//------------------------------// // 20: Information Gained // Story: A Pact to Live // by OblivionShadow //------------------------------// A loud knock on his front door startled him as he focused on the fire in his magical grip. He felt it fluctuate on his grip but he seemed to have managed not to let it run rampant when he lost focus. Though he was fairly certain that was due to his partner. He let the fire die in his grip as he made for the basement stairs. Phoenix trotted up the stairs and he reached the door after a few steps. He opened the door to find Twilight looking nervous on his front step. He opened his mouth to speak when her magic held up a scroll with Celestia’s royal seal. The seal had been broken by her but he could see that it was still intact in places. It was just clear enough to tell what it was. “Oh.” He mouthed as she nodded. “Yeah. I have the information you wanted.” She said to him as he moved out of her way and motioned for her to come in. “Finally.” He breathed out and she nodded as she looked back at him. “I was beginning to think I needed to ask again.” She admitted. “But we just needed to be a bit patient.” “Bout time.” Kahl grumbled. Nix chuckled at the dragon's tone and Twilight paused to let him lead her to the basement. They had been meeting regularly to work on his control of the fire element and also collaborate on the gem storage part of his work. So far he had gotten fairly good at controlling small balls of flame but anything more than that and he balked. Their magic pulled the table the chairs away from the wall and back into their normal place in the room. Twilight sat down and he took his seat across from her. “What did she say?” He asked her. “Basically according to Princess Luna she got the gems from an archaeological team that went on an expedition into the dragon lands. She had sent them to search for gemstones of various potency and…” She paused as she looked at him. “What?” He asked her as she stared at him. “Ummm… You okay?” “Yeah.” He quickly replied. “Kahl?” She asked. Nix tilted his head slightly as he waited for the dragon to reply but no response came. “Kahl?” “Oh, dear,” Twilight said as she jumped out of her chair and backed up. Nix looked at her and then he saw something out of the corner of his eye and he balked at the sight of large sparks of red and blue flame. He jumped out of his chair as the fire began to swirl around him and he sat down heavily in place and closed his eyes. “Nix make him stop!” Twilight shouted. “I can’t!” He shouted back. “Please try!” She nearly screamed. Nix opened his eyes and he could see that she was backed up as far as she could against one of the far walls. His eyes went wide as her horn charged and his magic lashed out to shield her from the growing firestorm. Her horn went out and her eyes went wider as her magic was snuffed. He got to his hooves and closed his eyes as he reached out to the raging dragon. “KAHL!” He screamed in his own head. He opened his eyes after several seconds to find the fire snuffed and the only evidence of its presence was the various scorch marks on the floor, walls, and ceiling. He looked at Twilight to find her cowering under the shield he had placed over her. He slowly walked up to her and the shield vanished. “Twilight?” He gently said her name as she looked at him, her eyes barely cracked to look at him. “Is it over?” She asked him. “Yeah. I’m sorry.” He said to her as he reached a hoof out to her to help her up. “So is he okay?” She asked as she took his hoof to stand. “He’s quiet.” He replied. “He hasn’t said a word.” “So… Now what?” She asked as they made for the scorched table. “I am not sure. If we tell the other dragons they might react even worse than Kahl did.” He replied. “And that was nearly a disaster.” “He’s really not saying anything?” Twilight asked him as she looked almost through him. He knew that she was looking not just at him but at the dragon that was within him. He averted his eyes and he shook his head. Nix was quiet as she suddenly giggled. He looked up and she pointed her hoof at the tabletop. He looked down to see the charred remains of the letter that she had brought with her. He wasn’t sure why but he began to smile at the sight of it. A laugh bubbled up in his throat and he fought against letting it out, he pursed his lips trying to keep it inside his mouth. He looked up to find Twilight desperately covering her own mouth and that broke his restraint. A laugh tore from him and he held onto the table as he laughed. Minutes went past as they laughed and their laughter finally ebbed and died. Nix wiped a tear from his eye as Twilight rubbed her cheeks and tried not to break out into further giggling. “I have no idea why that was so funny.” She admitted with a shake of her head. “Stress?” He replied. “Maybe we were so upset by Kahl’s tantrum…” “It was hardly a tantrum.” Kahl snarled. Nix went silent and looked down at the table. “Let me rephrase. We were so upset by Kahl’s act of rage…” He paused to see if the dragon replied. “That something so small was really funny.” He reasoned. “He talking now?” She asked. “Yeah… But he’s pretty angry still.” He admitted to her. “Well, he has reason to be.” She replied and looked away from him for a second before her eyes fell on him once more. “Now what do we do?” “I’m not sure.” He responded. “I thought finding out was the hard part but knowing what to do now is the really hard part. We have three other dragons who are going to be even more upset than Kahl was. They have actual family members that were taken.” “I forgot about that.” She whispered and a hoof went to her mouth. “Your right… They will be even more upset.” “We can’t, not, tell them though.” He said to her. “I know your right… I just am scared of what they will do.” “I know.” He replied to her softer tone. “Kahl?” “Yes?” “What do we do?” He said aloud to allow Twilight to hear part of the conversation. The silence went through his mind as the dragon seemed to be thinking. Nix went sweat bead upon his skin and he was sure it would show through his fur. Twilight watched him and he looked back at her, his expression lost as the silence went on. “We go to them.” Kahl finally replied. Nix breathed out a sigh as he nodded. “We need to go to them. Maybe in their own realm, the likelihood of things going bad will be less.” “What do you mean?” Twilight asked. “What did Kahl say?” “He said we need to go them and tell them ourselves.” “I gathered that much.” She said to him. “I meant did he say more than that?” “No. Just that we need to go to them.” “All of us.” Kahl said, his tone bland. “Come again?” Nix barked out. “Hang on.” Twilight leaned back in her chair as he focused on the dragon. “Why do we need to bring her along? They might hurt her!” Nix argued. “You almost hurt her.” “The flames would not have harmed her.” “I call bull shit.” Nix snapped. “You scorched the room.” “That’s true. The flames were not going to harm a creature of flesh and blood. While I was enraged I am not unthinking of those around me.” Kahl pointed out. “Oh. Well, you did terrify the both of us.” He argued. “That’s true.” He admitted in reply. “I admit that I did not expect her to have sent them herself.” “I’m pretty sure Twilight was stunned as well. But that doesn’t answer the question. Why do we need to bring Twilight?” “We cannot explain to them about the intricacies of the royals and how they act. She can.” He explained. “Oh. But how would we even take her there?” “Same way we get there.” Kahl said to him. “All we would need to do is shield her from the heat and the rest is easily done.” He said nothing in reply to the dragon’s matter-of-fact tone. “You say it like it’s easy.” Nix lamented aloud. “Because it is.” Kahl said back to him. Nix sighed and sagged in his own fur for several seconds before he looked up and his blue eyes fell on the mare with him. Twilight waited for him to speak and he sighed once more before he spoke to her. “He is thinking that we need to break the news to them in person.” He explained and she nodded. “That would probably be for the best I agree.” “That’s not all.” He groaned. “He wants you to go with us.” Twilight jolted in her chair and her eyes were wide as she stared at them. “What? Why?” “If they have questions about the Princesses then you’re the closest we can get to them without talking to them.” He explained. “Which they will.” Twilight opened her mouth to speak but no sound came out. She closed her mouth and a quiet gulp sounded as she opened her mouth to speak once more. “But… I’m not a Princess. They should talk to them.” “Yeah, that’s a good idea.” Nix sarcastically snapped at her. “Think about that for a second.” Twilight closed her mouth and seemed to do as he had said and was considering what would happen if they met. A grimace went over her face as she shook her head. “Right… Bad idea.” She replied. “So you’re thinking of bringing me along with you to meet them?” “Yeah,” Nix replied, his tone dry. “But… What if they snap as Kahl did?” She asked, her tone fearful. “That was…” “Apparently harmless to you or me.” He interrupted. “What?” “Apparently even as angry as he was he used flames that could have destroyed things… Not flesh and blood ponies.” She blinked as she stared at him, her eyes slowly growing wide. “I’m not even sure how to respond to that.” She admitted. “Me neither.” He said to her. “I wasn’t sure I believed him at first but Kahl isn’t a liar.” He reasoned. She fell silent as he considered what they should do next. He knew that Kahl had a point about taking her with them to meet up with Mitsu, Ice, and Suki. But he still felt fearful of what might happen to her. He didn’t have many friends and she was one of the very few he could call that. “You have the power to protect her if the need comes.” Kahl assured him. “Between the two of us she will be more than safe.” “Hmmm… Okay.” Twilight said and raised her head from the lowered position it had been in while she thought. “Huh?” Nix said to her dumbly. “I’ll go with you.” She said to him, her eyes determined. “What?” He said to her. “That was quick.” “I trust you and Kahl. Neither of you will let anything happen to me, plus I have my own magic to protect me if the need comes. If Kahl can keep control of his flames then they can control their respective elements just as easily.” She reasoned. Nix felt a smile tug at his mouth as he realized that she was on the same page as Kahl and he was the one with the hold-up. He smiled as he looked at her and he heard a gentle chuckle come from the dragon in his mind. “Okay then. Guess you're going to where the watchers of the world’s elements sit. It’s not a difficult trip.” He commented. “How long will it take?” She questioned. He realized very quickly that she was thinking it was a land-based trip. He let his smile warp a bit as she watched him. “What?” “We aren’t going by land.” He replied. “We will be using the paths of the world.” “What are those?” “They are the paths that are inside of the world itself. They have been made by the lava and flames of the world as they go through the land. We will be using those so the trip is about….” “Ten minutes.” Kahl supplied when he paused. “Ten minutes long,” Nix said to her. “Oh… Well, that changes things.” She said to him. “I was thinking it would be overland. Is that why you were able to go to Volcanoes and other places in short periods of time?” Nix chuckled and nodded. “Yep.” “This should be interesting.” Twilight chuckled in reply.