They came.

And with them, voices of dissent, of confusion, of fear. The Queen turned her crown to each of them as they arrived, her expression guarded mostly, softening for moments at a time in gentle greeting. She listened to everything they had to say, nodding her great golden tiara in acknowledgement of each of their words. The dragonmare took her time in responding, breathing deeply, as if she was mediating in the midst of chaos. She heard each voice, she felt the tension wash over her - it did not affect her thought process - she wondered at how such a suggestion of spreading peace and equality could be met with such opposition in some, confusion in others. Turning her tiara, she caught the eyes of her daughter, her golden little Amaris, standing beneath the behemoth mass of her lover, Vikram. The silent greeting gave her strength, as she was reminded time and again her reason for doing this. The DragonHeart wanted to sculpt the ideal world for her daughters to live in, to thrive in, to be successful in, to survive in. That was why she did this.

Lines of grey smoke trailed up from the dragon's slittled nostrils. Then, the dragon lifted her crown high, lifting her forelegs off the ground as she did. Sitting upon her haunches, tail swaying over the edge, she let loose a deep, rumbling growl, that grew and grew, until it felt as if the ground beneath her would melt from the vibrations. Pointing her sharp maw upwards, the dragon let loose a great stream of searing hot fire. Akaith danced around the pillar of flames, golden scales reflecting off them - much as they did for the other dragons present. Lifting herself up more, the dragon shut off the great stream of heat, and opening her wings to their full extent, being careful to mind the position of those nearest to her. Stretching her elongated neck up and over her back, she leaned backwards, until the edge of the cliff disappeared and she was freefalling, down, down towards the crashing waves. But the dragon was prepared for this, having pulled this stunt before. Using gravity to give her momentum, she tilted her wings so that the great sails of skin would fill with air, and lift her aerodynamic body to skim across the wavy expanse of ocean below. Akaith followed her, a miniature arrow darting in the trail of her beloved's draconic form.

The dragonmare swiftly made her way back to the ledge, settling upon the spot she was on before. Without hesitation, she bowed her cranium - her brothers moved in closer to her - and darkness seemed to swallow the golden form. Pain enveloped her, but as always, she suffered in silence, never letting on that it felt like she was being consumed by dragon's fire. When the transformation was complete, the mare stood before her followers with deep breaths filling her lungs with air on a deep, meditative cycle. She was not angry, but neither was she indifferent.

She was nothing if not theatrical.

"I thank everyone for your opinions.

"I did not mean to pressure everyone into doing something they do not feel comfortable with. I merely meant to impart that, if you so desire magic, now or in the future, I shall do all that I can to aid you.

"To those who have raised questions," She paused to look at each who had spoken, the expression upon her façade softening, instead of hardening, "I thank you for raising your concerns. Please do not ever change, I am glad to hear your thoughts - it is why I called this meeting.

"As for the matter of damaging magic - would you not think my magic has the potential to cause damage?" Another pause, as she allowed the implications of her words to settle in. "Would you not think I could use it to reap more damage than I choose to?" She tilted her crown questioningly to them.

"It is not the tools you have, my kin, but the way in which you choose to use them, that one is judged by. In helping others, I do not mean you to interrogate them on their purposes, nor pressure them into contracts. I offer my help without requesting anything in return, though I am often gifted with friendships, alliances and knowledge for my efforts. We are not mercenaries, in that we seek to help only those who can meet our price. We help those who think similarly to us, those who believe that power is something to be shared fairly amongst all, to be used constructively.

"My magic has the potential to reap great damage, but I choose to use it to defend those I hold dear." Another pause. The little shadow mare braced herself for her next words. She had just transformed in front of her herd, demonstrating the level of trust she held in them - for during the transformation she was at her most vulnerable, too consumed by pain to defend herself. But she spoke the next words with delicate care and purpose.

"When the Qian invaded the World's Edge, and succeeded in securing this land as our home, we shifted the balance. I used my magic then, alongside my comrades, to hurt others. They did not believe in equality, but did that give us the right to take their home from them?" She asked her herd the question she had asked herself everyday before the invasion, and every day since.

"I seek to restore this balance that I upset, to spread our message of equality to all who would embrace it. You may offer your help, and should the soul offer something in return, you may accept at your own discretion. Do not underestimate the power of knowledge, however - even just learning about magic, how it works, how it can vary, can be 'payment' enough. If I were asked, I would seek a favour to be outlined in the future, or else a promise that the Qian never be the target of an attack. To those who are proactive enough, you could perhaps seek a spar against the being to learn how best defend yourself against their magic - all knowledge is worth having, my kin.

"The decision of whether to offer your help or not is something I trust you can decide on an individual basis. If you are unsure, seek the counsel of your herdmates." Here, she smiled warmly to those who had spoken, all of them with an intelligent brain in their skulls, all of them willing to serve and follow her, all of them certainly capable of behaving in appropriate ways for this not necessarily new, but altered regime. The Qian had always stood for equality, only now they had a more defined path to follow, a clearer way of spreading that message.

"Rishima, you have many offers of an escort to the Veins, all who wish to may journey as a group - remember to always keep your eyes and ears open, learn as much as you can about the going-ons beyond our borders. Sulwyn, Mikali - your request is well thought out and fitting for the circumstances, I will allow it.

"I would also like to raise the notion of a new rank for our young ones interested in studying beneath mentors - an Acolyte rank. Should any who are not yet 2 hold an interest in our specialised ranks, you need only speak up to begin your study.

"My beloved Qian, please forgive my runaway tongue. I hope I have made the path for us clear and true in your eyes - do not hesitate to point out flaws which I have missed."

Here the mare paused her breath again, knowing that she had, as usual for these meetings, spoken a lot, a hopefully covered everything that was raised. She was pleased to see those who had stayed at the Throat had returned as the season was ending, and pondered who would be the next to travel down - Thor had mentioned to her, a request from the young couple Aaron and Kimber - but still, she did not see Ink. His dark, subtle form was made known, at the very least, to her in these meetings, but this was one of the larger gatherings they had hosted - perhaps he was simply too shy? Turning her visage to view the golden form of Kaj and Rishima, she posed the question with a streak of worry dashing across her façade.

"Did Ink make the journey back with you?"