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// Dish 04: Katsuobushi and Daikon 
// Story: Food Wars! The Advent of Sunset Shimmer! 
// by ratedoni 
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Stifling one more yawn, Sunset continued her walk among the stands and beautiful products among the open market. The several fluffy clouds lazily traveled on the vast expanse of the blue sky as a slightly chilly wind carried on that early morning as the graduated student from Canterlot Junior High continued walking among the Japanese open market, still with no idea of what she was doing there.

After a long plane trip and an admission exam -that Sunset had masterfully trolled- the redhead was still feeling the devastating effects of the bane of travellers all over the world known as Jet-Lag. Her body still felt a little sluggish and her mind was clearly telling Sunset she needed more rest but in the other hand she still felt pumped enough to stay out of the really plush bed back at her hotel.

Sunset lazily walked enjoying the morning air and the different sights that Japan offered to as she moved on. Her decision to travel had seemed bizarre to some, but to the group of friends Sunset had made back home it was the clear step in search of something that was pushing and pulling inside the pony-turned-human girl.

The moment everything started was not something she could forget any day soon. The way that man with a goatee had appeared at Sunset’s old job back in Canterlot was one that she would not forget or forgive. It was due to him that she was right now in another country and in a path she still did not understand. It was something that seemed like a calling in the words of her old boss and in a way it had changed her way of living and how she saw life and her relationship with others.

Remembering what had happened almost half a year ago made Sunset wonder how her life could have changed so much in such a short time. It felt like such a drastic change that it had left her old bullying targets as lost as she herself felt. To change from a power-hungry teenager with no real path or plan beyond maintaining an iron fist on everyone in the school into a -supposedly- master in the kitchen was something coming out of her wildest dreams or nightmares. Seeing her past behavior now made Sunset feel small and pathetic, how lost and full of anger and pain she had been those days that it truly felt as if she had left that person behind.

At the end of all that what did it matter? Who she was rebelling against? Princess Celestia? She was in another world and had obviously replaced her with a filly that would be the perfect student and the perfect alicorn princess. That was a life better left behind unless she wanted to keep on wallowing on misery. At least the great Japanese morning was helping her in finding her way.

Being invited to transfer to another school to follow the path of the kitchen was something that she –alongside Principal Celestia- embraced fully, knowing that whatever abilities she had awoken back at Canterlot and the Dragon Sauce restaurant owned  by Fluttershy’s uncle. It simply boggled her mind thinking about all the different things that could exist in the kitchen and the amount of work and dedication one needed to barely be able to work in a place as busy as that. It was an arduous few months but it truly paved the way to this decision.

Ingredients, tools and dishes called for her attention at every moment, at every corner where she found a restaurant or street vendor. She simply couldn’t stop her feet until she tasted whatever product they had and simply understood the way it was made, or what spices they used, or how long it took for it to be prepared. It had become so finely tuned that she could even see the mistakes done and little by little she could see paths forming. They all showed her what route to take to make them better, how long to boil something or what other spices and ingredients to use to make it as delicious as they could.

It was frightening in a way but Sunset welcomed the chance with open arms, all to stop thinking about Princess Celestia and Equestria in general. She knew that sooner or later Sunset had to cross over the mirror and face the consequences of her actions, but when the time would came Sunset would be ready to show Celestia the new Sunset and all that she had learned to become a top notch chef. Tartarus, she could even open a restaurant someday. With those thoughts Sunset walked into the open market.

Being close to the Totsuki Culinary Academy  meant that a lot of places around the city revolved around food and what it meant to be a chef, so ingredients and tools were always at hand so to say. Sunset had learned so much just from accompanying her old boss on his walks around the market back in Canterlot and how important fresh ingredients and the relationship between restaurants and shopkeepers were. Now that she found herself in a new city -scratch that, whole new continent- she needed to get herself acquainted with new ingredients just like condiments and vegetables.

Walking around the open stalls she could see some ingredients she had already seen back home like leeks or several lettuces, but there were some strange things that truly baffled her, just like a huge radish looking vegetable. Getting closer to the vegetable stand she began to peruse the things that seemed interesting or she hasn’t seen before. As someone who had no professional training or haven’t been years in the kitchen she still felt a little out of place in a gigantic place like Totsuki so she felt she needed to know more about all the food in Japan to even have a chance to survive.

The woman in charge of the stand took a look at Sunset and smiled at the attention the teenager was giving to her merchandise.

“Let me guess my dear, new student?” the jovial smile on the woman’s smile put Sunset at ease and she was grateful that being at a new school basically made her capable of starting anew with everyone.

“I suppose that a teenager being by herself at this hour while looking around at an open market is a good sign of that.” She said bowing at the woman “I’m Sunset and I was watching all these ingredients, they are truly interesting, I mean, I have never seen something like this before.”

“I think not since there are few stores outside of Japan that sell many vegetables from here. You seem to be very interested in the daikon.”

“Daikon?”

“Yes, they are the radish that is used in our cuisine, it is a very special ingredient that is used in many different ways and dishes.” The woman said while Sunset kept seeing the strange white elongated radish as she felt ideas float on her head, wondering about its properties and what it could be used for. But just as she bought a couple of them as well as other vegetables, she began walking in the direction of her hotel when a smell caught her by surprise.

For a second her sclera became completely black and she felt as if her heartbeats turned into earthquakes. Looking at her right she put her complete attention to what they were selling and she smiled. She had been talking about some basics of Japanese cuisine with the stall owner -which was good for Sunset who was thinking about fresh product- and she had remembered something. 

Those were the special fish flakes known as katsuobushi and the tuna smell and flavor permeated the air, or at least for Sunset whose sense of smell and taste seemed to have remained untouched by the magic of the mirror. She could basically taste the strong flavor of the fish flakes being prepared in front of her.

Taking a look at the information that was given to her about her dorm -she couldn’t keep on living on a hotel after all- she then grinned, knowing very well what she would do to be accepted. The Polar Star Dorm wouldn’t know what hit it.