back into her saddlebag.

“You’ve finally got what you came for,” Mizuko noted joyly.

Lilligold nodded. “Mhmm.” She turned to gaze at the scenery before them. “It’s as beautiful as I imagined it would be,” she said softly.

Several columns of sakura trees stretched out in front of them, ending next to a grassy oasis, beyond which sat a series of rolling hills. Celestia’s sun had dipped out of view below them, creating a perfect contrast of pink, orange, and yellow between the fading daylight and the trees. The entire area looked straight out a master artist’s painting.

Mizuko could only give a slight nod in response. Truthfully, the scenery had little effect on her. Having grown up accustomed to seeing sakura trees everywhere had afforded her the opportunity to see a sight as beautiful as what they were currently witnessing on more than one occasion. Her appreciation of such beauty was diminished as a result, but all the same, the view was indeed a sight to behold.

“Hey, Mizuko?”

Mizuko turned to her. “Yes?”

“Thanks again for all your help.” A slight blush adorned Lilligold’s cheeks as she rubbed the back of her head. “If you don’t mind, do you think I could spend the night with you? The return ferry back to the mainland has surely left by now, and I don’t have a place to stay.” She chuckled sheepishly.

Mizuko blinked, slightly off-put by the question. After a moment, she smiled and nodded. “Of course.” She gestured back the way they’d come. “My house is by the waterfront, so we’ve got a bit of a walk ahead of us.”

Lilligold let out a purposely exaggerated sigh. “Of course we do.”

With that, the two set off back the way they’d come.

“Actually, would you mind if I traveled with you back to Elmshire?” Mizuko suddenly asked, turning to her. “After I’m done talking with Yadame’s parents in the morning, that is?”

Lilligold returned her gaze with a cocked brow. “You want to come?”

Mizuko nodded. “It’s my goal to visit as many places as I can before I die, and I haven’t been to Elmshire yet. Plus, I really want to see this ‘purewater lily’ for myself.”

Lilligold stared blankly before smiling. “You know what? I’d like that very much.”

Both mares returned their gazes forward, focusing on the road in front of them amidst the quickly darkening nighttime sky. They remained silent for several minutes, letting the nighttime ambiance of crickets and wind fill their ears. The city was mostly barren when they reached it; the few ponies that were out were shuffling along at a quick pace, clearly intent on returning home as soon as possible.

“Hey, Mizuko?”

“Yes?”

“... We’re friends, right?”

Mizuko’s hooves carried her of their own accord as her mind tried to process Lilligold’s question, finding it more difficult than it should’ve been. Perhaps it was the other mare’s rather uncharacteristic boldness in stating her query that threw her for a loop. Eventually, she stopped and turned to face Lilligold, who mimicked her action.

Lilligold had been a fish out of water that morning. A stranger in an unfamiliar land, trying to make sense of her surroundings and fit in to complete her set objective. It had shown in her eyes that morning. But the eyes that stared back at her now were different. They held a desire, no, a resolve to change. To become stronger in spirit. The underconfident mare from that morning was gone, buried under a newfound growth of character that Mizuko greatly appreciated.

But through all that, the kind, gentle mare that Mizuko had come to admire was still there. Reflecting on their time together, Mizuko realized she’d spent more time with Lilligold than anypony else ever since moving out of her parents’ house, barring those she worked with on a professional basis as a freelance scuba diver, and she’d loved it wholeheartedly. A genuine bond had formed between them, she realized, one that could only exist between true, honest-to-goodness friends.

“Of course we are,” she replied with a smile. “I’m proud to consider you a friend.”

Lilligold’s mouth turned up into her own smile, and she held a fore leg up. Confused at first, Mizuko quickly recognized the gesture as wanting a hug, and she complied with her friend’s request, careful not to knock the bonsai plant off of her back.

After a moment, they broke apart. Mizuko gestured with her head that they should get going, and the two set off through the town once again, the fire of friendship strong and radiant in both of their hearts.

Youthful Ignorance

The first thing Yadame became aware of as he opened his eyes, blinking the bleariness away, was the sensation of moving against his will. That, and the feeling of somepony else’s fur against his barrel. Looking around, he saw the sky was a growing shade of dark blue, with the orange glow of the setting sun in his eye’s corner.

”What…?” he muttered.

”He’s awake, Lilligold.”

Yadame didn’t have time to register the voice before he felt a pressure on the nap of his neck, followed by the sensation of being lifted up, soon followed by his hooves touching solid ground. He shook off the rest of his sleepiness, focusing his eyes in front of him. A pair of blue hooves met his gaze, and looking up brought him eye-to-eye with a very disappointed-looking Mizuko. The pink foreigner from earlier stood next to her, her own expression neutral. A quick glance at their surroundings revealed the three of them were atop the ravine following the river, just a little ways away from the bridge.

And that’s when the memories surfaced. Practicing his hoofstrokes. Finding Mizuko and challenging her to a race. Slipping on the railing and…

”Are you feeling alright, Yadame?”

The colt looked back to Mizuko, noticing that her expression had changed from disappointment to concern. A small flare of hope that, maybe, just maybe he could get out of this without getting in trouble, sparked in his heart.

”Y-Yes,” he stuttered.

Mizuko simply nodded, before frowning. ”Go home. I’ll be there tomorrow morning to discuss this with your parents.”

Of course it was too much to hope for an easy way out, Yadame thought as he hung his head in shame, before turning and beginning the trek home. Underneath his shame and fear of potentially being smacked by his parents, a small bubble of curiosity of where Mizuko and the foreigner had gotten their hats from formed.