Citrine Promise

By Archem

• March 5, 2015

Age: 22

Gender: Female

Species: Earth Pony

Appearance: A healthy average-sized pony by most standards, not unfit, but perhaps sporting the slightest of visible pudginess for a love of comforting sweets and find foods.<br /><br />Coat: Lemon Chiffon(#FFFACD)<br /><br />Mane and Tail: Mellow Yellow, Solid-Colored (#F8DE7E)<br /><br />Eyes: Goldenrod (#DAA520)

Cutie Mark: Two dulled-blue hooves meeting over a a golden crystalline-textured heart background. She received it at a young age after helping two friends end a standing feud.<br /><br />Citrine believes her special talent to be, simply put, in the "caring for others". Particularly in relationships and overall health. She often takes great strides in maintaining or improving close friendships, or bolstering ties between others, and has a keen interest in psychological and emotional healths. She isn't averse to learning about the body as a result, although she lacks any formal medical training, she might still be considered an 'enthusiast-on-the-side' with her talent.

Personality: Warm and largely unassuming, Citrine is a pony who could be said that, above all else, desires close companionship. She is a friendly pony who aims to please, and to feel pleased in return. She loves interacting and learning from other ponies, and may frequently exude an atmosphere of genuine interest and concern. She has a keen desire to seek new connections with others and promote existing ones, but also to help strengthen ties between others.<br /><br />Contrary to her yearning for familiars, Citrine is not the most out-going pony to be found, and isn't likely to actively seek out a potential friend and initiate introductions without outstanding reason. This is primarily because she does not want to impede on the lives of strangers, regardless of whether or not she might desire their attentions at times. Most would think of her as an ambivert, or hidden introvert, displaying a warm voice, attentive ear, and gushy praise and affection for friends before retreating to a quieter place to spend time on herself.<br /><br />Perhaps given to at least in part by her upbringing and Cutie Mark, Citrine has an inner ache to see ponies get along with eachother - to look over eachother's differing opinions, if possible. This is true in her own relationships, and she strives to improve her knowledge of relationship building and like-subjects in general. In her personal time, it is common enough to find her digging into books regarding pony psychology, relations, and even health. She places emphasis on one's well-being, mental and emotional health in particular, but also physical healths to a lesser extent as well.<br /><br />Her focus on improving her friendships doesn't go unnoticed however, and can sometimes lead to others viewing her as gushy or clingy. Normally such thoughts tend not to bother her, unless voiced by others negatively. Being involved in arguments with others can have impact on her self-assurance at times, and she is usually the first pony to apologize (though not at the expense of her beliefs). Her self-esteem is easily affected by criticism, especially from those close to her. In addition, she holds a habit of wanting to mediate between fights, which can backfire on her on occasion.<br /><br />On-par with her giving nature, she engages in some basic passtimes for the benefit of others, such as gift-giving and inviting others out to dine, treating them. She can spend a great deal of effort in selecting appropriate gifts for others, or in scouring a town for the best cuisine. Friends of hers can expect to be spoiled well with sweet and savory material tokens of her appreciation. As a drawback, this tendency can mean she needs to keep a closer watch over her personal finances. Her closer friends will notice she can be very giving of affection as well, unprovoked nudging and nuzzling isn't unheard of.<br /><br />While typically a joyous and life-relishing individual, Citrine can come to be wary of authority - at least when she thinks it unjust. Desiring an atmosphere of 'live and let live', she is a heavy advocate of personal freedoms, rights and opinions, and will not take kindly to being pushed around or witnessing the baseless control over others. A reaction to this usually manifests in either defensive scolding or - in much unhealthier states - plotting for attempts at removing or dampening the offender's authoritative powers. If ever she doesn't seem sincere in her apologies, it could very well be something struck a nerve and she is holding a buried grudge over it. It should not be said she isn't forgiving, however. Citrine is, by large, a fair individual with a trader's sense of honor adopted from her mother's teachings. With morals surrounding honest exchange, she finds herself holding would-be thieves at a leg's length, not wishing to partake in their dealings - an almost contradictory touch in some cases given her regard to an excess of authority.<br /><br />Akin with her avoidance of authority, domineering personalities can find her slinking away from them gradually, should the attitude be held too long in her presence. By contrast, she is unconsciously attracted to those who might use inspiration, reason, praise or barter in it's place. Although she may brush it off as a result of her upbringing around merchants day-by-day, she finds an air of familiarity amongst ponies in trading professions. It's common enough to find her using this as opening grounds to introduce or familiarize herself with somepony of a like-profession to her sole parent, possibly even showing a more playful attitude towards them. Despite this seemingly energized friendliness towards merchants, she can, at times, dislike discussing her own work - claiming either for the sake of confidentiality of her clients or not wishing to relive their stories.<br /><br />Though she has taken on a recent traveling phase, Citrine isn't a fan of the outdoors, preferring the comforts of civilization and company of other ponies. Because of this, when she does relocate herself, it is usually alongside other travelers, caravans or by some form of public transportation. Whichever can offer her the most comfort at the time is typically the method of travel she chooses. Citrine can be quite inquisitive when it comes to the development of the world outside of her homeland, given it's stasised disappearance for so long, and long travels with company offers her some resolve there.<br /><br />Before leaving the safe confines of the Crystal Empire, Citrine hadn't really ever encountered species other than ponies in her small corner of the community. As a measure of impairment with her travels, she is often found with little idea of how to interact with non-pony species, leaving her with a sense of uncertainty or perhaps even discomfort. This isn't to say she has any true issue with other non-pony races, merely that their foreign appearance leaves her feeling alien to them. She will still make efforts to be agreeable and friendly, and is still quite capable of warming up to outsiders just the same as any other pony she encounters, but introductions are likely to be awkward and hesitant until common grounds are found.<br /><br />Critrine has developed an unfortunate case of pyrophobia, albeit a very mild one. As a foal, she found herself tipping a lit candle one evening, causing a portion of a rug as well as her own tail to come aflame. She sustained no injuries from the ordeal, and her mother had been quick enough to expel both fires, but it hadn't caused the sense of panic she received to lessen. Her experience has not lead to her scorning the use and application of fire entirely, as she still uses it just as any other pony might, but she will display an unnecessarily amount of caution in the process. On an decidedly unrelated note, she has since disapproved of trimming her tail. Instead, she allows it to grow long and bushy, although not ill-groomed outside of getting it cut, despite any teasing from peers.

Backstory: Raised by a lone mother for as long as she could remember from her youth, Citrine hails from the Crystal Empire, to a seemingly average household. Her mother, being a jewel cutter and local merchant as well as a single parent, found little time for her own personal life, pouring most of her energy into raising her offspring or running her shop. Though her artistic touch never really was passed down, Citrine's mother had influenced Citrine heavily in how to deal with others. Whilst not particularly wealthy as perhaps a result, she held a tone of traders honesty and fairness; offering polite smiles and appreciative, yet enticing words. In the raising of her foal, Citrines sole parent had been no different.<br /><br />Citrine's foal and fillyhood years could not be said to differ much from her adult years in activity. Much of her early years were spent merely socializing and making gradual friends in neighbors, peers and the surrounding community. Visiting local social hotspots and events were typical of her. When she wasn't out enjoying the company of friends, she was either in some form of schooling or helping her mother in chores or running their storefront.<br /><br />Her Cutie Mark appeared early in life, after helping to a pair of her dearest childhood friends resolve a grudge which spanned for months. While she reveled in the small celebration held for her, her true feeling of reward is in the letters she still receives from the very companions she aimed to bring together, writing to her about the time they now spend in eachother's company.<br /><br />Much in her early life being without significant event, the free time she found gradually went into increasing her education - at least for where her own desires were concerned. It wasn't until the occupation of the Crystal Empire by King Sombra that her (now-adult) life was very much affected by some major and unusual event. The time spent under the shadow king's rule is one she seldom desires to speak of, especially to outsiders from beyond the Crystal Empire. Upon the Crystal Empire's return and Sombra's defeat, Citrine welcomed the rule of their new princess along with most of her kin, savoring the promises of freedom and peace once again.<br /><br />A time after making sure things were settled on the home-front with her mother, Citrine opted to leave the Crystal Empire, a choice which surprised most all around her. She had never been one to crave adventure, nor want to leave the comforts of society behind. When asked why, she would speak of a desire to see how the world has changed so since the absence of her homeland. In a more truthful perspective, Citrine has an ulterior and far more personal motive for having left, one which she hides well, and one that her mother will sometimes secretly dread.