Journey to the East

by Short-tale

Rating: everyone
Tags: Spike, Adventure, Slice of Life, Autumn Blaze, Twilight Sparkle, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Rarity
Length: 6210

Rarity goes on a quest to find the ponies of the East. She writes Princess Twilight of her adventures.

Princess Twilight sends out her friends to different areas of the world to learn more and meet more friends. Rarity and Spike are sent to the East with Autumn Blaze. Rarity learns about new cultures and Autumn learns her tribe’s origin.

Not all are friendly in the East and Rarity has to teach some ponies a lesson.

Written for Kirinfest for Publiqclop!

Collab with Ninjadeadbeard

Published 2022-10-09 11:10:00 UTC
Last updated 2022-10-09 11:10:00 UTC

Dear Princess Twilight

To Her Glorious Majesty, Queen Twilight Sparkle, Princess Sovereign of Equestria, the Equestrian Alliance of Friendship, and all Her Loyal Territories, Alicornii Regnum Imperpetuum:

You must forgive me, Darling! I couldn’t help myself! My first official missive as an Equestrian Ambassador must open in an appropriately Royal fashion. I know you don’t like the ‘Queen’ title, Twilight, but I still say you should be able to use it on occasion. Unicorns had sole rulers at one point, you know, so you’d only be carrying on an ancient legacy.

Oh, Spike informs me ‘Queen’ was officially abolished by Celestia in the second century? Good heavens, why? And how does he know so much about unicorn history? I suppose it comes with being a Royal Advisor.

Thank you so much for lending me my Spikey Wikey for this mission, by the way. I don’t know how I’d manage an entire Ambassadorial and Trade mission without his expertise! Spike really is so good at the details. I can see now he’s every bit the organizational genius as, well, every Sparkle I’ve met at this point. It’s practically a gene!

Ah, but I’ve already made a bit of a mess of this, haven’t I, darling? Who would ever expect to find gossip and chitter-chatter in an official document? Especially one that might hold real historical importance? Oh my, historical importance. Not exactly the sort of mark I was hoping to make on history, but here we are.

Oh, yes. The report.

Our expedition, one of Qu—Princess Twilight Sparkle’s first international initiatives, was to explore the frontiers of friendship and make contact with nations and peoples far off and away from our home in Equestria. Several of my closest friends were sent to the furthest and most exotic corners of the world, but it was I, Rarity, who received the grandest and most astonishing assignment of all!

And while Rainbow Dash and Applejack were sent to the Peryton Confederation, and Fluttershy and Pinkie traveled to the Zebrican continent to visit Farasi, I was to travel by airship to the distant, ancient, and mysterious Kingdom of Longma, a nation so far away that it was said you had to pass the place where the sun rose to find it.

Celestia knew the directions precisely, funnily enough, and even drew us a map. A bit anticlimactic, but I had a sense that that ancient proverb held real practical wisdom.

More worrisome was the look in the former Princess’ eye when I mentioned where I was going. Of course, I would never say anything uncouth about our former monarch, the shepherd of all ponies for over one thousand years… but she did impress upon me the fact that I was required to return with ample supply of Longma Tea, or I would find myself banished to a cold and distant stellar object before I knew what hit me.

I believe she may have a tea problem.

As I mentioned before, Spike the Brave and Glorious, Royal Advisor and Friendship Ambassador, joined me on this expedition, as did Autumn Blaze – and I do so love her! When Applejack and Fluttershy originally returned from the Peaks of Peril with news about the kirin ponies there, I was positively miffed that the Friendship Map had not sent me! An entire community of artists? Playwrights and songwriters and designers of all sorts? Darling, I don’t mean to question the all-knowing Spirit of Friendship, but you ought to have a talk to her one of these days.

As soon as I met Autumn on the landing pad, we became fast friends! Oh, what a free and expressive spirit she has! When we met, she went on a veritable spiel that went on, and on, and on like whenever Pinkie gets a bit too excited. But you know, when you replace confections with drama and stories and art, I found I could follow along just fine!

Captain Silverwing, the hippogriff, welcomed us aboard the TMS Explorer like a proper gentlestallion. He’s a bit long in the feather, as they say, but in that uniform he cuts a proper figure of a military pony er Hippogriff. He gave us the tour, and even accepted Spike’s input on spacing in the cargo hold. I could tell right away we were going to have a smooth ride all the way to Longma.

You know, you could change the ship prefixes back to Her Majesty’s Ship, darling. They only made it Their Majesties’ Ship when Luna came back from the moon, and Captain SIlverwing found the whole thing a bit confusing regardless. Oh well.

It was then that Autumn’s inclusion into the diplomatic mission became evident, once we’d taken off from Canterlot. She brought myself, Spike, and all the officers together and shared with us a most astonishing tale.

The kirins have many legends about where they came from. Being ponies with several dragon-like traits, they believed themselves descended from an ancient marriage of species. I think I read a romance novel about that very—

Anyway. According to Autumn, some of her people found a cave near the Peaks of Peril that held artifacts confirming the kirin had come from another land, far away! And more than that, this far distant land was merely the last port of call for the ancient kirin before traveling to Equestria. They, in fact, had traveled to this Kirin Grove from another distant land.

That land? Longma! Where a sister tribe to the kirin reside! The longma are, according to Autumn and Celestia, a proud and advanced tribe of ponies. Like kirin, they are covered in hardened dragon scales, but instead of magic like kirin, they actually have wings. Like draconic pegasi!

Autumn provided visual cues, by the way, and I loved every second of it! You know, if the stories of longma silk are true, I could make a show depicting them with their wings. Ooh! Autumn and I had this brilliant idea for a bit of musical theater on that subject, involving an all-kirin cast made up to look like—

Right. Report. Official.

Not sure where I would put the silk anyway, what with all the tea.

After what seemed like ages, we came to the mountains that divided Equestria from the kirin homelands. Now you and I both know we have climbed mountains but these were massive! I’ve never seen mountains that big before. I feared the world would tilt because of them, they are that big darling! Think of a show in which Songbird Serenade and Countess Coloratura played together and Fedora Felt made their hats while Hoity Toity made their clothes. That big!

Actually that’s a grand idea. Such a concert would certainly bring ponies of all kinds together. I daresay it would be grander than even a Princess Coronation. Now that you are ~~Queen~~ Top Princess Supremo, is finding princesses something you can do? Do you sense any candidates? You will tell me the second you sense one right?! And don’t worry, I shall be ever so discreet.

Oh, there’s a yeti. Goodness, what an awful looking brute. It’s hard to believe that any creature would come across these mountains let alone live on them. It waved! Perhaps it’s not that bad after all. I should make a note to drop a note on suggestions to improve his appearance. I’m sure he could find a way to make a decent shampoo.

We appear to be stuck in a crosswind. I don’t know what we had done to anger it, but Captain Silverwing is just as cross. Spike has gotten out to push and Autumn is using her fire as an engine. Oh I do wish they would coordinate, Autumn nearly burned my Spikey Wikey’s face off.

The ship rocked violently and I thought it would jettison my modest travel luggage. It’s only eight bags this time and not nearly as many essentials as usual. But alas I lost my scarf to the winds somehow. I threw myself upon my chaise lounge and noticed it was gone. Sure I have more scarves at home but that one had just the right amount of fluff on the inside. It didn’t mess my mane up with static and tickled my neck as I moved. The sacrifices we must make for adventure! It’s nearly unthinkable how I’ll endure.

The winds have stopped and I have found my scarf. It turns out I was laying on it. Thank Celestia, The Quest can continue! If only the airship hadn’t crashed of course. It was thrown by the wind into the woods on the far side of the mountain. I had a tree branch in my mane! The others were fine, Spike was brave enough to save me from any further harm. And the Captain saved Autumn in a most heroic fashion. I recommend commendations for all of them. It seems we must find provisions, I will give you another report when more has happened.

Lady Rarity, Ambassador to the East, Councilor of Friendship, Fashionista Imperial, and very put-out mountain-hiker.

Dear Queen Twilight Sparkle of Equestria,

I shall stop using the other official titles if you at least allow me this one. Your daring Ambassador has been roughing it. We made contact with the local ponies of the area. The fabled Ryujin. They’re so much like dragons I nearly missed the hooves. They don't have the magic like the kirin or wings like the Longma but are very polite and hospitable.

They’re homes are modest huts and I do mean modest. They don’t even use magic to power anything, it reminds me, did I leave the oven on? I’m certain I turned it off but you know how excited I can get. If you could send a pony to check I would be most appreciative.

The village here is so rustic, it has its own charm in a way. The ryujin have been telling me of the joy of simplicity. I tried showing them the wonders of modern sewing machines but they insisted on hoof stitching everything. They said it was the focus on the task that brought the enjoyment more than the result. As much as I could relate it would be hard to do if you had a deadline. Why it would take me months to sew your new ball gown if I did it with my hooves. Still it was interesting to see their very practical sense of style. Applejack would appreciate it I suspect.

Their leader, Sifu Bark Brook, is the sweetest stallion. He’s so small and kind. He opened his home to us and said we could stay as long as wel like. He also told us the Ryujin belief in your own nature and acting accordingly. I suppose it’s the same as us with our cutie marks. But they don’t have them as a reminder of their nature. Poor dears. They were fascinated with mine once I told them what they were for. I must confess I didn’t want that much attention… there.

Have you ever had an old-fashioned bath? It is a strange experience. They place you in a metal basin filled with water with a fire underneath. I felt a little like soup. Though the soup was rather good. Mostly leeks and some sort of broccoli. It had small chunks of white things called “toe foo.” Though there wasn’t much flavor they say it’s good for the body.

Spike said their gems were delicious as well. The Ryujin seemed to fancy Spike quite a lot. Perhaps they were proud of their dragon heritage? He was treated as an honored guest and given the most delectable of jade pieces to eat. I took his word for it but I must say the gems were so fetching I might have snuck one or twelve off his plate. I doubt he minded.

Of all of our party, our kirin seeker, Autumn, was the most star struck. She would have given Pinkie a run for her bits the way she ran around trying to take everything in at once. She asked the story of this artifact and the significance of these eating sticks and clothes and art. I think she was asleep long before the rest of us that first day.

She did find a family tree regarding their dragon heritage however. It does seem the Ryujin are direct descendents from a union of a dragon with a pony but the kirin are not listed nor the Longma.

The problem with daily bathing here is that it takes an awful lot of wood. I have graciously decided to bath only once a day but I still felt a little guilty using up their supplies. Luckily Spike and Autumn were very accommodating and allowed me to use their fire. Autumn jumped into the tub with me at one point after heating it and it made quite a mess, as well as an awkward situation to explain to Spikey Wikey.

I hope you are doing well at home, darling. It is strange being so far away. I am ever grateful for Spike’s presence. I fear I would have lost heart and longed to return if it wasn’t for his optimism.

Your Ambassador to the East

Rarity

My dear Princess Twilight,

We’ve been had! It turns out I was not in a large village of Ryujin but in some sort of simple living retreat for historic reenactors for the past week. It turns out they knew most of the things I tried to teach them about the modern world but stayed in character as part of retreat arrangement. I scolded them thoroughly and reminded them of the position I was in. As Ambassador we should have been treated with common decency and let in on the goings on. However, it was a great way to learn more of their history and culture. Sifu Brook was even nice enough to make us all necklaces to remind us to slow down in our busy world.

The rest of the culture is much more civilized. Well it’s not exactly the same way we do things but they seemed to find different ways. For instance, I of course had to see what sewing was like here. I found a fashion shop and marveled at the fabric. They use a lot more prints than ponies do. The patterns are so intricate and rich I couldn’t help myself and purchased a bolt or two.

Their way of life honors the land they live on. Artists are given high honor but not as much as farmers of all things. I was shocked to see how much they were venerated. Applejack would love to see how respected she would be here. As surprising as it was, they did have a good argument. Art and bits are fine and wonderful but you can’t eat them. Those that work the land are to be commended. Still a life without art and expression is hardly a life worth living in my opinion.

The ryujin were most helpful to Autumn and her quest to find the sister tribe of kirin. We were brought into an enormous hall of records. Oh did I mention the architecture here is astounding. The roofs are made of multiple layers and had a distinctive shape that looks like a sagging triangle. Oh that doesn’t do them justice at all. I shall take some drawings and pictures to show you. Spike informed me that such things have a small chance of being distorted through the dragon fire mail system, so I’ll just have to show you when I return.

Oh yes, our progress. In this grand hall we found the true origin of the three pony tribes of the area. It seems thousands of years ago another dragon was raised by a pony race similar to ours. From the depictions he wasn’t nearly as cute and darling as our dear Spike but he too fell in love with a pony. Oh don’t worry darling, he may have had that cute crush on me but he has found many interests in creatures his own age. Gabby for instance. Still this smitten dragon didn’t find a little griffin mail carrier, he found a proper pony and they wed.

I suppose it must have caused a bit of social uproar but I don’t see where. Maybe interspecies relationships are more favorable up here. Or they just didn’t tell anypony about it. That happens all the time; ponies run off in the middle of the night and secretly get married. It’s quite romantic and keeps the public from commenting on who the choice is and why they are together. Hint hint!

Well these two had three foals. Don’t ask how, darling. It’s uncouth. Their foals were part dragon, naturally, but pony bodies aren’t made to hold all the power that dragons have it seems. So they were only blessed with one dragon gift each. The Ryujin were given stronger skin and scales than the hardiest of ponies. They’re practically impenetrable if they lay down. The Longma received the dragon wings of their father, while the kirin were given their magic and fire.

It was at this point that Autumn began to hug all the Ryujin in the area, calling them cousins. In a way she’s right but the startled looks on their faces told me they don’t get hugged that often. But they were gracious enough to allow her. They seemed more amused with how much emotion she showed.

That was one thing I noticed: though they were nice enough, the Ryujin seemed very guarded. They weren’t to Maud’s level but it was definitely very controlled. They laughed and smiled in a very measured way, as if too much emotion would unleash something in them. I remembered Applejack’s story about the kirin and wondered if there was some credence to that theory. Still they didn’t say or do anything that made me any more suspicious than your regular high society party.

The feeling changed when we asked about the Longma. It turned out their “cousins” drove them out of their town. I can’t imagine why. But the Longma have a reputation for being very particular on whom they allow in their village. None of the villagers we asked would take us to their lands and I was a little discouraged by their reluctance.

It looked like we might need to make the journey on hoof and with only a map to guide us. As great as my map reading skills may be, the thought of getting lost out here with so little essentials sent chills down my spine. Spike is much more suited to the task but I feared that Autumn’s jovial nature and concentration skills might drag our trip out. We decided to sleep on it and will discuss what to do in the morning.

Your Royal Ambassador to the East,,

Rarity- San (It’s what they call me. Doesn’t it sound so regal?)

Dearest Princess Twilight,

Things have turned in our favor. The locals told us that there is a group of creatures that interact with the Longma and will take us there. The intrepid Captain Silverwing has decided to remain with the ship and meet us in the Longma city. We shall miss his good natural and martial skill but we were assured he shan’t need it. The group we met were holy creatures, llamas specifically, and hate violence. Sadly it sounds this hatred has caused them to be oppressed by their Longma neighbors.

We met them at the bottom of yet another set of mountains, Neighpal. These weren’t nearly as large as the last ones but we didn’t have our ship so I was a bit dismayed. Once the llama assured us they would carry us in their wagon to the top, I got up off my chaise and felt a lot better about this trek.

The llama are very interesting and wear such marvelous robes. They were a deep burgundy and golden color and looked like they were made of silk. They allowed me to purchase one for the trip.

We spent the day in their temple which is where they live. They spent the day cleaning, chanting and a lot of meditation. I, of course, joined them but found it difficult to sit still all that long. You know how I get sometimes, especially on assignment. I’ll try to practice it more when I get home.

The other fascinating practice was the use of bells. Every hour or so they would ring a bell and the entire community would stop and breathe for a moment. Apparently it’s a reminder to be in the moment.

Autumn was not in her element I must say. She didn’t bring any boots or warm clothing for the trip and the snow covered mountain was getting to her. Luckily I had some life blankets and wrapped them into boots. Autumn could let a bit of her fire slip and she would warm as a fresh made bed in no time.

Her biggest issue, though, was sitting still and quietly during the llamas’ meditation. I knew she suffered all those years of silence but one needn’t talk constantly to make up for it. Especially when the rest of the temple was utterly silent. But as I said the meditation wasn’t easy and even Spike got antsy. He could sit through multiple versions of your lectures without coffee. Sorry, darling, but your speeches can get rather drole.

The next day the llamas took us back down the mountain. It was much easier than up, well it felt easier from inside the back of the cart. We gave them thanks and stayed another night at the mountain base before visiting the longma. Autumn took this opportunity to speak as much as she could or perhaps she always did and just noticed it more after the silence. Still it was a welcome sound, she chittered so happily that I forgot all my fears about the city ahead. If these ponies are as bad as everypony was telling us then I would have to give them a lesson in friendship.

Spike was kind enough to sing a song to calm my nerves down. He really is such a dear. I could easily imagine a pony falling for such antics. The kirin origin story didn’t sound so far-fetched at that time. Of course the age difference still existed and well I am happy with my mare. As you well know.

Oh dear, this is a historical document and I might have ruined it by bringing that up. I don’t have any white out and would rather not ruin the beautiful hoof writing with scratch outs and cross outs. Could you be a dear and remove that last bit with your magic? Oh I do hope so.

Best regards,

Rarity, Ambassador to the East,.

Dear Princess Twilight,

Oh! Those stuffy, egotistical, shortsighted, balls of scales and floof! How any pony could tolerate them is beyond me. I am writing to you from inside the servants quarters! The SERVANTS QUARTERS!

We arrived in the main longma city and immediately were beset upon by a group of thugs. Well they called themselves the royal guard but there was absolutely nothing royal about them. They pushed us into a stockade, I nearly lost some mane in the tussle. We tried to tell them we were on a diplomatic mission but they didn’t seem to care or understand. The only thing they saw was that one of us was a kirin and that I was a unicorn. That was all they needed to have us in irons. They weren’t really irons, more like wooden planks but you get my meaning.

I assumed the head of the city would come down at once as soon as they verified our story but we were met with a mere local official. She didn’t listen to a word I said until Spike chimed in. I shudder to think that we might still be in that awful predicament if he hadn’t said anything.

Once she noticed he was a dragon her entire attitude changed. She bowed to him like he was a great ruler or conqueror and we were assumed to be his servants! As much as I tried to explain the actual situation they simply ignored me and looked at poor Autumn like she was pond scum.

I swallowed my pride and allowed Spike to take the lead on this. Not that I had much choice mind you. But still Spike was at his best. He had us freed instantly and we were given a guided tour of the city.

The official was more focused on the strength of their military and cannons, but from what I could tell they weren’t nearly as impressive as our own. The cannons seemed ancient, like they were designed decades ago and that was enough for them to declare dominance of the land. The technology they had was even older. I was reminded of the ryujin historical village and how modern it seemed by comparison. How had this ‘master’ tribe get so left behind?

We received our answer as the guide was quick to tell us how pure the longma were. They believed because they could soar over the other tribes it meant they were of divine lineage compared to their cousins. The will of the true inner dragon belonged only to them. The other tribes were driven out centuries ago and never allowed back in and the town reveled in their superiority.

Spike was aghast but I don’t think he felt comfortable enough to tell them his true thoughts. After all, we were just released from the stockade for being ourselves. But it was apparent that the lack of diversity had stopped all their advancement. Everything looked old, I daresay everything was old. But still maintained thankfully. Otherwise these servants quarters would be far less inviting and the official would have gotten a true piece of my mind. Really, to stuff us in such low class accommodations when they have a perfectly good hotel that was empty. At least it’s clean.

Autumn wasn’t disappointed in the least. Compared to the shack she was living in that Applejack described this was still a small upgrade. And I do mean small. It’s going to be difficult to get comfortable with her so close. If she dreams of anything that disturbs her I shall be incinerated. Then your darling Rarity will be a pile of ash and you will have the longma to blame for it. Well, I suppose I should make the best of the situation.

Wish me luck,

Rarity, ( hopefully not a mere cinder now.)

Dear Twilight,

Thank heavens the Captain found us. I might have caused a small incident. It was a mere trifle compared to what I should have done but still we were nearly imprisoned… again.

It started with a visit to the city hall of records, which was much bigger and older than the ryujin’s. They had the original writings of their dragon ancestor though I could not read it for myself, and Spike never learned ancient dragon so I decided to take a picture for you later. Of course I didn’t think the manuscript would be so affected by modern lights and the longma didn’t know what a camera was.

I tried to explain what it was but as usual they ignored me. The manuscript had faded considerably due to the light. They thought I cast a spell on it with my horn. I tried to tell them my magic is blue but they were so angry I suppose they didn’t hear.

Luckily Autumn had been looking in a different section when we ran by and had found the lost kirin sister tribe. Or at least an area to start. She quickly realized we were in trouble and joined our mad dash.

It was at that point I was suddenly envious of Rainbow Dash’s level of fitness. Not only would it make things easier to fly but I wouldn’t have had that intense pain in my side. I must begin some exercise regimen and so should you. Don’t think I haven’t noticed those cupcakes disappearing that Pinkie brings over. Or all the cake that the bakers make for every occasion. Do we really need to celebrate every delegate and every holiday with cake? Ignore what Pinkie says, she can burn calories by just breathing. Of course pronging all over the place and generally running a muck also seems to trim the belly.

So after our agonizing run, we found the airship landing nearby. The poor Captain was nearly knocked flat as we tried to jump aboard. He didn’t need much explanation as a squadron of those longma ruffians took flight behind us.

Autumn growled and hurtled some fire at them but nothing deadly. Luckily she has a lot more control than before, or our ship would have been engulfed in flames. The longa weren’t as kind and threw spears. Luckily my magic blocked them before they did any real damage.

They were getting closer and I was nervously looking for an advantage. The Captain maneuvered the ship in case he needed to fire his cannons. That’s when the thunderous sound of the ancient cannons roared. It was frightfully loud. It seemed like they hadn’t been fired in quite some time though, the cannonballs didn’t get high enough to be of any danger and some even just exploded the cannons instead.

The captain laughed at their lack of maintenance but I didn’t think it was funny. They tried to kill us, or at least maim us. It seemed excessive for one small photograph. I do hope it comes out ok. The more pressing issue then became the longma goons still following us.

Spears impaled the side of the ship and the captain cursed at his prior flippant attitude. I scrambled to put up another force field around the ship when a spear nicked my mane. Well, it was certainly close but my mane took a half an hour to get right and to be so unappreciative of that work made my blood boil.

The longma with the spear found out why an upset unicorn is not ideal. I won’t get into the details, darling, suffice to say they were no longer chasing us. Autumn and Spike used their fire to hassen us further and the city with its cannons disappeared into the distance.

Once the danger was over I rushed below deck and found the nearest mirror I could. Luckily it parted my mane right between the strands, so no injury there.

The days that followed weren’t really noteworthy. I mean there is only so much you can do on an airship searching for a group of kirin you have never met. Spike convinced myself, Autumn and even the captain to play Ogres and Oubliettes. You should have seen his face when the Great Sparity took down a troll all by herself. Autumn couldn’t get enough of the game and started writing her own kirin version to take back home.

The skies turned gray and we landed in a small field. That’s when we were suddenly surrounded by fire. The trees and brush burned with such ferocity even Autumn backed away. A tall burning pony stepped towards us, towering above us like an inferno. The wind tousled her mane, throwing sparks high into the air. Her eyes glowed a fearsome white.

I knew it was the kirin we sought; they were in such a state that we dare not make a peep. I could feel the intense hatred from a dozen hateful eyes. It felt like my very soul was burning.

They accused us of being spies working with the Longma. Once again I had to use my full charm to tell them we were on an official friendship from Equestria and were looking for them.

The flame tornado stopped moving towards and looked at Autumn in wonder. I suggested to Autumn that perhaps a display of fire would convince them. Unfortunately she was too excited to meet them to be mad. She leapt out instead talking a mile a minute, telling them our entire adventure and all that we discovered. The kirin were so overwhelmed by her that they forgot how angry they were.

Once they calmed down and were assured many times that we weren’t from the longma city, they happily welcomed us to their hidden village. It seems the poor kirin are still being hassled by those brutes. I don’t know what they have against them other than they have magic. Perhaps it’s just a case of simple jealousy.

Still they drop things on these poor creatures as they fly over. It was simply not just. These bullies needed to be taught a lesson. I knew just what to do. They revered dragons as Spike had shown, they just needed a bigger dragon to set them straight. And though we know quite a few, they weren’t in this area.

Instead what we did have was magic and an airship. My mind worked quickly, calculating the amount of material I needed and the kirin were gracious enough to provide. I went to work right away, sewing the material together in long panels and scale shapes. Spike was indispensable in flying the sheets up and over the ship while the Captain secured it to the rigging.

As we toiled into the night, the moon rose to its full splendor. The scale shapes in the fabrics caught the moonlight perfectly. I had transformed, with help, our airship into a fierce dragon. Well it looked like one in the moonlight and as long as they didn’t fly too close it would pass.

All we needed to do was to put my plan to action. Autumn had a bullhorn with her because she thought of one. She, Spike and the other kirin climbed into the front of the boat. The Captain set sail into the air and my creation flapped beautifully but menacingly in the wind.

It took us a while but at top speed, with some kirin fire assistance, we swooped in over the city of jerks. Bells sounded beneath us and longma scattered to see what the commotion was. I cleared my throat and conjured up the deepest angriest voice I could muster.

“Citizens of Longma City!” I shouted. “My delegates told me of your shortsighted and hateful ways! This is not the way of the dragon! You have shamed yourselves in your arrogance!”

The longma began to shout back. They ran around screaming that it wasn’t true and they knew the true path. A few took to the air towards us, presumably to explain. I gave the signal and Spike with the kirin let loose a flame that lit up the sky from the bow.

“You are not fit to share the sky with me!” I shouted into the bullhorn. The flying dragon ponies immediately landed. They were cowed by our grand fire display. We had them.

“You have treated your cousin tribes without honor! You are no better than they. Your pride has made you blind to the world! Heed my warning, if you continue in this horrid manner, I shall return! And I will be most displeased!”

Another jet of fire filled the air. The longma cowered.

“You must bow low to the kin you chased out! And you must leave five, no six barrels of tea outside your city’s wall. My delegates will collect it in the morning. Now make amends and restore your honor!”

With another fire display we turned the ship around and returned to the kirin clearing. The longma were smart and didn’t follow. I snickered a little bit having scolded an entire city but really enough was enough.

As we returned our hosts were laughing merrily and laughed harder when the story was retold. The spirit of the tribe returned and I heard kirin songs, played on instruments I have never seen, in scales I have never heard.

Autumn was busy asking every kirin everything she could think of. They happily shared their lives and culture with her. She shared what the kirin were like in her village. It was a wonderful night.

In the morning we waved goodbye, the local kirins promised to visit, and Autumn drew a map to Equestria. My goodness she has so many talents. I doubt they would have much trouble finding it but I do worry about those mountains.

The five barrels of tea we stacked neatly by the main Longma gate. We retrieved them while the citizens bowed low to Autumn and hopefully myself. If they asked humbly for forgiveness, I was certain the other tribes would welcome them again.

We did all we set out to do and more but now I long for your embrace. I shall return of course to see how things are getting on but I do hope you come with me this time.

Love

Rarity the Ambassador to the East, She Who Bathed with the Ryujin, She Who Scolded the Longma, and She Who Could Desperately Use Some Ice Cream Right now.