His eyes were barely open as he trudged ahead. His hooves dragged at every step, threatening to send him tumbling forward. The Unicorn was silent as he forced his beaten and exhausted body to move forward. His ribs showed through his dirty and matted dark blue fur. His smoky grey eyes were gaunt and stared blankly ahead of him. His coat was rotted in places from constant rain and patches of it were missing as his fur sluffed off of his gaunt form. Cuts and tears in his skin festered and pus dripped slowly from them to show the level of infection that bred within the gaping wounds.
He didn’t look up as his head and horn bumped into a fence, staggering him and he fell to his side. He struggled to stand for a moment or two until his body was far too exhausted to move and he went still. His breathing tore from him as he panted, trying to force oxygen into a body that was beginning to fail him. The Unicorn was silent as his ear flicked as the sound of hooves caught his attention. He stayed still as a beam of light fell on him.
“By Faust!” A female voiced cried out. “Honey, hurry!”
He remained still as the voice caught his ears and he tried to look up to see who was speaking. His body refused to move as he stayed still. His breathing was harsh and sounded unnatural to his own ears. His eyes closed as he tried to breathe more air into his body as a hoof ran over his face and he opened his eyes once more.
“Easy now, sweetie.”
A mare looked down at him as she held his head still and tried to comfort him. Her green eyes were bright and her fur was a brilliant orange in color. Her face was older, but her eyes still held youth and light within them. She crooned to him as she tried to keep him awake and looking at her.
“Stay with me, sweetie.” She said to him, her voice calm and comforting.
He was quiet as she ran her hoof gently over his gaunt features and her eyes showed concern as other ponies joined her. A stallion came to her side and his eyes widened at the sight of the young Unicorn. His eyes were a dull blue in color and his coat a dusty roan. He looked close to the same age as the mare and his eyes scanned the young stallion on the ground.
“By Equestria, what happened to you?” He whispered as he left her side and went to his. “These wounds are deep and they all look infected. He’s in bad shape, love.”
“I can see that, my love.” She whispered. “But he’s not dead yet. So we have to do all that we can for him. Call the doctor?” She said to him, her eyes leaving the young stallion, looking to her mate.
“I’ll get him.” A young stallion off to the side called out and the sound of hooves caught his attention as the young pony galloped away from them.
“Help me get him up.” The stallion said and waited as two more joined him to move the gaunt pony. “Buck me, he’s skin and bones.” He cursed as his hooves gripped the young Unicorns ruined fur.
"You’ll be alright sweetheart.” The mare crooned to him as they moved him.
His head laid across the back of one pony and he barely stayed awake as his body screamed in pain at the movement. He would have cried out had he been able to. His body no longer had the strength to cry and his voice was lost as he remained quiet. He could hear ponies yelling as he was brought into the front room of a house and he could hear the mare calling for them to wait while she laid blankets down for them to set him on. They gently laid him down and the mare joined him once more. Her features clearly concerned as she looked over his body now that he was in the light of their home.
“By Equestria. His back is rain rotted.” She whispered aloud and her mate nuzzled her as tears brimmed in her eyes. “What happened to you, sweetie?”
He blinked slowly but said nothing in reply to her questions. His eyes were dull and filled with pain as he laid in silence as the ponies parted to allow a stallion to approach him. His eyes closed and he slowly reopened them as the new pony whistled at the sight before him.
“How did this happen? Do you know him?” He asked the older ponies.
“No. I heard something hit the outside fence and went out to check on it. I found him collapsed in the grass. He hasn’t moved or said anything. So I don’t know his name or anything about him.” She replied.
“Bucking Hell.” He cursed and set a large bag down beside the barely conscious pony. “Well. I won’t lie to you he’s in bad shape and I haven’t gotten a hoof on him. Just looking at him I can tell you that if he wasn’t here he wouldn’t live much longer. Even without checking him out further he has a slim chance of surviving this.”
“But…” She looked at him, tears overflowing.
“Now. Don’t think that I’m not going to try to save him just because he’s gonna make us work for it. Surviving this won’t be easy, young pony.” He said and the Unicorn looked to him. “Okay move back and let me get a feel for him.”
They moved back and the doctor sat down at his side, his hooves prodding at the young Unicorn on the floor. His magic held a quill and paper as he wrote down his thoughts and observations. “Okay. So multiple deep lacerations, all with heavy infection. Severe malnourishment and dehydration.” His hoof gripped a chunk of the unicorn’s fur and he pulled it up to check on his hydration. “He’s severally dehydrated. His skin should flatten back out, but it’s staying in place when I lift it. Okay, the first thing to do then.”
His magic gripped the bag at his side and he pulled out a needle and other materials. He held a bag of fluids aloft as he pierced the pony’s skin, sliding the needle into a vein on his foreleg and then gave the bag to one of the other ponies as he taped the IV in place. “Hold that up and gently squeeze it. We need to get some fluids into him and that will help.”
“Shouldn’t we squeeze it tighter to get more into him?” The mare asked as she gripped the bag gently in her hooves.
“If you want to hurt him sure.” The doctor quipped to her and she frantically shook her head. “Plus, getting air bubbles into his blood will do more damage, so gently.”
She nodded and applied gentle pressure to the bag of fluids. The ponies stayed close but managed not to crowd the doctor as he began to look to the deep gashes in the stallion’s skin. “That rain rot is pretty bad but we can worry about it later for now. We need to get some painkillers on board so that we can start addressing the severe infection and get antibiotics into him as well. Otherwise, we’ll lose him fast.” He reached into the bag once more and pulled out several syringes and bottles. “Well. Guessing his weight is easy so dosing him will not be hard. Now. Son.” The doctor addressed him and the gaunt ponies dull eyes looked to him, barely open. “Are you allergic to any medications?”
The pony didn’t move and simply stared back. “Oh no.” The doctor whispered and checked the IV before looking to him once more. “Okay, he’s too weak to speak. Which means he can’t really move either. So one blink for yes, two for no.”
The gaunt pony blinked twice and stared at the doctor who nodded in understanding. His hooves filled the syringed and his magic held the bag of fluids and he squeezed it a bit tighter as he slid the needle into the bags lower section, pushing the medication into the pony’s veins and waited as it began to circulate through him. He held the pony’s thin foreleg, counting out his pulse as the drugs went through him. He placed his stethoscope into his ears and held the diaphragm against the pony’s chest to listen to his racing heart. He stared at the pony as his heart began to slow as the pain meds began to work for him.
“Finally. His heart is slowing down and so is his pulse. The pain medications are working. Thank Celestia. His heart was pounding so fast I was afraid it would quit on him.”
“How can it just quit? He’s too young for his heart to fail.” A pony asked from behind him.
The doctor didn’t look back as he explained. “The heart is a powerful muscle. But work it too hard and it will quit. His body temperature is high and that forces the body to work harder. When you’re in a lot of pain the heart beats faster, it’s trying to help but the rest of the body is also sending signals so things begin to create a vicious cycle and soon organs are failing due to being overworked.”
“Oh.” A voice whispered as the doctor went back to work on the pony on the floor.
“Hold that again.” He said as his magic returned the bag of fluids to the same mare and she gripped it gently. “Don’t squeeze it anymore. Just needed to get it started. Now let gravity work for us. So just hold it up.”
His hooves went to work on the gaunt ponies shoulder probing a deep gash. As he pushed his hooves against it he cringed as the gash opened up and he could smell the deep infection that was deep in the muscle tissue.
“I have to admit I would kill to know what happened.” He whispered aloud as he pulled a new set of needles out of his bag and filled them with another drug. “Okay, this will numb the wound so I can clean it out. Even the painkiller I gave him can only stop so much. These wounds are deep and the infection is deep into the tissues. So as much as I want him to stay awake for this, I’m gonna have him sleep through it. We need to move him around and it will cause a greater strain if he panics.” He filled the last needle and looked to the dull grey eyes of the young Unicorn. “Time to rest, young one.” The needle went into the IV and the ponies eyes slowly closed as warmth spread over him and he allowed his mind to shut down and his eyes closed.
He galloped after the small manticore as it roared and raced away from him. The Unicorn slid to a stop as he stopped his pursuit of the monster and watched as it vanished back into the woods. A sigh of relief escaped him at the speed that the creature fled from him.
“That was easy enough.” He said aloud and turned to go back to the village.
His hooves thudded dully on the grass as he began to walk back the way he had come. His short sword sat in its scabbard on his hip. His belt held several small pouches of food and other items if he was gone for longer than a few hours like normal. He paused and looked back to the forest just in case the manticore came back after him. His smoky grey eyes scanned the path ahead of him as he walked forward. His midnight blue coat trembled as he shook himself free of any dirt that had fallen on his coat as he had chased the monster. He reached back and massaged his left hip as it reminded him that he had been forced to fight the monster for a few moments before it took to its heels to get away from him. He brushed some grass off his cutie mark and looked to it as he waited for the bit of soreness to fade from his hip. The blackbird wreathed in flame stared back at him. He averted his eyes from his marking and began to walk back to the village.
His steps were light as he walked back to the village in the distance. His eyes scanned the area around him and then looked to the sky above him. His eyes widened at the sight of black smoke rising above the tree line. He blinked and a moment later he galloped forward. His hooves dug into the ground as he lunged through the trees, taking a shortcut through the trees and into the clearing that housed the village. He slid to a halt at the sight of the black smoke getting thicker and rising high in the sky. He lunged into a gallop and broke free of the last tree and galloped to the top of a small hill and stopped in his tracks at the sight before him. He could see three full-sized dragons fighting against a much larger black dragon. The three dragons were taller than any tower he had ever seen but the black was still larger.
The Unicorn shook himself free of the initial shock and galloped down the hill toward the village. He could hear ponies screaming as he neared them. He slid to a stop at the first house he came to and tossed open the door. Inside a group of ponies were huddled inside and he looked at them before speaking.
“Get out. Run!” He yelled and they broke free of their own shock and did as he told them.
He ran from house to house, calling for ponies to flee and sending them running as he moved to the next home. An ear-splitting roar stopped him in his tracks as he looked up to see the black dragon driving the others back through brute force as they tore at its hide. The black grappled them back but was soon being pushed back once more. As he watched his eyes widened at the realization that the black was trying to stop them from turning the rest of the village to ash.
“Why is it trying to protect us?” He whispered to himself as the black raised his long tail to avoid crushing the houses.
His shock lasted only a few seconds but then shook free of it and dove into a house to avoid the dragon’s tail as it did briefly strike the ground close to him. The house was empty and he breathed a sigh of relief and left the empty home. He looked up and he could see that the fight was slowly nearing him as his ears caught the sound of screaming off to the side of him. He followed the screams and he could see a family tucked behind a house, their two foals clustered under them as they tried to hide from the dragons fighting above them. He looked up as the blacks tail was now hovering close by as it still tried to push the others back. The unicorn leaped to them and began to usher them away from the fight.
“You have to run. That black can’t stop them forever!” He shouted to them and began to push them away from the house.
“Where do we go?” Their mother shouted as he pushed them ahead of him.
“Anywhere, but here!” He yelled back and pointed to the main road. “Just go!”
He pushed them away and looked back, his ears flattened against his skull and his eyes went wide as the black dragon fell to land on the house and the next ones beside it. The impact tossed him to the ground and he rolled to his hooves. The black kicked and bit at the two dragons that were trying to disembowel it. Its long tail lashing against them. He turned to look to the next house but the green dragon saw him and he barely dogged its great clawed foot as it swiped at him. He rolled away and the dragons head snaked down to try to bite into him. He spun to the side as the snout went past him and he drew his short sword, spinning as it passed him. The blade bit deep into the greens eye and it roared as the eye was punctured. The dragon tossed its head and the midnight blue Unicorn tried to roll away at the impact of the dragon’s bony skull to his body. He was thrown backward through several walls of a house and he rolled to a stop just outside the village edge.
He came to a stop and began to push himself to his hooves but his body refused to stand. Pain tore at him after a delay. His chest and ribs ached and his right foreleg on fire. He glanced to his leg and he could tell that it had been snapped in half just below the knee. He could feel that he had broken at least four of his ribs and a pained gasp tore from him as he tried to breathe. The Unicorn knew that he was injured badly and if he wanted to live he needed to move, but his lung was punctured. He knew that he was in trouble and he looked up as the three dragons were coming toward him but then paused and moved away. He had a moment to be shocked as he tried to stop the searing pain through his chest.
“I can’t die here.” He gasped aloud as he struggled to stand. He cried out as his broken ribs splintered and he could feel them grinding against each other and he went still.
“Do you wish to live on?”
His breath caught in his throat at the sound of a voice. His ears flicked but no sound had caught their attention. He had not heard the choice with his ears. It had sounded from his own mind. He raised his head and his eyes widened at the sight of the black dragon crawling toward him. He could see gaping wounds along the dragon’s long neck and shoulders. A deep gash went through its face from just above its left eye, down between its eyes, down the side of its snout and barely missed the dragon’s right eye and down its cheekbone. Blood dripped from the wound and its brilliant blue eyes looked to the Unicorn. Its eyes were larger than he was tall and their color vibrant as it stopped several feet away from him. He tried to cry out but only a pained moan came from him.
“Don’t try to speak.” The voiced spoke to him once more. “Neither of us have enough life left in us to speak aloud. Think and I will hear you.”
He realized that the dragon was speaking to him through his mind and he gave a slight nod of understanding as the dragon remained still and silent, its head resting on the ground ahead of him. “How can I hear you?”
“I can connect with you should I choose to. It’s easier to speak this way and will allow us both to live a bit longer.” It replied to him. “You did not flee with the others. Why?”
The Unicorn was quiet at the strange question. The bright blue eyes waited as the stallion suddenly understood his question. “They saved my life two years ago. I owe them my life. I owe it to them to save as many as I can.”
“I see. So loyalty to them holds you fast.”
“I had no home and they took me in. They never asked anything of me in return and declined all efforts to repay them. They gave everything that they had to a complete stranger that fell at their hooves. They earned my loyalty. If my life can save them in exchange then I will die trying to save them.”
“Then you are at peace with dying for them now?” The dragon replied.
The Unicorn was quiet at the dragon’s response and he closed his eyes at the dragon's question rang through him. “No. I can make peace with my death if I have to. But I would rather live and protect them still.”
“I see.”The dragons stretched out his snout and his breath warmed the Unicorns midnight blue fur. “Your wounds are fatal. Even I can see that.” The dragons said to him and the stallion closed his eyes at the news and he nodded that he understood. “But. If there was a chance to survive this. Is that a chance you would take?”
He coughed and blood bubbled into his throat and he spat it out and then looked back to the now still dragon. “How? I look at both of us and we are both going to die here. I can’t believe that green dragon hasn’t come after me for blinding it. But how could I live through this?”
“My presence is keeping the green at bay. I may be dying, but I am still a threat.” The black replied.
“You’re bigger than it is but how can you still keep it away if you’re dying as well?”
“Would you like me to use our remaining time to explain that or would you prefer the reason I ask you about living on instead?”The dragon asked.
“Fair point.” He responded quickly at the others comment. “How can we live through this?”
“I can create a Pact between us, it will allow us to live through our current wounds.” The black replied.
“Pact?”
“Yes. It will tie our fates together and allow us to live on.” The dragon explained and a cough tore from its throat and blood dripped through its razor teeth. The dragon licked its tongue over it fangs as it tried to breathe. “It would bind us as one. There is always a risk with a Pact.”
“What risk? What could be worse than dying here together?” He thought.
The dragon gave a strangled laugh. “Fair enough. There is a cost when entering into a Pact.”
“What cost could be worse than this?”
“The cost is blood. A Pact is forged in flame, blood, and pain of those entering into it. The life left within us is used to bind us as one. I don’t know if the blood left within us will be enough.” The dragon admitted.
“So it could kill me anyway?”
“No. It will not be fatal. But you must agree for it for us to survive this day.” The dragon replied.
The unicorn was quiet as the dragon explained what it meant to join a Pact. He could hear the screams of ponies fading away as his body began to fail him. He whimpered as the dragon opened its mouth and he could see flame flickering at the back of its throat.
“I agree to your Pact.” He whispered aloud as his mind began to black out.
His eyes opened and a gasp tore from him as he raised his head and he saw that the black drake was gone. He sat up and he could see the village was a smoking ruin before him. He coughed and a clot of blood came from his throat and he spat it out onto the grass. He could see that the other dragons were gone as well and he slowly got to his hooves. His body ached but his wounds were healed and he looked around him slowly. A few houses were left standing but they were still burning as the rest of the village had been nearly leveled. He sat back down as the scent of burning wood, blood, and death entered his nose. His heart ached as he tried to think of how many he couldn’t save.
“Are you going to mope here all day or will you start moving?”
The dragon’s voice startled him and he whinnied in shock as he leaped to his hooves. He scanned around him for the enormous dragon but he couldn’t see him. He could feel confusion biting at him as he looked for the dragon. “Where are you?”
There was a pause as the dragon replied. “I am closer than you think.”
A sour look crossed the Unicorns face as he leaned back on his haunches. “That’s not helping. I need to see you to thank you. I have to admit that when you brought it up I was pretty sure that it wouldn’t work. So I am really glad that I was wrong, so you need to come back here and sit with me so we can talk about this and you can tell me what we need to do now with this Pact of yours.”
“I am…already here.”
“What?”
“I am within you.”
The Unicorn was quiet as the dragon's words sank in. His eyes widened and he looked nervously around him for a moment. “WHAT?!”
“Calm down. I can hear you just fine, there is no need to yell.”
“No need? Are you serious right now? You have to be kidding.”
“No.”
“By Celestia’s ass are you serious?”
“Yes.”
“Okay, you need to explain what is going on right now.” He shouted.
“Very well. When the magic came to bear to bind our hearts as one it would have destroyed you and left you crippled or brain dead. I chose to sacrifice my body to keep you alive and intact as I had promised you.” The dragon explained.
The Unicorn sat down at the admission from the dragon. “So you…gave up…your own dragon form…to save me?”
“Yes.”
He was quiet as the gravity of the others sacrifices hit him. “Oh…wow…for me…I…I am so sorry.” He whispered aloud.
“It is not your fault. I made my choice. While it is clearly not ideal for either of us, it is better than dying in this place. You can continue to protect those that you wish and I…will be along for the ride it seems.” The dragon replied to him.
“But that’s not fair to you.” He countered.
“Again, it is not ideal.”
“You must have things you wish to accomplish. I can’t breathe fire or fly.”
The drake was quiet as he spoke and only spoke again after a pause. He could feel the loss as the drake spoke up once more. “I will miss my wings that is true. There is nothing like flying through the skies. And my flame is now yours as well. I will teach you how to use it so it does not harm others. We, for lack of bettering wording, are now one being. Your magic is already quite strong so adding my own power to yours has made it much stronger. My soul is within you and I will see the world and experience it with you as you live on.”
“That still seems unfair to you.”
“Perhaps it isn’t. But it is preferable to being dead and having my body rotting in some field.”
Nix chuckled and nodded. “That’s true.”
“I never asked your name little pony.”
“Oh right. My mother would be so disappointed in me for not using my manners. My name is Arisen Phoenix. Just call me Nix. It’s easier.” He replied with a chuckle. “And you?”
“My full name is Kahlem.”
Nix paused at the name and he knew that he was going to mess it up. “Kahlmem?”
A deep sigh sounded his mind as the dragon replied. “Just Kahl.”
“I can pronounce that.” He quipped as the dragon chuckled in his mind.
“So long as you can say it right.”
“So how do I talk to you? I don’t think walking around talking aloud is a good idea. Will draw a lot of attention to us.”
“Same as before. If you think it I will hear you. I can also hear and see through you so no need to describe anything to me.” Kahl replied. “I suggest that you scan the village for any supplies and then we leave here quickly.”
"Why?”
“They might come back.” Kahl quipped to him.
“Oh. Shit, right.” Nix got to his hooves and trotted into the remains of the village and headed for the house that he had shared with the couple that had first found him two years ago. He could see that it had not fallen down even though the roof was still smoking. He hoped they had made it out. Nix walked cautiously into the house, careful not to nudge the doors and walls in case they gave way. His breath caught in his throat the sight of the two burned bodies by what used to be their hearth. He sat down at the sight and sadness fell over him like a shroud.
Kahl allowed him time to grieve at the sight of the burned ponies. Time ticked past and the drake decided that it was time to move on. “Get up.” Nix didn’t move at the drake’s words and the dragon could feel annoyance biting at him. “You did not fail them. This was the area that was first attacked, I highly doubt they even knew when it happened. Their deaths were quick without pain. You cannot falter now. We have to leave this pace quickly.” The drake waited but the Unicorn still remained still. “GET UP!” Kahl yelled at him.
Nix jolted at the drakes yell and got to his hooves, pushing his sorrow to the back of his mind and got up as instructed. He walked carefully to the back of the house where his room had been. He could see that his room had not been spared from the dragon’s flames and he was surprised to find his trunk in one piece, charred but still intact. He opened the trunk and tossed the contents quickly onto his back and left the burned house behind him. He paused and strapped his saddlebags around his girth and his sword around his hip with his original belt and pouches. He broke into a trot through the rest of the village and found a few food items and a canteen. The rest was burned beyond recognition and he set his hooves on the main road toward Canterlot.
“So what else comes from this Pact of ours?” He asked as his hooves carried them away from the village.
“You have my power as well as your own original magic. Though for now, I would recommend not using your magic at all until we can test it out.”
“Why not?”
“You’re a strong Unicorn before my power came to reside with you as well. Imagine the power of a dragon and your magic at the same time.”
“Oh.” Nix nodded in understanding despite the dragon not being at his side. “Okay, that makes sense to me. So no magic until further notice got it.”
“We will test it in a secluded place away from others that could be harmed by it.” Kahl reasoned.
“Makes sense.” Nix replied as he plodded forward. “So why were you fighting those three dragons? Don’t tell me you were with them and decided you didn’t like them all of a sudden.”
“Hardly.” Kahl quipped to him. “Are you really asking me if I had a reason outside of trying to stop them from destroying a village that had done them no wrong?”
Nix was quiet as the other questioned him in reply. “Yeah.”
“They are from a far northern dragon clan that has views that I…did not agree with to say the least. I was in the area when they first attacked and interceded.”
“Why did they do this though?”
“They are part of a belief that their place is above all other creatures around them and if they cannot force into submission with simple fear then they will burn it to ash as an example to others. I had thought my appearance would be enough to drive them off and they would go back to their own lands. But…I was clearly wrong in my assumptions.”
Nix was quiet as Kahl finished speaking. “I really am sorry for what happened to you.”
“I know. I will survive, Nix. Don’t worry about it too much. I have not lived as long as I have by being rigid in my thoughts or actions. I will adapt and so will you.”
“Still. It seems unfair to me.”
“Perhaps. But life is rarely fair to anypony or any dragon. Even a dragon is subject to fates decree.”
Nix was quiet as they walked along the road. He tried to find a new subject since he could feel depression coming over him and he found a new subject to talk about. “So are you just bigger than they are? Or are you just older and that’s why you're bigger?”
“In a way. I can go into further detail if you would like.”
“Please do.” Nix replied. “I really have never dealt with a dragon that talks versus just burning everything to the ground.”
“You have dealt with others?”
“None as big as they were and definitely nothing of your size. Just the smaller ones. I can drive them off fairly easily, but not those ones.”
“Consider yourself fortunate then.”
“Yeah. Lucky me. So who are you to them?”
“I am one of four Elemental Dragons.” Kahl explained to him.
“What does that mean exactly?”
“It means that I rule over one Element while the others tend to the other three.”
“And your realm is?” Nix asked, even as he hoped he was wrong assuming which one belonged to the drake.
“I rule over the realm of Flame.”
“So you can control any fire?”
“Exactly. That is my strength. You are now a part of me and the flames will hopefully answer to you as well.” Kahl explained further.
“Great.” Nix replied, sarcasm dripping from his voice.
“What is wrong?”
“To be completely honest with you. I am not…umm…Well, I really don’t like fire.” He admitted.
A long pause went through his mind, the pause ended as a loud laugh escaped the dragon spirit. Nix cringed at the volume as the drake laughed. “You raced into burning houses with no thought of the flames and heat and now you tell me that you are actually afraid of it?”
“That was different. I didn’t have time to think about it.” Nix defended as the dragon broke into laughter once more.
“Hahaha!”
Nix could just imagine the black drake laughing in his mind and he grumbled under his breath. “You don’t have to laugh at me. It’s not that funny.”
“You do not understand. I was born from flame and I live within it. They are a part of me and now so are you. You fear them and they are now a part of your own magic. You are in for a shock if you think they can be separated from you now.”
Nix paused for a moment as the gravity of what he had been told began to become clear to him. “So I am stuck with fire forever?” He finally asked.
“Yes. Our Pact is eternal and cannot be broken unless one of us dies. Since you have the only body here that means if you die as do I.” The dragon replied to him, his tone still held mirth as he replied to the Unicorn.
“Just great. We are so screwed.” He admitted, annoyance in his tone.
“How so?” Kahl asked him.
“I don’t even use fire to hunt or cook if I can avoid it.”
“I see. Well. You are going to need to get over it since it is now your Realm as well.” Kahl replied.
“Shit.”
“Why are you so afraid of fire?” Kahl finally asked after allowing the Unicorn to walk forward in sullen silence.
“I was in a house fire when I was a foal and it nearly killed me and my mother. I couldn’t get out and she came back to save me. She got burned badly and I’ve been…apprehensive ever since.” He admitted as he walked forward. “I got burned as well but my fur grew over it so you can’t see it anymore. You could when I was much younger.”
“I see. I have to admit that is a good reason to be afraid. We will work through it slowly over time then. Overcoming traumatic experiences like that takes time and I am sorry that I laughed. I was not laughing at your misfortune, simply the irony.” Kahl replied.
“I know. You weren’t being mean about it. Just take it easy on me, all right?”
“Fair enough.” A deep sigh once more went through his mind as the dragon paused in his speech. Nix could sense a bit of frustration as the drake went on. “I will do what I can to help. Poking fun at you is not the way to help you, in this case. So I will do what I can to help.”
Nix stopped and lowered his head as he listened to the dragon speak. “I’ll try. I promise you I will try.” He said and began to move once more.
“That is all I ask of you.”
Nix walked forward and the day stretched out into hours as he walked forward. It was afternoon when he saw dust ahead of them. He broke into a trot and a wide smile crossed his face at the sight of several ponies that he recognized. They had managed to bring a couple of wagons from the village with them and they were using it to transport some of the injured and elderly. He broke into a gallop as he raced to rejoin them.
“Hey!” He shouted as he drew up to them.
“Nix lad!” A stallion halted the wagon and trotted back to him. “By Celestia Ah wasn’t sure you’d made it. Ah saw you run into the village and Ah was sure ya were a goner. Never been so glad to be wrong in me life.”
“Good to see you too. I got as many as I could out, but…” He began but that sadness bit at him once more and he went quiet.
“Ya did everything ya could.” Another pony approached him and he looked to her. “Ah saw ya run in there like a pony possessed. If you couldn’t save ‘em, then nopony could.” She said and hugged him close.
He smiled and held her close for a moment before releasing her. “I’m just glad you guys made it.”
“A lot of folks did thank to you. A lot of ponies that caught up to us kept saying how you pulled them out and made them run away. Yer a hero in my book.” The stallion replied.
Nix rubbed the back of his head, embarrassed for a moment before he spoke again. “We are all pretty lucky.”
“Agreed.” They replied.
“I did get a bit of help from…”
“NO!”
Nix cried out and his hooves went to his head, as he sat down and held his head in his hooves. A loud whimper escaped him as the dragons roar echoed through him. He barely noticed as the other ponies crowded around him as he whimpered in pain.
“Tell them nothing.” Kahl snarled to him.
“Kay.” He whispered aloud. He allowed the other ponies to move him to the side of the road under the shade of a tree. “I’m okay. Just suddenly tired.” He hoped they would believe him as he lied to them to hide the angry dragon in his mind.
“I don’t doubt you are. Come on. Let’s get you into the wagon and you can rest there.” They agreed and ushered him into the back of the wagon and tossed a blanket over his back.
“Got to be exhausted from all that ya have done fer us.” The elder mare commented and tussled his mane.
He laid down and allowed them to fuss over him before they finally let him be and the wagon started moving once more now that he was bundled safely inside it. He laid his head down and remained silent as his head slowly stopped pounding. He was more than a bit confused about the dragon’s anger. He didn’t understand what he had done wrong.
“I’m sorry.” He whispered in his mind, hoping the dragon would hear him.
“Do not tell anyone of our Pact.” The dragons tone was short and clipped, but he didn’t yell.
“I didn’t think it was a big deal.” He replied.
“It is. What do you think will happen should they find out that you made a Pact with a dragon?” He pointed out.
Nix raised his head in alarm at the dragon’s words. The realization of why Kahl had yelled at him sunk in and he could feel alarm creeping into his mind. “By Faust I…Oh Goddess.” His breathing quickened and the thought that they would hate him for making a Pact to save his own life crept over him. His vision narrowed and he could feel panic coming over him.
Kahl was quiet as he allowed Nix to think things over on his own. He could feel the panic as it crept up and he turned his immediate attention to the Unicorn and was surprised to see how quickly he had fallen to panic. The Unicorn was beginning to hyperventilate as the dragon reacted.
“Calm down.” The drake reached out to him, trying to calm him once more. “We will work through this as well.”
Kahl realized that the pony was not going to calm down ion his own ad he reached out to him once more. He calmed himself and interposed his own demeanor over the panicking stallion's mind. He forced him to calm by using their shared connection to forcibly ease him down. He held the Unicorns mind under his own as he slowly began to calm and his breathing went back to normal.
“Are you all right?” Kahl finally asked as the pony relaxed once more.
“I think so. Sorry. I just…”
“It’s fine. We will discuss it at a later date. But for right now I think they have the right idea.”
“Which is?”
“You should rest. It has been a long couple of days.” The dragon said to him.
“Do you sleep as well?”
“Not in the literal sense. I am aware of what is around us but not as active as normal.” Kahl explained. “Don’t worry about me. Get some rest Nix.”
“Okay. Thanks again for calming me down. Been a while since that’s happened.”
“We will discuss it later. Rest.”
“Got it.”
Kahl was quiet as the pony settled back under his blanket and he gave the pony a gentle push and he fell asleep faster than on his own. He relaxed as well but kept his senses alert for anything that could endanger them as the Unicorn slept.