The Way Of The Warrior

“Twilight, I am unfamiliar with this vegetable. What is it?” Konishi asked, staring curiously at the soft red food in his fingers.

“That’s a tomato Konishi, and technically it’s a fruit”, Twilight corrected, idly munching on a piece of celery. The three of them were now sitting by the kitchen table, eating their salad in what had been relative silence. Well, Twilight and Konishi were eating their dinner, Spike on the other hand was shovelling gems into his mouth like his life depended on it.

Konishi stared at the young dragon, still confused as to how he could eat gems, before returning his gaze to the strange ‘tomato’ in his fingers. It was a deep shade of red, and thanks to a delicate squeeze, he could tell it was filled with juice. The only thing Konishi could really compare it to was an apple, and even then it was far too small and soft.

‘Perhaps I should just eat it, I think Twilight’s starting to get worried’, he thought, noticing that Twilight was still watching him.

He quickly slipped the tomato into his mouth, its thin skin breaking as soon as he put pressure on it. The juices had a zesty, tangy taste, unlike anything Konishi had tasted before. Despite this, Konishi found himself liking it. Sure it wasn’t the tastiest food out there, but it certainly wasn’t anything to complain about either.

“I like it; it’s different, but nothing too bad. I’m a little confused as to why someone would name a fruit after a toe though. It seems a bit strange”, he told Twilight, who raised an eyebrow in response.

“Firstly, it’s to-mato, not toe-mato. And secondly, what’s a toe? Is it some sort of really cool Samurai invention?” she asked excitably. A quill and paper came out from nowhere, floating in her magic as she prepared to write down whatever Konishi might say.

“Uhh… I’m afraid not. It’s just the appendages on my feet”, Konishi told her, wiggling his toes for emphasis. Spike chuckled through his salad as Twilight’s gleeful smile dropped. She returned her gaze to her own salad-- though the young princess still managed to write something down on her paper.

“Oh… well that’s still interesting I guess”, she muttered, slightly disappointed that ‘toe’ wouldn’t have any real world applications for ponykind. In fact-- just like Konishi's hands-- they weren’t all that different from the claws on a dragon or a lizard. Just slightly more numerous and dexterous.

“My apologies for disappointing you Twilight. When I get back to Japan I shall name the very next thing I discover after a toe, just for you”, Konishi told her.

“You’re not serious are you?” Twilight asked, an amused grin adorning her face.

“I might be”, Konishi simply replied with a small grin of his own, winking at the young princess. Twilight simply shook her head, before returning to her meal.

There was something strangely ironic in all this. In his seven or so years of officially being a Samurai, not once had Konishi had a friendly conversation with his lords or their families. In fact he hadn’t really had a friendly conversation with anyone above him at all.

And yet in less than a day, he found himself engaged in a friendly conversation with not one, but two of Equestria’s leaders. In fact, it had gotten to such a point that he was talking to Twilight as if she was a friend, and no longer just a princess. Of course this was something she had ordered, but that did not diminish the significance of it all.

‘How could this have happened so quickly?’ Konishi asked himself. It was difficult to figure out, but he had formed a hypothesis based on what he had observed about the ponies and Spike.

They all seemed very friendly, especially considering Konishi was alien to them. In Japan most had regarded something different, such as traders from Europe or America, with apprehension at best. Even Konishi wasn’t above the influence of this bias, though he had the privilege of getting to know one of these foreigners very well -- hence his ability to speak English. But before then he knew he had regarded the traders with mild disgust. In hindsight it was rather hypocritical, given the fact one of the virtues of Bushido virtue was respect, but maybe that was one thing that separated humans from ponies: bias.

‘Of course people from the westhave only been coming to Japan in large numbers for the last twenty years, it’s no surprise my people are still suspicious of them. All we really need is a little time to get more accustomed to the idea’, he reminded himself.

Here though, everyone seemed to take the fact that he was an alien in stride. Though that wasn’t entirely surprising when he thought about it. Both Celestia and the book he had been reading alluded that there were more than just ponies in this world. Hell, there was a dragon sitting right in front of him, that was evidence enough. Maybe the ponies were just so used to having different sapient species around them that they weren’t frightened or confused by Konishi.

“Konishi, are you still in there?” Twilight asked, breaking Konishi out of his train of thought. She gave the Samurai an amused grin when he looked back at her. “You’ve zoned out quite a few times today. It must be a lot to take in.”

“Yes, it certainly is. I still have many questions, so many in fact I fear some may never be answered during my short time here”, he admitted, chomping down yet another tomato. Twilight gave him a puzzled look, and would have replied if it was not for Konishi’s raised hand. “That’s okay though, I’m not here to learn. I’m here because it’s my duty to teach you about myself and my kind. As my temporary lord, your concerns come before mine.”

Twilight blushed, looking down at her now empty salad bowl. “Thank you, but I saw the way you looked at those books when you entered the library. You want to find out more about this world just as much as I want to find out more about yours. That’s why I gave you that book to read while you were waiting”, she told him.

‘Ah yes, the book’, Konishi remembered. Just like it said on the cover, the book was for younger readers, with a picture to word ratio of about ten to one. And it was brief, very brief. So much so that it even said that it had no information predating the fight between the so called Nightmare Moon-- or Princess Luna-- and the Elements of Harmony, which was the only chapter he had completed.

From what Konishi had gathered, these ‘Elements of Harmony’ were some sort of supernatural device controlled by six ponies. Two of whom he already knew by name; Twilight Sparkle and Fluttershy, though the rest remained unfamiliar to him.

‘Rainbow Pie, Appledash, Rarity and Pinkie Jack if I remember correctly’, he thought. He might of got their names mixed up slightly, given the fact they were vastly different from Japanese names, but he highly doubted it.

Realising he hadn’t responded for several seconds, Konishi quickly shook his head, looking back at Twilight. “Thank you for allowing me to read the book. It may not have been within my age range, but I made the best of it”, he thanked her, before pausing once again, this time only for a second. “Which reminds me, will I be getting the opportunity to meet Fluttershy before I leave? I must thank her for helping to save my life.”

“Of course, I’ll make sure you meet all of my friends. We need to visit some of them today anyway”, she informed him, a happy smile on her face as she hopped off her chair, picking up the now empty bowls in her magic and depositing them into the sink with a small splash.

“We do?” both Konishi and Spike asked simultaneously, Spike sounding slightly more excited than the Samurai, though for what reason Konishi had no idea.

Twilight giggled, nodding happily. “Yep. First we’ll go to Rarity’s to pick up your armour, clothing and weaponry. She’s had it repaired and cleaned- and has been looking after it ever since. Then we’ll-”

“Twilight, Twilight! Can I please come with you? Pleaseee?” Spike begged, trying to give Twilight his best puppy dog eyes.

“Hmm…” Twilight stroked her chin. “Only if you do the dishes.”

In a split second Spike was out of his seat, already starting to wash the dishes with determined vigour, humming a little tune as he did so. Twilight could only shake her head in amusement, before motioning for Konishi to follow her as she left the kitchen.

“Is there something I missed? Why is the young dragon so eager to accompany us to Rarity’s?” Konishi asked once they were out of Spike’s hearing distance.

Twilight smiled up at him. “Love”, was all she told him, though it was more than enough.

“Ah! They are courting”, Konishi said, giving her an understanding nod.

The notion of a dragon courting a pony seemed kind of odd to Konishi, but who was he to judge? Besides, it wasn’t that much different from the notion of a Japanese person courting a foreigner. In principle it was the same thing; two being loving each other despite their external differences. In that respect, interspecies relationships didn’t seem like such a bad thing.

Twilight snorted. “He wishes. He’s still too young to be doing anything like that, but I’m sure when he’s of a consenting age Rarity will say yes. She likes him too much to say anything other than yes.”

Twilight hopped up onto a nearby couch, looking at Konishi as she patted the spot next to her. The Samurai quickly seated himself next to her, feeling slightly uncomfortable due to the fact he couldn’t cross his legs. This new way of sitting just felt off to him.

“Now, where were we? Ah yes, I was telling you why we need to visit my friends tomorrow”, Twilight exclaimed, bringing another list to her side, ready to tick it off as she went.

‘How many lists does one person- pony need? It’s borderline obsessive’, Konishi thought. He could understand Twilight wanting to be prepared, but having this many lists seemed a tad unnecessary.

Twilight didn’t notice Konishi’s concern, continuing to explain what would happen the next day-- in explicit detail. “So after we visit Rarity’s the only pony we really need to see is Fluttershy. She was worried about you last time I checked, and I promised to bring you over as soon as you were awake so she could make sure you're okay," she explained, ticking off the last box on the list.

“If I may be so bold to ask-- what did happen exactly? All I can remember is being on the battlefield one minute, then waking up in the hospital the next”, he admitted, glancing down at his injured abdomen. He could just make out the bandage through his gown, the dry blood standing out against the white cloth.

Twilight suddenly looked nervous, tearing her gaze away from Konishi. “A-are you sure? There are other things we could do instead”, she quickly blurted out.

“Yes, it’s something I’d like to know. Otherwise I’ll never be able to properly thank both Fluttershy and yourself”, Konishi told her.

Twilight sighed, shaking her head. “Okay then, I’ll keep it brief. Fluttershy and I were out in the Everfree forest collecting herbs for her medical supplies, when suddenly there was this bright red flash nearby. Whoever or whatever brought you here must have used a lot of energy to do so, because that flash was probably one of the most powerful spell by-products I have ever seen”, Twilight told him, unable to hold back her excitement at the thought of this new and extremely powerful spell. “Anyway, Fluttershy and I both rushed over to see what had caused such an immense flash, and that’s when we found you on the ground. You were only conscious for a few seconds after we had gotten there, but you said something rather interesting before you blacked out; Ancestors. What does that mean?”

“My ancestors are family members who have passed after living an honourable life. In that moment I thought I was going to die, so I attempted to call out to them, hoping they would find me before I was forever lost in an eternal darkness”, Konishi explained, slightly confused when Twilight regarded him with a shocked expression.

“Wow, that’s pretty deep. I thought it would have been a name or something like that, but I couldn’t have been further from the truth. Does this mean your people have some form of religion?” she asked, once again bringing up a quill and paper. There was a tiny voice in her mind that reminded her that she still had a story to tell, but it was quickly drowned out by her scientific curiosity.

“Yes, Zen Buddhism, although it’s more of a philosophy as there is no god for us to believe in. It emphasises the values of meditation and intuition rather than ritual worship or the study of scriptures. It’s something I follow alongside Bushido, which is our Samurai moral values”, Konishi answered, smiling as he watched her write it all down with gleeful joy.

“That’s amazing, I’ve never heard of such a religion before. Most of the species on Equus-- including Equestria-- lack an official religion. But those that do tend believe in at least one god. I wonder what implications a godless religion could have on Equus?” Twilight asked rhetorically, copying down everything he said so quickly Konishi swore he saw a little wisp of smoke rising from the paper. Eventually, the young princess paused before looking up at Konishi, with a sheepish grin and a slight blush. “I may have forgotten where we were before we got off topic.”

Konishi chuckled lightly in amusement, only worsening Twilight’s blush. “I believe you had just gotten to the part where I blacked out.”

Twilight gave the Samurai a thankful smile, before continuing her story, “Anyway, you were bleeding out really badly when we found you, and without Fluttershy’s medical supplies I was almost certain you were going to die…” Twilight paused, completely stopping her notes as she pawed nervously at the couch. “...I couldn’t do anything to save you. I’m not trained in medical magic, nor could I teleport you to a hospital, as I hadn’t fully mastered the multi-being teleportation spell yet.”

“I’m sure you helped in some way though. Princess Celestia even credited you for saving my life”, Konishi reminded her.

Twilight sighed, smiling sadly at Konishi. “You can hardly call it help. You would have died if Fluttershy hadn’t been so quick to act. She applied pressure to your wounds, and told me to go get help. And that’s what I did, that’s all I could do. I teleported back to the library, sent a letter to Princess Celestia, and with her help we were able to get you to the hospital before you bled out.”

Konishi bowed his head once he was sure that Twilight had finished her story, much to the young Alicorn’s confusion. “Thank you Twilight Sparkle. You may not believe it yourself, but your actions were just as crucial in saving my life as those of Fluttershy or Princess Celestia. Without you I would never have made it to the hospital, and all Fluttershy’s medical expertise would have been for nothing.”

“I… I never thought of it like that. I just assumed that my part in saving your life was so insignificant that I didn’t deserve any credit-”

“Twilight, no action, no matter how small, is ever insignificant. What you see as simply sending a letter, I see as an act that ultimately saved my life. Something that I will be eternally grateful for", he reminded the young Alicorn, hoping she wouldn’t be too annoyed by his interruption.

Twilight sighed, looking away as an embarrassed blush crossed her cheeks. "I guess you’re right. I feel like such an idiot right now.”

“You’re not an idiot Twilight. All you did was bring yourself down when you really didn’t need to, and there is no need to feel ashamed about that”, Konishi told her, giving the young Alicorn a reassuring smile. “In fact, I believe it shows that you’re modest, which is always a good thing in my opinion.”

“Thanks, but I still feel bad about not being able to keep you alive without the help of both Fluttershy and the Princess. I mean, what if this happens again? I know it’s unlikely, but if it did? What would I be able to do? I wouldn't even know where to start. Your body is so different to that of a pony’s. Who’s to say it isn’t the same story internally as well?” she asked, the question more for herself than anyone else.

She knew it was illogical to worry this much, but what if something did happen? She would bear full responsibility. Worse-- Celestia forbid it-- it could result in the injury or death of the first alien ever to visit Equus. And all because she had never taken an interest in Equestrian medicine. ‘If he gets hurt I’ll never forgive myself, and neither will Princess Celestia. She’d probably even send me back to magic kindergarten as punishment!’

“Twilight? Twilight, are you still there?” Konishi asked, pulling Twilight back into the real world before she could relive the traumatic memory of fillies laughing at her. “If you’re that worried about it perhaps I could teach you about human biology. I mean, I’m certainly not an expert when it comes to that sort of thing, but if it makes you feel any better I’ll give it a shot.”

“You would do that for me? T-thank you”, Twilight quickly replied, quite surprised by Konishi’s offer. It would take a lot of weight off her shoulders, that much she was certain of.

“Of course, that’s why I’m here after all”, he reminded her, trying to make himself as comfortable as he could at the same time. Given Twilight’s insatiable taste for knowledge this was pretty much a necessity, lest he wanted a bad back for the rest of his duration in Equus. “So, where do you want to start then? As I’ve said this isn’t my area of expertise, so please forgive me if I find myself unable to answer your question.”

“Uh… what is a human exactly?” Twilight asked him, slightly embarrassed by her own question. She assumed it would have something to do with Konishi’s species-- given the context in which he had said it-- but she wanted to make sure she was right.

Her embarrassment only grew when Konishi started chuckling, though he didn’t do so to make fun of her, rather to show his amusement at how a seemingly challenging subject had started off with such an easy question. Maybe he wouldn’t make a complete mess of things after all. “Now that’s one question I can answer. Human is the name given to my species, in the same way that Alicorn is the name given to yours”, he answered, not at all surprised when Twilight brought her quill and paper up again, scribbling down everything that he had just told her.

“Thank you, I’m glad I no longer have to refer to you as an ‘alien’. It felt kind of derogatory”, she admitted, before returning to her paper. “Anyway, perhaps we could start with the basics of your biology, and then work our way up from there? I mean, both of us have admitted to not knowing a lot about the subject, and I have no idea how different the human body could be from a pony’s, so that’s probably the best place to start.”

“As you wish. I shall try to answer your questions to the best of my abilities”, Konishi promised her, though deep down he knew the best of his abilities wasn’t a whole lot. Certainly not enough to protect against every possible scenario, that much was certain. Still, if it made Twilight feel better, the least he could do was give it shot. She was his temporary lord after all, and he still had a duty to serve her. In any way she deemed fit.