There is so much meaning, so much history in this Circle.

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The name was painstakingly chosen - the Cycle's Echo, a repeat of events. Each member of this Circle has been through great struggle; each of them is world-weary in some aspect or another.

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Formed with a proper understanding of Circles, it was Flint who originally felt the call. Having evolved from a controlling rage to a stable, dependable stallion, he found himself wishing to settle down. Not the type to have a single mate, the structure of a Circle greatly appealed to him. The mate he already had, an odd pairing in that he tied himself to another stallion called Shiro Suisei, also welcomed the same open-love policy. Shiro was also well-known for following Flint's lead on most matters, so his willingness to form a group of lovers was not unexpected. It was through this mating with Flint that Shiro discovered himself beyond a desire to please others; he learned that he enjoyed a dark thrill whenever his mate became overbearingly controlling. With this unique dominant/submissive relationship that precariously balances on the edge of being unhealthy, adding mates with which to start a Circle proved problematic.

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Thus their trouble came with the fact that both were male; for a Circle to begin the requirement was one mare and one stallion. Without adding a mare to their harem, the pair couldn't form these lasting ties.

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Circles involve more than lovers, however, and as they approached the problem with this basic understanding a solution was eventually found. Flint's closest friend was Hybrid, a stallion that he was rebonded with. Hybrid had been through a trial of his own, learning that he didn't have to cover his strange appearance and rough-crackling voice with a harsh disposition; in time he became a leading figurehead, once he grew comfortable enough with himself to speak freely and accept the scrutiny of others. The type of mare he finds himself attracted to leans towards the flamboyantly extravagant; for quite a while he felt he couldn't measure up to such flashy mares and generally attempted to harden himself for potential rejection. With his cool confidence no longer a mask, perhaps he may find such a mare to take for mate.

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Hybrid was and is, in turn, very close to another stallion named Breeze. This stallion was so troubled through his abandonment that he tried his best not to allow any sense of seriousness in his life; anything beyond the shallowest, most basely amusing emotion was rejected. It was through meeting his own mate, a mare named Nova, that he himself grew. However inconsequential he attempted to be it still stung his pride when the pretty mare he cavorted for not only spurned him but looked upon his efforts with disdain. She was enough to garner his interest to the point that he was willing to actively attempt to win her. That she pulled him into putting forth an effort at all was remarkable; that being snubbed made him determined to win her respect, if not a right to mate, was beyond astounding. Through his efforts to prove her wrong he grew; by living beyond the shallow limits he had set for himself, Breeze evolved passed the point of mere rivalry and began to sincerely develop a deeper sense of self. After a time, this determination to make her seem a fool for her assessment had him play the dependable, easy-going stallion often enough that it simply became who he was. It was the most unexpected rusult imaginable; by showing her that he could reach his full potential, he did so in earnest.

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Nova also grew through the process of his efforts and in time, his honest love. She is a mare whose thoughts run on a slightly different course than most others; and she's very aware of this. Most of the time she felt as an ambassador sent to a strange land in order to learn their ways and befriend them; except that she was among her own kind, in her birthlands. As she and Breeze grew to know and appreciate one another, Nova finally found a place she felt she belonged; with him. As his motivation evolved with his growth and it came to pass that he was honestly there to make her smile when she most needed it, she no longer felt to be such an outsider. She was no longer alone.

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Soon they discovered this chain; this connection that linked them all. Each held a certain type of love for the others. Breeze counted Hybrid as his closest friend, and was always known to extend a little extra kindness to Shiro; he listened to Flint without question. Nova began to have long, strange conversations with Hybrid, found herself ready to be at Flint's side in an instant should he need, and often smiled whenever the sweet Shiro visited her and her mate. Flint was protective of all of them, counting them his most precious friends. Hybrid viewed Nova as one of the few who would understand his struggle to accept being so very strange, discovered he would kill for Shiro, and went to Breeze first whenever he needed a companion for an adventure; and he would ever be loyal to his oldest friend Flint, the two of them partners in all of life's struggles.

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They were already bound together as the closest of companions, a smaller group within their bondmates. None of them would abandon the others; as close as they were, and with Breeze and Nova hoping for a foal, it was decided that they would begin a circle amongst themselves.

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There are vacancies, openings for any who may come and accept each member of their Circle; for as they've each grown and come together, so it is that should any join their Circle it must be as more than a mate. They must be loved by all in their Circle or they won't be granted entrance. Hybrid still searches for his extravagant mare, the one that will take him to mate; yet when she's found, she'll have to appreciate these closest of friends. Flint and Shiro seek to add two mares to their harem, preferably sumbissives yet a single dominant role will be considered. Should any be found, a complicated relationship would begin; one of loyalty and acceptance towards those in the Circle and a separate, more intense relationship between the foursome of mates themselves.

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For the moment, each is content with the Circle as it stands. Breeze leads, as the mate to Nova and as the stallion with claim to gather a Circle at all. He and Nova will have final say on rather someone is accepted or not; and the others fully trust their judgment.

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This is a Circle of those which have struggled and earned their peace; a Circle for those who have a proper understanding of what it is to belong to one another. Above all else they are loyal; for should all else be lost, all that will remain will be their bonds with one another.