Name: Halcyon Gleam
Gender: Female
Age: Adult
Talent: Enchanting gems, imbuing them with powerful spells or effects
Taken?: who can say


Backstory:
Childhood: Health issues plagued her first few years, doesn't remember much aside from waiting in doctor's offices.
School Life: Suffered relentless bullying, but she learned to defend herself with magical wards and was taken under the metaphorical wing of Miss Scintilla.
Graduation: Came out of school with a clear career goal, spent her years honing her art of enchantment, gold-smithing and jeweling.
Adult Life: Partnered up with a deer named Canopy, travels the world selling her enchanted gems and jewelry during the warm months, then returns to the Crystal Empire for the winter.

Job: Goldsmith and enchanter, wandering merchant
Dreams & Aspirations: Content with her current lifestyle. Hoping to create something that she'd be willing to call a masterpiece.
Disabilities?: Stunted growth, smaller and weaker than most unicorns

Poor, little Halcyon. Her first day alive was mournful and desperate. She was so weak, much too young to be seeing the light of the world just yet. Her parents held her tiny body as she struggled to breathe, and the doctors couldn't offer anything to console them.


"Her odds are bleak," they said. "You can't give up."


It was all they could do, and so they did. Every morning, they feared that their little one may have left then while they couldn't fight sleep anymore, but she didn't. Day by day, she survived. A few weeks later, she was allowed to go home, and her parents celebrated as if she had been truly born at last.


Halcyon Gleam grew up in the Crystal Empire with all the doting love she could ask for, though that also meant enduring the overbearing care of two parents who were too scared to lose her, to let anything harm her. She was a sickly filly, too, and a significant part of her childhood was spent playing with her toys in boring waiting rooms and getting lollipops for being such a brave little filly. She never understood why her mother would cry sometimes when the doctors talked to her.


When she finally became old enough to become a student, Halcyon begged and begged her parents to let her go to school, to see what's out there and meet new ponies. They agreed, albeit reluctantly, thinking it might be a better idea to homeschool her. But Halcyon insisted, very strongly, until they relented.


School wasn't kind to her. Her scrawny stature made her an easy target for schoolyard bullies. They delighted in pushing her around like a toy, but even more than that, they enjoyed getting away with it scot-free. Halcyon could never speak to anyone about her bullying, fearing that her parents would never let her go to school again.


Thus, Halcyon quickly developed an interest in protective magics like barriers and shields in all their forms. She had an undeniable affinity for it, but Halcyon lacked awareness that protective magic can do harm if utilized incorrectly. It landed her trapped within her own warding bubble, unable to free herself long after the barrier had discouraged her bullies from tormenting her. She needed her teacher's help, a unicorn named Scintilla. She recognized Halcyon’s raw talent, and offered her a spot in a magic-focused extracurricular class. She promised to help the young mare with her bullying problem.


Years later, Halcyon graduated without any trouble, but a newfound sense of self. Her magical talents coalesced into a fascination with enchantment, utterly in love with the intricacies of it. She took on an apprenticeship in gold-smithing and jeweling to further hone her magical precision, as she enjoyed the challenge in precision and perfection that came with it. Living in the Crystal Empire had its benefits as well. Crystals are not only a powerful vessel for spells and magic in general, but they are also highly sought-after outside the Empire.


After attaining all the skills she needed, Halcyon announced to her parents that she would be leaving her home for most of the year, though promising to return before winter would make the Empire unreachable again. Her parents protested until the train going south left the station. She began selling her enchanted gems and jewelry in all parts of Equestria, making enough money to live comfortably on the road. After some time though, she grew tired of looking for a place to sleep every night and having to pay for lodging. She bought a caravan, but didn’t have the necessary strength to pull it, herself. Luckily, she met a deer, Canopy, hailing from the Everfree forest. He was also traveling the world, but had recently grown tired of the loneliness that came with it. Halcyon offered to travel together, offering him a wage and protection from danger. He accepted, and they set out to see more of the world together.


In late fall of that year, Halcyon and Canopy bid farewell, though he promised to meet her again in the spring, as he had grown accustomed to her company on the road. Halcyon graciously accepted, and they’ve been travel companions ever since.


After a few years, Halcyon fell into a good rhythm. She would return to the Crystal Empire every winter to rest and recuperate. She spent her time catching up with her parents, who were incredibly relieved to hear that Halcyon had found someone to travel with. Furthermore, she also focused on making more of her wares, and acquiring more gems. While she does work on her jewelry on the roads as well, Halcyon definitely prefers the comfort of a permanent home, and is most efficient when she can spend her day doing nothing but her craft.

Cutie Mark: A sparkling, enchanted blue gem
Personality: Very laid back, kind and forthcoming to a fault. Charismatic and charming, always wearing a polite smile. Does everything in her power to avoid conflict. Terrified of violence.
Sexual Orientation: Lesbian