Twilight was currently riding a train to Appleloosa, she was seated in the back of the train. Alongside her she had a small suitcase filled with knives that belonged to her.
A few days ago, before her current location. Twilight's parents gave Twilight a knife set made by a famous knife maker in Canterlot. She even got an additional knife with her name on it. It was from an incredibly expensive brand, a single knife would cost five hundred thousand bits.
Nevertheless, she had a feeling that these knives were going to be incredibly important for her upcoming job. However Twilight has never had sushi before, she heard that it was very popular with the dragon race. Unsure of what she would expect, she decided to grab a book about it and read it while en route.
The train trip was going to take a very long time, 12 hours to be precise as it's all the way up west in Equestria. Atleast from Canterlot. From Manehattan it was going to take a whole day, even with an express. Nonetheless Twilight was excited. She has never traveled to Appleloosa before. Or anywhere besides Manehattan and Canterlot anyways.
As she looked at her book, she immediately got invested into it. The title of the book was "Sushi for beginners"
'So what is Sushi?
Sushi is an rather unpopular dish among the pony kin, but it incredibly popular among dragons. Nevertheless it's a dish that is commonly associated with three ingredients. Fish, rice and soy sauce. Fish or Sashimi is usually finely cut into decently thin slices and eaten on rice. Than soaked in soy sauce. This is technically sushi.
However the mass accompanied it to it's own thing, thus Sashimi. Sushi is rather simple, rice is rolled in Wakame or Nori and stuffed with Sashimi, vegetables and sauce. Sometimes with fried meat instead. It is considered a refined product.'
Twilight quickly looked up as the train slowed down. It was not the right stop, this was the half way point. So back to reading she went.
'So I mentioned fish. But as we all know, there are many types of fish. So which fish types are common on sushi?
That is rather easy to answer, it's Salmon and Tuna. Of course this is an extremely small sample. The amount is closer to 28 types. But for the sake of simplicity, we will only talk about these two.
So Salmon is a orange fish when properly prepared and when the quality is proper. It is very commonly eaten in a Nigiri setting. If you aren't aware, there is five different sushi settings, Nigiri, Sashimi, Maki, Temaki or Uramaki.'
Again the train stopped, so Twilight stopped reading to look up. She was nearly there. Only 5 more stops.
'What are these types exactly?
Well Nigiri is fish on rice and sometimes with a bandage of Nori around it.
Sashimi on the other hoof is simply cut fish and served with soy sauce or Wasabi.
Uramaki and Maki are similar in the fact that they are rolls with rice and toppings in them, but Uramaki also has some rice outside the Nori roll alongside some additional toppings.
And finally Temaki, Temaki is a pouch made of Nori, filled with rice and vegetables. This is a go-to dish for to-go as it's easy to carry around.'
"Final stop inbound! Appleloosa! Don't forget your bags when departing the train!" The conductor shouts over the intercom.
This alerted Twilight out of her reading trance. She quickly put her book in her suitcase and stood up to go toward one of the exits. The train was grinding to an halt as the sound of brakes filled the air. After several minutes the train had stopped and the doors had opened automatically. Twilight stepped out of the train.
Twilight was greeted by the cool air as it was late in the afternoon. Twilight choose to arrive later in the evening in order for her to not be met with a very hot midday sun. Twilight had rented out a small room at the local pub as her base of operation. Twilight decided to walk slowly towards it.
Despite the fact that it was late, the pub was as loud as it would be at day. Twilight entered the room as she saw lots of ponies celebrating this and that. Beer was flowing through the tap and many were drinking way too many at that moment. It was very cozy, despite the busy nature of the pub. Twilight decided to approach the barkeeper of the pub.
"Welcome to Apple Drink pub! How may I help ya?" The barkeeper asked in a farmers accent..
"Hi, I had rented a room. On the name Sparkle." Twilight said, she saw as the barkeeper opened a big book with the words "Inn keeping" on it.
"Ah, yes madam! I see it right here. You are going to stay for two weeks in one of our bigger rooms. Correct?" The barkeeper asked.
"That is correct." Twilight confirmed.
"Before I give the key, I need to ask on security behalf. Why are you staying so long here?" The barkeeper asked as his tone went more serious.
"Work. I am going to work at one of the local sushi places." Twilight confessed.
"Ah. Very well then. Here you go." The barkeeper said as he gave Twilight the key.
The key had the number 001 on it. Twilight gracefully accepted it.
"Also about that place. You must be Twilight right? I heard about a chef that was trying to change the world. I may have some information, but there is a price attached." The barkeeper asked, his tone has gone serious all the way.
"Wow. The rumors have a far reach." Twilight simply said impressed.
"I am a barkeeper. You should expect that much." The barkeeper said smiling.
"What is the price?" Twilight simply asked.
"Hm. Tell you what, After you are done with your currently occupation. How about you cook for my bar for a few days. Of course I will cover the room at the very least." The barkeeper suggested.
"Gladly. But I can't do that immediately after my current job, as I am still busy with my mission. Is it alright if I do that on a later date?" Twilight said, hoping that it won't delay her current mission.
"Sure. That is fine." The barkeeper said in agreement.
"Good. So that place gets a lot of dragons, but you probably already knew that right?" The barkeeper probed.
"I do." Twilight admits.
"So they are currently in hot water for a single reason. They refuse to sell to ponies and they don't sell the appropriate beverages with the sushi." The barkeeper said.
"May I ask what an appropriate beverage to sushi is?" Twilight intervened.
"Sake, Green tea, beer, wine." The barkeeper said.
"I see." Twilight said.
"You probably wonder why they refused to sell to ponies, right?" The barkeeper asked.
"Is it due to the fact that they serve fish?" Twilight asked.
"You are not far off. But its more like, they buy the wrong fish, according to the people." The barkeeper admits.
"Like what?" Twilight asked.
"Tuna and Salmon. These two are wrong according to the mass." The barkeeper said.
"Well that is a false fact. Those two are the most common. In fact, you could use any fish and make delicious sushi out of them." Twilight dismissed.
"I agree. These claims are made by their rivals and competition. In order to steal customers." The barkeeper said.
"And because of that, the dragons also refused to go to their rivals, right? Making them called out as guests thieves instead." Twilight deduced.
"Correct." The barkeeper finishes.
"But why are you telling me this? I get that I am joining them. But what has that to do with me?" Twilight asked.
"Please try to open them back up to the ponies. Their sushi is amazing, but I can't buy any right now. It saddens me." The barkeeper admits.
"I will see what I can do. For now I want to rest out. I will see if I can make a difference tomorrow." Twilight said.
"Very well. Have a nice sleep. I will wake you up tomorrow for breakfast delivery." The barkeeper said.
"Thanks." Twilight said as she walks up the stairs and open the first door into her room.
The room was nothing special, besides the nice view. Twilight was too tired to really care, and the moment that she touches the bed, she falls asleep. While unconscious, her magic automatically closed the door behind her. Not that she would ever find out, right?
Early the following day, Twilight woke up refreshed. She headed downstairs into the pub before the barkeeper has to call for her. The barkeeper rose his eyebrow at Twilight.
"You are early." The barkeeper said surprised at Twilight.
"No. I am late. I normally wake up about an hour earlier. Nonetheless, what is breakfast?" Twilight asked curious.
"Well I am originally from an Asian country far to the east of Equestria. So my breakfast is perhaps a bit different than usual." The barkeeper said worried.
"Please, I understand. In fact I gladly will eat that breakfast. To get a chance to experience a different culture's food has the same value as gold for me. As chef anyways." Twilight said excited.
The barkeeper smiled, "Okay. Breakfast is served with baked salmon, Miso soup with tofu. Two small salads as appetizer, a bowl of rice, some baked egg in an Asian way." he said. He saw as Twilight's eyes were filled with stars.
"Amazing. So this is a Asian breakfast. Itadakimasu*." Twilight said in a perfect Japanese accent.
The barkeeper raised both his eyebrows at Twilight's perfect pronunciation. Twilight noticed the stare and simple stuck her tong out at him, playfully.
As Twilight ate the dish, she immediately realized that she knew practically nothing about this culture. Many tastes were unknown to her, the spices were unknown. It made Twilight realize that she still had a lot to learn about food and that sushi were probably just one part of the culture. It made her also realize just how little she knew about the Asian culture.
This would spark a lifelong journey through the Asian food culture. And she knew it. However she finished up the breakfast as soon as her eyes spot the clock. She had thirty minutes to make herself presentable for her new workplace.
"Thanks for the delicious meal. I need to get going. I don't want to be late for work." Twilight said to the barkeeper.
"Do me a favor and say hi to Nappe Ort and Mince Mortar for me. They are my sons." The barkeeper said. This caused Twilight to stop in her track.
"Wait so who are you?" Twilight quickly asked.
"I will introduce myself after you are done with work." The barkeeper said serious.
"Very well. See you later this evening." Twilight said.
"Yup. See you this evening." The barkeeper said while smiling.
While Twilight departed, The barkeeper turned to his wife, she was standing in the kitchen and had heard everything.
"Why didn't you just straight up and tell her? She has plenty of time." The wife said.
"Where is the fun in that. Don't worry. I have a feeling that our sons will introduce us in our stead." The barkeeper said.
Meanwhile Twilight had arrived at the place. It called itself "Dragon retreat" and as the name stated, is very popular with dragons but bans ponies. Twilight didn't like this policy as it could cause a rift between the two races. Nonetheless she entered and was immediately greeted by a large dragon, it held itself as a bouncer.
"What is your business here?" The dragon bouncer said annoyed.
"I have been hired as a master chef?" Twilight offered.
The bouncer raised its eyebrow as he looked closer. "Your name please." he asked.
"Twilight Sparkle." Twilight said.
"By who was the hiring done?" The bouncer asked.
"Princess Celestia." Twilight stated.
"So you are the one that has been changing the cooking scene, huh?" An unknown head chef looking stallion said.
"That I have." Twilight said.
"We don't like female chefs." Another chef stated.
"Too bad. I have been hired. I don't care about your opinion regarding the matter." Twilight said annoyed.
"Head chef. Should I kick her out?" The bouncer asked.
"Hm." The head chef stated.
"No. Do that and I will make you lose your job." The owner of the place stated angrily.
The head chef, chef and bouncer gulped. The head chef looks annoyed at the owner, but said nothing.
"So you are Twilight. Nice to meet you. I am the owner of the restaurant. A quick question, how much experience do you have with Asian cuisine?" The owner asked.
"Not much. But I am rather capable at cutting fish and working with rice, atleast." Twilight offered.
"No. That is no good. Do you know some sushi knowledge?" The owner asked hopeful.
"Nope. Never cooked in the Asian kitchen." Twilight denied.
"Wow. So useful you are." The head chef commented.
Twilight ignored the jab that the head chef threw at her. Instead she kept her focus on the owner.
"What about dragons. How much do you know about dragons?" The owner asked.
"I have high ranking dragon friends and its entire history and most of its culture." Twilight said.
"Ah. So you know a lot about dragons." The owner said relieved.
"Yes. Dragons and I mix very well." Twilight said somewhat happily.
"But you don't know about its food culture then." The owner asked.
"That is correct. I never had any need to know. So I didn't try." Twilight admits.
"Atleast you understand that we like peacefulness." The dragon bouncer said.
"Yes. That is the third thing besides hoarding you guys like." Twilight said.
"What is the second thing?" The bouncer asked.
"Well I was told to never reveal that one. So I am sorry." Twilight said as she stubbornly refused to admit the second one.
The bouncer raised his eyebrow for a moment, only to realize what she was talking about. "Good." he simply said as he walked off, satisfied.
"Dragons like you, huh." The head chef said. His attitude seemed to have made a one eighty. He seemed a lot more friendly.
Twilight raised an eyebrow at the owner and was met with an apologetic look at her.
"Sorry for testing you. There is a lot of ponies that say that. But many are lying or are trying to get on our good side. There is not a lot of ponies we can currently trust." The owner said.
"Why?" Twilight asked worried.
"We used to own another sushi place in this town, only for it to get scammed away by someone we trust." The head chef admitted.
Twilight mood changed when she heard that, it went from confused to enraged in a matter of moment. Luckily she was skilled in hiding certain feelings from people.
"Who?" Twilight asked, with a total poker face.
The owner realized that they might have landed on a landmine. "Well nobody you should be concerned with." he tried.
"Either you tell me. Or I am going to manhunt that individual." Twilight warned.
"It's the Pepe family. We used to have a friendly relationship until they suddenly stabbed us in the back." The head chef admitted.
"Or Lulu Pepe to be precise. She promised to work alongside us. In the end she back stabbed us by suddenly selling our store to one of our rivals and taking all the chefs with her." The owner admits.
Twilight eyes widen, "Is that so? Hm. Can I ask for a request if I solve this issue?" she asked.
"Let me guess. Hiring female chefs?" The chef in the back deduced.
"As much as that is important. That isn't high on the to-do list. No, I want to avoid creating a rift between dragons and ponies. Please allow ponies to dine here once more." Twilight said.
The eyes of the head chef, bouncer and owner widen. "I didn't know that it would create such a rift." The owner admitted, he seemed ashamed.
"But, I see a major issue with reopening to ponies as of right now." The chef in back commented.
"What do you mean?" Twilight asked curiously.
"The original reason as to why we lacked ponies, is a difference in culture. Our food on the menu just doesn't fit with the ponies in our area." The chef explained.
Twilight gained a smile at that knowledge, "Are you perhaps Nappe?" Twilight asked.
The chef in the widens his eyes, "I am." he said.
"Don't tell me, you have forgotten your Carpaccio chef." Twilight teased
Nappe's eyes widen, "Oh my goodness. You look totally different. I am so sorry." he said apologetic. Twilight simply stuck her tong out at him.
"Anyways, he does make a good point." The owner admits.
"Yeah. I didn't realize just how big the difference it must be." The bouncer also admits.
"It's big. But only if we allow it to be this big." Twilight said.
"What do you mean?" Nappe asked.
"In order to appeal to our local population we need to do three things. One we need to understand the current local likes and dislikes. Second we need to try and get as much of our products locally to ensure a more respective position. And lastly we need to try and appeal this culture to those not used to it." Twilight explained.
"Almost all of our products is obtained locally." The owner said.
"We understand their likes and dislikes, we already checked on that. We do this once a month." The head chef said.
"We always have these deals for beginners, but it doesn't work." Nappe said.
"That is not going to cut it. We have to go to the people, if they refuse to come to us." Twilight said.
"I see. That could work. Tell you what, we will allow ponies to dine with us, once more. If you can get us some ponies to our place." The owner said.
"I can do that. Head chef can you give me that list? I will make those things alongside you and then share them with our local people. Get some feedback and improve our place." Twilight said.
"Sure. I will also tell you a lot more about our food culture and our food manners culture." The head chef said, he looked very happy to teach Twilight that.
It was then that a light bulb went off in Twilight's brain. The family Pepe runs two schools, This man seems to enjoy teaching, Lulu Pepe caused some strive between this restaurant and the family. 'I see. I think I know of a way to improve their connection.' Twilight thought.
"If your relationship with the Pepe family improves, will you join Lunarium?" Twilight asked.
"If they will allow it, then yes." The head chef said, "But it is very unlikely."
"What do you mean?" Twilight asked confused.
"I may have gotten myself banned from Lunarium." The head chef admitted.
"Lulu Pepe." Twilight said as she connected the dots.
"Exactly. I wasn't too keen on hiring a female chef at the time, but being the curious pony that I was. I allowed her to join. Only to be immediately disappointed with her work ethic. After she tried to work it off many time as a one-time thing. I became less than pleased." The head chef admitted.
"And causing the back stab to occur." Twilight added.
"Exactly." The head chef admitted as he sank inwards with sadness.
"I still regret it to this day. But I like hard-workers not those that lazy about." he added.
"I understand. I will talk with them, after I am done this place." Twilight said in understanding.
"Thanks!" The head chef said, "Now about sushi, how much do you know?" he asked.
"I know the basic five types and roughly that there is two primary fish types to look out for... out of the 28." Twilight said as she hesitantly added the second part.
The head chef smiled, "That is correct. Salmon and Tuna. Those two are the most important for right now." he said as he grab two fresh looking fish in front of him.
"Here, the left one is a salmon and the right is a Tuna. Both can be identified by the way that each has their own smell attached and color. I will show you it on a fish market, one day." The head chef explained.
Twilight simply nodded as she inspects both fish.
"These two are of high-quality. So let me show you how to prepare it. First you cut off the fins and head. Then you remove the scales, like this." The head chef removes the fins and head, he then scrapes off the scales of the fish.
"Then you remove the tail. But don't throw this out. It is useful for broth or stock. The same goes for the fins and head. The scales must get thrown away however." The chef said as he repeated it for the Tuna. He puts the ingredients that mustn't get thrown out into a metal mixing bowl.
"With the scales gone, we need to remove the hide of the fish. And then we can start to prep it for use on sushi." The head chef said as he removes the hide.
"What about the bones?" Twilight injected the question.
"Again that is for fase two. Do have patient." The head chef said, Twilight nodded in responds.
"First we have to prepare the rice. This rice is special, it is called sushi rice for a reason. It is grown to improve the water absorption and to be stickier." The head chef explained.
"Of course it has many names. Mochi rice, Japanese rice. Etc. However this rice is perfect for sushi. Now the amount of water should equal to the amount of rice. Cook it for about 20 minutes. And done. Luckily I made some ahead of time, so no need to do that, right now." The head chef said as he grabs a pan filled with still warm sushi rice inside it.
"And finally, we will use this Nori. As binder." The head chef said as he grabs a packet of it.
"What is Nori?" Twilight asked.
"Kelp or seaweed. It is sea water plant that when dried is perfect binder for sushi. In the olden days, they would use Mochi paper instead. It is also edible, but less tasty." The head chef explained.
"Now let me show you how to remove the bones of this fish. Watch closely." The head chef said as he showed Twilight how to do that. First cut it in two, making sure to follow the spine. Remove the spine of the fish and then cut it into smaller slices and remove the small bones.
"Now make it even smaller like this, and cut it into 10 mm thick slices. With a length of 4 cm." The head chef said as he masterfully did exactly that, it looked like magic to Twilight as he did it fast and precise.
"Amazing. They are glittering." Twilight said in awe.
The head master smiled, "That was Sashimi, now we put it onto this oval ball of rice, to make Nigiri." He said as he showed it off.
"Finally we have these bamboo tools to allow easy rolling. You put a Nori sheet on it and some rice. You cut the fish into a stick and put it in the center. Add a strip of cucumber and some sauce. And roll it up using the tool." The head chef said as he did exactly that.
"I know that most tools aren't toys, but can't we give the local ponies a workshop in making their own sushi?" Twilight suggested.
The head chef's eyes widen, "That is a amazing idea! I will pitch it with the boss later." he said impressed.
"Going back to the sushi, when it's rolled up, it turns into Maki." He finishes.
"There are two types left. Let me show you those." The head chef said.
"So I made another roll earlier, let me show you on how to turn this into a Uramaki. Just add rice on the outside of the Nori and done. You got some Uramaki." The head chef explains as he shows to Twilight on how to do that.
"Finally Temaki also known as the sushi crepe or open sushi roll. As the name states, it is a crepe with rice and toppings in the center. Let me show how to do that one." The head chef explained as he shows off how to do that.
"That is all you need to know. I will make some of our more popular sushi's and give them to you. You show that off and let them taste it, won't you?" The head chef said in an almost pleading tone.
"Only if you give me some rolling tools, rice and some easy to use toppings to allow me to make it in front of the guest I am trying to obtain." Twilight suggests.
"Sure." The head chef agreed.
"By the way, where is Mince?" Twilight asked.
"He is our runner boy. Right now he is at the fish auction." The head chef said.
"And Nappe? What is his job?" Twilight asked.
"He is an open sushi roller. He sits around the sushi making tables and makes personal requests." The head chef said.
"Good to hear that he became something after all. Now if you excuse me, I need to start preparing to make this advertisement happening." Twilight said serious.
"Of course. Good luck. I will get you those sushi rolls I want you to give away." The head chef said.
"No, wait for tomorrow. It is getting late. I need to go." Twilight said as she looks at the clock. The head chef also looks at the clock and his eyes widen.
"Understood. See you tomorrow." The head chef said in understanding as his mood went from friendly to business-like in an instant.
As Twilight was leaving, she was spotted by a familiar dragon.
"Twilight, is that you?!" Elly said surprised.
Twilight turns around in surprise, but then her smile softens a lot. "Elly Dragoon it has been a long while." Twilight said almost in glee.
"Twilight!" Elly shouts as she pulls Twilight into a deep friendly hug. Twilight simply returns the hug.
"So how is my favorite dragon doing?" Twilight said happily.
"Oh. Amazing. The griffons have become such close partners in both trade and friendship. It is incredible." Elly said.
"So he is behaving himself?" Twilight said teasingly.
"Yeah. Although right now he is doing business with a different race. So I haven't seen him in a long time." Elly said somewhat disappointed.
"I see. Well diplomats do that type of work, eh?" Twilight said.
"That they do. So I have seen a lot more female chefs around the food industry lately. Your imago improving is nearing completion isn't it?" Elly said.
"It has." Twilight confirmed.
"So you work here now?" Elly asked.
"Kind of. I am right now working hard on improving this restaurants imago. So no I will not be making Carpaccio sushi if that is what you are suggesting." Twilight said as she quickly added that extra sentence. Causing Elly to pout, much to the laughter of Twilight.
Twilight noticed that the owner and the head chef was looking curious at their exchange. Elly is an ambassador and thus a very high ranking dragon. For Twilight to be easily able to strike a friendly conversation with such a VIP must be surprising.
"Anyways. I am going to go and sleep, I have a hard day ahead of me." Twilight said.
"Aw. Come on! Eat with me. On my account. Hey! Owner! I pay extra if you let me eat with Twilight here!" Elly shouted, Twilight looked surprised at Elly's stubbornness.
"Sure! Well Twilight. You heard her." The owner said smiling.
Twilight groaned unhappily and rolled her eyes. "Fine." she said.
"Besides, I owe you for that time with the griffon ambassador." Elly said smiling.
Twilight remembered that time, it was before the disaster. It was one of the more happier memories. Sadly it fell by the wayside after the disaster. "Alright. I will join you. It might also be a good introduction into sushi for a foodie." Twilight admits.
"That is the spirit." Elly said, Twilight and Elly took a seat near the window. It was dark outside, well passed Twilight's bedtime. Nonetheless, today was going to be a good day.
"So as sushi eater. What do you recommend to a beginner?" Twilight asked.
"A California roll. It is decently sweet and is a good starter." Elly recommended.
"Then lets start with that." Twilight said as she nodded towards the head chef.
The head chef immediately prepared it, in mere seconds. The true power of a sushi chef. Then again he had been preparing the ingredients alongside Twilight, so all he had to do was to fill a roll and cut it in pieces.
"So what does it contain?" Twilight asked.
"Cucumber, crab and avocado." Elly replied.
"And fish eggs as decoration." The head chef added.
"I see Itadakimasu." Twilight said as she took a bite. The sushi was sweet with the distinct taste of avocado and crab. It was quite delicious.
"How is it?" Elly asked.
"I like it. But I prefer less sweet." Twilight said, as she took another one.
"Ah." Elly said as she took a sip of her Sake.
"Then let me recommend Dragon roll Maki." The head chef recommended, "It is the most popular among the dragons. And beginners."
"Let's do that than." Twilight said as she casual munched on the previous sushi roll.
The head chef started to fry some scrimp in what appears to be a fluffier texture than the ordinary frying exterior. He then rolled a sushi around it alongside some avocado and cucumber. Before placing it on a plate and putting some kind of cocktail sauce over it. He then gave the plate to Elly as she placed in front of Twilight.
"Ooh! Scrimp!" Twilight said overly happy. To the point that the head chef and the owner raised their eyebrow.
"Ah. I forgot. You are a omnivore. You can eat both flowers and meat. In fact you need it as a daily consumption, right?" Elly asked.
"That is correct." Twilight said with a mouth full as she devoured the sushi faster than they expected.
The head chef looks surprised, but Elly was faster, "She has a rare condition that allows that." Elly said.
"Ah. So you like meat?" The head chef asked.
"I do. But I like fish equally." Twilight said as she finished the sushi.
"I see, then-" The head chef and Elly continued deep into the night to talk about the many types of sushi to eat and test. It was very late and Twilight still had to work the following day, nevertheless for Twilight is was just a good night that catch up with Elly after not seeing each other for years. And a amazing introduction into the world of sushi for Twilight.
After that very fulfilling dinner, Twilight went to bed. It was two in the night. So Twilight was going to very exhausted the next time she would get to work. But that was just going to be necessary for her to get better at understanding sushi.
It was the following day, Twilight woke up at 10 when the barkeeper woke her up. The breakfast this time around consisted of a different fish than last time, but generally it was the same. And as much as Twilight wanted to talk to him about who he was, she had no time. She was three hours late to work.
"Sorry boss." Twilight apologized for being tardy.
"No need for an apology. You were up late entertaining our regular. Being here this late is to be expected. Sadly it means that we can't let you make some sushi for the potential guests as we are already open. Instead we made some that we expect the local ponies might like." The owner said.
"Understood. And the potential ability for our potential guests to make their own sushi?" Twilight asked.
"We filled your cart with those ingredients. All you need to do, is to draw people to our place." The owner said.
"What about that workshop I suggested?" Twilight asked.
"I am ironing out the potential problems, but we will use it. It is going to take some time to implement." The owner said.
"Understood. Well time to PR our products." Twilight said excited.
"Good luck. But remember, have fun. If you feel in danger, do not stick around and simply leave, okay?" The owner asked worried.
"Don't worry. I will be fine." Twilight said as she used her magic to levitate the entire cart outside.
Twilight walked outside in the hot midday desert heat. Although she didn't care about the heat very much. As she walked towards one of the random houses, she knocks on the door.
"We don't like sushi." Someone from inside shouts.
"Is that so. So you don't always want to fancy seeing some?" Twilight tried to reason.
"Do you know why we hate? Ponies force it upon us." Someone from inside the house shouts.
"I will not force anything. I was just wondering if you were interested?" Twilight tried to reason.
One of the younger ones approached Twilight, "I heard sushi is like clay, that it taste like nothing." The filly said.
"Far from it. It contains vegetables, fish, sauces and rice. It is closer to a fish product than clay. Here I brought some, if you are interested." Twilight said as she puts some California roll on a plate and drizzled some sauce over it. She then placed in front of the pony and watched as she curiously picks it up.
To an pony that has never truly seen good sushi, it was a perfect circle with some Nori around some rice with some toppings in it. It must looks suspicious to them. But nonetheless she ate it, much to the surprise of those inside. After eating it for a bit, Twilight saw as the color in her face returned and sparkles filled her eyes.
"It taste amazing!" The youngest said surprised.
Twilight smiled at her reaction, "This is one of the many sushi's available at our restaurant that is now also open for ponies." she said.
"Ah! Dragon Retreat! I heard that they were amazing. But there is one thing that prevents our family from going there." The youngest admits.
"Which is?" Twilight asked curious.
"We want more options for herbivores." The youngest said.
"Even though you can eat fish?" Twilight asked.
"No, I can't." The youngest said oblivious.
"That sushi you just ate contained fish." Twilight points out.
"It did?!" The youngest said shocked.
"To begin with, herbivores can eat meat and fish. They just don't need it to survive. Unlike predators which rely on meat and fish to survive, they too eat vegetable, despite not needing it." Twilight explains.
"Even still. If you want more ponies to eat at the restaurant, I want more herbivore options." The youngest said.
"I understand. I will return once that is done. If I succeed will you come to our place and tell your friends?" Twilight asked.
"We will." The youngest promised.
"Okay. I will discuss this as soon as possible with my boss." Twilight said nodding, she proceeds to pick her cart up with her magic and walk off.
After a few minutes of walking, Twilight arrived back at the restaurant. She looks around and sees a familiar face, complaining to the owner. It was Lulu.
"What do you mean, my family is banned?!" Lulu shouts enraged.
"We haven't forgotten that you back stabbed us!" The owner shouts back.
"That was years ago! I was just a young filly, you can't do this!" Lulu shot back.
"The damage is still being felt to this day, you oaf!" The owner refuted.
"That is impossible. What damage?!" Lulu shouts annoyed.
"Oh, I don't know. We lack our previous master chef that you took away with you and the secondary restaurant is still gone." The owner shot back.
Lulu puffed, "Those places belonged to the Pepe family to begin with." she said annoyed.
"The moment you gave it to us, it doesn't anymore." The owner shouted.
"Fine. If you want those places back, you will have to discuss that with my family." Lulu relented.
"What about our master chef?" The owner questioned.
"That is his choice. Not yours. If he stays with us, then he stays with us. And the other way around." Lulu puffed annoyed.
"Fine. I will contact him. But you are still not welcome here." The owner stated.
"You can't do this. We pay good money." Lulu said.
"It's not about money. You back stabbed us, we do not trust you. Please leave." The owner requested.
"But my sister..." Lulu tried to reason.
"That is going to be your problem." The owner stated.
Lulu puffed as she walked out of the room.
"Well so much for getting some good pony guests." Twilight commented.
"We don't trust them." The owner said.
"As employee or as guest?" Twilight asked.
"Both." The owner stated.
"Well. This is going to be difficult for you. It is going to be very unlikely that you gain those places back." Twilight stated.
"What do you mean?" The owner asked.
"That family is a noble family, it is rich and even has their own legal mafia. If you distrust Lulu, then the talk about getting your places back is as good as finished." Twilight stated.
"But-" The owner tried but Twilight cut him off.
"I will not side with you. Nor will Celestia. This is a matter between you and them. We will not play favors." Twilight said as she stated the obvious.
"Sigh. You're right. I should have tried to make up with them. It is just hard. We trust them with our business. We wanted to work together. But she crushed the dreams of our future. It hurts Twilight, it hurts." The owner admitted in pain.
"Sigh. I will try to talk to her about it. Wait here." Twilight said exhausted.
"Thanks. And sorry for our earlier behavior." The owner said saddened.
Twilight quickly ran out of the restaurant and sees Lulu board the train, Twilight quickly put one of the sleeping cows onto the track, blocking its route. Much to the conductor's chagrin.
"Lulu." Twilight simply stated.
Lulu looks out of the carriage of the train to see and displeased looking Twilight staring at her.
"Hey it has been awhile." Lulu tried to play off.
"No. Get off the train. We need to talk." Twilight said less than satisfied.
Lulu gave a deep sigh, "Sure. It's about Dragon Retreat, right?" she said with a sad tone.
"It is." Twilight confirmed.
"Fine. Let's talk at the pub, I am sure you have many questions." Lulu said as Twilight followed her into the pub as they sat in the corner, away from everyone else.
"No. I am only a small amount. I need one major question answered. Why did you back stab them?" Twilight asked serious.
"I didn't. They began to rely too much on us. We had no choice but to back out." Lulu stated.
"Did you have to steal their master chef and those two places away from them with your backing out?" Twilight asked annoyed.
"I did. They were overworking their master chef, that chef wanted to teach students, not be stuck with making sushi." Lulu stated.
"Since when is the master chef a child that is unable to defend itself from them?" Twilight asked.
"I don't know. But I had to do something." Lulu said.
"But since they relied on you. Why didn't you just tell them that the chef doesn't like working there?" Twilight questioned.
"The chef didn't want to disappoint them." Lulu said.
"That is no excuse for intervening. You only made things worse. And now you got yourself banned as consequences of your own actions. That is very much karma on your part." Twilight said.
Lulu looked down, saddened by this fact. "I know." she admitted.
"No. You don't know. You simply accept what I say. But if they said that, you wouldn't have accepted such an accusation." Twilight said as she knew what she just said was a fact.
"I do! Okay! I do! When I saw their faces after I betrayed them, it was so sad and disappointed that I still remember those faces. I will never forget their reaction for the life of me!" Lulu admitted as she started to cry big tears.
Twilight relaxed somewhat, "Then what drove you to pull back, for real?" Twilight asked.
"My career. I wanted to start my cooking career. I wasn't going to be able to do that, while being responsible for Dragon Retreat. They demanded that much work." Lulu explained.
Twilight now fully relaxed, immediately understood what is going on. Just like the owner, Lulu truly cares for the Dragon Retreat. However in order for Lulu to grow up and obtain a career of her own, she needed to let go. However she didn't know how to to do that. So she chose to leave with a bang. Even if it damaged her relationship with the Dragon Retreat.
"Will you tell them the truth?" Twilight asked.
"Not today or tomorrow. But I will, I am just not ready to do that." Lulu admits.
"Then I will do so, for you. Whether you like it or not, I will tell them the truth, they owe that much." Twilight said adamantly.
Lulu sighs in defeat, "Alright. I will stick around for a few more days." she said.
"Good. Barkeeper, get me a room for one. I'll pay." Twilight shouts at the barkeeper.
"Very well. How many nights?" The barkeeper shouts back.
"Six." Twilight shouts back, much to Lulu's shock.
"Is it for that friend?" The barkeeper asked.
"It is." Twilight confirmed.
"What is her reason for staying?" The barkeeper asked.
"To apologize to the owners of the Dragon Retreat." Twilight replied.
"Which means, you are Lulu. Nice to meet you. My name is Asi Mortar. Father of Mince and Nappe." Asi said.
"Nice to meet you." Lulu said.
"I will have you know, that Nappe and Mince originally joined the Celestium to try and drag you back to Dragon Retreat. But then they met Twilight. And things kind of changed." Asi explained.
"I am sorry." Lulu said with puppy eyes.
"That has no effect on me. You will have to tell that to the owners of the Dragon Retreat." Asi states.
"You were there." Lulu tried to shoot back, it had no effect.
"I don't care. You did that to yourself." Asi said somewhat annoyed.
"Anyways! Let's sleep. Tomorrow you will explain accordingly. Okay?!" Twilight shouted annoyed.
"Yes." Lulu said scared.
"Good. Have a night sleep. See you tomorrow." Twilight said as she walked upstairs and got to sleep decently early.
This time around, Twilight woke up early. She woke so early, that Asi wasn't done making breakfast yet.
"Good morning, Asi." Twilight said, catching his attention.
"Twilight, it's six in the morning. Why are you up so early?" Asi asked confused.
"I need to talk to you. About Lulu." Twilight admits.
Asi sighs, "Yeah. I understand. I have forgiven Lulu a long time ago. I realized that we were holding her back. Preventing her from moving on. Clinging to a naive past. So I forgave her a long time ago." Asi admits.
"Tell her that." Twilight requested.
"After she tells the truth, I will." Asi said.
"Alright. Now about breakfast. Make her favorite." Twilight suggests.
"To try and bribe her into speaking the truth. I see." Asi said, "Alright, give me a few minutes. I need to go and wake up my wife."
"Thanks." Twilight said smiling, she watched as Asi wakes up a very grumpy looking chef and whisper to her what has to happen. The wife's mood went from grumpy and annoyed to happy and smirking.
"Alright. By the way my name is Saki Ort." Saki said as she rushed into the kitchen.
"What is breakfast by the way?" Twilight asked curiously.
"Salmon baked in special sauce. Miso soup made from red Miso. Bowl of rice with raw egg and finally a pudding, Lulu style." Saki explained.
"I see. I can't wait." Twilight said excited.
"Same. It has been years since I made this." Saki said equally excited.
"Last time, you burned the rice." Asi commented.
"Shut up!" Saki said while blushing.
Twilight and Asi laughed at her expense.
"Anyways I am done. Tell Lulu to wake up." Saki requested.
"Okay. Be right back, everypony." Asi stated as he walked upstairs.
After a few minutes, Twilight and Saki heard Asi forcibly open the door with a bunch of shouting later. A tired looking Lulu appeared before them.
"Breakfast time." Twilight and Saki said at the same time.
"What is for breakfast..?" Lulu sleepily said while yawning.
"Something from the good old days." Saki said.
"Please no more black rice." Lulu sleepily said, causing Twilight laugh uproariously. Saki blushed at Twilight, but looked very annoyed at Lulu.
"Just eat it! My cooking skill have improved also. Don't you burn eggs back then?" Saki said teasingly.
Lulu looks at Saki annoyed, until she ate breakfast. A single bite was all it took for Lulu to just lose it.
"I understand. They deserve the truth." Lulu said while crying. Saki simply embraced Lulu in an attempt to stop the crying. It didn't work, instead she started to cry also.
Twilight just watched the bittersweet scene before her, while casually eating breakfast. Lulu tried to eat more, but was unable to do so, due to intense sadness. Instead she hugged Twilight out of nowhere, Twilight simply allowed her to hug while quietly continuing to eat.
"Now with breakfast out of the way. Are you ready?" Twilight asked Lulu.
"I am. More than ever." Lulu said determined.
"Good. Let's go." Twilight said as they walked together towards the Dragon Retreat.
As soon as they enter, the owner appeared on front of them.
"Lulu wants to explain the truth. Please let her." Twilight asked. The owner simply nodded as the whole restaurant's attention was pointed at Lulu.
"You see..." Lulu began to explain her many years among the restaurant and her real reason for leaving. She talked about Twilight and the like.
While they were in a busy conversation. Twilight approached the head chef.
"Hey. I talked with some ponies about wanting to visit this place. They want a menu made for herbivores. Is that possible?" Twilight asked.
"Of course that is possible. It will take some trial and error. But I will succeed." The head chef said.
"Do you think it's worth it, though?" Twilight asked.
"Of course it is. I will succeed and we can trial test it for a few months." The head chef said.
"Good. Please tell the boss about it then. I am going back to PR, meanwhile I will leave Lulu in your hooves." Twilight said.
"Sure. Leave her to me. Good luck." The head chef said.
Twilight proceeds to invite more and more ponies into Dragon Retreat for the next several weeks. Lulu went back home after a week, she had a lot to do to improve their relationship, but she was getting there. And just like that, she made an massive improvement on the way the Asian kitchen looks on female chefs.
"Twilight. I have some good news and bad news." The owner said.
"What is the bad news?" Twilight asked worried.
"I am going to have to let you go. Our old master chef is returning and you did your part." The owner said saddened.
"I understand. What is the positive news?" Twilight said somewhat relieved.
"I will accept female chefs. And Lulu has decided to work as a secondary master chef here." The owner said happily.
"Okay. Thank you for having me. I will finish up today and take my leave from Appleloosa also today." Twilight said in understanding.
"Before you go. I have some presents from your co-workers. They will give that to you as thanks. And I also have a small present for you, later. Please finish up those last clients and then come to the back." The owner instructs.
"Understood." Twilight said as she went out to get the last clients to become guests to the Dragon Retreat.
That wasn't all that hard of an task. In fact these last clients were the last to invite. And Twilight already convinced them, she just needed to get them to actually go to the restaurant. Again that wasn't hard, no it was easy. But last night in got too late so she had to finish up early. After the place opened, all of her last clients successfully became proper guests.
It was around 5 O'clock. Twilight was going to leave at seven. Twilight made her way to the break room of the restaurant and was met by everyone working at Dragon Retreat, Lulu and an old friend, Sundown Keeper. Last time Twilight met her, she was a sous-chef. Not this time around.
"So you are leaving?" The owner said.
"Yes, in two hours." Twilight said.
"By train, correct?" The bouncer asked.
"Is there another way of travel?" Twilight asked.
"There is. By dragon. There is a small flying service that recently appeared. It is quite popular among earth ponies." The bouncer explained.
"Ah. In that sense you could also teleport." Twilight said.
"Impossible." Sundown and Lulu said.
"Don't underestimate me. I can do that. Even if that will drain me nearly completely and disorientate me." Twilight warned.
"Regardless. I want to give you some stuff before you left." The owner intervened.
"Oh?" Twilight said curiously.
"Oh me first!" The bouncer said surprisingly hyper about it.
Twilight rose her eyebrow at the display. The bouncer quickly regained himself however.
"This. It's a book about our cities and the way to travel between them. Lots of pictures too." The dragon bouncer said as he hoofs over a decently thick book with the geography of the dragon kingdom on it. It looks a lot like a tourism book, but that didn't matter. Twilight was curious of it and accepted it gratefully.
"Thanks." Twilight said.
"Okay. So I heard you like our cooking style. So I have a book about the basics of Asian cooking. From breakfast to dinner. It contains everything you will need to start out as an Asian chef." The head chef said.
"Thanks. This will come in useful when I settle down. I am planning on starting an Asian style cafe with kitchen." Twilight said happily.
"Now, I am last. I have decided to give you something even better. Take this ticket. It is a full course dinner ticket at the world's best Asian style cooking restaurant. Five courses including condiments and drinks. VIP style all-inclusive. Plus a stay at their hotel that is above it. Again VIP style. For 15 nights and 16 days. All-inclusive, breakfast, lunch, dinner." The owner said, "My family owns it, I am the only pony of the family. They all are dragons."
"You did not?!" Lulu said surprised, "Golden Dragon Resort?!" she said in shock.
"It's actually called, Golden God Dragon Resort and The Golden Dragon restaurant." The owner said.
"Before I accept such an important ticket. What is your name, if they ask?" Twilight asked in half shock and half surprise.
"Orb Golden." Orb said.
"Okay. Then I have to go. Sundown and Lulu. Have fun. May we meet again, one day." Twilight said.
"See you in the future. Although our paths may not cross again." Sundown said.
"I will visit your cafe when its open." Lulu said happily.
"Thank you. I have to go, my train will depart without me." Twilight said as she saw that she had thirty minutes left.
"Bye!" Everyone said as they waved me off.
Twilight stepped into the train, not a moment too soon. As it departed as soon as she stepped on it. She looked at Appleloosa slowly disappearing in the distance as she grabs one of the books only to find two letters in them. One from Lulu and one from Saki.
'Dear Twilight,
Thank you for restoring my relationship with my favorite restaurant. Thanks to you, I had the determination to request to join them as chef. Something that I have been doing for awhile now. Thanks to you, the female chefs are more and more accepted. And finally you have been a great help for my family. We are truly grateful. So we ask you to have more patient when going to settle down. While staying in the pub I overheard a conversation about that cafe you were going to start. They say that Ponyville is currently having difficulties accepting such a request. So do be patient.
Yours,
Lulu Pepe.'
'Well darn.' Twilight thought.
'Dear Twilight,
From the bottom of my heart I must thank you. My children at the beginning had so much trouble when they started to learn how to cook, but thanks to you, they have found their place. I don't know where your path may lead. But I do know it will be place you truly wanted to be. That much I am certain off. If you ever return to Appleloosa for whatever reason, please visit the old pub. That would be my only wish of you.
I heard from rumors that you have yet to visit the french kitchen. So let me suggest a place for you. In Los Pegasus there are many french restaurants. Many already accept female chefs thanks to you. But if you want to make a permanent mark on the french food community there is one place I would recommend.
A restaurant owned by nobility, they already accept female chefs but they look down on them. They will make a difference if you want to make a massive addition. Owned by the Confit family. They specialize in all things french. From pastry to wine. From fruit to delicious meals. They will be your best bet in changing the french cooking scene.
Good luck,
Saki Ort.'
"Confit, huh. Good old Baste." Twilight said out loud. She has now been in the train for several hours. She is almost half way, so she decided to look into this place. After going home for a bit. That being said she still had to talk with Celestia about something regarding the Golden Dragon Resort. Twilight knew nothing about the dragon lands, even with all the knowledge from books, only the princess would truly know what that country was like.
Twilight had stored the ticket in one of Twilight's more secure pocket dimensions. In case it was super rare and difficult to get. Twilight also was interested in checking out this dragon flight taxi system, in case that would be the fastest way to the dragon lands. Again Celestia would probably know more. Or so Twilight hoped, anyways.
After staring into the direction of Los Pegasus for a while, many hours passed as she looked back on her adventure so far. And before she knew it, she was back in Canterlot.
"Final stop. Canterlot main train station. Don't forget to grab your bags when stepping out of the carriage. This train will stop here to go to the depot. Thank you for travelling with us, this evening." The conductor stated through the intercom.
This woke Twilight up out of her trance and made her grab her bag automatically. She walked towards one of the exits while the train slowly arrived into the train station. After the sound of the brakes went off, the doors opened and she steps off the train. Only to find Celestia waiting for her on platform.
"How was your stay in Appleloosa, Twilight?" Celestia asked as she approached Twilight.
"It was good. Very productive. But why are you here? I was planning on going home." Twilight asked confused.
"Actually I am the bringer of bad news. Its in regards to your request to start a cafe in Ponyville." Celestia said.
"Let me guess. They are unable to allow a new place to be placed, right now?" Twilight offered.
"How did you know?" Celestia asked surprised.
"A letter from a bar owner that heard the rumors. I guess mine was one of those requests, right?" Twilight asked.
"That is correct. The reason is due to lack of horsepower and a problematic economy. I had to tell them to refuse it, sorry." Celestia admitted.
"I understand. I have to go to Los Pegasus anyways, for my french involvement." Twilight said as she dismissed Celestia worry.
"Ah. The Confit family. Good luck with that, before I go. Anything else?" Celestia asked.
"Actually yes. Do you know about the Golden Dragon Resort?" Twilight asked.
"I do. It is known as the vacation home to many royalty. Not nobility, but royals. Queens, princesses, princes, kings. Why do you ask?" Celestia explains.
"I got a golden VIP ticket for both the resort and the restaurant. 15 nights and 16 days. All-inclusive." Twilight said, she saw as Celestia nearly faints in shock.
"My god. You obtained something that holds the same price as entire Canterlot and Manehattan combined. If sold off." Celestia said, shocking Twilight even more.
"Before I ask anything else. There is one thing that is more important than that place. What is the dragon lands even like?" Twilight asked.
"Ah. There is two worlds. The food world and the combat world. The combat world is, as the name states, very combat orientated. Castle, watchtowers, outposts. But the food world is the polar opposite. They are cities, kingdoms. But the one you are referring to, is the Golden family. They have the best combat and food, IN THE WORLD." Celestia explained.
"I disagree. My food is better." Twilight said playfully.
Celestia smiled at the playfulness. "Sadly even the greatest chef in the world. The one on first place is someone from the Golden family. So that comment is invalid." she said.
"Is the greatest chef able to separate Moon and Luna without my assistance?" Twilight asked.
"Touché." Celestia said.
Twilight smiled at winning the discussion. However to say that Twilight wasn't nervous was an invalid statement also. If the fact that she got that ticket was any indication, then who knows what Twilight will see when she goes to that resort.
"Anyway, I want to go home now. Celestia, I will see you another day." Twilight said.
"Of course. See you tomorrow. Surely you have a lot of stories to tell." Celestia said smiling.
"Yeah. Good night." Twilight said as she waved at Celestia.
"Good night." Celestia returned the wave.
Twilight proceeds to turn around and walk off the platform, towards home. The walk itself was rather uneventful, Twilight saw as many places had safety improvements and there were a lot more beginner guards walking around. Clearly a new round of recruits have entered the scene for her brother and Celestia and Luna. It surprised that Twilight, that Celestia was willing to take time out of her busy schedule to meet Twilight, while she should be sleeping.
Nonetheless Twilight was standing in front of her home. The lights were on and she could see smoke coming from the chimney. Twilight could just imagine a scene where mom and dad sit in front of the fireplace, reading their good books. Shining sitting in the back, away from the fireplace. While also adjusting his gear.
It sadden Twilight, that she no longer could see her in that imagination. Instead she could see herself baking cookies in the background. With milk and everything. While it would be snowing outside. Shaking her head, she slowly walked towards her front door and knocked on it.
Her brother, Shining Armor opened it. Twilight saw as his bored face, quickly changed into one that was super happy. Twilight is back home.