open Cultures Unite (1x1 with GeneralDirection)

[Samurai Equine 51,128]

@GeneralDirection

All eyes are on him. Gotaro gives a peculiar whistle. At first, nothing. Then, a wild wolf is seen running through the city! It stops at beside Gotaro, and it looks fierce. It's growling and has an angry glare more intense than the warriors that have appeared. "Inumaru here has a keen sixth sense for judging others! If he senses you are hiding ANY evil malice, he won't hesitate to attack you on the spot! However, if you are truly peaceful, he will become a docile beast once more!" Gotaro says. Samurai seems uncertain, but stands near Silver. "I was with Silver all day yesterday. He had plenty of chances to attack me when my guard was down. I am convinced he is honest. However, I will accept responsibility if Inumaru disagrees. As long as this isn't a ploy to attack Silver." Samurai says.

With a nod from the masked pony, Inumaru approaches ever slowly, growling and snarling all the while. This wolf is just as big as any pony, if not a little taller! But in this moment, he might as well be as tall as a building! Fukami floats away while Samurai stands his ground, ready for anything. Finally, Inumaru gets close, and sniffs Silver up and down! ... A suspenseful pause!! ... And then Inumaru lowers his head, whimpering before walking back to Gotaro and sitting down on all fours. "AND THERE YOU HAVE IT!! Proof positive of our visitor's innocence." Gotaro proclaims while petting his wolf.

"...We'll meet again." Ryugane gets back in his tank and drives off. "Tsh." Mizuko turns her back on Silver. "I was hoping for a fight. But I'll be keeping my eye out for you." Mizuko says before magically summoning a torrent of water to carry her away. "HAHAHAHA!! You simply must visit my corner of Japan as well some day. It will be MERCILESS! ...LY FUN! AHAHAHA!! Take care, Silver!" Gotaro leaves, taking all his animals with him. "I still plan on shadowing you for the day. Just to be sure, of course. After all, it would be foolish of me to just--HEY!" Denki gets cut off when Fukami flies over and land next to Silver. "Amazing, Silver! You managed to convince everyone! I'm sure they'll warm up to you in no time. Hey, you said you were into carpentry and art, right? Anything you can show me?" Fukami says. Samurai relaxes and smiles in approval. "The fact that they are calling you by name means they acknowledge you." Samurai whispers to Silver.

"Don't forget about me! I'm the one that invited you to this half of Japone in the first place." Asahi says, joining the group.

[GeneralDirection 1,047]

So, it seemed Gotaro’s test was in the form of a… wolf? Yep, that’s exactly what it was. This particular one did not look very happy. He stood silently as Gotaro explained the test and Silver simply nodded in reply after he finished. He responds to Samurai with “Thanks.” and a smile, appreciating his support. He turns to face the wolf, and if he’s afraid, he certainly doesn’t show it. The wolf soon returns to its owner, having found Silver to be innocent. Of course, at no surprise to Silver, he never had anything to fear. He watched as most of the other samurai headed back to their homes, seemingly disappointed at not being offered a chance to fight. He shrugged at Denki, if he really felt the need to follow him around, then so be it. “Well, I have been on this adventure of mine for a while now, so I don’t have any carpentry examples left, but I was working on this drawing of my marefriend on the way here today. I guess you could look at that if you want. It’s very much a work in progress, though.” He levitates the drawing with his magic towards Fukami and silently nods at Samurai before smiling at Asahi. “Yes, of course, Asahi, not gonna forget about you. After all, you’re the reason we came here today.”

[Samurai Equine 51,128]

@GeneralDirection

Samurai is rather impressed how well Silver took the test. Any lesser beings would have quaked in fear. Fukami looks at the drawing and his eyes light up with stars. "Oh my! Saikou, Silver! This art is the best I've seen today!" Fukami says, dazzled. "You say that for every piece of art you see, even if it's stick figures!" Denki says, calling him out. "A little bit of positivity goes a long way~" Fukami says as he strikes a pose like a model. "I think my intended audience will enjoy you so much more." Asahi says.

[GeneralDirection 1,047]

@Samurai Equine

“It’ll look a lot better when it’s finished.” He says, placing the art back into his saddlebag. “But thanks, glad you like it.” He smiles before turning to Asahi. “Your intended audience?” He asks with a raised eyebrow. “Well, with a statement like that, you’ve certainly piqued my interest. What are you planning, exactly?”

[Samurai Equine 51,128]

@GeneralDirection

"Well I'm glad you said that! Follow me, please~!" Asahi says before taking Silver's hoof and leading the way. "We need to make an important stop before you meet my audience." She adds.
"Hey! I'm coming too!" Denki chases after. Fukami shrugs and casually follows via flying/floating.
Samurai also follows. "I hope you're ready for this, Silver. You may have some fire magic, but if this is what I think it is, then you'll need to be a fire ball of energy for what Asahi has in store."

[GeneralDirection 1,047]

Silver didn’t exactly have much choice but to follow Asahi as she grabbed his hoof and dragged him along to… wherever it was she was taking him to. “Uhhh, ok?” He replied. “I can’t say I’m really ready for anything, especially considering what I just went through.” He also noticed that Fukami had elected to come along as well as Denki. Must be super quiet in samurai-world for both of these guys to be following me around. The kirin thought to himself.

[Samurai Equine 51,128]

@GeneralDirection

As they walk through town, Silver can't help but notice that this part of Asahi's region is very modern. "The loops we have to go through..." Fukami says in reference to the fact that Asahi is leading them through backstreets and less conspicuous pathways, as if they are avoiding the public.
But they eventually reach a building and go in. "I'm here, everypony! Sorry for the delay. And I hope you don't mind, but I'd like my friends to accompany this time." Asahi says to others inside. This place feels like some kind of talent agency or something! There are ponies taking pictures, ponies talking business, ponies moving various pieces that look like they belong on a set. "Ms. Asahi! You're just in time for final measurements." One of the random ponies says before pulling her aside. In fact, a bunch of fashion-forward ponies come up, and each one guides one of the samurai warriors to space for getting measured. In fact, one of these ponies does the same for Silver! "Heh. Just go with it, Silver. The best thing you can do is have fun with what's about to happen." Samurai tells him as another team of ponies start wheeling out racks of outfits. Each one looks like they belong on a pop star. "I'll need your input to find the perfect outfit for you, sir." One of the fashion designers tells Silver.

Edited September 1, 2022 by Samurai Equine

[GeneralDirection 1,047]

@Samurai Equine

Asahi led them through a maze of side streets and alleyways as if she wanted nopony else to know where they were going. They did reach their destination, but once they got inside, Silver was in for a real surprise. There were ponies everywhere running here and there, it seemed to be either a theatre or the back room of some large boutique. Either way, he soon found out that they were here for clothing, of all things. Silver gave Samurai a bit of a confused face before being led away to a different fitting area. Fashion wasn’t exactly Silver’s strong suit, in fact he rarely got dressed up at all. He gives the fashion designer a blank look. “My input? Heh, I don’t know the first thing about fashion. I guess I’ll try my best, though.”

[Samurai Equine 51,128]

@GeneralDirection

"You can start by telling us your favorite color." The fashion designer says as they finish taking Silvers measurements. Some of these fashion ponies start holding up different outfits to Silver to get an idea of what he will look like them. One outfit has wide shoulder pieces, another has way too much sparkling details, another seems to have stripes that glow in the dark, etc. Each one feels like an outfit a pop star would wear.

[GeneralDirection 1,047]

@Samurai Equine

“Blue.” He replied almost instantly. “Just like my mane.” He eyes the outfits that the fashion ponies produce at first with distaste. These were much too flashy and elaborate for him.

[Samurai Equine 51,128]

@GeneralDirection

With his input, they get Silver into an outfit that has lots of cobalt blue and some black for contrast. Refined but still very flashy. As he leaves the fitting area, he sees his new friends are all dressed in fancy, eye-catching outfits. Each one is in a different style, yet somehow compliment each other. Samurai is in a mostly red and dark grey number. Denki is in a flashy orange oufit with some dark navy blue. Fukami is in a purple and muted aqua outfit. However, Asahi steals the show. Her pink and white outfit with a ruffled dress, bows, ribbons, dance shoes, and many other details practically lights up the room.

"Okay everypony! The show's about to start. Come on~! We need to be ready for our cue." Asahi says before leading the way into another room. "How good are you at dancing, Silver?" Fukami asks as he follows. "Don't worry if you're not very good. There will be an instructor that will show you the moves to imitate. And even if that's too hard, you can just do some simple dance moves instead." Samurai says, also following. "How do I always get talked into these things?" Denki says to himself as he follows.

Edited September 3, 2022 by Samurai Equine

[GeneralDirection 1,047]

@Samurai Equine

Silver looks at himself in the mirror after he gets fitted with the outfit, and to be quite honest, it suited him quite well. He’d have to see if he could take it with him after they were done doing… whatever it is they were doing here. He thanked the fashion ponies before leaving to join the others, who were all dressed up in outfits of their own. They all looked great, but Asahi’s outfit outshone everyone. But he didn’t have much time to admire hers or anyone else’s, the reason for coming here was finally revealed. They really were in a theatre, and they were all about to become a part of a show, willing or not.

“Oh, this is one thing I’m more than ready for.” He says to Fukami and Samurai as they follow the others. “Kirin have quite an extensive culture in theatre, so I’m very much at home here. Nothing quite to this scale, but that’s ok.”

[Samurai Equine 51,128]

@GeneralDirection

Good news is good news. They are all guided to a set of some kind, but the set is dimmed. Some other well dressed mares join them, but their outfits are the least glamorous here. To the side, a different set is lit up. Ponies in suits are talking while being filmed. And behind the camera crew is a live audience.

"...Which ultimately means that in another 30 to 50 years, we may see a bullet train leading to Canterlot and, perhaps, directly Princess Celestia's castle. And now, fillies and gentlecolts, creatures of all kinds, it's time for the moment you've all been waiting for~! Here to perform live, it's our local samurai warrior Asahi-chan!" The host finishes up a segment before pointing to the other set. When the lights go up, the cameras turn, and everyone can see Asahi on the other set with her friends. The audience goes WILD! They are screaming with excitement, many of them calling out Asahi's name, others in awe that they are in the same studio as her, some waving signs and merch and what not in full support, etc.

Asahi, who is standing dead center, steps up with a big cheery smile. "Ohayo, minna~! Asahi-chan desu! Genki desu ne~? Otsukaresama deshita!!" Asahi addresses the crowd with an uber-cute sounding voice and doing cute poses, but the crowd seems to be eating it up. "For coming all the way out here to support us, arigato gozaimasu desu~! Today we have some new faces. I am joined by Samurai Equine! ...Denki-san! Fukami-san! ...And a new comer to Japone, the first ever kirin we've ever seen, please welcome Silver!" Asahi introduces everyone, with plenty of pauses in between so the crowd can cheer. Samurai is all grins, Denki has his arms crossed with serious face, and Fukami winks and strikes a pose for the ladies. The crowd seems to be fascinated with Silver. "This was all kind of impromptu, so regardless of what happens, please cheer for us, okay? We're putting our hearts into this!" Asahi gets one last look around as the crowd cheers. The camera crew is ready. There's a dance instructor behind the camera, ready to show the new comers how to dance just in case. "Yosh!! Hora ike~! Music start!"

With an energetic cue, the music starts. Asahi leads the dance. Some of the random background dancers follow immediately after. The guys dance a beat or two after her, but that's how it's suppose to be. Silver might be interested to see that Samurai, Denki, and Fukami know how dance to this pretty well, as if they had all ready practiced or prepared for this at some point. And not only is Asahi the center dancer, she is also the lead vocalist! She is singing the song, with some of the mare background dancers providing harmony vocals.

Spoiler

I couldn't really think of a specific song or dance to put here, but there's been lots of Japanese media with cute dance numbers. So here's some examples; go with whichever you like best. This is basically what they are doing right now.

 

 

[GeneralDirection 1,047]

@Samurai Equine

Silver follows the crew to the set, which appears to be a live TV set, not a theatre like he had thought initially. The crowd was certainly much larger than any he had been in front of before, but somehow being there with his newfound friends took away any performance anxiety he might’ve had. Asahi was clearly the center of attention, and she worked the crowd well. Silver never would’ve guessed that samurai were also performers on the side, yet here they all were. He gave a kind smile and waved to the audience when introduced, he wasn’t sure what else to do in the moment as he hadn’t ever been given quite an introduction like that.

The performance soon began, and at first, Silver didn’t quite catch on. But he did his best, and after watching the other ponies and the instructor for a bit, he’s able to get into a groove and fit right in with the rest of the crew. Everypony else seemed to know what they were doing, and Asahi turned out to also be a great singer, the crowd was truly loving the show.

(OOC: You don't need to worry about picking a certain song unless you want to, whatever you wanna do is fine.)

[Samurai Equine 51,128]

@GeneralDirection

As the song comes to an end, the crowd gives the loudest cheer. Mostly for Asahi, but some for the others as well. Seems Silver has a few new fans now as well. "Ehehehe~ Mina, arigato~! Please keep supporting us, okay? Matte ne~!" Asahi waves and the lights on them dim. The cameras go back to the regular TV host. In the dark, Asahi leaves the set and motions for her friends to follow her.

As they change back to their regular clothes (or lack there of), Silver is not allowed to keep the outfit. Unfortunately, the studio owns it. "Have fun out there, Silver?" Samurai asks. "You did great, Silver! But I hope that wasn't too much of a big thing on your first day here. We samurai hold a very high status in society, so I like to give back to the citizens by being their idol~!" Asahi says, giving one last cute pose. "You always do things like that." Denki says with a half smile. "True~. But I don't do it for myself. For some reason, it really does make the citizens happy and it inspires many. How can I say no to such a simple gesture? You saw the happy looks on their faces, didn't you? I do it for them." Asahi explains.

Edited September 5, 2022 by Samurai Equine

[GeneralDirection 1,047]

@Samurai Equine

The song ends, and Silver looks across the audience to see scores of screaming ponies who had thoroughly enjoyed their performance. Silver’s smile returned and he too waved his goodbye before retreating off stage. Silver is somewhat saddened that he can’t keep the outfit and reluctantly leaves it behind and joins the others.

“Yes, I did have fun. Haven’t done anything like that in a while with all the adventuring I’ve been doing, so it was a nice change.” He replies to Samurai. “And that’s a great thing you’re doing, Asahi. Everypony enjoyed the show and you just looked like you belonged up there leading everything, so it’s a win-win.”

[Samurai Equine 51,128]

@GeneralDirection

"See? Silver gets it. So what shall we do next?" Asahi asks. "I vote karaoke bar." Samurai says. "Not you too!" Denki says. "What? Doing that performance got me in the mood for it." Samurai admits. "I'm as free as the wind~!" Fukami says. "Just remember, everyone. This is Silver's special day. He gets first pick what we do next." Asahi says.

[GeneralDirection 1,047]

@Samurai Equine

“Karaoke bar, huh?” He gives Samurai a curious look. “Sure, sounds fun, let’s give that a go.” He decides, partially because he hadn’t done any singing in a while, and partially just to annoy Denki. Since he was so insistent on following them, he might as well see all of the top-secret stuff they’re ‘up to’, then. Threatening Japone one song at a time.

[Samurai Equine 51,128]

@GeneralDirection

"Then that's that." Asahi says, leading the way out the building while thanking the crew as well. The studio crew that helped set this up seem pretty busy clearing things away. Their job here is done.

As they walk out the front entrance this time, the is legions of fans screaming and cheering. held back by velvet ropes. They are praising them, asking for autographs and more. Most of the party seems to be happy to greet them. Denki just smirks. "Heh. Awfully presumptuous to approach a samurai like this. Right, Asahi?" Denki says. Asahi and Fukami both look up from the autographs they are signing. "Huh? You say something?" Asahi asks. "!! You're all ready signing things?!" Denki says, surprised with jaw agape. Samurai just shrugs and signs some things as well. "I actually prefer to be a hero to the citizens."

Silver only gets halfway through the crowd before his own fans speak up. They took photos of his performance early, and they made copies, so now they are asking for his autograph as well. They provide their own permanent markers.

[GeneralDirection 1,047]

@Samurai Equine

Silver can’t help but be amused by Denki’s reaction, not that he’s terribly surprised. He’s glad to see the rest of the samurai engaging with the crowd and signing autographs. To his surprise, a few of the ponies there actually wanted his autograph, as well. He smiled warmly as he levitated their photos with his magic and signed each of them before giving them back. This is likely the only time they’ll ever be to photograph a kirin, never mind getting him to sign their photos as well.

[Samurai Equine 51,128]

@GeneralDirection

Silver's new fanclub thanks him kindly for the autographs. "Well, I guess if everypony else is doing it, who am I to argue? Who else wants an autograph?" Denki says. ... He looks around. "Only one?!" Denki quietly says to himself when he sees he is the less popular samurai here.

Moments later, they are all at a karaoke bar. Unlike western equivalents, you are not performing in front of a crowd. Rather, you and your party are given a private room to sing karaoke. There is a luxury recliner with a table and menus, and there is a mini-stage area with a large TV and microphones. "See here in Japonese karaoke bars, you can have a luxury experience. You can order a full lunch, any variety of drinks you like, and dessert too." Asahi explains as they enter their private room. "It's customary to order food before the fun begins, so the waiter will be here any moment."

[GeneralDirection 1,047]

@Samurai Equine

Silver waves goodbye to his new ‘fan club’ after everypony got their autographs and joined the rest of the group headed to the karaoke bar. Once they arrived, the kirin was quite surprised to find this establishment was nothing like the karaoke bars he had been to before. This one had them in a private room and was much more luxuriously appointed.

“Well, I have no regrets giving this place a chance.” Silver comments as he flops down in a recliner. “What’s good here?” He asks as he levitates a menu with his magic. “I’m not too picky.”

[Samurai Equine 51,128]

@GeneralDirection

"Anything is good, really! That's why I like this particular karaoke bar. And don't be afraid to order to your hearts content, cause I've got this one." Asahi explains. The menu has all kinds of things; snacks and appetizers, midsized meals, and food plates that feel like they should be in a fancier restaurant. Not to mention, they have things that many tourists and western ponies would enjoy. "If you don't see anything that appeals to you, feel free to ask the staff about whatever you want. They do custom orders here, occasionally." Samurai explains.

Minutes later, a knock comes on the door before a waiter enters. "Is everyone ready to make their orders?"

[GeneralDirection 1,047]

@Samurai Equine

“Oh, well that’s awfully nice of you, Asahi.” Silver replies with a smile. “You didn’t have to do that, but thank you, I appreciate it.” His attention turns to the waiter as he enters the room. “What are your specials today, sir?” He asks. “I’m new to Japone and trying to broaden my horizons.” Silver sees some familiar items on the menu from his travels around Equestria, but since he’s here visiting, he’d like to try and experience some new things.

[Samurai Equine 51,128]

@GeneralDirection

"I'll ask the chef and see what he recommends, but I would suggest our house special. It's our best item." The waiter explains. He gets everyone else's order in the meantime.

"So Silver, is there any songs you'd like to sing? You can go first, if you want." Asahi tells him.