The Promise

by ThePrinceOfTheNorth

Prologue: The Beginning

Today, the Princesses Celestia and Luna are two of several of the most recognizable figures in the whole of Equestria. And yet, to look at them long ago, you would not recognize them. Before the sisters sealed Discord in stone, before they turned King Sombra to shadow, before the Crystal Empire fell to him, and long before Lord Tirek laid ruin to Equestria, they were but two alicorn fillies, both sharing the same kind and loving mother, the alicorn Faust, and mysterious and illusive father, whom neither can seem to recall. It was in these days, when the two were carefree, that something unexpected happened. Something from.... the north.

---

Celestia was playing in the meadows just outside the Everfree Forest, in fact, where the town of Ponyville would one day stand, when she spied something white on a distant hill, laying in the tall grass. As she was a curious little filly, Celestia decided to go and investigate, taking little heed to the warning of both her guards and her sister, the former of which she promptly dismissed, though little Luna was too afraid to follow.

After a short canter, Celestia grew close to the white thing, only now realizing it to be some creature she'd never seen before, but, at least to her, it looked an aweful lot like something she'd read about one time when Faust had taken her to field trip to Manehattan, though she admittedly liked the small town. A Changeling.

The creature, assumedly a Changeling, was mumbling something. From what Celestia could make out, it was talking about a teleportation spell and how it had almost no idea where it was. As Celestia drew closer, though, the incessant mumbling ceased, and the Changeling raised and turned it's head to look at her.

If this 'thing' was a Changeling, then those books she'd read were boloney. It had vibrant magenta eyes, a pink mane and tail, and a straight horn. It's 'chitin' was white, and it didn't have the 'carapace' thingy that the books said all Changelings have, though it did have the weird bug wings.

After the two had stared wide-eyed at each other for what seemed like an eternity, but was really only five minutes, Celestia decided to break the silence, before it got awkward. "Hi?"

The Changeling blinked. "Ummm.... hi?"

"My name's Celestia, what's yours?"

"My name," the Changeling asked, to which Celestia nodded with vigor, "My name.... it's Crystalia."

"Crystalia," Celestia said, turning her head to the side and raising a brow, "That's a funny name, isn't it?"

Crystalia deadpanned. "What, and Celestia isn't?"

Taken aback, Celestia was at a loss for words. "Touché."

"Umm," Crystalia said, "I know I'm not supposed to talk to strangers, but you seem like a nice pony."

"I'd like to think that I am," Celestia replied, "I'm going to be a Princess someday, after all."

"And so is every oth-," Crystalia began before holding her tongue. Wait, she's a winged unicorn. I remember one of mo....my guards....saying something about there being winged unicorns in a placed called Equestria. What did he call them again....alicorns? That must mean....

Crystalia's eyes widened as the realization dawned upon her, and she quickly leapt to her feet and bowed. "Forgive me, I'm just a stupid hatchling. I didn't know that you wer-"

Crystalia was stopped dead as Celestia burst out into a laughing fit, rolling around on the grass, and holding her sides as if she was full to burst.

"Celestia," Crystalia asked after Celestia seemed to have calmed down somewhat, "What was.... that about?"

"Oh, nothing," Celestia said as a smile graced her features, "Just that it's my mommy who's the Princess."

"Oh," Crystalia said, her cheeks flushing red, a response which made Celestia giggle.

"I like you," said Celestia, "Do you think we might see each other again someday?"

Crystalia was again taken aback. Was this pony really asking to be friends with her? All her Royal Guards had told her that ponies were all evil, and could never be trusted. And yet, this little filly was none of those things. In fact, she seemed to have more in common with Celestia than she did with her own kind. And so, after a long and hard thought, Crystalia finally decided upon her answer.

"I'd like that," she replied, a smile crossing her fanged lips, "Where, though?"

"Ummmm," Celestia mumbled, "Where do you live?"

"It's," Crystalia began with some uncertainty, "I'm pretty sure it's to the north of here."

"The we can meet at the northern end of the Everfree Forest," Celestia said brightly, "Does that sound okay?"

Crystalia nodded, "Sounds fine to me....ummm, do you think you could send me home? I'm not too good with the teleportation spell, yet."

"Sure," Celestia said, "Mommy said to teleport somepony else, all you had to do was think of where you wanted them to go. So, if I think that I want to send you where you want to go, you'll go there!"

"Ummm....okay," Crystalia answered at length, "There's no place like home, right?"

Celestia closed her eyes and focused her magic, and Crystalia closed her eyes too, thinking of home. In a flash, Crystalia disappeared, and reappeared many kilometers away, right where she had been before. Even now, she looked forward to seeing her new friend again.

And she her, she would. And, in time, the unlikely duo would become more than friends, but sisters in all respects but by blood. And as the decades passed slowly by, Celestia and Crystalia grew older, yet the continued to meet, and with each meeting, Crystalia grew to look more and more like her adopted sister. And it was, before that most fateful day one thousand years ago, that only three features could tell the two apart.

One had fangs and chitin, on which there was also a sun cutiemark in the same place as there was on the fur on her flank.

Author's Note:

It seems like it's been a very long time since I've started a new story, and even longer since I knew where I was going with it.

Comments

[FoalanshewolfGold]

I looooooove how clear your points from the original are now. I can't wait to read more ^^

[ThePrinceOfTheNorth]

6223887
I'm glad that this new and improved version already does make the core concept much clearer, as was the aim of this new version.

[FoalanshewolfGold]

6224017
I looooooove it! ^^

[ThePrinceOfTheNorth]

6224032