Apples and Cherry Blossoms

by Archangel2401

Ringo no Samurai

The door was thrown open by Rainbow Dash, brushing a bell that hung from the frame which chimed brightly to announce their presence. The restaurant had a most peculiar look to it. It was not a large establishment by any means, looking to fit twenty ponies or less at any given time. The walls were lined with paper screen panels and strange paintings were proudly on display, either by scrolls or segmented canvas. Simple square tables made from wood periodically lined the walls and several were arranged symmetrically towards the center of the shop. Curious also decorated the walls, from flowers, to bamboo, to similar strange markings like those on the shop's sign, and even what looked like a suit of armor. A feeling of familiarity came from the arrangement of things, even if it was completely foreign... It was reminiscent of Zecora's hut.

They all had mere seconds to take in the details of their surroundings when a voice abruptly called out to them.

"Irasshaimase!"

It came so suddenly and so loud that poor Fluttershy yelped and nearly leapt out of her skin, instantly jumping to hide behind Rainbow Dash with a worried squeak. Behind the counter towards the rear of the room stood the new Earth pony, a piece of bamboo under his hooves as he used it to roll out dough. The conical farmer's hat they'd seen him wearing hung on the wall behind him, now a part of the shop's décor. The beads that were draped around the peak of his hat were wrapped neatly around his left foreleg. A cerulean blue mane was pulled back in a tail at the base of his skull and a white bandana was tied about his forehead, keeping the fringes of his mane out of his viridian green eyes. The cloth looked simply enough, though it had a red spot in the center with red beams coming out from all sides. Like rays of the sun.

The so-called 'samurai' as Ditzy had described him didn't even look up from his work, merely placing the bamboo aside. He plucked a knife from a rack on the wall behind him and began to slice... something. They all approached the bar at the rear of the room where he stood and still the Earth pony seemed too enthralled with his work to address them. As it was Rarity's idea to have lunch there, they all looked to her and smiled nervously while a silent vote was being cast. The poll resolved quickly and it was five to one that Rarity would have to get his attention. She looked to her friends and furrowed her brow with a huff, pouting as she acquiesced to the unspoken request.

"Um... yes, excuse me? We would be most interested in ordering something to-" began Rarity as she went to put on a most dazzling smile before being promptly interrupted.

The tip of the chef's knife suddenly pointed right at her nose, causing her to freeze and gulp nervously. The samurai pony gave a gruff growl as he looked straight into Rarity's wide blue eyes. The knife quickly spun around and point at a sign on the wall beside him. Written across it were markings similar to those of the unusual symbols written along the sign out front, but curiously enough beneath them were the plainly written words 'PLEASE TAKE A NUMBER'.

To further emphasize his stubborn preference for this procedure, the blade around again and pointed to a hook that held little numbered tags. He instantly looked back to his work and resumed chopping and had a strange air of calm about him that made it seem like he hadn't even looked up at them in the first place. Rarity let out a sigh of relief when the blade's edge was no longer aimed at her nose and looked back at the others who all released their breath in a collective sigh.

With another huff of indignation, she rolled her eyes before taking a tag off the hook with a flash of magic from her horn. Rarity looked the slip over to see it was carved from bamboo and it had a number '3' inscribed on it. Despite the air of calm and focus it was obvious what the samurai pony had been waiting for. He wiped the blade clean with a bit of cloth before hurling it over his shoulder in a dramatic gesture, the rack on the wall catching the blade neatly. He then looked out over the empty restaurant as if it were filled with hustle and bustle before shouting over the non-existent crowd.

"San." He said aloud, peering about even though they were all gathered directly in front of him. He'd repeat himself. "San. SAN!!!"

"Oh! Yes... Right here." Rarity placed the tag on the counter, finally realizing he must have been calling her number.

He took it and bounced it hard on the counter, sending it soaring up before coming back down to slide neatly on the hook. She let out a sigh and looked over her shoulder to see Applejack and Rainbow Dash snickering quietly among themselves while Fluttershy had positioned herself to hide behind Pinkie Pie. She was also giggling with amusement. Twilight seemed too preoccupied inspecting one of the scrolls on the wall to notice just how absurd this interaction was. She turned back to the pony behind the counter and gulped, looking taken aback to see he was still staring expectantly at her.

"Right! My apologies. We'd like to order something for lunch. Do you... have a menu we can look at?" Her moment of being caught off guard was short lived as she brushed her purple mane with one hoof, putting on another dazzling smile.

The pony behind the counter slowly raised one eyebrow, meeting her charm with stoic indifference. He raised one hoof and pointed to a large board on the wall, upon which was scribbled a myriad of things they couldn't read. Yet underneath they could see words written in their alphabet, but heck if they knew what any of it meant. Rainbow Dash was unable to keep from laughing out loud at this point.

"Nyahahahaha, what a joke. C'mon, how does he expect anypony to order food if we can't read what it says? No wonder he hasn't had any business yet-" Rainbow Dash fell short as Applejack gave her a nudge.

Both looked to the pony behind the counter. His mouth had the slightest of frowns and one eye twitched in annoyance. Whether or not he wholly understood what was said didn't matter, at the very least he seemed to tell he was being scrutinized. Pinkie Pie was able to salvage the situation before it went any further south, leaning in to whisper into Rarity's ear.

"When in doubt just ask for the house special!" Pinkie nodded eagerly, issuing a cheery smile before moving back to stand beside Fluttershy. Rarity looked far from convinced of that this was the best course of action, but she lacked a better idea and finally nodded in agreement.

"Very well. May we please have... six specials of the house?" A moment's hesitation came as she thought of all the grotesque things she might be subjecting herself to eating and lowered her head. The samurai stared at her for a lingering moment and she wondered if he had understood her request. The subtle look of annoyance the pony behind the counter held vanished almost immediately.

"Roku sushi kimasu!" He exclaimed loudly before beginning his work.

His hooves were a flurry of motion, taking another knife from the rack behind him, chopping, slicing, dicing, and rolling various ingredients behind the counter. He looked up at them, still slicing and dicing even as he took his eyes off his work. A brow rose curiously as if something about his six customers was deeply confusing. A light bulb went off behind his eyes and he ceased his work, momentarily stepping around to meet them. He bowed his head deeply and gestured a hoof towards the middle of the room. The tables along the walls looked too small to accommodate their group, though a pair of tables were pushed together in the center.

Pinkie Pie continued to giggle quietly to herself as she and Fluttershy sat themselves on one side. Applejack and Rarity sat at the other while Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash each sat on opposing ends. They all looked at the cushions under their rumps, wriggling a bit to accustom themselves to the soft material. The Earth pony came around quickly bearing a tray, setting down a cup of crystal clear water in front of each mare in turn. Twilight smiled politely to which he returned with a bow of his head, moving back behind the counter. This left the six to exchange curious glances and hushed conversation.

"What exactly is he serving?"

"Sounded like he said 'sushi'."

"Do any of you know what that is?"

"Ain't never heard of that before."

"I just hope it's not anything... icky."

"-I- just hope it's covered in frosting."

Their round robin conversation was interrupted by a shout that game from behind the counter. Rainbow Dash leapt up off her cushion and bristled with agitation, flapping her wings to keep herself hovering hover her seat. Fluttershy squeaked and hunkered down, peering over the edge of their table as they all turned to look at the spectacle they could only assume was what their host passed for food preparation. It was something more akin to a martial arts display as he breathed deep and sent one hoof sharply at the counter like he were breaking a board in a show of strength. His hoof banged, causing the entire counter the buckle under the impact and he let out another sharp kiai vocalization. He repeated this a few more times until he finished with that step. Applejack peered at him with a bit more undisguised interest when he hefted a bushel of apples up on the counter.

"What's he doing?" Rainbow Dash muttered quietly. She rubbed the back of her head with one hoof, narrowing her eyes with both skepticism and confusion. "Is he going to- whoa!"

She was cut off as their host suddenly drew the sword he carried, it's gleaming blade held high over his head between his front hooves while he rose up on his hind legs. He gave another sharp battle cry and bucked one of his hind legs hard against the floor, the shock travelling through the counter and causing the fruit to leap up and out of the basket. The blade was a flurry of glinting steel as the unsuspecting apples were dissected, sliced so thin they fluttered out of the air like feathers. With a quick draw of his blade along the edge of the scabbard it was soon sheathed and put to rest.

The six of them looked eat each other with wide eyes, both impressed and simultaneously intimidated by this display. Not sure what else to do, Twilight and Applejack soon put their hooves together in polite applause, followed suit by Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and a still timid Fluttershy. Rainbow Dash had discarded her expression of awe, disguising it with indifference as she rolled her eyes and lowered back into her seat.

"Pfffft. Big whoop. That didn't look so hard, I bet I could do that." she mumbled, catching a few snickers and more rolling eyes from her friends.

Their host looked slightly taken aback by the brief applause, but bowed his head deeply in thanks all the same. At least he knew what clapping is. He soon swept around from behind his counter, carrying a tray that balanced several bamboo plates and placed them one at a time on the table. Each plate held a tightly packed roll of rice wrapped in kelp and sliced into six equal pieces, garnished with a small amount of diced strawberries. The apple 'chips' they'd witnessed him carve up were all arranged neatly in a half circle around each plate, drizzled pleasantly with a light brown sauce that had a faintly sweet smell. Each looked to their respective plates, then to each other.

"Thank you very much!" Twilight said suddenly as she looked over her shoulder to see their host already sauntering back behind his bar counter, giving him a tentative smile.

He merely nodded, gesturing a hoof for them to dig in at their leisure.

As Twilight peered at her plate she leaned in to sniff gingerly, taking in the aroma. Applejack and Pinkie Pie had already taken their first bites without hesitation and were chewing away with apparent approval while Fluttershy was nibbling daintily on one of the apple chips with a growing smile. Rainbow Dash continued to rotate her plate as though she might be able to make sense of her meal, if only she saw it at every possible angle. Not one to shy away from a new experience Twilight lowered her head to bite into one of the rolls and chewed slowly, casting her thoughtful gaze around the restaurant.

At first she thought it tasted like... nothing? Is that really what rice tastes like? After a moment a very subtle pickled flavor began to encroach on her taste buds, followed soon by a slight sour taste of the kelp it was wrapped in. She could taste hints of apple in the rice and it had a refreshing 'fluffy' texture. The next bite held the strawberry garnish and the sweetness of those berries thundered over the subtle sour taste of the rice. She found her violet eyes gazing over her friends, all with equally surprised looks of delight at how delicious they were finding their meal to be. Save for Rarity, who had been most concerned about eating something without knowing what was in it. She was so taken with the presentation of her lunch that she was now more concerned about destroying it's picturesque display instead of fearing it might taste awful.

"C'mon Rarity, eat up. This was your idea after all!" Applejack nodded to Rarity and reached over to slap her jovially on the back before letting out a quick burp. The farmer gave a sly smirk, waiting deliberately for a few lingering moments before excusing herelf. "Pardon."

"Yeah! It's not a cupcake, but it's still pretty tasty!" Pinkie had finished so quickly that she put her face into her plate as though trying to absorb any lingering flavors that remained. She looked up and smiled cheekily, the edges of her mouth lined in that light brown sauce until her tongue swirled around, smacking her lips. "Mmm!"

"But it's so lovely! I couldn't possibly ruin such fabulousness." The fashionista huffed and raised her head, giving her best pout and expression of indignation. As she looked at her friends to see them enjoying themselves combined with the very unladylike rumble her stomach let loose, she found she couldn't hold out any longer and began to eat her meal in earnest.

They all ate and discussed their meal together and before long each were patting their tummies with contentment. Twilight and Applejack shared a smile as they glanced over at their host who had made himself busy behind the counter, looking disinterested. He might have gotten away with it, but the samurai kept stealing glances over at them. No doubt he was trying not to look anxious and concerned to see whether or not they had enjoyed their lunch. He eventually proved this theory correct as the moment the last plate was empty he had swept over to remove them, replacing each with a smaller dessert dish. Each had a quadruplet of dumplings arranged neatly with a skewer keeping them together, covered in a sticky, sweet syrup and dusted with crumbled nuts, much to Pinkie's delight.

"All right, I'll admit... that was pretty good." Rainbow Dash was the first to speak up after the last of their dumplings had been consumed and their dessert plates had been cleared away. She watched as their host took them into the back room for cleaning and could swear she saw a faint, but prideful smirk.

"Darn tootin'! That was good eatin' right there." Applejack tipped her hat back while she polished off her cup of water.

"Yes, I absolutely concur one hundred percent! Though I must say I would have preferred sparkling water, but the spring water he served was quite refreshing still. Perhaps if I suggested he carry sparkling water regularly..." Rarity trailed off, tapping her hoof against her chin while Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy giggled to one another.

"It wasn't just 'pretty good', it was amazing! With all the ponies we've met and everywhere we've been around Equestria, I can't believe we've never come across anything like this before. I can't wait to get back to the castle so I can try to research this more. Maybe Ditzy will let me borrow that book she said she has..."

Their host had gone back behind his bar counter and resumed the work he'd been doing when they first arrived. A full piece of bamboo under his hooves, using it to roll dough. They'd all gotten up to their hooves and as Rarity had promised, she trotted up to the counter to pay for their lunch. She smiled and cleared her throat gently to gain his attention, to which he looked up with a raised eyebrow. She was suddenly hit with a strange feeling that he might point something sharp at her again and ask her to take a number like he had before, though thankfully no such outbursts came. He simply bowed his head and pointed a hoof towards the open door they'd entered through. He blinked, eyebrows raising curiously as he stared at something. The rest of them all turned towards the door to see the shapes of ponies who'd been watching curiously through the open door suddenly vanish. He shook his head as if telling himself he was imagining things.

"Yes... how much do I owe you for that wonderful lunch?" Rarity turned back to face him and smiled once more, though the blank stare she received was infuriatingly cryptic. "How much? Cost?" She spoke a bit slower and brandished a few dazzling gemstones, holding them out in hopes he'd take what he thought was fair for their meal.

"Mushō," said the samurai briefly and shook his head. He reached across the counter to gently push her hoof away.

She pouted and felt herself begin to deflate, initially worried that her gems weren't acceptable. He stepped out from around the counter once again before ushering the group towards the door. He'd bow his head deeply in a respectful gesture, extending his hoof to hold the flap aside and out of their way and she felt her frown turn upside down. Of course he wasn't refusing her gems, he was simply being generous.

"Thank you very much for such a fabulous meal." Rarity smiles and dips her head in a faint bow as she exited first.

"Put more sticky syrup on things!" Pinkie Pie called over her shoulder, giggling as she bounced out after Rarity.

"Thank you, it was ah.. very tasty!" Fluttershy smiled and gave a shy nod. Rainbow Dash simply waved a hoof and both Pegasi flittered out behind Pinkie with Twilight soon following suit, still talking to herself about going to find Ditzy and this mysterious book.

Applejack was the last to leave, pausing at the door to tip her hat back and give another look around restaurant. All the awkward tension that had been in the air when they first arrived had gone and she felt as if this place was right at home here in Ponyville. She found herself unable to keep from smiling until she noticed him peering at her with a curious expression, both eyebrows raised. Applejack let out a faint chuckle and quickly looked away as she colored a bit with embarrassment. She lowered her head, letting her hat slide down enough to hide the blush in her face.

"Thank ya' partner. You know how to carve up them apples, that was really somethin' else."

She showed herself out hastily and joined her friends, who had been met by nearly a dozen other ponies. They were the very same ponies that had been loitering outside to see how things went, listening with excitement as they had the details of the experience shared with them. The very same ponies who had looked at his newcomer with nervous apprehension a few days ago suddenly looked bright and eager to experience his wares for themselves. Several were already trotting over to the restaurant and met this 'apple samurai' at the door. His viridian eyes were open with surprise at the sudden interest in his establishment.

Without a word spoken he soon bowed his head, stepping aside to allow the gathering ponies entrance.

A gentle breeze suddenly blew in around them, kicking up her mane and rustling the branches of the nearby cherry tree. Applejack looked over as the sound caught her ears, her vibrant green eyes widening as she saw the branches raised proudly. One branch sported five open blossoms with a sixth just about to bloom. She couldn't help but grin as she took another look towards the open door, hearing the Earth pony's voice calling out to greet his new guests.

"Irasshaimase!"

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Author's Note:

I wanted to leave it up to the reader to decide who says what during their little 'round robin' conversation, but I remembered the emoticons and just couldn't resist.

(Scene inspired by an amusing skit from Saturday Night Live called 'Samurai Delicatessen'.

Translations:
Ringo no Samurai - 'Apple Samurai'
Irasshaimase! - Welcome! (A greeting spoken by employees when one enters a shop or restaurant)
San - 3
Roku sushi kimasu! - Six orders of sushi, coming!
Mushō. - Free of charge.
(added 9/15/15)

Comments

[Shadow Star]

http://www.weregeek.com/2011/04/20/

[-Brutus]

I enjoy the calm, gentle world-building that you did there and there is a point in this chapter that serves as lesson that you cannot judge from afar without meeting someone or trying something new. Bravo, my good sir!