The bright fire light of the caravan was familiar. Achingly so, in fact. Tents had been erected for their short stay at this place, colorful banners in shades of blues, silvers and golds decorated trees and music filled the air as cheerful and joyous as the people playing and dancing to it. It was not the safest place, here, though it hardly seemed to matter at the moment to the gaggle of gypsies lost in their celebrating. It didn't matter that they were no longer in the skies - for in the skies they were untouchable, but upon the unpredictable earth they were not in their element, they were not in control. The stars were not nearby to do their bidding and the earth would not listen to their 'petty' magics. The mortals never understood how important their magic was. This was not important, now, however. What was important was a special girl was coming into her gifts today. Odd, that one of their kind came into their magic outside of their starry realm but it seemed as though the blond currently surrounded by chattering children and cheerful adults followed no rules but her own. It wasn't necessarily something to be proud of but it seemed as though the young gypsy did so anyway.

"Khalindra."

The blond head bobbed upward to look at the man who had spoken, the entire party hushing as their elder spoke. There was no trace of a smile on his wizened face, no indication of how proud he was of the child. He was not allowed to show favoritism, it was not in their ways, but this child had always been special to him. Perhaps it would show in his gift to the girl - surely, it had never been done before. Not in any records of their people which dated back to the beginning of time.

"You have come into your gifts, young one, at a very odd time. When the earthly gravity binds us and the stars are millions of miles above. It seems as though you quite enjoy being contrary."

Cheekily, the blond sent him a smile, "We need to pave our own paths, Elder. Why should I follow the path already beaten below my feet?"

"Very wise, Khalindra." He knew there was a reason he liked her.

"I know." Not a modest one, in the least, either.

"But you still have much to learn." The Elder's hand raised, "Too much, perhaps, for you to comprehend. In this, I have chosen a very special coming of age gift for you." The cloth covering the back of the caravan was lifted to allow a small colt to enter, dark as night with stars woven into his mane and tail. Eyes were the color of deep silver and inside his horn resided a mini galaxy - swirling and never at rest. Still more, the silvery hooves were etched with the signs of the twelve great ones - the symbols of the astrological mothers and fathers. "My mare has given birth to a fine young colt who will guide you to greatness. He is yours to befriend, yours to name."

Excuse me, the young alicorn colt objected in the young one's direction, But I do have a name. If you so much as think of naming me fluffy like my poor sister's mistress named her, I will bite your hand. The name is Altair and you'd do best to know it!

"....He says his name is Altair." The young girl was still in awe over the gift, however, and she spoke with a tinge of the emotion in her voice. This gift was not one given to ordinary people. This was not a gift given to those who come of age for no reason. This was...

You can hear me?! "You can hear him?" Both elder and colt spoke at the same time, breaking Khalindra's thought process, both seeming genuinely surprised at this revelation and poor Khalindra was left confused. Silver eyes shifted to look around to the others in their caravan. The children didn't seem to know what was going on, either, but the adults were staring.

"Should I not be able to?" Khalindra asked warily, turning her attention onto the colt who had refused to come any closer to her.

"It's not that, young one," the Elder reassured her, catching his composure rather quickly, "Do not worry yourself."

"Don't worry myself?" Khali cried, almost indignant, "I'm hearing voices I apparently shouldn't hear by the looks of it, and you ask me not to worry?"

A warm smile was given, though there was something behind those eyes that reeked of...something Khalindra couldn't quite put her finger on, but nothing entirely good. "That's exactly what I'm asking of you. The reason for our surprise will come to you in time, just as the knowledge I spoke of before will. I said you had much to learn, perhaps I didn't comprehend just how much..." the last was said nearly under his breath, a touch of wonder to his tone though it was hard to pick up. "Nonetheless, perhaps it is time for the celebrations to continue without any more of my babble."

"But elder, the Ceremon--"

"Let the celebrations continue. I have much to contemplate." The old one rose himself to his feet and turned his back, leaving a very upset and confused Celestial and a very cautious colt behind him.

Current Age: 18 years old

Khalindra learned her place of greatness by quite the accident. Altair at her side, the young gypsy studied whatever books and scrolls she could get her hands on. She learned her abilities diligently, and practiced them with a passion, determined to be the best she could be. Scrying with water came early, and soon it grew to reading the stars and dreams. This would have been enough for her to be happy with - such a rarity to find the True gift within her people...and then came the ability to birth the stars themselves in the palm of her hand. This was discovered when she finally became Of Age - an adult in the eyes of the Celestials...The day she learned of her destiny, and of the greatness that had been foretold the day she came into her abilities. It was her job to birth stars and govern the constellations. It was her that gave life to stars, and it was her who took it away. She was the first born with the ability to govern the stars to that extent in a very long time - and it opened up many doors to her. She was allowed in the Great Libraries, granted full access to the ancient texts. With her thirst for knowledge, discovered at such an early age, Khalindra spent most of her time exploring the depths of millennia old words.

It was on one such excursion when the scroll that would change her life forever was found. This scroll described a very old magic - older than the Planets themselves, perhaps practiced by the Twelve Greats - which called to her the Celestial spirits themselves.

Armed with this new knowledge, Khalindra left her Caravan to start her own...And thus, our story begins.