The two ponies trotted into the Kirin village, looking around at all of the wonders surrounding them. Small, low houses with tiled roofs and sliding paper doors. Rocky and Starglow passed several gorgeous rock gardens, and with some beautiful koi fish ponds. Crossing over a small bridge towards the center of the village, they noticed several kirin working at their gardens, and others working on woodcuts and watercolor paintings. But when a kirin stallion at the village meeting house saw the ponies coming, he galloped up the ladder into the village tower, and began ringing the village bell to summon the other kirin to the town's center.

One of the kirin, far taller than the others, trotted up to greet the two visitors, smiling warmly at Rocky and Starglow.

"Welcome, travelers! We are pleased to welcome you to our humble village." The white mare with a flaming-haired mane bowed her head to the newcomers. "My name is Taobao, and I am the village jōnin. of this community. Please, tell us the purpose of your visit, and what we may do to make your stay more pleasant."

"We thank you for your hospitality, honorable Taobao." The Pegasus samurai replied, inclining her head towards the Kirin mare. "My companion and I are on a most noble quest, in order to rescue a pony who has been abducted by a most diabolical and sinister oni. Let me tell you the sordid and tragic tale of how this occurred..."

As Starglow told the Kirin their story, Rocky couldn't help but gaze at the tall, strong, and beautiful Kirin named Taobao. Her gorgeous eyes, her luxurious mane... the earth pony wondered if he was looking at a goddess, or some kind of heavenly being who had stepped down from the heavens. The words the two mares were saying were lost on the shugenja's ears, as he stared as if he were in a trance.

"...so, that's why we've come to your village, honorable Taobao." Starglow finished her tale, bowing to the village jōnin again. "And we would appreciate any guidance or wisdom you could giver us on this matter. Isn't that right, Rocky?" When she failed to hear a response, Starglow looked back at the stallion, and saw how Rocky was lost in his own dreamy thoughts. "Uhhh, Rocky? Aren't we grateful for their help?"

"Huh? Oh yeah! Right, right..." The shugenja replied, snapping back to reality. "Lady Taobao, we are eternally grateful for your hospitality and kindness. Hoofkaido and it's ponies shall be eternally in your debt."

Taobao slowly nodded, her gaze locked with Rocky's. The two ponies stared into each other's eyes for several minutes, as if an unspoken conversation was going on between the two. After several minutes, Taobao turned towards the kirin of her village, and spoke;

"My fellow kirin, I have decided to formally request that our guests that they remain with us here for the night." The kirin leader exclaimed, her eyes sweeping over her fellow villagers. "We shall show them a night of hospitality, before they continue on their perilous quest."

The other kirin all bowed, and guided the two visiting ponies towards the village's inn, and served them some of the most delicious dishes the ponies had ever tasted. After a prayer to their respective kamis, both ponies picked up their chopsticks (Starglow with the tips of her wings, and Rocky with his shugenja magic) and began to eat the delicious foods right in front of them. Rocky devoured four entire plates of yakisoba, downing several glasses of imported Dream Valley cola as he ate. While Starglow quietly enjoyed a plate full of sushi, along with a warm cup of chai tea.

"MMMM, this food is delicious!" Rocky exclaimed, finishing his bowl of noodles. "These kirin are such amazing cooks!"

"Yes, they can prepare quite a delicious meal." Starglow agreed. "That's the best cup of tea I've had in a very long time."

Then the two ponies were then treated to a performance of bunraku theater, where they watched an elaborate puppet show. The kirin puppeteers were completely invisible, using a combination of levitation and hoof movements to carry out the elaborate performance. The bunraku performance told the story of a village of kirin who had given up their ability to speak to maintain harmony, and how two ponies from Equestria had shown them the way to work out their anger without burying their emotions. After the performance, Rocky and Starglow gave the performers a moment of respectful silence to show their appreciation.

After the performance was concluded, Starglow went out to speak with several kirin, while Rocky went out to sit under the stars. Soon, Taobao came out to sit beside the stallion, gazing up at the stars with him.

"It is quite beautiful out here, is it not?" The kirin spoke up, breaking the silence. "Like a million glowing lanterns, all hanging in the sky amidst the clouds."

"Yes, it is quite an amazing sight." Rocky sighed, continuing to look skyward. "It can almost make a pony forget all of the troubles down here on the cold, unforgiving earth."

"You carry a great burden of pain with you, I can sense it radiating from your aura." She spoke up, putting a hoof on the stallion's shoulder. "Is it the quest that has been placed upon you, or is something far deeper troubling you, Rocky-san?"

"Hai, that is part of the problem, but only part." He replied, closing his eyes. "All of my life, I have been trained by my clan to be a shugenja wizard, to work in service to Hoofkaido's shogun. My giri to the shogunate leaves little time for hobbies, amusements, or personal time. Because of this, my duties as shugenja are my life, and there are times that I wish for more."

"I can relate to that... when I inherited the position of village jonin from my mother, it left little time for any kind of amusement or personal enjoyment for myself. It is a rare moment when I can even take the time, to come out and enjoy a magnificent view such as this."

Rocky thoguht for a moment, then looked over at her. "Why don't you and the other kirin come and help us tomorrow, Taobao-chan? Surely the shogun would reward you and your village greatly for your assistance. And your kirin magic could be a valuable asset in the conflict ahead."

"Gomen nasai, Rocky-san. But we Kirin cannot go into battle, for anger and rage can turn us into terrible monsters far worse than your most terrifying nightmares." Taobao stared at him sadly, putting a tender hoof on his face. "I do not wish for you to see me that way, my nōburu taneuma." She stood up, and bowed to him politely. "Oyasumi, Rocky-san, may you have the sweetest of dreams."

The kirin mare trotted away into the night, leaving the silent, but still stoic, shugenja all alone in the darkness.

Author's Note

for those who wish to learn more about hoofkaido, please read this entry;

https://www.fimfiction.net/blog/306525/entry-1-hoofkaido