open Cultures Unite (1x1 with GeneralDirection)

[Samurai Equine 51,417]

@GeneralDirection

Excitement overtaking them, the little colt takes the toy. "Thank you, oniisan!" He says. The mother graciously bows. "You are far too kind, sir."
Samurai and Gotaro smirk, proud that Silver has adapted to the customs easily.

[Silver Slate]

@Samurai Equine

“You’re very welcome!” Silver grins. “I hope your colt enjoys it.”

He watches the colt and his mother walk off into the crowd before returning his attention to his friends. “Well, I thoroughly enjoy that. Now then, unless there’s anything else you wish to show me, I suppose we can head on our way to the snowy region now!”

[Samurai Equine 51,417]

@GeneralDirection

The two samurai warriors agree, and with one rental of a wagon, they are on their way.
The snowy region is not too far away. As they leave the city limits, the snowy region is just a blip in the distance. But as they get closer and the snow gets heavier, they see that the roads have been cleared for safe passage, even with the snow piled higher and higher the further they travel. In fact, at one point, the snow is piled so high that it becomes a wall of snow about 2 or 3 stories high on either side of the road. There is no snow falling from the sky, but the clouds and the temperatures are keeping things frosty.

When they clear the snow walls, they see a village. The houses are cultural yet made for the snow. But that's not where they are stopping.
The wagon stops deep in the wilderness of the snow region. They have stopped in a wide open space, with many trees and some small ponds decorating the outer boundaries of the space. There is also a log bench for travelers to sit on. "This is it. This is the place where Samurai and I shall have our sparing match." Gotaro says.

[Silver Slate]

@Samurai Equine

The ride to the snow region goes over uneventfully. When they arrive, Silver gets out and looks around. The place they’ve chosen to fight is rather nondescript, in his opinion. It’s an open clearing with trees off in the distance in all directions. It is rather cold out, but as a kirin, an instant heat source is always available to him. Silver takes a seat on the nearby bench.  

“So… what’s so special about this place?” He asks. “Seems rather… normal.”

[Samurai Equine 51,417]

@GeneralDirection

"You must have a stronger sense of fire magic than I realized, Silver-san. The answer should be obvious. Samurai-san, you've been using your fire magic to keep you warm this entire time, haven't you?" Gotaro asks, his breath becoming visible in the frosty air. Samurai sits up for a second. "!! ... Well, maybe in short bursts, here and there. I've been trying to minimize the amount I use it so that I don't rely it. I can't build endurance if I constantly have to warm myself up." Samurai says, a little embarrassed; his breath also visible. "That doesn't change the fact that water and snow are your strongest weaknesses. You see, Silver-san, training like this does many things for somepony like Samurai-san. It'll help build his endurance against his weakness, and it'll help him be more capable of taking down an opponent like Snow Leopard. A true warrior does not just accept weaknesses and limits. We are aware of them, but we do our best to either over come them or find ways around them." Gotaro explains.

Samurai nods. "It's true. So when the two of us spar, it's not just me resisting the urge to use fire magic to keep myself warm. It's also making sure I can maintain grace, skill, a calm mind, and control even in the worst of situations. For me, sparing in the snow means pushing me to the absolute limits for the sake of going beyond." Samurai explains further.

Edited May 20, 2023 by Samurai Equine

[Silver Slate]

@Samurai Equine

Silver nods as his friends explain this significance of the setting. “I see, I understand why you picked this setting now. Well, as you know, I’m not much of a fighter, but I’m down to watch the two of you practice. Perhaps I might learn something from it. Myself, I would be more focused on trying to build on my strengths than my weaknesses. But then again, I’m also not a samurai warrior like you two are.”

[Samurai Equine 51,417]

@GeneralDirection

"We do both, but a weakness ignored is a weakness strengthened." Samurai says.

The two of them get out of the wagon. "Let us know if you're getting too cold out here, Silver-san." Gotaro says. The two of them march to the center of the field. Luckily, the snow is not too deep. "Go ahead." Gotaro says to Samurai, who claps. Once again, his kurokos appear, this time dressed in white to blend in with the snow. The pull up giant banners with crest symbols printed on them; which are used to hide and conceal the two samurai warriors. When the banners come down, Samurai and Gotaro are in their armor once more. However, they do not have any real weapons. Instead, they have wooden swords. As the kurokos vanish once more, the two warriors face each other. The atmosphere is tense.

[Silver Slate]

@Samurai Equine

Silver watches intently as once again, Samurai’s kurokos appear from seemingly out of nowhere. They set up some temporary banners and take them down just as quickly, revealing the two warriors dressed in their armour sets. But this time, they have sparring weapons as opposed to real ones.

“Oh, no need to worry about me, Gotaro. If I do get that cold, I can always set myself on fire. I’ll be fine.” He says casually as if it were an everyday occurrence.

[Samurai Equine 51,417]

@GeneralDirection

Gotaro nods and the two of them stand upright.

As they make eye contact, they stare at each other with fierce intensity as they draw their swords. They wait. A breeze wafts through the air.
A tree branch snaps off!
And the two of them rush at each other, their wooden swords clashing as they meet. Soon, they are doing a sort-of waltz as their swords continue to clash. Every move having grace, precision, purpose. They are clearly trying to poke holes in each other's defenses as they edge forwards and backwards, step by step. Judging by the sounds of the wooden swords clashing, these aren't gentle strikes either.

Edited May 23, 2023 by Samurai Equine

[Silver Slate]

@Samurai Equine

Silver would likely never be fighting with a sword, but he still watches the fight as his friends go back and forth. The swords may only be wooden, but the strength at which they strike at isn’t a joke. Every move they make is well thought out, and it’s clear to see that they had practiced together many times before.

[Samurai Equine 51,417]

@GeneralDirection

As it carries on, the fight is getting relentless! The clash of these wooden swords echoes through the field. Each move, charge, and strike is getting faster and faster; as if it's a challenge to see who can keep up the skill and precision even at speeds that leave no room for thinking or planning.
But when the normal tactics aren't working, they switch to improvising. Samurai uses bursts of his fire magic to make him run around Gotaro faster, attempting fiery kicks and punches, and even sword strikes from elevated jumps! Gotaro, despite being heavier-set, is at no disadvantage. He'll roll into a ball to avoid strikes, kick up snow with his sword to make Samurai back off, and use his mass to lean into strikes harder than Samurai can.

At one point, Gotaro makes a strange animal noise. Samurai is stopped when he is surrounded by birds and bunnies, each blocking his way and his vision, trying to disorient him. "Not very honorable putting your animals in harm's way like this, Gotaro-san!" Samurai says, but quickly starts dancing around them with skill, knowing how to avoid them while also scaring some away. "But I know you're an honorable horse. You'd never harm them. They're just helping me get an edge." Gotaro responds before making the noise again. The remaining animals clear away, allowing Samurai to see that Gotaro has positioned himself in a tree, getting catapulted forward by large branches that have been wound back a good ways. With Gotaro becoming a living canon ball, Samurai uses his fire powers to jet propel himself to the side and out of the way, bouncing off whichever tree he flies toward first. Gotaro's landing is more of a crash, but he is able to pick himself up with ease.

These two are not playing around. Also, a timber wolf sits by Silver. He looks at him and makes a sighing-bark. That is all.

Edited May 24, 2023 by Samurai Equine

[Silver Slate]

@Samurai Equine

Silver is initially shocked by the sight of the timber wolf, but calms down slightly when he determines that this particular one must’ve been summoned by Gotaro, as it does not act aggressively towards him. He turns his attention back to the fighting, noting that things had ramped up significantly between them. Samurai has started using his fire magic, while Gotaro calls up some animal friends to help give him an advantage. For all their efforts, they are still able to match each other’s strikes.

[Samurai Equine 51,417]

@GeneralDirection

If you look close enough, you can see Samurai's breathing is getting a little heavier and a little quicker. Not so much for Gotaro. The two of them march towards each other. "You're burning through your fire power too quickly. Meanwhile, I have an army to help me fight." Gotaro says, followed up by making a sound.

The timber wolf sits up and then runs over to Gotaro. Likewise, a polar bear emerges from the wilderness to join him too.

"I've fought an army on my own before. It's not the numbers that matter." Samurai say as they are quickly closing the gap. Gotaro makes a noise, and the two animals rush forward just as Samurai starts running as well. He swings his sword, but has to stop himself midway when the polar bear gets in the way, acting like a living shield. The wolf attacks from behind, taking advantage of Samurai's hesitation, although all of his scratches and bites are being absorbed by Samurai's armor. And no matter how many times Samurai tries to dodge, the two animals just reposition themselves and repeat the same attack pattern. Eventually, the polar bear forces Samurai to kneel down, holding him in place while the wolf growls behind him.

"Indeed. The only thing that matters... Is landing the perfect strike." Gotaro says, walking around to the side and readying his sword. Samurai, who previously had his head lowered, snaps back into action! He trips the polar bear in front of him and leaps towards Gotaro, knowing the wolf will lunge at him. Gotaro reacts by swinging his sword. Samurai reacts by doing a spin with his  sword, narrowly avoiding the wolf. And when the spin comes to a stop, so do both warriors. They both have a deadly look of ferocity in their eyes, and more importantly, their wooden swords have stopped just shy of each other's necks. If this were a real battle, it would be a fatal draw.

The animals pick themselves up, but look at the two warriors confused.
Then they back up and drop their swords. Taking a breather, Gotaro is the first to change back into his usual joyous self. "Ha ha ha! Samurai Equine-san, well done. If you came here thinking you were getting rusty, I promise that is not the case." Gotaro says. Samurai relaxes and smiles warmly. The two ponies share a hoof shake before bowing to each other. "Thank you, Gotaro-san. I just had to be sure."

Edited May 26, 2023 by Samurai Equine

[Silver Slate]

@Samurai Equine

Silver’s eyes go wide as a polar bear now joins the fight, along with the timber wolf that had been sitting beside him earlier. With all these animals coming together, he hoped that no creature got hurt. He could tell that Samurai was starting to lose energy, but his friend certainly was not going to give up. Even when it seemed they had him pinned down, Samurai waited until they dropped their guard and sprung back up and back into combat. Their practice session ends with them both having their swords at each other’s necks, the fatal blow if the fight had been for real.

“Wow, that was intense! You two seem like a really good match for each other as far as your combat experience is concerned.” Silver commented. “I agree with Gotaro, I certainly don’t think you have any reason to worry about being out of practice, Samurai. You fought strongly and valiantly here. You did too, Gotaro, of course.”

[Samurai Equine 51,417]

@GeneralDirection

As the two of them relax, Gotaro makes another animal noise. The polar bear gently roars and returns home. The wolf looks at Gotaro and whimpers. "Well I don't know. Why don't you ask him yourself? ...Hey, Silver-san! Would you be interested in giving a timber wolf some head pats? Apparently, he really wants some." Gotaro address the wolf first, then Silver.

[Silver Slate]

@Samurai Equine

Silver watches as the polar bear wanders off back home, and turns back to Gotaro. He gives him a questioning glace as he looks over to the timber wolf before looking back.

“Uhhh… I can’t say that I’ve ever considered it. You truly must be talented with animals to even offer something like that.” He goes silent for a moment as he considers the proposition. “The adventurer in me cannot turn down an opportunity like this. Sure, he can have some head pats. Now, do I approach him, or does he want to come to me, or…” Silver asks, unsure of how to initiate this. He is still somewhat weary of the fact that the timer wolf is a wild animal, regardless of Gotaro being there or not.

[Samurai Equine 51,417]

@GeneralDirection

"He's harmless. It's fine." Gotaro says as the wolf walks up to Silver with a happy look on its face; tail wagging.

While the timber wolf waits for head pats, Samurai summons kurokos once more. And just as they were only previously around to help the warriors into their armor, they appear and disappear again, leaving them both in their casual clothing again.

[Silver Slate]

@Samurai Equine

Right, harmless, that’s totally the first word that came to mind. Silver thought to himself. But to Gotaro’s credit, the timber wolf came right up to him and waited patiently. Silver couldn’t help but look at the creature with a smile and pets the timber wolf on the head several times. He also notices out of the corner of his eye that Samurai’s kurokos appear once again and helped his friends quickly change out of their armour.

[Samurai Equine 51,417]

@GeneralDirection

The wolf smiles and moves his head into the head pats, enjoying being petted quite a bit. After a few pets, he licks Silver's hoof before turning around and leaving into the forest, looking back only for a second to give Silver and approving glance.

Samurai and Gotaro walk over to Silver. "Can we please go, now? I'm freezing out here..." Samurai asks, starting to shiver.

[Silver Slate]

@Samurai Equine

Silver looks back at the timber wolf as he disappears into the forest, smiling and giving him a wave as he departs. Once the timber wolf is gone, he turns his attention back to his friends.

“Certainly, Samurai.” Silver replies. “I’m only here to watch you two train, otherwise I believe our business is finished here.”

Silver uses his magic to create a flame and hovers it near Samurai in hopes it would help him warm up.

[Samurai Equine 51,417]

@GeneralDirection

Samurai nods. "Thank you." He leans in to enjoy the flame. But then, his horn glows, and he absorbs the tiny flame that Silver created. "Oops. Sorry, my friend." Samurai says with a nervous smile. "Heheh. I think I know a better way to beat the cold." Gotaro says.

One wagon ride later, and the two of them are now in a resort with a natural hot spring for a bath house. After showing Silver the proper etiquette, that is bathing and rinsing yourself outside of the pool first, Gotaro and Samurai follow their own advice before hopping into the hot spring pool. The water itself is hot and steamy, and green with the nice minerals mixed in. "Ah~! The water is perfect. Warm, soothing, revitalizing..." Gotaro says. "Mmm~ Even I could get use to this." Samurai admits as he lounges in the water, letting it get up to his neck.

...Also there are white monkeys also lounging in the water. They don't seem at all aggressive. (These monkeys are basically Japanese Macaques. Or in this case, Japonies Macaques.)

[Silver Slate]

@Samurai Equine

Silver looks to Samurai with a confused expression. “Uhhh, what was that? How did that work?” He asks. “I must be missing something here.”

After a short wagon ride, they arrive at their next destination: a natural hot spring. Silver pays attention to the instructions his friends give him on how he should bathe and rinse himself off before entering the pools. Of course, he follows their advice before joining them in the hot spring. Silver sighs happily and relaxes as he sits down in the water which is very warm and pleasant.

“Yes, this is quite lovely.” Silver nods his head in agreement, looking at the monkeys who were also in the pool for a moment. He’s not sure if it’s normal for them to be hanging out here with everypony else, but he doesn’t say anything about it as he doesn’t want to seem rude.    

[Samurai Equine 51,417]

@GeneralDirection

At one point, one of the monkeys swims near Gotaro. He climbs all over Gotaro's head before getting on his shoulders to give him a massage. "Ah~ Right there. That's where the stress knot is." Gotaro says. Another one swims over to Samurai and applies some kind of mud mask to Samurai's face. "Oh~ This is surprisingly refreshing." Samurai says, impressed. A third monkey swims up behind Silver and starts working on his mane. "Don't worry about him, Silver. He's just clearing away any loose hairs and making sure there's not bugs trapped inside. If he finds any, free snack for him." Gotaro explains. The monkey does have rather delicate paws. "We can't stay in the water for long, but there is always one other important reason to come to this particular bath house."

[Silver Slate]

@Samurai Equine

Silver is a bit apprehensive at first, but after observing the way his friends were so relaxed around the monkeys, he decided to also relax, and let the creature look through his mane.

“Oh, and what might that reason be?” He asks Gotaro.

[Samurai Equine 51,417]

@GeneralDirection

"Watch and see." Gotaro points.

The hot spring in this house is all natural, made by mother nature herself; possibly an inactive volcano. As such, the pool section is not fully enclosed indoors like the rest of the bath. The pool now his a bit of a view, mostly of the sky and the side of a mountain that it's connected to. Makes privacy much easier. Gotaro is pointing at the sky right now.

For a moment, it seems like nothing, just a cloudy grey sky. But then, as if Gotaro knew when it was going to happen, the clouds begin to part. The sun becomes more visible. And there in this distance, rising above the frost and fog, rising above any city or any other peak, is the largest snowcapped mountain ever. "Fujiyama. The tallest mountain in Japone. It's not even part of my region, but it's rare to get a view of this clearly. Our lack of extra tall buildings and super modern metropolises make this kind of view possible." Gotaro says. "Doesn't the sight of it just fill you with pride? Story says that when early pony settlers founded Japone, everypony could see Fujiyama clear as day no matter where they lived." Samurai adds.