It was finally time.  Past time, really.   She had been delaying this trip for years now, but it had come to a point where there was nothing holding her back anymore.  Her children were grown and gone - her mate…partner…whatever Meph had been to her had been called away to a realm she could not possibly follow by virtue of her mortal blood.  She was okay with that - if Iona was anything she was rational…most of the time, anyway.  However, even when her family departed, she lingered.  For over a year she lingered - busying herself with menial tasks for the remaining resistance members but her heart just wasn't in it anymore.  She was only operating out of habit - automatically - until it was finally time to go to the place where her heart was telling her to go.  

The hollow ache in her chest told her that she had put off this particular journey for too long.  So Iona decided to put her faith in the winds and set off in search of her true other half - her twin sister.  With the decision made, she unfurled her wings and leapt into the skies - following the general direction that her sister had gone when she last departed.

All Iona had was a name.   Well, two names really.  She was looking for a place called Helovia - and a particular land within this Helovia. The name of the place that Aly had spoken so fondly about when she had last come to visit years ago Iona kept repeating over and over in her head like a mantra.  World's Edge.

Prior to getting separated from Aly in that storm, the longest they had ever been apart was a matter of weeks - not years.  But circumstances had kept the sisters apart for far longer. It was clear when Aly had returned home to visit that she had found a place for herself in this Helovia - she was more than just the other half of a set of twins.  She was so much more than just the sweet sister or the kind sister.  And in Aly's absence Iona had found her place as well.  Maybe they needed the separation from each other, in a strange way.  For so long all they had in the world had been each other.  Where one was weak, the other was strong.  Now they had each discovered their own strengths independently of the other.   Iona wondered if Alysanne felt the emptiness inside too.

The journey was not a quick one - and Iona could feel the ache in her bones.  The landscape below was not familiar, but was beginning to mold itself in a way that matched Aly's descriptions.  Knowing she was close, she made her way towards the ground.  She assumed she couldn't just swoop right into the heart of this place and expect a warm welcome. 

Iona, of course, had no way of knowing that this particular moment may not have been the most opportune moment to arrive in Helovia. 

The painted pegasus' discomfort was clearly evident.  As soon as her hooves found the earth, she found it difficult to repress the urge to pace even though she know doing so would be rude. She didn't like the feeling of being a stranger in a strange land.  She didn't really like anything about this particular place but she knew that this was the only way she was going to find Aly - and she certainly wasn't expecting Aly just to drop out of the sky.  From what her twin had described - this was a big place, not just a cozy retreat by the sea.  However the anxiety of being so close to her twin, but still so far was maddening.  

She let out a huff of a breath - trying to calm the tension that had her coiled like a spring on the inside.  However, she knew that such an effort was fruitless so instead she thought it best to explore what she could.  She pulled her wings tightly against her sides, drew herself up to her full height and craned her head around - her green eyes scanning the forest.