There is a certain sense of homeliness, and comfort, that comes when one surrounds herself with friends, family, loyal comrades who would stand before you against adversity, defend your honour in your absence, work to retrieve you, return you home, when you were forced to be away. It was a strange, peculiar, warm sensation, as if was drinking a warm, honey-laced tea, which worked by soothing the nerves and providing a warm duvet to wrap around one's soul. The golden hum of Akaith's soul that rested so close by Mirage's own curiously shaded one was a comfort that had been present for more than a lifetime, but the curious presence of her sister's company had been there longer still; since before her parents had even conceived her. The bonds of sisters was unbreakable, and despite the fact that blood did not truly link them, it was a bond forged literally more than a lifetime ago, akin to that of the soul-linking ties created between herself and Akaith. And then there were her friends, her nearest and dearest, those who had weaved their way into her heart, her thoughts, her affections. The magnitude of the emotions Mirage experienced was always so powerful, so great, they dwarfed the 'normal' range of feelings others felt.

The DragonHeart was not under any illusions as to her feelings to those who managed to earn her trust. It was inevitable for one who possessed a heart of a dragon to be able to love many, equally, brilliantly. Capable she was, and proudly she did indulge in the deepest of emotional attachments, allowing them to nestle firmly against the strong beating muscle that was her heart, a place that until recently, had only been occupied by those who shared her birth lands. She had been guarded of her emotions her entire life, it was a relief, a true indulgence, an addictive drug for her to be able to confide in others, to finally allow herself to trust them with her deepest and darkest secrets, to share and live and grow with them. Akaith chirruped from above her, enjoying the gentle tumble of at-ease, steady, relaxed emotions that were lolling about within her bonded's inner workings. Her gentle mental embrace also told her of the approach of their friends, the loyal and valiant ones who had indeed placed their lives on the line in her name. It was with a strange sense of morbidity that the DragonHeart almost wished she could return the favour, prove that she was not just all talk when it came to her love, her loyalty to her brethren.

He greeted her, and she in turn allowed a subtle tilt of her crown, a warm wuffling tumbling from her throat, as noses of matching velvet textures gently connected in a mutual display of intimate affection, welcome, salutation. He moved swiftly then, aiming for the svelte contours of her ear, which reacted by laying low against her skull for an instant, dodging the pinching grasps of his hard, ivory teeth. The same finely crafted ears heard his admonishments, and though within her cranium she may have conceded to some of the truth they spoke, outwardly she did nothing more but offer a deviant smirk, a playful sparkle behind her warm golden eyes masking the fatigue, the weariness, and eventually it defeated it completely. Mirage lived on the joy of the love and affection she held for her kin, she allowed that joy to carry her through this trial now. "Nothing interesting has ever occurred when one is standing still, Lace." A long-lashed eyelid clicked shut over a single deep golden pool, a wink, a light motion that carried a massive weight of trust and reassurance in its action.

Then she came, the one who was a creature born of moonlight even more so than the little shadow mare herself. It was like an old glove being tugged into place as the dark, silver and gold streaked mare slung her tiara over the small of Mirage's back, a replacement of things that had been left undone for far too long. Always and forevermore, the little shadow welcomed and relished in the presence of her sister, never would she turn away from her, never would she decline the chance of embracing her, talking to her, loving her. Once again it seems her ear is a target for hardened ivory, and once again it bows out of the way, diving beneath the flux of silky tendrils that spouts so readily from the crest of her nape and poll. The mare makes only a subtle move in return, a shifting of her weight so that the resting place of her sister's tiara would rock slightly, but otherwise she leaned into her affectionately. The gryphon is received as family, as she always would be, the difference between the avian-feline and the dragons monumental, yet overlooked with a gentle ease that instilled Akaith as a maternal figure, a guiding force - but Akaith only knew the ways of dragons, not gryphons. It was little wonder that the pale creature so easily knew how to socialise amidst the winged lizards, little wonder that Kali thought of herself as a dragon, though she was not, but just as Mirage had the heart of a dragon, she did not doubt that her sister, and her sister's bonded, held their own version of the same within their souls too.

Greetings done and accepted, the little shadow mare supposed it was well past time to reveal the reasons for her summons. With her nape arched and throat cleared, she pulled on the chords of her voice to bring forth the gentle, accented melody that would grace the sensitive ears of her beloved friend and sister. "There is a purpose to my call, one that is deeper and unfortunately, more pressing that a simple gathering of friends." The mare twisted her tiara in a way that would be awkward for most, but that she somehow managed to place an elegant spin on it, sharing a glance between the dark, fathomless pits of her sister, and the warm, glowing, golden orbs of her beloved friend. "My absence has brought many things to light, things that I might not have learned otherwise, and for that, I am glad recent events unfolded the way they did. Changes need to be made, adjustments to the government here; I cannot rule alone my friends; I do not rule alone even though I am the only one holding the title of a Leader here."

"I must ask you, as my sister and trusted friend, to do as you have done this entire time, and rise officially to my side, as Wing and Wind Leaders, to aid me where my eyes overlook small faults, to stand and govern as my equals before this glorious herd, for they deserve only the best we can give, and I know our best will allow us to survive all challenges that might come our way." It was a lengthy speech, at least for one who reserved her words only for pressing occasions. The emotion was thick behind them today, there was no hiding the truth, the trust, the honest hope that she wished to convey to them, to appeal to them to take responsibility, as they had so easily, naturally, in her absence. With them standing together, the World's Edge would be a herd that others would hear about in legends of greatness.

[ omg sorry for wall of text >_> ]

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