closed The scents and tastes of home (Crystal Lily)

[StrongCopper]

While he had long since moved to Ponyville for professional reasons, there had been other considerations when Strong Copper had made the decision. One of those considerations was its location in regards to Canterlot, since all it took to visit his parents in the city for events like holidays and the like was a relatively short train trip; Even better, you didn't need to get up at the crack of dawn in order to catch the train to Canterlot because there were a couple of trips made in the course of a day!

 

As ponies put up Heart's Warming decorations despite the fact that the holiday itself was still about a month or so away, the chance to stop by the old family home to see his parents and get the holiday shopping out of the way while he was in the capital before the seasonal shopping madness kicked up was simply to good to pass up. Most of these gifts would be for family, but he did have a few friends in Ponyville that he felt inclined towards getting a present for. Zecora was going to be a challenge to shop for at least...

 

So was Spoiled now that he thought about it, but that was a challenge for a vastly different reason from Zecora. He didn't like Mayor Rich, nor did he consider her a friend. He was getting her something because it showed a willingness to co-operate with the local government, but he needed to come up with something that he knew Spoiled would hate... but at the same time enough thought and effort went into it that if presented with it publicly, Spoiled would have to accept it and keep it somewhere visible rather then throw it out or lock it in a cupboard somewhere. Even better, it had to appear like an actual attempt to get her a real present rather then the spiteful jab it truly was. A tall order to be sure...

 

But one which he had a few days to work on. As he strolled through the main food street (there were a few streets and alleys dedicated to food, but the main one was generally the most grand) Copper couldn't help but inspect and admire some of the changes that had occurred there since he was a young colt. The fact that a number of the restaurants had changed since then wasn't really the change that caught him off guard, but rather the sheer difference of what kinds of foods some of the new establishments were offering from each other. Canterlot restaurants tended to follow whatever trend was in motion and thus they tended to largely sell the same kinds of food in the past, but currently there was a variety of different styles and flavors wafting through the air, intermingling, enhancing and competing with each other in a grand tapestry of scents.

 

It was enough to make a stallion pause and enjoy the display of culinary skill, even if only briefly. 

[BlindJester]

The sights, the sounds, and smells of Canterlot during Hearth's Warming season was always Crystal Lily's favorite time of the year. So many places with bright flashing lights and tantalizing smells sends the reformed Changeling into a tizzy! She would occasionally fly from one shop with new toys and gear for the coming cold or trot over to the next store happily skipping occasionally with her head in the clouds, figuratively sometimes, and just admire the stalls and the beauty of it all. Her one weakness though is food. She has tried so many dishes from many a restaurant in hopes of recreating it later in her own time with her own spin to it. So far since her reform she's tried at least 20 or so dishes from 1 or 2 restaurants. She wants to try every dish at every restaurant and try her hoof at it at home. So far she's only re-created 10 or so dishes but whose counting all that mattered to Crystal Lily was the fun she has making and trying dishes. During her usual trot through Canterlot today she noticed a new stall that was selling some funky looking baked goods and Crystal Lily needed to try some asap!

A few moments later after coming away from the stall with a wreath shaped cookie, she happily munched away at it and savored it's flavor and was so absorbed in the experience of the cookie she bumped straight into a Yellow Unicorn who also seems to be taking in the sights as much as herself. "O-oh! Oops! Excuse me I didn't mean to bump into there. The smell of food and the hustle and bustle of general life in Canterlot can sweep a mare off her hooves sometimes." she finished the last of her cookie and stuck out her hoof "Name is Crystal Lily! New to Canterlot and living among you pony folk so I try to meet and make friends with everypony I happen to come across in whatever bizarre way life puts new ponies in front of me" She looked a bit sheepish for a moment "Sorry I talk a lot and I hope this isn't too off putting"

[StrongCopper]

Being bumped into was a tradition for most cities that ranged from the harmless to the 'They stole my wallet!', but normally the acceptable response in busier cities to it was to make some kind of noise like an apologetic grunt; Canterlot didn't generally have enough ponies on the street at the same time for that, so an actual 'sorry' was expected, but honestly it was just routine to do it rather then an actual meaning or harm being done. Strong Copper had been about to dispense with this ritual when the source of the bump started talking more in-depth then he was actually expecting.

 

The barrage of talking did serve a wonderful purpose though; As Crystal Lily was talking, Strong Copper looked at the Changeling in question and felt an old fear stab itself into his heart as panic threatened to overwhelm him in a singular moment. Seeing a Changeling in Canterlot brought back terrible memories of the Wedding Invasion. Namely of the paranoid state of mind he was in as he barricaded himself in his family home, booby trapping the place and forcing the royal guard to waste several days trying to dig him out of the defensive position he had created for himself. Thankfully, despite his best efforts, no one was seriously hurt nor did they feel the need to press charges against him. 

 

It took several seconds for Strong Copper to force the fear down, but it lingered because fear sometimes wasn't a logical entity. The past was in the past, and a very pretty changeling mare was talking to him. "You're fine Crystal. I admit I was kind of distracted with some of the rather pleasant holiday smells myself and wasn't watching where I was going either." Granted he wasn't going at the time, but he could afford to be polite "I'm Strong Copper. So what brings you to Canterlot of all places?" She seemed to like talking, he was happy to just let her do so.   

[BlindJester]

"Well this hasn't happened in a while." Crystal Lily thought to herself as she recognized a small moment of fear cross the Stallion's face, at what she assumed was her presence, it made her instinctively lower her ears and head for a moment in hopes of seeming less threating. It's been a rarer occurrence since she tried being more open about her existence in everyday pony life but the occasional and understandable fear of a changeling bumping into and talking a mile a minute to a random pony might be a bit off putting. She noticed the Stallion who introduced himself as Strong Copper regained his composure and even chatted politely back with her.

This made that moment of sadness fizzle away and the normal more bubbly Crystal Lily returned with a smile that could rival Celestia's wonderful Sun. "Nice to meet you Strong Copper! Or is Copper okay? Maybe Strong? Oh oh! How about SC?" She went quiet for a moment as she tried to think of a good nickname for this stallion. After a few moments she realized he had asked a question along with his introduction and she shook off her wandering thoughts of what to call him and to finally answer. "Oh! I live here or rather nearby and I just love this time of the year it's so festive and you ponies always seem to make all occasions look and smell wonderful so I had to come out and try even more cuisine! That's what made me so airheaded to bump into you" she chuckled for a moment. "What about you? Do you live here? Visiting? Looking for fabulous gifts for friends and special somepony?"

[StrongCopper]

If there was one good thing to come out of Crystal Lily's chatterbox nature, it was the simple fact that as Crystal kept going on and on, the part of Copper that clung to the phobia of Changelings seemed to loosen its hold further and further; It was just impossible for the mental image of one of the solders/drones of the invasion to properly line up with the bright and colorful Lily before him... in more ways then one. 

 

"Copper is fine. Using my full name always feels best suited for formal things and just referring to me as Strong has always come off as weird to me for some reason." He answered truthfully, hopefully ending her internal debate on what to call him in an acceptable manner for all involved. "Slight misunderstanding... I was more asking why you picked this city to visit or move too as the case may be compared to, say, Manehatten." He decided to explain, trying to answer the questions she had given him in a timely manner while focusing on the next round.

 

"I was born here and moved away years ago, but my parents still live here and I decided to stop by to visit them while I do some early Hearth's Warming shopping. At the moment I've got two presents that I'm focusing on... One is for a friend I made during the year who lives by themself in the wilderness who I kind of want to surprise, both by the fact that somepony cared enough to get them a present for the holiday on top of making it a good present they'll enjoy. The second is a present that requires enough thought and insight put into it that the pony has to pretend they like it and actually keep it somewhere they can retrieve it from instead of just throwing it away or hiding it somewhere they'll forget about it, but privately they'll hate it." 

 

Considering how counter to the spirit of the holiday this was, Strong Copper couldn't help but smile. "The pony in question for that second gift... I don't like them. They are a shallow, elitist and petty pony, but I still need to work with them and have the pretense of a friendly working relationship. So I'm going with passive aggression and making her believe I put a great deal of thought into a present but don't know her well enough personally to know that she would dislike a given thing." 

[BlindJester]

Crystal Lily sat and listened to the stallion, who she now knows to refer to as just Copper, clarifying his initial question while explaining why he was in town. She scrunched her muzzle in puzzlement as he told her what he was looking for in his gifts. The one that truly confused her was the gift he was trying to get for the pony he doesn't like. She understood at least being cordial with them for works sake but to go so far as to find the perfect gift they have to take and pretend they like it? That was a bit odd to her however "To each their own" she thought. 

 

"Oooooooh okay I understand what you mean now" Lily said once the stallion was done talking. "What drew me here over anywhere else in equestria. . . . " she repeated more so to herself as she never thought about why. A few moments of silence went by before the metaphorical lightbulb went off. "Oh! I remember now! This town is where I met my very first friend that helped me change into the beautiful changeling I am today." She struck a fierce yet silly pose. "So I guess I stuck around to keep up with them and it just feels right, you know?" she nodded as if agreeing with herself. "What does the first pony you want to get a good gift seem to like? Maybe I could help you pick out a good gift for them! I would like to know more about them as well as that one pony you're not too fond of. I don't think I can help you pick up a specific gift but I'd like to tag along if you don't mind!"

She started to trot around the Copper in excitement "Oh that would be so fun if you'd let me tag along! We could get to know each other better, oh! Maybe grab some more delicious food too while you ponder good gifts. Oh nothing excites me more than endless possibilities for fun!" Finally stopping in front of him she stuck out her hoof waiting for a shake and said "Well what do ya say? Can I join you for gift hunting? You seem like a really nice pony so I'd like to get to know you and maybe WE can become friends!"

[StrongCopper]

Strong Copper was not the most social of ponies... and that was okay. Even more so since Lily seemed to do the talking of at least three ponies rolled up into one brightly colored body. Honestly as she started to circle him he actually stopped trying to follow her after a moment because he feared that trying to follow her movements would, between the motion and the bright colors, actually result in feeling a bit sick.

 

When she finally came to a stop, his hoof met hers after a moment for the shake. "Alright... I could use the company." After a quick thought, a small, teasing tone entered his voice as he added "However, please try not to get flustered if you start feeling a lot of envy and anger heading my way. After all, they're just bitter they don't have a beautiful changeling marefriend walking beside them."

 

Slightly flirting tease aside, they were here to do some present shopping and he would much rather get something nice for Zecora anyway so... "The first gift we're after is for a zebra mare who lives over in the forest near Ponyville. From what I know of her and her living situation, everything she has was either originally brought from her homeland, made by herself or brought locally when all else failed and she needed something to do a certain job. So personally I was thinking along the lines of something that she couldn't just make herself while being sturdy enough to withstand her active lifestyle... or failing that, easy to maintain and repair if it does break. If it can also serve some function she would be able to make use of would be a great bonus, but I feel like that's kind of secondary." 

 

Pondering for a moment, he was quick to ask "Are you doing any shopping yourself? I wouldn't mind returning the favor by trying to help out... or at least be a good sounding board for ideas."

[BlindJester]

The changeling couldn't help but light up a little when Copper accepted her offer to help. "Yay! I'm so happy! I'll help you find the best present for both of the ponies in question" she said chipperly then added "O-oh shucks," blushing a deep blue "P-p-please I don't think anypony would be jealous" despite her cheerful and outgoing attitude she still held on to her somewhat shy demeanor when it came to being flirted with as it wasn't something she's encountered much if at all. 

 

Moving on to the order of business at hoof Crystal put a hoof to her muzzle and tapped gently thinking of a good starting point for this important Zebra friend to Copper. "Hmmmm, well how about we start with a mini wooden statuette! Something custom. . . . . maybe it could show off something she's truly passionate about? Her favorite creature?" she once again scrunched her muzzle deep in thought and closed her eyes trying to envision something that fit the bill for what Copper described thinking of a gift that could double as something functional "Or! Maybe something portable and convenient that looks nice when not in use . . . . like. . . . maybe an intricate table? That has multi-use purposes? Like it could be a table but if you turn it a certain way it could be an extra chair for if she has company over? What do you think so far?"

When asked about shopping for herself she smiled a bittersweet smile "Ah, well, my one friend who I made here moved away recently so I don't have anyone to shop for at the moment. . .  It's been hard for me to make new friends ever since because I haven't been out and about due to being sad he left. To be honest I was thinking about going out for travel sometime soon to see if I can make new friends and maybe find a new place to live! As much as I like Canterlot and it feels like home I want to step out of my comfort zone a bit you know?"

[StrongCopper]

There was something absolutely precious about watching Crystal get all shy and bashful. Maybe it was just the fact that this entity that existed via the eating of affection and love just... didn't know how to respond when someone actually offered it freely... but Strong Copper took a step closer to her and affectionately bumped against her. "Only the ones with taste." He teased softly, trying to give her a bit of a confidence boost.

 

Returning to the matter at hoof, Strong Copper listened to the suggestions... before with a small tilt of his head he couldn't help but make a somewhat pleased sounding noise at the suggestion of a multi-use table. "That... might actually be really good. After all, she does have limited space in her living area so... something that would allow her to make full use of that space sounds like a great idea." Not only did her help and suggestion get a bright, warm smile but Crystal would almost certainly feel the actual affection connected with it that was being aimed directly at her.

 

That affection quickly turned bittersweet at her own story through, and the lack of friends that she could be spending time with filled him with worry and concern for her well being... before an idea came to him. He needed to consider it for a few moments but... "I know it's kind of last minute but... if you wanted... you could come spend Heart's Warming with me down in Ponyville. I wasn't planning on doing much on the day itself but... if you want to stop by and stay a while I wouldn't object. No one should be alone on the holidays after all."

[BlindJester]

When Copper said only those with tastes would be jealous made Crystal blush a deeper hue of blue and it spread further across her muzzle. "O-oh well if a stallion of your c-c-caliber says so I guess I have no choice but to b-believe you." she stammered out shyly. Being flirted with was a strange yet fun territory to be in. Hopefully she'll be able to make him a little flustered to with her flirting skills, although she has none.

 

Crystal started to beam again when the stallion agreed that her multi-function table idea was a good one! She even felt the genuine emotion in his words as he spoke. It's nice to know and be affirmed that she can have a good idea every once in a while and even help out a new pony in the process. "Do you know any place nearby that could possibly fit that bill? I haven't lived here for too long so I don't know all the stores and offerings of Canterlot yet especially if it doesn't pertain to delicious food." she giggled slightly distracted by the thought of a cookie place that was nearby now that she brought up food. Crystal shook her head slightly to get back on track.

Gasping at the offer of spending time with Copper on the most group-centric holidays of the year brought a tear to Crystal's eye and she tried to quickly and discreetly wipe it away with a quick rubbing of her eye feinting that something flew in her eye and a small sniff to make sure nothing unseemly came out of her snout. "I . . . I would really like that if you truly mean it. It would be a nice change of pace to spend Heart's Warming with somepony." She cleared her throat "Now then let's get on to the task at hoof and find a good place to start looking for this multi-table!"

[StrongCopper]

If there was one thing Copper could find some comfort in, it was the fact that Crystal really did turn a beautiful shade of blue when she got flustered. Still, as tempting as it was to see just how much of her face could darken, they did have some things to do. "I know a couple of furniture stores but... I can't help but feel like this might be a bit of a custom job. I mean, there's no harm in checking to see if they have something in stock but I suspect someone is going to have to make it."

 

Watching her reaction to being invited to spend the holiday with him, he couldn't help but smile just a little... before an idea popped into his head. Yes, they really did need to get going but... he stilled leaned in to whisper to her "Don't worry about eating before you come. I promise that we'll spend plenty of time wrapped up in a blanket by the fire, snuggling." would the affection from that act be enough to feed a Changeling? He didn't know... and honestly he looked forward to finding out.