Earth Pony Crystal Towers (FINAL)

[Dunes]

This is my first pony, so critique away!

Name: Crystal Towers (possibly? I have an idea that relates to her backstory with it, but I'm open to suggestions)

Sex: Female

Age: Mare

Species: Earth pony

Coat Color: Light-ish purple

Mane/Tail/Markings Color & Style: Mane and tail are a medium red, and are naturally wavy and poofy. (She has to style it to keep it from looking like a matted mess, but she's reluctant to let on about it.) Has some light lavender socks on her front right and back left feet, and a matching star on her forehead.

Eye Color: Magenta

Cutie Mark: A pair of red chili peppers

Physique: Naturally a bit stocky, but with all the muscle tone of a wet spaghetti noodle.

Origin: Born and raised in Manehattan, but she's looking to relocate to Appleloosa (or somewhere more suitable for farming, not sure yet).

Roleplay Type: Mane

Occupation: Farmer, with a particular fondness for growing spicy things and rare varieties of vegetables.

Motivation: To be like the rugged frontier ponies and run a successful farm, despite her cushy city upbringing.

Likes: Open spaces, growing obscure plants, figuring things out for herself (even when she hasn't the slightest idea what she's doing), making spicy chili (bean-based, naturally). Anything she associates with the countryside and/or frontier, regardless of how true or stereotypical it is. She also likes soft beds, fancy clothes, and many of the trappings of city life that she's leaving behind, whether she'll admit it or not.

Dislikes: Reading (though she'll make an exception for botany), having to do math, ponies she perceives as snooty (oblivious of whether or not she's coming off as a snob herself), being seen as a city slicker

Character Summary: Crystal was born to a well-off family in Manehattan. Her father was a famed artist, and her mother a shrewd businesspony. They were busy, but loving. But as the eldest of four, Crystal was encouraged to be a good example for her younger brothers and sister. And while she did enjoy caring for her younger siblings, she had absolutely no interest in her parents' idea of being a good example. School bored her, the music lessons fell flat, and she never seemed to be able to draw anything more complex than stick-ponies in art class. She was excited for dance lessons, until she figured out that she and her mother had completely different ideas of what dancing ought to be.

She loved her parents and did want to set a good example for her baby brothers and sister, and so she developed the habits of a successful Manehattanite. But as time went by and she learned the ins-and-outs of society life, her cutie mark seemed reluctant to appear. To her horror, her brother Malachite, a whole year younger than her, got his cutie mark before she did! Utterly despondent, and now even more the target of ridicule at school, Crystal took to skipping class and wandering around Manehattan instead.

But during one of her excursions, she came across a salespony with a stand full of potted herbs and vegetables for window gardens. She was amazed by the idea of actually growing her own food. Her family had always just bought it! She only had enough money for one, so she picked the prettiest plant she saw - a bright red chili pepper plant. She was so excited, she ran straight home, forgetting that she was supposed to be at school for another three hours. After weathering her father's lecture on responsibility, grades, and her future, she did something she'd never willingly done before - cracked open a book. She knew all about which course to eat first at a formal dinner, and how to address city officials, but she didn't know a thing about keeping a pepper plant alive.

Despite all probability (and her father throwing it out once), the little plant lived and her collection grew. Time she had been spending feeling sorry for herself, listening to her sister's melodic voice lessons and seeing her brother's masterful paintings, she was now spending caring for her window box. She was happy enough doing that, but she was even happier when a pair of bright red chili peppers appeared on her flank, after using her home-grown peppers to make 3-bean chili for her family.

After that, Crystal made a decision. City life was for her, no more! The countryside was calling, and she was determined to head out and start her own farm, just like the country ponies! Her mother was even more determined that she stay home until she was a full-grown mare, though, so she is only just now heading out to make her dream come true. In the meanwhile, she's had a few years to fill her head with ideas of what farm and frontier life is like, from plays, drawings, and books (she prefers the short ones with pictures).

She has no idea how to tend a piece of land that you can't hang outside a window, and has only seen drawings of plows, but she isn't going to let that stop her!

So, yes. Her name isn't related to her cutie mark at all; I wondered what would happen if a pony's parents named them according to family conventions and they ended up being completely unlike the rest of their family. But if y'all think it would be better changed, or if a pony would be likely to change his or her name in this case, I'm open to suggestions! I'm also super tired right now, so I'm marking this as WIP for now so I can come back and read it when I'm less bleary-eyed. EDIT: Got some sleep! Added a couple of sentences but don't see a whole lot else I'd change, barring critique, so I'm marking this as final now.

(Also feel free to critique the design I've come up with. I favor obnoxious colors in my artwork sometimes, but I don't know if it looks any good for a pony.)

Edited November 22, 2011 by Skye

[Dessa]

For a first time pony, and being bleary-eyed, this is really good! Actually, this is really good by any standard. She looks like she'd be a lot of fun to RP with. I don't see anything that might need adding/changing.

[SunsetSombra]

Yeah, I might wind up missing the obvious here if anyone has anything to suggest change-wise, but I kinda like it...nice job!

[Pony_Sage]

"Assessed!" Thus spake the Sage.

[SunsetSombra]

Nicely done. XD

[Skye]

Very cute!