And Is It a Good Idea to Blend These Foods?
She remembers her first smoothie like it was yesterday.
It was right in the middle of a heat wave. Half of Maretime Bay was at the beach, but her dad had found a less crowded beach just down the road. To quench their thirsts, he suggested they get smoothies from a shop nearby. She got one called the Berry Beautiful Bonanza, and fell in love with it. As much as she wanted to buy the rest of the menu's offerings, he didn't have the money for it. So she would always ask to make smoothies together, at least once a week. And once a week, he would set aside some time and some ingredients to make whatever smoothie she desired.
When he passed away, she stopped making smoothies. Even just seeing one evoked memories that made her heart ache. She stopped going to the same smoothie shop once the mares working there caught wind of his passing.
Today, she'll try again. The grief still stings, but she wants to make a smoothie she and her dad will both feel proud of. Something inventive and fresh, something nopony in Maretime Bay had ever tasted before. Something that might make ponies stop and listen to her for a change. After all, offering smoothies is a good bonus to the teachings of equality among other races, right?
She has ingredients laid on the table -- some frozen fruits and yogurt, plus a few veggies like kale and spinach. To start, she takes out the blender from below the sink and places it on the table. She scoops some raspberries, blueberries, and strawberries into the blender, then adds the veggies and a dollop of yogurt.
Will it blend? Yes. Does it taste good? No.
Maybe the veggies were a bad idea, she thinks. Maybe...I can try to replicate the Berry Beautiful Bonanza instead.
She tries again, but puts only the raspberries, blueberries, and strawberries in, plus another dollop of yogurt. A quick rummage through the freezer shows those are the only frozen fruits she has. Another quick rummage confirms this fact.
Will it blend? Yes. Does it taste good? Mm...could be better.
Taking a seat at the table with a notepad and a pencil, she writes down notes on the recipes she's tried on one page and scribbles down the names of various fruits on another. With a sigh, she takes the latter page, leaves the kitchen, and finds her saddlebag, then marches out the door in pursuit of more frozen fruit at the local supermarket.
By the time she returns, the sun is setting, but she has a bounty of both frozen and fresh fruit, as well as a few extra ingredients and a frozen dinner. Apparently, you can make smoothies out of fresh fruit, as the stallion running the Produce section was all too happy to explain to her. Which blew her mind, because she thought the ponies at the smoothie shop she went to used only frozen fruit.
She sets her ingredients on the table, tucks the frozen dinner away in the freezer for later consumption, and begins to experiment.
First, she replicates her earlier three-berry recipe, only with fresh fruit this time. It tastes much better, but still isn't perfect. She then moves on to trying each frozen fruit and fresh fruit smoothie with different milk bases, ranging from regular cow's milk to the more exotic soy and almond milks.
Her eyes drift to the bottle of coconut milk she grabbed. With a mighty nasal exhale, she grabs the bottle, places it in the blender, then adds a mixture of frozen and fresh blueberries, strawberries and raspberries.
Will it blend? Yes.
Does it taste good? Oh, yes.
It's not exactly like the smoothie she had -- it's better. She can taste each individual fruit on her taste buds, relish the feel of the liquid as it slides down her esophagus.
Why didn't I think of mixing frozen and fresh fruits before? she thought, guzzling the rest of the drink and letting out a burp of finality afterwards. Once she's done, she quickly scribbles down the recipe on a page in her notepad, grinning all the while.
She glances at the rest of the fruit on the counter, and that's when it clicks.
Maybe...I could sell these smoothies. I could have a cart of some kind, maybe even a shop someday!
In truth, she needs income. There aren't many job opportunities in Maretime Bay for her specifically, no matter how desperate they are for filled positions, and it's for that reason why she hesitated to ask the smoothie shop she once went to if she could work there.
Thinking about it, she's sure her dad would advise the same thing. The smoothie she made reminded her of the good times she had with him. Making more will help her to overcome the grief that lingers in her heart.
She cooks her frozen dinner and eats it as fast as she can in order to get back to experimenting. Long into the night, she comes up with all sorts of flavor combinations, names for her new business, and notes for what she can improve on, only stopping and retreating to bed when her eyes become exposed to the rays of the morning sun and sting accordingly.
The turquoise-coated, red-maned mare takes a sip of her Pineapple Pizzazz smoothie. "Oh wow, this is really good!"
"It is?" Sunny places a hoof on her chest and sighs in relief. "Thank hoofness. I'm still getting used to making the recipe."
"What's this one consist of?"
"Pineapples, mangoes, and peaches."
The other mare's eyes sparkle. "Ooh!" She takes another, heartier sip. "It's been a long time since I've had a good smoothie like this. You're a pro!"
"Thanks." Sunny replies, a blush creeping into her cheeks. "Guess that means you'll be a frequent customer, huh?"
"Absolutely!" the mare chirps. "I'm Jazz Hooves. What's your name?"
"Sunny Starscout!"
With that, the seeds of a rather rare friendship are planted.
Author's Note
Aimed for a double meaning with this one -- "will it blend" refers to both the fruit in the blender, and Sunny fitting into Maretime Bay despite her beliefs clashing with those of other ponies'. And if you want to include the reference, then it's a triple meaning.
I might make another story that dives into Jazz's backstory a little later down the line. Whether it'll be a sequel or a standalone piece, I'm not sure yet. But it will be out sometime before my death, rest assured.
