Been listening to a lot of YourOCSucks and started reminiscing over some of my old pones so I decided to start working on updated designs/refs!

Name: Autumn Bounty
Nickname: Bounty, Spicy
From: New Horseleans
Age: Adult
Species: Unicorn
Sex: Female
Height: Average

Cutie mark:
a basket of heart-shaped crops. Meant to symbolize her talent in farming (specifically squashes)

Likes:
Gumbo, yellow squash, homemade jams, Cajun spices, sweet cider, mama’s cooking

Dislikes:
Traveling, tourists, formal events, raw apples, pink, papa’s cooking (YUCK!)

Faults:
Stubborn, short-tempered, hesitant to share her feelings, and quick to let things bottle up until she pops.

Personality:
Bounty is a spicy woman. A stubborn hard-working mare with a hairline trigger on her anger makes her quick to react with as much heat as a ghost pepper. Despite her tendency to bottle up most of her feelings, she is incredibly flirty but also quick to show love to her family. She’s a tender and motherly mare with the wrath and protectiveness of a full-grown Ursa Major! She enjoys and a good laugh, good food, and supporting the people she cares about, and also razz them a little bit. After all, what’s wrong with a little spice alongside that affection?

Bio:
Autumn Bounty was born in mid-fall as the second child to a Horse stallion named Hickory Harvest and a Unicorn mare named Cayanne Kick. Bounty grew up with three brothers, Siracha Squash, Hawt Sauce, and Cajun Cookout. As well as two sisters, Garden Gumbo and Jambalaya Jamboree. When she was a filly, she adored running carefree through her family’s farm and causing all sorts of mischief by heckling the animals between her chores. She made sure to never act out around her parents, leading them to believe she was a well-behaved well-disciplined child, but no, in truth she was a wild child! One day at school her teacher, Mr. Bright, gave the children a special assignment to each grow something for the fall festival, and the child with the best crop would win the special prize of being line leader for the rest of the semester, as well as a goodie box of stickers and school supplies. While those who participated would earn extra credit even if they don’t win.

This of course, sparked a competitive fire in Bounty, especially due to her ever-expanding rivalry with her brother Siracha Squash. Her older brother really fueled the flames when he flaunted how his special talent clearly would give him an edge over her as he already knew he was a great farmer. But bounty focused her feelings into giving her all to her patch of yellow squash that she chose to grow, while her brother grew pumpkins. Day and night for weeks between chores and homework she gave her squash her attention. Before she knew it, she was looking at a bush full of small but plentiful squash! She was quite proud of herself for the amount her little bush managed to produce, of course given their small size she ended up losing the contest to a classmate who grew a zucchini that was almost as big as their teacher! But despite not winning the contest she gained her own special prize in a cutie mark as she realized how much she enjoyed growing and caring for her squash, helping her realize she had a knack for farming much like her father and brother!

As the years went by life was pretty much a cycle of comfortable predictability on the farm. Sure, things got a little wild around town when ponies would come to town for the festivals and parades their fine city had to offer, but luckily, she was able to keep away from those annoying tourists for the most part. That was until one day she found herself in town to sell their farm’s recent harvest at the farmer’s market. The day started out fairly usual, if anything a bit busy with the tourists in town and of course, their stall was busier as it was the time of year her mother sold her famous hot sauce, made fresh from her brother’s pepper crops. Growing annoyed and bored with the constant flow of ponies come and go she relieved herself of her post, trading out with her sister Garden Gumbo so she could take a break and stretch her legs. While meandering around town she picked up on an oddly sweet smell of freshly brewed tea. Brewed tea was not a common thing sold at the market, so it piqued her interest to inspect it. Following the smell, she found herself at a simple stall set up by some out-of-towners. Most of the group were some Okapi from Zebraca selling some beautiful fabrics and clothing. However, in the middle of the group sat a milky-colored Earthpony brewing and selling tea from a little stone teapot. He must have noticed her staring because he gave her the warmest smile, she thinks anyone’s ever given her and waved her over. He didn’t say anything but poured her a cup and offered it to her. Not wanting to be rude she took the cup and drank the contents, and despite her personally not liking tea, for the most part, she did actually enjoy this brew. Maybe because it wasn’t as bitter as the tea her sister liked to drink.

“How much?” she asked so she could pay for the glass she’d been given but the Stallion silently shook his head with a smile and made a wave gesture at her. His silence was odd and before she spoke an Okapi mare, interjected “Silk Tea says it’s on the house! Don’t mind his silence, he’s not much of a talker around strangers.”

“Oh. Why the special treatment?” she frowned tactlessly wanting him to take payment from another pony before handing them their cup.

Silk Tea looked at her and smiled before pointing to a basket next to him. Looking in she saw the squash, vegetables, and a half-empty jar of hot sauce from her family’s stand, and felt embarrassed as he finally said, “Because we like your food!”

Having had her fill of embarrassment Bounty bid the group goodbye and quickly made her way back to her booth where the rest of the day went by uneventfully. Over the next few weeks, she continued to run into Silk Tea at the market, each time they bumped into each other they’d talk about the day or about their lives. This Silk Tea had a very interesting life; Bounty learned that he was from Neighjing but for the past few years has been traveling around the world learning how other nations make tea and sharing his family’s brews along the way. Bounty had never been fond of travel herself, but she took an interest in his stories when he did talk. She quickly felt herself developing feelings for Silk, and he clearly also showed that interest back given the way she’d catch him casting an occasional glance. Eventually, she did confess her feelings and the two had a short yet enjoyable romance, despite going into it knowing it would be temporary. She truly enjoyed being with Silk Tea and spending time with him, but completely forgot that eventually, he’d have to leave she let herself fall for him and gave herself completely to the relationship until it ended suddenly.

One night while lounging on a blanket watching the fireflies pass over them Bounty heard the five words that shattered her heart slip from Silk’s lips, “We’re leaving in three days.”

Bounty was understandable upset given the relationship they had and the feelings she had, and clearly, Silk seemed bothered by the news as well but reminded her that while he cared about her and it how it hurts at that moment, they both knew his group would eventually have to leave to finish their journey and eventually return to their homelands. And while it was true, and she understood it didn’t stop how much it hurt or prevent her lid from popping as her anger exploded out of her. She screamed all matters of curses at him taking out her anger at the situation on him, and clearly, her actions hurt him because once she was done screaming, she noticed how small he made himself look having curled in on himself clearly frightened by her anger. All he said was a tear and nearly silent, “I’m sorry.” Before quickly galloping away from her. At the moment she only continued to yell after him out of anger until she couldn’t see him anymore before breaking down and crying. At the moment she was too blinded by her anger and her emotional pain to really care about what she did or said to him.

The weeks that followed felt numb to Bounty. She was quiet, kept to herself even around her family, didn’t eat much and overall, just held her head low. Her behavior was concerning to her family and nothing they did seemed to lift her spirits. Her brothers were outraged hearing about how their sister had her heart broken and offered to put that punk in his place, not that they knew where his group left to, but she very angrily turned down that way of talking about him around her. Her sisters tried to comfort her, but she shrugged them off having made herself feel sick with guilt as she replayed the horrible things she said in her head. Realizing the last memories, she and her first love had of each other was her going full nuclear at him for not really doing anything wrong.

It wasn’t until the fourth week that her father managed to coax her out of her shell enough to join him on an evening walk before supper. During their walk he told her stories about some of the bad choices he made as a colt that actually got a small chuckle out of her, while it wasn’t her normal loud boisterous laugh, it was a start. Near the end of their walk, Bounty stopped which caused her father to turn to face her as she said, “I miss him…Do you think he hates me?”

Hickory Harvest furrowed his brows and pulled his daughter into a hug while saying, “If you ever see him again, give him an honest apology. If he’s as good a pony as he seemed, I don’t think he’d hold a grudge.”

Her father’s words comforted her greatly though she still held onto those doubts as they made their way home for dinner. The smell of which made her incredibly sick sending her rushing to a washroom. It was only after she finished heaving did a feeling of dread wash over her that something was wrong and that maybe that sick feeling she had, wasn’t actually from her guilt. The next morning after a trip to her family doctor, her fears were confirmed that she was with foal. A reality that terrified her. Bounty knew how to tend to a harvest, she knew how to tend to livestock, but a mother? There was no way she could be a good one with her temperament and lack of self-control. What if she made a mistake? What if she let her anger pop and screamed at her foal? What if she was a bad mom? What was she going to tell Silk Tea? HOW was she going to tell him? She’d have to find him first and she had no idea what their next stops were.

While those worries plagued her for months as she tried to cope with this change in her life, the closer her due date came the more anxiety she felt. Until the day her daughter was born, looking down at this tiny foal wrapped tightly in her front hooves she started to weep. She felt such a strong wave of love flood over her as she looked at that small round face, she looked so much like her father with her pale coat, but her green mane reminded her so much of the tea leaves he used, even down to her daughter getting spots just like Bounty and Hickory had, said spots looking just like leaves on her back. Looking down at her foal she nuzzled her close having decided Tea Leaves would be a perfect name. From that day Bounty made a promise to change for her daughter, to be a better mare, to find a better way to handle her anger, and grow past her terrible traits she let run rampant. Her daughter deserves a mom who does her best. And Bounty put everything into being the mother her foal deserved.

The years that followed have been hard, motherhood is a tough job beyond what she thought a tough job could be. But every step of the way she’s reminded just how worth everything her daughter is. While as wild as Bounty was in her youth, Tea seems to be just as sweet as her father. Bounty is still coming to terms with how much time has gone by and still hasn’t fully accepted her daughter is old enough to start her very first day at school the coming year. It feels like it’s all flashed by her. To this day she still thinks of Silk Tea. She wonders how he’s doing and if he thinks of her, or if he may one day visit the city again. If that day comes, she still doesn’t know how she’d tell him about their daughter. Would he love her as much as Bounty has come to love her? While the future is uncertain Bounty is going into it with an open mind and far better control over her past faults.

Family:

-Father: Hickory Harvest (Horse: Bounty’s fur pattern comes from her father)
-Mother: Cayanne Kick (Unicorn)
-Brothers: Siracha Squash, Hawt Sauce, Cajun Cookout (all unicorns)
-Sisters: Garden Gumbo, Jambalaya Jamboree
-Daughter: Tea Leaves

Base for show-style made by donquani on DA