open Cultures Unite (1x1 with GeneralDirection)

[Samurai Equine 50,962]

@GeneralDirection

"Sights? Well, I suppose that's one way to put it." Samurai says before leading the way.

Silver would soon see that Samurai is leading him deeper and deeper into the countryside of Japone, still well within the town's limits. The last major thing they see is a library before the houses get less and less prominent. By a mountain ridge is a rather grand house. "This one's mine. It's a little out of the way, I admit. But I am just close enough to the main town and the boarder to Japone that I can hear anything and be there as soon as possible. Since my shogun showed me this place to help in my training, I decided to make a home here. However, I also have a variety of different training grounds here."

As they approach the front door, it seems there are some servants waiting to greet Samurai with a mutual bow. These ponies are wearing black outfits with a black vale covering their faces. "These are my kuroko, paid shadow servants that tend to my personal needs as a samurai. In the west, I believe the richer ponies have something similar called maids and butlers." Samurai explains as they enter his house. The first room at the entrance is more like a foyer. Samurai removes his hoof gear that he was wearing on his hind hooves and leaves it in this foyer. Seems you're not suppose to enter the house wearing any kind of shoes or hoof coverings.

[GeneralDirection 1,042]

@Samurai Equine

Samurai led Silver out of town and towards his home in a rural area a short distance away. As much as enjoyed the town, he much preferred the serenity of the countryside. His friends’ home was rather elaborate, and apparently, he also had servants? Clearly the ponies here lived a much more elegant lifestyle than Silver was used to.

“It’s a very nice place you have here, Samurai.” He commented as they entered. “Though I have to wonder, do you ever feel lonely being out here away from everypony else? Guess I’m just used to being around others all the time.” Silver remarked.

[Samurai Equine 50,962]

@GeneralDirection

"Well, that a very interesting question to ask... I would like to have a marefriend some day. A special somepony. But until that day, I can promise I'm not lonely. The distance back to town is only a few minutes at most, and even if I can't run fast enough, I can always teleport. In fact, my job usually keeps me so busy that I barely have time to come home for personal time. So I'd say I'm not lonely at all." Samurai explains.

The house itself seems normal. Hallways, rooms, and such. However, Samurai leads Silver to the center of the house, which is actually a roofless courtyard. The courtyard is spacious, mostly a sand yard. There is one tree in the center; not too big but not small enough that you'd miss it. The rest of the courtyard is filled with various obstacles. "This is where I train and practice my skills in a practical use. Little things, like the tree, remind me to be mindful of my surroundings and how I use my abilities. Because if I'm not careful, I could end up hurting an innocent bystander." Samurai explains.

He steps onto the courtyard and begins to concentrate. His horn glows red. "For my particular brand of magic, I have learned enough focus and discipline that I don't need long incantations anymore." Samurai stands upright and lifts his front hooves up. With the help of his magic, fierce flames appear overtop his hooves, yet he is not any pain. He controls the fire. He is the master of it.

Edited June 11, 2022 by Samurai Equine

[GeneralDirection 1,042]

@Samurai Equine

“I guess that’s fair.” Silver responded. “I suppose the isolation is helpful for when you need to focus on your training, anyway.” Then he hears Samurai mention teleportation. “So you can teleport, huh? That kinda stuff is waaaaaay out of a kirin’s league as far as magic is concerned. It’s good for simple things, but advanced spells like that? They’re just not possible for us.” He explained as they entered Samurai’s training area.

Several obstacles have been set up in the sandy courtyard, which has a tree in the middle of it. Silver stands off to the side and watches Samurai as he gets ready. He watches his horn glow red, shortly after, fire appears around his hooves.

“So what are some of the things you can do with your fire magic?” Silver asks.

[Samurai Equine 50,962]

@GeneralDirection

Samurai smirks. He looks over at his kuroko and nods. They quickly step onto the field, set up some practice dummies (wooden poles covered in rope), and leave just as fast as they appears. "Instead of incantations... All I need to say is an activation name."

He faces the dummies and leaps towards the first one. "Flaming PUNCH!" Samurai delivers a might punch as he lands, which not only engulfs the dummy in fire, but makes it explode! It's a tame explosion, but still. Samurai turns and leaps into the air, tucking into a kick. This time, his magically-summoned fire surrounds his foot. "Flaming KICK!!" He delivers a kick to the the second dummy; the results are the same. He rises up and pull his sword out of its sheath. "And my most powerful move of all..." He spin around towards the third and final dummy, swinging his sword. "FLAMING SLASH!!!" As his fire surrounds the sword, he diagonally cuts the dummy clean in half before both pieces burn up. This time, the explosion is a little bigger, but still contained.

"Just to be clear... I was holding back. I can make those attacks far more violent, if I wanted to. But it's not all about brute force with magic." Samurai's horn stops glowing and he re-sheaths his sword. At his command, the kuroko set up more dummies. These are much closer together, and they each have swiveling rows of stick arms. "Hoof-to-hoof skills can be just as useful, if not more so." Samurai explains as he gets in the middle of these dummies. With one swing of his upper hoof, it begins. As he switches between each dummy, Samurai is clearly using martial arts to protect himself and beat back any of these swinging dummy arms. Sometimes he has to aim high, or low, or midsection. Every block or counterstrike causes the dummy arms to keep swiveling; all the more reason for Samurai to keep his guard up. Basically, it's like watching someone getting ganged up on by a bunch of opponents all at once; but Samurai has the skill to hold his own. And the thick sounds you hear every time Samurai protects himself? It'll hurt if any of one of those dummy arms actually hits Samurai. And yet Samurai's moves are getting faster and faster the more he trains with these dummies.

Edited June 12, 2022 by Samurai Equine

[GeneralDirection 1,042]

@Samurai Equine

Silver watched intently as Samurai went through his routine, punching, kicking, and chopping his way through the test dummies, with his fire magic serving as an accent to his moves. As it turned out, his unicorn friend was also quite skilled with martial arts as well.

“Impressive!” He commented. “Kirin don’t really know anything quite like that, but it certainly looks very interesting. I also think it’s rather intriguing that you have a ‘name’ of sorts for all your attacks. Kirin are rather unique in the way that we don’t have incantations, or any spoken word involved with our fire magic. It’s all up in here, I guess.” He taps his horn with a hoof. “We just think what we want to do into existence and that’s what happens. But of course, it also involves being the right mood, otherwise nothing happens. So there’s some distinct disadvantages that really eliminates kirin from any sort of fighting-type role like the one you have.” He explains.  

[Samurai Equine 50,962]

@GeneralDirection

After Samurai reaches a fury point to where his hooves are almost a blur of martial arts moves, he kicks and punches openings in the dummies' defenses, knocking the dummies down to the ground. Samurai takes a breather as his kuroko clear the field of all his training obstacles. "Most times, I train wearing a full suit of armor. It's heavier, but if I can get use to wearing it while fighting, then I won't feel weighed down or distracted. The armor will become like regular clothing to me." Samurai explains.

Once he has collected himself, Samurai grabs a special rake and magically hovers one over to Silver. "Care to join me? After training, I like to rake the sand into a decorative pattern. It's a lot like meditation, but also it restores the beauty of the field." Samurai takes the lead and shows him by example. At first, he is just making rows and valleys with his rake; but then he makes swirls and circles. It's like this field is becoming a sand garden.

Edited June 12, 2022 by Samurai Equine

[GeneralDirection 1,042]

@Samurai Equine

Samurai continues with his assault until all the dummies are lying on the ground. As his servants clear the remains, his friend floats a rake over to him as he starts to make patterns in the sand. He silently nods his head in response and begins making his own lines in the sand. He didn’t really see it the way Samurai did, but he figured it was just best to just go with it since he was lost in a new place and Samurai was probably one of the best ponies he could’ve met, all things considered. Things had definitely gone much worse in the past, let’s just say that.

[Samurai Equine 50,962]

@GeneralDirection

Soon, the entire sand lot is covered in lines and decorative patterns. Samurai manages to hop back onto the solid wooden floor and put his rake away, letting Silver do the same.

With the work over, Samurai points to the windows of different rooms. "That room is the library, where I practice my calligraphy and my practical education. That is my crafting room. Over there is kitchen and dining room. Over there is my music room. That room there where I practice magic and sacred arts... But what you don't see is another special place just behind my house. It's a piece of nature that I always return to when I need to practice purification. It's a waterfall hidden within a nature cove." Samurai explains. The windows are paper partitions, so you can't see through them. And that waterfall can't be seen from the middle of a house. "...Does any of that interest you? I'd be happy to show you more."

[GeneralDirection 1,042]

@Samurai Equine

Silver looks in various directions and Samurai points out several areas of his house. His house has many rooms that serve a distinct purpose, and once again Silver is used to more humble accommodations. Since his friend is willing, Silver may as well check out what he can while he’s here.

“Well, it all sounds interesting to me.” Silver replies. “You lead the way and show me more of whatever you want.”  

[Samurai Equine 50,962]

@GeneralDirection

"Are you sure, my new friend?" Samurai sits down for a second. "I am not use to having new friends nor am I use to giving tours. There is no rush, plenty of time to see everything. I just hope I'm not overloading you with stuff. I want to learn just as much about you as I have to share. Is there anything you'd like to share with me?" Samurai asks.

[GeneralDirection 1,042]

@Samurai Equine

“Nope, everything’s fine! I'm not in any rush either.” Silver replies as he sits down beside his new friend. He looks thoughtful for moment as he considered Samurai’s question. “Well, I mean, there’s not a whole lot for me to talk about. My life really isn’t all that exciting. I’m just a regular kirin who enjoying adventuring and exploring the world around him. I have a special somepony (somekirin?) named Vesperr and a younger sister named Charlotte back at home and when I’m not spending time with them or adventuring, I work as a carpenter. Nowhere near as exciting as what you do or where you live, but it works for me.” He shrugged.

[Samurai Equine 50,962]

@GeneralDirection

Perhaps to Silver's surprise, Samurai is hanging on his every word. "You underestimate yourself, my friend. Because moments ago, I didn't even know kirins existed, and now every little thing you have to share fascinates me! Do you think I'll get to meet this special kirin of yours someday? I'd love to have a special somepony of my own eventually, as long as she is my type. I'd love to meet your family too! I've never done carpentry, so you might be able to teach me some things. But most of all, why do you travel?" Samurai addresses all his points as best he can, but not in order.

"Truth be told, I am only given such nice resources and good pay because I am a samurai. A soldier for Japone and for Celestia herself. It's common practice around here to give soldiers access to the best education and many other great resources; that way they can do their jobs as best as possible. Had I not chosen this job, I might be living a more humble life, like yourself." Samurai adds.

Edited June 18, 2022 by Samurai Equine

[GeneralDirection 1,042]

@Samurai Equine

Silver is somewhat confused by Samurai’s enthusiasm towards kirin, but since he seems so eager to learn, he figures he may as well tell him what he can.

“You may very well meet them someday, I’m just not sure when. First I have to go back home and tell them about this place, either that or you’d have to come back with me when I go. But that seems unlikely considering your duties here. About carpentry, I spend most of my time making boxes. Boxes for kitchens, boxes for storage… I think you get my point. Occasionally somepony will ask me to make something more interesting, but most of the time it’s something box-shaped.” Silver shakes his head before continuing. “I like to go exploring because it gets me away from the monotony of life in the village. Most kirin are content to live a simple life and that’s good for them, not it’s not for me. I need a change of pace every now and then.”

“I can understand that.” Silver replies. “But even if you didn’t have that position, there’s a lot of things I see about your culture that are far more sophisticated that mine will ever be. The way that you build your houses and cities is nothing like what we do. I think that even the simplest folk here are held to a much higher standard than any kirin ever would. I may be wrong about this; I am still very new to all this.” He smiles.     

[Samurai Equine 50,962]

@GeneralDirection

Samurai considers the architecture of his land. "...I suppose from an outsider's perspective, our houses may seem grandiose. But I assure you, everything has a purpose. Our houses are made out of lightweight materials. Not very good at keeping intruders away, but since our land has problems with earthquakes and volcanoes, it's better to have materials that won't crush you." Samurai says in a tongue-and-cheek kind of way. "But it didn't use to always look like this. Read our history books. Our earliest settlers made houses so simple, at one era or another, they might have been more comparable to what you're use to." Samurai says. That could be an open invite to his library.

"...You know, visiting your village isn't completely out of the question for me. I'd have to put in a request, but if it gets approved, I could easily come over for a visit. If your village will have me, of course."

[GeneralDirection 1,042]

@Samurai Equine

“Well then, how about we head to your library next then?” He suggests. “Maybe learning some important history about our land would help make more sense of everything. You’re certainly always welcome at my village, Samurai. We have strangers come by every now and then, most are lost, some are just curious. We let them stay for as long as they desire, until they’re ready to return to normal civilization. But unless you know the way, the journey is quite difficult. This is why we don’t get many visitors.” Silver explains.

[Samurai Equine 50,962]

@GeneralDirection

Samurai happily nods and hops up, leading the way to his study.
Inside, samurai's personal library is not as big as a traditional library, but there are still more books and scrolls than any single pony would want to read. In the back is a table, rolls of white paper sheets, brushes, ink, and other affects. There is also finished pieces of paper with beautifully drawn Japonies symbols on them.

"Feel free to indulge your knowledge here, my friend. Perhaps you'd like to start with geography? Or maybe history? I have books detailing Japone's rich history with elemental magic."

[GeneralDirection 1,042]

@Samurai Equine

Silver quickly scanned the room, noting the rather large collection of books his friend had obtained. It was safe to say that the number of books here at least equalled if not exceeded the amount in his village library back home. Either way, it was clear to see that Samurai was a well-read pony, and Silver had no issues with that at all.

“Ah, yes.” Silver responds. “History sounds like a good place to start. I think gaining a better understanding of how and why your nation got to where it is today would prove to be most useful.”

[Samurai Equine 50,962]

@GeneralDirection

Samurai thinks about it. He looks through his collection of history books, then uses his magic to levitate a book over to Silver. "This is a good book for beginners and foreigners. Gives quick, basic guides to our over all history. First two chapters are mostly about early settlement and early civilizations here. Doesn't get good until chapter 3, when it gets into the story of Mistmane. The first ever pony to invent and master elemental magic. And like every pony here, she was asian. She originally came from this part of Equestria." Samurai explains.

[GeneralDirection 1,042]

@Samurai Equine

Silver nods his head silently and continues reading the book as Samurai talks, looking back up after he finishes.

“It probably doesn’t surprise you that I’ve heard of her. While kirin are rather isolated from the rest of the world, doesn’t stop some of us from learning about it.”

Edited June 22, 2022 by GeneralDirection

[Samurai Equine 50,962]

@GeneralDirection

It does surprise Samurai, but pleasantly. He smiles. "Mistmane really set up something that became a tradition for Asian ponies." Samurai magically pulls down a book on elemental magic. "Ponies can spend years dedicated to learning, honing, and mastering an elemental magic. It's not an easy skill to come by. Because of the focus and dedication it requires, most ponies don't get very far. In fact, the prodigies that do go far will tell you that they can either master elemental magic, or pure magic like what's taught at Celestia's school for gifted unicorns. They can't do both. Well... As far as I know, there hasn't been a pony that can master both."

[GeneralDirection 1,042]

@Samurai Equine

“So what would you say is the biggest difference between pure and elemental magic?” Silver asks. “I’m trying to understand this… from what I know so far, it would seem that kirin know mostly elemental magic pertaining to fire. I don’t think we have the capacity to know anything else, or at least there’s never been any records of a kirin accomplishing this. I also don’t think most of us are bothered by such things, we just live a relatively simple life and don’t spend much time thinking about what we can’t do.”

[Samurai Equine 50,962]

@GeneralDirection

"!! Oh, sorry. Guess I just assumed you'd know. Pure magic is basically a short way of saying magic in the traditional sense. The kind of studies that help you learn teleportation, increase your telekinetic abilities, teach you advanced incantations and potions, how to make magic items, that kind of stuff. Elemental magic, by comparison, has grown just as big and complex, even if it's usually only asian ponies that study it."

Samurai goes over to table. "I dedicated my entire life to training and learning, That's why you saw an intense display of fire magic from me. Right now, I could easily burn this entire house down, if I wanted. For most unicorns that don't study elemental magic..." Samurai magically summons a tiny flame, the kind you might see on top of a candle. When he releases the flame, it hits the table and goes out instantly, leaving only some soot. With swipe of his hoof, the soot is gone and table is clean again. "...That's the most they can do with any kind of elemental magic. A non-lethal, hardly dangerous amount. But the same can be said for other areas of magic." Samurai levitates his book back onto the shelf. "For the average unicorn, they cannot levitate things that exceed their body weight by extreme amounts. It takes study, concentration, and practice to get better at it. And teleportation? No unicorn knows that naturally. I learned it, but since fire magic is my expertise, there's a limit. I can only teleport 3 times a day at most. 4 times, if I really push myself, but that puts a harsh physical strain on me and my magic."

[GeneralDirection 1,042]

@Samurai Equine

“Wow, you know how to teleport?” Silver sounds surprised. “That’s definitely far beyond any kirin’s ability, no mater how talented they might be. It’s kinda hard to explain how we perform our magic… we just kinda think it into existence, I guess. Most of our training lies in disciplining our thoughts, not so much about spells or potions or other things you’ve mentioned. A strong emotional response produces a strong magical response. So I believe that the sort of magic we do is different from yours in some way, but I also think that there are a lot of similarities as well. Am I making any sense here?” He asks.

[Samurai Equine 50,962]

@GeneralDirection

Samurai smiles and approaches, putting a hoof on Silver's back for a moment. "My friend, I know exactly what you mean." Samurai levitates another book over and opens it to the right page. "There is a phenomenon among unicorns called ETMS. Emotionally Triggered Magic Surges. It's a rare occurrence, nearly impossible to recreate, but it happens when strong emotional states somehow manage to push a unicorn's magic beyond their normal limits. Some can do it, some can't. Some scientists think it has something to with a unicron's formal magic training, or perhaps their inner potential, or perhaps some other kind of natural trait they were born into. So far, the only ETMS that can possibly be recreated is panic or surprise-based magic surges. If a pony is afraid for their lives, or if they've been suddenly frightened hard enough, it can have wildly unpredictable results on the next spell they cast. But since that kind of fear can be traumatic, it's best not recreate those circumstances too many times."

Samurai flips some pages in the book. "Lots of studies have been done on it, but the point is, emotional-based magic is just not something unicorns can master. It requires intense emotional and physiological stress to make it happen. But if I understand you correctly, your emotion-based magic is second nature to kirins. That's fascinating. You don't have to be in a life-or-death situation to make it happen, it's just natural."

Edited June 24, 2022 by Samurai Equine