A Summer's Gift

by SwordTune

A Jumping Off Point

The bistro's lighting was a cool neon purple and blue, complementing the abyssal purple of the fading sun. The Mad Lab, it was called, a speciality restaurant with the most unique burgers in the world. It was the only place that served beef not cut from a cow, or any other animal for that matter.

The science behind was pretty clear, though as an incoming physics major, Sunset was a little disappointed that her future was not likely going to include working with these patties.

Meat grown In Vitro, or cultured in a lab. The entire process sounded simple enough, taking a cell from an animal and growing it as it would grow naturally in the body. The look could use a little work though. The cells were simple in structure, not like complex muscle fibres that gave meat its texture. But, the taste was still the same taste, or so Sunset was told.

"You don't look so sure about this," her friend Marionette said.

Black-haired and peachy-skinned, Marionette had quickly become one of Sunset's close friends after they met at CHS, during a fencing tournament hosted on the school grounds.

"No, no, it's fine," Sunset assured her. "Really, I'm just excited is all. Just excited."

Marionette raised a brow at her. Around other people, even her friends, Sunset wasn't terrible at hiding what she was thinking, but Marionette had piercing blue eyes that seemed to melt away any defence Sunset put up.

"If you really don't want to we can go," she said.

"No," Sunset said suddenly, and a little loudly too. A few people sitting in the booth opposite them glanced over. She returned the look, then folded her arms and leaned closer to the table to hide her face from the embarrassment.

"This was your idea, I want to do it." Except, Sunset wasn't sure if she could even stomach it. Lab-grown or not, the burger she had just ordered still had meat, chemically identical in every way to the real deal. Just the idea resurfaced her deep-rooted appetite from her past. To humans, her lifestyle was a vegetarian one, but compared to her past in Equestria, it was only natural. But this thing she was about it eat, it seemed the total opposite.

"Alright, but just say the word and we'll try somewhere else."

The patty was sizzling hot, fresh off the pan. The buns were whole wheat and toasted, with mustard and ketchup thinly coated along them. Along with the patty was a rich assortment of red onions, lettuce, and tomatoes, all topped with blue and feta cheese. Two slices of a pickle, cut lengthwise, was left on the side beside seasoned, crispy fries.

The idea of eating meat flipped Sunset's stomach, but she couldn't deny how nice it smelled. Marionette had a fish patty, made from in vitro fish of course. Tartar sauce coated the buns, and it was stuffed full of lettuces, thin strips of cucumbers, and sliced green chilli peppers.

The first bite was messy, the grease from Sunset's burger dripped onto her fries, but it was good. The meat was softer than she expected, probably because the cultured meat was just a collection of cells, not built tough to support an animal's structure.

She expected something tough and salty, but ultimately bland. But it was just the opposite. The fat and oils used to cook the patty were savoury, but the taste stuck to Sunset's tongue and it made her stomach feel heavy and cluttered.

"Looks like it tastes good," Marionette smiled slightly. "You do like it, right?"

Sunset nodded. "It's definitely not what I expected, but then again, I didn't really know what to expect. It's really chewy."

"Hm, here," Marionette cut out a piece of her fish burger, "try this, it's a bit softer."

"Oh, okay." The fish was smoother, but she could tell that the texture wasn't quite the same. Fish came apart in sections, but the in vitro fish was clumped together. Softer, but a little chunky. Still, it was pretty good.

The two of them made sure to stay away from any topics about school while they ate. Summer was about to end in a month, and they would have plenty of time to think about their future careers. Instead, they traded stories about themselves and their interests.

"Really?" Sunset giggled, having a hard time believing some of the things Marionette claimed she did. "You have a skydiving licence?"

"Went with my dad on our two hundred and twelfth jump just last week," she said, pulling out her phone to show a recording that her mom took from the cliffs they jumped from. "Third time I've done it with a wingsuit."

"That's insane. I would've guessed that your parents would've stopped you from doing that kind of stuff." Sunset had talked to Marionette's parents only a couple times since they became friends, but they were always private people: polite, but reserved.

"Dad designs for an aerospace company, so he really loves air sports." She opened her gallery of pictures at the beach. "I started taking hang gliding and parasailing lessons when I was seven, but when I saw my Dad going on a skydiving retreat with his company, I fell in love with it."

"Of course," Sunset rolled her eyes, "that just adds to the list of things that make you perfect."

Marionette laughed. "Don't pretend, you're pretty cool yourself."

"Playing the guitar and jumping off a mountain, without dying, are two completely different things," Sunset smirked. "And painting's not that much more exhilarating either."

"Painting? I never knew you were a Picasso! No, that's not right, you're more of a Mary Cassatt."

"The impressionist painter?" Sunset raised a brow. "Eh, I can do brush and canvas, but I'm more of a Basquiat: spray can and wall."

The details were news to Marionette, but she wasn't surprised. Sunset was the kind of person to push what had already been done to new places. Any other style of art must have seemed boring to her.

"Got anything we can see?" She wiped her mouth clean of the fish burger.

"A few here and there around the city," Sunset said, rubbing the back over her neck. "But, some of them are technically vandalism, so they're probably painted over by now."

Marionette shrugged. "That's fine, you can just show me the ones that aren't."

Comments

[Scholarly-Cimmerian]

Interesting start. Nothing too fancy, but I was interested by the idea of the burger place Marionette took Sunset too. (Seeing Sunset face hamburgers and certain meat products never gets old! XD)

[ScisetShimmerEvan]

"This was your idea, I want to do it." Except, Sunset wasn't sure if she could even stomach it. Lab-grown or not, the burger she had just ordered still had meat, chemically identical in every way to the real deal. Just the idea resurfaced her deep-rooted appetite from her past. To humans, her lifestyle was a vegetarian one, but compared to her past in Equestria, it was only natural. But this thing she was about it eat, it seemed the total opposite.

Surprised she has yet told marionette she's a vegetarian.

"Went with my dad on our two hundred and twelfth jump just last week," she said, pulling out her phone to show a recording that her mom took from the cliffs they jumped from. "Third time I've done it with a wingsuit."

If I was to do that I'd immeaditly want to pass since I have a fear of heights.

"A few here and there around the city," Sunset said, rubbing the back over her neck. "But, some of them are technically vandalism, so they're probably painted over by now."

Wait, did she tell her she's flanky?

[Eurvos Morgenbrise]

I wonder what Sunset would think of the new plant-based meats we have now.