A Pact to Live

by OblivionShadow

17: A Secret Told

Nix woke up and rolled to his belly and yawned as he pushed himself to his hooves. He groaned as his body complained about sleeping on the cavern floor for the third night in a row. He stretched his back and it crackled loudly as Kahl chuckled in the back of his mind. He reached out with their magic to his saddlebags and they wrapped around his body. He walked to the cavern doors and their magic pushed them open easily. He looked past the braziers and his eyes fell on Mitsu as the Earth dragon looked up as his ears heard the pony’s hoof steps.

“Morning Mitsu.” He called out.

“Good morning Phoenix.” Mitsu greeted him and lowered his head so the pony did not have to shout at him. “Are you ready for this morning?”

Nix breathed in a deep breath in exhaled as he nodded, his expression solemn. “I have to be. I’ve got Kahl and the rest of you backing me up so it’s not as bad as it could be.” He admitted.

“You are one of us now. And we do not abandon our own.” Mitsu assured him. “You can alert us when you have reached the Gorge or we can meet you there.”

“How long would it take you to get there?”

“Moments now that we know the exact location,” Mitsu replied. “Kahlem showed us the way and we can be there through our own pathways.”

“Are they similar to what Kahl and I use?”

“You use the pathways of the Earth's flame. They are very similar. The difference is that Kahlem must follow the paths that are already in place. I can go through any path I choose.”

“That makes sense,” Nix admitted and breathed out a quick breath. “Okay, we are gonna head back and talk to Twilight. If I know her she is already awake. So I won’t be waking her up.”

“She is an early riser like yourself?”

“Not really. She wakes up really early while I try not to if I can avoid it.” Nix explained. “I try not to see dawn break.”

Mitsu chuckled and his tail flicked across the stone as Nix reached out to the world and the stones parted to allow him to fall into the flames paths. He looked up at Mitsu who raised his head with a nod and he stepped back as Nix closed his eyes to allow Kahl to take the lead.

---

“Till later Mitsu,” Kahl said to him.

“Till later Kahlem. Though, if I may.”

“Hmm?”

“You chose well,” Mitsu said to him.

“I’ve actually grown attached to him. More than the obvious.” Kahl replied with a chuckle.

Kahl looked down at the opening in front of him and he allowed their body to fall forward and vanish into the earth. He kept Nix back as he opened his eyes to guide them through the flames paths. He focused easily on their destination and he cracked open the basement a mere minute later. The flames of the world pushed them out of the hole in the ground and he focused on closing it and returning the room to normal.

---

Nix opened his eyes and he looked around to find them back in the basement. “Nicely done Kahl. That was either really fast or I simply have no concept of time when you’re in control.” Nix chuckled as he made for the stairs.

“Time did pass but only a few minutes.” Kahl informed him.

“Okay, now it’s my turn.” He said aloud and the dragon gave an assenting sound in reply. “This should be interesting.”

“It will be fine. Give her the chance to process what you tell her and we will prove it to her as needed.” Kahl replied.

“I’m pretty positive that she is going to want to say hello to you at least once,” Nix admitted as he walked up the basement stairs and unlocked the door.

“Perhaps. If she does then I will speak to her as needed.” Kahl responded.

Nix sighed as he closed the door behind him and made the front door. Their magic unlocked it and he walked out into the crisp morning air. His hooves carried him as he locked the door and made his way toward the Library. He dragged his hooves at times as dread and anxiety begin to gather in his mind and he fought to keep walking forward.

“Stop.” Kahl suddenly told him and he stopped in place. “Calm down. You need to breathe before you give yourself a panic attack.”

Nix breathed deeply and did as the dragon had instructed. “Am I that bad?”

“You’re a bit tense.” Kahl admitted to him. “Remember that you are doing this because it is needed at this time. Your purpose is greater than simply coming clean to her is part of a larger plan.”

“I know but that’s part of my problem. I didn’t choose to do this on my own.”

“I see.” Kahl responded and fell quiet for several seconds. “Do you have a better plan?”

“No and that’s what’s driving me up the wall.” He admitted. “I didn’t choose this.”

“I see what you mean. But you did regret lying to her as you have.” Kahl pointed out and Nix gave a slight nod in reply. “Do you trust her enough to tell her this without fear?”

“No.” Nix nearly shouted.

“Then we will find another way.” Kahl replied.

Nix sighed and nearly sat down in place. “Hang on. Can we talk it out before I back out fully?”

“Of course. We have plenty of time.”

Nix moved out of the middle of the road and into a nearby alley to talk to the dragon. “Okay so help me out.”

“What is stopping you?”

“I’m afraid she will tell Celestia either intentionally or not.” Nix admitted.

“She does not strike me as the type to speak of others in that sense. If you explain your fears to her would she still tell your secret?”

Nix was quiet as he considered what he had been asked. “No. She wouldn’t. We may not be close but that’s not who she is.”

“See?” Kahl said to him and waited as Nix nodded. “You are quick to find fault and terror in the dark instead of the light and the potential it holds. You let your anxiety run away with you and you have no way to reel it back in without it driving you into the ground first.”

“I’ve never stopped it, have I?”

“No. It tends to get away from us both in your defense.”

“Is that why you stopped me in the middle of the street?”

“Exactly. I understand your fears but I think you are letting them run away with your mind. Your fears are not without a foundation but they are out of control and you have no defense against them…Yet.”

“Yet?”

“We will work on it as we go. Now I want you to reel in your anxiety by focusing on what you want out of this. Forget the other dragons and focus on yourself and what your own goal is.”

Nix was quiet as he listened to the dragon and when prompted he thought it over in his mind and he went over what he had been told and what he had learned. He knew that the dragons were counting on him to bring Twilight to the Gorge to talk to them. He shook his head and ignored that part as well as the goal of speaking with Luna through a letter. He shelved all of that in the back of his mind and he instead started to think about what he wanted. ‘I want to find out how they were stolen. I want to know how they broke in and stole them. I want to know all of that but I’m afraid still.’ He thought to himself and he leaned back on his haunches as he thought on. ‘But am I ready to let this be brought out into the light? What if…?”

“No.” Kahl broke into his thoughts and stopped him. “Do not go down that road. That is anxiety working and we need to learn to stop it and work through it to avoid it evolving. Avoid what if’s if you can.”

“Okay.” He replied and went back to thinking on his own.

He leaned heavily back and focused once more on his goals and what he wanted to happen. ‘I want answers.’

“I think I get it.” He finally said to the dragon.

“Oh?”

“Yes. The reason you wanted me to focus on what I want.”

“You are busy focusing on others and you forget yourself. It’s an admirable trait but it tends to get you trampled on.” Kahl replied. “You want answers for the dragons?”

“No. For me. I need to know if I can trust her and I need to know if I’m wrong too. I want to trust her but…”

“Your fears are in the way. I can sense that and I commend you for realizing it.”

“You could have just told me?”

“What would you learn if I fixed everything for you?” Kahl asked him with a laugh.

Nix chuckled and sighed. “Okay so if I want to move forward I need to try. I need to come out of my comfort zone a bit and try with her?”

“If you wish to. This is meant to allow you to back out if you wish. I will not allow you to go through with this if you have regrets and feel fearful of everything about it.”

“Thanks, Kahl. But. I think I’m okay. I don’t feel like I’m being ordered to do anything and I don’t feel so…”

“Uptight?”

“Yeah that works.” Nix replied with a bark of laughter as he moved out of the alley and put himself back on the road to the Library, his steps no longer dragging.

---

He stopped in front of the Library door and raised a hoof to knock. He paused and breathed out a short breath and knocked on the door. He gulped as he waited for the purple Unicorn to come to the door. His ears flicked forward as he could hear movement inside and the door opened seconds later. Spike looked up at him, rubbing his eyes with one hand.

“Nix?”

“Morning Spike.” He greeted the baby dragon.

“It’s really early, even for you.” He observed. “I thought Twilight was the only pony crazy enough to be up this early.”

“Normally I’m not but I just got back into town,” Nix explained. “Is Twilight up and about?”

“Oh yeah, she’s up. I’ll get her and then go back to bed.” He said as he turned away and vanished into the Library.

Nix knew that he assumed the Midnight Unicorn would follow him but Nix didn’t follow and instead waited where he was. Nervousness flowed over him as he focused on remaining calm and collected. He felt Kahl overlay his own calm over his mind and Nix closed his eyes for a second as he felt calmer thanks to the dragon's intervention. He waited as the door was pushed open and Twilight smiled at the sight of him.

“Your back already?” She addressed him.

“Yeah.” He replied and coughed as his voice threatened to crack. “Sorry. Can I borrow you for a bit?”

“For what?” She asked him.

Kahl snorted and Nix stared at her for a moment before he tried to reply. “We simply need to speak with her. It’s important.”

“I’d rather speak in private if you don’t mind,” Nix said to her and she nodded as understanding went through her eyes.

“Sure. Let me tell Spike that I’ll be out for a bit. Be right back.”

She disappeared back into the Library and he breathed out a sigh of relief at how easy it had been and waited patiently for her. Twilight came back to the door and he backed up to allow her to join him. He led her back toward his house and she fell in beside him, her steps lighter than his own. Their magic unlocked the front door and she giggled as the lock opened.

“I had to look into it through the windows to check on it.”

“Why? I gave you a…Shit.” He thought as he looked at his saddlebags and their magic reached into them as he pulled out the key. “Yeah, I was supposed to give you this key.”

Nix held back a cringe as Kahl erupted in laughter and Twilight snickered behind her hoof. He put the key back in his saddlebag and walked into the house with her on his heels. Their magic covered the saddlebags and he carried them in their magic to the basement. He pushed open the door and led her down the stairs. He pulled the Dragon’s Tears out of the bag and set them on the table and motioned for her to have a seat.

“Must be very private if we are talking down here.” She said to him as she sat down.

He gave a nervous grin and took his seat across the table from her. “Yeah, it kind of is. Sorry.”

“No, it's fine. Don’t apologize for it. I was just saying it must be something big that’s all.” She explained.

He nodded and put his hooves on the table. “I’m not sure where to even start to be honest.” He lamented and she looked concerned as he put his hooves over his face for several seconds.

“Start at the beginning.” Kahl advised. “Start out with why we are here in the first place.”

“Okay. Did Celestia mention why I was sent here?”

“Sure. In her letter, she told me that she had hired you for research and development and that you would be moving here to work.” She replied, her tone factual.

“That’s true. So she didn’t mention how I ended up getting hired and all that.” He replied and she shook her head. “That’s not the whole truth.”

“What happened? You mentioned that you weren’t needed to protect a village that you had been in.”

“That’s true. I wasn’t needed since the village was destroyed in a dragon attack.”

Her eyes went wide and she stared at him for several seconds. “A dragon attack? How many?”

“Three.” He replied.

Her eyes were wide as she stared at him. “So what happened?”

“They attacked one side of the village and I ran into the other half to get ponies out. There was a fourth dragon but he was fighting against them and trying to save the town.”

“Wow. I’ve never heard of any dragons trying to help Pony’s, aside from Spike.” She replied. “But I believe you so please go on.”

“I got as many ponies out as I could before one of the dragons spotted me and came after me. The black got in the way but not before the green one tried to bite me in half. I got him with my own sword and I think I blinded him but he swung his head and sent me through a wall.”

“Ouch.” Twilight cringed as he nodded.

“I know I broke a leg and a few ribs when I landed and I was in trouble but I couldn’t move.” He informed her and a perplexed look crossed her face as she looked at him.

“But you seemed fine when you got here and Princess Celestia would have mentioned if you needed any medical help.” She replied to him and he waited for her to go on. “How did you survive it?” She asked him, caution in her voice.

“The black dragon.” He replied easily. “He’s the reason I lived through it. Without him, I would have died there as well.”

“Wow.” She looked at her hooves for a moment before she leaned back carefully on the stool she sat on. “How did he save you when your wounds were so severe? And what happened to him?”

“He came to me after I landed and we...chatted.”

“You chatted?” Twilight said to him her voice disbelieving.

“I guess chatted is the wrong word. But that’s the best way to describe it.” He admitted with a shrug. “He didn’t talk out loud and I could hear him mentally, I think it’s called telepathy.”

She nodded as he spoke. “That’s correct. But it’s a very rare skill.”

“That was how he talked to me. He said it was because neither of us had the strength left to talk out loud.” He related to her as he recalled it clearly in his own mind. “I was able to talk to him through our minds since I guess he knew how to connect us to allow it. I never asked.”

“That’s amazing. I would love to talk to him about it. Do you have any idea where he is now?” She questioned.

He nodded as she grinned. “I know exactly where he is.” He replied, his voice quieter than before.

“Where?”

“On that field, both of us were dying and if we didn’t act neither of us would be here today.” She looked uncertain of what he was talking about but she didn’t interrupt him as he went on. “He asked me if I was ready to die in that field and I told him that if I had to I could make peace with it but I would prefer to keep living.”

“Makes sense. But how did he save you?”

“He proposed a Pact.”

“A Pact. What in Celestia’s name is a Pact?”

“A Pact would join our fates together and bind us as one being.”

“What does that mean exactly?”

“Basically if one of us dies the other dies with them. We are one life and we both share that life between the two of us.” Her eyes were wide as she stared at him as he finished speaking.

“Where is the dragon?” She asked him intently.

“The magic to complete a Pact is pretty volatile and the dragon was the only one of the two of us that knew how to do it so he started it when I passed out. When he brought that magic forward it would have hurt me and broken a promise he made to me that I would come out of it just fine.”

“And?”

“He sacrificed the life force he had left and his own body to save me instead of it joining me to his form and leaving my mind broken and damaged.” He paused as she listened. “That dragon instead shares my body with me instead of the other way around.”

Her eyes narrowed for a moment as disbelief went through her face. “Did you hit your head while you were gone?”

He chuckled and shook his head. “No, I promise I’m fine. I promise you I’m not lying or pulling your chain.”

“Prove it.” She replied, her tone sharp.

“How?” He asked her.

“If there really are two minds in one body then can I talk to the other one?”

“That’s all?”

“For now.” She replied as her purple eyes bored into him.

He closed his eyes and he felt his mind slipping back as if it was in quicksand as Kahl came forward.

---

Kahl opened his eyes and he looked at the purple Unicorn before him. He had been listening to the entire conversation and he knew that the mare had asked for him. He raised his head slightly higher and a slight grin tugged at his mouth.

“Hello, Twilight Sparkle.”

Her eyes went wide at the different voice that came from Nix’s throat. She looked uncertain as he waited for her to speak to him. Emotions flickered across her face as she processed what was in front of her.

“Hi.” She replied simply.

“I’m sure it’s different to hear another voice coming from him.”

“You could still be messing with me and he’s throwing his voice.” She replied, uncertainty on her face.

“I promise you we are not toying with you.” He assured her. “Nix does not have a talent for ventriloquism I assure you.” She shook her head as he spoke and she finally seemed to come to terms with the facts in front of her. “I assume you have questions and I will do what I can to answer them.”

“Who are you?”

“My name is Kahlem.”

“You really have a Pact with Nix?”

“Yes.”

“So you made a Pact with him and to save him you let your body be destroyed?”

“That is one way to put it. When the magic came to bear against us to create the Pact itself he did not have enough magic or life left within him to sustain it. It would have bound him to me still but it would have left his mind broken and possibly driven him insane.”

“Go on.”

“The magic could have done one of two things. First, it could have been that Nix would have shared my body with me and it would leave him broken.”

Horror crossed her face as he confirmed for her what would have happened to her friend. “I didn’t believe him before.”

“I know. I was listening when he was explaining things. He has many skills but he is overly nice about details when they could use to be blunter.” He replied as she calmed and listened as he spoke. “Instead I chose the second option. I sacrificed the life and the power that was left within my own body to save him and protect his mind as I had sworn to him. It allowed me to keep his mind intact but it had the consequence that my body was used in place of his magic. As you can see this is the result we found ourselves left with.”

“So you’re magic and his are…”

“They are joined. The sparks you see coming from his horn?” She nodded as she recalled what he meant. “That is my power coming through. They can be separated if there is a need but usually they are one and the same.”

“Can you show me?”

His horn lit as he called on Nix’s Unicorn magic and it flowed easily over the horn and Twilight watched as he calls on the flames to take their place. Twilight yelped and fell off her chair as fire surged over his horn and the azure aura faded, leaving only fire in its place. He leaned forward as she panted on the floor.

“Are you all right?” He asked her as she got to her hooves.

She righted the chair and sat back down with a sheepish nod. “I’m fine.” She assured him.

“I give you my word that you are on no danger from the fire we control.” He said to her. “It is harmless. If you wish you can try it.”

He leaned his head down and she reached out her hoof and waved it through the flames as they flickered along his horn. She leaned back and he sat upright as he waited for her to speak up. He called on Nix’s Unicorn magic and both flowed over his horn once more. Sparks and fire danced through the azure aura as she watched.

“How can you control the fire so easily? I’ve seen Unicorns try to control the Elements and it was usually a terrible failure and ponies got hurt.”

“I was born of fire and I command it. Within the dragons, there are the four Elemental Dragons that watch over the world and we create a balance between the Elements themselves. I rule over the Realm of Fire.”

Her eyes were wide as he spoke and her mouth slowly fell open. She shook her head and then she looked thoughtful as he waited. “I’ve heard of that, of you, I mean. It was in a book I read a few years ago. I didn’t do much research on them since I did not have the time and I was focusing on my studies.”

“I commend you for even knowing what I was speaking of. Most any pony I would ask would not have understood what I meant. Well done.”

Pride crossed her face as she looked at him. “Can Nix hear everything through his own…Your, ears?”

“If he wishes to then he can. Normally I push his mind back to allow me to use the flames that come to me when called. His fear of fire stops him from using them normally.”

“He’s afraid of fire?”

“Yes. The irony was not lost on me when I found out and I admit that I laughed at it.”

“That is ironic. I agree.” She said to him and she shook her head as she thought over what she had been told.

He extinguished their magic and his horn went dormant. He waited for her to speak as her eyes went from him to the table and then back again.

“Do you regret what you did?”

“No. While I miss my wings there is nothing that I regret.”

She smiled at him and keened back on her stool. “Wow. I admit that when Nix asked me to talk privately with him I didn’t think it would be like this. I had no idea he had a dragon living in his body with him.”

“He is desperate to keep it secret.”

“Why?”

“He fears what might happen should others find out.”

“Nopony would hurt him.”

“But would they not try to ‘fix’ what has been done?”

She was quiet as she comprehended what he meant and she closed her eyes for several seconds before she nodded. “They might, that’s true. I know the Princess might try to help him if he wanted her to.”

“He has no desire for any help. We are fine the way we are.” Kahl expressed.

Twilight sighed and nodded at him. “I understand. I guess he wants me to keep it secret as well?”

“If you are able that would be preferred,” Kahl replied.

She nodded and put her hooves on the table. “I will. Can you tell him he has nothing to worry about?”

“He will hear it from you in a few minutes. I wish to explain why we chose to tell you about us.”

“There is more of a reason than that he’s my friend?”

“In this case, yes.”

She looked upset for several seconds before she nodded at him and waited for him to speak. “Okay, let me know what the real reason is Kahl...lemm?”

Kahl chuckled and a sigh pulled from him as she had the same trouble with his full name. “Just Kahl is fine. Nix had trouble with it as well.”

“I’m so sorry.” She replied and he shook his head. “Kahl it is.”

“Nothing to apologize for. You are not the first nor will you be the last to foul it.” He assured her with a wave of his hoof. “Look here.”

Their magic covered the box that held the Dragons Tears and it opened to show her the glittering gems within. Her eyes went wide as she stared at the large gems. She reached out to touch them and their magic smacked her hoof and she yelped as he shook his head at her.

“Sorry.” She said to him as his horn went dormant.

“They are not to be handled.” He scolded.

“You didn’t say anything.” She pointed out as she rubbed her hock.

“One would assume you would ask first.” He countered.

Her ears pinned for a second before they turned forward to face him once more. “Okay, what are they? They are clearly important.”

“We call them Dragons Tears.” He said to her. “I will avoid telling you what they are made of since I do not wish to upset you.”

She scowled at him and he paused as she leaned forward. “Does Nix know?”

“He does but it made him physically ill.”

Her eyes went wide as she sat back on her stool and was quiet for a second. “What are they?”

“There are many types of dragons but there are some that are direct descendants of us personally or our predecessors. Those dragons are buried within the catacombs of their ancestor dragon. For example, my predecessor has his descendants buried within the catacombs of fire.”

“Okay, so these gems come from there? That’s not so bad.”

“I’m not done.” He replied and she fell silent. “To bury them we remove the heart of that dragon and they are placed within a crystal phylactery. The thought is that this way the heart of the dragon lives on and they do not truly die.”

“Wow.” She said to him and her eyes watched him as he went on.

“The heart decays over time and in place of the decayed flesh we are left with what you see in front of you.”

Her eyes went wider in shock as she looked down at the gemstones. She pulled her hooves away from the box that held them and she looked at him, fear in her eyes. He was surprised by the look in her eyes but he waited for her to calm before he reacted.

“You have to be kidding.”

“I promise you I am not. These were stolen from the catacombs that they had been interred into many years ago.”

“So these are the hearts that were removed?”

“Yes. Over time they turn into the gemstones in front of you.”

Twilight looked at the box as horror flit across her face. “Can we put them back where they came from?”

He shook his head and sadness crossed his face as he looked at them. “They are no longer pure and cannot be returned.”

“Oh by Equestria.” She whispered and stared at the gems and then looked at him. “So what are you going to do with them now that you have them?”

“That has not been discussed actually. Currently, our goal is to find out who stole them from under our noses.” He replied. “My fellow dragons helped us to look into the catacombs and we found that the doors that were meant to protect the catacombs had been destroyed and the inside robbed. They seem to have limited themselves to only the eighteen in front of us or we simply do not know how many are gone.”

“Hopefully they did not take more than this.” She said to him and he nodded in agreement. “What are you going to do now?”

“We received them from Luna herself.”

“How did she get them?”

“She gave them to us to assist with one of the projects we had chosen. The ability to store Magical Essence within a vessel. Upon realizing what they were we decided that it would not be an option to use them for that purpose.”

“I agree. That would be very disrespectful.”

He nodded at her as she sighed and leaned into the table. “We have come to the decision to ask of your aid.”

“What can I do to help?” She asked as a questioning glance crossed her face.

“We have been told that you can send letters freely through Spike.” She nodded and waited for him to go on. “We ask that you send a letter about them to your Princess.”

Twilight stared at him and then her glance went to the gems in front of her. “You want me to ask Princess Celestia to ask Princess Luna about the gems?”

“There are other things but that is the most important. We have asked our fellow dragons to come to the Gorge to speak with you as well. They are awaiting our word to meet us.”

“What?!” Twilight nearly shrieked and he pinned his ears. “You’re kidding?”

“No. They wish to speak and I cannot deny them their rage over what has happened. I do not have children that were entombed within the catacombs. But they did.”

She fell quiet as sorrow crossed her face. “Oh. So they had children that were taken?”

“Yes.” He replied and he could see a tear in her eye as he waited for her to process what he meant. “Their anger is justified and I know they need to speak their piece before it begins to corrode them and I will not allow it to harm our fellow Elementals.”

Twilight nodded and she fell quiet as she thought it over. “Are they mad at me?”

“No. Their rage is for the one who stole from them. The goal is to ask Luna who she got them from. Our concern is if she did, in fact, steal them.”

“Princess Luna would never do that,” Twilight said as anger flashed in her eyes.

“I know that’s your opinion. But we do not know the exact timeline. We do not live near the catacombs at all times. The last we were in there was over fifty years past. The doors that are meant to withstand dragons claws shattered under the magic of a Unicorn.”

“How do you know it was a Unicorn?”

“Nix tested it with his own Unicorn magic and he was able to break three out of four of them. There was only one magical scent on three of them and many on the last.” He reasoned to her.

“Oh,” Twilight replied and looked a bit sheepish.

“I am explaining this to you so you are not upset by what the others say. I will not command you to meet with them but I do ask that you do.” Kahl went on. “Will you meet with them?”

Twilight was quiet as she considered what he had said to her. “They will come when called?”

“Yes. We will meet in the gorge since it is the only place large enough for all three of them and us as well.”

“Okay. That doesn’t seem so bad. They’re not going to blame me for it are they?”

“No. We discussed it already and all three agree that punishing an entire species is not the way to get what we want.” Kahl assured her with a wave of his hoof.

“Okay. I’ll do it. Is Nix on board or is he still pushed back?”

“He’s in the back and if you wish to speak with him I can send him forward. I do ask that you give me a minute to tell him the basics of what we discussed so he is informed.”

“Of course.”

Kahl closed his eyes and he called Nix’s mind forward.

---

Nix opened his eyes and Twilight was watching him closely as he breathed in a sigh and rolled his shoulders.

“She will join us in the gorge.” Kahl informed him. “I informed her why we wish her to join us and how we came to our conclusions.”

“Okay, so you and Kahl had a short chat or a long one?” Nix asked her.

“It was a long chat I think.” She replied with a smile.

“Okay. He didn’t upset you did he?”

“Pardon me?” Kahl said to him and Nix cringed as a smile broke over his mouth.

“Kidding.” He said aloud and Twilight giggled at his antics.

“He was polite and very informative.” She replied and she slid off her stool and looked at him. “Okay, when are we meeting them?”

“We will head out now. They will meet us when we get there.”

“How will they know we are ready for them?”

“Kahl and I will let them know through the flames of the world. We control them and we can use them to send them a message.” He informed her.

“So you can call on the lava in the world?”

“It’s made of fire so kind of.” He said to her as he made his way to the stairs, the mare on his heels. “Anything with fire in it we can use or start to use.”

“Wow. And the others?”

“Can I tell her who they are?” Nix asked the dragon aloud.

“Go ahead. It will help to speed things along if she is aware of who they are.” Kahl replied.

“Mitsu is the Dragon of Earth and he’s dark brown. Suki is the Dragon of Air and he’s white with white fur. Ice is the Dragon of Water and he’s blue.” He informed her as they left the basement. “Suki can be a little out there when he gets rolling so just let Kahl or Mitsu rein him in. Ice can be a bit of an ass but he’s pretty even-tempered for the most part. Mitsu is really easy to hang out with. I spent the last three days around him most.”

She followed him out of the basement and into the house and he shut the door behind her. She followed him as he left the house and he locked the doors as he turned to face her.

“Care to walk or teleport?” He asked her.

“Can you teleport another pony easily?”

“Between the two of our magic’s it is easily done.” Kahl advised and Nix nodded.

“With the addition of Kahl’s magic, it’s pretty easy.” He admitted, his voice quiet.

“Then we can teleport. If you don’t mind doing the teleporting.”

“That’s fine with me.” He replied and set a hoof on her shoulder as his horn charged.

A flash of azure magic and flame and they were standing in Ghastly Gorge. He looked around them and began to walk further into the gorge. The mare fell in behind him as he walked into a wider portion of it and stopped at the entrance.

“This wide enough Kahl?” He asked the dragon and Twilight looked at him as he had spoken aloud.

“Should be fine. We can call on them one at a time to allow them to arrive and not step on one another.”

“Right.”

Nix was quiet as he placed a hoof against the ground and reached out to the world’s flames. “Little direction Kahl.”

“It is the same as if you were going to open the world to use the roads. This time you are reaching out to the Earth itself. Mitsu will hear your call.” Kahl advised.

“Got it.”

Nix closed his eyes for a moment as he directed his focus and he felt the world respond to him as it shifted slightly. He pulled his hoof back as the ground began to tremble under his hooves. Beside him, Twilight looked alarmed as he reached back and set a hoof on her shoulder.

“It’s fine.” He assured her and she nodded, nervousness in her eyes.

The earth cracked open with a loud sound and he fought to keep his hooves under him as the Earth dragon crawled out of the cracked earth and stood above them. The mud-colored dragon shook his head and looked down at the two ponies that stood ahead of him. Nix chuckled as Twilight shook at his side. He leaned against her for a moment to try to soothe her. He knew that the sight of the great dragon was intimidating and he didn’t blame her for being nervous.

“Greetings Phoenix and to you as well Kahlem.” Mitsu greeted them as he backed up several steps and laid down ahead of them.

“Hi, Mitsu. This is Twilight.” He replied and motioned with his hoof to the mare with him.

“Greetings young mare. I am Mitsu, the Dragon of Earth.” Mitsu said as he lowered his head to her to allow her to speak without shouting.

“Hi.” She replied and cast a quick glance to the stallion and he nodded in encouragement. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“The pleasure is ours,” Mitsu replied to her and settled into his place as he waited for the others. “Will you be calling them or shall I?”

“If you want to you can but if it’s okay with you I will. I need to work on how to do it and see if I can be smoother at it.” Nix explained.

“I will leave it to you then. I advise you to cast out your call in a different location and then move away from it. That will keep them from landing on me and you both.”

Nix nodded and accepted the advice as his horn lit and he teleported to land behind the dragon and set his hoof in place to summon Ice. He sent out the call and then teleported further back to summon Suki. He moved back and teleported to land beside the mare as the sound of rushing water went over him. Rain pelted around them as it formed a sheet of rain and Ice emerged from within it as the rain ended and left the ground wet in its place. A cold wind went over them and Nix bit back a shiver as ice and snow formed into a small tornado and Suki walked out of it and the air around them warmed once more as the ice and snow faded, leaving the dragon walking toward them.

“There they are.” He whispered to the shocked mare as she stared at the two dragons.

Author's Note:

Here is the next chapter of this story ready for reading. Thjank you for reading and let me know if you find any glaring errors. Thnak you as always!

Comments

[Fireeaters]

Neat.
You used the wrong 'there' a couple times, but I forgot to mark down where.
Other then that, I didn't see anything wrong.

[OblivionShadow]

10204435
Thank you for letting me know. I'll go through it when I get a chance and try to fix it.

[Fireeaters]

10204475
No problem my guy

[Fireeaters]

10204475
Ah, crap. I think I might have had a brain fart. It was either some wrong 'there' variants, or some 'your' ones. I might have messed up which I said. Oops.

[OblivionShadow]

10205820
I'll check both